tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78107310598425777612024-03-06T08:19:16.230+00:00A Twenty Something's Beer BlogA Blog of Beer, Pubs and Merriment...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-70187309788749798452014-03-14T12:13:00.000+00:002014-03-14T12:29:18.975+00:00Thirsty Thursdays - Pt 1 The Old Red CowFor a while I've been trying to organise bi/tri weekly drinks with friends on a Thursday night in and around London. As these things inevitably do, it failed at the first hurdle - no one was free and so the weeks rolled by until last night! Where we descended on The Old Red Cow close to Barbican and Smithfields Market.<br />
I hope this will become a regular feature as we attempt to tick off some of London's Finest watering holes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://theoldredcow.com/site/uploads/home/slides/slide2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://theoldredcow.com/site/uploads/home/slides/slide2.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div>
The Old Red Cow is a traditional pub but with an updated modern twist. Its the sister pub of the <a href="http://www.20somethingbeerblog.co.uk/search/label/Dean%20Swift">Dean Swift </a> near Tower Bridge and it's attitude is exactly the same; serving 4 Cask Ales and 12 keg beers served from taps set into the wall behind the bar.<br />
<br />
During our visit there were offerings from Camden Town, Kernel and the weekly guest brewery Bad Seed amongst several others. There's a vast bottle range on offer too with beers from around globe.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://theoldredcow.com/site/core/libs/thumb.php?src=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/7118/7684657462_b78ca9122f_b.jpg&h=480&w=640&zc=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://theoldredcow.com/site/core/libs/thumb.php?src=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/7118/7684657462_b78ca9122f_b.jpg&h=480&w=640&zc=1" height="240" width="320" /></a>There's not much space in and around the bar but there's a larger bar & dining area upstairs although we didn't venture that far, deciding to take advantage of the balmy March weather we stood outside in the a joining alley. After eventually (and inevitably) succumbing to the cold we moved inside gazing jealously at the plates of burgers being delivered to one of the other tables. As well as great beers The Old Red Cow offers a full menu as well as bar snacks, and I'm dutifully told that their homemade Sausage Roll is something not to be missed.<br />
<br />
Soon after we called it a night and headed off into the night, The Old Red Cow is a great little pub and if you work or are ever in the area then I definitely recommend you pop in!<br />
<br />
<br />
The Old Red Cow<br />
71/72 Long Lane,<br />
<div>
Barbican, </div>
<div>
London, </div>
<div>
EC1A 9EJ<br />
<br />
Photos taken from <a href="http://theoldredcow.com/">http://theoldredcow.com/</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-53216335506382709552014-02-19T11:12:00.002+00:002014-03-20T16:02:44.865+00:00Neknominate: An "Open It" AlternativeI thought we could put a twist on this online craze!<br />
<br />
We've all got those special beers hidden away in cupboards, that are waiting for the perfect opportunity to crack open, yet we all know that opportunity rarely comes.<br />
So much like the Open It days, why not "nominate" a fellow beer fan to open and review one of their prized beers?!<br />
<br />
Much like the original, lets set some ground rules to attempt to keep this flowing:<br />
<ul>
<li>Once you've been nominated you should review a beer within 2 weeks</li>
<li>With each review you can nominate up to 3 people to Open It </li>
<li>Reviews should be posted online either as a video or as a blog post</li>
</ul>
Finally please remember this isn't a contest, there's no need to down your drink, just sit back & enjoy!<br />
<br />
Oh and here's mine to start things off.....<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe class="vine-embed" frameborder="0" height="320" src="https://vine.co/v/MAYWaHX5viM/embed/simple" width="320"></iframe><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js"></script>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
So after rummaging through my beer cupboard I ended up opening my bottle of Brew Dog and Lost Abby's <b>Lost Dog 11.5%. </b> An Imperial Porter brewed using a blend of 7 different malts and aged in Rum Casks for a year, It was the stylish presentation box that caught my eye with this one!<br />
<br />
As you can see from the clip above the beer pours black as you'd expect from a porter but there's also a reddish hue to this, possibly from its time in the rum casks. It actually poured very flat and any trace of a head forming disappeared instantly. The nose gives huge fruitcake aroma's with raisin and of course rum!<br />
<br />
It tastes very sweet with a thin mouth feel and lack of carbonation, There's a touch of the the alcohol and wood<br />
<br />
Overall I wasn't that impressed with this one and its made me realize that not all beers are worth saving despite there exuberant packaging!<br />
<br />
All that's left is for me to nominate the next Beer Geeks for this challenge:<br />
<br />
So over to you:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/tfmajor">@TFMajor</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/selhurstsmoz">@SelhurstSmoz</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/McGregorSam">@McGregorSam</a></li>
</ul>
You have two weeks!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-33853999484042730402013-07-03T14:00:00.001+01:002013-07-03T17:25:51.855+01:00Aberdeen 2013So a year had passed and it was time to use the same old excuse; that Tom & I had to check on our "investment" at the Brew Dog Equity for Punks AGM in Aberdeen.<br />
<br />
Boarding our flight from Gatwick on the Friday it was clear there were a few others making the pilgrimage up to Aberdeen, what I discovered after landing was that that Sam from <a href="http://www.signaturebrew.co.uk/">Signature Brew</a> was also on the same flight and I'd walked straight past him! We hastily headed into town and to our hotel to drop off our bags, arranging to meet Sam and some other friends in the Brew Dog bar, a short walk away.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BaKeTuJIsYg/UdQTJndrzEI/AAAAAAAAI-Y/3GelnI04htU/s1600/IMAG0960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BaKeTuJIsYg/UdQTJndrzEI/AAAAAAAAI-Y/3GelnI04htU/s320/IMAG0960.jpg" width="320" /></a>The bar was rammed full of other EFPs and the kegs were rapidly changing that at times even the bar staff couldn't keep up! <b>Punk Monk</b> was a favourite all round, with a definitive Belgian yeast twang and familiar fruity hop blast of Punk. After several rounds we eventually decided to find some of Aberdeen's more traditional watering holes and stumbled into The Prince of Wales tucked on a side street off Union St. Serving 3 local cask ales and 3 from further a field, for me it was a no brainer to choose<b> Fyne Ales Jarl 3.8% </b> and after a while I parted ways with the others in our group in search of sleep.<br />
<br />
The following day after a hefty lie in we headed into town from breakfast and stumbled across Ma Cameron's (Aberdeen's oldest pub dating back 300 years), which was open early for the Lions v Australia test match. The pub its self is deceptive with a small snug at the entrance that leads on to warren of adjoining rooms including the main bar. I'd have liked to have sampled its delights in the evening but that wasn't to be, but a hearty brunch and lemonade sufficed and set me up for the day.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sKhvOb6hw3c/UdQTFmSa64I/AAAAAAAAI98/5sXQUSlOtLE/s1600/IMAG0951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sKhvOb6hw3c/UdQTFmSa64I/AAAAAAAAI98/5sXQUSlOtLE/s320/IMAG0951.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The AGM was again held at the Aberdeen Exhibition Centre a short bus ride out of town, but the layout was much changed from the inaugural year; with the welcome addition of several tables and a dedicated area with a stage for the conference and concerts. The two bars were well stocked with both Brew Dog and guest beers, from the likes of Mikkeller, To Ol, Brodies, Cromerty & Anchor. Looking for something light in abv was going to be hard, but first up was <b>Mikkeller Schwarzbier 5.5%</b> a delicious black lager with light roasted notes and smooth bitter finish.<br />
<br />
Taking our seats as the AGM started, it felt like we were partaking in a Scientology meeting, such is the cult status that James Watt and Martin Dickie have created. They began by show casing some new promotional video's and discussing their upcoming US TV show "Brew Dogs". Keeping us interested though out were a number of beer tastings including <b>Fake Lager 4.7% </b>& the first showcasing of <b>WattDickie</b> - their new Ice Distilled spirit at 35%. Based off Punk IPA and then frozen, this spirit really packs a punch of flavour, although I have to admit I really wasn't that keen. As the beers started to be passed around the crowd's, the atmosphere changed and Martin's talk regarding the equipment and process' at the new Ellon brewery didn't seem to get the attention it deserved. After all, the money from our shares had been used to build the brewery and expand their production. Quickly skipping through the slides you could tell he was a bit deject but clearly still passionate about the brewing side of his fledgling business. Next to be passed round was the end result of the EFP brew day held earlier in May. <b>Electric India 7.2%</b> a wonderful Saison with the addition of fresh orange peel, heather honey & crushed black pepper corns which gave a surprisingly fresh and fruity taste.The final beer was a <b>MashTag 7.5% </b>an American Brown Ale, Brew Dog's, "Social Media Crafted" beer, where votes from Twitter & Facebook determined on everything from the style to the types of hops. This ended the proceedings with an odd tasting session of the beer, in the form of a word association game with a few members of the audience. It was supposed to be about the flavour profile and aroma but ended up turning into two guys trading associated "your mum" insults!<br />
<br />
With an empty glasses we headed to the bar first up was the interesting <b>Brodies - Fruit of the Forest 3.7%</b> a sour beer full of unsurprisingly fruit flavour with a lingering tart finish. The much changed layout meant we were able to find a table as base an mingle with other shareholders, as well as offering flat surface to devour the much improved food on offer. As the evening went on and we waited for the headlining band The Xcerts, I have to admit that I my Danish bias took over as I only seem to have drunk delights from Mikkeller and To Ol! Including:<br />
<ul>
<li>Mikkeller - Citra IPA</li>
<li>To Ol - By Udder Means </li>
<li>Mikkeller - Jackie Brown</li>
<li>Mikkeller - K:Relk</li>
</ul>
All the bands were awesome with rock 'n roll band MFC Chicken (Taking their name from a eatery of the same name) and Hawaiian flavoured beats from Kitty Daisy Lewis among my favorites. So by the time The Xcerts took to the stage at 10pm the crowd was dwindling and ever so slightly inebriated, But Murray and co played a storming set regardless and with that the 2nd EFP AGM was over.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XmEkQ8ayEhk/UdQTH1BYPtI/AAAAAAAAI-M/ub57vDkB928/s1600/IMAG0956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XmEkQ8ayEhk/UdQTH1BYPtI/AAAAAAAAI-M/ub57vDkB928/s320/IMAG0956.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The next day we'd arranged a trip up to Ellon, to take a look at the new brewery, having only seen the shell the year before. The 30 minute journey was much less nauseating than the previous years hungover trip to Fraserbrugh although not with out a few scares! The brewery was buzzing when we arrived and seeing the sea of stainless steal tanks and the infamous "Love Hops Live The Dream" was such a contrast to to the ramshackled brewery in Fraserbrugh.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J1_mGyjfW30/UdQTGmiH3CI/AAAAAAAAI-E/-FSVeRt_dN0/s1600/IMAG0955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J1_mGyjfW30/UdQTGmiH3CI/AAAAAAAAI-E/-FSVeRt_dN0/s320/IMAG0955.jpg" width="320" /></a>We were taken on a informal tour of the brewery and then invited to try Brew Dog's latest in the Hello my name is range; Mette direct from the tank. This is a Norwegian inspired DIPA with added lingonberries and derives its name from Mette-Marit the Norwegian Crown Princess with a somewhat rebellious past. The beer was super chilled and not quite ready for packaging but it was an awesome experience to try a beer straight from the tank. We milled about the brewery for a while chatting to other punks and asking questions to the brewers on hand. It was good to see that as well as brewing Brew Dog beers, the brewers had their own homebrews on the go, including a great smelling Saison.<br />
<br />
So that was another great weekend in Aberdeen and with a lot of new friends made. I'm still not sure if I'll go back next year, as for me the cult status has slightly begun to wear off. Although I'm sure I can be easily persuaded!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-79552453190084492442013-05-01T17:50:00.004+01:002013-05-02T09:27:29.184+01:00In BrugesHaving heard so many wonderful stories of other peoples trips to Bruges and having tried and failed to take advantage of Eurostar's discounted returns in the past, Christine & I finally managed to get across the channel for a few days this month to sample the delights of Belgium.<br />
<br />
