tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45309728413087215332024-03-13T05:43:13.038+00:00BeerVikingWriter, beer-lover, and former VikingBryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.comBlogger370125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-8710716348830760102023-10-05T22:49:00.006+01:002023-10-05T23:35:07.157+01:00Czech beer at a crossroads?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4JuQT3gp1pPEKnNATjpZbNkliM40G4z_KOJMjTAlpEYQAQxtWnSSsdP2INEIdX6IhIqCJqFbPA6hf-0uUytiyey3V83h6gSd7mv59SU_ZzUz-M808-W3TzhPOje5NzZaSzb6KHyos0Sw_XLXI0UzW9hk8jeJKRD3siKO1XjW-EXeUYXb9bM4S5wqyHQ/s3153/IMG_20230913_180630.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3153" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4JuQT3gp1pPEKnNATjpZbNkliM40G4z_KOJMjTAlpEYQAQxtWnSSsdP2INEIdX6IhIqCJqFbPA6hf-0uUytiyey3V83h6gSd7mv59SU_ZzUz-M808-W3TzhPOje5NzZaSzb6KHyos0Sw_XLXI0UzW9hk8jeJKRD3siKO1XjW-EXeUYXb9bM4S5wqyHQ/s320/IMG_20230913_180630.jpg" width="183" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.pivovarclock.cz/en" target="_blank">Clock</a>'s barrel-aging outpost <a href="https://www.fenetra.cz/en" target="_blank">Fenetra</a><br />has this Bretty sour cherry beer</td></tr></tbody></table>Most beer lovers who’ve tried a classic Czech lager rapidly become fans. So why is it that when brewers list the great brewing cultures that influenced them, it’s usually Belgium, Britain and Germany?<p>
I suspect the Iron Curtain played a part in this, as it was still very much in place when the beer writer Michael Jackson and others kicked off assorted craft beer revolutions in the 1970s and 80s. But even after that, how many beer lovers knew more than just Bohemian Pilsener* and maybe Czech dark lager, or Tmavý? </p><p>
Today, though, we can be spoilt for delicious choice. As well as those two, there’s Černé black lager and Polotmavý or “semi-dark” amber lager, sometimes a blend of light and dark but mainly now brewed ‘entire’ – as a single beer. There are strong beers too, both light and dark, reminiscent of strong lagers and Bavarian bocks. More recently some brewers have added Weizens, and of course there’s the ubiquitous Pale Ales, IPAs and even a few Sours. </p><p>
Most is still pale lager, however – Svetlý Ležák in Czech. Even here it can get significantly confusing though, because those two simple words – just like “Pale Ale” or “English Bitter” – embrace a huge diversity. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAsOdJqTmtWPY6W5-elQX0WoWbpflWixcAC8egKO-gNuHGh9TOQ0_LumaXiPW4b3z0GuI1oX-nYrZT0x8saE0pMxuDPIuIz5qYrjLawA-h3IpRbY4d-cNaP1BYgnVP_iVCjrd5AzfWYxB6x2_KI6_DwjX7W2AP7nWP1wGz5yaiHtfeqd31Fw309eyluQ/s4000/IMG_20230913_154208.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAsOdJqTmtWPY6W5-elQX0WoWbpflWixcAC8egKO-gNuHGh9TOQ0_LumaXiPW4b3z0GuI1oX-nYrZT0x8saE0pMxuDPIuIz5qYrjLawA-h3IpRbY4d-cNaP1BYgnVP_iVCjrd5AzfWYxB6x2_KI6_DwjX7W2AP7nWP1wGz5yaiHtfeqd31Fw309eyluQ/s320/IMG_20230913_154208.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Šlik: </span>11° but only 4.4%</td></tr></tbody></table>A percentage of error</h3><p>
</p>The terminology doesn’t help. In particular, Czech breweries normally describe their beers by their original gravity in degrees Plato, which measures the sweetness of the wort, or malt extract. The trouble is that this only tells part of the story, because quite apart from how hopping rates and processes will vary, fermentation may consume (or attenuate) more or less of the sugars in the malt, making the beer drier and stronger, or sweeter and less alcoholic. <p></p><p>
To make it doubly confusing, some use the % symbol for those degrees Plato, instead of °. For example, at the London embassy’s recent <b>Czech Beer Day</b> trade expo I encountered <a href="https://www.pivovarsvijany.cz/en/" target="_blank">Pivovar Svijany</a>, which was presenting not one but three pale lagers, all at 11%! However, differing levels of attenuation mean that these 11° beers were actually 4.4%, 4.6% and 4.8% ABV, and had noticeably different characters. </p><p>
As well as being sweeter, the 4.4% Šlik was less bitter, with a Eurolager-like character, while the other two differed in other ways. The 4.8% Svijanský Máz is their best-seller – 75% of their 600 khl production volume, I’m told – and a classic balanced Bohemian Pils, while the 4.6% ‘450’ (originally an anniversary special) is the most bitter and drying of the three but was also bready, reminiscent of a Munich Helles. </p><p>
Thankfully, this substantial but very traditional brewery – Svijany uses a double-mash and open fermenters, has its own hop-garden and doesn’t pasteurise its beers – also gives all its beers distinct names, as do most Czech brewers now. Which in turn brings up one of the biggest challenges for Czech brewers as they try to expand sales: differentiation. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7AZ4jaM-o-C3X1LvMXs1xjWBUz1k45exHaO-VcwfvUpzyYUZQ40RbJ6wScjNFLGdmx3Q5BrgeFYHqRSd9hsApi2QcL-I0Fpg-FczDHsBtXi6tjxBwEqBDLH8P4LrLpWrFOuPBJCRSaBdr_goaqx_0hrAjWmMT8tnJOTAImdFCoOq3Xb2OIio1IitgqQ/s2960/IMG_20230913_170732.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2960" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7AZ4jaM-o-C3X1LvMXs1xjWBUz1k45exHaO-VcwfvUpzyYUZQ40RbJ6wScjNFLGdmx3Q5BrgeFYHqRSd9hsApi2QcL-I0Fpg-FczDHsBtXi6tjxBwEqBDLH8P4LrLpWrFOuPBJCRSaBdr_goaqx_0hrAjWmMT8tnJOTAImdFCoOq3Xb2OIio1IitgqQ/s320/IMG_20230913_170732.jpg" width="195" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Rampušák semi-dark</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Fewer pubs, less beer</h3><p>
As in many countries, most of the breweries are relatively local. What’s a bit unusual is that, as <a href="https://primator.cz/en/" target="_blank">Primátor</a> sales director Romana Jansová explained, around half of the Czech market is now sewn up by Asahi’s Pilsner Urquell-led group, which also includes the Gambrinus, Kozel and Radegast brands. </p><p>
To make matters worse, she said that – as in many countries – people are drinking more at home and less outside. “A lot of pubs and village bars are closing,” she added. “The younger generation is drinking less beer and more non-alcoholic drinks.”</p><p></p><p>
So breweries like hers and the others at the trade expo are both pushing for exports and diversifying into non-alcoholics and new beer styles. I already knew that many modern Czech microbrewers produce hazy IPAs and the like, so I wasn’t too surprised to learn while walking around the embassy expo that <a href="https://www.pivovarrampusak.cz/" target="_blank">Rampušák</a> now does monthly specials alongside its flagship “12%” pale lager and its “13%” semi-dark, for example, and to taste intriguing oddities such as a 6.7% ABV Red Imperial Pils from <a href="https://www.pivovar-panaczech.cz/" target="_blank">Pivovar Panaczech</a>.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQGjcNao5JbvUGjczpF3oEaA70qg2iaZhsC4nIBtOs7yLVHBezdVKiqgQEiOBxpXwt2T6s_lAMZysLI1OQhMZkhfJS1Ba6gGButXKgc13isQHRRPOziUoeDvCK4DqFZH-9Eb4biwdrXVKoKflcB00MzQNeHyWdbfneB1-UkBA_wsDvhE7IjlX2x0B3v0/s2358/IMG_20230913_174152.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2358" data-original-width="1463" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQGjcNao5JbvUGjczpF3oEaA70qg2iaZhsC4nIBtOs7yLVHBezdVKiqgQEiOBxpXwt2T6s_lAMZysLI1OQhMZkhfJS1Ba6gGButXKgc13isQHRRPOziUoeDvCK4DqFZH-9Eb4biwdrXVKoKflcB00MzQNeHyWdbfneB1-UkBA_wsDvhE7IjlX2x0B3v0/s320/IMG_20230913_174152.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoppy Benedict</td></tr></tbody></table>Looking for innovation in lager </h3><p>
However, while several of the older Czech brewers have had a go at ales, it’s with varying degrees of success. They are lager brewers really, which may explain why some have also, or instead, picked up that curious hoppy hybrid, the India Pale Lager, or IPL. The first Czech IPL I tried, <a href="https://brevnovskypivovar.cz/en/" target="_blank">Břevnovský</a>’s rather excellent Nachmelený Benedict, or Hoppy Benedict, is explained as an 11° pale lager but with American rather than Czech hops. It’s a bready and nicely balanced brew, fruitier than a typical Svetlý Ležák, with a light citrus nose and a longer bitter finish. </p><p>
The second was back to Primátor, where Romana described their IPL as “a lager body with IPA hopping” – in this case it’s Czech Rubín, Harmonie and Vital hops for bittering and flavour, then Summit and Citra for dry-hopping. She said that, as something that’s new to most Czech drinkers, “IPL is a door-opener for us.” </p><p>
The brewery also decided that because the style was unusual, it needed an unusual name, though quite how well ‘Mother-in-Law’ (Tchyně in Czech) will be accepted over here is another matter. “She may bother you at first, but then you wouldn’t give her up for anything,” says the brewery blurb – but I find it hard to believe that Czechia <u>lacks</u> a history of mother-in-law jokes. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLScSym7uQSWmyI9Q0v1DAyHMuzIuxSyPbJHVeqfQgrZg6VtajpgZDTjEzgfiPFVCKNaH_OOWAp74U4U22xh8GsFpBhhHuiWNPuUjmn8aMYY6qg1vg7k9GSas0e3aEKFlmNnAHjBTONg8AzZpYBWQ3ijlPS4pOiGd89pV42s11PMD6ehb88R0RGN02PD4/s3241/IMG_20230913_161934.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3241" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLScSym7uQSWmyI9Q0v1DAyHMuzIuxSyPbJHVeqfQgrZg6VtajpgZDTjEzgfiPFVCKNaH_OOWAp74U4U22xh8GsFpBhhHuiWNPuUjmn8aMYY6qg1vg7k9GSas0e3aEKFlmNnAHjBTONg8AzZpYBWQ3ijlPS4pOiGd89pV42s11PMD6ehb88R0RGN02PD4/s320/IMG_20230913_161934.jpg" width="178" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Romana & Mother-in-Law</td></tr></tbody></table>
It’s certainly an unusual beer – lightly dank and orange citrusy on the nose, before a firm vegetal and Seville orange peel bitterness over a smooth and relatively light-bodied amber lager. It’s both rather like and very <b>un</b>like a West Coast IPA, and yes, it’s pretty drinkable. <p></p><p>
Do they need gimmicks like IPL to sell more Czech beer here in the UK, though? Well, maybe. There’s far better Svetlý Ležáks available than the likes of Staropramen and Pilsner Urquell. For example, <a href="https://pivo-konrad.cz/" target="_blank">Konrad</a> Vratislavický Ležák 11°, Panaczech Queenie 10° or the wonderful <a href="https://www.jarosovskypivovar.cz/" target="_blank">Jarošovská</a> Jura, to name just three from that expo. However, those two mass-produced examples are already on bar taps across the country.</p><p>
Personally, I’d much rather see more Tmavý and Polotmavý, but it’s a fact of life that pale lagers and IPAs are where it’s at. So perhaps for sustainable growth, hopped-up traditional lager is playing to your strengths. </p><p><b>Footnote: several of these breweries are represented in the UK and Ireland by the <a href="https://czechbeeralliance.co.uk/" target="_blank">Czech Beer Alliance</a>, others are seeking distributors here. </b></p><p><i>*non-Czechs call it Bohemian Pilsener, but most Czechs won’t call it Pilsener unless it’s from Pilsen, or Plzeň.</i></p><p></p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-26457611202701104172023-09-10T17:44:00.003+01:002023-09-14T16:49:40.620+01:00Welcome to the Windsor beer (half!) mile<p>“Where’s the local beer?” I half-jokingly asked my hosts at the Windsor (as in Castle) office of a US tech company, as the day’s meetings finished and the social hour began. In a similar office in California or Colorado, I’d be entirely unsurprised to see a local microbrew on tap in the kitchen for an after-hours social event, never mind in cans. But here it was Peroni and the like – well meant, for sure, but perhaps missing a trick.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7yEsic8L8EhWHoX2XZuPCP2Lx-1_Ev3bPLeGwJATdkMykkAyu4SjA2B-xhXyqz2FHg0Jbyz2KJbdpWKw-x2ruOtubwCwPiYOJXPpJK7_jLH8rSaiaHHXGJQ9ttanOdUmnLFXkEF3fLBIt3G-ebOZkKbEIAvvmdLOLcmFkAyQPNDVupHPuTHqRDzPXbI/s2948/IMG_20230907_175623.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="2948" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7yEsic8L8EhWHoX2XZuPCP2Lx-1_Ev3bPLeGwJATdkMykkAyu4SjA2B-xhXyqz2FHg0Jbyz2KJbdpWKw-x2ruOtubwCwPiYOJXPpJK7_jLH8rSaiaHHXGJQ9ttanOdUmnLFXkEF3fLBIt3G-ebOZkKbEIAvvmdLOLcmFkAyQPNDVupHPuTHqRDzPXbI/s320/IMG_20230907_175623.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>For not only does the town have <a href="https://www.webrew.co.uk/" target="_blank">Windsor & Eton Brewery</a>, now venerable in craft beer terms at 13 years old, but others have appeared more recently too. Just a short walk from that office took me to a little industrial estate in the arches underneath the western end of Windsor & Eton Central railway station, where I was greeted by the happy sight of tables and benches outside not one, but two microbrewery taprooms. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGQgj5luvWHk7XX8P_63xFpo5g5xd8NLU7pSR96NF1qC2C7Pflg7s16zUTSwxlESlv8CYZu-V04ZJLOsgV8yojQgXrlyB3ddE0oj1nUj893KFvDt0x9_VB_9nMgs1qOfGkQ70W8vHVbuX75egP-A8Bwd0o3KjOncsBQXEYEs45pHU1ZkxoLYIqodsiDM/s3264/IMG_20230907_175559.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="3264" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGQgj5luvWHk7XX8P_63xFpo5g5xd8NLU7pSR96NF1qC2C7Pflg7s16zUTSwxlESlv8CYZu-V04ZJLOsgV8yojQgXrlyB3ddE0oj1nUj893KFvDt0x9_VB_9nMgs1qOfGkQ70W8vHVbuX75egP-A8Bwd0o3KjOncsBQXEYEs45pHU1ZkxoLYIqodsiDM/s320/IMG_20230907_175559.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The sightly older of the pair is <a href="https://www.twoflintsbrewery.com/" target="_blank">Two Flints</a>, and it’s also perhaps the more traditional looking. Neutral painted walls, some exposed beams – metal rather than wood, though – and the bar, with its menu on the wall behind, is the first thing you see on entering. The 20hl brewery is visible towards the back of an arch which, to someone more used to Bermondsey, felt very high and deep. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ15EjwnZSSi3AiV--wOwspAmz3rm-laf4d4jtCEtMtQXY5e5HYlC-C-NhX1GJmnhMhJITitD8wpyV7Pdr3PDrQWV0YJRHkFNB5gTu9p4lQ8kmkVKuaTKo48chiWxzmZj0dkAEFB5Sh416qYkLlwmoxXzSPl46b8Mz1bSsUvqHB0KbiEnkieQSXdw_nko/s2425/IMG_20230907_175646.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2425" data-original-width="1472" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ15EjwnZSSi3AiV--wOwspAmz3rm-laf4d4jtCEtMtQXY5e5HYlC-C-NhX1GJmnhMhJITitD8wpyV7Pdr3PDrQWV0YJRHkFNB5gTu9p4lQ8kmkVKuaTKo48chiWxzmZj0dkAEFB5Sh416qYkLlwmoxXzSPl46b8Mz1bSsUvqHB0KbiEnkieQSXdw_nko/w121-h200/IMG_20230907_175646.jpg" width="121" /></a></div>Next door’s <a href="https://www.indierabble.co.uk/" target="_blank">Indie Rabble Brewing</a> takes more of a carnival theme. The bar is slightly hidden around a corner, and instead the first thing you see is bright colours and stripey round parasols – it would have been a bit of a fun atmosphere, if we hadn’t all been so sluggish from the heat!<p></p><p>Both taproom menus seemed to be dominated by West Coast IPAs, hazy pales and the like, plus there’s always a craft lager or Kölsch on the bar these days, but both also had guests on tap. Some of these looked very tempting, sadly though I was driving back, so had to skip the likes of Burning Sky’s Saison Anniversaire 2023 in Two Flints, and the 12.2% Tartarus Herne the Hunter in Indie Rabble. In Indie Rabble’s case, everything on the bar was also a collaboration – they have only just got their brewkit (another 20hl outfit) installed so all their brewing thus far <a href="https://untappd.com/IndieRabble/collaborations" target="_blank">has been collabs</a>. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4Bf-nGRJaJMvFnv5wwoDCpBmhhIqD9uPgT-lpN0QJh60uDoBNN1prx9wJsBxGrt1MGBPvwuS5DD1Tt66cL-7paKzAJZAxcwJ_-cmFKjhIPSINA0nPdmi21h_GT47pyPo0dnCphXuQNFUbBWQX-CB2Ld6eWjpkEh4wrk2OhTvuYNo7lV6mMHTFcEPKRo/s2252/IMG_20230907_180854.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2252" data-original-width="1608" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4Bf-nGRJaJMvFnv5wwoDCpBmhhIqD9uPgT-lpN0QJh60uDoBNN1prx9wJsBxGrt1MGBPvwuS5DD1Tt66cL-7paKzAJZAxcwJ_-cmFKjhIPSINA0nPdmi21h_GT47pyPo0dnCphXuQNFUbBWQX-CB2Ld6eWjpkEh4wrk2OhTvuYNo7lV6mMHTFcEPKRo/s320/IMG_20230907_180854.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>Taking my Elusive/Indie Rabble collab Westie outside, I realised just how central we were. Sure, you’re sitting in a car park in the shadow of a railway embankment, but there, just over the rooftops in front of you, is one of the most famous castles in the country. And it’s literally a 10-minute walk to WEBrew, so if you fancy three brewery taprooms in an afternoon, put Windsor on your visiting list. <p></p><p>Incidentally, they are selling <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dual-brewery-oktoberfest-tickets-713636916227" target="_blank">tickets for a dual-brewery Oktoberfest</a> on Saturday 7th October - £14 gets you a pint of Festbier in each, plus entrance. (I've no idea if you'll be able to get in that day without a ticket, sorry.)<br /></p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com028 The Arches, Windsor SL4 6BS, UK51.4835306 -0.611779851.483196536177871 -0.6123162418029785 51.483864663822132 -0.61124335819702147tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-6682726615310621812023-08-22T13:59:00.002+01:002023-08-22T13:59:25.923+01:00Cold comfort down at the ForgeThere are some marketing campaigns where you see them and
simply think, “What on earth were they smoking?” Usually followed by, “Why the
heck didn’t they just run it by a focus group?”<p></p><p>
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaw3oKzcOIbICilW2bjaPzxen-pp35xVDBPNZECroA2qrLvrCYZ74_aSMjyb-kvEarThYlglXIFGNxxqbnCsJjBWU40ggsxxVUs-kSNxovwbLUciMpD1dp41sTYLCGeuD6ev3ghtTjyrtTFIH46S6wYCEXamJ9qIZya2WDTJVqpsGLNl8Hh5H1GKxVk8/s1979/IMG_20230812_114904.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1979" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaw3oKzcOIbICilW2bjaPzxen-pp35xVDBPNZECroA2qrLvrCYZ74_aSMjyb-kvEarThYlglXIFGNxxqbnCsJjBWU40ggsxxVUs-kSNxovwbLUciMpD1dp41sTYLCGeuD6ev3ghtTjyrtTFIH46S6wYCEXamJ9qIZya2WDTJVqpsGLNl8Hh5H1GKxVk8/s320/IMG_20230812_114904.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>So when an unexpected package arrived, containing a black cardboard
box with <b>FRGD</b> on it in large yellow letters, my first thought was to wonder why
on earth someone was sending me something to do with fridges.<p></p><p></p><p>
Inside the box was a cap, also black and yellow with FRGD on
it, plus assorted similarly-labelled bits and bobs – and then, ah-ha! Two tall
cans of nitro stout and a glass, this time bearing the ‘full’ version of the
logo: Forged, complete with a strong-armed swordsmith beating out a blade. All very martial and manly. </p><p>By now I had worked out what it was about, thanks to
a press release I’d received a few days earlier. As soon as I saw the hat, though, my mind was boggled. Who
on earth would walk around with FRGD written on their head? </p><p>In the spirit of
scientific enquiry I decided to conduct a focus group of my own. I posted this photo of the hat and a similarly logo’d key strap thingy on both eX-Twitter and
Facebook, asking friends what they’d read into it if they saw it on the street.</p><p></p><p>
The results were almost exactly as I suspected they would
be. A few outliers, then in second place assorted mentions of fragged/frigged/frogged(!), but
the clear winner was, yes, <b>Frigid</b>. Like I said, possibly not the thing
you want written on your hat. Unless maybe you're the Snow Queen.</p><p></p><p>
So what’s the story <u>meant</u> to be? Well, there’s an Irish MMA
fighter and multi-millionaire called Conor McGregor – he’s something of a <a href="https://slang.net/meaning/marmite_character" target="_blank">Marmite figure</a> across the
water, from what I hear – who owns a pub called the Black Forge Inn. The house
beer there is Forged Irish Stout, which is, or was, brewed at Porterhouse
Brewing. </p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7CO_vqK2cIHKvrEsLD4fUmPdla-hDZCPGlOHa1gcrbmghHqGhGGndPeV4ue1l7Gd_zLhMzZ7CqrU7ggdXmDzGESJUo3QMtwFj8jBXvDDHVFEHr-wf5rle2NZW2Dymb7a7_Io-y2j7MFiHOA1Ta1YryWqGsfJalXa-HyqOWEpMEAzmja-V0cywhQ9uz4/s2183/IMG_20230820_223000.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2183" data-original-width="1722" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7CO_vqK2cIHKvrEsLD4fUmPdla-hDZCPGlOHa1gcrbmghHqGhGGndPeV4ue1l7Gd_zLhMzZ7CqrU7ggdXmDzGESJUo3QMtwFj8jBXvDDHVFEHr-wf5rle2NZW2Dymb7a7_Io-y2j7MFiHOA1Ta1YryWqGsfJalXa-HyqOWEpMEAzmja-V0cywhQ9uz4/s320/IMG_20230820_223000.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
However, Porterhouse had been in the doldrums following a
COVID slump, so earlier this year McGregor bought the brewery, renaming it
Forged Dublin and investing in a new nitro canning line,
among other things. A figure in excess of €4 million has been mentioned. He is now taking his vanity brand – I think we can safely
call it that, as his face is all over the Forged Irish Stout promo material,
its <a href="https://twitter.com/ForgedStout" target="_blank">eX-Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/forgedirishstout" target="_blank">Instagram</a> feeds, and so on – international, with UK distribution agreed in
Asda and Spar. McGregor has said it will go to North America as well.<p></p><p></p><p>Onto the important question, then: is Frigid, sorry, Forged Irish Stout any good? It
certainly looks the part, pouring near-black with a tan nitro fizz that rather quickly settles into a thick creamy foam. It’s lightly smoky on the nose, then creamy
and sweetish – more like a sweet stout than a dry one – but with a roasty note
and a slight ashy dryness on the finish. Easy drinking and pretty sessionable,
I’d say. </p><p></p><p>
One last thing on the focus panel, though. If you were
launching will inevitably be seen as a rival to or copy of Guinness, why
on earth would you make any reference to forging? </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-16393692633528660282023-07-24T10:13:00.003+01:002023-08-02T12:36:26.959+01:00One-off direct-to-can printing is real nowHaving previously covered <a href="http://blog.beerviking.net/2023/07/how-can-labelling-enabled-craft-beer.html" target="_blank">the under-rated importance of can labelling</a> in the history of craft beer, it’s time to bring the topic up to date. Yes, what some back in 2015 saw as the Holy Grail of labelling – the ability to print directly onto a can in full colour – is here. Or at least, the technology is here, even if it’s not yet been miniaturised quite like canning technology itself has been.<p>
</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiKFIMV3Go9z7ekB5GbIFq3jjsgZ6jGeIJ-Ailxn19w3VImzp3hGoOGii-DbdV-I6CIgq74LvFTc3-nAhWQr9eeXSWo4ClFo_FbRmmSwPdMEVwKbO4zVxmJH4IgLZI5wpMMX6AQFXjddO9s8UydFL6NAMa5TOzgg21-bAmHcl5yMCdXgB8XuvmJqWsbZw/s1200/d240_1.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="1200" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiKFIMV3Go9z7ekB5GbIFq3jjsgZ6jGeIJ-Ailxn19w3VImzp3hGoOGii-DbdV-I6CIgq74LvFTc3-nAhWQr9eeXSWo4ClFo_FbRmmSwPdMEVwKbO4zVxmJH4IgLZI5wpMMX6AQFXjddO9s8UydFL6NAMa5TOzgg21-bAmHcl5yMCdXgB8XuvmJqWsbZw/s320/d240_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's not exactly 'desktop' yet</td></tr></tbody></table>The inkjet printing machinery actually comes from a <a href="https://www.hinterkopf.de/en/solutions/machines/digital-printing-machines/d240.html" target="_blank">German firm, Hinterkopf</a>, and as well as cans, it is advertised as being able to print on a variety of other packages, including plastic bottles and tubes.
