The super hot video game that earnt 1 billion dollars in its first 3 days of sales is available in the Madness Chamber Apartment on PS3. Sit back and relax with the all the SKY channels, broadband, 3d TV, films, books and now an extended range of PS3 games that include GTA5, FIFA14, the LEGO game range and more. 
We do want people to experience York but when your legs are tired and you need the rest the peace and calm of our secluded apartment offers more entertainment that any other accommodation in the city. 
Check back regularly here for late deals as we reduce prices to fill any gaps or cancellations.

Odell Brewing Company is a family owned microbrewery operating in Fort Collins, Colorado, since the late 1980s.

Having started small, with just two beers in the range, theirs is an archetypical example of America’s craft beer revival in action. The company now operates a 45,000 barrel plant (a typical UK micro is around 15, to give a sense of scale), and distributes its beers around the world.

Despite their success, the brewery remains grounded in its focus upon ethical and sustainable trading, and the company’s founders remain active in its daily running.

Their original two beers, Easy Street Wheat, and 90 Shilling ale, remain within their core range – the latter is to this day, their flagship ale. While many UK breweries currently take their cues from the US, this ale’s recipe comes from a time where the opposite was the case: Doug Odell formulated the recipe in an attempt to produce a light, drinkable version of a Scotch ale, and he did so with resounding success.

Pouring a deep chestnut with ruby highlights, underneath a rich fudgey head, this ale positively glows in the glass. The aroma is complex and spicy, layering the grassy noble-hop aromas of continental lagers with damp straw and a touch of lemon.

Medium bodied in the mouth, gingerbread and hazelnut sweetness give way to dry woodiness and a liquorice sourness before finishing with a flourish of herbal aromatics.

The finish is at once a touch sour and salty, backed up with a scattering of peppercorns that leave a complex bitterness running across the palate.

Both drinkable and worthy of contemplation, it’s no surprise this beer paved the way for Odell’s future success.

Recommended by Michael Bates, Trembling Madness, 48 Stonegate, York, YO1 8AS
Twitter: @tremblingmad

A recent addition to the Welsh brewing scene is Newport’s Tiny Rebel, a microbrewery whose skill in creating flavourful, well-crafted ales resulted in them winning first, second, and third places in this year’s Champion Beer of Wales competition – an unprecedented achievement.

Producing keg, cask, and bottled beers, Tiny Rebel’s range takes its cues from the best of American and continental brewing traditions, before adding a characteristic spin.

This week’s offering is branded as Tiny Rebel’s ‘Maori Pale Ale’ – not a style as such, but a reference to the extensive use of New Zealand hops.

Pouring a rich copper, beneath a loose head of quickly dissipating foam, the initial aroma is the trademark white grape of Nelson Sauvin hops.

A delicate nose with elements of cider, freshly cut grass, and a hint of coconut, suggest this may be an overwhelmingly intense pale ale, but in actuality Full Nelson is deceptively drinkable.

The body is incredibly light, with a prickly carbonation akin to a continental pilsner, backed up by the rich maltiness of a Vienna lager.

The finish is clean, elegantly so, with only the slightest cloying sweetness – a perfect stage for the moderate hop bitterness to reveal itself.

Aromatic and flavourful, with Parma Violets, apples, and white grapes developing into light sherry notes, this is an expertly crafted, drinkable ale.

Not only is it delightfully refreshing, it may well be the ideal gateway beer for those used to mass-market lagers, resembling the best of German brewing styles, coupled with the seductive aromatics and beguiling complexity of new-world hops.

Recommended by Michael Bates, Trembling Madness, 48 Stonegate, York, YO1 8AS
Twitter: @tremblingmad

1:44pm Saturday 14th September 2013 in Beer of the week

WELCOME to the House of Trembling Madness. And no, we’re not talking about a newly discovered Sherlock Holmes short story. We’re talking about the York pub/beer shop on Stonegate.

The place takes its name from the medieval term often used for an inn, says owner Ian Loftus. The Latin term delirium tremens, from which we get the DTs, actually means exactly the same thing.

