When 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.

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.

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.

Wall of Bottles

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 Birra del Borgo - Re Ale 6.4% ABV. An Italian take on an American style IPA. While Christine plumped for a  deliciously fruity Peach beer.

ReAle

Next up was a wonderfully hoppy beer Birra del Borgo - Hoppy Cat.  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!

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.

Bir e Fud

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 Birrificio Lambrate - Lambrate 6.8% ABVand beautifully picked Birrificio Rurale - Seta 5% ABV
for my girlfriend. Having a great time we stayed for another this time I tried the wonderful Birra del Borgo Duc Ale 8% ABV a deep rich dark beer, with a lovely coffee chocolate after taste I litrally didn't want to put it down.

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 offer I had to try one of the several Danish Beers on tap at the time, Fanø Bryghus - Fanø Vestkyst 5.7% ABV and with Christine trying a Cantillon - Kriek 5% ABV.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.

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.

Top to Bottom

So those of you that follow Stuart Howes blog, will know that he's set himself the challenge to brew at 12 breweries in 12 months. February's Brewery was London Bridge's - Brew Wharf

The challenge this time was to brew a beer with the most hops possible. Starting with 62 and eventually (after raiding Melissa Cole's cupboard at Lovebeer) 69 different hops

For a list of all the hops click here

Luckily I have to pass Brew Wharf on my way home, so when I spotted on their twitter account that this record breaking 69 hop beer was on tap, I had to drop in.

With 69 different hops this was always going to be a hit or miss beer. The nose was obviously amazingly hoppy with fresh organic notes. The taste however was over overpoweringly bitter. There were some sweet citrus notes to be found but they were quickly subdued by the bitterness.

I'm glad  I got the chance to try this beer, but for me it was just too much. With the everlasting bitterness still playing with my pallet as I headed home for something more balanced!

Cooking with Beer: Part 1 - Chocolate Guinness Cake

I love cooking, for some reason i find it relaxing, god knows why! So after seeing some similar posts on other blogs, I've decided to start a regular piece. So here is the first post in our "Cooking with Beer" Series.

Chocolate Guinness Cake
Recipe - http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/chocolate-guinness-cake-3086

Baking isn't really my strong point but in a bid to prove my girlfriend that I can do as good as her I decided to give it a go.With the Carling Cup Final on the carefully positioned speakers around the kitchen, I made sure I didn't miss a bit of the action. Now I'm not really a fan of chocolate cake but this was different, after spotting a tweet from The Kernel Brewery to a blog with this recipe I thought I'd give it a go. Taking my eye off the prize to celebrates Birmingham's opening goal, whilst melting butter into the Guinness wasn't the best start but the deep black beer batter started to come together.

After 30-40 mins in the oven it was ready, an out came a moist deep dark black cake. It even looked like the one in the picture! Result!! But as the saying goes the proof is in the pudding!

After cautiously making the cream cheese icing, trying not to cover the kitchen in cream cheese and icing sugar the cake was done! Slightly resembling the famous image of a pint of Guinness thanks to the pale coloured icing and deep black of the cake. I waited considerably longer than i expected to taste it but it was great! Moist with a smokey, chocolaty taste and perfectly set off against the sour icing.

Nigella describes the recipe as "Gingerbread without the spices" so next up I think is her Gingerbread with Guinness!

Grape & Grain

 
My favourite local watering hole Grape & Grain  is about to receive the South East London “Pub of the year award” and to celebrate are holding their second beer festival this weekend coming (4th-7th March)

With over 30 Real Ales and Ciders on offer including "Crystal Clear" brewed epically for the festival by new local brewing upstarts The Kent Brewery.

As well as all this for your audible pleasure are:

Friday 4th March  ”The Sax Pastilles”  9pm
Saturday 5th March  The Crystal Palace Community Choir 3pm
Jack Valentine’s ” Tribute to Sinatra”  8.30pm
Sunday 6th March” The Charlotte James Duo” 2pm
The Hugo Simmonds Trio 5pm
Monday 7th March “The Big Beer Band” 9pm

I have to say I'm looking forward to this and thankfully its only a short stumble home!
Hope to see you there!

IPA Weekend

"Can" you believe it!!

By chance on my way home from work I came across Brew Dog Punk IPA 5.6% ABV in a can!! At the beer drinkers meca of UtoBeer in Borough Market.

I feel I  owe it to the (original) Punk IPA for starting my adventure in to drinking Craft Ales and Beers. I still remember excitingly buying a bottle in Tesco's, after reading an article about Brew Dog and the then UK strongest beer Tokyo* (oh how times and abv's have changed). Drinking it with a respect I'd never given to another beer before. So Punk means a lot to me.

Late last year myself and Tom M attended the battle of the Punks at The Rake, where the original Punk recipe was put up against what was then known as Punk X. Needless to say Punk X won and as such Brew Dog, in a brave decision amended their flagship beer.Adding a lot more hops and more dry-hopping aswell as  reducing the bitterness from 70 to 45 thus giving the beer a bit more balance.