<p></p><p>At Brew//LDN earlier this year, not one but two companies were talking up the topic. I already knew about <a href="https://www.nomoq.com/" target="_blank">Swiss packaging company Nomoq</a> and was pleased to learn that <a href="https://oasthouse-engineering.com/" target="_blank">UK-based Oasthouse</a> also now has a Hinterkopf machine installed. These printers are big and expensive beasts, though, so you are unlikely to see one alongside the canning line in your local microbrewery any time soon.
</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Dawn of the one-off printed can</h3><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvkXgv19YRstBV_SxDwL6-Spb1qFjbPScAc2HidApjsVnhRsBs56cyOt3On1qjYsZDYKJK_tKEPpwVAYbwQ3V1FDTK5PnNrnm9aCAC-lArjx9c-eT1aUzYSsThPEXBIPYdXrtozn4jt1n--6bdj2nqNSitj1gWkpugTI308LS0XFACo1xRdodlxgj-mNk/s1450/IMG_20230514_123143.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1450" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvkXgv19YRstBV_SxDwL6-Spb1qFjbPScAc2HidApjsVnhRsBs56cyOt3On1qjYsZDYKJK_tKEPpwVAYbwQ3V1FDTK5PnNrnm9aCAC-lArjx9c-eT1aUzYSsThPEXBIPYdXrtozn4jt1n--6bdj2nqNSitj1gWkpugTI308LS0XFACo1xRdodlxgj-mNk/s320/IMG_20230514_123143.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sample cans from Nomoq</td></tr></tbody></table>So what’s the advantage? According to Nomoq co-founder Patrick Schweizer, a big part is that, unlike other labelling schemes, it can handle any size of production run – even a single can! “The setup cost is €139, a customer can upload their design and get a free sample as a proof [a test print],” he said. “We average 20,000 cans per design but the smallest order so far was just 40 – it becomes worth it for special events.”
<p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrt5cTC44O5RmhldRV4m_rE7K75z4S-_z47qWPRzd0Tcx4YAyFqsclbWZARHKWFXYKf4UopFW0vKfT-bruEM_1jlS0YJeRY2sP-D6QOoKOvhD2lBffhMEdYJsi1IXcT8_aUEM4BgJG0ufDQAgjPDm14Gt-rPr2pg8lwHcN7qKsrkrvIJ7DgZZqiIdN5T0/s1491/IMG_20230615_211613.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1405" data-original-width="1491" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrt5cTC44O5RmhldRV4m_rE7K75z4S-_z47qWPRzd0Tcx4YAyFqsclbWZARHKWFXYKf4UopFW0vKfT-bruEM_1jlS0YJeRY2sP-D6QOoKOvhD2lBffhMEdYJsi1IXcT8_aUEM4BgJG0ufDQAgjPDm14Gt-rPr2pg8lwHcN7qKsrkrvIJ7DgZZqiIdN5T0/s320/IMG_20230615_211613.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Oasthouse promotional special print </td></tr></tbody></table>To compare that with other labelling techniques, a chat with Oasthouse suggested that the minimum practical quantity for sticky-labelled cans is around 350, and for sleeving it’s just over 1000. The minimum run for traditional offset-printed cans is now 75,000, which is down from the 100k I was quoted years ago, but not by a lot!
<p></p><p>The inkjet is also flexible, offering unlimited colours, photo-realistic printing, and fast set-up times. The caveat is that this flexibility does bring some uncertainty because of the variables involved. In particular, the cost will depend on ink usage (so, how much of the can you cover and its size), the type of ink, the desired finish and so on.
</p><p>Both companies say that once that test print is approved, an order can be turned around in three, maybe four weeks, or even quicker if they're not fully busy. “We do have some capacity for some just-in-time quick turnaround work,” adds Oasthouse, “but this will be limited.”
</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowVk34bvlFALnCr6FaAtPfTb_SiVX81xAYQseTQ-GTFUEJReOEQFigIW4JTAADNf9oOsEHfeJ8R2ZU0QFGKJxmDjdkJOvjDX55IX8A5SUgxWQdIzMj6ZdjcCz_jVDolWAejuu4K5NIHTiK8RPFZxCheCDOHcZLSgZWbCjDSVPKqI3DhTbyktXx7-3D_s/s1273/IMG_20230514_123046.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1273" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowVk34bvlFALnCr6FaAtPfTb_SiVX81xAYQseTQ-GTFUEJReOEQFigIW4JTAADNf9oOsEHfeJ8R2ZU0QFGKJxmDjdkJOvjDX55IX8A5SUgxWQdIzMj6ZdjcCz_jVDolWAejuu4K5NIHTiK8RPFZxCheCDOHcZLSgZWbCjDSVPKqI3DhTbyktXx7-3D_s/w113-h200/IMG_20230514_123046.jpg" width="113" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Eco aspects of can labelling</h3><p>And then there is sustainability. “Burning off labels generates more CO₂ and heat,” Nomoq’s Schweizer explained, “so for example the [brewery] sustainability department wants to get away from labels as they have to compensate for the CO₂ emissions otherwise.”</p><p>(The CO₂ isn't the end of it, incidentally. Some years back I met a man who used to manage a can recycling plant, he said labels and wraps were no problem logistically as they burnt off. However, their residue contributes to the muck that floats to the top of the 'melt' and must be scraped off as slag, leaving the bottom as pure aluminium. So more label material is likely to mean a bit more metal lost as slag.) </p><p></p><p>The inkjet system has cost and speed caveats too, said Schweitzer. “We are competitive with labels and sleeves at around 20-30 cents per can, but we can’t compete with offset printing on cost,” he said. “Plus, unlike offset we can do 90 cans per minute, not 2000!”
</p><p>He added that the Hinterkopf machines need cans that are specially made with a surface that will take and hold the ink. “We can’t use any old blanks – I think that has held back some large customers,” he said. “The key is the adhesion of the ink, even during 80°C pasteurisation. [Can manufacturer] Ardagh has to make these cans specially, and it’s still a small part of the overall business for them.”
</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Impressive results with more to come</h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mf-QdcxMuoO4MZ69zxeddiMvLAIClaEAfRM8rayJg9b5SgpRptb202KAsQT1Q9esZ3y_LOE7IbAYLU0Hd1EXv2sYBl9bFoO74aagoWaGE2ot3-bTKWlXCV_MVhuKusBt0kfYe_Z2xJF1vNulVxJSSpgpPJyZCM7JS88Sx8bHmxXF-p9765wd5FIwMTk/s1114/IMG_20230514_122614.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1114" data-original-width="646" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mf-QdcxMuoO4MZ69zxeddiMvLAIClaEAfRM8rayJg9b5SgpRptb202KAsQT1Q9esZ3y_LOE7IbAYLU0Hd1EXv2sYBl9bFoO74aagoWaGE2ot3-bTKWlXCV_MVhuKusBt0kfYe_Z2xJF1vNulVxJSSpgpPJyZCM7JS88Sx8bHmxXF-p9765wd5FIwMTk/w116-h200/IMG_20230514_122614.jpg" width="116" /></a></div>The results are impressive, both from Oasthouse and Nomoq. They are also clearly different from the existing ways of labelling a can – no seams, photo-like textures, full 360° coverage and so on. <p></p><p>Of course, those other ways of labelling have also advanced massively and are not going to be eliminated overnight – I just have to think of some of the gorgeous sticky labels I've seen recently, and while it will surely improve, the inkjet can't yet match offset printing for fine detail (see left). </p><p>Still, I reckon there are big changes coming once Hinterkopf and others shrink the technology to something more manageable and affordable. After all, it took years but it worked for laser printers, canning machines, mobile phones and all the rest. </p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-48402458031419085392023-07-04T10:26:00.003+01:002023-07-24T10:14:30.000+01:00How can labelling enabled the craft beer revolution<p>The next time you pick up a beer can, take a closer look. How is it labelled – is it smoothly printed or slightly rough? Does it have a sticky-backed label, or is it shrink-wrapped with printed plastic? Is the label embossed or smooth? Sometimes it’s hard to tell. I picked up two cans that very much looked printed, and it’s only because I know where to look and what to look for that I could tell they were actually shrink-wrapped. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3hKvtXn2ZGYeSnirkUgQgmTy4_eoQR52ZwkSngl95BSY-dvmkd6sBeBsrFgVtAOM9IFHPfGdKZ4g5e8Je_zALZK34tsieX8LhwBuAAeUhyDmdAkCxtVI1tggyp_uh5eb4CKZzafbI_6vbT4pGaAU_pAFAKl8QWewEUln-11Lwc5RRZ_x1235gIcW7rCY/s2260/IMG_20230703_230419.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="2260" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3hKvtXn2ZGYeSnirkUgQgmTy4_eoQR52ZwkSngl95BSY-dvmkd6sBeBsrFgVtAOM9IFHPfGdKZ4g5e8Je_zALZK34tsieX8LhwBuAAeUhyDmdAkCxtVI1tggyp_uh5eb4CKZzafbI_6vbT4pGaAU_pAFAKl8QWewEUln-11Lwc5RRZ_x1235gIcW7rCY/s320/IMG_20230703_230419.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It feels printed, but can you spot the shrink-wrap now?</td></tr></tbody></table>Now think back 10 years, if you can! Apart from on draught, obviously, how did you buy your craft or specialist beer then – was it canned or in bottles? <p></p><p>If you think it was in cans, either you lived somewhere a bit unusual back then or your memory is playing you tricks. The micro-canning revolution didn’t really kick off until around 2014 or 2015 – which was, incidentally, when I wrote <a href="https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2015/03/microcanning-takes-craft-beer-by-storm/" target="_blank">one of the very first articles on the topic</a>. It was published not in a beer magazine but an engineering magazine, for reasons which I hope will soon become clearer.</p><p>Yes, it was really only big-brand beers – and very often, cheap brands at that – that were sold in cans back in 2013, and the biggest reason was <b>labelling</b>. </p><p>Sure, the fact that an automatic canning line cost serious six-figure sums – millions, even – was an issue. But you didn’t have to own your own line, because anyone who wanted to can a drink could get it done by a contract canning facility.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Minimum order quantities</h3><p>In reality though, small producers almost never did it – because you had to get the cans labelled. That meant getting them printed, and the minimum order quantity for printed cans from the manufacturers was in six figures, half a million if you wanted the best price. Wastage in the canning process could be 10% or more, so even for a ‘short’ run of 100,000 330ml cans you might need to supply 40,000 litres. For a small brewer with a 10 hl brewkit, that’s 40 brews of the same beer! </p><p>By the time I published that article in 2015, things were changing. You had multiple suppliers offering much smaller canning machines, both manual and semi-automatic, which is where the engineering interest came in. You could even get hand-operated can seamers to seal a lid on – these were picked up by some brew clubs and self-brew shops, and are the ancestors of the crowler machines you see in some bars today. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Rt-QkCtF0BswbLQlTsTVdhsFtfHoCaQB9hAq_ejUUgeGBgMTR3xoTuVhgUmhnPR-_gdLkm04C6G-NNF0BCDL1RKJYxt60pg3G1UBxqSxKs8VY2QM44uifsCdB_C5QRSIvUYvDtMeDqGcNMIxBoQigMUX2X1z2zETCf_yztfBMFIrcLzNcw5H4VOQSH8/s2304/IMG_20230703_230440.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="2304" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Rt-QkCtF0BswbLQlTsTVdhsFtfHoCaQB9hAq_ejUUgeGBgMTR3xoTuVhgUmhnPR-_gdLkm04C6G-NNF0BCDL1RKJYxt60pg3G1UBxqSxKs8VY2QM44uifsCdB_C5QRSIvUYvDtMeDqGcNMIxBoQigMUX2X1z2zETCf_yztfBMFIrcLzNcw5H4VOQSH8/s320/IMG_20230703_230440.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sticky labels: flexible and easy to recognise</td></tr></tbody></table>But the problem was still labelling. Sticky labels were an obvious option, but they needed a dry surface. Applying the label before filling was awkward because empty cans crush very easily, and applying it afterwards meant you needed to dry the can, adding time and effort to the process. <p></p><p>As time went by, potential solutions appeared. Cans could be dried more easily, sticky labels were more tolerant, labelling machinery got better, so even quite short runs could be canned and labelled. Label quality advanced hugely too, so you could have embossed or textured labels, or labels with cut-outs. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1FKc-DpGMv8LoNqCb4MXfWNsaaqsRUu0i53Sb8DDKdP9ADWmlaTi_hb6W-w0XnS3BgtXIhC1Ajixwq-bowNMKWSmDkn-kZnJXuqKU-YlqRD_tDv4lPqpN6DUdm6JoyONy91urkKLfOBTR9fn-pQVKQVr1NOzVUoTJRPJh_ZjYXuAeEOp_-TiCJBY6BM/s2184/IMG_20230505_153259.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2184" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1FKc-DpGMv8LoNqCb4MXfWNsaaqsRUu0i53Sb8DDKdP9ADWmlaTi_hb6W-w0XnS3BgtXIhC1Ajixwq-bowNMKWSmDkn-kZnJXuqKU-YlqRD_tDv4lPqpN6DUdm6JoyONy91urkKLfOBTR9fn-pQVKQVr1NOzVUoTJRPJh_ZjYXuAeEOp_-TiCJBY6BM/s320/IMG_20230505_153259.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut-outs make each can unique</td></tr></tbody></table>This has allowed some designers to get really creative, for example at Brew//LDN this year I met <a href="https://greenduckbrewery.co.uk/" target="_blank">Green Duck</a>, whose cans have a dual-layer label. The first layer has complex patterned artwork specific to that beer while the second has a cut-out, duck-shaped of course. The neat trick is they don’t line up, so every can is unique, with the cut-out revealing a different part of the underlying pattern. <p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The label's downsides</h3><p>Labels or wraps still have to be ordered in quantity though, and when the cans go for recycling they have to be removed. The most likely way to do that is burning them off, which of course generates more CO2 and associated pollutants than ink does, as well as producing extra slag in the can smelter which must be disposed of. All of which is increasingly unpopular. </p><p>The thing I wrote about eight years ago as the Holy Grail of can labelling has remained elusive, though, and that’s the ability to print cans in much smaller quantities, ideally on-demand. It’s like being able to simply print a single copy of a document on the office colour printer, instead of having to go to a commercial printshop for a minimum run of 500 copies, all of which will eventually go into the paper bin. </p><p>But now that hurdle too has fallen. At Brew//LDN this year I met not one, but two companies with access to the latest <a href="https://www.hinterkopf.de/en/" target="_blank">Hinterkopf</a> inkjet printers, capable of printing full-colour, full-wrap designs onto a can, waterproof and heat-resistant, and with a minimum order quantity of one. And <a href="http://blog.beerviking.net/2023/07/one-off-direct-to-can-printing-is-real.html" target="_blank">that’s what I am going to write about next</a>…</p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-24239230715541639682023-06-27T10:30:00.004+01:002023-06-27T16:03:32.029+01:00What the (Austrian) Hell? <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_o2Zqk9OGdq-G0obVnDvrCnJHf8aLmKHhqczsULvIpPTzAXLKEKWAVQ8-RsGlFsct9C5jJmhvfgHtNKaAZFELyQBSFlRWomuW6csoA0FJnPfQhH7z3XK_zb-DEB-kVuGJwB-r8umJzEycgqezP1mT_qnEe3ay4KoOobuPsSTp0JBCchMspryg2clXbA/s2675/IMG_20230626_215950.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2675" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_o2Zqk9OGdq-G0obVnDvrCnJHf8aLmKHhqczsULvIpPTzAXLKEKWAVQ8-RsGlFsct9C5jJmhvfgHtNKaAZFELyQBSFlRWomuW6csoA0FJnPfQhH7z3XK_zb-DEB-kVuGJwB-r8umJzEycgqezP1mT_qnEe3ay4KoOobuPsSTp0JBCchMspryg2clXbA/s320/IMG_20230626_215950.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>Hell, or more properly Bavarian or Munich Helles*, has been growing in popularity across Germany for several years now. Pretty much every brewery that used to major on Pilsner** now offers a Helles too. <p></p><p>So when I learnt that Austrian brewery Stiegl had also released a Hell, I was intrigued. Partly because Stiegl already has a Munich Helles-style beer in Goldbräu (5%), but also because <a href="https://dafteejit.com/2015/03/tracing-the-origins-of-vienna-lager/" target="_blank">Austria also has its own, slightly different, beer styles</a>, including one called Helles. </p><p>Which would Stiegl Hell (4.5%) turn out to be? As luck would have it, the nice folk at Stiegl’s UK importer, Euroboozer, stepped in to help me try to answer that question. They’ve just <a href="https://www.euroboozer.co.uk/blog/stieglhelluk" target="_blank">introduced Stiegl Hell to the UK market</a>, so were kind enough to send some over, along with a branded glass. </p><p>And it’s intriguing. It's pale gold with a light malty sweetness on the nose, along with just a touch of raw bread dough and a hint of floral perfume, all of which one might expect in a Munich Helles. But then on the palate it’s crisp and hoppy-bitter, with hints of dry grass and herbs from those ‘noble’ Central European hops – more like a Pilsner now, except that there’s also smooth malt with a slight sweetness, not the breadiness one might get in Munich, and just a touch of stickiness on the finish. </p><p>I’d have this down as an Austrian-style Helles, then, but feel free to go and judge for yourself: I’m told Stiegl Hell is already available on draught from Frontier Pubs sites around London, as well as Bonehead in Birmingham and Junkyard in Nottingham, while retailers carrying the 500ml bottles include Beers of Europe. Expect that list to grow as Euroboozer pushes it more. </p><p><i>*Hell or Helles simply means pale or golden, so it can be used in other contexts, while <b>Munich Helles</b> refers to the actual style of beer. German brewers tend to be cavalier about the distinction though... </i></p><p><i>**Pils itself only came to dominate the German market in the 1970s, <a href="http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2007/09/dortmund.html" target="_blank">displacing Dortmunder Export</a>. Coincidentally, that was also when Bitter lost out to Lager in Britain. </i></p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-51107878521781447422023-06-12T14:03:00.028+01:002023-07-28T14:26:26.533+01:00Brew//LDN '23 round-up part two<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPPuYzzLn5bgYC5ivpF70V_cBtaKcF_v-Bu9O1enmYe3IvoyWK39oYxMKnCobQYlmnhtXq_7_hwbIj1Ei8Yz9TTzTCjC48dhmC30ZrJQvyneZJ6IP-glUqfZOiUM9M2nsQUvBG0HGIfd7XFwkyTSChgjgBRwy7lHFy0E1CavczVNT1Nz7dcr46JmouVAc/s2330/IMG_20230505_120126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2330" data-original-width="1472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPPuYzzLn5bgYC5ivpF70V_cBtaKcF_v-Bu9O1enmYe3IvoyWK39oYxMKnCobQYlmnhtXq_7_hwbIj1Ei8Yz9TTzTCjC48dhmC30ZrJQvyneZJ6IP-glUqfZOiUM9M2nsQUvBG0HGIfd7XFwkyTSChgjgBRwy7lHFy0E1CavczVNT1Nz7dcr46JmouVAc/s320/IMG_20230505_120126.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>As well as enjoying the beers, of course, it was a great opportunity to talk with the brewers and brewery staff, both about the beer and about what’s going on in their parts of the industry. <a href="https://magicdragonbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Magic Dragon</a> was a new one on me – turns out it used to be Plassey, and it's Wrexham-based so I guess that explains the dragon! As I was enjoying a sample of his Black Tiger black IPA, head brewer Richard Lever mentioned that his beers had won SIBA and other awards, so we had a chat about what attracts microbrewers to competitions. <p>"I enter the ones I like," he said. "I also want to find out how they do - if you don't put a beer in to be judged, you don't get feedback." He also mentioned that his beers are mostly cask but that this is changing: "We're quite new in keg, but we are starting to do more – North Wales is opening up to keg." </p>
How long, I wonder, before they're in the same position as London and other cities, of trying once again to rescue falling cask sales?<div> <br />
