Saturday, 24 December 2011
Friday, 23 December 2011
Scotland in Bloom : Breweries
WOW what a year.
Ive been big into beer since 2007, and the scene in the Edinburgh and Scotland has fair changed since then, but its really been this year that the market has bloomed.
In the third part of this Year in Review i look at Breweries.
Well where to start, the Breweries in Scotland just seem to be going from Strength to Strength.
First off many breweries came out with New and exciting beers, the likes of Fyne ales Cherry stout, Sublime stout and West Highland IPA, Knopps with his best beer yet, the 3 Threads (ive still to try the stout) and Stewarts with the Wonderfully chilli version of the Cauld Reekie. Then theres been the Ocassional Sighting from Luckie, the brown stout being particularly good. There have been several new breweries many of whom still need to appear in Edinburgh so while its good to see them springing up, ive no idea how good they are yet.
But there are Two breweries that have stood out this year, first off is Black Isle, the excitement there started when they announced that they were enticing one of the Brewers from the well respected Marble Brewery. This alone was enough to whet my appetite. Now dont get me wrong Black Isle beers have never been bad, in fact the very limited Black Isle Export stout was always one of my Top Scottish beers, but Marble rightly have a reputation for excellence and the arrival of one of there top brewers could only be a GREAT thing. It didnt take Colin long to get going, during the Stockbridge Tap festival he threw some Raspberries into the Wheat beer to produce a wonderfully sweet summer beer. But it was the Production of new beers that brought the most excitement, from the almost perfect Black stout through the Chilli porter, Coffee porter and Pacific Red. And of course when talking Black Isle we cant miss out that fact that there brought up Master Chef Winner Tim Anderson to brew his Red Hop Chilli bock, Now while red hot was pushing it, it was a great Collaboration beer and we can only hope they try to bring him back again.
The other stand out brewer is of course Tempest, there cant be many drinkers in Scotland who havent heard and seeked out Tempest beer. While they were around in 2010 they were very hard to find and it was 2011 they really kicked of. The first to wow me of course was their Elemental Porter. The Chipotle Spiced Extra Porter was better still but has only appeared once to my knowledge. The Single Hop Citra is one of the best single hop beers i have ever had. The biggest fuss seemed to be around the kegged Brave New World, but while a good beer its not really my thing. But then good bless them they started to release some limited bottles. At last Tempest at home. I could really do with some more Caligula. The bottles have cleverly gone down the route of The Kernel with a standard Design with the name stamped on the Label.
This is great as it allows them to produce new beers with out massive label design cost and i can only hope we see many new beers from them in the new year.
Ive been big into beer since 2007, and the scene in the Edinburgh and Scotland has fair changed since then, but its really been this year that the market has bloomed.
In the third part of this Year in Review i look at Breweries.
Well where to start, the Breweries in Scotland just seem to be going from Strength to Strength.
First off many breweries came out with New and exciting beers, the likes of Fyne ales Cherry stout, Sublime stout and West Highland IPA, Knopps with his best beer yet, the 3 Threads (ive still to try the stout) and Stewarts with the Wonderfully chilli version of the Cauld Reekie. Then theres been the Ocassional Sighting from Luckie, the brown stout being particularly good. There have been several new breweries many of whom still need to appear in Edinburgh so while its good to see them springing up, ive no idea how good they are yet.
But there are Two breweries that have stood out this year, first off is Black Isle, the excitement there started when they announced that they were enticing one of the Brewers from the well respected Marble Brewery. This alone was enough to whet my appetite. Now dont get me wrong Black Isle beers have never been bad, in fact the very limited Black Isle Export stout was always one of my Top Scottish beers, but Marble rightly have a reputation for excellence and the arrival of one of there top brewers could only be a GREAT thing. It didnt take Colin long to get going, during the Stockbridge Tap festival he threw some Raspberries into the Wheat beer to produce a wonderfully sweet summer beer. But it was the Production of new beers that brought the most excitement, from the almost perfect Black stout through the Chilli porter, Coffee porter and Pacific Red. And of course when talking Black Isle we cant miss out that fact that there brought up Master Chef Winner Tim Anderson to brew his Red Hop Chilli bock, Now while red hot was pushing it, it was a great Collaboration beer and we can only hope they try to bring him back again.
The other stand out brewer is of course Tempest, there cant be many drinkers in Scotland who havent heard and seeked out Tempest beer. While they were around in 2010 they were very hard to find and it was 2011 they really kicked of. The first to wow me of course was their Elemental Porter. The Chipotle Spiced Extra Porter was better still but has only appeared once to my knowledge. The Single Hop Citra is one of the best single hop beers i have ever had. The biggest fuss seemed to be around the kegged Brave New World, but while a good beer its not really my thing. But then good bless them they started to release some limited bottles. At last Tempest at home. I could really do with some more Caligula. The bottles have cleverly gone down the route of The Kernel with a standard Design with the name stamped on the Label.
This is great as it allows them to produce new beers with out massive label design cost and i can only hope we see many new beers from them in the new year.
Monday, 19 December 2011
Scotland in Bloom : Pubs
WOW what a year.
Ive been big into beer since 2007, and the scene in the Edinburgh and Scotland has fair changed since then, but its really been this year that the market has bloomed.
In the second part of this Year in Review i look at Pubs
Well we cant start the review with out mention the much mentioned Brewdog. This year was the Year that the dog opened both the Edinburgh and Glasgow Bars. Ok they dont have Cask beer, and i still think its down right weird to cripple yourself in that way, but saying that its still AWSOME. Its great for them as they have a great outlet for there core beers, but where it really shines for me, is the chance to try there premium beers on draught, there guest beer in both tap and bottle. In many way the BD bar offers beers that are just not available else where. What really highlights just how important this bar is, is the fact that just a few years ago i had to Trade with people in the US to get many of the beers that i can now get on my door step.
But its not all about Brewdog, the changes have gone well beyond that. The range of beers appearing in my Regulars the Bow Bar and Cloisters and their sister pub the Stockbridge tap is just amazing. All three of these bars have held Tap take over nights in conjunction with great Scottish breweries. They are holding festivals regularly where there selling higher ABV beers that they would have struggled to sell a few years back. There is nothing finer than walking into a pub and finding Highland Orkney Porter on the Bar. They are also getting in more interesting bottles with Cloisters recently featuring beer from Old Chimney one of my favourite English breweries.
Then there the new pubs opening. The Red Squirrel has been a great addition to Edinburgh and the same company having just opened a bar in Glasgow last night. The launch beers for bruadarbar would make any beergeek salivate.
Finally a Pub that never really impressed me the Brauhouse in Edinburgh has come on in leaps and bounds. While it has always had a huge number of beers, i have always previously found the selection quite week, but more and more they seem to be venturing further afield and pulling in a much better class of beer.
All told Pubs seem to be able to carry a wider range of beers, sell higher abv beers and charge more for their beer. (The last one is a positive thing as great beers often cost more to make and its only to be expected that they should be able to charge more for these products).
I dont get to pubs outside Edinburgh much but the future looks Rosy for GOOD pubs in Edinburgh.
Ive been big into beer since 2007, and the scene in the Edinburgh and Scotland has fair changed since then, but its really been this year that the market has bloomed.
In the second part of this Year in Review i look at Pubs
Well we cant start the review with out mention the much mentioned Brewdog. This year was the Year that the dog opened both the Edinburgh and Glasgow Bars. Ok they dont have Cask beer, and i still think its down right weird to cripple yourself in that way, but saying that its still AWSOME. Its great for them as they have a great outlet for there core beers, but where it really shines for me, is the chance to try there premium beers on draught, there guest beer in both tap and bottle. In many way the BD bar offers beers that are just not available else where. What really highlights just how important this bar is, is the fact that just a few years ago i had to Trade with people in the US to get many of the beers that i can now get on my door step.
But its not all about Brewdog, the changes have gone well beyond that. The range of beers appearing in my Regulars the Bow Bar and Cloisters and their sister pub the Stockbridge tap is just amazing. All three of these bars have held Tap take over nights in conjunction with great Scottish breweries. They are holding festivals regularly where there selling higher ABV beers that they would have struggled to sell a few years back. There is nothing finer than walking into a pub and finding Highland Orkney Porter on the Bar. They are also getting in more interesting bottles with Cloisters recently featuring beer from Old Chimney one of my favourite English breweries.
Then there the new pubs opening. The Red Squirrel has been a great addition to Edinburgh and the same company having just opened a bar in Glasgow last night. The launch beers for bruadarbar would make any beergeek salivate.
Finally a Pub that never really impressed me the Brauhouse in Edinburgh has come on in leaps and bounds. While it has always had a huge number of beers, i have always previously found the selection quite week, but more and more they seem to be venturing further afield and pulling in a much better class of beer.
All told Pubs seem to be able to carry a wider range of beers, sell higher abv beers and charge more for their beer. (The last one is a positive thing as great beers often cost more to make and its only to be expected that they should be able to charge more for these products).
I dont get to pubs outside Edinburgh much but the future looks Rosy for GOOD pubs in Edinburgh.
The Year Scotland Bloomed : Off-Licences
WOW what a year.
Ive been big into beer since 2007, and the scene in the Edinburgh and Scotland has fair changed since then, but its really been this year that the market has bloomed.
In the First part of this Year in Review i look at Off-Licences
In 2007 the the Fabulous Cornelius was the only beer shop that i found worth a regular trip across town to pick up beer. Yes there were other such as Great Grog, Royal Mile Whiskeys, Vinowines etc that had a few beers of particular interest now and then, but nothing like the range Cornelius had.
But even then i dont think Cornelius could sell the range he now sells. The thing that opened my eyes to this most this year was the introduction of Nogne O beers to the Edinburgh Market, had these beers been available in 2007 im sure Cornelius would have had some of them, but in not sure how well they would have sold. But this year not only did Cornelius sell the full range but so did Great Grog and Appellation wine.
Cornelius is as great as ever but is able to carry an even better range, Great Grog has come on Amazingly (though ive not made it across there i have a handy Squirrel who pick me up beers regularly) Appellation came to my attention this year, and is my main shop as its on my way home from work and i manage to pick up a new beer nearly every visit, and just in the last few months Royal Mile Whiskeys opens a cracking new shop up Tollcross way, and an ex-Cornelius employee has just opened the Beerhive down Cannonmills way while vinowines has just opened a new store in Stockbridge.
More surprising still, one of the oddest beer shop finds ive ever had was Ninas Mini Market just a few doors down from cloisters. This is a bog standard corner store (all be its not on a corner) but recently they have been selling the likes of The Kernel and De Molen beers as well has having 1 of the 2 cases of the Rotgut porter from Tempest. (Though i have just discovered that currently have licence issues and have had to take all the beers down :-( lets hope not for long)
All told the Off-Licence range in Edinburgh has improved logarithmically this year.
Moving out of Edinburgh i need to mention Luvians in St Andrews (with a shop in Cuper), from their twitter feed its clear they carry an amazing range of beers, including some beers that havent made it into Edinburgh as far as i know, but even before i was into twitter i had heard rumours of this place so drove all the way there one day just for a beer shop and it was well worth it. Not only did i manage to pick up 2bottle of "How to Disappear Completely" but the selection was pretty impressive and i came away with a fair few new ones
Im know there are other off-licences in Edinburgh and i have great faith that they have improved just as much, but i cant get into them all :-)
Ive been big into beer since 2007, and the scene in the Edinburgh and Scotland has fair changed since then, but its really been this year that the market has bloomed.
