Monday 17 December 2012

As last year looking at my Golden Half pints blog it was clear that I love Big Dark Beers. Ok this is 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.  In  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 while good just dont WOW me, in the same way. Where there is no winner, that is because no beers meeting that criteria didnt make it into my Ratebeer top 100 of the year.

Best UK draught (Cask or Keg) beer(stout):
Winner:  Tinpot Game Spice Stout  
Runner Up: Adkin Alfred’s Jaypee’s Stout

Best UK draught (Cask or Keg) beer(other):
Winner:  Thornbridge Wye
Runner Up: Magic Rock High Wire NZ

Best UK bottle or canned beer (stout)
Winner:
Buxton Dark Nights 

Best UK bottle or canned beer (other)
Winner: No winner This year

 
Best Overseas bottle or canned beer
Winner:
Crombe Oud Kriekenbier


Best Overseas Draught beer
Winner:
No winner this year


Best Overall beer
Winner: 
Tinpot Game Spice Stout  

The Most interesting thing about this years results is to find a sour beer in my lists as i really am not a Lambic fan, but some of the Flemish red styles are nice and the Crombe was a stunner.

How ever this year brought about the nicest thing to ever pass my lips. Its not a beer (though it is on Ratebeer) hence does not feature in this post or my main post, So what is it i hear you ask... dont I,  i could have sworn i heard you ask. Oh well im going to tell you anyway, its an ice cider La Face Cachée de la Pomme Neige Recolte D’Hiver to be precise. It truely was stunning, very sweet but ive always been partial to the sweet end of beer. Never have i come closer to taste bud heaven. Now dont get me wrong i still love beer, and i could not drink ice cider all the time (especially given the price) but if your gonna offer me a beer or that ice cider chances are the beers not got a look in.
 

Thursday 13 December 2012

Golden Half Pints 2002

Still to come is my Bitters for 2012 but a Tweet from @BoakandBailey  made me think what would my Golden pints look like 10 years ago. So this is all very airy fairy based on roughly what my memory is saying i loved

Best UK draught (Cask or Keg) beer:
Winner:  Cairngorm Witches Cauldron

Best UK bottle or canned beer
Joint Winner:
Manns Brown Ale    
 
Best Overseas bottle or canned beer
Winner:
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Best Overseas Draught beer
Winner: I doubt id tried anything, id get excited by


Best Overall beer
Winner: 
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Best UK brewery
Winner: Badger

Best Overseas Brewery
Winner: On the Strength of Black Chocolate, it would be Brooklyn
 
Pub/Bar of the Year
Winner: This is Tricky, i suspect it might be the Bow Bar, but maybe Holmes Bar in Leith

Beer Festival of the Year
Winner: I probably only knew Medowbank in Edinburgh


 


Best beer twitterer
Winner: Whats Twitter


In 2003, I'd most not have any beer aims as i wasnt as beer driven. But im most likly want to bo back diving in Micronesia

Monday 10 December 2012

Golden Half Pints 2012

For sheer simplicity im gonna go with last years  format. 
So for each catagory im going to give this years answer and my Overall choice in brackets, noting if this has changed.

Best UK draught (Cask or Keg) beer:
Winner:  Magic Rock Bourbon Barrel Bearded Lady  (Highland Orkney Porter)
Runner Up: joint Thornbridge Bracia (Pedro Ximénez Aged)    (Magic Rock Bourbon Barrel Bearded Lady NEW)

Best UK bottle or canned beer
Joint Winner: Tempest Double Cresta Stout  and
Buxton Imperial Black IPA  (Old Chimneys Good King Henry Special Reserve)
Runner Up: (Old Chimneys Good King Henry )
 
Best Overseas bottle or canned beer
Winner:
Cigar City Campeador - Greaves  (Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout )
Runner Up: 
Evil Twin Even More Jesus  (Struise Pannepot)

Best Overseas Draught beer
Winner:
Fanø Chocolate Lava   (Mikkeller X Imperial Stout Calvados Barrel Aged)
Runner Up:
De Molen Bommen & Granaten Cascade BA   (De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis 666)

Best Overall beer
Winner:  
Fanø Chocolate Lava (Old Chimneys Good King Henry Special Reserve)
Runner Up:
Magic Rock Bourbon Barrel Bearded Lady  (Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout )


Best UK brewery (based on new beers this year)
Winner: Highland (Hawkshead)
Runner Up: MagicRock (Tempest)

Best Overseas Brewery (based on new beers this year)
Winner: De Struise ( Cigar City)
Runner Up: Cigar City (Fano)

 

Pub/Bar of the Year
Winner: Cloisters (Edinburgh)
Runner Up: Hawkshead Brewery tap

