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minutemat updated a venue: Le Père Mahieu located in Bricqueboscq, France
1 month ago

minutemat (768) reviewed
Le Père Mahieu (Bricqueboscq, France 🇫🇷)
1 month ago
8/10 — Setting 7 Selection 7 Service 9 Food Value 9 Overall 8
This cidrerie is part of a working farm, though the shop itself is identifiable by the huge cider bottle outside. Modest size with a good range of their cider, including a blueberry cider, plus the standard juices and calvados. 1.5m magnum available as well, which is worth considering as their cider's pretty good. Nice basic cider farm.
Visited on 13 Sep 2026 at 11:15
minutemat (16858) reviewed
La Cadette Blondy Velvet from Castelain (Bénifontaine, France 🇫🇷)
1 month ago
5.6/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 5.5 Flavor 5.5 Texture 6 Overall 5.5
Draught @ Castelain 100 year anniversary. Pours a clear gold, white head. Aroma of gently sweet malt, doesn't jump out as a lager per se, more of a light bodied pale without much character, sweetish malt, mild hop bitterness.
Tried from Draft on 13 Sep 2026 at 11:11
minutemat's photo of La Cadette Super Nova
minutemat (16858) reviewed
La Cadette Super Nova from Castelain (Bénifontaine, France 🇫🇷)
1 month ago
5.6/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 5.5 Texture 5 Overall 5.5
minutemat's photo of La Cadette Super Nova
Draught @ Castelain 100 year anniversary. Misty golden orange appearance, white head. Quite a sweet fruity pale, very far from an NEIPA in mouthfeel and tone, but generally ok for a crowd-pleaser.
Tried from Draft on 13 Sep 2026 at 11:08
minutemat (768) reviewed
Le Spot - Brasserie Castelain (Bénifontaine, France 🇫🇷)
1 month ago
7.6/10 — Setting 8 Selection 6 Service 7 Food Value 10 Overall 7
Visited the brewery for their 100 year anniversary bash. Great atmosphere, live bands and all sorts going on. The brewery is a fair size and this bar, attached to the main entrance is a fairly recent addition, nicely done with a quite a modern feel for a traditional brewery, some table football and games. Seems a real effort is being made to try to bring the branding up to date, though the beers remain of an economically produced nature. There's also a small garden area out front with two lines of hop vines for you to wander around. Their Ch'ti beer has been a mainstay of supermarket shelves for quite some time, so worth a visit to appreciate some regional beer history.
Visited on 13 Sep 2026 at 09:24

minutemat added a new venue Le Spot - Brasserie Castelain located in Bénifontaine, France
1 month ago

minutemat's photo of Ch'Ti Blonde
minutemat (16858) reviewed
Ch'Ti Blonde from Castelain (Bénifontaine, France 🇫🇷)
1 month ago
6.6/10 — Appearance 7 Aroma 6.5 Flavor 6.5 Texture 7 Overall 6.5
minutemat's photo of Ch'Ti Blonde
Draught @ Castelain's 100 year anniversary shindig at the brewery. Not had this for 30 years. A classic, but not because it's especially good but because it's been an emblematic beer of the region for much of the last century. Perfectly palatable, gently sweet malt, but very straightforward and light bodied.
Tried from Draft on 13 Sep 2026 at 08:09
minutemat's photo of Macbeth
minutemat (16858) reviewed
Macbeth from Shakespeare Brewing Company (Snitterfield, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿)
1 month ago
7.6/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 7.5 Texture 7 Overall 7.5
minutemat's photo of Macbeth
500ml bottle from the Shakespeare Visitor's Centre, Stratford Upon Avon. Drunk reading this excellent book about Shakespeare, from which I learnt that Shakespeare's father John is originally from Snitterfield, where this was brewed. Pours a dark brown, slightly unclear, small off-white head. Lovely rich dark ale, with prominent leather, old book shop and autumnal fruit.
Tried from Bottle on 13 Sep 2026 at 08:05