In the First part of this Year in Review i look at Off-Licences
In 2007 the the Fabulous Cornelius was the only beer shop that i found worth a regular trip across town to pick up beer. Yes there were other such as Great Grog, Royal Mile Whiskeys, Vinowines etc that had a few beers of particular interest now and then, but nothing like the range Cornelius had.
But even then i dont think Cornelius could sell the range he now sells. The thing that opened my eyes to this most this year was the introduction of Nogne O beers to the Edinburgh Market, had these beers been available in 2007 im sure Cornelius would have had some of them, but in not sure how well they would have sold. But this year not only did Cornelius sell the full range but so did Great Grog and Appellation wine.
Cornelius is as great as ever but is able to carry an even better range, Great Grog has come on Amazingly (though ive not made it across there i have a handy Squirrel who pick me up beers regularly) Appellation came to my attention this year, and is my main shop as its on my way home from work and i manage to pick up a new beer nearly every visit, and just in the last few months Royal Mile Whiskeys opens a cracking new shop up Tollcross way, and an ex-Cornelius employee has just opened the Beerhive down Cannonmills way while vinowines has just opened a new store in Stockbridge.
More surprising still, one of the oddest beer shop finds ive ever had was Ninas Mini Market just a few doors down from cloisters. This is a bog standard corner store (all be its not on a corner) but recently they have been selling the likes of The Kernel and De Molen beers as well has having 1 of the 2 cases of the Rotgut porter from Tempest. (Though i have just discovered that currently have licence issues and have had to take all the beers down :-( lets hope not for long)
All told the Off-Licence range in Edinburgh has improved logarithmically this year.
Moving out of Edinburgh i need to mention Luvians in St Andrews (with a shop in Cuper), from their twitter feed its clear they carry an amazing range of beers, including some beers that havent made it into Edinburgh as far as i know, but even before i was into twitter i had heard rumours of this place so drove all the way there one day just for a beer shop and it was well worth it. Not only did i manage to pick up 2bottle of "How to Disappear Completely" but the selection was pretty impressive and i came away with a fair few new ones
Im know there are other off-licences in Edinburgh and i have great faith that they have improved just as much, but i cant get into them all :-)
Sunday, 11 December 2011
My Golden/Bitter Half Pints 2011
Well looking at my Golden Half pints blog it was clear that I love Big Dark Beers. Ok this in nothing new to me or people who know me, But i dont just love these beers, so i thought i would cover the same ground with other styles, working with an arbitrary maximum abv of 5.5. Not everything has a runner up as i didnt have enough of that catagory for there to be anything else standing out. In fact i know ive had several good bottles and Cask(all of which id happily drink again) at under 5.5% but i have found this much more difficult to write than the original piece, on the whole these beers just while Damn good just dont WOW me, in the same way.
Best UK draught (Cask or Keg) beer(stout):
Winner: Northern Deep Dark Secret (Deeside Talorcan)
Runner Up: joint Bushys Oyster Stout (Cairngorm Black Gold (Cask))
Best UK draught (Cask or Keg) beer(other):
Winner: Camden Town Inner City Green (BrewDog Edge)
Runner Up: joint Stewart Number 3 Spice (Namyslow Plum)
Best UK bottle or canned beer (stout)
Winner: Exeter Darkness (Old Chimneys Black Rat Stout)
Best UK bottle or canned beer (other)
Winner: Brodies Wimbledon (Brodies Wimbledon)
Best Overseas bottle or canned beer
Winner: nothing (New Glarus Raspberry Tart)
Best Overseas Draught beer
Winner:Nøgne Ø Aku Aku Lemongrass Ale (Pilsner Urquell Kvasnicový from brewery Cellar only)
Best Overall beer
Winner: Brodies Wimbledon (Deeside Talorcan)
Best UK draught (Cask or Keg) beer(stout):
Winner: Northern Deep Dark Secret (Deeside Talorcan)
Runner Up: joint Bushys Oyster Stout (Cairngorm Black Gold (Cask))
Best UK draught (Cask or Keg) beer(other):
Winner: Camden Town Inner City Green (BrewDog Edge)
Runner Up: joint Stewart Number 3 Spice (Namyslow Plum)
Best UK bottle or canned beer (stout)
Winner: Exeter Darkness (Old Chimneys Black Rat Stout)
Best UK bottle or canned beer (other)
Winner: Brodies Wimbledon (Brodies Wimbledon)
Best Overseas bottle or canned beer
Winner: nothing (New Glarus Raspberry Tart)
Best Overseas Draught beer
Winner:Nøgne Ø Aku Aku Lemongrass Ale (Pilsner Urquell Kvasnicový from brewery Cellar only)
Best Overall beer
Winner: Brodies Wimbledon (Deeside Talorcan)
Friday, 9 December 2011
My Golden Half Pints 2011
For each catagory im going to give this years answer and my Overall choice in brackets.
Best UK draught (Cask or Keg) beer:
Winner: BrewDog Nøgne Ø Mikkeller Black Tokyo* Horizon (Highland Orkney Porter)
Runner Up: joint Black Isle Black Stout Stewart Chilli Reekie (Black Isle Organic Export Oatmeal Stout )
Best UK bottle or canned beer
Winner: Magic Rock Bearded Lady (Old Chimneys Good King Henry Special Reserve)
Runner Up: Green Jack Baltic Trader (Old Chimneys Good King Henry )
Best Overseas bottle or canned beer
Winner: Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon Third Edition (Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout )
Runner Up: Samuel Adams Utopias (Struise Pannepot)
Best Overseas Draught beer
Winner: Struise Black Damnation V - Double Black (Mikkeller X Imperial Stout Calvados Barrel Aged)
Runner Up: De Molen Hot & Spicy (De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis 666)
Best Overall beer
Winner: Struise Black Damnation V - Double Black (Old Chimneys Good King Henry Special Reserve)
Runner Up: BrewDog Nøgne Ø Mikkeller Black Tokyo* Horizon (Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout )
Best Pump Clip or label
Winner: Magic Rock for the full set
Runner Up: The Kernel
Best UK brewery
Winner: The Kernel
Runner Up: Steel City
Best Overseas Brewery
Winner: De Molen
Runner Up: Cigar City
But i want to Mention Nogno O for not only for great beer but their amazing Sake. The only European Sake producer.
Pub/Bar of the Year
Winner: Craft Beer Co.
Runner Up: Hawkshead Brewery tap
Beer Festival of the Year
Winner: De Molen
Runner Up: GBBF-BSF
Supermarket of the Year
Winner :Waitrose
Runner Up: Booths
Online retialer of the year
Winner: My Brewery Tap
Runner Up: The Bottle Shop
Best beer twitterer
Winner: Simon Johnson
Runner Up: Twattdog (wheres he gone)
Food and Beer Pairing of the Year: Masterchef Tims dinner at the Caley Sample Rooms.
In 2012 I'd most like to Visit De Molen festival AGAIN
Oddly once again i see a theme. Theyre all Black and theyre all big beers, who would have guessed that :-)
Best UK draught (Cask or Keg) beer:
Winner: BrewDog Nøgne Ø Mikkeller Black Tokyo* Horizon (Highland Orkney Porter)
Runner Up: joint Black Isle Black Stout Stewart Chilli Reekie (Black Isle Organic Export Oatmeal Stout )
Best UK bottle or canned beer
Winner: Magic Rock Bearded Lady (Old Chimneys Good King Henry Special Reserve)
Runner Up: Green Jack Baltic Trader (Old Chimneys Good King Henry )
Best Overseas bottle or canned beer
Winner: Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon Third Edition (Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout )
Runner Up: Samuel Adams Utopias (Struise Pannepot)
Best Overseas Draught beer
Winner: Struise Black Damnation V - Double Black (Mikkeller X Imperial Stout Calvados Barrel Aged)
Runner Up: De Molen Hot & Spicy (De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis 666)
Best Overall beer
Winner: Struise Black Damnation V - Double Black (Old Chimneys Good King Henry Special Reserve)
Runner Up: BrewDog Nøgne Ø Mikkeller Black Tokyo* Horizon (Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout )
Best Pump Clip or label
Winner: Magic Rock for the full set
Runner Up: The Kernel
Best UK brewery
Winner: The Kernel
Runner Up: Steel City
Best Overseas Brewery
Winner: De Molen
Runner Up: Cigar City
But i want to Mention Nogno O for not only for great beer but their amazing Sake. The only European Sake producer.
Pub/Bar of the Year
Winner: Craft Beer Co.
Runner Up: Hawkshead Brewery tap
Beer Festival of the Year
Winner: De Molen
Runner Up: GBBF-BSF
Supermarket of the Year
Winner :Waitrose
Runner Up: Booths
Online retialer of the year
Winner: My Brewery Tap
Runner Up: The Bottle Shop
Best beer twitterer
Winner: Simon Johnson
Runner Up: Twattdog (wheres he gone)
Food and Beer Pairing of the Year: Masterchef Tims dinner at the Caley Sample Rooms.
In 2012 I'd most like to Visit De Molen festival AGAIN
Oddly once again i see a theme. Theyre all Black and theyre all big beers, who would have guessed that :-)
Friday, 4 November 2011
Session 57 - Guilty Pleasure
Well first off i dont feel guilty, but i think i should.
In my ratebeer profile i had listed a beer that i realy wanted to try. Now thats fairly normal ive got lots of beers i wanted to try listed, but this one was special. It was there because of all the horrible things id heard people say about it. It sounded so bad that it just had to be tried. Currently its in the Bottom 10 beers on ratebeer, and its the lowest scoring beer ive tried.
So a short time later 9 beers arrived in my ratebeer Secret Santa post and one of them was this special beer. Now i didnt get round to drinking it for almost a year, what with how horrible it was going to be, and that fact that it came in a 48oz (660ml) can. So i really needed to wait till i got a few people together so i didnt have to suffer alone.
The moment came at a tasting in London, where about 30 people going to be in attendance. It just seemed the perfect opportunity. Only one thing went wrong. I liked it. I really did. Now its no world class beer, but i really quite enjoyed it and in fact i scored it 3.5/5.0. And i am the Highest scoring person of this beer amongst those with more than 100 rates.
So what is this beer. I doubt you really care, but take a guess and come back on Monday to see if your right.
In my ratebeer profile i had listed a beer that i realy wanted to try. Now thats fairly normal ive got lots of beers i wanted to try listed, but this one was special. It was there because of all the horrible things id heard people say about it. It sounded so bad that it just had to be tried. Currently its in the Bottom 10 beers on ratebeer, and its the lowest scoring beer ive tried.
So a short time later 9 beers arrived in my ratebeer Secret Santa post and one of them was this special beer. Now i didnt get round to drinking it for almost a year, what with how horrible it was going to be, and that fact that it came in a 48oz (660ml) can. So i really needed to wait till i got a few people together so i didnt have to suffer alone.
The moment came at a tasting in London, where about 30 people going to be in attendance. It just seemed the perfect opportunity. Only one thing went wrong. I liked it. I really did. Now its no world class beer, but i really quite enjoyed it and in fact i scored it 3.5/5.0. And i am the Highest scoring person of this beer amongst those with more than 100 rates.
So what is this beer. I doubt you really care, but take a guess and come back on Monday to see if your right.
Monday, 26 September 2011
Borefts
Well ive still no idea why its called Borefts, but what ever the reason it is the Festival Highlight of the Year. All the stars align for this festival. Its an easy location to get to. Short flight to Amsterdam, simple train ride, and then your there.
This is the 3rd year and it just keeps growing. I wish i had a few pictures but i was far to busy drinkin.
The list of Brewers this year, was once again stellar. These are some if not quite all of the best Brewers in Europe covering the full range of styles.
