Full points to the Bristol Beer Factory team in the 'forced pun' category; when you've got a word like 'Bristol' to work with, it's quite impressive that they managed to come up with anything at all.

Bristletoe is, the brewery say, a dark Christmas ale brewed with an emphasis on malt flavours, using a Belgian strain of yeast to really push those fruity, spicy esters to the fore.

Throwing a load of raisins into the brew pretty much cements this one in the 'fruity brown ale' category, with some coriander and ginger bringing the Christmas cheer to the party.

Pouring a hazy chestnut, a quickly dissipating butterscotch head gives off a flurry of peppery yeast esters, and oddly something reminiscent of thyme or marjoram rather than coriander and ginger. More herbal than spiced and fruity on the nose, then, but pleasing nonetheless.

Sweet tangerine and chocolate flavours give way to buttered rum, and raisin fudge. Medium-bodied, yet almost dry in the finish, the lasting impression is of vanilla ice-cream, touched by a slight fructose sourness.

Almost refreshing compared to all the richer, heavier, high ABV Christmas beers most brewers push out at this time of year.

Be sure to give this brew a go if you fancy a festive one that can be easily enjoyed without sacrificing character.

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

Brass Castle’s Wallop (7.7%) comes in a gorgeous plump 750ml bottle with a wax seal on the cap. Retailing at £7.65 it's a great present for someone special, it's a limited edition with only 277 bottled, each bottle has a handwritten batch number on. 
We are lucky to have a few left so hurry before the weekend and you may be able own one of these amazing beers . It's a traditional Stingo-style beer, brewed with treacle, made to a classic Yorkshire recipe in a traditional copper vessel and oak-aged in a port cask for 6 months. It’s a great beer on which to end a dark Winter night. 

What is there left to say about Samichlaus, really? It's been something of a mainstay in most good bottle shops and world beer bars for a long time indeed, and chances are that if you're reading this, you've probably tried it.

Once the world's strongest beer, this 14 per cent Doppelbok is brewed just once a year on the December 6, then fermented slowly for ten months or so making it lagered in the truest sense of the term.

Rather than creating a clean dry beer, however, the result is a sweet, complex ale with a rich flavour reminiscent of dried fruit and toffee apples.

Because of this, we've teamed up with the award winning Ye Olde Pie and Sausage Shop on The Shambles (who make the pub's speciality sausages) to create a limited run of Samichlaus sausages, to be enjoyed with a beer.

Pouring a glowing chestnut, with red highlights, and no head to speak of, Samichlaus smells, frankly, like pear drops and acetone. It won't win anyone over on scent alone, sadly, but the flavour is incredible: sweet, dark treacle, walnuts, bananas, a swelling of alcohol warmth and a tangy, burnt-toffee finish.


As the bottle says, this would work fantastically well with rich fruity puddings, hearty savoury dishes, or as in our case, in some hand-made locally produced sausages.

Recommended by Michael Bates, Trembling Madness, Stonegate, York.

Whisky Advent Calendar  Save £50 - 1 week only!

Behind each of the 24 windows lies a different 3cl sample dram of delicious whisky! This year, be sure to count down to Christmas in style! As each calendar is the same you'll be able to discuss the dram that's revealed each day, whether it be a single malt Scotch whisky or some other treat from around the world, with other proud owners of one of the very best things ever.

Ginvent Calendar  Save £30 - 1 week only!

Behind each of the 24 windows lies a different 3cl sample of fantastic gin, as chosen by Olivier Ward. There are market leaders and artisanal treats alongside new brands and even some hard to find gems, but we won't give it all away just yet... You may wish for it to be a surprise!

Merry Christmas!!!

Limited Stocks so hurry!

Beavertown Brewery was originally conceived as part of the ever-popular pairing of good beer with excellent barbecue food. Duke’s Brew and ‘Que, situated in De Beauvoir town, London (from which the brewery derives its name) was the brewery’s home until recently.