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIj3g2QmKDTUtLiou_j5mxKfe5fqzfrzAHK4NaKwychsTGllHmZKraR6PnNE1QsOZspuXw48GsgEQDtR2zn8ZcD_9hF1TjBV__ASivsuBHHqT5jAWEKeen6bzKcf9nzvVReIs3JHs26EB/s1600/P1070639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIj3g2QmKDTUtLiou_j5mxKfe5fqzfrzAHK4NaKwychsTGllHmZKraR6PnNE1QsOZspuXw48GsgEQDtR2zn8ZcD_9hF1TjBV__ASivsuBHHqT5jAWEKeen6bzKcf9nzvVReIs3JHs26EB/s320/P1070639.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruges by Night</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
After changing trains in Brussels we arrived in Bruges just after lunch and set about finding somewhere to eat. Scanning "Around Bruges In 80 Beers”, Brasserie Cambrinus was aptly located in between our B&B and the main Markt square. Looking through the menu is quite daunting, presented in a heavy wooden bound book & with over 400 to choose from I got flustered and ended up choosing the beer of the month Lefebvre's <b>Hoppus 8.3%</b> which was beautiful hoppy and creamy. Christine was a little braver and perused through the menu for longer choosing <b>Pilaarbijter 7.5%</b> by Brouwerij Bavik a blonde tripple.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
We spent the afternoon touring the sites of Bruges. Making our way up the 365 steps of the medieval Belfry with its breath taking views across Markt square. As well as navigating the endless winding cobbled streets trying to locate both of Bruges' Cathedrals. Including The Church of Our Lady with its impressive Madonna and Child sculpture, created by Michelangelo, the only of his sculptures to leave Italy during his lifetime (see its not just all about beer).<br />
<br />
Getting weary after an afternoons climbing and walking we headed for an afternoon pit stop. One of the bars that had been heavily recommended to us was <a href="http://www.brugsbeertje.be/index_en.htm">t'Brugs Beertje</a>,<br />
Having been pre-warned that it would be <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-QHI6_NVnpvoW0dEVEUxCW6p12kWEwILUSOIVW1KSYl6ctiiDOvg8Ij_6HI3Vt63Dm0agwT5TFW_9pCR8r3yaUxwaoZ93u080QBfcCyO0hltugeHb87zsVyX_U92yIYzOY7jHV3du3Ds/s1600/P1070488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-QHI6_NVnpvoW0dEVEUxCW6p12kWEwILUSOIVW1KSYl6ctiiDOvg8Ij_6HI3Vt63Dm0agwT5TFW_9pCR8r3yaUxwaoZ93u080QBfcCyO0hltugeHb87zsVyX_U92yIYzOY7jHV3du3Ds/s320/P1070488.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;"> </span>t'Brugs Beertje</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
closed the following day (Bars in Belgium have the most sporadic opening times and <a href="http://instagram.com/p/Yhhbe0lXKs/#">rarely even then rarely stick to them</a>!), we headed along back through town for an afternoon tipple. Inside Beertje has the look and familiar feel of an English local, with smoke stained walls and plefra of vintage brewery signs adorning them. The bar was full when we arrived so we took an empty table in the quieter back room and sat down to scan across the 250+ beer menu. Christine took the chance to try some of the Trappist wears from Achel with their <b>8° Blond 8%</b> whilst I had a De Dolle<b> Arabier 8%</b> which I'd been looking forward too and was amber in colour and with a big orange zesty flavor. Feeling we were missing on the buzz of conversation in the bar area, as soon as a stool became vacant we moved and then the conversation began to flow, next up was the crisp and refreshing <b>Smiske Extra 7%</b> by Smisje Brewery and De Leite Brewery's <b>Femme Fatale 6.5%</b>, blonde in colour with a touch of fruit and spice. We could have easily stayed for several more, but as our time was limited we left to further explore Bruges' streets.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SU2avF9r9Uc/UYE-JNsUmvI/AAAAAAAAIQo/lvZzN6eJJQ4/s1600/P1070510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SU2avF9r9Uc/UYE-JNsUmvI/AAAAAAAAIQo/lvZzN6eJJQ4/s320/P1070510.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">De Halve Maan Brewery</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next morning after a healthy breakfast we headed out on the tourist trail again, walking around the Beguinage before our tour of the De Halve Maan Brewery. De Halve Maan is the only remaining brewery left in the city, although it now has a state of art maturation unit just out of the city walls. The tour lasted about an hour as our guide took us on a meandering route through the brewery, navigating steep ladders and narrow passages across it's four floors, up to the roof with its outstanding panoramic views and back to the old cooperage.<br />
The tour completes with a complimentary glass of unpasteurized <b>Brugse Zot 6%</b>. Wonderfully crisp and fruity whilst not overly bitter a perfect refreshing beer for the surroundings. Enjoying the sun in the beautiful courtyard, Christine suggested we share a bottle of <b>Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel 11%</b> with a deep brown/black colour and tasting of sweet malt of dried fruit and port. For such a strong beer this went down all too easy in the spring sunshine.<br />
<br />
We spent the afternoon taking in the good weather and took the obligatory canal tour of the city before stopping for an afternoon tipple (or should that be Tripple) in De Garre. Tucked down a small ally of the same name it's hidden from the majority of tourists but well known enough for a beer tourist to find. Although saying that we must have walked past 2 or 3 times without noticing. When we arrived the bar was already fairly full and we were signaled us to the second floor, without looking at the menu I knew what to order: <b>De Garre Tripple 11%</b>. Served in a beautiful bulbous glass alongside a small portion of Gouda cheese you could be mistaken that you've been served your beer short thanks to the huge white creamy head that clearly outweighing is liquid underneath. However good things comes to those who wait as its soon subsides leaving you with a wonderfully smooth beer that hides its strength all to well. We spent a while in De Garre listening to the classic soundtrack playing in the background whilst watching the waiters come and go with trays of beers.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEkLTQvAZC28G2UCk-G3wOwvtUQm_hNONDiHpKVoXlT3jzhZ-BrSMN3vlnRYYGVXepFx6Gl8pfwaJhI4JC6ty33Qvy4X63sniH5xHF6ZU9J1EPvghr3Zcp_5XZW6XkAaLlCR67QPS5GiqV/s1600/De+Kelk+Counter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEkLTQvAZC28G2UCk-G3wOwvtUQm_hNONDiHpKVoXlT3jzhZ-BrSMN3vlnRYYGVXepFx6Gl8pfwaJhI4JC6ty33Qvy4X63sniH5xHF6ZU9J1EPvghr3Zcp_5XZW6XkAaLlCR67QPS5GiqV/s320/De+Kelk+Counter.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">De Kelk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Later that evening and after much persuasion from Christine we headed to De Kelk, about a 10 minute walk from the main squares. I'll admit I was a bit dejected when we walked in to the empty bar, having enjoyed the bustle of the previous bars, but Jeroen the owner was attentive and quickly began to recommend us some of the 100's of beers available including delights from De Struise and De Molen. With this in mind I chose a<b> De Struise Pannepot 10%</b> based on an Old Fisherman's Ale, brewed with spices. This was a suburb dark ale with deep fruit flavours. Christine took the chance to try another dark beer in the form of <b>Delirium Nocturnum 8.5%</b>. Gradually the bar began to fill up and a chap next to us at the bar ordered both<b> Duvel 2012 & 2013 Triple Hop 9.5%</b> encouraging us to try them both and comparing the differing tastes. To me the 2012 was delicious, which wasn't surprising considering it was hopped with Citra, where as the 2013 was slightly more spicy having been dry hopped with Sorachi Ace. The next beer was the prize of the trip, bought for us by another couple in the bar and after an odd conversation and toast to Margaret Thatcher! <a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/boon-lambic-foeder-10-boon-to-be-wild/130213/">"Boon to be Wild"</a> aka <b>Boon's Foeder #10 - 10%</b> aged in a 1800's German wine foeder. With its acquired taste of tart fruit and sour flavour this ended up being the perfect traditional Belgian beer to complete our trip. And so with the midnight hour soon approaching we decided to make a quick dash to Cafe Rose Red back in the center of town only to see the last patrons leaving and the owner shutting up. With that our trip to Bruges drew to a close, I'm sure we'll be be back though! Bruges is such a beautiful city and we both fell in love with the lazy cafe culture and great beers on offer.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>We stayed here:</b> <a href="http://www.lamaison-zenasni.be/index.asp?taal=en">La Maison Zenasni B&B</a><br />
<b>Getting to Bruges:</b> <a href="http://www.seat61.com/Belgium.htm#London to Brussels by Eurostar">http://www.seat61.com/Belgium.htm#London to Brussels by Eurostar</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-57356743902237999352013-03-04T19:38:00.001+00:002013-04-29T14:46:32.563+01:00Tiny Rebel Brewing Company<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.tinyrebel.co.uk/assets/i/home-header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="http://www.tinyrebel.co.uk/assets/i/home-header.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
So after a bad day in the office what better way to drown your sorrows but at the Rake? It also just happened to be the first day of their Welsh Beer Festival. And for me there is one welsh brewery above all the others; Tiny Rebel Brewing Company. Set up by brothers-in-law Gareth Williams and Bradley Cummings in their home town of Newport last year, they specialises in producing retro beers with a modern twist. With a number of beers under their belt including<b> Hadouken 7.4%</b> an amplified IPA brewed in collaboration with the Rake's <span id="goog_75664225"></span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/rabidbarfly">@Rabidbarfly</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.tinyrebel.co.uk/assets/i/label-fubar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" src="http://www.tinyrebel.co.uk/assets/i/label-fubar.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Having previously tried and loved their Welsh Red Ale <b>Cwtch 4.6%</b>, logic suggested to try a few more of their wears. First up was<b> FuBar 4.4%</b> a lovely light pale ale, with a huge hoppy nose and a slightly spiced bitter after-taste. Alas this beer is more suited to summer than freezing conditions of the Rake's garden.<br />
So seeking warmth I spotted another TRBC beer, <b>Billabong 4.6%</b> on pump inside. Brewed solely with Australian hops this Pale Ale packs a punch as you'd expect with big citrus flavours. With a lovely floral taste and lingering with pineapple and mango flavours.<br />
<br />
As I was enjoying my pint, a few familiar faces turned up, and joined me for a drink. I was then recommended the <b>Urban IPA 5.5% </b>on keg & to complete the trilogy I couldn't say no! With a<br />
hop forward and crisp tasting finish this was a surprisingly good beer. I'm not sure how often TRBC put this on keg, but it gives the beer a much crisper taste than on cask, though at over £5 a pint i'm not sure I'll be running back to try it!<br />
<br />
Pictures from <a href="http://www.tinyrebel.co.uk/">Tiny Rebel Brewing Co</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-77698238745051404592013-02-26T09:56:00.002+00:002013-02-27T09:43:17.962+00:00Craft Beer Rising 2013<a href="http://www.craftbeerrising.co.uk/img/logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="http://www.craftbeerrising.co.uk/img/logo.jpg" width="640" /></a>I wasn't aware of this event until a friend invited me via Facebook, but I wasn't filled with much enthusiasm looking at the list of participating breweries it didn't seem to say "Craft" to me. Several names from the craft scene were missing no; Kernel, Brodies, Magic Rock, Summer Wine or Hardknott. With some odd choices filling the void such as Green King, Wells & Youngs and Fullers under the guise of one of their pubs "The Union Tavern"<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-39rom2_jhag/USzajOs-NtI/AAAAAAAAHHc/Cfr2clMK5oc/s1600/SAM_0990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-39rom2_jhag/USzajOs-NtI/AAAAAAAAHHc/Cfr2clMK5oc/s320/SAM_0990.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
However thanks to a twitter competition run by <a href="https://twitter.com/brewdog">@Brewdog</a> I won two tickets to one of the sessions over the weekend and so Saturday found me an Christine travelling to East London. Set in original Truman Brewery site on Brick Lane, the venue seemed perfect although a little difficult to find at first due to the vintage clothes fair in the basement. Once we'd safely navigated our way inside we grabbed a glass and an ample amount of tokens to see us through the afternoon.<br />
<br />
<br />
Split into 2 rooms Cask and Keg, it was instantly apparent the event was more like a trade show than a beer festival, each brewery setup with its own stall selling its wares directly to the intrigued punters. First to catch our eye in the cask room was <b>Brains Craft Brewery </b>who have been beavering away in a new micro brewery for just under a year now. With several catchy names to choose from Christine plumped for their latest edition <b>Beardface 5% </b>a lovely milk stout. I was like a kid in a sweet shop but when I spotted <b>Sharps </b>stall my choice was made, <b>Total Citra 4.1% </b>which was a delight.<br />
<b><br /></b>
As well as the beer, the musical inspired <b>Signature Brew</b> were providing DJs & live music in a third room, which became a great place to sit whilst not choosing a beer or chatting to the brewers. If you've not come across <a href="http://signaturebrew.co.uk/">Signature Brew</a> before they are a brewery that offer musicians the chance to brew their own beers, to date having worked with a number of artists including, Professor Green, Frank Turner and Enter Shikari. The guys then guide the artists through the whole brewing process from the the development of the beer with testing sessions, up to the final brew.<br />