The full list of brewers was :
The food is fantastic, with the BBQ a great addition over last years choices. The range of beers was amazing, with great traditional UK cask to the bigger new brasher range of beers from the UK, The big big beers we have all come to expect from the likes of the Best of Mainland European brewers, and some really interesting sour edged beers from a new comer to the festival, Loverbeer.
I managed to try beers from all the brewers and i dont think i has a single bad beer. Each Brewer brought something interesting to the festival, though obviously we all have our Favourites.
My top beers of the Festival were
The addition of the 2nd site (the new brewery location) was fantastic, there was ALMOST enough seating(and even better most of this is covered), but there was more seating than any other festival i have been at, and i dont think i actually had to stand for any length of time, which is good as im far to old to stand :-)
It was odd that De Struise were charging more than 1 token, for all but two of their beers, and this is worrying. I dont mind paying for my beer, and charging more than 1 token for a 39% beer seems very sensible, but i think id rather see it as the exception rather than the Rule.
At 2 tokens a samples thats about 6Tokens for 300ml. That would be an equivelent 330ml bottle price of 9E which is while certainly justifiable for some beer, seems just a little steep as the average price.
But saying that De Struise had no problem selling there beers, and i certainly was in there for quite a few of their beers, and as this was the only brewer doing this i didnt feel i was spending too much. But i have memories of another festival that i attended a few years back than almost every brewer was charging 2 or 3 or more for the majority if not all of there beers, and i left that festival felling just a little bit ripped off.
There no doubt in my mind (little though it may be) that this is the best festival in Europe. SO cheers to all the volunteers as well as Meno for organising this. Long may it continue.
This is the 3rd year and it just keeps growing. I wish i had a few pictures but i was far to busy drinkin.
The list of Brewers this year, was once again stellar. These are some if not quite all of the best Brewers in Europe covering the full range of styles.
The full list of brewers was :
| Brouwerij de Molen, Bodegraven, Netherlands | |||||||||||
| Närke Kulturbryggeri, Örebro, Sweden | |||||||||||
| LoverBeer, Marentino, Italië | |||||||||||
| Brouwerij Emelisse, Kamperland, Netherlands | |||||||||||
| Thornbridge Brewery, Bakewell, England | |||||||||||
| Mikkeller, Copenhagen, Denmark | |||||||||||
| The Kernel London, England | |||||||||||
| Nøgne Ø, Grimstad, Norway | |||||||||||
| Amager Bryghus, Kastrup, Denmark | |||||||||||
| Sint Christoffel Bier, Roermond, Netherlands | |||||||||||
| De Struise Brouwers, Oostvleteren, Belgium | |||||||||||
| Marble, Manchester, England |
The food is fantastic, with the BBQ a great addition over last years choices. The range of beers was amazing, with great traditional UK cask to the bigger new brasher range of beers from the UK, The big big beers we have all come to expect from the likes of the Best of Mainland European brewers, and some really interesting sour edged beers from a new comer to the festival, Loverbeer.
I managed to try beers from all the brewers and i dont think i has a single bad beer. Each Brewer brought something interesting to the festival, though obviously we all have our Favourites.
My top beers of the Festival were
- The late and unannounced De Molen Hot and Spicy II. Man this was Spicy. I had tried the Hot and Spicy I at GBBF, i though while pretty hot any hotter would have been a mistake. I think though i REALLY need a 2nd taste (if Meno wants to send me a bottle) to be sure that the II is better. At first taste your head explodes, your mouth catches fire and your teeth melt. But once that happens, you get the deep solid roast malts, the big chocolate, and the chilli pepper. Despite the WOW front it settles down into a well balanced if spicy beer.
- The Recreated Courage Russian Imperial Stout from Thornbridge. Tasted first on Friday this was a nice rich roast malt, deep dark flavours, big chocolate, and something a little odd. I liked but not loved this, but trying again on Saturday, either me or the beer had changed. This was richer, smoother, fuller. It had a massive chocolate tones, the barest hint of licorice,and the odd flavour was identified as salt, it was just a light saltiness, but was clearly there and oddly enhanced the beer rather than competing with it. Wonderful
- De Molen Hart and Ziel. This is classed as a smoked on ratebeer but i didnt really notice any smokiness what i did get was sweet dark chocolate roast, a light coffee, deep soft cherry and sweet raspberry, some dark chocolate basically it was soft smooth easy rich soft chocolate fruits.
The addition of the 2nd site (the new brewery location) was fantastic, there was ALMOST enough seating(and even better most of this is covered), but there was more seating than any other festival i have been at, and i dont think i actually had to stand for any length of time, which is good as im far to old to stand :-)
It was odd that De Struise were charging more than 1 token, for all but two of their beers, and this is worrying. I dont mind paying for my beer, and charging more than 1 token for a 39% beer seems very sensible, but i think id rather see it as the exception rather than the Rule.
At 2 tokens a samples thats about 6Tokens for 300ml. That would be an equivelent 330ml bottle price of 9E which is while certainly justifiable for some beer, seems just a little steep as the average price.
But saying that De Struise had no problem selling there beers, and i certainly was in there for quite a few of their beers, and as this was the only brewer doing this i didnt feel i was spending too much. But i have memories of another festival that i attended a few years back than almost every brewer was charging 2 or 3 or more for the majority if not all of there beers, and i left that festival felling just a little bit ripped off.
There no doubt in my mind (little though it may be) that this is the best festival in Europe. SO cheers to all the volunteers as well as Meno for organising this. Long may it continue.
Sunday, 21 August 2011
Time with Tim
Last monday, Tim Anderson, you know, the bloke who Won Master Chef came to Edinburgh to cook me dinner, for his convenience he decided to to it at the Caley Sample Rooms in Edinburgh, rather than my house which would have been more convenient for me. Saying that he decided to arrange me a menu paired with Beers from the Black Isle Brewery.
The Menu was
a 1/2 Pint of Yellowhammer Pale Ale on Arrival followed by
Gazpacho Cullen Skink w Gyoza aith a Dumpling side dish paired with Black Isle Blonde and then
Korean-Style Venison Tartare with Gochujang, Nashi and Sesame Toast with Goldeneye Pale Ale
For the main course
Cola- Braised Pork Belly with Butternut Squash, Roasted Radishes, Peas and Miso Mustard paired with Smoked Weizenbock with chilli.
Followed by 2 puddings
Heather Honey Ale Sorbet wit Celery Snaps and Cashews and
Sticky Toffee Pudding Creme Brulee with Basil Cream and a Blackcurrant Porter Sauce paired with Export Scotch Ale and a final bottle of Hibernator Oatmeal Stout to settle of the Evening
So lets dissect the Evening :-)
We (me and Stella) arrived and were directed to our table, where we met up with one of our friends Sevare who we had arrange to sit beside and another couple, which by chance happened to include one of Scotland's newest Ratebeer members Ben, who id met just recently when he came to one of my tastings.
Very quickly our half pints of Yellow Hammer arrived, and we settled in for the evening, The first course took longer than expected to arrived and i ordered a bottle Weihenstephaner Vitus only a few minutes before the first course and the next drink arrived. Well that was bad planning on my part :-).
So the first course was the Cullen Skink with a side Dumpling. Now i dont like fish, so i wasnt really looking forward to this, but all told the Cullen Skink was palatable, and all told wasnt actually bad and i loved the way it was served in the shot glass. The Dumpling on the other-hand was amazing. I kind of wish id taken the time to analyse it in the same way i do a beer, as i cant tell you what it tasted of, ive not a clue, all i remember was popping it in my mouth thinking wow this is GREAT, and then it was gone. I know it was a taster menu but boy would i have liked another,
The Second course was raw meat. Now this is an odd one, as the first time i ever had Raw meat or Tartare as its politely known was in a Korean restaurant in Manchester. I had no idea it was raw meat, Stella and my mate Ben did and giggled amongst themselves, knowing i had no idea what id just ordered. But i had the last laugh as i really quite enjoyed it. Ive only ever had Tartare one other time since and that was in Hungry where i didnt enjoy it nearly as much, so i was really looking forward to this course. Luckily i wasnt disappointed. I dont think it was quite as good as my memory of the first time but given that that was 8-9 years ago who is really to say. All i can say was this was damn tasty, i enjoyed the light Chilli bite to it, but at the same time i dont think i could have eaten much more of it. Much as i really enjoyed it, there just something a little odd about eating raw meat
The Main course was being served with the beer Tim helped brew at Black Isle, and being the beer fan i am, this was the most exciting beer of the evening. A smoked Weisen Bock with Chilli. Now im not a big fan of smoked beers, im not a huge fan of Bock beers but i am a BIG fan of chilli's so this was going to an interesting beer. You can read about what i and others though about the beer here.
As for the Main course food,well WOW again. The meat was wonderfully tender, the sause rich and complex. and made with Cola? Ive no idea what he did to the Butternut Squash a vegetable that im very fond of but it was a different take on it and very tasty as well. Of all the courses this was probably my favourite, it all seemed so well balanced. BUT..... i will come back to this 'but' in the summary.
Pudding one was a Sorbet made with the Black Isle heather honey all, not at a Brewdog binner i has beer infused jelly that while interesting was just a bit weird. This was also weird but also very tasty and refreshing, i enjoyed this little bit of strangeness and the snap were well tasty.
Pudding two was the Sticky Toffee Crème Brulee. Now this is a real interesting one. As mines was runny, Stella's was firm and mousse like, and one of the others was even runnier than mine. Now i think it was meant to be like Stella, ie firmer. But i much more enjoyed it like mine was than the bit of Stella's i tried. So there was clearly inconstancies. But you know what that was ok by me. I recently read how very few Master Chefs have successfully opened a restaurant, and i guess this is one of the main reasons why. Being able to cook a GREAT meal for 4 people is NOT the same as being able to cook the same great for for 50 people. Especially when all 50 people sit down and expect there food at the same time. I think Tim did a great job, i think on the whole everything was handled pretty well. Ok the Puddings varied a bit but they were all tasty. By doing these Dinners around the country, Tim is gaining great experience should he want to open his own restaurant, and in the process he is giving people all over the country a chance to try his cooking (at what was a pretty decent price) The fact that this was a beer dinner and he paired the food and the beers, was just icing on the Cake. But it was important to me, i wouldn't have been interested in a Masterchef dinner if he hadnt the same love of beer that i have. It was that that had my interest (in fact i never even watched Masterchef it was only after he won, and i discovered he Managed the Euston Tap in London that i took notice)
It was a great night, we had some great beers from Black Isle, we had Amazing food from Tim, BUT in the end, all at my table were still hungry (and i heard others comment the same) This was a real shame as i was left thinking i could do with a kebab. Well ok maybe not that hungry, but for me all it would have taken was a basket of Bread on the Table, or a nice side of mashed potatoes with the Cola Braised Pork. Neither of which would have cost much. Neither of which i think would have destroyed the Balance of the meal. For me it was real shame that when i left i was thinking "its a shame we didn't get more to eat", rather than "WOW what a great meal" and the reason that it is such a shame is that "WOW what a great meal" is what it was.
The Menu was
a 1/2 Pint of Yellowhammer Pale Ale on Arrival followed by
Gazpacho Cullen Skink w Gyoza aith a Dumpling side dish paired with Black Isle Blonde and then
Korean-Style Venison Tartare with Gochujang, Nashi and Sesame Toast with Goldeneye Pale Ale
For the main course
Cola- Braised Pork Belly with Butternut Squash, Roasted Radishes, Peas and Miso Mustard paired with Smoked Weizenbock with chilli.