Beer Festival of the Year
Winner: De Molen
Joint Runner Up: Brodies Bunny Bash and Egham


 

Supermarket of the Year
Winner :Waitrose
Runner Up: Booths

Best beer twitterer
Winner: Simon Johnson


In 2013 I'd most like to find time to Brew at Brodies (sadly chances are low)


Oddly once again i see a theme. Theyre mostly all Black and theyre all big beers, who would have guessed that :-) 

So like last year i will follow this up with a Golden Half pints of the lower abv beers

Thursday 23 August 2012

Brewdog Thank Their Shareholders

Now i've always had a love/hate relationship with the Bad Boys of Scottish brewing, They make some cracking beers, and they fair helped speed up the opening up of the wider beer market, But they have often gone too far in some of there marketing and i down right loathed their attitude to Cask beer (My preferred dispense method)

But never before have they shown such disdain to there biggest fans than with the Sale of the Limited Edition BA Tokyos.


As always this was offered first to their shareholders. You know those people who invested in the Company. It was explained that it was an expensive beer and very limited so it would cost a lot. In fact £24 pound a bottle.

Now thats a lot of money for a 330ml bottle, and as many say you can choose not to buy it. I However  choose otherwise and did indeed buy them, and you know what it turns out that i bought them at the 'Special' price of £24. Because they have been seen in shops for way less than this, rumour has it as low as £14 and  given that the shops will be making there own profit as well Brewdog must have been selling this for considerably lower.

Turns out Shareholders are now being rewarded for their contribution to the Company by being offered Beer at a higher price than can be picked up in some shops. Thanks for that Brewdog. Its nice to know you valued our contribution,



Update 24-08-2012 : Brewdog said today "This was a simple admin error. We invoiced trade customers at wrong price by mistake."  Well thats as maybe be but im still pissed. Shareholders still ended up paying well over the price other had the chance to purchase at.

Friday 3 August 2012

Dont let me talk too much

but the temptation is definitly there to witter on about Witterfest.

Ryan Witter-Merithew  is an underknown American Brewer currently operating out of Denmark, He brews for Fano, but also under the brewery name Grassroot, but on top of all this he is trusted to brew for both Mikkeller and Evil Twin.

However one person who know the calibre of Ryans brewing is James of Brodies fame, and while i dont know how the event came about, it has come to pass that Brodies is hosting Witterfest. A showcase of Ryans beers on Cask and Keg. Now this could not be being held in a better place, and any one who does not know my LOVE of Brodies should go read this, and this could not be happening at a better time as Ryan has just announced that he is upping sticks and moving to London.

The event is Scheduled for Sunday the 19th of August. Start time i think is 11am (though pub usually opens at 12. So any one turning up early should confirm this)


The beer list is looking good (and Ryan will be there to talk to anyone not too smelly) and should be as below, subject to the normal conditions.

Fanø Oyster Stout - 3.7% - Dry Stout brewed with fresh harvested oysters

Fanø/Tired - Hands Tuff Ghost - 8% - American Wild ale aged 10 months in Brunello Red wine barrels with 3 different strains of Brett.

Fanø - Havgus 2.7% - Session strength IPA

Fanø/Hoppin Frog - Natasha Rocks Denmark - 7.5% - Hoppy American Stout

Fanø Dr.Owl - 3.7% - Grisette

Fanø/Cabinet Artisanal brewhouse - Bitter Amendment - 4.5% - Saison with Brett inspired by English Bitter

Fanø Batch 300 Imperial X-mas porter - 10% - Imperial Porter with Coffee, Vanilla, Cinnamon, and oak chips

Fanø - Gorm - 10% - Imperial Milk Stout with 3 different types of Chocolate. Nibs, Powder, Dark Chocolate Chunks, and Vanilla.

Fanø - Chocolate Lava - 10% - Imperial Chocolate Stout with Chilies - CASK

Fanø/Mikkeller/Stillwater - Barrel-aged Gypsy Tears - 8.5% - Stout fermented 100% with brett and aged 6 months in Brunello Barrels

Stillwater - Premium 45 - 8.5% - Belgian Malt Liquor. 50% Corn and Massive dry hops of Galaxy, Citra, Kohatu

Stillwater/Mikkeller Rauchstar - 10.8% - Imperial Smoked Red ale

Cigar City - R&B Smokeout Stout - 7.35% - Lightly Smoked Stout

Grassroots - Keep on cruising buddy - 3.2% - Berliner Weiss

Evil Twin - Sønderho Hipter ale - 5.7% - Pale ale aged in white wine barrels with Brett for 5 months and Dry hopped with Cascade

Evil Twin - Molotov Cocktail - 13% Triple IPA

Fanø/Brodies - Old Dog, New Tricks - 4% - Collab super hoppy Session ale.