Signature Brews appearance gave me a chance to try Enter Shikari's <b>Sssnakepit 5%</b> an American hopped larger and catch up Sam McGregor one of the Signature Brew founders. I also tasted Frank Turners<b> Believe 4. 8% </b>and grabbed a bottle of <b>Mammoth 7%</b> double-IPA to take home, which I'm looking forward to trying<br />
<br />
As the afternoon progressed we came across <b>Bateman's </b>selling their - Signature Beer Range (with an all too similar sign to the afore mentioned Signature Brew). Christine having previously tried <b>Mocha 6.0% </b>winner of the Sainsbury's Great British Beer Hunt 2012, sampled the <b>Orange Barley Wine 6% </b>which was light and refreshing and very heavy on the Orange, as well as <b>Hazelnut Brownie 6% </b>with a rich deep chocolate and hazelnut flavours coming through. We started talking to the stall holder who then presented Christine with her own Bateman's tulip glass. Just one of the many examples of the wonderful hospitality at Craft Beer Rising.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWqD_8No5Q7u9ald6IzeXTK-O-SH68QMLR5QKSf974e_GY-cQzOfXupiWNAs-zf9fhDcCTJ8Aoo0wlBvMBu5asO8M9qzBzvzPebYUK5TjN9RsX6A4GNozUEzpZR9-KAateFUguHXCAKrX/s1600/SAM_0998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWqD_8No5Q7u9ald6IzeXTK-O-SH68QMLR5QKSf974e_GY-cQzOfXupiWNAs-zf9fhDcCTJ8Aoo0wlBvMBu5asO8M9qzBzvzPebYUK5TjN9RsX6A4GNozUEzpZR9-KAateFUguHXCAKrX/s320/SAM_0998.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
Getting hungry we had a look around the various food stalls and jumped for one of the wonderful Hot Dogs courtesy of <a href="http://www.fleischmob.co.uk/">Fleisch Mob</a> which were laden with onions and sauerkraut, I also got a special shot of Schnapps as the owner Mark is a fellow Palace fan. Look out for his stall at <a href="http://www.kerbfood.com/">Kerb Market</a> during March.<br />
<br />
The evening before fellow South London beer bloggers <a href="https://twitter.com/SW6Badger">@SW6Badger</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/realalegirlShea">@RealAleGirlShea</a> had recommended the Cornish based <b>Rebel Brewing Co's -</b> <b>Mexi-Cocoa 8.5%</b>. A Chocolate Vanilla Stout, triple-infused with chocolate and vanilla at each stage of the process. Giving the beer a deep and powerful flavour but is still smooth enough to sip. Talking to the team the recipe was derived by their Mexican head brewer (who's clearly a long way from home brewing in Penryn). As well as tasting Mexi-Cocoa, Christine bought a bottle to take home and the Rebel guys threw in a free IPA for me a long with some other goodies! Rebel Brewing Co, appear to be one of the breweries that have really gained something from appearing at Craft Beer Rising. Having not heard of them before the event they'll be one to look out for in 2013.<br />
<br />
So I can safely say that Craft Beer Rising was not what I had expected, yes the array of brewers was quite diverse and maybe not "Craft" (I managed to avoid all things Green King) but the new breweries and beers I found more than made up for the lack of some of the bigger craft names.<br />
Being able to talk directly to the brewers about their produce was great and I'm sure that Craft Beer Rising 2014 will be bigger and better, I just hope the don't forget the little guys!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCQiTEprCeMo1MTmyav6zvhLaMWV1WJV80VY40cNmZadvAak1pxvba0bsX0-YQ2ehCHNpuxOYtMK6Vc8THm_9hAoOKCao6Ns0wyZzcKWt175eP2uhvetHTnliPwt2GjccYanJ42I0KdCt/s1600/IMAG0015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCQiTEprCeMo1MTmyav6zvhLaMWV1WJV80VY40cNmZadvAak1pxvba0bsX0-YQ2ehCHNpuxOYtMK6Vc8THm_9hAoOKCao6Ns0wyZzcKWt175eP2uhvetHTnliPwt2GjccYanJ42I0KdCt/s320/IMAG0015.jpg" width="191" /></a><b>Other Beers/</b><b>Breweries</b><b> of note were:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Hogs Back - A over T (Bright) 9%<br />
Courage - Imperial Russian Stout (Bottle) 10%<br />
HOBO - Craft Czech Lager (can) 5.1%<br />
Thornbridge - Bear State- West Coast IPA 7% (Keg)<br />
Sharps - Project Wheatcore 4.7% (Cask)<br />
Sharps - Cornish Pilsner (Bottle)<br />
Penpont Brewery - An Howl Reserve- IPA 7.0% (Cask)<br />
Penpont Brewery - Ginger Beer 4.2% (Cask)<br />
Traquair House Brewery - Jacobite Ale 8%<br />
Thwaites -Thirteen Guns 5.5% (Cask)<br />
Brewers & Union - Dark Lager 5% (Bottle)<br />
The Botanist - Humulus Lupulus Pale Ale 3.8% (Cask)<br />
Wildcard Brewery - Jack of Clubs (Bottle)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-90369719761936612652013-02-13T14:40:00.002+00:002013-02-17T17:33:27.510+00:00Dukes Brew & Que<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://dukesbrewandque.com/beavertown/wp-content/themes/dukesbrewandque/library/timthumb.php?src=http://dukesbrewandque.com/beavertown/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Dukes_Brew_Que.jpg&w=948&zc=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://dukesbrewandque.com/beavertown/wp-content/themes/dukesbrewandque/library/timthumb.php?src=http://dukesbrewandque.com/beavertown/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Dukes_Brew_Que.jpg&w=948&zc=1" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It seemed like we'd been waiting weeks and when Saturday finally came, this time it wasn't football on my mind but food. Christine and I had booked a table a Dukes Brew & Que a few weeks back, having </span>succumb to our<span style="font-family: inherit;"> jealousy from the endless tweets in my feed praising the BBQ joint in Haggerston.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dukes is also the home of Beavertown Brewery</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> which takes it’s name from the old cockney name for the De Beauvoir
area of Hackney that the brewery and </span>restaurant<span style="font-family: inherit;"> resides. Setup </span>in February 2012 by Logan Plant (You might just have heard of his father Robert of Led Zeppelin fame) & friend Byron. Their aim is to "make some damn fine ales"and you can safely say they've achieved that. With a recent collaboration with Brew Dog under their and their 3 bottled beers popping up in establishments all over London.<br />
<br />
Situated in an old east end pub, the Beavertown boys have stripped the interior back to its shell, with exposed walls and bare floorboards as well as antlers adorning the walls and chandeliers. Visible from our table to the left was the cramped kitchen as well as the fermenting tanks and other steel brewing paraphernalia, to the right the well stocked bar. A printed menu on each table lists today's draft and cask offerings on our outing including two new additions to the core range<b> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Black Betty Black IPA 7%</b> & </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Hit The Road Jack IPA</b> we tried a pint of each.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
The menu its self is simple, really simple, It's pretty much either Beef or Pork with a Veggie Burger thrown in for good measure. Having browsed the menu my choice was made, B<span style="font-family: inherit;">eef Rib. With Christine choosing the Trio of P</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">ulled Pork Sliders. We'd barely had a sip of our drinks before meals arrived along with a side of </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Seasoned Fries. The ribs come coated in a lovely </span>caramelised<span style="font-family: inherit;"> smoked hickory glaze leaving the meat tender and juicy. The only down side was the amount of fat left, but the amount of meat more than satisfied. The pork sliders come with fried pickles and judging by Christine's reaction were equally as delicious.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
Seemingly not quite stuffed by our mains we ordered another beer and a Baked Cheesecake to share. This time <b>Kernel's Table Beer 3.3% ABV</b> amazingly crisp and fruity from a low abv beer. A surprisingly nice match for the velvety baked desert rather than a stout or porter I'd usually consider with desert.<br />
So with that our experience at Dukes was over! Hackney is a part of London I'd never really ventured into before but there's a lot to be discovered, <a href="http://www.sebrightarms.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Sebright Arms</a>, <a href="http://www.cratebrewery.com/" target="_blank">Crate Brewery</a> & <a href="http://www.londonfieldsbrewery.co.uk/" target="_blank">London Fields Brewery</a> are all on my list for 2013</div>
<div>
<br />
If you're planning on hitting up Duke's Brew & Que then I'd recommend booking in advance as the service area is small and your time is often limited to a 1 and 1/2 hour booking.<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin-bottom: 2em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 2em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://dukesbrewandque.com/" target="_blank">Dukes Brew & Que</a>: 33 Downham Road, Hackney, London N1 5AA</span></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-39554182054438809692013-01-28T20:12:00.003+00:002013-02-22T10:01:43.822+00:00The HopeSeeking somewhere different for a late lunch, Christine and I headed 30 minutes down the road in search of the Greater London CAMRA pub of the year, The Hope in Carshalton.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g_QqJPXSU7g/T61rZSElcGI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/yAUuMqzS25U/s1600/DSCN0182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g_QqJPXSU7g/T61rZSElcGI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/yAUuMqzS25U/s320/DSCN0182.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
Three years ago The Hope was facing extinction with plans a foot to convert the 19th Century bar into a Indian restaurant and that's where the story would end had it not been for it's intrepid regulars. Who pooled together and purchased the lease, free of ties from Punch Taverns. Now with 40 share holders on board they've bought the fixtures and fittings, stock etc from the holding company that was operating the pub. The company formed (48 West Limited) has set a restriction of 24% on the number of shares an individual can hold. Ensuring there cannot be a majority holder and keeps this pub firmly rooted in its community. One perfectly matched shareholder is Croydon's latest brewery <a href="http://cfbrewing.co.uk/">Clarence & Fredericks</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
As we arrived we were greeted with The Hope's mock Tudor façade and original fittings, to the right there's a small area with seating and a piano; the rest of the pub continues round to the left curving around the well stocked bar. Offering 6 real ales as well 3 real ciders and 3 craft keg pumps. I had to check twice when I saw <b>Mikkeller - Santa's Little Helper 11%ABV </b>on tap! Not your usual CAMRA pub offerings and one I've not seen outside of Copenhagen. Alas having not yet eaten I went for something with a slightly more respectable ABV; <b>Gadds - Oatmeal Stout 4.5% ABV </b>wondefully smooth with hints of chocolate and coffee. Whilst Christine had a half of <b>Saltaire Brewery - New World Red 5.2% ABV </b>heavily hopped with hops from Australia, America & New Zealand giving it a fruity bitter finish.<br />
<br />
With the pub bustling with people it soon became apparent that we'd unfortunately missed the lunch menu (12-3pm) and so sat down with our drinks to take in the surroundings. As well as the cask and keg ales The Hope has a great bottle range including Brew Dog, Brodies and several well known Belgian breweries<br />
Also on keg was <b>Brodies - Citra for Breakfast 10.1% ABV </b> as well as a number of German lagers<br />
But as we had driven we decided to leave in the hunt for food elsewhere.<br />
<br />
The transport links to The Hope are numerous and there's ample parking if you're driving as well as being a 5 minute walk from Carshalton station. However we've since discovered the 157 bus stops near by handy for our next trip to sample some of the higher ABV beers! We'll make sure we make it for lunch next time too!!<br />
<br />
For a video tour of the pub and interview with some of the shareholders click <a href="http://www.pubs.com/main_site/pub_media.php?id=hope#hope">here</a><br />
<br />
*Picture from the wonderful <a href="http://www.makemineabeer.com/">Make Mine a Beer</a> - follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/SW6Badger">@SW6Badger</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-59493436941912729912012-07-05T09:12:00.002+01:002013-02-18T20:40:30.570+00:00Life in the Cronx<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"></span></div>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7810731059842577761" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7810731059842577761" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.4847766659222543" style="font-weight: normal;"></b></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thecronx.com/images/Cronx%20Logo%20White%20on%20Black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://www.thecronx.com/images/Cronx%20Logo%20White%20on%20Black.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7810731059842577761" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7810731059842577761" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b style="font-weight: normal; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.4847766659222543" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.4847766659222543" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first brewery to hit Croydon since the </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Page and Overton Brewery closed in 1954.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Cronx (an affectionate name for the town) has been set up by two Crystal Palace fans Mark Russell, and Simon Dale. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Currently producing small batches on a 60 litre pilot kit, they're in the final stages of installing a</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> huge 2,000 litre vessel for production into their new brewery in New Addington. Having already produced Entire Porter which the second fastest selling beer at the CPFC Beer Festival in May they currently both hope the first casks will be heading to pubs from August and I for one can't wait!</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-39936164073730261072012-06-05T22:24:00.000+01:002013-02-18T10:30:08.487+00:00I Got The Remedy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW83-KMJJbIHEvAk1ceFKwFdRCbOhlfq8QeX19FUM6cBYIhJo9Ms-6k-0P4MHu-KhzXArhCfNnzL2eE15CaDQHpozmwztJ7IclZ3Cu90NoWmhOFaKh_hjMjtucZHcLpOZD4zOiBlLLtGVb/s1600/IMAG0444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW83-KMJJbIHEvAk1ceFKwFdRCbOhlfq8QeX19FUM6cBYIhJo9Ms-6k-0P4MHu-KhzXArhCfNnzL2eE15CaDQHpozmwztJ7IclZ3Cu90NoWmhOFaKh_hjMjtucZHcLpOZD4zOiBlLLtGVb/s320/IMAG0444.jpg" width="191" /></a></div>