Some aficionados disregard <a href="https://www.drygate.com/" target="_blank">Drygate</a> as 'crafty macro' because it's part-owned by Tennents and does several supermarket-friendly brews, such as Disco Forklift Truck. It doesn’t help here that the latter recently had an ABV drop "to make it more approachable", which is typical macro behaviour. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlCi50SFnYkCre5yMSHqnPpCKnDFfD9El2OiS-Si2ZxLQeiGiGA0IMYEl_PubQ0WG_Xt7vAN6nWVF-j4iwB8vvMSoPwFgRmGiN8I0hVuL7qjgQXn5U_Iahij-j-yP2H7jb3MTRh6Qk2COT4dgZ1suQS14bzmTDe2NZvB5PzJ_KrhE_QhkMw2YyCDxGjI/s2814/IMG_20230505_133518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2814" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlCi50SFnYkCre5yMSHqnPpCKnDFfD9El2OiS-Si2ZxLQeiGiGA0IMYEl_PubQ0WG_Xt7vAN6nWVF-j4iwB8vvMSoPwFgRmGiN8I0hVuL7qjgQXn5U_Iahij-j-yP2H7jb3MTRh6Qk2COT4dgZ1suQS14bzmTDe2NZvB5PzJ_KrhE_QhkMw2YyCDxGjI/s320/IMG_20230505_133518.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>Yet at the same time the other owner is a bona-fide micro, Williams Brothers, and Drygate's beers are good regardless. As well as the regular brews, head brewer David introduced me to the latest in their one-off series, a rich and heavy 9% stout called Big Purple One.<p></p><p>Full of caramel, coconut and hazelnut notes, it’s his interpretation of a certain purple-wrapped hazelnut and caramel sweet found in a popular boxed chocolate assortment, and yes, it’s delicious. Somehow it manages to get the flavour right, yet actually be less sticky than the original, with a warmth that takes the edge off the sweetness. I’ll take a bottle of this over a handful of Q****** S***** any day!</p><p>Almost exactly six years ago, the legendary David Bruce toured myself and some fellow visitors around the shiny new brewhouse at West Berkshire Brewery, along with its then very newly installed million-pound bottling and canning line.</p><p>It was an impressive and ambitious setup, so I was saddened to hear a year or two back that WBBrew had hit financial trouble. I don’t know whether it was due to over-extension, a somewhat me-too product range, the pandemic, or more likely a combination of all of those.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55X_FCirns6yDcxcMA2m85rWw9MH026_4aFvbeJPCQ7ANdjSRzNLcpHHNMcP3ItQ-u6-UyVOPQb15vlG9XWoYrWy0gdXXtxrK9SCW7qTi_uiJ7dbGGL-xlQHSpCvhqLKbriT4RX4ggbjnkZtwKfz4Dpx2jPHf1pUpTHotaskpmbKeWGjFeTDrRzS1YoA/s2163/IMG_20230505_150807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2163" data-original-width="1472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55X_FCirns6yDcxcMA2m85rWw9MH026_4aFvbeJPCQ7ANdjSRzNLcpHHNMcP3ItQ-u6-UyVOPQb15vlG9XWoYrWy0gdXXtxrK9SCW7qTi_uiJ7dbGGL-xlQHSpCvhqLKbriT4RX4ggbjnkZtwKfz4Dpx2jPHf1pUpTHotaskpmbKeWGjFeTDrRzS1YoA/s320/IMG_20230505_150807.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>Either way, it was very good to see that the brewery has survived. It was eventually bought out by the Yattendon Estate, which owns the surrounding lands, and has now been rebranded as <a href="https://www.renegadebrewery.co.uk/" target="_blank">Renegade</a>, which was the name West Berks had used for its craft line.<p></p><p>I tried a couple of the Renegade brews that I didn’t recognise. Blackguard is a very nice creamy-burnt stout, while festival special The Void was something I’ve not seen before – a Cold IPA that’s also a Black IPA, a combination that I found worked remarkably well.</p><p>There’s a lot of confusion written and spoken about Cold IPA, but essentially it’s an IPA brewed to be crisper and cleaner. That typically means brewing it cooler, and sometimes with lager yeast, but it still has the malt bill and hopping of an IPA, which is what differentiates it from the hoppy lagers that some people call IPL (India Pale Lager).</p><p>Some claim it’s about showcasing the hops, and yes, the hop character does usually come through well, but what The Void showed me was that it can also make the malt character – in this case, a roasty-dryness with a burnt tang – come through a little more clearly. The result was unusual, with some unexpected but very pleasing characteristics. </p><p><i>You can read <a href="http://blog.beerviking.net/2023/05/brewldn-2023-round-up.html" target="_blank">part one here</a> and more from Brew//LDN 2023 here <a href="http://blog.beerviking.net/2023/05/hungarian-voodoo-is-sweet-surprise.html" target="_blank">Hungarian Voodoo is a sweet surprise</a> and here <a href="http://blog.beerviking.net/2023/06/start-up-brewer-shows-spooky-quality.html" target="_blank">Start-up brewer shows Spooky quality</a>. </i></p></div>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-87150673496918349022023-06-03T23:35:00.000+01:002023-06-03T23:35:46.264+01:00Start-up brewer shows Spooky qualityOne of several new breweries I met at BrewLDN was <a href="https://spookton.co.uk/" target="_blank">Spookton Brew Co</a>. Based on the Wirral in Cheshire and less than a year old, it was one of the two runners-up for the festival’s Accelerator prize for best new drinks brand. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdVfXwOOQ_PFtJISRI2Iq_hLj2sVczec3tEuy9-FfP8gNmhv-vOLqaxPErvT5idGOh6VTfESbfRIpdkf-h4ZCQ2azubq3-1Je4ecxagFH4I3PO7LlIP58U_UBLEobRt_mhsE7nQlARWtcPQSAoFGD4xDqFIzLMy0DGMnb_91M0eNAn9N1Z1FtkQYj/s1871/IMG_20230513_201605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1871" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdVfXwOOQ_PFtJISRI2Iq_hLj2sVczec3tEuy9-FfP8gNmhv-vOLqaxPErvT5idGOh6VTfESbfRIpdkf-h4ZCQ2azubq3-1Je4ecxagFH4I3PO7LlIP58U_UBLEobRt_mhsE7nQlARWtcPQSAoFGD4xDqFIzLMy0DGMnb_91M0eNAn9N1Z1FtkQYj/s320/IMG_20230513_201605.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>Founder and former homebrewer Jon Pugh already has several Spookton brews under his belt, even though he doesn't have his own brewery yet – he currently uses the brewkit at Farm Yard Brew over the border in Lancashire.
<p></p><p>It is very much a social enterprise – they donate 5p to a good cause for each can or pint they produce. Most recently Jon also did an Orange and Lemon Pale Ale for Brave Noise, the international movement which advocates for a safe and discrimination-free beer industry. Ingredients for this were donated by Crisp Malt and Lallemand Brewing, and the proceeds will go to <a href="https://crispmalt.com/news/beers-without-beards/" target="_blank">Beers Without Beards</a>, to help fund mentorships for women in craft beer. </p><p>So, what about the beers? Among those pouring at Brew//LDN was No Worries If Not, which is nominally a West Coast IPA, with caramel notes, drying hoppy bitterness and a touch of toast, but also with a modern and very nice fruity-hoppy twist.
</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPfeQZCacAGkuNZXTloDai-7TJGXN025WWr9Yjw27K4qK1gXefEVmEoXX1dSOPGIi0_NS3Ar6MW6OUpSe3yYLF38Mv6L7tVdof_8Vces3GYtxguiIVfKRbk7cidJl8wHOXaxttNOGBHz44K3MNJdIEZV3_4Bx8iJyTOYzh1Wv6EeSpQfVnviP0jR4/s1555/IMG_20230515_220142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1391" data-original-width="1555" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPfeQZCacAGkuNZXTloDai-7TJGXN025WWr9Yjw27K4qK1gXefEVmEoXX1dSOPGIi0_NS3Ar6MW6OUpSe3yYLF38Mv6L7tVdof_8Vces3GYtxguiIVfKRbk7cidJl8wHOXaxttNOGBHz44K3MNJdIEZV3_4Bx8iJyTOYzh1Wv6EeSpQfVnviP0jR4/s320/IMG_20230515_220142.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I also managed to get my hands on a couple of cans. Struggle Bus is a classic Black IPA – dry-sweet and burnt, roasty and piney, with a light malty stickiness on the finish. Lovely! After that, Spookton’s interpretation of Brave Noise is lighter, fruitier and more easy-drinking. There’s citrus and a touch of funk on the nose, then juicy-dry hops and citrus mark out this beery St Clements.
<p></p><p>Sadly, I didn’t get to sample Octuple Threat, Jon’s 8% Double IPA, nor earlier brews such as his hazy IPA Imposter Syndrome or Gloom, his oatmeal stout, which I think are currently out of production. You can order the current range of four on Spookton’s website though, and they’re now in some bottle shops via distributor Eebria. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-33855930796700634112023-05-23T23:03:00.000+01:002023-05-23T23:03:13.846+01:00Hungarian Voodoo is a sweet surprise <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEZ1S9srpeYRg2XMxgtzl_hkRuDl_Enpv-K3d8wyiMwDJc8C80shRwQHalTPJrt1IO8R30jpSd8VJmP7nyd95nIyBFNJoQ9gmeru6182wSQZCqUZ48Souks2S6CvSpQI2ptkLNISi34wTvU7RTosPG5lB-xQ7pDpNzHvL4ltsYQw4-gq5pCy6ZC0P/s2417/IMG_20230505_161816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2417" data-original-width="1313" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEZ1S9srpeYRg2XMxgtzl_hkRuDl_Enpv-K3d8wyiMwDJc8C80shRwQHalTPJrt1IO8R30jpSd8VJmP7nyd95nIyBFNJoQ9gmeru6182wSQZCqUZ48Souks2S6CvSpQI2ptkLNISi34wTvU7RTosPG5lB-xQ7pDpNzHvL4ltsYQw4-gq5pCy6ZC0P/w217-h400/IMG_20230505_161816.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>I was not expecting to meet a Hungarian brewery at Brew//LDN
this year, but there it was: the confidently-named <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FIRSTcraftbeer" target="_blank">First Craft Beer</a> from
Budapest, with a bar of its own and a range of brews on tap. They say the name
is because when it was founded in 2017 by two brothers, they reckoned it was “the
first new wave open-view brewery in Hungary.” Which I guess reminds us that it’s
possible to claim pretty much anything if you define your criteria carefully enough. <p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, it seems the beer market in Budapest is pretty big,
despite it having a relatively small population. Like so many European craft
breweries, First produces international styles, including ‘all the usual
suspects' – on tap here were a Pils made in collaboration with a Czech brewer, two
IPAs, a Fruit Sour and an unctuous dessert Stout. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Their 5.6% Voodoo IPA (how long before the New Belgium
lawyers come calling, I wonder?) was relatively mild, hoppy-bitter and sweet –
too sweet for my liking, but as the server explained, Hungary has always been
Eurolager country, so drinkers there have quite a sweet tooth. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97PwdNRNTzmeDWDEx0xtwoyqCpSy8p0rMR0pvkFG53KZ1YqkkHhjx5qYadWXR6s9U2A2ZrtANeo-533lE6Y2GehcLS7N7mtHVeXVc4Q5gOzmtA8qXMFtBFanMn3p4N1FQlFIowlLZ3bN9Ss15WPtNYiY0T2J1ic02K9OXaXurhF5denwMmkQgDY0N/s2484/IMG_20230505_160924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2484" data-original-width="1697" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97PwdNRNTzmeDWDEx0xtwoyqCpSy8p0rMR0pvkFG53KZ1YqkkHhjx5qYadWXR6s9U2A2ZrtANeo-533lE6Y2GehcLS7N7mtHVeXVc4Q5gOzmtA8qXMFtBFanMn3p4N1FQlFIowlLZ3bN9Ss15WPtNYiY0T2J1ic02K9OXaXurhF5denwMmkQgDY0N/w219-h320/IMG_20230505_160924.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fruit Locker's actually pink, but the lighting<br /> in the venue is utterly weird so you can't tell!</td></tr></tbody></table>Lightly fruity and piney, the Triple Flower Power IPA was
also pretty sweet, though as it’s a 9% Triple IPA, the alcohol and bitterness
helped cut through the sweetness a bit. Fruit Locker. which they describe as an
Imperial Pastry Sour, was 9% and rather sweet too. But it was properly tart as
well, with sour cherries, tangy currants and a warming booziness adding a good
balance, making it for me an unexpectedly pleasing brew.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Apparently, most of the brewery staff are home brewers. They
are all able to contribute ideas, too, so the idea for the rich and dark
Dessert Storm – another 9%er – came from "one of the guys on the canning
line." Fully in the modern pastry stout tradition, it's like Tiramisu in a
glass – creamy and sticky-sweet, with notes of coffee and chocolate syrup. The
best of the bunch? Maybe, but the Fruit Locker is in there too. <o:p></o:p></p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-46117607942730631192023-05-15T10:32:00.035+01:002023-07-28T14:27:56.014+01:00Brew//LDN 2023 round-upI know I’m coming back to it a bit late, but this year’s Brew//LDN was great fun, as I expected it would be. The trade session started out quietly but was heaving by its end; I only saw the first couple of hours of the public evening session, they weren’t too busy but they certainly weren’t quiet either.<p>
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKk6_X2YPayzsSHFpW8OJEBLkatTf8ePtha1_o2LYd1goERHJwuzW12oarr0VvPl7XebAaGO4wW8gellgMKgD5DiaZD4E9t1JUy3pVCIQYuGZMjkJfYaj0Ptu-bkrDfWtalKTd19yp8KX6c46-mDUbD1OvFFTFphjQOuYUshpgSujS76JcOSJ7kxg-9GM/s4000/IMG_20230505_114512.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="4000" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKk6_X2YPayzsSHFpW8OJEBLkatTf8ePtha1_o2LYd1goERHJwuzW12oarr0VvPl7XebAaGO4wW8gellgMKgD5DiaZD4E9t1JUy3pVCIQYuGZMjkJfYaj0Ptu-bkrDfWtalKTd19yp8KX6c46-mDUbD1OvFFTFphjQOuYUshpgSujS76JcOSJ7kxg-9GM/s320/IMG_20230505_114512.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Yes, there were a few big companies acting crafty, and several contract brewers or importers playing the branding game, but there were also plenty of genuine micros, both modern and traditional craft. I spent most of my time hopping from bar to bar, mostly aiming for breweries that were new to me or that I’d not seen for a while. Here's some of those that caught my interest.<p></p><p><a href="https://www.jawbonebrewing.com/" target="_blank"></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOr_5GvmCcIT1Cj8YRtqfW_Iy55zyNzW2Vyyyluh49nGMs9DUV8LogCgktjjcTS4SNde0wn9MG2UfYV6PyxzlS5jgrgR6N6XCazIN5bBUaHV9DCJl0IrhlycYPLwg6f7IOM4HIkbz3PfbKt7-fXA19xfBrit4fzkIbB2CrWObGeVHKXyaa9r2IjT3YJ60/s2256/IMG_20230505_115248.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2256" data-original-width="1785" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOr_5GvmCcIT1Cj8YRtqfW_Iy55zyNzW2Vyyyluh49nGMs9DUV8LogCgktjjcTS4SNde0wn9MG2UfYV6PyxzlS5jgrgR6N6XCazIN5bBUaHV9DCJl0IrhlycYPLwg6f7IOM4HIkbz3PfbKt7-fXA19xfBrit4fzkIbB2CrWObGeVHKXyaa9r2IjT3YJ60/w158-h200/IMG_20230505_115248.jpg" width="158" /></a></div><a href="https://www.jawbonebrewing.com/" target="_blank">Jawbone Brewing</a> is based not far from me, and I did visit the brewery to buy cans a couple of years ago, not long after it opened. Since then it’s expanded considerably though, opened a taproom and brought out several new beers. The Highs & Lows Callista Pils I tried here was maybe a bit corny for the style, but I really do want to get over there and check out the taproom. <p></p><p>
I wasn’t sure if mead-maker Hive Mind was new or not – it looked new, but there was also something familiar there. And sure enough, it turns out this is the new name for sparkling mead specialist <a href="https://www.wyevalleymeadery.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wye Valley Meadery</a> who I’d met before. </p><p>
Chatting to Kit, one of the founders, he explained the change – they’d found that localism works well when you’re selling locally, but once you start trying to sell further afield it can count against you. Anyway, as Hive Mind they’re now offering a set of their four core meads, colourfully packaged in an equally attractive box – look for reviews of them here soon. </p><p>
</p><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdnJ0j4UMgiJO80isdTgm17epw890Mz-jTTnlhbHogoMoJwS52WO1Ed1qJ6z6xZozd21pkA7Nwmi6dKOWx8_zfELNjqQIvd8r6PfxOwKFPQe0mLlG72II9-xCARd8HG9r-ZjOQ9xBG9Fj9YG95Lhy0EOBlyPj1lcFmmMLJxV0BoA_uIQs97mUPSJxmo0/s3250/IMG_20230505_173612.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3250" data-original-width="1622" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdnJ0j4UMgiJO80isdTgm17epw890Mz-jTTnlhbHogoMoJwS52WO1Ed1qJ6z6xZozd21pkA7Nwmi6dKOWx8_zfELNjqQIvd8r6PfxOwKFPQe0mLlG72II9-xCARd8HG9r-ZjOQ9xBG9Fj9YG95Lhy0EOBlyPj1lcFmmMLJxV0BoA_uIQs97mUPSJxmo0/s320/IMG_20230505_173612.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>Something I'm still learning about is NoLo – no-alcohol and low-alcohol beers – so when I met brewster Pam Honeyman (left), of <a href="http://www.montysbrewery.co.uk/" target="_blank">Monty’s Brewery</a> in Wales, I wanted to hear her story. It's hard to tell her 1.2% Semi-nude Bitter from a regular light ale – she explained that she brews it rather hot to modify the fermentation and yield an ABV of around 2.5%, then liquors-back (adds water) to reach the target strength. Rather interesting and clever, I thought. <p></p><p>Next, I'll write up some of the longer conversations I had, learning other stuff that was new to me and which might also be new to you.</p><p>And yes, the Printworks lighting was weird all day long. A heavy orange overcast in most areas, plus blue in a few, all of which made it very hard to take decent photos. Most odd! </p><p><i>You can read <a href="http://blog.beerviking.net/2023/06/brewldn-23-round-up-part-two.html" target="_blank">part two here</a> and more from Brew//LDN 2023 here <a href="http://blog.beerviking.net/2023/05/hungarian-voodoo-is-sweet-surprise.html" target="_blank">Hungarian Voodoo is a sweet surprise</a> and here <a href="http://blog.beerviking.net/2023/06/start-up-brewer-shows-spooky-quality.html" target="_blank">Start-up brewer shows Spooky quality</a>. </i></p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-8924292449928443202023-04-13T22:41:00.010+01:002023-05-23T22:45:25.526+01:00London's summer of beer, 2023<p></p>We are gearing up for a summer of beer, both here in London and elsewhere. Does London have the most beer festivals of a UK city? I don't know, but it would make sense if it did. <p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRC7WdKQSEoqggT36WSWfnR5zP7D2LD5tNoxYObMGMbxX6OZGbnKml_GIASEOFzBkXAXs8KVDiPc--o4o4p348aOH_fo9l_Vnv_n9PqI-84ViQuBoLZsGD1OixvkGaQc3DqiyGqgiRtNrJZ7ApIN65wCFXVr-QqooF6Q4kKpq5fpmlYWu9y3bpn0m/s1539/brewlon21.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1394" data-original-width="1539" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRC7WdKQSEoqggT36WSWfnR5zP7D2LD5tNoxYObMGMbxX6OZGbnKml_GIASEOFzBkXAXs8KVDiPc--o4o4p348aOH_fo9l_Vnv_n9PqI-84ViQuBoLZsGD1OixvkGaQc3DqiyGqgiRtNrJZ7ApIN65wCFXVr-QqooF6Q4kKpq5fpmlYWu9y3bpn0m/s320/brewlon21.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beer and industrial chic at Brew//LDN</td></tr></tbody></table>We kick off – not counting local real ale festivals, that is, like the one I'm typing this at – in four weeks time with <a href="https://brewldn.com" target="_blank">Brew//LDN</a>, in its final appearance at Printworks in Rotherhithe* on Friday 5th and Saturday 6th May. Expect rows of small brewery bars and others, often built out of rough wood and/or industrially-styled to match the venue. <p></p><p>The event begins with a trade session on the Friday afternoon – it's quite a big event for publicans and others to meet new producers of food and drink, then it's open to the public that evening and the following day. </p><p>"The best value day out in London, at the UK's largest and most diverse craft beer festival," the organisers claim, ambitiously but not unreasonably. Tickets are a shade under £30 per session, or £25 each if you buy six – and those prices include the booking fee, for which I applaud the organisers, as I’m fed up with being stung extra for rip-off ‘booking fees’! The ticket includes live DJs and music, but not the beer, which averages a fiver a pint or so, or the street food vendors. </p><p>I've <a href="https://blog.beerviking.net/2020/02/brewldn-serves-up-worthy-beer-fashion.html" target="_blank">been to Brew//LDN several times</a>, admittedly mostly for the trade session when it’s quieter and the actual brewers are often in attendance. I’ve always enjoyed though: it’s friendly, with a good variety of beer and beer people – and often some discoveries to make. As well as new beers, in the past I’ve also met interesting new mead, spirits and liqueur producers there – that's one of several ways it's diverse. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Beers in the Fuller's brewery yard </h3><p>One I missed when I first published this blog – because although I had been told it was on again for the first time in four years, I didn't have the actual date yet – is the <a href="https://lbafestival.org/" target="_blank">London Brewers Alliance festival</a>, on Saturday 17th June**. Even better, this excellent event is back in the brewery yard at the Fuller's Griffin Brewery, thanks to former Fuller's brewing director John Keeling pulling some strings, I believe! </p><p><b>JUST IN: The LBA festival has been postponed "Due to circumstances beyond our control" – it's now booked for Saturday 16th September. I'm rather disappointed because I was looking forward to it not for Kingy's birthday, but as an early Fathers Day treat! </b></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3onvAkwSvd2X2W2u2SszAm1nOhGKxygcw63_o3ruCSiXl_Hkku8EUJEidWe__qdGgzUuXYsDSzn3vyccsVynlENpL5KKjUOsqid6Gx0zcd9kRI3LaIDfbw3GNtLkxcsphQNvUli8JlDESNBQUs6xjPbw3a4_j_ZvBvjq8CmAnT_wGnVErh1QtoYa7/s4096/PHOTO_20180623_142103.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="4096" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3onvAkwSvd2X2W2u2SszAm1nOhGKxygcw63_o3ruCSiXl_Hkku8EUJEidWe__qdGgzUuXYsDSzn3vyccsVynlENpL5KKjUOsqid6Gx0zcd9kRI3LaIDfbw3GNtLkxcsphQNvUli8JlDESNBQUs6xjPbw3a4_j_ZvBvjq8CmAnT_wGnVErh1QtoYa7/s320/PHOTO_20180623_142103.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2018 LBA festival</td></tr></tbody></table>A change this time is they're switching from a single six-hour afternoon session to separately ticketed afternoon and evening sessions. Hopefully this will even out the numbers – in 2018, <a href="http://blog.beerviking.net/2018/06/london-brewers-flourish-in-midsummer-sun.html" target="_blank">the last time I was able to get along</a>, the entrance queue really built up as the afternoon wore on. It's more breweries too, up to 50 from 40 last time, all LBA members and each offering two draught beers at a time, mostly keg but I expect some bright cask beer, and a few bottles and cans as well. Tickets aren't cheap at £40 per session, or £75 for the day, but that does include all your beer samples for four hours per session, and the inevitable souvenir glass. See you there?<p></p><p>The next biggie is of course the <a href="https://gbbf.org.uk/" target="_blank">Great British Beer Festival</a>, once again at London’s Olympia and this year running from Tuesday 1st August to Saturday 5th. There’s publicity for this all over the web (and Facebook) so I probably don’t need to go into detail, except to say hundreds of real ales plus some “real keg” and the foreign beer bars. Lovely!</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">August is London beer month</h3><p>Immediately after that – so if you’re planning a trip to London, make it that fortnight – is <a href="https://londoncraftbeerfestival.co.uk/" target="_blank">London Craft Beer Festival</a> with four sessions across Friday 11th and Saturday 12th August at Tobacco Dock in Wapping. It’s brought to you by the folks from We Are Beer, who also run the Manchester and Bristol craft beer festivals. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_INWhsTt76f89rzUlcztVMxDbLI9Y27qdeguIEc3OwnFxPfsSrfHQXmiMn8Gx5sDuLRK1Pb4BcSSM4ELtZSelsJ-goejbSVaGWz6jtShcqyevXk4ht0n43yYGVf29Yna7JhTqjHnUgur9uJl88lvnOO7M70rbuiHJxVLZPExbVwlXNzh-faxT3nOg/s3255/IMG_20220527_145242.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3255" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_INWhsTt76f89rzUlcztVMxDbLI9Y27qdeguIEc3OwnFxPfsSrfHQXmiMn8Gx5sDuLRK1Pb4BcSSM4ELtZSelsJ-goejbSVaGWz6jtShcqyevXk4ht0n43yYGVf29Yna7JhTqjHnUgur9uJl88lvnOO7M70rbuiHJxVLZPExbVwlXNzh-faxT3nOg/s320/IMG_20220527_145242.jpg" width="177" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woodfest casks</td></tr></tbody></table>Tickets are a shade over £60 for most sessions. That looks steep, but this is a US-style all-inclusive event, so the ticket includes your beers as well as admission, music and a glass (though not of course food or anything else). It’s mainly keg beers from the UK and abroad, but there’s also a <a href="http://blog.beerviking.net/2017/08/fullers-friends-at-cask-yard.html" target="_blank">Cask Yard</a>, and this year they’re also planning a focus on the new <a href="https://blog.beerviking.net/2022/05/crowds-turn-out-for-walthamstow-brewers.html" target="_blank">Blackhorse Mile breweries </a>of Walthamstow. I’m looking forward to it, having <a href="http://blog.beerviking.net/2014/08/cool-times-at-london-craft-beer-festival.html" target="_blank">not been for several years</a>. <p></p><p>A late entry onto this festival list isn't huge, but it is a 'national event', technically at least! It's the <a href="https://www.spbw.beer/woodfest-2023/" target="_blank">4th National Woodfest</a> of the Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood (SPBW). with more than 30 beers not just in casks, but in <u>wooden</u> casks. Last year I enjoyed the <a href="http://blog.beerviking.net/2022/06/is-beer-better-from-wood.html" target="_blank">3rd Woodfest</a>, which was held in Twickenham. This year it's actually just outside London, in Egham, but it's still only a shortish train ride out. </p><p>Undoubtedly there will be more – I know there’s various fringe events planned for the first two weeks of August, for example, and then there's all the CAMRA local festivals <a href="https://blog.beerviking.net/2022/07/beer-festivals-beer-judging-and-meeting.html" target="_blank">such as Ealing</a>, but I think that will do for now. Cheers! </p><p><i>*This is the former Harmsworth printing factory, which printed newspapers until 2012, then became a music and events location, and is now sadly due for demolition so the owners, British Land, can build offices instead. Yes, more offices, of which London already appears to have a surplus. I really despise property companies sometimes – no, most of the time. </i></p><p><i> **My diary tells me this is also the King's birthday, but while it would make a great birthday outing for you or me, I fear his security would eff it up for the rest of us! </i></p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-35006455277219102152023-04-10T22:42:00.006+01:002023-04-12T17:14:51.286+01:00Can craft mead break into the big time?<p>Where next for mead? Or perhaps it’s more important to start with “What is mead, and what <u>should</u> it be?” </p><p>I don't just mean what's it made from – I suspect many people know it's got honey in – but thinking about what defines it, and how varied it is. Because if your idea of mead is just that super-sweet syrupy stuff you see in some souvenir shops, then it's time to think again. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Authentic, local and sustainable values</h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Nom-ee4P5rY8KaXCORE58x_P1BrxtOhTNleOwjWJDJ7Xffb2sNxCwYdnroUoKarBuBdQCMEiYm7vVntk5l7aiggVGvTqfSItvoKgIemG7yZ7pe8U2HYDbQGAuO4aWGxCcpoTLXQyBA4yrV1jxygiD1KUzuS3l_FekZOahUcGLJJskoS0XC1a94GX/s4608/IMG_20190318_201046.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="2592" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Nom-ee4P5rY8KaXCORE58x_P1BrxtOhTNleOwjWJDJ7Xffb2sNxCwYdnroUoKarBuBdQCMEiYm7vVntk5l7aiggVGvTqfSItvoKgIemG7yZ7pe8U2HYDbQGAuO4aWGxCcpoTLXQyBA4yrV1jxygiD1KUzuS3l_FekZOahUcGLJJskoS0XC1a94GX/s320/IMG_20190318_201046.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>“The general mead story is a very compelling one around sustainability, authenticity and localism – we are very interested in sustainability, we’re supporting bees and all pollinators* with 10p donation per pint,” said the eponymous Tom Gosnell (left), speaking at a ‘meadia briefing’ ahead of last month’s British Mead Festival at the <a href="http://www.gosnells.co.uk/" target="_blank">Gosnells</a> mead taproom in London’s Bermondsey. <p></p><p>“It has opened up a lot more in the last 10 years, but there’s still a lack of knowledge,” he added, with some people wondering if it will be 'like drinking honey.'</p><p>“The average consumer may not understand what mead means at all,” agreed James Lambert, MD of the other big UK producer, <a href="http://www.lymebaywinery.co.uk/" target="_blank">Lyme Bay Winery</a>, which makes mead alongside grape and fruit wines. “We are seeing demonstrable consumer demand, with growth in excess of 10% year-on-year, there’s demand here and abroad, we’re seeing more searches on our website,” he added. </p><p>“But within that, the biggest challenge – the one we’re struggling with – is the gatekeepers. Who do you talk to?” He explained that with restaurants, supermarkets and so on, there’s category buyers for wine, cider and beer, but there’s no one responsible for mead. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">But standards and definitions are currently missing</h3><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OBunLf2J822yUvklFjSH5eVUIK7WfrpEiaYZmrcuXnDC8WVyfoIQGN4EJ1buR-DbFVkjC2ixjq7UREcvq2x5dLq3yowMnxxkG22PP_LlzXGgxxMdD-ONpltGmg5kOD0Bo--d0b5svh9-_H6-sdWqcrIR4ex3VDF9R1jz6d0KlApRVJhVXf_XNOV3/s4000/IMG_20230324_133822.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OBunLf2J822yUvklFjSH5eVUIK7WfrpEiaYZmrcuXnDC8WVyfoIQGN4EJ1buR-DbFVkjC2ixjq7UREcvq2x5dLq3yowMnxxkG22PP_LlzXGgxxMdD-ONpltGmg5kOD0Bo--d0b5svh9-_H6-sdWqcrIR4ex3VDF9R1jz6d0KlApRVJhVXf_XNOV3/s320/IMG_20230324_133822.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Lambert</td></tr></tbody></table>Another problem is definitions, the two meadmakers agreed. You can’t define it by strength, for example – Lyme Bay’s meads are rich honey wines of 10% to 14.5%, while most Gosnells mead is much lighter, at around 4%, and of course they’re aimed at rather different audiences. James said Lyme Bay sells a lot of bottles through garden centres and the like, and is the sole supplier to English Heritage, whereas it’s not unusual now to see Gosnells flagship Wildflower Mead on tap in pubs and brewery taprooms. <p></p><p>And at the moment, in the UK it’s not even required to be made from at least 50% honey – although most craft meaderies use 100% honey, and James said Lyme Bay’s is about 55%, some of what’s sold as mead is mostly made from other ingredients such as grape wine or sugar, with honey added more as a flavouring than a fermentable. </p><p>There’s a good reason for that, of course, which is price. “Honey is expensive, and there’s not enough of it in the UK, so we use honeys from elsewhere in Europe and especially from Mexico,” James said – apparently the Yucatan is famous for its honey. </p><p>One way around this is to <a href="http://blog.beerviking.net/2022/10/how-gosnells-helped-make-mead-both.html" target="_blank">make session meads, as Gosnells does</a>, but even at less than one-third the ABV of the heavy honey wines, they’re 100% honey so still not cheap to make. Tom noted though that where Lyme Bay pays duty at wine-rate, “the 8.5% tax-break [due in August 2023] will help us, we’ll also be able to take advantage of the draught relief.”</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Seeking a sweet future</h3><p>“What’s the future of mead?” asked James. “The challenge is to get consumers to understand what it is first, only then can we start to differentiate. Chilled and neat in a wine glass, or slightly warmer, we’re starting to see traction in cocktails too. Our sweeter style lends itself well to that.”</p><p>Tom agreed. “We give pubs simple cocktail recipes that are easy to make behind the bar,” he said. “It keeps the mead tap busy.”</p><p>Looking further ahead, if the UK follows the US, as it has for craft beer, we may well see quite a few more meaderies. When I first encountered American craft mead almost 20 years ago, at a presentation in Denver alongside the Great American Beer Festival, there were perhaps 30 producers present. “Now there’s maybe 1000 in the US,” says Tom. “There’s a lot of session mead – their session mead is more like 7% though!”</p><p>And with mead – unlike most wine – offering many of the same positives as beer and cider, such as craft, authenticity and localism, it’s going to be an increasingly attractive option for bars and consumers alike. That’s sweet news for the mead-makers, as long as they can work out how to make it pay. </p><p><i>*This is a reference to recent news reports that, with so many more people taking up beekeeping during the pandemic, there is a risk of honeybee overpopulation. The problem is that honeybees are far from the only pollinators around – there's also various other bee species, moths, etc – but they are very efficient, so the danger is that they'll outcompete the others and cause species declines.</i></p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-32134529547395551042023-02-17T13:06:00.002+00:002023-02-17T13:09:05.208+00:00And sometimes I drink wine, too...<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlnj6pnkjNE-JPgsK67XSvlfylRSx6X4dGWfTd_7gmQvGz-jSs2-KjM003fnAhy0c5_VG9XTfEE4MoVRZNiAc5CBrfBCcPGCKEaFKYw_PW2vh_PWOucW5NTzGLhhLXD98Cehnjf1lu3gJutD4-CUhPvGI18fV_Orx9IuVssssIC8k2tqsDF36bgzz/s2764/IMG_20220324_164156.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2764" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlnj6pnkjNE-JPgsK67XSvlfylRSx6X4dGWfTd_7gmQvGz-jSs2-KjM003fnAhy0c5_VG9XTfEE4MoVRZNiAc5CBrfBCcPGCKEaFKYw_PW2vh_PWOucW5NTzGLhhLXD98Cehnjf1lu3gJutD4-CUhPvGI18fV_Orx9IuVssssIC8k2tqsDF36bgzz/s320/IMG_20220324_164156.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tre Bicchieri 2022</td></tr></tbody></table>People do talk about beer having a ‘terroir’ – that sense of place that hints at where it was brewed, and which sometimes seems to make it taste better there – but it’s a term more often associated with fine wine. And with good reason – wine’s differentiation is arguably very much dependent on its home region.<p></p><p>Not only are there many local grape varieties, but the same variety – Syrah/Shiraz, say – can differ greatly depending on where it’s grown, just like English-grown Cascade hops taste different to US-grown Cascade. Plus, fine wine is in many ways a simpler drink to produce than beer, with fewer ingredients and fewer steps in the process, so it makes sense that the result might express the primary ingredient – grapes – much more clearly. <br /></p><p>And thankfully, as long as you’re not a wine snob, you can enjoy wine one day, beer the next, and maybe whisky the day after. Indeed, I suspect most ‘beer snobs’ are actually just quality-focused – they won’t drink crap beer, but they don’t drink crap wine either!</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-HAOk99XjUnpFZXgvM3QdKXNoLd52t7Omn1kGPHu9PdxB83vtwLOv2pcpsK516C_0avwydtHm12NdiL0cnN0k7pcCshR5h7CupNjz0AD1w8exJntTmqd6I9DDSM-fVGLhZHBAlv8WBcagHF0apo6cpMOMGq6n8GQcM0x7Bj81E8Xstp8vV1HBTIS/s3045/IMG_20220324_153424.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3045" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-HAOk99XjUnpFZXgvM3QdKXNoLd52t7Omn1kGPHu9PdxB83vtwLOv2pcpsK516C_0avwydtHm12NdiL0cnN0k7pcCshR5h7CupNjz0AD1w8exJntTmqd6I9DDSM-fVGLhZHBAlv8WBcagHF0apo6cpMOMGq6n8GQcM0x7Bj81E8Xstp8vV1HBTIS/s320/IMG_20220324_153424.jpg" width="189" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tre Bicchieri 2019</td></tr></tbody></table>All of which is why, as well craft beer festivals, I love events such as the <a href="https://www.gamberorossointernational.com/tours/london-02-23-2023/" target="_blank">Tre Bicchieri Tour, an Italian wine fair</a> which visits London annually. It brings an array of hyper-local wines and wineries, each with experts to help the visitor understand what’s going on in their glass, whether it’s specifics such as growing by the coast or on volcanic soil, the unusual local grape varieties, or the broader differences between regions, from Sicily to Trentino and from Apulia to Piedmont, via Tuscany, Abruzzo and all points between. <p></p><p>So I am looking forward to this year’s edition which takes place next Thursday (23rd February 2023) at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London’s Westminster. Primarily an afternoon trade and press event run by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the UK to promote the exhibitors, the doors also open to wine-lovers from 5-7pm. It's <b>free</b> to get in, you do need to register though – <a href="https://www.italchamind.org.uk/events/tre-bicchieri-tour-2023/" target="_blank">there’s a link for that here</a>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsru-KB2cfeyRZhHcQZx5NcjmKScoGIJR4WkVj4umO7feCZmhDLWvLWRyes1cCrxByH0fbACtW_4HwT8huyRpFc6AcKPGAEGlTIhHce7U2bUXdv4T0L-4vAvKMsvI0Yn_qEjtp5Ss2Hh1Pcb-owpyXWb8ZYWRrT9D6sJPSVeqRWiab72_lG44ukTu/s4608/IMG_20190326_125957.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="4608" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsru-KB2cfeyRZhHcQZx5NcjmKScoGIJR4WkVj4umO7feCZmhDLWvLWRyes1cCrxByH0fbACtW_4HwT8huyRpFc6AcKPGAEGlTIhHce7U2bUXdv4T0L-4vAvKMsvI0Yn_qEjtp5Ss2Hh1Pcb-owpyXWb8ZYWRrT9D6sJPSVeqRWiab72_lG44ukTu/w400-h225/IMG_20190326_125957.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-18720335254107214082022-11-24T22:26:00.004+00:002022-11-24T22:26:45.137+00:00At the intersection of Pilsner, Punk and Pig's ears<p>It's the <a href="http://www.pigsear.org.uk/pigs%20ear%20festival.htm" target="_blank">Pig's Ear beer festival</a> in Hackney next week. I'm looking forward to it even more than usual this year, because if all goes according to plan, it’ll see a rare outing for cask beers from Walthamstow’s Signature Brew – and an even rarer UK one for cask beers from America's famed Dogfish Head. And they’ll be the same beers...</p><p>At least, that was one of the stories I heard when I was over at Signature last month for an event billed as “<i>The intertwined history of punk rock and craft beer</i>”. </p><p>I have to confess that, when I first saw that headline, I didn’t get it. I was around in 1977, and I’m pretty damn sure there weren’t any punks necking single-hop pale ales and kettle sours – and there definitely wasn’t any Punk IPA!</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1z9OtHVG9Tu2SbFlBJM8XyRC3_gci0n5ZLgk5sL7_uIrZr_ie2YLIg1vRGuPXyt08nm88wpU0Zm7wxBoJkA6CEkiXZ2ePXa00N21HakJeOGcU4wM-xU6-nQ70c2btKKcRrq7ewWixfTA2NltrOk2MuycB1kcvSl3WNZAcOmjoduL2Y_CgkL4yml2j/s2729/IMG_20221029_164904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2729" data-original-width="1472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1z9OtHVG9Tu2SbFlBJM8XyRC3_gci0n5ZLgk5sL7_uIrZr_ie2YLIg1vRGuPXyt08nm88wpU0Zm7wxBoJkA6CEkiXZ2ePXa00N21HakJeOGcU4wM-xU6-nQ70c2btKKcRrq7ewWixfTA2NltrOk2MuycB1kcvSl3WNZAcOmjoduL2Y_CgkL4yml2j/s320/IMG_20221029_164904.jpg" width="173" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sams M (left) and C (right)</td></tr></tbody></table>But the invitation also included the opportunity to meet craft beer legend Sam Calagione, the co-founder of Dogfish Head, and taste both his famous IPAs and the first of two beers he’s collaborated on with Signature co-founder Sam McGregor.