Followed by 2 puddings
Heather Honey Ale Sorbet wit Celery Snaps and Cashews and
Sticky Toffee Pudding Creme Brulee with Basil Cream and a Blackcurrant Porter Sauce paired with Export Scotch Ale and a final bottle of Hibernator Oatmeal Stout to settle of the Evening
So lets dissect the Evening :-)
We (me and Stella) arrived and were directed to our table, where we met up with one of our friends Sevare who we had arrange to sit beside and another couple, which by chance happened to include one of Scotland's newest Ratebeer members Ben, who id met just recently when he came to one of my tastings.
Very quickly our half pints of Yellow Hammer arrived, and we settled in for the evening, The first course took longer than expected to arrived and i ordered a bottle Weihenstephaner Vitus only a few minutes before the first course and the next drink arrived. Well that was bad planning on my part :-).
So the first course was the Cullen Skink with a side Dumpling. Now i dont like fish, so i wasnt really looking forward to this, but all told the Cullen Skink was palatable, and all told wasnt actually bad and i loved the way it was served in the shot glass. The Dumpling on the other-hand was amazing. I kind of wish id taken the time to analyse it in the same way i do a beer, as i cant tell you what it tasted of, ive not a clue, all i remember was popping it in my mouth thinking wow this is GREAT, and then it was gone. I know it was a taster menu but boy would i have liked another,
The Second course was raw meat. Now this is an odd one, as the first time i ever had Raw meat or Tartare as its politely known was in a Korean restaurant in Manchester. I had no idea it was raw meat, Stella and my mate Ben did and giggled amongst themselves, knowing i had no idea what id just ordered. But i had the last laugh as i really quite enjoyed it. Ive only ever had Tartare one other time since and that was in Hungry where i didnt enjoy it nearly as much, so i was really looking forward to this course. Luckily i wasnt disappointed. I dont think it was quite as good as my memory of the first time but given that that was 8-9 years ago who is really to say. All i can say was this was damn tasty, i enjoyed the light Chilli bite to it, but at the same time i dont think i could have eaten much more of it. Much as i really enjoyed it, there just something a little odd about eating raw meat
The Main course was being served with the beer Tim helped brew at Black Isle, and being the beer fan i am, this was the most exciting beer of the evening. A smoked Weisen Bock with Chilli. Now im not a big fan of smoked beers, im not a huge fan of Bock beers but i am a BIG fan of chilli's so this was going to an interesting beer. You can read about what i and others though about the beer here.
As for the Main course food,well WOW again. The meat was wonderfully tender, the sause rich and complex. and made with Cola? Ive no idea what he did to the Butternut Squash a vegetable that im very fond of but it was a different take on it and very tasty as well. Of all the courses this was probably my favourite, it all seemed so well balanced. BUT..... i will come back to this 'but' in the summary.
Pudding one was a Sorbet made with the Black Isle heather honey all, not at a Brewdog binner i has beer infused jelly that while interesting was just a bit weird. This was also weird but also very tasty and refreshing, i enjoyed this little bit of strangeness and the snap were well tasty.
Pudding two was the Sticky Toffee Crème Brulee. Now this is a real interesting one. As mines was runny, Stella's was firm and mousse like, and one of the others was even runnier than mine. Now i think it was meant to be like Stella, ie firmer. But i much more enjoyed it like mine was than the bit of Stella's i tried. So there was clearly inconstancies. But you know what that was ok by me. I recently read how very few Master Chefs have successfully opened a restaurant, and i guess this is one of the main reasons why. Being able to cook a GREAT meal for 4 people is NOT the same as being able to cook the same great for for 50 people. Especially when all 50 people sit down and expect there food at the same time. I think Tim did a great job, i think on the whole everything was handled pretty well. Ok the Puddings varied a bit but they were all tasty. By doing these Dinners around the country, Tim is gaining great experience should he want to open his own restaurant, and in the process he is giving people all over the country a chance to try his cooking (at what was a pretty decent price) The fact that this was a beer dinner and he paired the food and the beers, was just icing on the Cake. But it was important to me, i wouldn't have been interested in a Masterchef dinner if he hadnt the same love of beer that i have. It was that that had my interest (in fact i never even watched Masterchef it was only after he won, and i discovered he Managed the Euston Tap in London that i took notice)
Which brings me to the summary and that 'BUT' i mentioned earlier.
Thursday, 18 August 2011
GBBF Day2
Well being a morning person, up early and head for a 7am breakfast, typical me i arrive 10 minutes early and have to hang around outside awaiting it to open, but a quick Breakfast and back into Earls Court for just after 7:30. All is quiet at this time with mostly just a few security staff wandering the building. But there's always plenty to do. First off Glass wash, there always a good number of dirty staff glasses hanging around, so quick clean uo there, and then onto mopping up, The cooling units have a bad habit of leaking water. So theres often big puddles of water. So out with the mop and get stuck in. Then about 9am more staff start turning up, and its time to restock the fridges, and having sold all the limited stock beers rearrange to fill up the empty spaces, and were all ready for the new day. Just a quick 30-40 minutes serving to cover the first rush, and then onto packing the large number of beers ive bought
Then its off to join the rate beer crowd for another fun day drinking, This is where Earls court comes into its own, it no "Pretty" venue but it is BIG so theres enough room to wander round without too much trouble. Taking in the sites, bumping into people, finding food, and hunting down the beer that takes your fancy.
All told i had a great day drinking UK cask beer, and while the beer selection is a bit staid for my tastes, i think the selection meets the requirements, as many of GBBF visitors are not beer geeks and many are not even Cask drinker, so the selection is i think deliberately very middle of the road, to appeal to the broadest spectrum. All told i had a great GBBF, until i went and droped my phone and smashed the LCD screen, and so it was that a very GRUMPY Craig left earls court for the last time, (and i for one will miss it) draging his beer behind him
Then its off to join the rate beer crowd for another fun day drinking, This is where Earls court comes into its own, it no "Pretty" venue but it is BIG so theres enough room to wander round without too much trouble. Taking in the sites, bumping into people, finding food, and hunting down the beer that takes your fancy.
All told i had a great day drinking UK cask beer, and while the beer selection is a bit staid for my tastes, i think the selection meets the requirements, as many of GBBF visitors are not beer geeks and many are not even Cask drinker, so the selection is i think deliberately very middle of the road, to appeal to the broadest spectrum. All told i had a great GBBF, until i went and droped my phone and smashed the LCD screen, and so it was that a very GRUMPY Craig left earls court for the last time, (and i for one will miss it) draging his beer behind him
Wednesday, 17 August 2011
GBBF Day1
Well i know its been a few weeks, but ive been away.
Once again i tried to balance family life, helping out at GBBF and drinking at GBBF.
So having driven down to my sisters, Short trip into London for a Beer Tasting and a Day out at Legoland, it was time to head back into London for GBBF.
This year the Off-Peak Train times had changed, allowing me to head in half an hour earlier than previous years and found a slightly better route in, using the over land train from Clapham Junction to West Brompton, so i arrived about an hour earlier than normal, at just after 10am. Straight in and up to the Staffing Desk, got signed in, but no accommodation, still no worries will be sorted out in a few hours. So ts time to head down to the US cask bar, its really interesting in Earls court coming down the Escalator, you get a great view of the hall, which is mostly empty at this point.
Now i arrived on opening day with about an hour to half to go, and its just amazing just how much work has gone on, remember all of GBBF is run via volunteer, even the main organiser does it as a volunteer, along side his main job, and looking into the hall, its clear just how big the scale of the operation is, but all that was already done, so off to the International Bar to help with the final touches, the stocking of the International Bottle. This year we were not quite as well organised and when we opened the fridges well certainly stocked the 30+ cask due on on Tuesday were all vented and ready, but the bottle prices were not marked on the fridges as they usually are, and when some of the punters arrived including one bloke (and i know who you are) spent £200 on beers it was a right pain to find each bottle price and add them all up. After a short stint catering to the bottle rush, i moved along the frontage to my favourite section the US Cask beers. I love Cask beer, i love US beer, so this is a great chance to merge the two worlds. But the great thing about working the bar is the people you meet. Everyone knew where i was going to be, and all the "cool" people drink at the US bar, so lots of friends and twitterites came by to say hi, and there are always people who want to know more about beer, or just want to chat beer. So all told im in my element.
Finish work at the Bar come 5:30 i head of to meet up with the Rate Beer Crowd. Its always fun to drink with the crowd, good chat good times.
Special mention though to @BeerReviewsAndy from the twitterverse for bringing a very rare never commercially released bottle of Sharp Offal beer, and let me tell you it was anything but awful.
Then come about 10pm it was time to head off to the Room that had been arranged for me at Imperial college london, very handily just a few tube stops away, and i have to say it was lovely, one of the best ive had over the GBBF years. So cheers for that.
Once again i tried to balance family life, helping out at GBBF and drinking at GBBF.
So having driven down to my sisters, Short trip into London for a Beer Tasting and a Day out at Legoland, it was time to head back into London for GBBF.
This year the Off-Peak Train times had changed, allowing me to head in half an hour earlier than previous years and found a slightly better route in, using the over land train from Clapham Junction to West Brompton, so i arrived about an hour earlier than normal, at just after 10am. Straight in and up to the Staffing Desk, got signed in, but no accommodation, still no worries will be sorted out in a few hours. So ts time to head down to the US cask bar, its really interesting in Earls court coming down the Escalator, you get a great view of the hall, which is mostly empty at this point.
Now i arrived on opening day with about an hour to half to go, and its just amazing just how much work has gone on, remember all of GBBF is run via volunteer, even the main organiser does it as a volunteer, along side his main job, and looking into the hall, its clear just how big the scale of the operation is, but all that was already done, so off to the International Bar to help with the final touches, the stocking of the International Bottle. This year we were not quite as well organised and when we opened the fridges well certainly stocked the 30+ cask due on on Tuesday were all vented and ready, but the bottle prices were not marked on the fridges as they usually are, and when some of the punters arrived including one bloke (and i know who you are) spent £200 on beers it was a right pain to find each bottle price and add them all up. After a short stint catering to the bottle rush, i moved along the frontage to my favourite section the US Cask beers. I love Cask beer, i love US beer, so this is a great chance to merge the two worlds. But the great thing about working the bar is the people you meet. Everyone knew where i was going to be, and all the "cool" people drink at the US bar, so lots of friends and twitterites came by to say hi, and there are always people who want to know more about beer, or just want to chat beer. So all told im in my element.
Finish work at the Bar come 5:30 i head of to meet up with the Rate Beer Crowd. Its always fun to drink with the crowd, good chat good times.
Special mention though to @BeerReviewsAndy from the twitterverse for bringing a very rare never commercially released bottle of Sharp Offal beer, and let me tell you it was anything but awful.
Then come about 10pm it was time to head off to the Room that had been arranged for me at Imperial college london, very handily just a few tube stops away, and i have to say it was lovely, one of the best ive had over the GBBF years. So cheers for that.
Thursday, 21 July 2011
The Bow Bar Festival in full swing
This will be an odd blog entry as i will update this most day, rather than post a new blog each day.
Day1 only 4 of the Festival beers on at lunch time, but the Landlord was down to £1.50 in order to clear the line ASAP :-) None the less of the 4 beers they has 2 of my Favourite.
The utterly amazing Highland Orkney Porter, and Cairngorm Black Gold. Also on was York Citra, and William Brothers Fourth of July. I tried the Fourth of July which was a decent bitter , little sweet but well balanced, the Citra which while quite nice wasnt a patch on Tempest or Kernel Citra, and of course i could not leave without a half of the Highland Orkney Porter. This beer as ive probably said before is on my quite short list of beer that i try every time i see them, and this time it was just stunning.