So last Thursday I was lucky enough to be invited by Sam at Signature Brew to the launch their new beer in collaboration with Professor Green's. Named "Remedy" to co-inside with Hackney rapper Professor Green's new single this was a American inspired Pale Ale made solely with British hops.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://signaturebrew.co.uk/">Signature Brew</a> are a fairly new brewery that offer musicians the chance to brew their own beers, to date having worked with Craig Finn from The Hold Steady and The Rifles. Signature Brew guide the artists through the whole process from the the development of the beer with testing sessions to help the artists pick out their favourite tastes, to the final brew at Titanic brewery. <br />
<br />
My evening didn't start so well after getting lost coming out of the many at Old Street station I ended up walking in the wrong direction for quite some time before I arrived at The Marie Lloyd. The pub it's self is no longer open to the public but is in fact now owned by a PR and Media company for such events but it's self is still a lovely space, clearly used as an office by day but still manages to keep the a pub feel with brewing related nick nacks on the walls including a signed picture of Michael Barrymore!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIF1o0ivLUyQwnuOFlXVCxYr5gI2mDKP5NrxwiMBFPfRV-BNpIwiXfiIcmWk74buKUXBrnfvT11-vcnpjTiPA_nZruzv2-Wcqqytm_4cHibypHLX26Layli96iOFGOI1VKqGxOz0oaqs9l/s1600/IMAG0446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIF1o0ivLUyQwnuOFlXVCxYr5gI2mDKP5NrxwiMBFPfRV-BNpIwiXfiIcmWk74buKUXBrnfvT11-vcnpjTiPA_nZruzv2-Wcqqytm_4cHibypHLX26Layli96iOFGOI1VKqGxOz0oaqs9l/s320/IMAG0446.jpg" width="191" /></a>The beer itself tastes like a classic American Pale without that familiar hop bite. Remedy however has a great crisp taste huge grapefruit after taste that really grows on you and kept me coming back for more. I'd be really interested to know which hops were used in this beer as the flavour was unexpected fore a beer brewed solely with British Hops.<br />
<br />
After several bottles I got to talk to Professor Green about his beer and he came across very enthusiastic yet concerned that people wouldn't like it! But he couldn't be more wrong, I'd like to think I'm not a fan of gimmicks or things that are used as promotional tools but this is a good beer. The guys at Signature Brew clearly have a lot of knowledge and passion in what they are doing and this comes across in Remedy from the beer and the bottle it comes in. I look forward to finding out who they're working with next!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To find out more about the making of Remedy check out <a href="http://signaturebrew.co.uk/">this video </a>or if you want to get your hands on some Remedy then head over to <a href="http://www.gottheremedy.com/">www.gottheremedy.com</a></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-35120848647344867422012-05-02T19:25:00.000+01:002012-05-04T09:38:25.955+01:00Punk AGM<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So Tom and I headed up to Aberdeen for the Equity for Punks AGM last weekend!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here are a few photos from the event.....</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiVYxjnfZd2gTg_4CqGeoBTxL9EozT7GaCqt4RKhSpDM06KFjoP30MAsiXmwPWftXpAu8VeeL098JhdtiNPYZ2MYNx4MXNRDOBf6QtjZCfG7h6nUzIBKhE79IJ4mCJJK4MD_U753mHJWYv/s1600/P1060493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiVYxjnfZd2gTg_4CqGeoBTxL9EozT7GaCqt4RKhSpDM06KFjoP30MAsiXmwPWftXpAu8VeeL098JhdtiNPYZ2MYNx4MXNRDOBf6QtjZCfG7h6nUzIBKhE79IJ4mCJJK4MD_U753mHJWYv/s320/P1060493.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BrewDog Aberdeen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYD-JVlN_xtSHvTP6XWul1xoKIeql3WiJ_MxxcNiuBL-tnyYXGDpAqdScOGUmwybTEqvT6SZi1hnedC6KSmidmIi_8uI6G9P65FLPLsyReJ79k3dtJMt-vFEh-0_J0yl8GTO5cjUZSkCOw/s1600/P1060499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYD-JVlN_xtSHvTP6XWul1xoKIeql3WiJ_MxxcNiuBL-tnyYXGDpAqdScOGUmwybTEqvT6SZi1hnedC6KSmidmIi_8uI6G9P65FLPLsyReJ79k3dtJMt-vFEh-0_J0yl8GTO5cjUZSkCOw/s320/P1060499.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mashing In</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXp_98XyfZzKiRJ8gqpJ4n3Ku24JziGgRJcsFXuIuGJ5ZM4Xb0j62Dtr5Sf-m1m7NT0U9ngSw_G8Rc28XUIAE59BDNGBOeqWp4MUL8UJlMjYnlQy_rZvGZzyoZ17cww-O_QRHT24eykcgL/s1600/P1060504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXp_98XyfZzKiRJ8gqpJ4n3Ku24JziGgRJcsFXuIuGJ5ZM4Xb0j62Dtr5Sf-m1m7NT0U9ngSw_G8Rc28XUIAE59BDNGBOeqWp4MUL8UJlMjYnlQy_rZvGZzyoZ17cww-O_QRHT24eykcgL/s320/P1060504.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queue Dogs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrtq3fsW5iHeDa_iVv6oO2bqF2PqAUMj16hY2l1MR5Ico44tlVJIT_xh4wE4XmADDj41fz1DVo6l56OzAI7xWvMWI_Q6oA6CY91Ht9MURHUkKLH7CzgZvJRCP1w87tgw51JfEbhDgkMAQ/s1600/P1060507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrtq3fsW5iHeDa_iVv6oO2bqF2PqAUMj16hY2l1MR5Ico44tlVJIT_xh4wE4XmADDj41fz1DVo6l56OzAI7xWvMWI_Q6oA6CY91Ht9MURHUkKLH7CzgZvJRCP1w87tgw51JfEbhDgkMAQ/s320/P1060507.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Brewery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5KSF7NiqhIXyGdIy0-q_4QW3qS47p8FlKOlHIUBilwCdPh5JMmMXEW_nd6xMMmgmselbSd6ClnQYuvM8WipaTf-b_dcRa1qw2DR4rCNNv9dujUM6iGIeFC-6K3YKZwT02aHyFriXjsNdf/s1600/P1060510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5KSF7NiqhIXyGdIy0-q_4QW3qS47p8FlKOlHIUBilwCdPh5JMmMXEW_nd6xMMmgmselbSd6ClnQYuvM8WipaTf-b_dcRa1qw2DR4rCNNv9dujUM6iGIeFC-6K3YKZwT02aHyFriXjsNdf/s320/P1060510.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scamps!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTH-B4iOJ0GUXXaJvDsxvSpIqYCdqmi7vIpFIMTNAJ8qO8q23eh8op736aR51JvTuZswR-uDb5mmK011aFzpLpi9ArKR0murX61A2vz7rgoot70QzR1d-LBYLdWzhh-qw6z-HN6apOKdEy/s1600/P1060516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTH-B4iOJ0GUXXaJvDsxvSpIqYCdqmi7vIpFIMTNAJ8qO8q23eh8op736aR51JvTuZswR-uDb5mmK011aFzpLpi9ArKR0murX61A2vz7rgoot70QzR1d-LBYLdWzhh-qw6z-HN6apOKdEy/s320/P1060516.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Musa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBlp4F3dlF9AajBZx13eaiwIlW7CDShWNZaybLhjvvsnsApRzHLgQ6msbPt-CC5TL5hA4wGS_jKfLBhOw_0Kx-1NFHpRPD64rbyGXgSwhuP-TcSvOHVMo1GHeIckhk0blnfZHFv3WGkp0/s1600/P1060517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBlp4F3dlF9AajBZx13eaiwIlW7CDShWNZaybLhjvvsnsApRzHLgQ6msbPt-CC5TL5hA4wGS_jKfLBhOw_0Kx-1NFHpRPD64rbyGXgSwhuP-TcSvOHVMo1GHeIckhk0blnfZHFv3WGkp0/s320/P1060517.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brewery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9DEtU9jTwz0/T6F6Ujh06eI/AAAAAAAAGEY/ARd_oWnYOt0/s1600/P1060519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9DEtU9jTwz0/T6F6Ujh06eI/AAAAAAAAGEY/ARd_oWnYOt0/s320/P1060519.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original Branding</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLbidOV7BAJbtAFo-uOJzx8dKntLo1kas4M06BLGH5KQOexo9kCzRy2UiPxq4WXbDegljnRMdZv7kzmiIyO6s7PmTNKxu3BkSBe2e4evqcMSiYb5M03NsR2pzMM_E14ZiMCfPhA8LjAM5/s1600/P1060521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLbidOV7BAJbtAFo-uOJzx8dKntLo1kas4M06BLGH5KQOexo9kCzRy2UiPxq4WXbDegljnRMdZv7kzmiIyO6s7PmTNKxu3BkSBe2e4evqcMSiYb5M03NsR2pzMM_E14ZiMCfPhA8LjAM5/s320/P1060521.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottling 5am Saint</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6AJ5Fp2oIiV3OimtF_wkNxt7xUZpv9SnewuYcQEuno3VvVg1zEWVFr9xKj2rU7EgwwTh3_oxSGXrZNKlQt64kpmaI52Xvke3Rk6awL6odW5u4qiYa6Q5EWuKA13eZKwI1jpQ_-kWNi56/s1600/P1060527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6AJ5Fp2oIiV3OimtF_wkNxt7xUZpv9SnewuYcQEuno3VvVg1zEWVFr9xKj2rU7EgwwTh3_oxSGXrZNKlQt64kpmaI52Xvke3Rk6awL6odW5u4qiYa6Q5EWuKA13eZKwI1jpQ_-kWNi56/s320/P1060527.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fermenting Vessles </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxFJhN5F-XJC-YNTLepF3tjWHs60Zbgw3-Fec4XUbJcWmW6H_nPXtrcFs-7IDS2px1kOof40hLEkS8x6wFhg2zvCxyP5kftdfAdTO13oV-KBTUeS8TRhy4jP-exnqlCoTI_kK4Sz8k2pN/s1600/P1060526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxFJhN5F-XJC-YNTLepF3tjWHs60Zbgw3-Fec4XUbJcWmW6H_nPXtrcFs-7IDS2px1kOof40hLEkS8x6wFhg2zvCxyP5kftdfAdTO13oV-KBTUeS8TRhy4jP-exnqlCoTI_kK4Sz8k2pN/s320/P1060526.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottling Up</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_vFmsHmxPKkXNgea4HdEsT8B_A3JQOc_domdbjS2LTGA_e2zIenV2y1aPxT_Kzy2ffLFc2h7eyg8-UiasrnhBhiWPiHnTcxaVDSQQdufpjXXEOP4vVAaDUUHv_a1_28VC2Bwla5dRHXo/s1600/IMAG0398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_vFmsHmxPKkXNgea4HdEsT8B_A3JQOc_domdbjS2LTGA_e2zIenV2y1aPxT_Kzy2ffLFc2h7eyg8-UiasrnhBhiWPiHnTcxaVDSQQdufpjXXEOP4vVAaDUUHv_a1_28VC2Bwla5dRHXo/s320/IMAG0398.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brew Sheet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-nfhE6JtT_UILRawEPqE6ulNilhq_WFzHEZa96x6q0oc5AB2Mo3OeOYWX-1tk5CW8BGroxHFWAQ1wRQx-oRU6I8pTlhPbil19ydLgZst6I6HM3bIRUo_hTA_fMgi-KdhiCEkQ7ivptyL/s1600/P1060529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-nfhE6JtT_UILRawEPqE6ulNilhq_WFzHEZa96x6q0oc5AB2Mo3OeOYWX-1tk5CW8BGroxHFWAQ1wRQx-oRU6I8pTlhPbil19ydLgZst6I6HM3bIRUo_hTA_fMgi-KdhiCEkQ7ivptyL/s320/P1060529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Brewery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6RrfP9IknC7RKnM_qONAJKYjeCj6geFwa9_YV17KvLYEQdjG7mrHbvhS_IPLQB9FQ0WtBAADy3CxbY5f8WM0ofb7iYkjDAAbIzSqIcdxN1itJf3DltT42-Hy7CilYJ0cL4qhDn19XN7h/s1600/P1060532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6RrfP9IknC7RKnM_qONAJKYjeCj6geFwa9_YV17KvLYEQdjG7mrHbvhS_IPLQB9FQ0WtBAADy3CxbY5f8WM0ofb7iYkjDAAbIzSqIcdxN1itJf3DltT42-Hy7CilYJ0cL4qhDn19XN7h/s320/P1060532.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out to Sea</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4OwA_e2jxKkV1V7DZsCma_USKe5Dspm4TNLVRIO-LsOd7z8Fb_7CyjjCNBMfmlI_UoG85I1qYwzTZ0ufNtXpOqwm2Qp0UbkhicLp84EAhJ7e1yqQU1iq1UaapENtaQcuFzfokNP9aA8O/s1600/P1060533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4OwA_e2jxKkV1V7DZsCma_USKe5Dspm4TNLVRIO-LsOd7z8Fb_7CyjjCNBMfmlI_UoG85I1qYwzTZ0ufNtXpOqwm2Qp0UbkhicLp84EAhJ7e1yqQU1iq1UaapENtaQcuFzfokNP9aA8O/s320/P1060533.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From a far</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-257427453165295992012-03-07T09:42:00.001+00:002013-02-18T10:29:32.683+00:00PommeSo on Thursday last week, I was invited to a tutored Cider tasting at the Euston Cider Tap, courtesy of Google Places. Having previously visited the Cider Tap's sister bar across the road several times, This was my first trip into the world of all things apples!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghW8yWE5gDEQqyzcF39g1_MJw-ZznAWUW-osCIxsczwLTTHlzzux9X9WBAx9nA0HQGx74DWPS3q8stE5UEjetflfqxvslh7Mltr5hcxkKvh-ZQMQH9U7VvIYjMgimLP8i-o6hrk1UPYwJ3/s1600/IMAG0309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghW8yWE5gDEQqyzcF39g1_MJw-ZznAWUW-osCIxsczwLTTHlzzux9X9WBAx9nA0HQGx74DWPS3q8stE5UEjetflfqxvslh7Mltr5hcxkKvh-ZQMQH9U7VvIYjMgimLP8i-o6hrk1UPYwJ3/s320/IMAG0309.jpg" width="320" /></a>The night started with a glass of Kir Normand, a cocktail aperitif made with Normandy cider and cassis. As the other attendee's began to arrive the tasting got under-way. Starting off with an introduction to the evening an brief description of how cider is brewed from Charles Roberts the head brewer at <a href="http://www.pickledpig.co.uk/">Pickled Pig Cider</a>.<br />
<br />
The tasting was started with <b>Calvados - Christian Drouin 3% ABV</b>, a fruity and rich tasting unpasteurised French cider. Served along side an amazing Calvados Camembert cheese. After a the Camembert was devoured Charles talked us through his range of Ciders, starting with a traditional farmhouse cider; <b>Pickled Pig - Old Spot - 6.5% ABV</b> brewed naturally using three varieties of apple all grown locally to the Cambridgeshire farm. The naturally found yeast used in the fermentation gives this cider a tannic and acidic taste not dissimilar to those of a Lambic.<br />
<br />
Next we were introduced to<b> Pickled Pig - Rum Cask - 6.0% ABV.</b> Slowly fermented and stored in an oak rum barrel imported from the Caribbean. This cider again had a sour tannic taste this time with a phenolic taste drawn from the rum that had previously been matured in the cask. Charles then went on to explain how the Cider would soon be changing its name to Saddle Back as a resort to meet the new laws imposed by customs and excise!<br />
<br />
The tasting then moved to the several sparkling ciders on offer, <b>Lilleys - Fire Dancer - 4.5% ABV</b> described as "A traditional cloudy cider, with a rich rosy colour and full of flavour." I however thought it was heavily over carbonated and was all to similar to the more commonly found commercial ciders.<br />