</p><p>That first collaboration is an updated version of a beer Dogfish brewed several years ago called <a href="https://www.signaturebrew.co.uk/collections/shop-everything/products/piercing-pils-440ml-pear-tea-pilsner-dogfish-head-collab" target="_blank">Piercing Pils</a>. This playful take on the Central European classic – Dogfish styles it a Czech Pils, but it has definite Germanic notes – features both pear juice and pear tea alongside the noble hops. The pear juice adds both fermentable sugars, a fruity flavour and an intriguing, faintly Belgian estery note, while the tea melds with and builds the spicy character of the hops. </p><p>It’s a very nice and very well-made beer – but why add flavours to a classic like Pils? “Since the craft beer revolution, brewers have been putting all sorts of crazy stuff into ales, but usually not lagers,” laughed Sam C. “With lager, there’s nothing to hide behind, so not too often do people fuck with lager – but we do!”</p><p>That ‘nowhere to hide faults’ aspect is why some modern ale brewers make lager, to show they really can brew, but as Sam M pointed out, that’s not relevant here. “The kit here [at the Walthamstow brewery] is already set up for lager,” he explained. “A lot of the work we did here was to bring our Studio Lager in-house.”</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVYdMmRH21vu-dr994HerSnXLrzHElsJ6nrpm-x4wIMXCZPAAxwX9LEqXaJRNadRr6ejxGCQVFmnokXxPFAr2Vk8KhsvZX0X5rVNrDdz2X9kczGLu5P8AeOGrcwJkJ3SDrXa40tpIULF17vQOTDDOXE9JiasQgnHNogO2YChZCwRRUbJItM4PxARs/s2199/IMG_20221029_190824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="2199" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVYdMmRH21vu-dr994HerSnXLrzHElsJ6nrpm-x4wIMXCZPAAxwX9LEqXaJRNadRr6ejxGCQVFmnokXxPFAr2Vk8KhsvZX0X5rVNrDdz2X9kczGLu5P8AeOGrcwJkJ3SDrXa40tpIULF17vQOTDDOXE9JiasQgnHNogO2YChZCwRRUbJItM4PxARs/s320/IMG_20221029_190824.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beer and band punks on stage together</td></tr></tbody></table>That work also included both a reverse-osmosis filter to get the right water quality for the beer being brewed – they even use it to replicate Colorado water for their American IPA – and a centrifuge for the finished beer so they don’t have to pasteurise or filter it. </p><p>But with all this industry going on, where’s the punk angle? To discuss it, the two Sams were joined on the Signature brewhouse stage by Matt Reynolds of modern hardcore punk duo Haggard Cat, and Jon Langford of 1970s punk band The Mekons – roadies had been busy all afternoon setting up the stage for the two bands to play later that evening.</p><p>For all four of them, it’s a shared concept – a rejection of the mainstream and a determination to do your own thing. As Langford explained, while 1970s London punk was very shock-orientated, the north-east punk scene that The Mekons came out of was very different. “We thought it was all about you make your own entertainment, for us in The Mekons it was all do-it-yourself,” he said. </p><p>Sam C said that American craft brewing, fired up by President Jimmy Carter’s 1978 legalisation of homebrewing, was driven by a similar rejection of the mainstream. “The homebrewing movement was a punk movement,” he declared. Dogfish Head may have been founded in 1995 – Calagione calls it “a second-generation craft brewery” – but it still started out as him and two friends brewing in a kitchen.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7H7DieNhwWlQq7OeghrjTMRO9ezfvsrg5MM6-z6FyAUsJgzIJtUJUF3Nb7_omOvmMk_p-QX2PqRZ5eoYyF1BSrBM59Vduz-kl479Rsd-jY8dGy1XKKX1cTV8QLy5mQUrW6wbbnfmmXaes2kVNbzLOyGpEUyRwei5ToAEmi_vuZiNHJ50hVW4fhv8d/s2739/imgly_4600577150333051032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2739" data-original-width="1645" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7H7DieNhwWlQq7OeghrjTMRO9ezfvsrg5MM6-z6FyAUsJgzIJtUJUF3Nb7_omOvmMk_p-QX2PqRZ5eoYyF1BSrBM59Vduz-kl479Rsd-jY8dGy1XKKX1cTV8QLy5mQUrW6wbbnfmmXaes2kVNbzLOyGpEUyRwei5ToAEmi_vuZiNHJ50hVW4fhv8d/s320/imgly_4600577150333051032.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burnished amber in a glass</td></tr></tbody></table>He added that even now, after he sold his brewery to Sam Adams – yes, yet another Sam! – for which he inevitably got a lot of ‘sell-out’ criticism, it’s all still far from mainstream. “When we merged with Sam Adams, our ‘monstrous combination’ represented two percent of the US beer market,” he said. “In the US, 9000 craft breweries share just 14% of the market.”</p><p>So, a Punk Pear Pils then? Well, maybe – it’ll certainly have the guardians of the Einheitsgebot (the Law of Sameness) shaking their heads. And according to Signature Brew’s other co-founder Tom Bott, it’s not the only thing that Sam C and the Dogfish crew were in town for – the week after we spoke, they were due back at the brewery to start work on a collaboration Porter, to be brewed with Vietnamese pepper and maple syrup!</p><p>And that's where it got extra-interesting. Tom said they also plan to cask some of both the Porter and the Piercing Pils. Signature started doing cask beers about a year ago – initially just versions of its Roadie and Backstage IPAs – but only for sale through two handpumps in the brewery taproom. Now, Tom said they’re also “thinking to let some casks out further afield,” with Pig’s Ear a likely early recipient. </p><p>Not just a Punk Pear Pils, then, but a Cask Punk Pear Pils. Now that’s my kind of DIY entertainment… See you at Pig's Ear! </p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-41641928506153917822022-10-29T14:22:00.005+01:002022-11-24T22:30:02.674+00:00How Gosnells helped make mead both fashionable and sessionable<p>Mead is fashionable again. Better than that, it’s commercial and very nearly mainstream, and a large part of the credit for that – at least in Britain – goes to Tim Gosnell and his meadery Gosnells of London. </p><p>He’s had several goes at creating a retail space of his own. There was the room above a restaurant in Peckham, there was the ‘mead garden’ of tables, benches and recycled wood dividers and planters set up on the concrete outside his industrial estate meadery – it was quite cute, actually, in a modern craft-biergarten kind of way. </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbstr-vdX1icJjLDbWxMlsOh_yd-M4vOAIKXz0SwIHVTP24boWyMMAEk2zc7sy53Txisb0vlKo0xnEZa-Nk6B_Q_oqnby2mm2u6xXvsNKOlTBMOa3R_0bIwp8MbTjr2MWFXbGwuhqDCTipfifhrBFZ6UHVhvtQL_FBlcovf0Pjom8yzq9ck7RiLXZ/s3264/IMG_20220922_185705.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="3264" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbstr-vdX1icJjLDbWxMlsOh_yd-M4vOAIKXz0SwIHVTP24boWyMMAEk2zc7sy53Txisb0vlKo0xnEZa-Nk6B_Q_oqnby2mm2u6xXvsNKOlTBMOa3R_0bIwp8MbTjr2MWFXbGwuhqDCTipfifhrBFZ6UHVhvtQL_FBlcovf0Pjom8yzq9ck7RiLXZ/s320/IMG_20220922_185705.jpg" width="320" /></a>And now there is the first mead bar on the famed Bermondsey Beer Mile, taking over the 72 Enid Street arch, between Moor Beer and Cloudwater. It’s a simple set-up – tables, chairs and benches fill the deep archway plus some space on the roadside, then there’s a bar at the back with storage behind. </p><p>The commercialisation of mead has been helped by the fact that, while what’s on the bar here is recognisably similar, Gosnells core range is not the sweet, almost liqueur-like honey wine meads sold in tourist shops and medieval markets, whose strength can be in the high teens or even the low 20s. Some of these honey wines were actually sweet grape wine flavoured with honey.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRip1aJFz7OHJtU9HVn0JZ2I2yrQ5ylOY-6dDWlzKi-yUz7ha5jXH_oirZOfyZCA2KFwquiuS2xTl_LqPh-PGEcfh09Mmwvzd2PMqvtk6BIeiJqRDj0JUIC8kBarmrsTAbBhRFG16pZXB1Q9JpDyA8ExHv8pw5DfMmwNVzUICtACwORdXsR53x8GU/s3978/IMG_20220922_192350.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3978" data-original-width="2983" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRip1aJFz7OHJtU9HVn0JZ2I2yrQ5ylOY-6dDWlzKi-yUz7ha5jXH_oirZOfyZCA2KFwquiuS2xTl_LqPh-PGEcfh09Mmwvzd2PMqvtk6BIeiJqRDj0JUIC8kBarmrsTAbBhRFG16pZXB1Q9JpDyA8ExHv8pw5DfMmwNVzUICtACwORdXsR53x8GU/s320/IMG_20220922_192350.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Enid St arch</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><h3>Session meads</h3><p>Instead, Gosnells is mostly session or ‘short mead’, a light version weighing in at 5% ABV or less*. As well as making it more approachable in a market where ready-mixed cocktails and hard seltzers are typically 4% or 5%, it also makes it more cost-effective to produce. Honey is normally the only sugar source for fermentation here and it’s not a cheap ingredient, so a 15% mead is a lot more expensive to make than a 4% one. In addition, a 15% or 18% mead can take a lot longer to ferment and finish. </p><p>Of course, while the production process is very similar to beer, minus the mashing and boiling, it does have to change a bit, as I learned when chatting in the mead garden a few months back with Gosnells head brewer Will Grubelnik. “We pasteurise it to stop the fermentation early,” he explained. That’s because if they didn’t stop the fermentation early, the yeast could simply eat all the sugar leaving a bone-dry liquid. </p><p>Control over the fermentation as well as the type of honey and any other ingredients used also helps bring out flavour, despite the lower ABV. “Honey is almost 99% sugar and water, with a very little protein and some other flavour compounds,” Will added. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80SRs_u1hrPH0Db_Ty9AK7aenTSjdaTKMjtsfa3NEIEn4c-7RfLh18EV-lPiBI0KAAFhPdMw_r9an8O4fQGXyfd-BtaJPjxqv75MzPecK1VQ5GMiPA-W1VDD94QNtbjD__xaO32pj6346g9vtYXiXNvN9ac3EyYFjo9LGYSmRnz3lpAAZ0D2Fb-Zl/s2433/IMG_20210902_192021.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="2433" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80SRs_u1hrPH0Db_Ty9AK7aenTSjdaTKMjtsfa3NEIEn4c-7RfLh18EV-lPiBI0KAAFhPdMw_r9an8O4fQGXyfd-BtaJPjxqv75MzPecK1VQ5GMiPA-W1VDD94QNtbjD__xaO32pj6346g9vtYXiXNvN9ac3EyYFjo9LGYSmRnz3lpAAZ0D2Fb-Zl/s320/IMG_20210902_192021.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Head brewer Will at the old 'mead-garden'</td></tr></tbody></table>“Stopping early allows you to collect some mid-fermentation products. Even though we’re 100% honey we’re able to show people a huge range of flavour profiles so there’s something to appeal to everyone, even if they’re scared of mead or don’t like honey!” <p></p><p>For example, Gosnells has produced a dry-hopped mead – not bitter but light and dry with a hoppy crispness, a mead brewed with Belgian Saison yeast, and several fruited, flowered or spiced meads, traditionally known as melomels and metheglins. There’s even a lightly soured mead, to ride the recent trend for sour drinks, and a series of postcode meads made with – and expressing the character of – honey from that specific area. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Bringing out the honey's individual character</h3><p>“With mead you can be as free as you want or as concise as you want,” Will says. “For example, I might want to focus on the honey and how that changes over time. With the postcode mead I want to educate people, so I take a hive each from East and West London and from Hereford and the Kentish coast. I ferment the four honeys the same way to show first how the taste varies, and second, that urban honey is not ‘dirty’!”</p><p>He also produces some specials at wine-strength, which as I mentioned take a lot more honey. Where he uses perhaps 85kg or 90kg of honey per 1000 litres for the regular meads, these take 370kg per 1000. (By comparison, my homebrew meads used between 2kg and 3kg per 10 litres, depending how dry I wanted them.) </p><p>Mead is sometimes claimed to be the world’s oldest alcoholic drink. That may or may not be true – wine has a long history, and very early beer-like drinks seem to have combined several sugar sources, including honey alongside fruit and grains – but it’s undeniable that mead carries a certain mystique. The Mead of Poetry in Norse mythology, for example, or the mead of the ancient Greek Golden Age. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjC8-2lrTKbsuS-k9fDK4KTPi77_rnyzCrDLJojp88OXWTcBFLKkTdg0RsUSQXOHSBPCeiSxe-Ww3sZo3BqIxOzcJvcnzIFKCi80NR0H0aPTa9JOUfiha3TglZpb44AjXa3ZVuu3iJlP9_aPSq3T2NvGytfpyRi_f-FILdc2xLfGFJLqs3j7j75CiQ/s384/meadmenu.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="384" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjC8-2lrTKbsuS-k9fDK4KTPi77_rnyzCrDLJojp88OXWTcBFLKkTdg0RsUSQXOHSBPCeiSxe-Ww3sZo3BqIxOzcJvcnzIFKCi80NR0H0aPTa9JOUfiha3TglZpb44AjXa3ZVuu3iJlP9_aPSq3T2NvGytfpyRi_f-FILdc2xLfGFJLqs3j7j75CiQ/s320/meadmenu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>And some of Will’s superb specials would definitely fit well in that legendary category! For example, at the meadery I was lucky enough to sample a smooth and warming 13% mead matured in a plum sake barrel, and a rich and toasty Bouchet mead made with 50% caramelised honey. <p></p><p>Sadly, you are unlikely to find those two at the Bermondsey bar – they were very limited runs. But there are eight taps of other draught meads, which when I visited included one at wine strength and another constructed to taste like a Mojito. It certainly all makes for a refreshing change from beer. </p><p><i>*Session meads are still very much in the historical tradition, where we also find short mead and local honey-based but session-strength specialities such as Estonian Mõdu, Finnish Sima and Russian Medovukha. Again, it reminds us that honey has always been a fairly expensive commodity, so a 5% mead would have been half the price of a 10% one. </i></p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-87357965401390138072022-09-21T23:29:00.001+01:002022-11-24T22:30:36.956+00:00Drinking up a memory of Bass Cape Hill<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqvBH2TeSs2Pylo1dfCfz47o_UK0i3wTk-_MMn-mipaqQtpLsnhz73-LHfpCamz69-SaqPzEo1zzB9IBaxxODGx60or9WP-65oCc2IwEnPlS7tO9dhi2Ar1Z2295-3Zy7Y_TchJSt3df4iSwwK4iu3V7by1ZNrzu5KPY0r8lqp0mmRWsYRH7BTaJh/s1064/1987-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqvBH2TeSs2Pylo1dfCfz47o_UK0i3wTk-_MMn-mipaqQtpLsnhz73-LHfpCamz69-SaqPzEo1zzB9IBaxxODGx60or9WP-65oCc2IwEnPlS7tO9dhi2Ar1Z2295-3Zy7Y_TchJSt3df4iSwwK4iu3V7by1ZNrzu5KPY0r8lqp0mmRWsYRH7BTaJh/s320/1987-1.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>Acquired at some memorabilia sale a few years back, this bottle’s been at the back of my fridge pretty much ever since. Until today I pulled it out – and suddenly realised that I was quite possibly involved, albeit peripherally, in what was brewed to celebrate. <p></p><p>Some 35 years ago, I was invited to visit Cape Hill Brewery in Birmingham. Originally the HQ of Mitchells & Butler, or M&B as it was known in its brewing days, by the time I visited it was part of the Bass empire, and had just undergone a substantial refit. </p><p>That refit included a new computer control system running on a pair of DEC VAX minicomputers, which was the reason for my visit as I was deputy editor of DEC User Magazine at the time. This system allowed them pretty much to program the brewery to brew what they wanted, batch by batch, whether that be Brew XI, Stones Bitter, M&B Mild or whatever. These days you can buy a home-brew machine that does the same and fits on your kitchen work-top, but this was sophisticated stuff back then. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhORwWGaLSRTZMVpKHY6WTNM_vEhNsPNqmyQOhAGCss7pZED4k0dOIGbJpWfhZkdYvQUjCMetILx3FBjIN-kQYhbdEWyoqrdU3mJw514K2jQUIosr4c-R2lKH8DLyxZZvEocUoD76zQj95tibUNcS-JlhHZkdbJ8Y3Mai8tBZejruUsLXuiArnX_f2/s1198/1987-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhORwWGaLSRTZMVpKHY6WTNM_vEhNsPNqmyQOhAGCss7pZED4k0dOIGbJpWfhZkdYvQUjCMetILx3FBjIN-kQYhbdEWyoqrdU3mJw514K2jQUIosr4c-R2lKH8DLyxZZvEocUoD76zQj95tibUNcS-JlhHZkdbJ8Y3Mai8tBZejruUsLXuiArnX_f2/s320/1987-2.jpg" width="171" /></a></div>When Bass bailed out of brewing in 2000 the Cape Hill Brewery was sold, first to Interbrew and then to Coors, who closed it in 2002, just months after they’d bought it. It was demolished in 2005/2006 and housing built on the site. <p></p><p>Fast forward to today though, and here’s a bottle of Cape Hill Brewery Celebration Strong Mild Ale from June 1987, and yes, it’s still drinkable and fairly pleasant! The cap was still tight, perhaps thanks to the foil cover, and while the beer has only a slight fizz, it’s also only slightly oxidised for its age. </p><p>It’s dark and malty with a touch of gravy – that’s the oxidation – and a little sweet. There’s a slight hop character and not much bitterness, but then this is a Midlands mild, and it’s a little thin. No information on the ABV – the label just says it was brewed to O.G. 1055° – but given the sweetness I’d guess at maybe 5%. </p><p>Anyhow, that's my glass of history for today. <br /><br /></p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com5Cape Hill, Birmingham, Smethwick B66, UK52.4867289 -1.955874624.176495063821157 -37.1121246 80.796962736178841 33.2003754tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-78045894763638930442022-08-31T16:45:00.003+01:002022-11-24T22:31:18.302+00:00Hoppy days down on the farm<span style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQaYGKHqhtPjohSHWQ8d1UNMAUzycBDVvOugWhK5LeTF8PYDaXX0HTY_fh7E2Qbf2XI8bylUncHOSoixOkyIO8tzdJ2IDZAZ0kmKqToJJ-wNBD1LYouODVPdKg66UspSJ7iYNLXHjEXjD_7jAseAvQzt_xCbD3YqrGTwSWap5faF2fgHHBnVNOsu9A/s4000/IMG_20220826_131551.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQaYGKHqhtPjohSHWQ8d1UNMAUzycBDVvOugWhK5LeTF8PYDaXX0HTY_fh7E2Qbf2XI8bylUncHOSoixOkyIO8tzdJ2IDZAZ0kmKqToJJ-wNBD1LYouODVPdKg66UspSJ7iYNLXHjEXjD_7jAseAvQzt_xCbD3YqrGTwSWap5faF2fgHHBnVNOsu9A/s320/IMG_20220826_131551.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Female hop plant</td></tr></tbody></table>The 2022 hop harvest begins this week – or at least it does in the Weald of Kent, where <a href="https://www.hukins-hops.co.uk/tours-events/" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Hukins Hops</a> grows East Kent Goldings, Fuggles, Challenger, Ernest, Bullion and other varieties – and where they invited a small group of beer writers and friends to be the guinea-pigs for a trial tour ahead of their first-ever Pick Your Own Hops event. </span><p></p><p></p>Hukins Hops is a 50-acre family farm that’s been growing hops since 1900, although it was relatively recently that current boss Ross Hukins made the decision to focus entirely on hops. As well as dried and pelleted hops for both commercial and home brewers, they also sell fresh and dried hop garlands for decorative use. <p></p><p></p>And this week they will also have brewers coming by to pick up the first fresh wet or green hops, which they typically aim to get into beer within 24 hours in order to capture as much as possible of the fresh hop character. There’s <a href=" https://kentgreenhopbeer.com/kent-green-hop-beer-festival/" target="_blank">several Green Hop Beer festivals</a> coming up, the biggest being in Canterbury in September. <p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48MuZY5Vq1Ivo2ynlw4wGfeYtls6gqKHxnvBYGAfhXfTW_4XqxxrLoRCU6iRT6sxftqnWNxvBP9GiJs4tBSdyckyR0dHMuds8-Vpq0I7YOxWk2uvGFLOwkQxW7IfPwxmFuCtsd8-hSqbNzV5QzbXuXr9ja2KLoCeJ_yiB6DWn928Qk7imZO_gOu60/s4000/IMG_20220826_130602.