{"id":224003,"date":"2025-05-05T03:01:33","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T03:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/recipes\/category-a-b\/beer\/buckinghamshire-big-alexs-world-beer-blog\/"},"modified":"2025-05-05T03:01:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T03:01:33","slug":"buckinghamshire-big-alexs-world-beer-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=224003","title":{"rendered":"Buckinghamshire \u2013 Big Alex’s World Beer Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s been a long and winding road, however this blog marks a major milestone. More on that later. I\u2019ve had to put done serious effort in to locate this beer as this county seems to not like exporting its produce far & wide, like others. I can understand keeping what is good to yourself, but, surely it\u2019s time to share the wealth!<\/p>\n
This 4.2%, 440ml can cost just \u00a32.80 from the brewery tap room. However it\u2019s worth bearing in mind that the train cost me \u00a329.20 to get to the nearby station of Haddenham and Thame Parkway, so realistically this been cost me quite a lot more!<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
A lovely light, mellow, almost creamy session pale. Perfect for a lazy afternoon in front of the TV. There is a wonderful malty back note to this beer which gives it an almost biscuity taste. The can tells me that this beer is packed with Chinook, Columbus & Cascade hops. You can certainly tell there is a cocktail of ingredients from the party which erupts on your tongue with each gulp. Head retention is very impressive for such a low abv beer. The carbonisation is noticeable but not overwhelming, perfect for the style of beer. I am very impressed with how crystal clear the beer is. I guess part of this could be down to how fresh the beer is. I am reviewing it the day after I bought it & for all I know it could have been canned yesterday too. It certainly tastes fresh. What a wonderful way to finish my English tour!<\/p>\n
The brewery is based on the outskirts of Long Crendon, around 40 minutes walk from Haddenham town centre. I can say this with some certainty as it is a walk I completed in both directions, just to be able to get hold of a beer from this county. I\u2019m not sure why but I\u2019ve found Buckinghamshire a really hard nut to crack. I\u2019ve just been very lucky that when researching the county I discovered a brewery that was walking distance from a train station. The brewery has a tap room attached to it. Not what you would expect from a brewery that is on a farm in the middle of nowhere. But trust me I\u2019m not complaining. I spent a wonderful hour sampling some beers and chatting the gentleman behind the bar. Really sorry but I can\u2019t remember his name. His knowledge of the beers was wonderful and the stories that he told were really funny. Thankyou good sir for a wonderful afternoon!<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
As I\u2019ve said above the brewery is based in Long Crendon, however the village has been called Long Crendon only since the English Civil War. The \u201cLong\u201d prefix refers to the length of the village at that time, and was added to differentiate it from nearby Grendon Underwood, which used to be known as \u201cCrendon\u201d. This name is Old English and means \u2018Creoda\u2019s Hill\u2019 (in 1086 it was listed in the Domesday Book as Crededone). In 1218 Long Crendon was granted a royal charter to hold a weekly market; the monies from which were to be collected by William Earl Marshall who owned the manor at that time. The town (as it was then) was certainly important in this period as it shared the distinction with Aylesbury as being the only places in the whole of England where needles were made. The royal charter was later rescinded and the market moved and joined with the existing one in nearby Thame. The Church of England parish church of St Mary dates from the 12th century. The building has undergone several major renovations and refurbishments since 2007. The village has also a Baptist church and a Roman Catholic church. Long Crendon Courthouse is a 15th-century timber-frame building. Manorial courts were held here from the reign of King Henry V until the Victorian era. The National Trust bought the courthouse in 1900. The lower floor is residential; the upper floor can be visited. Midsomer Murders, the ITV crime series is often filmed in Long Crendon with locals as extras. Scenes from the series \u201cJeeves and Wooster\u201d, with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, were also filmed in Long Crendon. <\/p>\nThatched cottages in the village<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Notley Abbey was an Augustinian abbey founded in the 12th century. A team from Oxford excavated Notley Abbey in 1937, establishing a layout and timeline of the building\u2019s construction. The building has been visited by notable figures such as Henry V, and was owned by the