Moonraker Ale "6.5 AVB"

What I like the most about it, is the taste !

For all these years I have been on the Ale Trail I have always wondered what AVB meant.  I know, he's an American... "Hey my money's as good as the next tourist in this pub," I say!  Anyway, for Americans like me who did not know, now you do... AVB means: Alcohol By Volume (abbreviated as abv or ABV) it is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in an alcoholic beverage... that is to say what portion of the total volume of liquid in this bottle of Moonraker is alcohol.  In this case... Moonraker is loaded at 6.5% AVB.  Everclear on the other hand, a nasty evil drink... is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as "190-proof..." that's up there at levels higher than 95% pure alcohol.  Here's a bit of information about the name "Moonraker."  There was a time when smuggling was a significant industry in rural England.  The county of Wiltshire (see map below) is strategically located between the coastal counties of England and the capital city of London to the east and Bristol to the west and is home to major highways that lead to and from those cities... perfect for use as smuggling routes.

It is here in Wiltshire in the late 1700's did the story, now legend, of the Moonrakers take place.  In fact people who come from Wiltshire are refereed to as Moonrakers. For the American tourist traveling to the UK, many on their first trip will do central London, then head west to do Bristol - Bath and then head south east to Wiltshire, to Avebury, home of the Avebury Stones Circle and then on to nearby Silbury Hill.  Wiltshire is home to the city of Salisbury and it's beautiful cathedral.  Not far south... millions each year will travel to visit the ancient monument of Stonehenge situated on the Salisbury plain.  My uncle Ron lives in Warminster and is a hero to me for he fought in World War II with the Lancaster Rifles.  Ever hear of those mysterious Crop Circles popping up on English farm fields?

A summer crop circle in Clatford, Wiltshire

Pretty much most of those crop circles have shown up in Wiltshire farm fields.  So it's a fairly interesting place that will have something for everyone.  For me I'm here for the Ale.  My brother in law Richard is a connoisseur of Malted Cask Aged British Ales brewed in the traditional method, served at about 57 degrees but certainly not refrigerated unless it happens to be a larger, and every time he gets a chance to show off another English Treasure of a Ale with me... he will.  Last time we were together his son Ryan who is my nephew with the expensive sports car brought over 12 bottles of Moonraker, I had a glass and then took advantage of so many bottles and set them up to photograph them for this article.

When you have more than one...

What's the deal with the Moonraker legend?  You can Google the question and find many answers as I did, let me save you some time.  During the late 1700's in rural Wiltshire on a highway to London were some Wiltshire-men trying to beat the taxman at his game.  A taxman found them one night out on the highway, and it looked to him like smuggling... but before he caught up to them they dumped their smuggled Barrels of brandy into a pond ( the Crammer, a pond at Southbroom, Devizes ).  Now this was on a night of the full moon.  The tax man caught up, found nothing and was soon on his way.  He turned around to sneak up on the smugglers and almost caught them in the act of pulling the barrels out of the pond with rakes.

ALC 7.5% Vol  (is this the same as 6.5% AVB?  I am confused... )

The smugglers heard the taxman coming and so they let go of the barrels just as he came upon them.  He asked what they were doing and they said they were raking cheese from the reflection of the full moon on the surface of the pond.   I know... weird story... then again this is from the late 1700's and who am I to argue with legend?  The taxman started laughing at the Wiltshire-men... I suppose thinking to himself they were idiots, country bumpkins or fools, which of course we all know they are not!... not then and not now... and since then Wiltshire-men have been called "Moonrakers."

all that AVB will soon have an effect on your mind, yes it will.

So Rich and Ryan... wicked Ale, thanks... and in another posting I will write about another treasure Richard introduced me to... "Ilse of Jura," the very best single malt Scotch I have ever tasted... and that was way back in the mid 1980's.