Mikkeller -Cù’t Cà Phê Bia Brodies Edition - 11% Imperial Stout with Coffee, Coconut, Vanilla. CASK


I do hope i see you there, but as i need to rush off about 2pm to get the Kids home(as they have school the next day), dont expect me to say more that "hi" and "Yes i would like a beer. ive not tried .... yet"


Ps. I added the smelly proviso, not Ryan :-)

Tuesday 24 July 2012

BSF @ GBBF German and Czech Bar

Here the Last of the BSF beers (im afraid i only have the German info this year). I do hope you enjoy. But while your here, if youve not had a look at my Blog before why dont you have a look round. Here are 2 of what i think are my best entries.

A king amongst pubs
&
Its beer Jim but not as we know it


GERMAN DRAUGHT BEER
Andechser Vollbier
Andechser Weissbeir Dunkel
Andechser Weissbier Hell
Augustiner Hell
Braustelle Pink Panther
Braustelle Weizen Rauchbier Bock
Braustelle Amarillo Hop Weissbier


Braustelle Schwartz Bier & Amarillo Hop
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Eiche
Fruh Kolsch
Karg Weissbier
Keesman Herren Pils
Kneitinger Edel Pils
Kneitinger Export Dunkel
Tegernsee Hell
Trunk Export Dunkel
Lowenbrau Kellerbier
Schumacher Alt


GERMAN BOTTLED BEER
Andechser Weissbier Dunkel
Andechser Weissbier Hell
Andechser Vollbier Hell
Andechser Spezial
Andechser Dunkel
Andechser Bergbock Hell
Andechser Doppelbock Dunkel
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Eiche
Eittinger Fischer Weisse
Eittinger Dunkel
Kneitinger Pils
Kneitinger Dunkel Export
Kneitinger Bock Dunkel
Fruh Kolsch
Jever Pils
Goller Hefe Weizen
Goller Rauchbier
Goller Bockbier
Goller Weizenbock
Keesmann Herren Pils
Karg Weissbier Hell
Karg Weissbier Dunkel
Meister Vollbier
Wernecker Weisse
Schneider Weisse
Schneider Aventinus
Urige Alt

Monday 23 July 2012

BSF @ GBBF Bar B5

Here is the Bar i hope to be Working and if you look at my background image you may see a random connection.  So Boys and Girls i give you the beer list for USA and World Beers.