In many ways this is the best ive every had it, the depth and complexity of the roast was amazing, body was full and rich. However this was a 2009 cask and there was definitely a touch of oxidation to distract. Now dont get me wrong. The time that added the oxidation also allowed the beer to mature into the wonderful beast that it is. This beer is a treat every time i see it, and this time was above average despite the oxidation.
I also manage to persuade a random Canadian into trying the Orkney Porter and it got a big thumbs up from him to. So head down there and try some soon. It wont last long
More Musing tommorow (with a bit of luck)
Day 2
Well as can be seen from the Taps above, we have already had 2 casualty with the Black Gold and the York Citra disappearing since yesterday. But new on since yesterday we find a full tap festival line up, with Fyne ales Fiddlers Gold, Okells Santium, Pot Belly Black sun, Black Isle Yellow Hammer, Green Jack Orange Wheat, and Oakleaf Some are Drinking.
Today I had another Half of the Orkney Porter and who can Blame me. No extra notes needed other than to say its not often i have the same beer 2 days in a row. But the opportunity to drink this in cask should not be passed up, I also had a half of the frankly disappointing Black Sun, first off i assumed this was going to be a stout or porter (like theres any difference) but it clearly wasnt. I suspect this is blend of there Beijing Black and their bitter. All told it wasnt Bad, but it really wasnt up to much and i wont be going back to that one.
Much to my pleasant surprise i was able to talk another random punter into going for the Orkney Porter, but i struck out on my 3rd attempt when the woman said it was too sweet for her. Well not every one can have the class and sophistication that i do :-)
With Luck next report on Monday
Day 5
Well as can be seen and as can be expected over the weekend all the Beers have changed. So who know what i may have missed :-) Today i sampled the average Concrete Cow vanilla stout and the wonderful or is that Sublime, Sublime Stout from Fyne Ales. More again tomorrow.
Day 6 with just a few tap changes (I'm expecting about 4 more to have changed by the time of writing)
Today i had a decent if very average beer in the form of Wold Top Golden Summer, a golden blond ale, with light hop flavour profile with long bitter linger, and the really quite tasty Corvedale St. Georges stout. This is a very standard dry roast stout. Nice dark red black , thin tan head, good solid roast malt base, some coffee charcoal roast. Could have done with a little more body to it, but not thin. All told very tasty.
Well we are heading towards my last few days of the Festival (just 2 more to go) here is Day 7 Report
As can be seen 4 of the Taps have changed since yesterday as predicted, and im expecting 4 more to have changed by tomorrow. Todays tasty delights were Potbelly Streaky and Burnside M-Pire. Both were decent but neither were exciting. The streaky was a pale golden light lemon hopped ale, where as the M-Pire was more a toffee malty ale. Rumour has it that there a few Stouts due to come on, so lets hope i see a new stout tommorow.
Day 8 and my last report. I will be in again tomorrow but no time to write it up.
As can be seen another few beers have hit the dust, but the Otley is still holding on there. Sadly the barman attributes this to it being 5% and thats just a little bit on the strong side so has been selling slower. It seems strange to me, but ive seen it at many beer festivals where quite a few people do consider 5% to be just a little strong. Ah well each to there own. Today i tryed the Finch from Natural selection, 4 students at Herriot Watt university. Nice to see they didnt go for a blond beers, but something like an old ale, soft toffee malt, deep fruits, was just a little sweet though and Naylors Porticus Stout, again being a stout it was more likly to impress and again i was pleased not to be disappointed, a good solid chocolate roast. Very nice all told.
In summary, i wasnt blown away by too many this time, and for me the festival not having as many "big" beers it didnt quite live up to the Winter festival. But still a great mix and i had a great time nipping in everyday. Star of the show should be no surprise to anyone. It was Clearly the Delicious Highland Orkney Porter, a beer i never tire singing the praises of.
Oddly nearly all the other stouts and porters ,seemed to be a deep red brown colour than a deep thick black, no idea why this migth be, but it was just a silly observation i had over the week.
Roll on the Winter Festival.
In breaking news though i discovered that the Wonderful Manager of the BowBar, Helen is moving on, It will be sad to see her go, and im sure more than me will miss her, but I know shes trained the staff well and that we will be in safe hands.
So here to you Helen, and all the Best, You know your always welcome to my tastings.
Day1 only 4 of the Festival beers on at lunch time, but the Landlord was down to £1.50 in order to clear the line ASAP :-) None the less of the 4 beers they has 2 of my Favourite.
The utterly amazing Highland Orkney Porter, and Cairngorm Black Gold. Also on was York Citra, and William Brothers Fourth of July. I tried the Fourth of July which was a decent bitter , little sweet but well balanced, the Citra which while quite nice wasnt a patch on Tempest or Kernel Citra, and of course i could not leave without a half of the Highland Orkney Porter. This beer as ive probably said before is on my quite short list of beer that i try every time i see them, and this time it was just stunning.
In many ways this is the best ive every had it, the depth and complexity of the roast was amazing, body was full and rich. However this was a 2009 cask and there was definitely a touch of oxidation to distract. Now dont get me wrong. The time that added the oxidation also allowed the beer to mature into the wonderful beast that it is. This beer is a treat every time i see it, and this time was above average despite the oxidation.
I also manage to persuade a random Canadian into trying the Orkney Porter and it got a big thumbs up from him to. So head down there and try some soon. It wont last long
More Musing tommorow (with a bit of luck)
Day 2
Well as can be seen from the Taps above, we have already had 2 casualty with the Black Gold and the York Citra disappearing since yesterday. But new on since yesterday we find a full tap festival line up, with Fyne ales Fiddlers Gold, Okells Santium, Pot Belly Black sun, Black Isle Yellow Hammer, Green Jack Orange Wheat, and Oakleaf Some are Drinking.
Today I had another Half of the Orkney Porter and who can Blame me. No extra notes needed other than to say its not often i have the same beer 2 days in a row. But the opportunity to drink this in cask should not be passed up, I also had a half of the frankly disappointing Black Sun, first off i assumed this was going to be a stout or porter (like theres any difference) but it clearly wasnt. I suspect this is blend of there Beijing Black and their bitter. All told it wasnt Bad, but it really wasnt up to much and i wont be going back to that one.
Much to my pleasant surprise i was able to talk another random punter into going for the Orkney Porter, but i struck out on my 3rd attempt when the woman said it was too sweet for her. Well not every one can have the class and sophistication that i do :-)
With Luck next report on Monday
Day 5
Well as can be seen and as can be expected over the weekend all the Beers have changed. So who know what i may have missed :-) Today i sampled the average Concrete Cow vanilla stout and the wonderful or is that Sublime, Sublime Stout from Fyne Ales. More again tomorrow.
Day 6 with just a few tap changes (I'm expecting about 4 more to have changed by the time of writing)
Well we are heading towards my last few days of the Festival (just 2 more to go) here is Day 7 Report
Day 8 and my last report. I will be in again tomorrow but no time to write it up.
In summary, i wasnt blown away by too many this time, and for me the festival not having as many "big" beers it didnt quite live up to the Winter festival. But still a great mix and i had a great time nipping in everyday. Star of the show should be no surprise to anyone. It was Clearly the Delicious Highland Orkney Porter, a beer i never tire singing the praises of.
Oddly nearly all the other stouts and porters ,seemed to be a deep red brown colour than a deep thick black, no idea why this migth be, but it was just a silly observation i had over the week.
Roll on the Winter Festival.
In breaking news though i discovered that the Wonderful Manager of the BowBar, Helen is moving on, It will be sad to see her go, and im sure more than me will miss her, but I know shes trained the staff well and that we will be in safe hands.
So here to you Helen, and all the Best, You know your always welcome to my tastings.
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
All over the Floor
CAMRA released the GBBF floor plan today
http://gbbf.camra.org.uk/files/floorplan/GBBF2011_FloorPlan.pdf
and i knew it was coming but the proof is in the Floor plan. The BSF bar has been split into 3 Section across the festival. Wont make much difference to me as im mostly interested in the US cask so wont have to move much. Well apart from when i go Hunting the De Molen beers :-)
still start making your plans now its easy to get lost in the Crowd.
http://gbbf.camra.org.uk/files/floorplan/GBBF2011_FloorPlan.pdf
and i knew it was coming but the proof is in the Floor plan. The BSF bar has been split into 3 Section across the festival. Wont make much difference to me as im mostly interested in the US cask so wont have to move much. Well apart from when i go Hunting the De Molen beers :-)
still start making your plans now its easy to get lost in the Crowd.
Saturday, 16 July 2011
Beer People are Good People
I had a great night at the Brewdog IPA Wars night, but one of the best things about it were the people there.
From the beer staff that i know, to the Great friends that i turned up with.
But it was also great to meet some of the folks from twitter that ive never met.
So imagine my surprise when one of them said, "Heh ive brought you a beer."
WHAT!!!!
That immediately put him into my favourite category of people. Those that have a beer for me.
Well obviously he had me pinned to a T. He knew of my Love of New beers, and had put a lot of effort into finding a beer i probably hadnt had. Better still he actually managed to pull off a tricky feat. He managed to get a UK beer that i really wanted. So thanks to @AdamSh for the Black Sheep Imperial Stout.
This is what makes beer people so cool. This isnt the first time this kind of thing has happened to me, and i hope ive managed to be as generous in return.
From the beer staff that i know, to the Great friends that i turned up with.
But it was also great to meet some of the folks from twitter that ive never met.
So imagine my surprise when one of them said, "Heh ive brought you a beer."
WHAT!!!!
That immediately put him into my favourite category of people. Those that have a beer for me.
Well obviously he had me pinned to a T. He knew of my Love of New beers, and had put a lot of effort into finding a beer i probably hadnt had. Better still he actually managed to pull off a tricky feat. He managed to get a UK beer that i really wanted. So thanks to @AdamSh for the Black Sheep Imperial Stout.
This is what makes beer people so cool. This isnt the first time this kind of thing has happened to me, and i hope ive managed to be as generous in return.
Friday, 15 July 2011
the BSF bars and tounge in cheek analysis
Well Its been about 12 hours since i posted the beer list for the 4 BSF bars(see my previous posts) and a day and a half since i posted my Thoughts on BSF@GBBF.
So lets look at the page views
Clear out in the Lead is the NewWorld bar with 141 views, Just behind that is the Belgian and Dutch bar with 123 views, next is the USA cask bar(my top choice) with 107 views, trailing behind them comes my Views on BSF with 99 views but strugling to be interesting is the German and Czech bar with only 84 views.
So its clear that on the whole no one is interested in me, and that new world beers are almost twice as interesting as German and Czech beers. But the biggest surprise for me was that Belgian and Dutch beers gathered more interest than US cask beers.
Im going to be mostly drinking US cask at GBBF and buying mostly New World beers to take home.
Just what do other people plan, or maybe tomorrow i can report how this blog entry only interest 1 man and his dog.
So lets look at the page views
Clear out in the Lead is the NewWorld bar with 141 views, Just behind that is the Belgian and Dutch bar with 123 views, next is the USA cask bar(my top choice) with 107 views, trailing behind them comes my Views on BSF with 99 views but strugling to be interesting is the German and Czech bar with only 84 views.
So its clear that on the whole no one is interested in me, and that new world beers are almost twice as interesting as German and Czech beers. But the biggest surprise for me was that Belgian and Dutch beers gathered more interest than US cask beers.
Im going to be mostly drinking US cask at GBBF and buying mostly New World beers to take home.
Just what do other people plan, or maybe tomorrow i can report how this blog entry only interest 1 man and his dog.