<br />
<b>Sandford Orchards -Shaky Bridge - 6%</b> This has a much stronger taste of apple and was much more palatable, but after several ciders my notes are somewhat lacking!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxUCThqEWlfyR6embFAAdpO4CiMjL5eGGZPj2mGrRm1y8q45yP_LniFFYzbkpxEZAvJmZdgjEBg-k8xW9-irP9gJQog5YWDVEOiCMzR5jLJD81Lxr06KahV7W6xGcOJys13DQLDibCIEQ/s1600/IMAG0300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxUCThqEWlfyR6embFAAdpO4CiMjL5eGGZPj2mGrRm1y8q45yP_LniFFYzbkpxEZAvJmZdgjEBg-k8xW9-irP9gJQog5YWDVEOiCMzR5jLJD81Lxr06KahV7W6xGcOJys13DQLDibCIEQ/s320/IMAG0300.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Aware that is was a school night we made plans to leave, but these where soon stifled, as we were offered a glass of <b>Millwhites - Rioja Cask - 6.7%</b>. With its pink hue drawn from its time in the red wine barrels, this was one of the most interesting ciders we had tasted with hints of oak tannin and warming overall sweetness. And with that the evening and my first foray into cider was over.<br />
<br />
The Euston Cider Tap, is the only dedicated Cider bar that I'm aware of in London which is surprising since apparently we're <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/uk/cider_pips_lager_in_popularity_stakes_among_young_drinkers_1_2143687">now a nation of cider drinkers</a>. Although I suspect this more than likely the type of cider served over ice!
If more pubs offered at least one craft or real cider, I for one would now be more inclined to move away from ales & beers every now and then. However there's still a long way for craft/real Cider to go before it can break the stereotype <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zwwqEm5YhQ">The Wurzels</a> have set!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-78191796533667707122012-03-02T10:19:00.000+00:002012-12-20T09:11:40.814+00:00Living For The Weekend...<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's been a quiet start to 2012 on the beer front (and the blogging one), but a few weeks ago me and my good friend Moppo had a wee stroll down to tower bridge on a Friday night.As such here's his first foray into blogging....</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.travelswithbeer.com/wp-content/themes/thejournal/functions/thumb.php?src=wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IMG_54961.jpg&w=200&h=220&zc=1&q=90" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">First stop
was the Dean Swift, which is located on Gainsford Street, near Tower Bridge.
The pub describes itself as a ‘local beer house’, which is a fairly accurate
description. Busy but not packed, the Swift is a small space with a mixed
clientele: suits mixing with a smattering of trendy young people (and that was
just me and Ford). The Dean Swift also boasts a very knowledgeable bar staff,
each of whom was willing and able to offer recommendations among the array of
pumps on the bar, and the multitude of bottled beers behind it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">First beer of the night for me was the Rooster’s Cream(4.7%), seasonal pale ale from North Yorkshire, brewed in Harrogate using hops from the States. As its name suggests, it is smooth and creamy on the tongue, with hints of vanilla, with a citrus finish. A really drinkable pint, I would
have happily stayed on this all night.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">From the Rooster’s, I moved on to Nibiru IPA (6.3%), brewed by Arbor Ales in Bristol. This is a <i>really</i> fruity beer: I’d
almost say tropical, if that didn’t put me in mind of Um Bongo... Unlike that juice drink consumed in the congo, Nibiru is also bloody strong: a great supping beer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">At Tom’s suggestion, we then moved onto the bottled stuff. For me, this meant a bottle of Southern Cross India Pale Ale (7.3%), brewed in SE1 by The Kernel brewery, which had to be fetched from upstairs: too good to sell to the punters? At first taste it has a sharp, spicy quality, and it is dry, with a fruity bitterness at the back of the throat at the finish. A really great tasting beer, and a good note to finish on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oS3BdE8PR5w/T1CSVUkU1iI/AAAAAAAAFwQ/0iaIea0EWBU/s1600/tipa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oS3BdE8PR5w/T1CSVUkU1iI/AAAAAAAAFwQ/0iaIea0EWBU/s320/tipa.JPG" width="239" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">From the Dean
Swift it was a short meander to The Draft House, itself only a very short trundle from Tower Bridge. You’ll forgive me for not describing the pub in huge
detail, as by this point I was a fairly refreshed young man, but the main thing that struck me with regard to the décor was the Ghostbusters wallpaper on the
way to the facilities. Pubs of Great Britain take note: you can do far worse than festoon your interiors with classic 80s film references, even if it is in the form of children’s wall decorations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Choosing what beer to drink based purely on its name and how that name resonates with you at
a certain stage of your Friday night probably isn’t a great plan, but it did
lead me to try a bottle of Titan IPA. Brewed and bottled by the Great Divide
Brewing Company in Colorado, it is a potent 7.1% ABV. In the glass, Titan has a
deep amber colouration, with a small head (if you pour it properly). On the
nose there’s a strong pine aroma, and on the tongue there’s a mixture of citrus
hops, closing with a bitter finish which borders on sweet. I just need to apologise to Tom for how much
it cost…<br /><br />Tom: No problem Moppo! Pleasure was all mine! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-8612494757360647192012-01-05T10:53:00.002+00:002012-01-05T10:58:06.316+00:001 Year on<div style="text-align: center;">
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">27 Blog posts</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Over 100 Twitter followers</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">God knows how many beers!</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">8 shares bought in Brew Dog</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Trip to Rome</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Trip to Russia</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Trip to Copenhagen</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Trip to Edinburgh</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">6 Beer Festivals</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">3 Pub Crawls</li>
</ul>
</div>
It's not been a bad year!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-25255570118970266702011-12-15T15:05:00.000+00:002013-05-31T10:32:56.670+01:00EdinBeer<div dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.9774976586923003" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 2.25pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.9774976586923003" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 2.25pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">As per usual it's taken me far too long to get this blog up, but after being hassled by a friend I've finally collated my notes and memories together! Myself and Christine headed off to Edinburgh in late November for a long weekend of site seeing and of course beer drinking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our first experience almost tarnished the whole trip. Aimlessly walking about the old town looking for a good pub for lunch, tiredness got the better of us and so we stumbled in to the nearest place. As soon as our food arrived, we realised the error we'd made! And so the bar was set (albeit low) by The Castle Arms!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 2.25pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But we this wasn't going to a problem to beat, knowing that the Brew Dog bar was only a short walk away. Perfectly positioned just off from the Royal Mile on Cowgate we popped in the next day for a well earned drink after a days site seeing! At the time this was the first time I'd visited a Brew Dog bar and I was fairly intrigued as to what the experience would be. As you walk in you're instantly greeted with the bold statement "No Football! No shots! No Stella!" and that sums Brew Dog up pretty well. The bar's stripped back appearance was great leading to the cosy informal atmosphere and with Biffy Clyro's greatest hits playing in the background, we grabbed a beer. Christine was excited at the chance to reacquaint herself with <b>Tokyo* 18.2% ABV</b> having tasted it around the time of its original hype laden launch. I plumped for the rather disappointing <b>Christmas Porter 6.2% ABV </b>which tasted all too similar to its parent beer Alice Porter and for me offered no seasonal spiced notes that it promised.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 2.25pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We returned to the bar late one evening with the place bustling, full of people. The bar had taken on a completely different vibe, with the draft and guest beers having changed from the day before I tried the prototype beer <b>Hops Kill ? 7.8% ABV</b> as well as treating my self to a expensive bottle of<b> Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout 7.5% ABV</b>.Chatting away to people on other tables about their beers it was great to see the craft beer scene was so popular.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFSSJSAOfCUes0Zhe1eoy3kwp3HXfwLQy7efP4DELhtqDrXaHeub1mfQ4IwYDIe_1YJVMqNL_UrNfiwPwRz-xajU0bfXKIwWJA-Kc1aRsQO-NVIR-gOzcD6eyHWzxTUMADs94mllaoWJi/s1600/IMAG0142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFSSJSAOfCUes0Zhe1eoy3kwp3HXfwLQy7efP4DELhtqDrXaHeub1mfQ4IwYDIe_1YJVMqNL_UrNfiwPwRz-xajU0bfXKIwWJA-Kc1aRsQO-NVIR-gOzcD6eyHWzxTUMADs94mllaoWJi/s320/IMAG0142.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 2.25pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Two off the other fantastic pubs among several we visited both severed Ale in the traditional Scottish method, using tall founts. These use air pressure driven by a water engine to push the beer through the tap instead of the English hand pump method.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 2.25pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of these; Thomson's was only a few doors down from where we were staying and had a great selection of beers and whiskeys on offer. The cosy wood clad bar based on the designs of the architect Alexander 'Greek' Thomson, was busy when we popped in one night. Offering an extensive array of single malt whiskies as well as Scottish ales from Arran, Fyne, Cairngorm and Caledonian (when we visited). Thomson's is a great pub, full of regulars and those stopping in on their way to Haymarket station! </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 2.25pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/edinburgh/pubguide/images/bowbar-450footer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/edinburgh/pubguide/images/bowbar-450footer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Bow Bar</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Blink and you'd miss Bow Bar hidden on West Bow a small winding street below the famous Edinburgh Castle and Royal Mile. The single room bar had been voted Edinburgh's best Whiskey bar, but also gave great attention to its ales with 8 taps and well stocked international bottle list to match . Its walls adored with old Brewery Mirrors from Scotland's brewing past. The barman was highly knowledgeable about his whisky, helping and advising the group of tourists humming and haring over the 200 plus Malt's on offer. He also had great passion for the beer and spent a great while explaining the workings of the Scottish tall founts serving the ale. We popped in to Bow Bar several time during our stay in Edinburgh, trying several of the ever changing ales, including: </span><b style="text-decoration: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stewart’s Edinburgh No 3 4.3% ABV </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">(a scotch ale), </span><b style="text-decoration: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">Darkstar Green Hopped IPA 6.5% ABV</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><b style="text-decoration: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elland 1872 Porter 6.5% ABV </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">& </span><b style="text-decoration: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fyne Highlander 4.8% ABV</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">. If you're visiting Edinburgh I'd definitely recommend popping in for a wee dram and pint, you wont be disappointed.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 2.25pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltGqgGydNwepHns5Q_kliWtDSU4Mdnym7rK4dWa1hi_K01dUfKQbZT5Rrgs8xKqjQY1eDggitbaxGYtiTqPcC_GotnQVs9uATz1yQ67yQx4uZu8xCYjVTjFa4uCCLNjEtTLIblxQuadjv/s1600/IMAG0149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltGqgGydNwepHns5Q_kliWtDSU4Mdnym7rK4dWa1hi_K01dUfKQbZT5Rrgs8xKqjQY1eDggitbaxGYtiTqPcC_GotnQVs9uATz1yQ67yQx4uZu8xCYjVTjFa4uCCLNjEtTLIblxQuadjv/s320/IMAG0149.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">The final pub that deserves a mention is The Cafe Royal, based in the New Town off the main shopping precinct Princes Street, The Cafe Royal is a pub like no other, upon entering I was taken aback at the grandeur of the fittings! With a spectacular ornate ceiling, chandeliers, stain glass windows, mirrors and large island bar, (although decked in rather early Christmas decorations). The main feature are the six pictures on the wall of the bar painted by John Eyre and manufactured as tiles by Doultons. Each show inventors, at the moment of their discovery. With 3 or 4 Scottish ales on offer and yet again a wide whisky selection, drinking in The Cafe Royal gives you an opportunity to enjoy a drink in decadence. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 2.25pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We had a great trip to Edinburgh and managed to do an awful lot in a long weekend. The views from Arthur's Seat were spectacular and the Castle offered a great day out. It was also pleasing to get the chance to sample so many Scottish beers, it's great to see that Scottish pubs and restaurants are proud to sell their countries beers!</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-71920136695773747582011-11-01T11:51:00.000+00:002011-11-01T16:46:39.397+00:00A Tale of Two Beer FestivalsOctober was a rather busy month for me on the Beer Festival front, with the JD Wetherspoons self proclaimed "Worlds biggest Real Ale & Cider Festival" running for over 3 weeks. As well two contrasting local festivals; Wallington and Wandsworth.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6ar2j2kqUwc/Tq8jlcdXlSI/AAAAAAAAFnQ/HIpXyYBFrrM/s1600/IMAG0310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6ar2j2kqUwc/Tq8jlcdXlSI/AAAAAAAAFnQ/HIpXyYBFrrM/s320/IMAG0310.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wallington Beer Festival in full swing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The differences between the two were vast, first up was Croydon & Sutton CAMRA's 18th beer festival hosted in the slightly dilapidated Wallington Hall. With a emphasis on the LocALE campaign with over 50 real ales on offer from 27 different breweries coming within 30 miles of the venue! I first attended the Wallington festival year and had a great time despite being noticeably the youngest person in attendance and this year was no difference! The festival seemed quieter this year but that meant being served at one of the 3 bars was never going to be a problem.<br />