USA BOTTLED BEER
Alltechs Lexington Brewing Co Kentucky Ale
Alltechs Lexington Brewing Co Kentucky Light
Alltechs Lexington Brewing Co Bourbon Barrel Ale
Ballast Point Brewing Co Calico Amber Ale
Ballast Point Brewing Co Sculpin IPA
Ballast Point Brewing Co Black Marlin Porter
Boulevard Brewing Co Tank 7
Boulevard Brewing Co Double Wide IPA
Boulevard Brewing Co The Sixth Glass
Coastal Brewing Co Fordham Wisteria Wheat
Coastal Brewing Co Copperhead Ale
Coastal Brewing Co Tavern Ale
Deschutes Brewery Mirror Pond Pale Ale
Deschutes Brewery Black Butte Porter
Deschutes Brewery Inversion IPA
Dog Fish Head Craft Brewery 90 Minute IPA
Dog Fish Head Craft Brewery Festina Peche
Dog Fish Head Craft Brewery Palo Santo Marron
Epic Brewing Co Coppe Cone Pale Ale
Epic Brewing Co Hop Syndrome lager
Epic Brewing Co Hoppulent IPA
Firestone Walker Brewing Co Pale 31 California Pale Ale
Firestone Walker Brewing Co Union Jack IPA
Firestone Walker Brewing Co Double Jack DIPA
Flying Dog Brewery Snake Dog IPA
Flying Dog Brewery Doggie Style Classic Pale ale
Flying Dog Brewery Raging Bitch Belgian IPA
FX Matt Brewing Saranac White IPA
FX Matt Brewing Saranac Lemon/Ginger Saison
FX Matt Brewing Saranac Pale Ale
Goose Island Beer Co Matilda
Goose Island Beer Co 312 urban Wheat
Goose Island Beer Co IPA
Green Flash Brewing Co West Coast IPA
Green Flash Brewing Co Double Black Stout
Green Flash Brewing Co Hop Head Red IPA
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales Madrugada Obscura
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales Bam Noire
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales E.S. Bam
Left Hand Brewing Co Milk Stout
Left Hand Brewing Co Black Jack Porter
Left Hand Brewing Co 400 Pound Monkey
Kona Brewing Co Fire Rock Pale Ale
Kona Brewing Co Longboard Island Lager
Kona Brewing Co Wailua Wheat Ale
Lagunitas Brewing Co Lagunitas IPA
Lagunitas Brewing Co Little Sumpin' Sumpin
Lagunitas Brewing Co Lagunitas Pale ale
Lagunitas Brewing Co Lagunitas Pilsner
Odell Brewing Co Odell IPA
Odell Brewing Co 90 Shilling Ale
Odell Brewing Co St Lupulin Extra Pale Ale
Rogue Ales Hazlenut Brown
Rogue Ales Chatoe Rogue OREgasmic Ale
Rogue Ales Chatoe Rogue Dirtoir Black Lager
Shipyard Brewing Co Export Ale
Shipyard Brewing Co Pumpkinhead Ale
Shipyard Brewing Co Monkey Fist IPA
SKA Brewing Co Decadent Imperial IPA
SKA Brewing Co Buster Nut Brown Ale
SKA Brewing Co True Blonde Ale
Smuttynose Brewing Co 2010 Wheat Wine
Smuttynose Brewing Co Robust Porter
Smuttynose Brewing Co Finest kind IPA
Stone Brewing Co 2012 Stone Imperial russian Stout
Stone Brewing Co Stone IPA
Stone Brewing Co Arrogant Bastard ale
Uinta Brewing Co Wyld Organic Extra Pale ale
Uinta Brewing Co Baba Organic Black Lager
Victory Brewing Co Prima Pils
Victory Brewing Co Hop Devil
Victory Brewing Co Hop Wallop
Victory Brewing Co Golden Monkey
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co Torpedo
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co Summer lager
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co Southern Hemisphere
Odell Brewing Co Myrcenary
Odell/Thornbridge Pondhopper
Coronado Brewing Co Islander IPA
USA CASK BEER
10 Barrel Brewing ISA
Amnesia Brewing Desolation IPA
Baxter Stowaway IPA
Bridgeport Hop Czar
Cape Ann Brewing Not Your Ordinary Bitter
Cape Cod Beer Cape Cod Red
Chama River Brewing Jackalope IPA
Clown Shoes Hoppy Feet
Deschutes Enlightenment IPA
Deschutes Doc Watbrown
Fort George Nut Red Ale
Geary's Geary's Pale Ale
Grittys Maine's Best IPA
Haverhill Brewery Sassy Rabbit Rye Red
High & Mighty Beer Co. Beer of the Gods
Jack's Abbey Hoponius Union IPL
La Cumbre Brewing Pyramid Rock Pale Ale
Lagunitas Undercover Shutdown Ale 
Left Hand Brewing Sawtooth ESB
Left Hand Brewing Black Jack Porter
Lowell Beer Works Sour Red
Marble Brewing Marble Double IPA
Martha's Exchange The Farmer's Daughter
Mayflower Brewing Summer Rye
Mystic Old Powderhouse
Ninkasi Brewing Total Domination Imperial IPA
Notch Brewery Session Ale
Opa Opa Opa-Opa IPA
Oskar Blues and Brews Old Chub
Oskar Blues and Brews Deviant Dale's IPA
Portsmouth Brewing Oatmeal Stout
Redhook Cream Ale
Rising Tide Daymark American Pale Ale
Rogue Brutal IPA
Rogue "Nutless" Hazelnut Brown
Rogue American Amber
Run of the Mill Summer Bitter, Summer Not
Salmon Creek Brewpub Oatus the Red
Santa Fe Brewing Imperial Smoked Chocolate Stout
Sebago Fry's Leap IPA
Smuttynose Brewing  Old Brown Dog
Smuttynose Brewing  Finest Kind IPA
Stone Brewing Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale
Stone Brewing Pale Ale
Summit Brewing Extra Pale Ale
Summit Brewing Extra Stout Porter
Thomas Hooker Brewing Hop Meadow IPA
Tommyknockers Hop Strike Black Rye IPA
Tractor Brewing Barnstorm Ale
Turtle Mountain Brewing Arsenal Porter
Walking Man Walking Stick Stout
Watch City Breakfast of Champions
Willimantic Brewing Brown Ryed Girl


AUSTRALIAN BOTTLED BEER
Cooper Brewing Co Sparkling Ale
Cooper Brewing Co Pale Ale
Little Creatures Pale Ale


NORWEGIAN BOTTLED BEER
Lervig Lucky Jack IPA
Lervig Betty Brown
Lervig Hoppy Joe Red Ale
Lervig Konrad RIS
Lervig/Mikkeller Eye Eye PA


SRI LANKAN BOTTLED BEER
Lion Brewery  Lion Stout

Sunday 22 July 2012

BSF @GBBF The W1 Bar

Well as some of you may know i tend to work The BSF (Bieres Sans Frontieres) bar at GBBF each year and despite some reservations about the Olympic Chaos i decided to do so again this year. (All be it with little less hours) So i any one is there during trade day. Do say hi if you see me.