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="4000" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48MuZY5Vq1Ivo2ynlw4wGfeYtls6gqKHxnvBYGAfhXfTW_4XqxxrLoRCU6iRT6sxftqnWNxvBP9GiJs4tBSdyckyR0dHMuds8-Vpq0I7YOxWk2uvGFLOwkQxW7IfPwxmFuCtsd8-hSqbNzV5QzbXuXr9ja2KLoCeJ_yiB6DWn928Qk7imZO_gOu60/s320/IMG_20220826_130602.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poles and wires hold the hop bines up</td></tr></tbody></table>One of the first things I noticed when we started walking through the hop fields was how quiet it was – our well-informed tour guide Dom, from <a href="https://ukbt.start.page/" target="_blank">UK Brewery Tours</a>, said it’s like this for much of the year. Obviously the days of manual harvesting, when Londoners in their thousands would travel to Kent for a few weeks hop-picking, are long gone and it’s largely mechanised now, but it’s also that outside harvest and a few other activities, there is not so much to do. <p></p><p>Then, once harvest starts, there’s several weeks of hectic activity before it quietens down again. One reason for growing several varieties of hops is that they ripen at slightly different times – for example Fuggles is first, then Challenger, followed by Ernest and Bullion, then UK Cascade, and so on – which smooths the harvesting and processing out a bit, but it is still pretty concentrated. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqUqr_HNoVYcePd4OI9_t6ZnHoWyIjvtaW2QfPpezcusAFQ417XN7UcXh6KLL2vHe4gIO5Bcc_t7tVhyLjFnw5saShTCk3Rdogviemb_kfyH3F84sLCWg8U5PXR7l-r2oMfqxGWU7DaRcPHwuOJXNBhAtAo1ABYA8vPTcy4S1wZ-yBkb7R8R8pfB7/s987/IMG_20220826_133146.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="987" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqUqr_HNoVYcePd4OI9_t6ZnHoWyIjvtaW2QfPpezcusAFQ417XN7UcXh6KLL2vHe4gIO5Bcc_t7tVhyLjFnw5saShTCk3Rdogviemb_kfyH3F84sLCWg8U5PXR7l-r2oMfqxGWU7DaRcPHwuOJXNBhAtAo1ABYA8vPTcy4S1wZ-yBkb7R8R8pfB7/w146-h200/IMG_20220826_133146.jpg" width="146" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male hop plant</td></tr></tbody></table>The next thing I noticed was how they grow. The overhead poles and wires are still there, not so different from 100 years ago, then each of the 320,000 plants on the farm has its own metal ground anchor from which compostable strings run up to the overhead wires. Most plants have four strings for four twisting shoots or ‘bines’, and Dom said that some varieties will grow up the strings naturally while others need training – twisting the shoots around the strings to encourage them to climb.<p></p><p>As well as differences in smell and taste, hop varieties also look slightly different on the bine – even before you notice the one in 200 oddities on the farm that are the male hop plants. Challenger cones are longer than Fuggles, for instance, and some kinds are bushier than others – although all were a little thin this year, due to the dry weather. Indeed, this year's hop harvest looks set to be down right across Europe, with Germany predicting a 20% drop. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPjFbER01TTNYqeTy_xd9l67NkjD7MynEdosn_RnKh-7OdYaofAOVAIgUZsJC_qRKl_2Vk0v9dI3mPph4sT1ETWdna-fntF0PJ_xXOG9wMWEW0pQYpZ5vefGv6IZlyHiIePQZOju-LiAJWpdjz0LeLqPY2RJ1-TQigdk8yYVtgmUOl8KGb_T0h-Sf/s4000/IMG_20220826_135724.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPjFbER01TTNYqeTy_xd9l67NkjD7MynEdosn_RnKh-7OdYaofAOVAIgUZsJC_qRKl_2Vk0v9dI3mPph4sT1ETWdna-fntF0PJ_xXOG9wMWEW0pQYpZ5vefGv6IZlyHiIePQZOju-LiAJWpdjz0LeLqPY2RJ1-TQigdk8yYVtgmUOl8KGb_T0h-Sf/s320/IMG_20220826_135724.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A twisting bine</td></tr></tbody></table><p>But climate change is impacting hop-growing in other ways too. For instance, Dom says that traditional English Goldings and Fuggles now need irrigation, whereas the newer varieties are more tolerant. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr></tr></tbody></table>This adds yet more layers of complexity to the decision of what varieties to grow. Not only must the farmer try to anticipate the upcoming hop fashions, but they also need to think about what suits their terroir, what’ll incur extra costs and so on. Hukins is growing some experimental varieties but it takes three years for the character of a new variety to become clear, and while hops are perennial, the bines need replacing after about 30 years. If you get it wrong, as Hukins did a few years ago with Bramling Cross which didn’t sell, you have to grub out the plants and replace them. <p></p><p>Anyway, come harvest the whole bine is cut at top and bottom, which only needs two workers on a tractor with a high ‘cherry-picker’ platform on the front. The cut bines go onto a trailer, string and all, and are trucked to a gigantic stripping machine. This separates the vital hop cones from everything else, all of which can go for compost, including the strings. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vRiw3Sw-Djj_NhRUaC3tPVmg8OPUoEL6Z0gpzp-HFIYYvbGEB_Ghwf48PSqSsEEGMKfwERZmc_SOz72tkWlBlGnQF4SNH0imjhUiHZUaswYo4V6xaFe1Y9QG5j-zH0o4XdQYGiZyQOqCt8SLdQ6ZZe0wd_ldP0YI15_2x1IVh0sPZEvCmPZh2rGJ/s3264/IMG_20220826_140948.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="3264" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vRiw3Sw-Djj_NhRUaC3tPVmg8OPUoEL6Z0gpzp-HFIYYvbGEB_Ghwf48PSqSsEEGMKfwERZmc_SOz72tkWlBlGnQF4SNH0imjhUiHZUaswYo4V6xaFe1Y9QG5j-zH0o4XdQYGiZyQOqCt8SLdQ6ZZe0wd_ldP0YI15_2x1IVh0sPZEvCmPZh2rGJ/s320/IMG_20220826_140948.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic 1960s machinery</td></tr></tbody></table>Although it’s housed in a modern building, Hukins’ stripper is more than half a century old! Sure, a modern computer-controlled one might be faster and quieter. But not only was it significantly cheaper to buy a vintage machine second-hand, it also means most problems can be fixed by a mechanic, without the need to call in a service engineer. <p></p><p>Barring the small proportion that goes out green, as garlands or is sent off to be turned into hop pellets, the rest of an average year’s 50 tons of hops goes into the three huge driers – diesel-fuelled, sadly, unlike the rest of the farm which is solar-powered. Several hours at 57ºC drop the moisture content right down, leaving the dried hops ready for packing. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CFQCq1qFAnBTWolZJMqyPPVOm7GGHRP31OtI17hIm4cHNFGboQw344CkzLFExSiHVZ0L5JKpxm1oZPzTzqqe-igpMfrWzbHRpUn3JN9P_vQyj5ZmnyJF8yZBXFGjRvdt9_5KEa1vRcmJyrW341fP_53vcYl9hTQ85XwVe9Drr9nOFhC2eC113Hq_/s2445/IMG_20220826_122429.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1797" data-original-width="2445" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CFQCq1qFAnBTWolZJMqyPPVOm7GGHRP31OtI17hIm4cHNFGboQw344CkzLFExSiHVZ0L5JKpxm1oZPzTzqqe-igpMfrWzbHRpUn3JN9P_vQyj5ZmnyJF8yZBXFGjRvdt9_5KEa1vRcmJyrW341fP_53vcYl9hTQ85XwVe9Drr9nOFhC2eC113Hq_/s320/IMG_20220826_122429.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Last on the tour, but far from least, was of course to taste the results. Dom presented us with samples of three different beers, each one made with a specific hop variety from the farm. The two stand-outs were a dank and rich-bodied bitter using Challenger and a smooth, coffee-tinged and herbal-hoppy London Porter made with East Kent Goldings (this turned out to be Five Points’ excellent Railway Porter). <p></p><p>And with that, it was time to say thanks and goodbye. At first sight, Hukins Hops doesn’t look the easiest of places to get to (it’s an hour by train out of London Bridge, then a taxi) and the tour does involve quite a lot of walking over uneven ground, but it’s fascinating. But if you can drive you can make a day of it, as there's other places to visit in the area. Old Dairy Brewery (a Hukins customer) is not far and there's vineyards around as well, including several smaller ones alongside better-known ones such as Biddenden and Chapel Down. </p><p></p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-39120116041444788252022-08-12T12:45:00.003+01:002022-08-12T13:00:54.410+01:00Beer hunting in Lüneburg<p>As my friend Paul recently <a href="https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2022/07/morning-in-luneburg.html" target="_blank">reminded me via his blog</a>, the North German mediaeval Hanseatic town of Lüneburg – where I used to live – remains a popular tourist destination for cruise passengers, coach parties and more. I’m a bit too late to help Paul, but if you’re visiting in the near future and are interested in beer, here’s a few ideas of places to look. </p><p>There’s only two commercial breweries in town these days, both brewpubs. <a href="https://www.brauhausnolte.de/" target="_blank">Brauhaus Nolte</a> is quite a way out from the centre, so it’s unlikely a casual visitor will make it there – although if you do, it’s very much a local pub, with a traditional menu (think schnitzels, etc) and usually one light (Helles) and one dark (Dunkel) beer, plus maybe a seasonal special. This range is typical for a German brewpub. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4JX60Psz-K5-oV4If9gun3pFDcTmcmVhiB-kj7w0CHOUlAfFSh3qW6RuI_E4UYhYTX7m2E2eHLY5aSLfo9Eu5c8E3BkehZPHq7adbQxaPjhVA-KUXHPS_9F0Irx-iETciBVxZLpzmE7OzHGDibSRFLavIr8HdR9YNeYKmMOpAvZBnLVfKV1i5_v6/s3687/IMG_20220810_135921.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="3687" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4JX60Psz-K5-oV4If9gun3pFDcTmcmVhiB-kj7w0CHOUlAfFSh3qW6RuI_E4UYhYTX7m2E2eHLY5aSLfo9Eu5c8E3BkehZPHq7adbQxaPjhVA-KUXHPS_9F0Irx-iETciBVxZLpzmE7OzHGDibSRFLavIr8HdR9YNeYKmMOpAvZBnLVfKV1i5_v6/s320/IMG_20220810_135921.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bar at Mälzer</td></tr></tbody></table>Much easier to find is the <a href="https://www.maelzerbrauhaus.de/" target="_blank">Mälzer Brauhaus</a>, as it’s just a few metres off Am Sande, the big town square that’s actually a long rectangle. It’s spacious and rustic, with wooden beams everywhere and the brewkit taking pride of place. There’s even a small bar you can sit at if you want, though because the tapster is usually busy filling orders for the waiters, service will be faster if you take a table like everyone else!<p></p><p>As usual, two regulars plus maybe a third seasonal, though the tweak here is that the second regular also changes – a Marzen from October, and a Weizen from April. The first is a Pilsner, of course. It’s not cheap – well, we are in tourist-town here – but it’s a nice place to sit and eat, or just drink, there’s even free WiFi now. Beware though that, like a lot of German places, they don’t take Visa or MC, only cash or a German bank card. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPzaqxIdLbd0quXYzteYcf21y61mBvRNr1GuJz2Lkn8tQ99qlmGH4UzU0zD_0KBO4zX2mTCcjkTN2BOrIil5s2MlsGW5b3gY0rIh-GesHf5okbRnas2JiHH7QbcjG175VJr0d-e3aBNe8AlbsOegLYNx3bz-pTWmbROy-80_MTAsb219euqOZ-E02/s2528/IMG_20220810_124926.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2528" data-original-width="1472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPzaqxIdLbd0quXYzteYcf21y61mBvRNr1GuJz2Lkn8tQ99qlmGH4UzU0zD_0KBO4zX2mTCcjkTN2BOrIil5s2MlsGW5b3gY0rIh-GesHf5okbRnas2JiHH7QbcjG175VJr0d-e3aBNe8AlbsOegLYNx3bz-pTWmbROy-80_MTAsb219euqOZ-E02/s320/IMG_20220810_124926.jpg" width="186" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1902 brewhouse</td></tr></tbody></table>Once upon a time there were more than 80 breweries in Lüneburg, and a few doors up from Mälzer is the only surviving one, now the town’s <a href="https://www.brauereimuseum-lueneburg.de/" target="_blank">Brewery Museum</a>. Before it was bought and eventually closed by Holsten, it was the Lüneburger Kronenbrauerei, or Crown Brewery. You can still find very drinkable Lüneburger Pils and Kronen Dunkel at the Krone Bier & Event-haus next door, but they come from Holsten in Hamburg now. <p></p><p>It’s several years since I visited the museum, but the brewhouse (which dates from 1902) was a very interesting image of early 1900s and inter-war German brewing. It looks like it’s a lot more accessible now too, having been connected to the adjacent Ostpreußisches Landesmuseum* – when I visited, it was pre-booked groups only, and the guide had to open it up specially with a large key… Well worth a look if you have time. </p><p>A five-minute walk from here will bring you to the Altstadt – the old town. Here you can stroll along Ob. & u. Ohlingerstraße (Upper and Lower Ohlinger Street) for the lovely old buildings, but from the beer perspective what I recommend is <a href="https://anno1900-lueneburg.de/" target="_blank">Anno 1900</a>. It's nominally a traditional German restaurant – their motto is “eat like in your grandmother’s time”, and yes they mean the mythic past, not your actual grandmother’s time which whether British or German probably involved post-war rationing. The downstairs though is a nice pub full of wood, ‘found items’ and memorabilia, and complete with a Stammtisch – a table set aside only for locals. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8ynILRmTzsoht5qA_BbOdydmPVGrLDeJJRJlJNiMaXM_z7MF26Z5IvJDhjC8WU0lcyaP3b9MzLt7kW2n7Nn-0K7QCsJWNsoVp3cEELnpHtxIvAlZwxovt4jDTxrrVMDOs3ix4LpsKc4kggh1ACdyXiOs4bdsfzaZvLB5jrvlTFcBCBphQ11Kf1Uy/s3302/IMG_20220810_123848.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="3302" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8ynILRmTzsoht5qA_BbOdydmPVGrLDeJJRJlJNiMaXM_z7MF26Z5IvJDhjC8WU0lcyaP3b9MzLt7kW2n7Nn-0K7QCsJWNsoVp3cEELnpHtxIvAlZwxovt4jDTxrrVMDOs3ix4LpsKc4kggh1ACdyXiOs4bdsfzaZvLB5jrvlTFcBCBphQ11Kf1Uy/s320/IMG_20220810_123848.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anno 1900</td></tr></tbody></table>The food was good the last time I was there, and so was the beer – which for a change involves darker beers as well as Pils. Aktien Landbier Fränkisch Dunkel is a regular on tap, and so are (or were) Aktien Zwick'l Kellerbier, Grevensteiner Original and Barre Alt. <p></p><p>None of which are local, of course, and you’ll have a hard time finding much that is – unless you count maybe Ratsherrn and the various Holsten/Carlsberg brands, which are from Hamburg. There are a few more brewpubs and nanobreweries in outlying villages, but with only limited distribution. </p><p>And while most larger supermarkets keep a range of national brands plus some Bavarians, sadly the pandemic and other factors have hammered the availability of modern German microbrewed beer. The town’s only specialist beer shop closed a few years back, and others have drastically cut back. For instance, I used to recommend <a href="https://insavenir.de/" target="_blank">Avenir café-deli</a> for speciality brews, but now it has little beyond a few bottles from Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei – although that said, these are well worth trying, and the coffee is still good! (They sometimes have Wildwuchs beers too, but in my experience these vary a lot in quality, as do those of local brand LüneBräu which you might find in other shops.)</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszB1FA3vvwsCakNIA99hSM2qukRIH8w-DF3QWqg8-JnhvFevdvNU35EwkKbRJBFuWnXRwUutrybvF8R9izWzUD7PQV5g3X51BKqL3NSWvsKHhvhWK0joTkOz2wddqKkTBQ5Btn9EGaoVoPtZmfATzvhDIzlJdcD6LHCeg736nQqzUaMY-duyOyyn-/s1471/IMG_20220810_125237.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1471" data-original-width="1343" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszB1FA3vvwsCakNIA99hSM2qukRIH8w-DF3QWqg8-JnhvFevdvNU35EwkKbRJBFuWnXRwUutrybvF8R9izWzUD7PQV5g3X51BKqL3NSWvsKHhvhWK0joTkOz2wddqKkTBQ5Btn9EGaoVoPtZmfATzvhDIzlJdcD6LHCeg736nQqzUaMY-duyOyyn-/w183-h200/IMG_20220810_125237.jpg" width="183" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franconia in Sand Passage</td></tr></tbody></table>Easier to find, and worth a visit despite also having cut back is Sand Passage, ake Edeka Tschorn, back on Am Sande. Sadly most of the smaller brewery stuff has gone but there’s still a few (eg. <a href="https://storchenbier.de/" target="_blank">Wendlandbräu</a> is based in a nearby village and is pretty reliable), plus a selection of Franconian and Bavarian bottles, some of which can be hard to find up north. Most of these aren't on the main beer aisle though – head towards the deli counter where there’s an extra rack (see photo). <p></p><p>Well, that’s about it. To be honest, if you have time and transport then the beer range is far better in Hamburg, which has several specialist shops. But you can still find something good to drink in Lüneburg, even if it’s not brewed especially locally. </p><div><i>*East Prussia went to Poland after WW2, with its German population mostly exiled, which is why you'll find this museum of East Prussian and Baltic German history here in Lower Saxony instead. </i></div>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com3Lüneburg, Germany53.2478704 10.416063720.265944210682179 -24.740186299999998 86.229796589317814 45.5723137tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-51388009779189082762022-08-07T14:05:00.004+01:002022-08-07T14:15:36.039+01:00The Ram Brewery, Sambrooks and the secrets of ancient brewing<p>It's been a busy week. It started with my first visit to the new Sambrooks Brewery, which is inside the old Young's Ram Brewery site. Much of the production brewery is out of sight in what was once a tun room full of porter tuns, and then later - if I remember rightly - Young's cask washing area. But there are also several vessels visible inside Sambrooks grand new taproom, which occupies two floors and has huge picture windows overlooking the plaza and beer garden outside. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHGxGrKju_YRA7xMeLsyjOD4_GlC16QMvwerrmb25o3o6qzk0oUm7rVScANY5Hrs7RAevrdRMhLoonJu9QkyxzOSAnfQNV-uwNPywDoqf_0QrxgRHWE7Mc_NARfbo08MkLVHp1ryWhnn1nxnMcznvC1ZLBdi5QVV0CacB191qGTo1_cclXGSGjZ5r/s3030/IMG_20220801_161825.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="3030" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHGxGrKju_YRA7xMeLsyjOD4_GlC16QMvwerrmb25o3o6qzk0oUm7rVScANY5Hrs7RAevrdRMhLoonJu9QkyxzOSAnfQNV-uwNPywDoqf_0QrxgRHWE7Mc_NARfbo08MkLVHp1ryWhnn1nxnMcznvC1ZLBdi5QVV0CacB191qGTo1_cclXGSGjZ5r/s320/IMG_20220801_161825.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim describes Ajon brewing from East Africa </td></tr></tbody></table>The first reason to be here - apart from sampling Sambrooks' new and rather tasty session IPA, <a href="https://untappd.com/b/sambrook-s-brewery-sidekick/4944844" target="_blank">Sidekick</a>, and its brand-new and excellent <a href="https://untappd.com/b/sambrook-s-brewery-oatmeal-stout/4958937" target="_blank">Oatmeal Stout</a> - was a presentation from fellow Beer Writers Guild member Tim O'Rourke, on his research into surviving ancient brewing traditions, including meeting and in some cases brewing with traditional brewers. <p></p><p>It really was fascinating for anyone into brewing history. He went through brewing traditions from all over the world, including the maize beers of Central and South America, millet, sorghum and banana beers from various parts of Africa, the Sake-like rice brews of Southeast Asia, and more. He then linked them to historical, archaeological and artistic evidence of ancient brewing. </p><p>The two things that stood out for me were first, you know that story about women chewing the maize to make Chicha? It's a wind-up, a hoax, and one that generations of beer writers have eagerly swallowed - more eagerly than the Chicha, probably! Of course, if you think just how much grain is required for brewing, and how dry the special brewing maize is, you would not want to do anything other than mill or grind it - but chewing made for a more picturesque story, I guess...