<br />
Perched next to a <b>Sambrooks Powerhouse Porter 4.9% ABV</b> pump-clip and having missed out on this first of Sambrooks seasonal ales last year it seemed wrong not to try it.
Sticking to the Porters next up was <b>Botanist Night Porter 5.0% ABV</b>, having never come across the Kew based microbrewery before I was delighted with this traditional porter. With a malty caramel nose and a lovely smokey roasted taste, I'll be sure to look out for more Botanist beers in the future.<br />
Other highlights were <b>Westerham's Little Scotney Green Hop 4.0% ABV</b> brewed from hops from the National Trust's hop farm at Scotney Castle, But the beer that got my taste buds tingling was<b> Brodies Kiwi 3.8% ABV</b>. A wonderful golden ale laced with Nelson Sauvin hops giving a hoppy sweet long bitter after taste.<br />
Although the festival is always friendly, I feel just feel something else is lacking, some entertainment to break things up a bit or maybe just a change of venues would breath more life into the festival.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.legothique.co.uk/Beer_Festival_files/Beer_Festival_Halloween11.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.legothique.co.uk/Beer_Festival_files/Beer_Festival_Halloween11.png" width="219" /></a></div>
On the other hand Wandsworth Common's Halloween Beer festival was a different experience. Set in the amazing Royal Victoria Patriotic Building, which has seen a number of uses over its 150 years including a field hospital for the soldiers of the First World War & as a base for the secret services during the Second World War, including the interment of the Nazi politician Rudolf Hess. Although not run by CAMRA, members did receive discount. Offering 90 ales including Darkstar, Thornbridge and Sarah Hughes. However despite the promotional posters listing Brew Dog, a note in the program detailed the organisers choice to not server their beers, due to the fact "Brew Dog in their infinite wisdom have decided to produce their portfolio of beers in bottle and in keg only". This is the downside to Brew Dogs choice but I'll leave that for another blog and another day.<br />
<br />
Myself and Tom (again the other one) were pleased to see five Thornbridge beers on offer including the brilliant St. Petersberg Stout, however the new <b>Sequoia American Amber Ale 4.5% ABV</b> was my choice with a citrusy pine flavour and a lovely balanced bitter after-taste.<br />
With two more friends joining us we returned to the bar this time I tried <b>Art Brew - Blackberry Stout 4.6% ABV</b>. I'm still not sure if I actually liked this beer, tasting somewhat like a Guinness and black. The blackcurrant's really over powered the expected smokey taste of stout leaving you with an unexpected sweet after-taste.<br />
<br />
As the courtyard started to fill up with people it was clear that the festival had attracted a much more diverse crowd than Wallington, with several groups of younger people quaffing the ales and ciders the bars soon became a free for all and it became increasingly difficult to be served. Maybe it was the <b>Green Jack- Baltic Trader Imperial Stout 10.5% ABV</b> but I didn't seem to mind the wait. This beer packs a punch as you would expect for an Imperial Stout , with a slight mocha after-taste. I'll try to get hold of a bottle as it would be more sorted to a quiet night when it can be sipped leisurely.<br />
The other highlight was <b>Redemption Brewery - Big Chief 5.5% ABV</b> a brilliant IPA packed full of New Zealand hops offering a unmistakable citrus flavour, I love beers like this but it slightly felt out of place on a dark, wet October night!<br />
<br />
Overall October has been a great month for trying new beers, with three festivals showcasing some of the countries top breweries. The contrast in the attitude and environment environment of the two events I attended, suggest to me that CAMRA still needs to work on their image, while the beers are starting to speak for themselves.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-91216094244707258192011-10-14T15:14:00.000+01:002013-02-20T12:07:07.628+00:00Grape & Grain Autumn Beer Festival<span class="Apple-style-span">So I've been living in the threshold of Crystal Palace for over a year now and one of the first events I attended was the Grape and Grains first beer festival. A year on and this now bi annual event has come on leaps and bounds. Offering over 60 Cask Ales including <b>Westerham Rick's Birthday Bitter 4% ABV </b>brewed especially for landlord Rick's birthday on the Sunday of the festival!!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/resources/images/992884/?type=display" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img border="0" src="http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/resources/images/992884/?type=display" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span">We headed in for last orders on Friday night, knowing that we were set to return with friends for a Saturday evening session.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Art Brew Smokey Bastard 5.5% ABV </b>named after a band of the same <a href="http://www.facebook.com/smokeybastard">name</a>. This beer<b> </b>poured jet black and as the name suggest was beautifully smokey. A deep rich chocolate taste with a lovely silky smokeyness I could have happily drank this all night, but alas final orders were soon called.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span">Returning the following evening, the festival was already in full swing and after one day already several casks were missing, including to my disappointment Fyne Ales Jarl, but there were still several for us to sample.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Acorn Gorlovka Imperial Stout 6% ABV</b> a rich aroma of chocolate, liquorish and raisin. Tastes fruity with a strong hit of alcohol, synonymous with Imperial Stouts. With the taste lasting for the duration and developing as the beer warms. A great addition to the festival even if it was overlooked by my friends.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span">Sticking with the dark porters and stouts, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Beowulf Brewery </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Finn's Hall Porter </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">5.2% ABV </span><span class="Apple-style-span">has a wonderful smokey aroma with a well balance hoppy taste with hints of vanilla coming through.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span">And of course several other beers were sampled throughout the night, but a<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span">s well as the beers the brilliant band The Twilighters delighted the punters with there </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span">60's inspired swing/surf rock</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> which were a delight to watch and got everyone toe tapping! </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span">I'm lucky to live so close to The Grape & Grain and Rick and co have done an amazing job with building the pubs reputation. The first beer festival had around 30 ales growing to 40 for their spring festival earlier this year, to organise and rake up 60 casks is no mean feat! I can't wait to see how the events develop next year!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span">If you ever venture into SE19 be sure to drop in for a pint, I'm sure you wont be disappointed.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-18595554361672159612011-10-12T11:13:00.000+01:002011-10-17T12:45:29.660+01:00Summer time and the weather..........is crap! (belated)So its been months since I last posted! I've been busy & lazy and a whole other load of excuses, but here is a post I started to write at the end of August and never got round to posting.<br />
<br />
<b>Great British Beer Festival:</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wGfKxNGOf3A/TpWUzBP3vBI/AAAAAAAAFk8/KARaQoXGgys/s1600/205874_590742268494_289300926_3418786_5297835_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wGfKxNGOf3A/TpWUzBP3vBI/AAAAAAAAFk8/KARaQoXGgys/s320/205874_590742268494_289300926_3418786_5297835_n.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start of a very long day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I guess I'm always lucky that the Great British Beer Festival falls on or around my birthday. It makes organising a night out considerably easier when you do the same thing every year!<br />
This year however I attended on both the Thursday and Friday, having found previous years that all the beers I had planned to try had gone.<br />
Heading with Tom (the other one!) after work on the Thursday, we made a b-line straight for the Sans Frontier bar, looking in wonder at the vast array of American and World beers on offer. Seeing as it was International IPA day we started on a beautiful American IPA<br />
<br />
Moozying about off to the SIBA stand, which rather surprisingly was mainly staffed by a group of young blond girls! A far cry from every other bar at the festival.<br />
<br />
Thornbridge are always firm favourites with us & with Tom having connections at Thornbridge Hall it would clearly be rude not to sample. Raven - a Black IPA having earlier read Rodger Potz attack at the style in CAMRA's Beer Magazine.<br />
<br />
Then I stumbled upon Grey Ghost IPA, my beer of the festival. Having tasted and thoroughly enjoyed Dark Peak Stout in the past, I was intrigued about this new brewery. All I can say is from the two beers I've now sampled is wow! Grey Ghost was full of hops sweet citrus flavours<br />
<br />
I also finally got to pick up a bottle of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span"; line-height: 15px;">Hitachino <em style="font-style: normal;">Nest Japanese</em> Classic Ale</span> </span>as well a few bottles of Mikkeller. After this my notes became a bit bury, and so day one came to a close.<br />
<br />
The Friday is always so busy,as such our plan of action was to arrive late afternoon decamp at a table and await our many friends coming to celebrate my birthday. Our plan worked magnificently, perched to the side of the stage, with in spitting distance of the Czech and German beers (which suited my "Ale-phobic" friends)<br />
<br />
With a perfect view point for Ade Edmonson's set with his band The Bad Shepherds, the night quickly descended into a drunken blur. Some of the beers I can remember were:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Pivivar Kocour Svetly Lezak 4.6% ABV</b> - a beautiful Tr<span class="Apple-style-span" ; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">aditio</span><span class="Apple-style-span" ; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">nal Czech lager, golden colour with a full flavoured hoppy aroma and rich foamy head.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 28px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Klásterní Pivovar Strahov </span></span><b>16 IPA 6.3% ABV - </b> half Czech lager half American IPA, amazing sweet hoppy taste with a refreshing carbonation.<br />
<br />
<b>Clipper City DIPA Double IPA 10% ABV - </b>amber in colour with a big nose of citrusy hops. Big hoppy flavour with a pleasant sweet aftertaste.<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Oh and of course there was <b>Stone Chipotle Smoked Porter 5,9%ABDV</b>!! So hot they were only selling this in halves. Smelt smokey peppered tasted smokey and then the chili hit and simply came on coming. Glad i got to try this one but never again!!<br />
<br />
<div>
Overall I had a fantastic birthday and a great way to celebrate getting close to a 30 Something Blogger!!!</div>
Oh and thankfully I wasn't purchased and balloon hat this year! (thanks guys)<br />
<br />
The final highlight to the "Summer" came the following weekend at LeeFest. 6 years ago our friend Lee was told he couldn't have a house party, while his parents were away on holiday. Being the crafty chap he is, he realised that they didn't ban him form having a festival! 6 years later and now on a farm rather than a suburban<br />