And just to get you all ready for the festival, here the list from one of the Bars W1 Belgian, Dutch and Italian.


BELGIAN BOTTLED BEER
De Dochter van de Korenaar  Noblesse Extra-Ordinaire 7.0% 
De Dolle Brouwers  Boskeun 10.0%
Ellezelloise  Saison 6.5%
Hofbrouwerijke  Blondelle 8.0%
Fantome  Saison 8.0%
De Graal  Tripel 9.0% 
Abbaye des Rocs  Blanche des Honnelles 6.0%
Caracole  Troublette 5.0%
Cantillon  Gueuze Bio 5.0% 
3 Fonteinen  Oude Geuze 6.0%
Girardin  Black Label Gueuze 5.0%
Hanssens  Oude Kriek 6.0%
Orval Orval
Rochefort Rochefort 10 11.3%
Dupont  Monk’s Stout 5.2%e 
Hofbrouwerijke Hofblues 5.5%
De Struise  Black Damnation 13.0%
Boelens  Bieken 8.5%
Boelens  Prinsesken 6.5%
Verhaeghe  Echte Krienenbier 6.8%
Girardin  Framboise 5.0%
De Ranke  Kriek 7.0%


BELGIAN DRAUGHT BEER
Girardin  Lambiek 5.0%
Cantillon  Lambic 2 Years Old 5.0%
Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek 5.0% 
De La Senne  Zinnebir 5.8%
De La Senne  Taras-Boulba 4.5%
Cazeau  Saison 5.0%
De Ranke  XX Bitter 6.2%
Des Geants Ducassis 3.0%
De Dochter van de Korenaar Belle-Fleur 


DUTCH BOTTLED BEER
Christoffel  Bier 6.0%
Klein Duimpje American Pale Ale 6.5%
Maallust Vienna 5.0%
Mommeriete  Blond 5.5%
De 7 Deugden  Spring + Tijm 6.0%
De 7 Deugden  Scherp + Zinning 5.0%
De 3 Horne Wit 7%
Gulpener  Korenwolf 5.0%
De 7 Deugden  Wijs + Neuzig 5.0%
De Molen  Hel&Verdoemenis on Wild Turkey Barrel 11.0%
Klein Duimpje  Xtreme Baltic Chocolate Coffee Mocha Porter 9.0% 
De 3 Horne Bananatana 7.0%
De 3 Horne Mangootje 7.0%
Sint Servattumus Kernsbier 6% 
Sint Servattumus  Appelke Vur D’n Dorst 6.0%


DUTCH DRAUGHT BEER
De Molen  Rye IPA (Bordeaux) Approx 6%
De Molen  Rasputin on Speyside 14% 
Emelisse  Barley Wine Jack Daniels 10.5%
Emelisse Espresso Stout 10.0%
Emelisse  Caol lla 11.0%
Emelisse  Ardberg 11.0%
Emelisse  Black IPA 10.0%
Emelisse  Imperial Russian Stout 11.0%
Emelisse  IRS Sorachi Ale 11.0%
Jopen  Mooie Nel IPA 6.5%
Jopen  Jacobus Rye Pale Ale 5.3%


ITALIAN BOTTLED BEER
Le Baladin Brewery  Isaac, 5% 
Le Baladin Brewery  Super, 8% 
Birra Del Borgo  Re Ale Extra, 
Birra Del Borgo  My Antonia, 7% 
Olmaia Brewery  Pvk 4.5% 
Olmaia Brewery  “La 5”, 5.5%
Birrificio Italiano  Tipopils, 5% 
Birrificio Italiano  Bibock’, 6.2% 
Montegioco Brewery  Demon Hunter, 8.5% 
Montegioco Brewery  Draco, 11% 
Barley Brewery  Tuvi Tuvi, 6.2% 
Barley Brewery  Toccadibo’ 8.4% 
Loverbeer  Madamin 5.7% 
Loverbeer  Beerbera 8% 
Brewfist Spaceman, 7% 
Brewfist Caterpillar, 5.8% 
Extraomnes Brewery  Blond, 4.4% 
Extraomnes Brewery  Tripel, 8.6% 
Amarcord Brewery  Ama Bionda, 6%