Black Betty (bam-ba-lam) is Beavertown’s black India pale ale, a hoppy strong ale that is dark in colour without being full-bodied like stouts and porters, and weighs in at a respectable 7.4 per cent.

It pours a wonderful deep chocolate brown, with a rough, off-white head that throws off pungent aromas of mangoes, passion fruit and coconut. A faint aroma of chocolate reminds us of the presence of malt beneath the hops, but this is very much a hop-head’s brew.

The flavour is sweet to begin with, with a rounded chocolate edge. An avalanche of fruity hops fall into place soon afterwards – spicy bitterness prickles the tongue while grapes, pineapples, and passion fruit cascade over the top.

Some roasted malt astringency comes in the finish and balances things out slightly, but the hops certainly lead the way here. Wonderfully fruity and intense, Black Betty is far more than a one-hit-wonder.

Recommended by Michael Bates, Trembling Madness, 48 Stonegate, York

Trembling Madness Beer Money is now available to purchase in the store or online, just in time for Christmas. 
Denominations or £5, £10 or £20, the vouchers are valid for 3 years and we charge £1 postage and packing to send them out.

Visit our store page here

 

This weekend we are making some very special seasonal sausages made from local Yorkshire rare breed pork and Samichlaus Austrian Ale. Samichlaus Beer is brewed only once a year on December 6th and aged for 10 months before bottling. It is one of the rarest beers in the world and also one of the strongest at 14% volume. A beautiful drink and works great in our sausages. Treat yourself this week for bangers, mash & mushy peas with our onion and ale gravy £8. The ale is sold in store for £4.95 for a 330ml bottle and makes a great Christmas gift.  

House of the Trembling Madness has been announced as winner of the Best Yorkshire Pub at the White Rose Awards 2013 - the biggest tourism awards in the UK. 

This has been a momentous achievement as the competition has been very strong with some outstanding pubs in the category. The Trembling Madness has achieved a high standard of local food without having any kitchen or chefs, also serving until midnight. There's over 600 quality beers available at any one time, hand selected by our team of experts. 

We're lucky to have an amazing medieval hall overlooking York Minster to add to the produce. Our collection of taxidermy may be not to everyone's liking but does show our history of hunting through the ages and all the endangered species are well over 100 years old. 

Well were do we go from here? We will continue to support local businesses and try to achieve higher standards and as always source unique outstanding products. A new food menu will be available at the end of this week with seasonal favourites like our Christmas Platters, Turkey with Apple & Chestnut Pie, local Game Pie plus a range of Winter Stews which will include local Venison and Game. The Winter Ales are steadily arriving from across the globe, over 200 new beers will be in stock.

Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: "The level of entries this year was nothing short of outstanding, so to make the shortlist was a huge achievement. For them to go on and win one of our famous awards is a huge achievement. It is recognition for their tireless hard work and going that extra mile to help raise the bar nationally."

Flying Dog’s ales have always been something of a mainstay at the Trembling Madness; consistently delicious and adventurous beers that demonstrate how essentially different American beer can be from our domestic products.

Bold, precise beers with an eye towards quality and impact, their attention-grabbing Gonzo aesthetic goes so far as to their amazing label designs, courtesy of the fabulous Ralph Steadman.

The Fear, the brewery’s pumpkin ale, is business as usual: explosive packaging, containing an exceptionally good pumpkin ale.

Where most pumpkin beers take the form of a golden or tawny bitter with a touch of spice, Flying Dog’s offering fits much more keenly within the Hallowe’en aesthetic: dark and brooding in the glass, with a boozy nose.

All-spice, nutmeg, toffee apples, and treacly tobacco ooze out of the glass from a dense butterscotch head.

Sweet throughout, yet remarkably light-bodied for a beer of such strength and complexity, initial flavours of bananas and walnuts make way for toffee apples and treacle.

Finishing with a dusty clove and cinnamon flourish that coats the tongue, The Fear leaves delightful alcohol warmth in its wake.

Not only have Flying Dog managed to make a unique pumpkin beer, they’ve united the flavours, scents, and sensations of autumn with every sip.

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