back garden, LeeFest has made it on the the scene. This year spanning two days & featuring headliners including Fenech Solar, British Sea Power & the chat topping DJ Fresh along side a host local up and coming bands was the best year yet.<br />
<br />
A great summer, shame about the weather though!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-4536278360776496902011-07-13T15:06:00.003+01:002011-12-13T11:01:05.089+00:00Bernard & Bangers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/71746_158294140875968_106450552726994_258819_7912491_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/71746_158294140875968_106450552726994_258819_7912491_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
With the weather somewhat improving last weekend I took the chance and invited a few friends over for a BBQ. Ever since we discovered <a href="http://www.englishsausages.com/">Villagers Sausages</a> in my local high street, BBQs haven't been the same!<br />
<br />
No longer do I feel obliged to buy a 50 piece BBQ Family Feast Pack for £5 from Iceland, as Villagers offers a host of different sausages; all made on the premisses, from your traditional Cumberland and Lincolnshire, to the more unusual Kangaroo and Wild Boar sausages.<br />
Buying a random selection and offering them to friends to try some of the more interesting variations on the British classic is slowly becoming a tradition at our BBQs.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.pivovar.co.uk/Images/Products/new%20bottle%20shots/Bernard%20Dark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.pivovar.co.uk/Images/Products/new%20bottle%20shots/Bernard%20Dark.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span">Now of course with every good BBQ you'll need beer, </span>My choice of the day however was <b>Bernard Dark 5.1 % ABV</b> a Czech dark lager produced with five types of malt.<br />
I've been a fan of Bernard ever since a Czech friend recommended the "light version", so when I spotted the beautiful swing top bottle on the shelves of my local Tesco, I simply has to oblige. <br />
<br />
Pouring a deep and rich dark black, with a caramel, chocolate & roasted malt nose. The taste is predominantly of dark chocolate, caramel and bitter hops as well some roasted coffeeness. Unlike most "lagers" on the market, this beer is actually largered for 40 days after fermenting, which only adds to its unique light bitterness.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span">I know that Mark from Pencil & Spoon</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> has recently posted about his attempts to pair beer with <a href="http://www.pencilandspoon.com/2011/06/search-for-best-beer-for-sausage-chips.html">Sausages, Chips and Beans</a>, </span>but this pairing was for a different environment and a array of sausages. The deep rich flavours perfectly matched a meatier choice in sausage, such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boerewors">Boreswors</a> or Steak and Guinness (which happen to be my favourite). Several friends also commented how palatable this beer was, even those who don't usually prefer dark beers.<br />
<br />
If you're lucky enough to have your local Tesco stock it then, I'd definitely make sure you get your hands on a few bottles and some good sausages too!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-73847201099042950742011-06-06T11:30:00.002+01:002011-06-07T15:08:58.614+01:00AB:05<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V_6vtMG6Vgc/Te4w3tnECgI/AAAAAAAAFKw/c154Q-bD8zE/s1600/IMAG0021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V_6vtMG6Vgc/Te4w3tnECgI/AAAAAAAAFKw/c154Q-bD8zE/s320/IMAG0021.jpg" width="191" /></a>Since pretty much the first Blog I posted was about Brew Dogs AB:04 I felt I might as well briefly write about the next bottle in the Abstrakt range. AB:05 12.5% ABV is a Belgian Imperial Stout aged on toasted coconut and cacao. (The cacao coming from the famous <a href="http://www.williescacao.com/">Willie’s Cacao</a>)<br />
<br />
The beer pours black as night (completely opaque), with a deep rich sweet chocolate nose and only a light fizz with no head on pour, which was a bit disappointing as other reviews and promo pictures had led me to expect a "coffee brown head so thick you could almost stand on it".<br />
<br />
However the proof is in the tasting, silky smooth on the tongue with a strong rich alcoholic flavour with a smoky lingering taste of chocolate. Although there weren't any noticeable coconut flavours coming through, I'm guessing the delicate flavour was easily lost with the punchy alcoholic taste.<br />
<br />
Luckily I've got a 2 more bottles and can't wait to try them in a few years time!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-47765439849814850192011-05-16T21:56:00.004+01:002011-07-11T14:10:47.454+01:00Glad All Over!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0ehhm-3wOic/TdGLYcODIaI/AAAAAAAAFIQ/WyqrL2NXgsU/s1600/IMG_20110514_183505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0ehhm-3wOic/TdGLYcODIaI/AAAAAAAAFIQ/WyqrL2NXgsU/s320/IMG_20110514_183505.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selhurst Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So as previously mentioned last weekend was the first CPFC beer festival. The festival originally started as a small festival with just 500 tickets but ended up having over 1400 in attendance had been spurred on after requests from fans earlier in the season for Real Ale to be sold in the bars around the ground.<br />
<br />
With the final list offering over 80 Ales and Ciders, spanning the length and breath of Britain from St Austell to Isle of Arran. (Although the initial beer list had promised 3 casks from Brew Dog, which I had been looking forward to showcasing to some friends and family for the first time had sadly been omitted from the final list) Held in the gangways and bar of our "kop end", The Homesdale Road stand it was a bit strange catching glimpses of an otherwise empty stadium.<br />
<br />
For me there was only ever one option for the first beer of the the festival. Neil Morrisey's <b>Palace Blonde 4.2% ABV</b> and it didn't disappoint! I've not been a fan when I've previously tried Neil's beers but Palace Blonde was fantastic! With a beautiful golden colour and a sweet floral nose the taste was well balanced with a pleasant non overpowering bitterness, a perfect summer session beer. I really hope I get to taste this again!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vut12w9Qocg/TdD0YlafmyI/AAAAAAAAFII/L42NoWBZUCU/s1600/IMG_20110514_164742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vut12w9Qocg/TdD0YlafmyI/AAAAAAAAFII/L42NoWBZUCU/s320/IMG_20110514_164742.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Oz Clarke</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Spoilt for choice with <b>Kelham Island Easy Rider 4.3% ABV</b> and <b>Castle Rock Harvest Pale Ale 3.8</b>% <b>ABV</b>, which I had been disappointed with in its stronger bottled version but is proved why its the Champion Beer of Britain on cask. With the FA Cup Final being shown on TVs around the stand I was lucky enough to get a chance chat to Oz Clarke about his future shows with James May, including the hunt for great pork pies! Oh and of course great beer. Oz also agreeing that Palace Blonde was excellent and almost on cue we we're joined by Neil Morrisey, who was both elated and disappointed to discover that all 5 casks of his beer had sold out!<br />
<br />
With the match over it was time to try a few more beers, other highlights were <b>Toad M&R Chocolate Stout 4.6% ABV </b>and <b>Darkstar Festival 5.0%. </b>However for me the beer of the day for me was local brewery <b>Sambrook's Celebration Ale 4.9% </b>brewed in celebration of Royal Wedding, amber in colour with a strong flora citrusy aroma leading to a lovely sweet taste of lemon and honey with a distinctive floral flavour. <br />
<br />
By 7pm a black market in beer tokens was in force, the club having purposely sold enough to cover what was available, so wearily I headed home. The whole day had been brilliant, sampling great beer in view of the pitch of my favorite football team was a great experience, But you didn't have to be a Palace fan to appreciate the day, with local bands providing entertainment throughout the day as well as the now infamous Crystal cheerleaders performing a few of their routines. The debut Beer Festival was a great success so much so that I'm told plans are already a foot for an autumn festival later this year!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-33480382450946899422011-05-11T11:04:00.000+01:002011-05-11T11:04:51.690+01:00CPFC Beer Festival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cpfc.co.uk/javaImages/95/85/0,,10323~9602453,00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://www.cpfc.co.uk/javaImages/95/85/0,,10323~9602453,00.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Combining two of my favortie passisons beer and football, My team Crystal Palace are hosting a beer festival this weekend (May 14th)<br />
<br />
Offering 40 Ales from the likes of Brew Dog, Darkstar & Oakham, As well as actor and Palace fan Neil Morrissey's "Palace Blond Ale"! Which he has brewed specially for the festival. Not only this but the festival is set to be opened by Alcohol connoisseur Oz Clarke!<br />
<br />
Co-owner and ale and wine expert Steve Browett has also given an interview to Five Year Plan Fanzine<br />
on the <a href="http://www.fiveyearplanfanzine.co.uk/features/1243-guest-blog-content/3335-palace-are-like-a-well-balanced-bordeaux-steve-browett-on-the-beer-festival-at-selhurst.html">event</a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #141414; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><em>The Palace Beer Festival takes place this Saturday (the 14th of May) in the Red and Blue bar at Selhurst Park, from midday until 9pm. Tickets are available from the box office on 08712 00 00 71 or <a href="http://www.cpfctickets.com/events.aspx?section=eve" style="color: #757575; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">click here</a> to book online.</em></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-79619409688609000382011-05-10T11:58:00.004+01:002011-05-10T13:56:42.719+01:00My Russian Dynasty<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8F4RWZT0A14-1eMZuAMIj_WigyZlCCBD3YyNKktbMqZAbu2n_yfgnxqC4S1p5ZajdZD0W2_JCqpnarjtXI51nIzn9pKy36sKb8srm53FV9Z3hbut7ZIY9aMKhAhsBN0vum81EIuZyajE/s1600/P1040583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8F4RWZT0A14-1eMZuAMIj_WigyZlCCBD3YyNKktbMqZAbu2n_yfgnxqC4S1p5ZajdZD0W2_JCqpnarjtXI51nIzn9pKy36sKb8srm53FV9Z3hbut7ZIY9aMKhAhsBN0vum81EIuZyajE/s320/P1040583.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Square</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So its been a while since I've posted, mostly because I've been obscenely busy and also because I took a ten day trip to Russia over Easter.<br />
<br />
My trip was never intended to beer centric, but holidaying or traveling inevitably means you're sure to have a few. My first port of call was St Petersburg, the beautiful baroque city built as a gateway to the West and Europe. Its also the home of Imperial Stout and Baltic Porter (<a href="http://20somethingbeerblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/imperial-russia.html">see previous posts</a>) my knowledge of the Russian language was limited to a few phrases which inevitably made ordering drinks at a bar difficult. Exchanging hand gestures for "big" or "small" became a common event. My first night I arrived late and headed for a beer and a bite to eat at Tinkoff. Tinkoff started as a micro brewery in St Petersberg but now is American owned and has brewpubs all over Russia. Sadly I wasn't impressed, with a dodgy wedding esq band playing to a near empty bar and a menu mostly consisting of Sushi (a common theme in Russia) not to mention the pint of Temnoe 6.0% which was sold as a Porter but actually was more of a weak Dunkel. I didn't stay long, heading back for a early night that turned into an all night drinking session with added Vodka.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDkVFLj4GJhs-cAVsYb9pMH8gnXtypGr0zYnOQFzzHq3o_LJ0fWjRG2TAQ0vyIKzH2aw4gfXOgCE-YVXOzE9sS3_l5CuL83qrLFBTE2hZY576GzRUQDioek5HbxltWtPtspUt1hV4PZKe/s1600/P1040511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDkVFLj4GJhs-cAVsYb9pMH8gnXtypGr0zYnOQFzzHq3o_LJ0fWjRG2TAQ0vyIKzH2aw4gfXOgCE-YVXOzE9sS3_l5CuL83qrLFBTE2hZY576GzRUQDioek5HbxltWtPtspUt1hV4PZKe/s320/P1040511.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baltika 6</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Since I was in St Petersburg I wanted to try a Imperial Stout or Baltic Porter. Things didn't look great when the staff in the hostel hadn't even heard of it! Luckily with limited Russian and a bit of luck in a local shop I found a bottle of Baltika 6 a Baltic Porter! This actually was a Porter, although not the best beer I've had, I was simply content on finding something! And for about a pound a bottle I stocked up.<br />
<br />