Thursday, 14 July 2011
BSF at GBBF 2001 New World Beer Bar
Here you will find the
BSF Programme entry for 2011
New World Beer bar:
Bottled Beers:
American Beers:
Brewery | Beer | ABV | Description |
Ballast Point | Big Eye IPA | 7.0% | American Centennial hops are used exclusively to bitter, flavour, finish, and dry hop Big Eye IPA. Its full hop flavour is guaranteed to please the palate of the true hop head. |
Ballast Point | Black Marlin Porter | 6.0% | Like dessert? You’ll love this. Black Marlin is a rich, dark and chocolaty porter with a distinctive American hop character. |
Ballast Point | Calico Amber Ale | 5.5% | This beer uses distinctive American hops, which give not only the crisp bitterness to balance the malt, but also a hint of floral aroma. |
Ballast Point | Sculpin IPA | 7.0% | Sculpin IPA showcases bright flavours and aromas of apricot, peach, mango & lemon. The lighter body also brings out the crispness of the hops. |
Ballast Point | Wahoo Wheat | 4.0% | Brewed to be light and refreshing with a unique citrus character that comes from adding orange peel and coriander to the boil. |
Ballast Point | Yellowtail Pale Ale | 4.6% | This is actually a Kölsch and is brewed with German hops and German and American malts and 5% wheat. |
Deschutes | Black Butte Porter | 5.2% | "Dark and distinctive, Black Butte uses chocolate and crystal malts, crafting a rich in flavour, yet easy to drink ""dark"" beer." |
Deschutes | Cascade Ale | 4.5% | Cascade Ale is crisp and refreshing. Generous herbal hop character and just a hint of caramel malt create a perfect balance. |
Deschutes | Green Lakes Organic Ale | 5.2% | Made with 3 types of 100% ORGANIC malted barley and balanced with Palisades, Brewers’ Gold, and Crystal hops, this amber ale is as kind to you as it is to Mother Earth. IBU’s: 45 |
Deschutes | Inversion IPA | 6.8% | Inversion IPA defies the ordinary, with layers of soft caramel notes and generous amounts of our favourite Northwest hops for a bright, sunny, citrus finish. |
Deschutes | Mirror Pond Pale Ale | 5.3% | A classic American Pale Ale. Mirror Pond uses generous quantities of Cascade hops, offering a lush floral aroma with a balanced malt body. |
Deschutes | Obsidian Stout | 6.4% | Smooth and black, Obsidian Stout is a solid, satisfying beer with underlying espresso and chocolaty flavours. |
Deschutes | The Abyss 2010 | 11% | A deep, dark Imperial Stout, The Abyss has almost immeasurable depth and complexity. Hints of molasses, liquorice and other alluring flavours make it something not just to quaff, but contemplate. |
Deschutes | The Dissident 2010 | 10.5% | The Dissident is an Oud Bruin, a distinctive Flanders-style sour brown ale, with a fruity aroma and flavour. Brettanomyces are used to give The Dissident its characteristic sour taste. |
Firestone Walker | Double Jack Double IPA | 9.5% | Has a big malty middle to cloak the high alcohol and mouth puckering hop bitterness. Huge tangerine, grapefruit and juicy fruit aroma blossom over the herbal blue basil and malt earthiness of this aggressive beer. |
Firestone Walker | Parabola | 12.5% | This beer features bold bourbon and tobacco aromas and a rich dark chocolate, charred oak flavour. Parabola is best enjoyed in moderation. |
Firestone Walker | Union Jack IPA | 7.4% | An aggressive IPA, citrus, pineapple and a full, chewy malt profile finish clean on your palate, over 70 IBUs. |
Flying Dog | Doggie Style Pale Ale | 5.3% | This beer is a pale amber in colour and a citrus hop character which is balanced with malty undertones. |
Flying Dog | Gonzo Imperial Porter | 9.4% | A deep and complex beer brewed with black, chocolate and crystal malts, and hopped with Cascade and Millennium hops. Savour slowly. |
Flying Dog | Raging Bitch | 8.3% | An American IPA augmented with Belgian yeast has a delicate hop bitterness. |
Flying Dog | Snake Dog IPA | 7.1% | A Colorado-style IPA, power hopped with speciality hops from the Pacific Northwest. This is a hop monster and the citrus fruit aroma will hypnotise your senses. |
Fordham Brewing Company | Copperhead Ale | 4.7% | A Düsseldorf-style Altbier which blends caramelized malted barley with pronounced hop character to create a subtle copper hue. It has a balanced flavour & impeccable smoothness. |
Fordham Brewing Company | Helles Lager | 5.7% | Clean & refreshing, this Bavarian-style lager uses four different German grains & three hop varieties to create an intricate flavour profile & a beautiful deep golden colour. |
Fordham Brewing Company | Tavern Ale | 5.5% | This American Pale Ale’s hop profile is complimented with an ample amount of malt flavour. It’s cold-conditioned on fresh whole-leaf Cascade hops creating an unmistakable citrus-like aroma. |
FX Matt | Adirondack Lager | 5.3% | A classic German-style lager with a rich amber colour, medium body, and a perfect balance of caramel malt sweetness |
FX Matt | Black Forest Lager | 5.3% | A Bavarian-style black beer with distinctive caramel malt sweetness and rich, creamy head. Very drinkable |
FX Matt | Saranac IPA | 5.8% | A hop lover's delight. This brew is very hoppy in both aroma and flavour from the generous amounts of cascade hops used in brewing. Look for a medium to full body and golden straw colour. |
FX Matt | Saranac Pale Ale | 5.5% | This true English Pale Ale is rich and fruity, yet finishes crisp. You'll love the copper amber colour and medium body. |
Goose Island | 312 Urban Wheat Ale | 4.2% | Hazy, cloudy appearance. A spicy aroma of Cascade hops, followed by the crispy, fruity ale flavour delivered in a smooth, creamy body. |
Goose Island | India Pale Ale | 5.9% | Quite simply a hop lover’s dream, this classic ale adds a fruity aroma, set off by a dry malt middle, to ensure that the long hop finish is one you’ll remember. |
Goose Island | Matilda | 7.0% | Matilda is made with a rare yeast that suggests a fruity and spicy flavour. There is complex maltiness balanced with a profuse amount of hops. |
Goose Island | Pepe Nero | 6.0% | A black rye saison that combines a roasted/smoky malt character in balance with a pepper spice from the yeast. Finishes dry with a refreshing level of carbonation. |
Goose Island | Pere Jacques | 8.0% | Strong, rich Belgian style Abbey Beer. |
Lagunitas | Hop Stoopid | 8.0% | Fruity and floral hops in the aroma. Lots of sweet caramel malt in the flavour but perfectly balanced with hop bitterness. |
Lagunitas | IPA | 5.7% | Made with 43 different hops and 65 various malts this redolent ale will likely float your boat. |
Lagunitas | Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale | 7.7% | Way smooth and silky with a nice wheaty-esque-ish-ness. Just the little sumpin' we all need to kick summer into full swing! |
Lagunitas | Pils | 5.3% | A Czech-style pilsner, a slightly hoppy, grassy aroma leads into a slightly malty-sweet, flavour. |
Lagunitas | Undercover Investigation Shutdown Ale | 9.75% | An especially bitter ale in dedication to all the world’s would-be astronauts, in remembrance of the 2005 St. Patrick’s Day Massacre on the Brewery Party Grounds and also in joyous celebration of their 20-day suspension that following January. Do the crime. Do the time. Get the bragging rights. Cheers! |
Left Hand | 400 Pound Monkey | 6.8% | An English-style IPA using hops of a different colour, earthy and herbal, well balanced by bready malt. |
Left Hand | Imperial Stout | 10.4% | Silky smooth, very flavourful beer. The malty sweetness of the beer is tempered by a medley of roasted malt and the aggressive use of hops. |
Left Hand | Milk Stout | 5.9% | Strong roasted malt and coffee flavours build the foundation of this classic cream stout. The addition of milk sugars mellows the intense roastiness and gives this beer the most incredible creamy mouth feel. |
Left Hand | Sawtooth Ale | 5.3% | An English-style Extra Special Bitter. It is an extremely well balanced beer, with significant hop character, medium body, and a maltiness which increases in evidence as the beer warms. |
Moylans | Chelsea Moylan's Porter | 5.0% | A rich, robust porter, crafted to integrate the aromas and flavours of espresso coffee malt and bitter-sweet chocolate malt. This is an American-Irish style Porter that dark beer drinkers will love. |
Moylans | Dragoon's Dry Irish Stout | 5.0% | Dry, roasty and incredibly rich in flavour, made with a unique blend of imported hops and malted barley. |
Moylans | Hopsickle Imperial XXXIPA | 9.2% | Enjoy the blast of fresh Cascade, Simcoe, Columbus, Ahtanum, and Chinook Hops as they stimulate the taste buds in a truly Imperial Fashion. Pucker Up! |
Moylans | Ryan Sullivan's Imperial Stout | 10.0% | Chocolate truffles, cocoa, espresso coffee, burnt currants, the sweetness of a sherry - all come to mind when enjoying this Imperial Stout. A big, strong, malty stout. |
Odell | 90 Shilling Ale | 5.3% | An irresistibly smooth and delicious medium-bodied amber ale. |
Odell | Cutthroat Porter | 4.8% | Inspired by the London porters this beer has a deep, rich colour and flavour that hints at chocolate and coffee. |
Odell | Double Pilsner | 8.1% | Double Pilsner is a tribute to the pilsner style, heavily hopped but balanced with malt. |
Odell | Myrcenary Double IPA | 9.3% | Brewed with a blend of hops containing the highest levels of Myrcene, this double IPA prevails with a tropical fruit-like flavour, a pungent floral aroma, and a clean getaway. |
Odell | St Lupulin Extra Pale Ale | 6.5% | This dry-hopped extra pale ale has a pleasing floral aroma and a clean, crisp finish. |
Old Dominion Brewing Company | Oak Barrel Stout | 6.1% | "Smoked and peated malts create an intricate malt foundation. ""Dry hopping"" with vanilla beans and oak chips pushes the depth of this stout’s flavour spectrum even further." |
Rogue | Brutal IPA | 6.0% | An imperial bitter style using exotic traditional floor malts, citrus hoppy flavour, stupendous hop aroma. Full-bodied, deeply flavoured, intensely hoppy brew. There is nothing brutal about the rich, deep, mellow taste. Its crackling but not sharp… |
Rogue | Hazelnut Brown Nectar | 6.0% | Dark brown in colour with a hazelnut aroma, a rich nutty flavour and a smooth malty finish. |
Rogue | Juniper Pale Ale | 5.2% | A pale ale, saffron in colour with a smooth malt balance, floral aroma with a dry spicy finish from whole juniper berries. |
Rogue | Morimoto Soba Ale | 4.8% | The delicate flavour of roasted soba brings a nutty finish to this light and refreshing ale. |
Rogue | Shakespeare Stout | 5.5% | Ebony in colour, with roasted nut and earthy hop aromas on the nose. It has a medium body of chocolate, citrus peels, spice and nut flavours. This finish is of dark chocolate. |
Shipyard | Bluefin Stout | 5.0% | A classic Irish stout with a deep, almost black body and a creamy white head that is always pleasing to drink. |
Shipyard | Chamberlain Pale Ale | 5.0% | This is a classic, English-style pale ale with a golden copper colour. It is dry and crisp upfront with an aromatic, hoppy finish. |