</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixb0hNbK_WK1Vy96POsMR7CUf0HdHrBaiRryvHtfEEMzUocbQLM2CfawCqG3H6Uahm_GKZFAaZ-yeaGrpmU-kYkGij3FVjqaMwF56vSbd2zFG--17IixN2Cg6v4sgR-mu8po6H9o0YnC-52QFkjBGOTIY5rpaukbz47PljNsD37w_neOb03XGNx9Fg/s3473/IMG_20220801_173815.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="3473" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixb0hNbK_WK1Vy96POsMR7CUf0HdHrBaiRryvHtfEEMzUocbQLM2CfawCqG3H6Uahm_GKZFAaZ-yeaGrpmU-kYkGij3FVjqaMwF56vSbd2zFG--17IixN2Cg6v4sgR-mu8po6H9o0YnC-52QFkjBGOTIY5rpaukbz47PljNsD37w_neOb03XGNx9Fg/s320/IMG_20220801_173815.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Different malted grains</td></tr></tbody></table>And the other was when Tim reminded us that, although every human culture has had alcoholic drinks of some sort, there's a big difference between beer and the likes of wine and cider which is that, despite the wishful thinking of some archaeologists and others, beer does not happen spontaneously. Fruit will ferment, and sometimes animals get drunk on it, but a bucket of wet grain will simply rot and go mouldy. <p></p><p>The difference is that beer requires processing. Typically this means malting, which converts the starches to fermentable sugars, with the milled or ground malt then mashed in warm or hot water to extract those sugars. And this is almost certainly why burnt grains turn up in certain archaeological features, which were formerly assumed to be something to do with baking or cooking, but are now increasingly recognised as malting sites. Indeed, there's a growing understanding or recognition among archaeologists and historians that it was as much beer brewing as bread baking that encouraged humans to settle down and become farmers rather than hunter-gatherers. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZ2R4i6HFfEHJUMjeXW6i-xLYrx3vIcSlVykpVXtnjDjQ8IecSCQuaKmBMAWDUL3ULhjpRXO-AnG_Z3ovywINhmJYujiwAuku86AeUjs5DT5kJznXm679iwo1fNR3w3ZK1TQ--iESRVexXTA1cmZJpkIcDwU-SEao66TiMsGaToNdaCCa96mjpZzw/s3015/IMG_20220801_194026.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="3015" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZ2R4i6HFfEHJUMjeXW6i-xLYrx3vIcSlVykpVXtnjDjQ8IecSCQuaKmBMAWDUL3ULhjpRXO-AnG_Z3ovywINhmJYujiwAuku86AeUjs5DT5kJznXm679iwo1fNR3w3ZK1TQ--iESRVexXTA1cmZJpkIcDwU-SEao66TiMsGaToNdaCCa96mjpZzw/s320/IMG_20220801_194026.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Hatch shows us the tea-urn's new home</td></tr></tbody></table>After the talk - and quite a bit of discussion among the beer historians present - I was fortunate enough to join a group touring both the old and new breweries. Our tour was led by John Hatch who, after working for Young's, was the one who kept the site's brewing tradition alive for several years while it was awaiting redevelopment, The consequence of his stalwart efforts is that the Ram Quarter retains its crown as the country's oldest verified brewery or brewing site. (It's not the country's oldest <b>brewer</b> - that's Shepherd Neame.)<p></p><p>His nano-brewery, built around a repurposed tea-urn, is still in use as a test brewkit for Sambrooks, although of course the old laboratory building that housed it and his little bar when last I visited, several years ago, has long gone. As well as seeing parts of the new Sambrooks Brewery, which moved here from a much larger site in nearby Battersea*, we also got to see parts of the old Ram Brewery which are now a brewing museum. These included the gleaming old coppers, an ancient well, and lots of breweriana.</p><p></p><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZMNPV_R11yFtL_tVdrKUwX31Au4fe_IweV6aU6yEzedoeXf25160BqsRBwIdOYXSELqa5d-57f9tR1fSQ-KjyI4EmoXbY4GEc5XtbQtiBj300fZQQBuIOOoMPjR94L_ZwUzcBxzqADTe1XU4xefLvAQfwcHGNdWlqMuj9H51CFzufXeezj6qggk1/s2621/IMG_20220801_192455__01.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="2621" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZMNPV_R11yFtL_tVdrKUwX31Au4fe_IweV6aU6yEzedoeXf25160BqsRBwIdOYXSELqa5d-57f9tR1fSQ-KjyI4EmoXbY4GEc5XtbQtiBj300fZQQBuIOOoMPjR94L_ZwUzcBxzqADTe1XU4xefLvAQfwcHGNdWlqMuj9H51CFzufXeezj6qggk1/s320/IMG_20220801_192455__01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Amongst the latter were photos of both the late Queen Mother and a youthful-looking Prince Charles pulling pints of Young's. Needless to say, she looked a lot happier and 'into' the task than he did. In fact, he looked downright nervous - here's hoping he has had a bit more practice since then, especially since he has his own Duchy beer range now.<p></p><p>After the tour it was back to the taproom for the Beer Writers Guild party, with pizza and more beers, both from Sambrooks and from various generous corporate Guild members, including among others the aforementioned Shepherd Neame, Timothy Taylor with Landlord and its fruity pale <a href="https://untappd.com/b/timothy-taylor-s-brewery-hopical-storm/3079198" target="_blank">Hopical Storm</a>, Salcombe showing its new <a href="https://untappd.com/b/salcombe-brewery-co-atlas/4932098" target="_blank">Atlas SIPA</a>, Krombacher UK with the eponymous classic <a href="https://untappd.com/b/krombacher-gruppe-krombacher-pils/9945" target="_blank">Pils</a>, and Hogs Back with its gorgeous but dangerous <a href="https://untappd.com/b/hogs-back-brewery-a-over-t-aromas-over-tongham/122600" target="_blank">A Over T</a> barleywine. </p><p>My thanks to all of them - and yes, a good time was had by all!</p><p><i>*I understand that the old Sambrooks brewkit went to <a href="https://www.sebpackaging.co.uk/" target="_blank">SEB</a> (South East Bottling) in Broadstairs. Rumour has it some Sambrooks beers are now brewed there under contract. </i> </p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-16058400895338338182022-07-23T15:48:00.003+01:002022-07-23T22:12:35.467+01:00 Beer hunting in València part 2<p>What’s the chance that, two weeks after you go to a conference in a new-to-you location, you’re invited to celebrate a friend’s “significant birthday” – that’s one with a 0 on the end – via a weekend of events in that very same city? </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7OjMH-TY9HkADnqFqjBFmYB3JSHy4EscPyYKLnn2lzlzluR-cTVAWTQfCjiuEwhr2YAYkFR6qmLoecemuRkaQ1quUvfcXuU6Fk32JMAALyz-Zf2iu11z___L4ykddfstmFl31VaLlD9MRhUbwwQ7E4xiff26JwzElQLV2Fr2W0bS_76hK-VdE37eC/s3062/imgly_1508501625430255334.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3062" data-original-width="1663" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7OjMH-TY9HkADnqFqjBFmYB3JSHy4EscPyYKLnn2lzlzluR-cTVAWTQfCjiuEwhr2YAYkFR6qmLoecemuRkaQ1quUvfcXuU6Fk32JMAALyz-Zf2iu11z___L4ykddfstmFl31VaLlD9MRhUbwwQ7E4xiff26JwzElQLV2Fr2W0bS_76hK-VdE37eC/w174-h320/imgly_1508501625430255334.jpg" width="174" /></a></div>The best beer venue we found on this trip was <a href="https://cervezasantiga.com/inicio/barbacana/" target="_blank">Barbacana</a>, which is the brewery tap for Cervezas Antiga whose beers I had enjoyed so much two weeks before. It’s a bit away from the old town on the way to the beach so it’s a good place to drop in and cool off on your way there. We liked it so much we visited again on our way back from the beach too! <p></p><p>I think we got through ten different Antiga beers, on tap or in can or bottle, without a single dud. Their lightly estery and cidery Cream Ale (4.7%) was particularly good, as were the Belgian-influenced Blonde Ale (6%) and their Vienna-style Social Lager that drinks a lot lighter than its 5.5%. It’s a nice venue too, with friendly staff and a menu of bar snacks and light meals, street-food style. </p><p>Our second favourite this time was Valencia’s international beer bar, <a href="https://beersandtravelsbar.com/" target="_blank">Beers & Travels</a>. This is clearly the place to go if you’re into Belgian or German beers, but it also has a decent range of Spanish and other brews, both in bottles and on tap. It’s where I found 1906 Galician Irish Red Ale (5%), a toasty and malty-sweet beer from the makers of Estrella Galicia lager, and another DouGall’s beer, their delicious lemony and piney IPA 4 (6%). </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOJu5yKcDYXJG-zk4x86-8lU2B5_8zeYjK05uWLNetKkcV1-EvXk4a4natkju3-DQkWIHITtJgUur4-YA8p8eQ2Ir43A7twQPH3LJGhGXxgYu-zIKmEdDrps2McBCBMOI8Hftwrz-OZJOfJr01tQcXar8qVpmXW1wt6FvMI8Xm16CUQjooFejIu0X/s2867/IMG_20220606_122951.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="2867" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOJu5yKcDYXJG-zk4x86-8lU2B5_8zeYjK05uWLNetKkcV1-EvXk4a4natkju3-DQkWIHITtJgUur4-YA8p8eQ2Ir43A7twQPH3LJGhGXxgYu-zIKmEdDrps2McBCBMOI8Hftwrz-OZJOfJr01tQcXar8qVpmXW1wt6FvMI8Xm16CUQjooFejIu0X/s320/IMG_20220606_122951.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>They also have Sidra, or Spanish cider, on tap, but for my last one before the trek to the airport I went for more Spanish Märzen. This was another 6%er, namely Del Sur from Cervezas Alegría, a local brewery I’d not encountered before. It was a little unusual for Märzen, with biscuit and coffee notes alongside the sweet toasted malts, but rather good regardless. <p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRNCdYsNHig6F5E2O8jSzvxldyuIuUX63DbefduhSnDDT1TXlnUNLRGK3X4RPYbLCxdKJs5naAOKKNNaOmPXYJS9Xjd9A982qlRbybO-5PB65r43ZZNUWobyfp6KamyeE7iL0emAhwUdUFGHJ-EmWiQwhAzPBWi_qsXvjaDsMSfsmONR725RM_RYoR/s3018/imgly_4122519727639634667.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3018" data-original-width="1691" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRNCdYsNHig6F5E2O8jSzvxldyuIuUX63DbefduhSnDDT1TXlnUNLRGK3X4RPYbLCxdKJs5naAOKKNNaOmPXYJS9Xjd9A982qlRbybO-5PB65r43ZZNUWobyfp6KamyeE7iL0emAhwUdUFGHJ-EmWiQwhAzPBWi_qsXvjaDsMSfsmONR725RM_RYoR/s320/imgly_4122519727639634667.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>The rest of the time we just enjoyed the excellent birthday weekend events. These were mostly at mainstream venues, so they were less craft and more Mahou Cinco Estrellas and Estrella Galicia – these big Spanish brewers do like their starry lager names. But we did manage to find a few more interesting things to drink as well. <p></p><p>It started on the very first day, when we stopped for the set lunch at a randomly chosen backstreet restaurant, and saw Damm Turia on the menu. Barcelona-based Damm is a macro, and yes, its best seller is yet another Estrella lager, but like several other big Spanish brewers it has a notable German influence. Turia is its 5.4% Märzen, and while not exceptional, it’s pretty decent and reliable – and I find it more welcome on a hot day than a rapidly warming pale lager. Rather unusually, they also do a seasonal Double-Märzen, called Voll-Damm and weighing in at 7.2%. </p><p>Something else you may see at some mainstream venues is more of the 1906 range from Hijos de Rivera, the makers of Estrella Galicia. Most likely is 1906 Reserve Especial, a 6.5% strong lager that’s malty-sweet and lightly toasty – they claim it's a Heller Bock, I have my doubts.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiep78cOv29jhvlXLe3BlaF7D4HhuS8iF0epuq_E8o13MocRJhCWNJrDiK9zo6MwIaqo1swIrNaPRZh_DmxxZoBvIKA41U0cz-Ll7aDxQFJrhKwsc44CFnJ2c5mVNcL2NmKMPuibX4BpS70SyC2LxjDrPAZSwPWA9vLuMDOrO6T4iuXRE8lp3mCLfDj/s3068/imgly_3933659720674713060.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3068" data-original-width="1711" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiep78cOv29jhvlXLe3BlaF7D4HhuS8iF0epuq_E8o13MocRJhCWNJrDiK9zo6MwIaqo1swIrNaPRZh_DmxxZoBvIKA41U0cz-Ll7aDxQFJrhKwsc44CFnJ2c5mVNcL2NmKMPuibX4BpS70SyC2LxjDrPAZSwPWA9vLuMDOrO6T4iuXRE8lp3mCLfDj/s320/imgly_3933659720674713060.jpg" width="178" /></a></div>We also found a few local craft beers in a Consum supermarket – La Mari IPA, Borinot Tostada and B&B Hoppy Flower, for example. They were OK but nothing special – par for the course, I guess. <p></p><p>Well, there you go – I hoped to add a few more good beer venues to the list, and while I guess two counts as “a few”, it’s not many! But if you add those to the ones in my previous Valencian travelogue, you have a pretty good number to aim at. Just be aware that some places don’t open until late in the afternoon, and some don’t open at all early in the week – presumably so the staff can sleep off a busy weekend. </p><p>Overall, I was pleased with the local brews I found. Sure, some of the brewers are pretty obviously in it to make some money riding the craft bandwagon, but their beers were still well-made and drinkable. And with Spain not having much of a historical beer culture of its own, you’ll mostly find international beer styles, although there’s a few now working with local speciality ingredients, and even Spanish-grown hops.</p><p><i>This is a follow-on to my earlier post <a href="http://blog.beerviking.net/2022/05/beer-hunting-in-valencia.html" target="_blank">Beer hunting in València</a>.</i> </p><p></p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0Valencia, Spain39.4699075 -0.376288111.159673663821152 -35.5325381 67.780141336178843 34.7799619tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-87658949218231005712022-07-17T12:39:00.001+01:002022-07-23T22:01:42.800+01:00Beer festivals, beer judging, and meeting real people again – but with caution<p> After two years of almost all such things being online, it’s both a huge pleasure and a slight shock to the system to come back to in-person beer judging, this week Champion Beer of London at the Ealing Beer Festival, and last week in a Kensington hotel for the World Beer Awards. </p><p>A big part of the pleasure is of course meeting old friends and acquaintances, making new friends, and simply spending time with like-minded people. The shock was the same but in reverse - feeling out of practice in such an environment (although if truth be told, sometimes you wonder if you ever were in practice!). </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72fOpaBJW42JIAkwosSA7zmsN-ny2jORFgJUceYbMQOz0PtZROu3JRLhZjwEhE897uuu_uF5g9N48tyQEP8_8IbW--HpHq-1WxW39q_UzvDyrJApL37Et1i9_QhnAvGXX0Oc4kAqUA3YcooFYJueyEjGkWpRymgL3tTuhTZfzM9EXkzKPGvok1xYi/s4000/IMG_20220714_093818.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="4000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72fOpaBJW42JIAkwosSA7zmsN-ny2jORFgJUceYbMQOz0PtZROu3JRLhZjwEhE897uuu_uF5g9N48tyQEP8_8IbW--HpHq-1WxW39q_UzvDyrJApL37Et1i9_QhnAvGXX0Oc4kAqUA3YcooFYJueyEjGkWpRymgL3tTuhTZfzM9EXkzKPGvok1xYi/w400-h180/IMG_20220714_093818.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Ealing also brought the pleasure of arriving to find the beer festival centred on a circus-style big top. This housed all the bars and CAMRA stalls - and for that morning only, the tables for the beer judging. The rest of the week, the tables and chairs were as usual distributed across the enclosed parkland - and since the enclosure includes a few of Walpole Park’s mighty oak trees, there was at least some shade. <p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hhlrVH1KxaMop01k9Dbw7m3EAZWMyOC0cPV4R_2xVJejpVuMD6YNlv8_mccnnlBLUF1qZXIrNRMllKBrPJPiFBYql5iDSXd1Qw0adAmpRCI97V2vWMSD2yFcDCNh4QkhjvUeYRsPyPRNkO4TFzIqytrtLPKTGXYVswZt-O0_KTm3Q6g8rq33BSt7/s2943/IMG_20220714_102944.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2943" data-original-width="1630" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hhlrVH1KxaMop01k9Dbw7m3EAZWMyOC0cPV4R_2xVJejpVuMD6YNlv8_mccnnlBLUF1qZXIrNRMllKBrPJPiFBYql5iDSXd1Qw0adAmpRCI97V2vWMSD2yFcDCNh4QkhjvUeYRsPyPRNkO4TFzIqytrtLPKTGXYVswZt-O0_KTm3Q6g8rq33BSt7/w178-h320/IMG_20220714_102944.jpg" width="134" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Judging at Ealing</td></tr></tbody></table>One of the benefits of judging at a beer festival is of course that once you’re done, there’s a beer festival to attend - and Ealing's a good 'un! That’s schedules permitting, of course, as I know one or two judges had to zoom off not long afterwards, in at least one case to prepare for the following days’ brewing. <p></p><p>It’s also usually a shorter process, with one or two flights taking perhaps two hours, whereas the big international competitions are pretty much whole-day affairs. At WBA, for example, my table had nine flights, each of five beers, to get through - they’re tiny measures, to be sure, but each has to be assessed for flavour, aroma, quality in general, and trueness to style. You’d think brewers would get the latter mostly right, and yes, I suppose most did, but there were a few rather odd outliers! </p><p></p>I mean, I don‘t have a problem with a brewer making what they want or enjoy - but to then claim it’s something different? And the country of origin was no guide here. We seemed as likely to get a stonkingly good, true-to-style brew from China as a dodgy one from Western Europe!<p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDVU5Y6Ky2qvPVxQxEy0XHiMULYxqz-ZmdSV8ioFcpYXlwmLwEDJMIVjrrsu1LlFNM6Cu0dubElhI7tRcP-aU3sShXNXyVxGYIIjsXG-UzY46cFBUFXgqdeli9ZNki1tFdnM0a6y1Ij35mxMb92SskFBa-yXuwzS-hAcAdkHcJkU-X4kziuau50zQ/s2067/IMG_20220707_153818__01__01.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2067" data-original-width="1800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDVU5Y6Ky2qvPVxQxEy0XHiMULYxqz-ZmdSV8ioFcpYXlwmLwEDJMIVjrrsu1LlFNM6Cu0dubElhI7tRcP-aU3sShXNXyVxGYIIjsXG-UzY46cFBUFXgqdeli9ZNki1tFdnM0a6y1Ij35mxMb92SskFBa-yXuwzS-hAcAdkHcJkU-X4kziuau50zQ/w278-h320/IMG_20220707_153818__01__01.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Judging at WBA</td></tr></tbody></table>One way in which the two events were alike was the little bit of disappointment afterwards, when I realised how many more people had been there that I'd been hoping to meet, but somehow I had missed them. Then again, Ealing was a big open-air space and I had to leave by 5pm, while WBA was a big room with all the tables widely spaced. <p></p><p>And the space was welcome. After my bout with Omicron last month, my sense of smell definitely diminished, which is not good if you want to judge beer. Thankfully, it didn't disappear completely, and after a week or 10 days, it had largely returned. Still, I have no desire for it to vanish again, so space and air circulation are good!</p><div><br /></div>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-49558790204184837682022-06-01T10:00:00.001+01:002022-06-01T10:00:00.213+01:00Is beer better 'from the wood'?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW07JU0OoxQHXWp5iAWVb9te4PMXzp3bZEwdbkhwGGn2TRrwVyAkbk2qPcbaCdd4ejEgXs0H_9BOLuRanhGBWNi2u1_QVGXZeEeXxSe9QxzStiyUHn2FkyekTkLUtI6qEOuIlw2RydPDeTKz5ssPd16nZuKZ4s_YlX4tX504uOHmtTBQMnUyTxKWku/s2158/imgly_6756172612998457781.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2158" data-original-width="1442" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW07JU0OoxQHXWp5iAWVb9te4PMXzp3bZEwdbkhwGGn2TRrwVyAkbk2qPcbaCdd4ejEgXs0H_9BOLuRanhGBWNi2u1_QVGXZeEeXxSe9QxzStiyUHn2FkyekTkLUtI6qEOuIlw2RydPDeTKz5ssPd16nZuKZ4s_YlX4tX504uOHmtTBQMnUyTxKWku/s320/imgly_6756172612998457781.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>I’d never been to a wood cask beer festival before last week. I was due to be at the third Woodfest organised by the <a href="https://www.spbw.beer/" target="_blank">Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood (SPBW)</a> back in May 2020, but of course it was cancelled due to you-know-what.