This was the first time I'd had the new Punk since that night at the Rake and my first time for a craft beer in a can! It didn't disappoint all the flavours are still there, grapefruit and lychee with an toned down onslaught of the bitter after taste (due to the lower IBUs). There's something about drinking from a can that makes this beer more crisp and fresh compared to the bottled version and if this means Punk becomes more readily available and reached a wider audience then I'm all for it!

Following on from the excitement I felt like trying and comparing another IPA and had in my collection.This time from Brew Dog's American cohorts The Stone Brewing Company.

Stone Brewing Company - Stone IPA 6.9% ABV - A full bodied IPA, what we've come to expect from the American craft beer revolution. Heavily hopped given a bitter but sweet taste. Has highly herbal flavour from the dry hopping process that leads to a lovely sweet fruity after-taste. The carbonation gives the beer a crisp refreshing zing.

I've had this beer before on tap (see previous posts) and remember it having a much bigger flavour.
It's still a great IPA from one of Americas best Craft brewers, although I feel that Brew Dog's Hardcore IPA or The Kernel's IPA are better beers being bigger and brasher with their flavours.

Also sampled over the weekend was Oakham Ales - Citra 4.2% ABV. a brilliant single hopped beer. Oakham Ales where the first to brew solely with citra hops back in 2009. A crisp fruity beer with the familiar grapefruit and lychee flavours being produced from the Citra hops. A nice dry finish makes this perfect as a session beer.

Imperial Russia

So taking a leap of faith I've booked myself on an 11 day trip to Russia, taking in the cities of St Petersberg and Moscow.

Now beer isn't really what comes to mind when you think of Russia, with estimates of between 3.6 gallons to 7.2 gallons of Vodka being consumed per person per year!! (Source)
However in days gone by one of the UK's biggest exports was in fact Stout. The beer was not only popular in England but in Baltic region where it allegedly became one of the Court of Queen Catherine the Great of Russia favourite tipples, leading to a stronger version of the beer known as Imperial Russian Stout.

Shortly after I return from my own Russian adventure, another begins as a 60 ft sailing clipper sets sail off from Greenwich down the Thames, up through the Baltic to Saint Petersburg. But this boat is also carrying casks of Imperial Stout, the first to attempt such a trip for 200 years!
Holding mini beer festivals on route in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki & Tallinn on route they aim to arrive in St Peterberg on 17th June 2011. For more information check out www.thegreatbalticadventure.com

Sorting out flights and my visa have been trying but thankfully that's all sorted now so what better way to celebrate than with a beer!

The Kernel - Imperial Stout 12.5% ABV. Brewed to commemorate the birth of the brewer Evin's son.
The beer pours with a thick, dark jet black appearance and gives off an aroma of rich chocolate & roasted coffee, as well as the alcoholic nose. The first sip is thick and tastes lightly of smokey ash but leads to a beautiful long lasting sweet fruity flavour with a distinctly bitter & heavily alcoholic after taste.

Evin states that he hopes this beer will keep until his son is of age to drink it & wish I had bought two bottles to cellar one too! I'd love to revisit this beer after it had been matured like the Imperial Stout soon back on it's way to Russia!

His bark is worse than his bite

With the news that Sharps had been acquired by Molson Coors last week, people on the blogsphere began to wonder if head brewer Stuart Howe's wonderful seasonal & limited batch beers would continue. Thankfully Stuart later posted on his blog "Molson Coors are very happy for me to continue uncensored and the 12 brew project is still very much on track with two brews nearly confirmed for February". Oh if you've not already stumbled across Stuart's blog I highly recommend it.

With this news I felt it time to try out some of Sharps less well known beers...

Late last summer I took trip to Padstow a stones throw away from Sharps brewery and the millionaires play ground of Rock. Padstow has also aptly dubbed "Steinstow" after the TV chef  Rick Stine who seeming owns half of the bustling harbour town, with four restaurants and cafes. 

So when Rick challenged Stuart to create a distinctly English beer with the character, individuality and quality to stand alongside the Belgian greats. It was going to take something special.

First up was Chalky's Bite 6.7 ABV%, named in honour of Rick's dog and with the unusual addition of wild Cornish fennel added to the brew. This beer produces a lovely golden blonde appearance and with the first sip comes a bitterness with intense flavour. There's a smells of fruit & hint of spice from the fennel. Being based on a Belgian beer there's that familiar yeasty after-taste matched to the strong lingering alcohol.
Overall this is a strange beer for me, as I'm not always so keen on Belgian whitbier, but the added spice from the fennel makes this beer different and some how more interesting to drink.

Being so pleased with Bite, Rick again challenged Stuart to create another beer, so up next was Bite's successor Chalky's Bark 4.5% ABV Again with a novel ingredient this time Ginger.

Like the beer its based on it has a golden blonde appearance but this beer is a lot lighter tasting. It offers a sweet citrus flavour and is wonderfully contrasted by the ginger which gives this beer a subtle zest without being over powering like you may expect. This is defiantly a beer with beer with ginger and not a ginger beer.  This is a highly refreshing beer perfect for summer thankfully I've stashed a bottle away for just that!