A grueling 10 hour night train took me to Moscow and thanks to the synchronized snoring of the 3 men in my couchette, I got to sample vodka shots at 4am in the buffet car with some other nocturnal types! Moscow was instantly more Soviet, more Russian and overly more complicated!! Navigating across town on the metro was a skill in its self. The overwhelming size of Red Square and the power hub of the Kremlin will always stick with me, As will my evenings sipping dark beers in some old stolovaya's (cafeterias) eating cheap food and watching sport! Zhiguli was with in spitting distance of my hostel harks back to the Soviet years and has its namesake beer Zhigulevskoe brewed on site.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7uTBzSXiI_XuRmP4BDljr2UTPFiu-3XeOUqphr7zC76vjCErPHISJk7sM0_XNoZBwpec0eoqrLFNS5h7tJhv6miIbFs7oPA6b-beaMIwszPXqsLpnAF9I1ZTVtW2qcb43cn7F5XDrkLv/s1600/P1040593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7uTBzSXiI_XuRmP4BDljr2UTPFiu-3XeOUqphr7zC76vjCErPHISJk7sM0_XNoZBwpec0eoqrLFNS5h7tJhv6miIbFs7oPA6b-beaMIwszPXqsLpnAF9I1ZTVtW2qcb43cn7F5XDrkLv/s320/P1040593.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Capitalism is alive and well in Moscow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>CSKA Moscow & Spartak Moscow were playing at the 1980's Olympic stadium whilst I was in town and I was lucky enough to get a ticket the derby. CSKA Moscow play in Red & Blue the same colours as my team Crystal Palace and so I became a honorary fan for the day, getting to sample an atmosphere which was unrivaled on any level compared to a game in England.<br />
<br />
To sum up the trip from a beer point of view, I was a bit disappointed hoping to find a bit more varied choice on offer. Local supermarkets were stocked up with English & Czech imports and having the choice of Wychwood Hobgoblin and a previously unheard of Bowman by Wells & Youngs in one bar, finding anything that seemed to be Russian was difficult. I'm guessing since the fall of communism in the early 90's the Russian market has been infiltrated with imported goods from the West. (My farther recalls mile long queues for Mc Donalds when he visited Moscow in '91) You only have to look at some of the cars parked near Red Square or the shops in the previously drab soviet shopping mall GUM, to understand that some Russians are making the most of their wealth.<br />
<br />
But this wasn't ever supposed to be a beer holiday, it was a trip to discover and explore a vast and beautiful country! (Although I only took in its two major cities) It's one trip I'll never forget! <br />
<br />
Check out some of my pictures here:<br />
<br />
<center><br />
<table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/spacecowboy2005/RussiaEaster2011?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_TMrUtWVMJR0/TchUPTmKidE/AAAAAAAAE6M/naWGStuOe6U/s160-c/RussiaEaster2011.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/spacecowboy2005/RussiaEaster2011?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Russia Easter 2011</a></td></tr></table></center>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-30314919843129340932011-04-01T16:00:00.019+01:002013-02-18T20:51:29.443+00:00Changing PerceptionsWhilst attending a recent Meet The Brewer event with Mark from Darkstar, I was met with a remark along the lines of "You're far too young for Real Ale, F%&k off back to nursery". Although there was no real menace in this statement, it made me start to think; How old should you be to drink Real Ale? And why do people hold these perceptions?<br />
<br />
It was clear from the moment we turned up that myself and the group of friends I was with, were the youngest people taking part in this event. This was met with enthusiasm from the barmaid who commented that it was nice to see some younger faces. So why the ageist remarks? Surely if you're attending a meet the brewer event you're more passionate about beer or that particular brewery than the average drinker and should take pleasure knowing that there are others like you - young and old alike that share that passion for great beer.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/jun2010/7/9/last-of-the-summer-wine-pic-bbc-620485615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/jun2010/7/9/last-of-the-summer-wine-pic-bbc-620485615.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Compo & Friends</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We all know Ale is often portrayed as an old mans drink, for many the word Ale often conjures up the image of an old man sitting in the corner with a newspaper and a pint. Although there is clearly some evidence for this stereotype (check out your local Wetherspoons!) why can't Ale or Craft beer be a drink for everyone? The American craft beer scene is huge, and on a trip to New York last year I couldn't believe how many bars were filled with people young and old, male and female, trying out great craft beers. Brewers like DogFish Head, Stone, Left Hand Brewing and Brooklyn (to name a few) are spearheading a craft beer revolution, making beer cool again and putting it back into favour with the younger generation. Brooklyn Brewery is a prime example of this, I stumbled into the aptly named Dive 75 not expecting much at all in the way of good beer. What I found was a Brooklyn tasting session matched with different cheeses in a trendy basement bar! Something that I'd rarely find over here in the UK.<br />
<br />
Breweries like Brew Dog here in the UK, have clearly taken inspiration from the USA and tried to make beer cool again. Whipping up a storm and controversy with their high percentage beers, no nonsense punk attitude and general mischief, they've opened craft beer and ale to a brand new market. People like me! I've stated before that the press lead me to Brew Dog and inevitably my adventure into beer and ale. Now, because of that I'm a CAMRA member and writing this blog.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUzh7zn5f92NcpNkR1LijW-2odwlfbtzwJbB1sUUPzrrqOUF0M6XgnG4USHrK_7-6myOHcgQFg63HWE1vHLii37egd_HBJ8V7L9L0yZiOjiK1XiG4mFaP0HRwINoCgfm0lfVlDturb2nt/s1600/227182517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUzh7zn5f92NcpNkR1LijW-2odwlfbtzwJbB1sUUPzrrqOUF0M6XgnG4USHrK_7-6myOHcgQFg63HWE1vHLii37egd_HBJ8V7L9L0yZiOjiK1XiG4mFaP0HRwINoCgfm0lfVlDturb2nt/s200/227182517.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Westow House SE19</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Local to me is a perfect example of how things are slowly heading in the right direction. The Westow House is a trendy pub catering for a younger crowd. Open to 2am on a weekend, with DJ's retro arcade games, a ping pong table! and most importantly Real Ale on tap. Not only that but they regularly tweet their current ale offerings. I honestly can't think of anywhere else I could be at 1am on a Saturday morning sampling Thornbridge Japuir! If only more places would start coming around and offer a quality experience with a quality range of drinks to go with it. I'm not saying I want some sweaty Shoredich club to start selling ale but bars and club-pubs are missing a trick by not offering a variety of beers to a younger experimenting crowd.<br />
<br />
As Mark from Darkstar said at the event, the craft beer world is changing. Drinkers are far better travelled and as such they are becoming familiar with more varied flavours and thus want more adventurous and unusual tastings beers. It's really encouraging that so many people (and breweries) in the ale and craft beer scene have embraced this and hopefully it means that more people will be tempted to try local or specialist beers in the future, rather than their regular bland fizzy lager's. It's still nonetheless sad though that a small minority are resistant to new ideas, and wary of new faces at 'their' events. <br />
<br />
Maybe I'm just a young person in an old persons world? But it certainly doesn't feel like that to me!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810731059842577761.post-12105255997397666942011-03-22T21:36:00.004+00:002011-06-02T16:30:04.839+01:00When in Rome....So myself and my girlfriend jetted off to Rome last weekend, as well as the sight seeing, culture & great food, I squeezed in some time to sample some of Rome and Italy's finest bars and beers. Having booked the trip a few months ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find Zach Avery's article on Rome's Craft Beer scene in CAMRA's spring edition of BEER magazine.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"></div>Rome is a fascinating city, with thousands of years of history, when standing next to the Colosseum or the Arch of Constantine it's hard to quantify just how old they are. There's simply so much to offer, around every corner there seems to be either a church with hidden grandeur or an ancient ruin to grab your attention and takes you off your route.<br />
<br />
Our first day found ourselves walking around the city taking in the sites and generally experiencing Rome's wonder. Walking down Via de Torre Argentina past the ruins of Largo di Torre Argentina (the site where Caesar was assassinated) whilst my girlfriend befriended the local stray cats that have made the ruins there home. It was getting cold and decided it was time for a beer and somewhere warm. A quick look at the map showed that Open Baladin was around there somewhere! Tucked of a side street off Piazza Benedetto Cairoli, is the Beer Drinkers mecca Open Baladin.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-S2fh9hhr9y8/TYkT4DV2qqI/AAAAAAAAEik/xFPXeQiFt50/s1600/P1030705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-S2fh9hhr9y8/TYkT4DV2qqI/AAAAAAAAEik/xFPXeQiFt50/s200/P1030705.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wall of Bottles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Open is the type of place you could quite easily walk past without ever knowing whats behind its doors. None the less than 12 taps adorn the bar with 3 or 4 hand pumps as well as a wall of beer bottles. Taking a seat at the bar in front of a a Brew Dog Rip Tide pump clip, I was both excited and disappointed that a brand I'm overly familiar was on offer. Asking the advice of the friendly bar staff and trying a beautiful beer made with horse chestnuts, I settled for a <b>Birra del Borgo - Re Ale 6.4% ABV. </b>An Italian take on an American style IPA. While Christine plumped for a deliciously fruity Peach beer.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Wuk_dGfuoHc/TYkTzx0YS5I/AAAAAAAAEig/0BIGQAvJu4I/s1600/P1030703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Wuk_dGfuoHc/TYkTzx0YS5I/AAAAAAAAEig/0BIGQAvJu4I/s200/P1030703.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ReAle </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Next up was a wonderfully hoppy beer <b>Birra del Borgo - Hoppy Cat. </b>Getting hungry and with the night well and truly beginning we sampled one of Open's special burgers and home made crisps and like several reviews gone before I was not disappointed a beautiful rare burger oozing with flavour and topped off with Opens home made ketchup!<br />
<br />
Making friends with a local who now resides in London we took the offer to catch a bit of live music. Armed with a map drawn on the back of a napkin we headed of in the rough direction. Just as we'd decided to give up I spot a small chalk board sign in the entrance to a book shop. Tucked away in under books was a small bar with 3-4 different beers on tap and there regular Porter House Oyster Stout. With a CAMRA certificate on the wall to accompany it. This time Kwak was on tap and more because I love the glass than anything else decided on a tipple and sat down to check out "Midnight Radio" with their beautiful jazz flute and looped guitar. My girlfriend certainly approved of my choice in beer as the next time I turned round my drink was all but done! With that we set off for our stroll through Rome's street lit Via's.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiVsZrIcE7LlJOcVEnBZtekdVWQ_bc6EXsMJnKXNwjYG2q6tBvW8PT26zWm-lTZUIdtwY9FtobYLtx-TrtagtDNyIMqLbgpTrOdJQjKNy0eTX3RoPb2oe9szyUmrkLcgGKIuQroBp0vQrK/s1600/P1030840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiVsZrIcE7LlJOcVEnBZtekdVWQ_bc6EXsMJnKXNwjYG2q6tBvW8PT26zWm-lTZUIdtwY9FtobYLtx-TrtagtDNyIMqLbgpTrOdJQjKNy0eTX3RoPb2oe9szyUmrkLcgGKIuQroBp0vQrK/s200/P1030840.JPG" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bir e Fud</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The following evening we headed south of the river to Trastevere looking for a highly recommended pizzeria Da Poeta we stumbled across Bier e Fud (Beer & Food) and Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa (But What Did You Do?). With Da Poeta heaving, to the extent they have employed a doorman/bouncer who informed us there was an hour wait. We decided to check out Bier e Fud with only a hand written sign on that wall and no pump clips, it was hard to work out what beers were on offer. Once again asking the advice of the staff I had a<b> Birrificio Lambrate - </b><b>Lambrate</b> <b>6.8% ABV</b>and beautifully picked <b>Birrificio Rurale - Seta <i></i>5% ABV</b><br />
for my girlfriend. Having a great time we stayed for another this time I tried the wonderful <b>Birra</b><b> del Borgo Duc Ale 8% ABV </b>a deep rich dark beer, with a lovely coffee chocolate after taste I litrally didn't want to put it down.<br />
<br />
After a wonderful meal in Da Poeta we headed back to Via Benedetta to pop in to Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa. Its walls adored with Football paraphernalia and a Harveys mirror! It really didn't feel like we were in Italy at all. Overwhelmed with the selection on off<span style="font-size: small;">er I had to try one of the several Danish Beers on tap at the time, <b>Fanø Bryghus - Fanø Vestkyst 5.7% ABV</b> and w</span>ith Christine trying a <b>Cantillon - Kriek </b>5% <b>ABV</b>.Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa is a gem of a bar and by the time we leave the small bar is heaving with most of its customers lining the busier streets.<br />
<br />
With that my brief encounter to Rome's craft beer scene was over! Bar a trip to New York I'd never really experienced another countries bar scene and without Zach's article I would have probably overlooked Rome's. It's refreshing to know that other countries are experiencing the same revival that we are in the UK right now and that the same pride and passion lies behind there produce.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172369652091857150noreply@blogger.com4