celebrities Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. Today, the remnants of the abbey are owned by the company Bijou Wedding Venues and are used to host weddings. Notley Abbey was founded in between 1154 and 1164 by the second Earl of Buckingham, Walter Giffard and his wife, Ermengard. The house was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist and was made to house Augustinian canons. Despite its lack of historical fame, the Notley Abbey was one of the largest and richest Augustinian monasteries in the Oxford region. Notley Abbey was originally meant to fuse the lifestyles of monastic and apostolic people, forming a middle ground between monks and secular clergy; however, the monastic lifestyle dominated. The fact that Notley Abbey was constructed at Earl\u2019s park in Long Crendon suggests that Augustinians were becoming purely monastic by 1160. Notley Abbey possessed several pieces of land including Lower Winchendon (not acquired until around 1302), Chilton, Princes Risborough and Stragglethorpe in Lincolnshire. These lands helped generate revenue, but the abbey\u2019s primary source of income came from tithes from appropriated churches. Traditionally, a secular vicar served an abbey\u2019s appropriated churches, but in 1258, Alexander IV granted Notley Abbey permission to serve their appropriated churches by their own canons in person. In 1461, Notley Abbey absorbed a small priory of Chetwood, thus considerably adding to its revenue sources. The abbey was visited by Henry IV who stayed there after the battle of Radcot Bridge. Henry V also stayed at Notley Abbey. Notley Abbey was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1538. By about 1730, the abbey reached farmhouse status, but was regenerated in 1890. The abbot\u2019s house and part of the cloister were kept as a private house that remains today. Notley Abbey was originally built based on the medieval architecture (12th and 13th century) popular during the era of its construction. The stone-built main residence is L-shaped and two-storied throughout. The reconstruction of Notley Abbey in 1890 introduced architecture more reminiscent of the late medieval period, specifically in the replacement of Georgian casement windows with those of the Tudor form. When Notley Abbey was excavated in 1937, only the abbot\u2019s house and portions of the western and southern claustral buildings were relatively intact. The church was nearly completely underground and, to the disappointment of the excavation team, its foundations had been previously dug up for road repair. Thus, the general plan and dimensions of the church outlined by the team are rough estimates. The foundation was set in the early 1160s in Romanesque style, and soon after the crossing, transepts, and an eastern wing or choir were built. Around the year 1200, construction continued westward and the nave was joined to the crossing. These western additions followed a different style of architecture, either Early English or transitional. The excavation team estimates that by about a century after the foundation was built, the church and claustral buildings were complete. The eastern wing was extended or redone in the early 14th century. In the 15th century, the central crossing was partially rebuilt in the perpendicular style and the main range of the abbot\u2019s house was built. Just about 10 years before the dissolution of the monasteries, the western range of the abbot\u2019s house was completed. The Battle of Radcot Bridge was fought on 19 December 1387 in medieval England between troops loyal to Richard II, led by court favourite Robert de Vere, and an army captained by Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby. The most direct routes to the capital were blocked by Arundel\u2019s men, so de Vere decided to cross the Thames at Radcot, near Faringdon. However, the bridge itself was under the guard of Derby\u2019s troops; they had also partly dismantled its structure. Undeterred, de Vere gave the command to storm the crossing. At this point, a larger force of Derby\u2019s men arrived from the north, effectively surrounding the Cheshiremen. De Vere managed to escape the field, eventually making his way to France; once it was known that he had fled, his army promptly surrendered. Among the handful of casualties was Molyneux himself, who was killed during the abortive attempt to cross the Thames. After the battle, Woodstock and the other Appellants held a council with Richard at the Tower. Richard had no means of resisting their demands, and it was agreed that a further Parliament should be called in February 1388. The resulting Merciless Parliament saw a full-scale purge of Richard\u2019s household.<\/p>\nNotley Abbey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Well that was a lovely look around a wonderful part of the world. Normally this would be the end of the blog but please keep going today, there\u2019s plenty more below the map!<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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