Shipyard | Double Old Thumper | 11.2% | Double Old Thumper has a brilliant deep copper hue and spicy hop aroma with a complex malty finish featuring a dry Simcoe Hop bite. |
Shipyard | Imperial Porter | 7.1% | Imperial Porter is a full-bodied, very dark, malty beer with a good roasted character coming from the Crystal, Chocolate and Black Patent Malts used in the mash. Warrior, English Fuggles, and East Kent Goldings Hops balance the malts with a good hop bite. |
Shipyard | XXXX IPA | 9.3% | A non-traditional American IPA with a brilliant copper colour and the classic citrus nose of Cascade hops. This beer demonstrates a unique balance of malt-inspired, delicate red grapefruit sweetness and lingering hop dryness. |
Sierra Nevada | 30th Anniversary Brewers Reserve | 9.2% | A marriage of oak-aged Bigfoot, Celebration Ale, and fresh Pale Ale blended together and generously dry-hopped. |
Sierra Nevada | Bigfoot | 9.6% | An award-winning barley wine beer with a dense, floral bouquet, an extremely rich, intense palate and a deep reddish-brown colour. This ale is superbly balanced between an almost overpowering maltiness and a wonderful bittersweet hoppiness. |
Sierra Nevada | Glissade Golden Bock | 6.4% | With restrained sweetness, subtle malt flavour, balanced against delicate aromas of spicy and floral European hops. This complex balance helps Glissade slide across the palate. |
Sierra Nevada | Kellerweis | 4.8% | The nose is full of orange and other citrus fruits. The body is nicely balanced with a hint of malt and a bunch of alcohol, and perhaps a hint of honey. The beer lingers nicely with beautiful hop dryness. |
Sierra Nevada | Pale Ale | 5.6% | This beer has a deep amber colour and an exceptionally full-bodied, complex character. Generous quantities of hops give the Pale Ale its fragrant bouquet and spicy flavour. |
Sierra Nevada | Porter | 5.6% | Dark and rich, Sierra Nevada Porter is a delicious, medium-bodied ale with a creamy head. The Porter's smooth flavour (malty with hints of caramel) comes from a blend of deep-roasted barley malts. IBUs: 40 |
Sierra Nevada | Southern Hemisphere Harvest | 6.7% | Using freshly-picked hops from New Zealand, this beer has a robust hop character with an intriguing floral-citrus aroma leading to layers of fresh-hop spiciness. |
Sierra Nevada | Stout | 5.8% | Creamy, malty, and full-bodied, the Sierra Nevada Stout is satisfyingly rich. Caramel and Black malts give the Stout its deep, dark colour and pronounced roasted flavour. |
Sierra Nevada | Summerfest | 5.0% | Summerfest is a refreshing, pilsner-style lager. Its incredible smoothness comes from an extra-long lagering period. Lighter in body than an ale but just as complex in character, Summerfest quenches your thirst with big aroma and a tangy hop bite. |
Sierra Nevada | Torpedo Extra IPA | 7.2% | This is a big American IPA, bold and assertive and full of flavours and aromas highlighting the complex citrus, pine and herbal character of whole-cone American hops. |
Smuttynose | Big A IPA | 9.3% | The nose is full of orange and other citrus fruits. The body is nicely balanced with a hint of malt and a bunch of alcohol, and perhaps a hint of honey. The beer lingers nicely with beautiful hop dryness. |
Smuttynose | Old Brown Dog | 5.7% | "Dry-hopped with Crystal especially for GBBF. Old Brown Dog has been cited as a classic example of the ""American Brown Ale"" style of beer. Compared to a typical English Brown Ale, Old Brown Dog is fuller-bodied and more strongly hopped." |
Smuttynose | Robust Porter | 5.8% | Full-bodied and malty with undertones of coffee and chocolate and a bright, hoppy finish. |
Smuttynose | Shoals Pale Ale | 5.0% | Copper-coloured, medium-bodied and highly hopped. Its flavour is delightfully complex: tangy fruit at the start, with an assertive hop crispness and a long malty palate that one well-known beer writer has compared to the flavour of freshly-baked bread. |
Southern Tier | Pale Ale | 6.0% | Aggressively hopped with immense overtones of grapefruit and tangerine wrapped in a delicately refined body of pale barley and wheat. |
Southern Tier | Unearthly Imperial IPA | 9.8% | Unearthly is a manifestation of the brewer's art. Smell the enchanting aromas of the hops waft forward as you take your first sip. |
Stone | Arrogant Bastard Ale | 7.2% | "This is an aggressive beer. You probably won't like it. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth. ""You are not worthy""." |
Stone | Levitation Ale | 4.4% | This modest alcohol deep Amber Ale has a deep malt profile and big hop overtones showing off big citrus flavours. Dry-hopped with Amarillo hops. |
Stone | Smoked Porter | 5.9% | Stone Smoked Porter aged with American Oak that provide a strong vanilla and woody character. |
Stone | Stone IPA | 6.9% | A medium-bodied refreshing ale with a light-medium malt character and a heavy dose of over-the-top hops. Two full weeks of dry-hopping give this beer an abundant hop aroma and crisp hop flavour. |
The Bruery | Mischief | 8.5% | Belgian-style ale, golden and hoppy. Not quite evil, yet not to be trusted, this Golden Ale is effervescent, dry, hoppy and crisp-you’ll want to keep an eye out. |
The Bruery | Rugbrød | 8.0% | Brewed with three types of rye malt, this robust brown ale showcases the earthy, spicy character of the grain, complemented by bready, nutty barley malts and a hint of roast. |
The Bruery | Saison de Lente | 6.5% | Light blonde in colour with a fresh hoppiness and a wild and rustic Brettanomyces character. Lighter in colour and alcohol than Saison Rue, yet equally complex in its own way. |
The Bruery | Saison Rue | 8.5% | Belgian Style Ale brewed with rye and brettanomyces. A rustic, deep golden California farmhouse ale. |
Victory | Hop Wallop Double IPA | 8.5% | This vivid, lively pale ale celebrates the hop harvest with loads of aromatic splendour and bitter beauty draped over a lean malt body. |
Victory | Hopdevil | 6.7% | Bold, spicy and menacingly delicious, this American-hopped India Pale Ale offers an aromatic punch, and then follows through with a lasting full-bodied finish. |
Victory | Storm King Stout | 9.1% | With a huge Pacific Northwest hop aroma and character upfront, Storm King subsides into a massive, roast malt complexity. More flavour than mere words can adequately describe. Rich and substantial, it will warm your heart. |
Australian Beers:
Brewery | Beer | ABV | Description |
Cooper's | Original Pale Ale | 4.5% | "This beer has a fruity character and robust flavour. Naturally fermented in the ""Burton-on-Trent"" style, a secondary fermentation creates the trademark sediment that gives 'Pale' its fine cloudy appearance. The nose has peppery hops, oranges and peaches. On the palate tangy fruit and spicy hops dominate and the finish comes through with hop bitterness and tart fruit." |
Cooper's | Sparking Ale | 5.8% | With its famous cloudy sediment and its distinctive balance of malt, hops and fruity characters, the old 'Red Label' is a tasty slice of Cooper's history. |
Cooper's | Vintage Ale | 7.5% | This strong ale imparts full rich flavours that are suitable for maturation. Brewed with choice malts and extended top fermentation this is a beer suitable for aging up to 18 months. |
Little Creatures | Pale Ale | 5.2% | Little Creatures is a pale ale made for those who want real flavour, yet still want a beer that displays great balance of flavour and refreshment. It has lovely fresh floral hop aromas which are joined by a mouth-filling explosion of clean full rich malts and citrus hop flavours on the palate to balance the firm bitter finish. A very complex yet highly drinkable beer. |
Murray's Craft Brewing | Heart of Darkness | 9.6% | An imperial Stout in style but with a stronger accent on chocolate malt over the roast barley, some rummy, port notes, and underpinning it all, some classic Belgian esters and very light phenolics from the yeast. |
Murray's Craft Brewing | Icon 2IPA | 7.5% | Extensive hopping creates intense citrus, passionfruit and peppery characters in the flavour and aroma balanced by sweet biscuity malt, which finishes with full bodied, rich and with a rounded bitterness. |
Murray's Craft Brewing | Nirvana Pale Ale | 4.5% | Nirvana Pale Ale is a hybrid of an American Pale Ale combined with the classic English Pale Ale style to produce a New World Pale Ale. A brilliant golden colour, it has a fresh citrusy/spicy aroma and flavour, balanced with biscuity/toffee flavours from the malt and finishes full-bodied with a complex character and bitterness. |
Murray's Craft Brewing | Punch and Judy's | 3.9% | Strong British malt flavour with the rich, nutty caramel flavour of the dark crystal malt is balanced by the strong hop flavour and aroma of the NZ Riwaka and Motueka hops. At 3.9% it results in a great, full-flavoured, hoppy session ale. |
Murray's Craft Brewing | Spartacus Imperial IPA | 10.0% | too many hop additions to count, aromas of tropical fruit and pine. More citrus in the flavour which is balanced by a sweet maltiness and then the warming alcohol comes through. |
Murray's Craft Brewing | Wild Thing Imperial Stout | 10.0% | Impossible to see through even when held up to the light. Aromas of strong, dark chocolate, a little fruitiness from the hops and yeast and some rum notes from the alcohol. The flavour is an intense hit of mocha – bitter, dark chocolate bordering on coffee. Some malt sweetness but an aggressive hop bitterness and roast grain bite to balance. |
Danish Beers:
Brewery | Beer | ABV | Description |
Amager | Hr. Fredriksen | 10.5% | 8 different types of malts were used, and it is the dark and heavily roasted ones that give the beer its colour and almost extreme full body. The bitterness is also delivered by the heavily roasted malts backed up by the American Centennial hops. This is an experience which should be enjoyed slowly, but in return will last all night warming you with its alcohol and challenging charm. |
Amager | Rugporter | 8.5% | With a rye content of 16% it gives this beer a fantastic sweet flavour with a titillating spicy edge, which, combined with a discreet and balancing acidity, is not surprisingly reminiscent of rye bread. |
Evil Twin | Yang | 10.0% | Here is one half of a 'Black and Tan beer. Not any Black and Tan, but where a pompous, thick bastard and a laid-back, hoppy guy meet and the perfect beer-balance occurs. Mix with Yin Yang, or enjoy this evil Imperial IPA solo. |
Evil Twin | Yin | 10.0% | Here is one half of a 'Black and Tan beer. Not any Black and Tan, but where a pompous, thick bastard and a laid-back, hoppy guy meet and the perfect beer-balance occurs. Mix with Yin Yang, or enjoy this evil Imperial Stout solo. |
Mikkeller | Big Worse | 12.0% | The nose is malty with a lot of alcohol. The flavour is more of the same but with herbal no9tes from the hops. |
Mikkeller | Big Worst Barrel Aged Bourbon Edition | 19.2% | Lots of bourbon on the nose and also vanilla and toffee with a slight sour, woody note. Very complex flavour including, caramel, vanilla, bourbon, cherries, with a smooth finish. |