The medieval folk of York were very fond of their beer, or ale, Ian says – even more so than we are today, if you can believe that. “The water supply back then was so bad, everybody drank ale.”

Ian and his team of beer experts at Trembling Madness are doing their best to ensure we all rediscover the joys of great beer.

The Stonegate pub was joint winner of the Pub of the Year accolade in the 2011 York Tourism Awards. And the store and off-licence below it now stocks at least 600 different beers at any one time, along with a range of ‘beer cheeses’. Most of the beers are from different parts of the UK. But there are plenty from overseas too – particularly Belgium, because Ian admits to an especial fondness for Belgian beers.

All of which makes The House of Trembling Madness ideally placed to take over from Jim Helsby at the York Beer and Wine Shop as our regular Beer of the Week columnist.

As we reported last week, Jim has decided to take a well-earned rest after writing 500 columns for The Press over the past ten years. It was time for someone else to have a go, he said – though fortunately for beer connoisseurs, the Beer and Wine Shop will be remaining very much open.

Ian and his team from Trembling Madness – fellow beer experts Michael Bates and Rob Mcleod – were more than happy to try to fill Jim’s very large boots.

Ian, 43, says he is passionate about introducing people to beers they may not have tried. Yes, we all have our favourites, he says.

“But there is a huge diversity in beer and an ever increasing array of new craft breweries appearing. It’s always worth trying something different. You never know, you may find your next new favourite ale.”

The Trembling Madness team’s first column appears below – a classic Japanese Pale Ale that weighs in at a powerful seven per cent ABV.

Enjoy!

Hitachino Nest is Kiuchi brewing’s brand of bottle conditioned ales, combining modern concepts with traditional techniques and recipes – an approach more in line with the likes of Thornbridge and Buxton than the Brewdog school of craft breweries.

Their Japanese Classic Ale is an India Pale Ale brewed to a recipe from the Edo-Period using predominantly British hops (Goldings and Fuggles), and then aged in cedar casks. The result is a smooth, rounded beer, worlds away from the newer American style of hop-forward India Pale Ales.

Pouring a rich copper, topped off with a loose, billowing white head, this is an attractive beer indeed. The aroma is dominated by a strong wheat and cereal hit, much like a Vienna lager, which gives way to a very English black tea and bergamot hop aroma.

Medium-bodied and sweet, with flavours again reminiscent of breakfast cereal and golden syrup, before a fresh, sharp woody note cuts through and rounds things out. Some dry, herbal hop in the finish helps alleviate the sweetness of the beer, but remains subdued, allowing the alcohol to bring warmth to the end of the proceedings.

An excellent beer in its own right and all the more remarkable due to the balance between Japanese and British brewing traditions. If you like full-bodied, sweet ales, like alt-biers, boks, and barley wines, this should be at the top of your to-drink list.

Recommended by Michael Bates, Trembling Madness, 48 Stonegate, York, YO1 8AS @tremblingmad

Thanks to the Quaff & Scoff team who recently reviewed us on their website. 

Here's what they said:

The House of the Trembling Madness is possibly the best pub I have ever been in. They have an absolutely phenomenal selection of local, British and foreign beers in the street level shop, which can be taken up to the tiny first floor pub to be consumed at leisure. This venue is a relatively new addition to York; unlike many of the central pubs this doesn’t have a history extending back towards the dawn of time. However, as the building itself is considerably older than the country of my birth, the room is all exposed, sagging wooden beams and mounted animal heads, meaning the air of authenticity is most certainly present. Between the huge selection of beers downstairs and the rotating selection on tap most tastes are well catered for, and the locally-sourced food is hearty and cheap. In short, we love it here – my only complaint is that the wifi moves at a rather sedate pace (and that’s probably a good thing given my iPad dependency…!).
Beers sampled on our recent visit:
Brooklyn Brewery Dark Chocolate Stout – smooth, sweet and smoky (and a mighty 10% abv)
The Wild Beer Co Wildebeest (stout, espresso, vanilla) – something of a sharper taste than the above, but rapidly became a favourite of mine (I. Love. Stout. The darker the better!)

Pictures courtesy of http://quaffandscoff.com