Mikkeller | Black (Islay Edition) | 17.5% | Aged for 4 months in Islay whisky barrels. Plenty of peat and smoke on the nose. On the palate lots of dark chocolate and a hint of whisky and quite sweet. A very intense beer. |
Mikkeller | Black Extra Strong (Whisky Edition) | 17.5% | The strongest beer in Scandinavia. This imperial stout is the craziest, wildest, strongest beer from Mikkeller to this date. Not for sissies.......! Sample it fresh or store it for many many years to come! |
Mikkeller | Black Hole | 13.1% | Daring, vulgar and extreme, this warming, intense imperial stout has a high bitterness from the hops and a sweetness from the malt and alcohol, creates a good balance which makes Black Hole an explosion of nuances, but also leaves a feeling of a perfect and complex beer – in the heavyweight category. |
Mikkeller | Cream Ale / Revelation Cat | 5.0% | Inspired by pre-prohibition America, this beer has an aroma of caramel and vanilla, the taste is lightly sweet with a nice crisp hoppiness. Refreshing. |
Mikkeller | Drikkeriget GIPA | 6.6% | Yeasty, citrusy aroma. Medium-bodied with a light, dry hoppiness. |
Mikkeller | Funky E-Ster | 9.39% | Fruity, spicy aroma. Slightly funky taste with a bready sweetness. |
Mikkeller | George (Bourbon Edition) | 11.1% | Aroma of dark chocolate, bourbon and vanilla. Flavour is roasted malt with bitter chocolate and a long, bourbon finish. |
Mikkeller | Not Just Another Wit | 7.6% | A hybrid, IPA and witbier? Lots of citrusy fruits on the nose with more of the same in the taste along with notes of cloves and coriander. |
Mikkeller | Santa's Little Helper 2009 | 10.9% | Sweet aroma with hints of chocolate, nutmeg and other spices. Flavour is malty with more chocolate, cinnamon and tar. |
Mikkeller | Spontanframboos | 7.7% | A funky, fruity aroma predominantly raspberries. Tart, with more raspberries, citrus and woody notes. Very refreshing. |
Mikkeller | Spontankriek | 7.7% | Aroma is sweet with cherries and yeasty notes. Sour with a light, cherry flavour and woody hints. |
Mikkeller | The American Dream | 4.6% | A pilsener style beer hopped like an IPA. A herbal, hoppy aroma, a nice refreshing beer. |
Mikkeller | USAlive! | 8.0% | The aroma is grapefruity and piney hops. Sweet maltiness is well balanced by citrusy hops on the palate. |
Japanese Beers:
Brewery | Beer | ABV | Description |
Baird | Angry Boy Brown Ale | 6.2% | Fleeting malty sweetness and warmth hide complexity, a barely controlled bitterness, and, naturally, a bit of an angry edge. |
Baird | Kurofune Porter | 6.0% | This classic dark English ale is flinty, oily and wonderfully smooth. It is teasingly acrid with notes of bitter chocolate and coffee. The inclination is to resist; the result is acquiescence and embrace. |
Baird | Rising Sun Pale Ale | 5.1% | In the American west-coast style. It sports a beautiful, soft, citrus hop aroma which gives way to a round, honeyed-fruit flavour. The finish is crisp and refreshing. |
Baird | Suruga Bay Imperial IPA | 7.5% | This beer has a dryness of character and a powerful hop aroma through dry-hopping twice. Notes of grapefruit, pineapple, oranges are balanced by a sweet maltiness. |
Baird | Teikoku IPA | 6.0% | This brew bursts with hop character while still achieving a sublime balance due to a firm, robust malt backbone. It is a cross between an English-style and American-style India Pale Ale that is full-bodied and refreshing all at once. |
Hitachino Nest | Espresso Stout | 7.5% | Caramel, roasted, black and chocolate malts provide an explosion of coffee like flavours. The strong espresso character comes from the addition of espresso beans to the boil. Notes of vanilla, dark fruit, cocoa and chocolate. Aromas of chocolate, roasted bitterness, blackcurrants and dark fruits. |
Hitachino Nest | Japanese Classic Ale | 7.5% | Brewed following the original India Pale Ale brought to Japan in the 19th century . It is slowly matured in Cedar casks which are commonly used in the brewing of traditional Japanese sake. |
Hitachino Nest | Nipponia | 6.5% | "Brewed using two Japanese original materials; ""Kaneko Golden,"" the Japanese ancient barley, and ""Sorachi Ace,"" the hop which once was bred in Japan. Enjoy the citrus flavour, golden colour and the complex taste." |
Hitachino Nest | Red Rice Ale | 7.0% | Brewed with special red rice which had been cultured in ancient times in Japan. Please enjoy the complex taste and beautiful natural colour. |
Hitachino Nest | White Ale | 5.5% | Hitachino Nest White Ale is brewed in the tradition of a Belgian style white beer with coriander, nutmeg, orange peel and orange juice. |
New Zealand Beers:
Brewery | Beer | ABV | Description |
8 Wired | Rewired Brown Ale | 5.7% | Malty aromas with hints of caramel and citrus hops. The flavour has a solid roasted malt backbone with hints of coffee. |
Epic | Mayhem | 6.2% | This beer’s fresh earthy aromas and rich flavours taste like they have more in common with darker beers than this golden coloured brew. It’s big on green fresh hoppy flavours with an interesting bitter twist at the very finish stretching out the taste to a lingering conclusion. |
Epic | Thornbridge Stout | 6.8% | Smooth, voluptuous, rich and dark, brewed with 8 different malts this is a silky, decadent yet hoppy stout. |
Mike's Organic Brewery | Organic Ale | 4.0% | A full-strength mild which is less bitter on the palate than fully hopped beers, with malt and barley tones dominating the flavour. |
Mike's Organic Brewery | Organic Double IPA | 9.0% | Inspired by the hoppy English pale ales but leaning toward the highly hopped American variety. The aroma is complex with tropical fruit including passion fruit, pineapple and melons all vying for attention. The flavour has sweet tropical fruits balanced out by the strong biscuity malt flavour and absolutely intense hop bitterness. The very full mouth feel and glowing warm aftertaste serve to further keep the hop bitterness in check. |
Mike's Organic Brewery | Organic Lager | 4.8% | A crisp beer with citrus undertones, a full malt character and a dry, crisp taste. |
Mike's Organic Brewery | Organic Pilsner | 5.0% | This beer is bursting with fresh zesty aroma, the New Zealand aromatic hops are proudly presented in their full glory. The crisp bitter flavour is complimented by a full malt body and rounded mouth-feel. |
Renaissance | Discovery American Pale Ale | 4.5% | Brewed using native Cascade and Willamette hops this beer displays honeyed characteristics and the subtle hop flavours lead to a slightly sweet finish on the palate. |
Renaissance | Elemental Porter | 6.0% | A classic English Porter. It is a medium-bodied beer with chocolate and roasted notes. Extremely well balanced and hopped with a native hop variety. |
Renaissance | Perfection Pale Ale | 5.0% | With an aromatic hoppy nose, creamy, biscuity, and toffee followed by 45 IBU’s don’t miss this one. |
Renaissance | Stonecutter Scotch Ale | 7.0% | 9 malts are blended together to produce layers of caramel, toffee, liquorice, chocolate and roasty flavours. These are balanced by a tart, raisiny frutiness that gives way to a lingering dry finish. |
Norwegian Beers:
Brewery | Beer | ABV | Description |
Haandbryggeriet | Bestefar | 9.0% | Complex aroma with coffee, cocoa, chocolate. Bittersweet flavour with roasted malts, dark fruits and toffee. |
Haandbryggeriet | Norwegian Wood | 6.5% | A woody and smoky aroma dominate this beer. On the palate it has a bold bitterness and hints of juniper berries. |
The following beers have all been supplied courtesy of the International Beer Challenge. They are all extremely rare beers and are in very limited quantities.
International Beer Challenge Beers:
Country | Brewery | Beer | ABV |
Australia | Bridge Road Brewers | Beechworth Pale Ale | 4.8% |
Australia | Bridge Road Brewers | Bling India Pale Ale | 5.8% |
Australia | Bridge Road Brewers | Robust Porter | 5.2% |
Australia | Degrees Brewery | Dubbel | 6.1% |
Australia | Degrees Brewery | Rauchbier | 5.2% |
Australia | Endeavour | 2010 Reserve Amber Ale | 5.2% |
Australia | Endeavour | 2010 Reserve Pale Ale | 4.5% |
Australia | Hawthorn Brewing Co | Amber Ale | 4.7% |
Australia | Hawthorn Brewing Co | Pilsner | 4.6% |
Australia | Hawthorn Brewing Co | Premium Pale Ale | 4.7% |
Australia | Mclaren Vale | Vale Ale | 4.5% |
Australia | Mclaren Vale | Vale Dry | 4.5% |
Australia | Mountain Goat | Australian Pale Ale | 6.2% |
Australia | Mountain Goat | Double Hightail | 6.8% |
Australia | Mountain Goat | Surefoot Stout | 4.9% |
Australia | Nail Brewing | Clout Stout 2011 | 10.6% |
Australia | Nail Brewing | Nail Brown Ale | 4.4% |
Australia | Redoak | Redoak Baltic Porter | 8.7% |
Australia | Redoak | Redoak Bitter | 3.5% |
Australia | Redoak | Redoak Framboise Froment | 5.0% |
Australia | Redoak | Redoak Oktoberfest Lager | 5.8% |
Australia | Redoak | Redoak Porter | 5.0% |
Australia | Redoak | Redoak Special Strong Bitter | 5.6% |
Chile | Kross | (Curaca) Abbey Ale | 7.5% |
Chile | Kross | Golden Ale | 5.0% |
Chile | Kross | Kross 5 | 7.2% |
Chile | Kross | Kross Lupulus | 5.5% |
Chile | Kross | Kross Maibock | 6.5% |
Chile | Kross | Kross Pilsner | 4.9% |
Chile | Kross | Kross Stout | 5.2% |
Greece | Septem | Septem Friday Pale Ale | 4.7% |
Greece | Septem | Septem Mondays Pilsner | 5.0% |
Greece | Septem | Septem Sundays Honey Golden Ale | 6.5% |
Italy | Amarcord | Riserva Speciale | 9.5% |
Italy | Doppio Malto | Bitterland | 5.0% |
Italy | Doppio Malto | Brass Weiss | 4.5% |
Italy | Doppio Malto | Mahogany IPA | 6.0% |
Italy | Doppio Malto | Oak Pils | 4.8% |
Italy | Doppio Malto | Old Jack | 6.3% |
Italy | Doppio Malto | Rust Ale | 5.5% |
Italy | Doppio Malto | Stone Ale | 6.5% |
Italy | Doppio Malto | Zingibeer | 4.6% |
Italy | Ducato | Bia Bitter Ale | 4.2% |
Italy | Ducato | Bia Golden Ale | 4.5% |
Italy | Ducato | Bia IPA | 6.5% |
Italy | Ducato | Bia Oatmeal Stout | 4.5% |
Italy | Ducato | Sally Brown Caffè Baracco | 5.2% |
Italy | Ducato | Via Emilia | 5.0% |
Italy | Statalenove | Kristal | 3.5% |
Italy | Statalenove | Miss Kartola | 5.5% |
Italy | Statalenove | Ponente | 6.0% |
Italy | Tenute Collesi | Ambrata Fiat Lux | 7.5% |
Italy | Tenute Collesi | Bionda Alter | 6.0% |
Italy | Tenute Collesi | Bionda Ego | 6.0% |
Italy | Tenute Collesi | Imperiale Nera Maior | 8.0% |
Italy | Tenute Collesi | Ubi Rossa | 8.0% |
Italy | Turbacci | Black | 6.5% |
Italy | Turbacci | Quinn | 4.8% |
Italy | Turbacci | Strong Ale | 8.8% |
Italy | Turbacci | Super | 7.5% |
Italy | Valscura | Fich | 8.0% |
Italy | Valscura | Matrimoni Ale | 7.5% |
New Zealand | McCashin Family Brewery | Stoke Amber | 4.5% |
New Zealand | McCashin Family Brewery | Stoke Dark | 4.5% |
New Zealand | McCashin Family Brewery | Stoke Gold | 4.5% |
Singapore | Archipelago | Belgian Wit | 4.7% |
Singapore | Archipelago | Bohemian Lager | 4.8% |
Singapore | Archipelago | Hickory Smoked IPA | 5.6% |
Singapore | Archipelago | Irish Ale | 5.0% |
Singapore | Archipelago | Summer Ale | 4.5% |
Singapore | Asia Pacific Breweries | ABC Extra | 7.0% |
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