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So I was delighted to discover that not only was Woodfest #3 back on for May 2022, but it was at the same venue they planned to use in 2020, namely the Turk’s Head pub in St Margarets, which for me is about three miles from home – the previous two Woodfests were way up in the north of England. Admission was a fiver, but in return most of the beers were under £4 a pint, which is relatively inexpensive for the area.<p></p><p>
It’s a nice venue. The bars were in the pub’s function room, which is more like a village hall, complete with a small stage and its own bar – with handpumps, of course. It’s well known locally I believe for hosting a comedy club and other events of that kind, and also opens out onto a large terrace or beer garden which it shares with the pub.
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</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Xlev4RosOtOIfoNQwJ6KkFrVrgX8DK8gsj2Oz86O44CaWgvsnpnb58RWBmYbXgqF2LQL4dRLcnwJXKA95pDMtbajIzF71kBJzsmvmBrbnC24UFNXFcV1tJ4F_NRyGEjV5QkTi-3WIvnVk9ifovOrAjM9xadHoHlFKZ4CLxsYHJmEylmmRbHnm_hw/s4000/IMG_20220527_140048.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Xlev4RosOtOIfoNQwJ6KkFrVrgX8DK8gsj2Oz86O44CaWgvsnpnb58RWBmYbXgqF2LQL4dRLcnwJXKA95pDMtbajIzF71kBJzsmvmBrbnC24UFNXFcV1tJ4F_NRyGEjV5QkTi-3WIvnVk9ifovOrAjM9xadHoHlFKZ4CLxsYHJmEylmmRbHnm_hw/s320/IMG_20220527_140048.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>It was rather strange seeing 35 wooden casks racked up on a stillage. You quite often see them in ones and twos, perhaps decorating the back of a bar or even doing duty as plant pots, but rarely serving their intended purpose of serving beer!
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The selection was great, ranging from a few sub-4% milds – I enjoyed the Tigertops 3.7% Dark Wheat Mild, with its notes of liquorice and roast malt, and XT’s roasty and bitter 3.1% Pi Black Mild – to a 10.5% Imperial Stout from Trinity, sadly run out by the time I got there. I topped out instead with a boozy and woody 9.7% Barleywine, also from Tigertops, and Cheshire Brewhouse’s excellent 8.2% Gibraltar Porter.
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In between were plenty of Bitters, Stouts and Porters, and a few less common ones. Kölsch from the cask – or ‘Kölsch vom Fass’ – is a seasonal regular in Cologne that’s rare in the UK, but here was Orbit’s 4.8% Nico, slightly confusingly labelled as ‘Koln Lager’. Meanwhile another London brewery, Mondo, had casked its 5% London Alt – here labelled simply as ‘Altbier’ – for a significant flavour upgrade on the bottled version I tasted a few years back. This soft and malty-sweet Alt vom Fass, with its drying and grassy bitterness, also put me in mind of the German fashion in recent years for Kellerbier.
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</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKwgRoN5kEqEXgoegdDK4cnryj27pEBk2I7JVhXEQJbD3yL6FfDKXhigoR5_z4NDz2uRroTC1oE5H3P2RXTNUkN5pqNGtm7NU8z9rSn9bSC4N3ejkrVrjhqg-Pb9a1ZWRuRqBm623tykCJ7Jx7PsaxSqx-YtWNnt6Wc0C352A3cMhzdCrIEPxduhb/s3031/imgly_1706642090061500451.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3031" data-original-width="1669" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKwgRoN5kEqEXgoegdDK4cnryj27pEBk2I7JVhXEQJbD3yL6FfDKXhigoR5_z4NDz2uRroTC1oE5H3P2RXTNUkN5pqNGtm7NU8z9rSn9bSC4N3ejkrVrjhqg-Pb9a1ZWRuRqBm623tykCJ7Jx7PsaxSqx-YtWNnt6Wc0C352A3cMhzdCrIEPxduhb/w220-h400/imgly_1706642090061500451.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>Back on the British styles, the stars for me were Harrogate Brewing’s delicious biscuity, fruity and bitter-sweet 5.2% Beeching Axe IPA – oh, and one from the handpumps on the ‘normal’, ie. metal casks, bar: East London Brewing’s rich and boozy 9.5% Imperial Stout.
<p>So who goes to a beer-from-the-wood festival? Well, my local CAMRA branch chairman greeted me from the admissions desk – it turned out that the branch had helped the SPBW organise the event, supplying glasses, wristbands and stuff. There were a few more local CAMRA members I knew around the place too, but most were SPBW members, some of whom had travelled quite a long way to be there. And while there definitely were women and younger men there, I'd say the SPBW demographic is on average somewhat older and less diverse than CAMRA's – though just as friendly, of course. </p><div><p></p><p>
And what of the festival’s raison d’être: those wooden casks? I suspect the challenge is that serving from the wood is not the same as barrel-ageing, and I do wonder if all the breweries understood that. Some of the beers I tasted felt overly woody – excessively so in one or two cases. Yet in others, there was a softness or lightness of touch that’s perhaps less evident with modern metal casks.
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In short, my answer to “Is beer better from the wood?” is ‘Sometimes, but not always.’ And given that the results are almost always both interesting and drinkable regardless, I’m more than happy to carry on researching the answer!</p></div><p></p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-58209274516224062912022-05-24T10:05:00.004+01:002022-07-23T22:05:06.833+01:00Beer hunting in ValènciaValència, like many – or perhaps most – Spanish cities, does have craft beer but it can be hard to find. Most places will offer you Mahou, San Miguel or Alhambra, which are actually all the same company.
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Maybe there will be something excitingly foreign, like Guinness or Heineken. They might even have American IPAs from Founders of Michigan – which is less surprising than it might appear as it’s owned by, yes, Grupo Mahou-San Miguel...</p><p>
But to find Spanish craft beer, and especially local craft beer, you’ll need to look a bit harder. Here’s the places I found on a recent visit to València that are well worth a visit if you’re in town.
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</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7EYsfoYXevTjb-eqAK6_IjWo9knV7Re8mocaPcak3kkSPf4t2ouItwZNyapZaMHSpRt9Q-kFpo9UjGILj2F9lQgNkqDSUd2diqnAC_fe_fMllT3DbOieLH8tsnNjYQihYcgG1eRR2tUvbMYDbB_P7j5pkGSdchyWbsDO2DuY54usUo4G_Qzd1pN-/s2815/IMG_20220518_204922.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2815" data-original-width="1666" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7EYsfoYXevTjb-eqAK6_IjWo9knV7Re8mocaPcak3kkSPf4t2ouItwZNyapZaMHSpRt9Q-kFpo9UjGILj2F9lQgNkqDSUd2diqnAC_fe_fMllT3DbOieLH8tsnNjYQihYcgG1eRR2tUvbMYDbB_P7j5pkGSdchyWbsDO2DuY54usUo4G_Qzd1pN-/s320/IMG_20220518_204922.jpg" width="189" /></a></div><a href="https://www.olhops.com/" target="_blank">Olhöps Craft Beer House</a> is hip, modern and international in that American-inspired but actually very European way. Grey walls, pale wood, mismatched but modern tables and chairs, and a menu of mostly Spanish plus a sprinkling of foreign beers – Croatian, German, quite a few English. Indeed, as I write this I see they have a Northern Monk tap-takeover going on.
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I enjoyed a Paquita Brown from local brewery Tyris – they call it Brown Ale but to me it’s closer to a Brown IPA, with its toasty malt and orange notes and firm bitterness. Next came a hazy IPA from a brewery I’d not heard of before: Freddo Fox, from up the coast in Barcelona. Called Born to be Perfect, it’s a great twist on the style – pulpy fruit, delicately herbed and a delightfully light finish. Lastly, and to remind myself that not all Russians are orcs, Echo Passage from Moscow’s Zagovor Brewery was a juicy-dry and boozy Double NEIPA.
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They have a second venue, Olhöps Craft Beer Lab, not far away. I didn’t get the chance to visit but it looks to have a similar range with mostly Spanish and English beers. Another time!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvT-Zl99Ldd0bRXyi5kpr-NjaC7q5HwxYLz0Lqt3YLAFg9kE-EUjeipCOBQZiwXWlY00dUHVIIhymJmHTacyl4KBSmB_4tCjCkkHWHfeC_4-v2wT4pm3EXIXR7cB7_lcAr2hCEnwlAxneuhLv5WdeVjDTDcHG8_jTax-7Yy7pIruUBGG30hsdm0eBy/s2831/IMG_20220519_205346.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1322" data-original-width="2831" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvT-Zl99Ldd0bRXyi5kpr-NjaC7q5HwxYLz0Lqt3YLAFg9kE-EUjeipCOBQZiwXWlY00dUHVIIhymJmHTacyl4KBSmB_4tCjCkkHWHfeC_4-v2wT4pm3EXIXR7cB7_lcAr2hCEnwlAxneuhLv5WdeVjDTDcHG8_jTax-7Yy7pIruUBGG30hsdm0eBy/w400-h186/IMG_20220519_205346.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I mentioned <a href="http://www.cervezatyris.com/" target="_blank">Cerveza Tyris</a> above, and a couple of days later I found myself near their taproom in the old city, Tyris on Tap. It’s an example of European cool and modern – lightly distressed wood and metal furniture, a swirling mural of the brewing process on the wall, and with a full kitchen out the back. Seven Tyris beers were indeed on tap, including their core brews and a couple of seasonals.<p>Spanish brewers trying to be Craft with a capital C can be a bit heavy-handed on the bittering hops, and so it was with the Tyris Märzen, nicely toasty and very drinkable, but for me it’s rather too bitter for the style. Rather better was Au Yeah!, an American IPA that’s part of their core range – it’s honeyed and smoothly bitter-sweet, and altogether well assembled and balanced.</p><p>
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZwaFHKwLWGc4TYwk7litIxUmbrkCea922aGvSas3Q2W-kZ_1v7IYyFFtNBWNR0whPhrJEMnPlBYnsuJHneWWsEppJZDIe2gMk-B07GqyR2420XbrEz26Nt1JFpfpkRWbVhh0qw-EJHwpehJHudUxlqiFw9b5FsklvG3XOy6C6BAkojrKj1EgotBO/s4000/IMG_20220519_195018.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="4000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZwaFHKwLWGc4TYwk7litIxUmbrkCea922aGvSas3Q2W-kZ_1v7IYyFFtNBWNR0whPhrJEMnPlBYnsuJHneWWsEppJZDIe2gMk-B07GqyR2420XbrEz26Nt1JFpfpkRWbVhh0qw-EJHwpehJHudUxlqiFw9b5FsklvG3XOy6C6BAkojrKj1EgotBO/w400-h180/IMG_20220519_195018.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Around the corner from there is a very different venue: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/themarketcervezaartesana/" target="_blank">The Market Craft Beer</a>, which put me in mind of a hybrid between a Dutch cafe-bar and a British pub. All aged dark wood, bare floorboards, and an eclectic mix of cans, taps and memorabilia. Mostly Spanish beers on tap, plus one Croatian and Weihenstephaner Vitus which, as a 7.7% Weizenbock, I’ve never seen on tap before.
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Prices are a little higher here, but there’s several stronger brews too. I kicked off though with God Save the Session IPA, from Madrid’s La Quince. Assertively hoppy, drying and light, it does what it says on the tin… Next was a Spanish interpretation of a British style for a change, instead of an American one: a modern ESB called Pint of Guv’ from Navarre’s Naparbier.
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I liked this, with its toasty-dryness balancing the sweet malts – a Fuller’s ESB devotee might not go for it, but it reminded me of some of the collaboration ESBs Fuller’s has done, such as with Moor. I finished off here with Sant Rock from another local Valencian brewery, Castelló Beer Factory. This is supposed to be a Belgian Dubbel, but once again seemed a bit too bitter – still, it was estery and smooth, boozy and sweet, so everything else was in place.
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</p><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcYsfoD_OVhb8vAOK65xqW-K1pWzITZZDrxtJp6yGgxNxK_lqL1M35B3EL5-Gwfgl0ZkOftXiZUHQRY4yRz_DlYCD732zwCwZiWX-6vF05WJP32hOHvmTSON8I9re0OT2e83zKWUUxgBAA0L1_CI8PCGakuPpx2J11pC9bTJtFMM6z28UT-Hylfzb/s1956/IMG_20220520_214624.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1444" data-original-width="1956" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcYsfoD_OVhb8vAOK65xqW-K1pWzITZZDrxtJp6yGgxNxK_lqL1M35B3EL5-Gwfgl0ZkOftXiZUHQRY4yRz_DlYCD732zwCwZiWX-6vF05WJP32hOHvmTSON8I9re0OT2e83zKWUUxgBAA0L1_CI8PCGakuPpx2J11pC9bTJtFMM6z28UT-Hylfzb/w320-h236/IMG_20220520_214624.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>One thing I noticed with a lot of places in València is their narrow frontage. They usually go back a long way, so they’re bigger than they look, but from the outside you can easily miss them, and so it was with my last bar here, the grandly-named <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BuenaOndaGastroBarandCraftBeer/" target="_blank">Buena Onda Gastro Bar & Craft Beer</a>. This is actually a friendly and slightly cheezy mock beach bar, and again it goes way back from the small front bar next to the kitchen – so far back that it reaches the street behind, where there’s a few tables and chairs set out.
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There’s just three taps, serving only local beers, but several fridges hold a selection of Spanish, UK and other beers in cans and bottles, all at fairly reasonable prices too. You can look in the fridges or at the empty cans on the bar, but there’s no printed beer list – “I am the beer list!” says the waitress, and she’s right, being both helpful and knowledgeable.
</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtfZ_Pexqkz4Y4Td06Q3sdea3r2jdK0UYlMfvMw7wH9ryVzY0B8hiitoV0Z4Dkh73vBlKfgeadCN-tCB4XGw78QfVlqzZD9ZDkakLMMRnYP7NqdD6t5ZE6SrpYnbwWwhCMne-j2fSYdHvtP4EldIwmrmDanoBIZiKUNcARcqil5YcgwgLTATIXTix/s2350/imgly_6444937346892057776.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2350" data-original-width="1654" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtfZ_Pexqkz4Y4Td06Q3sdea3r2jdK0UYlMfvMw7wH9ryVzY0B8hiitoV0Z4Dkh73vBlKfgeadCN-tCB4XGw78QfVlqzZD9ZDkakLMMRnYP7NqdD6t5ZE6SrpYnbwWwhCMne-j2fSYdHvtP4EldIwmrmDanoBIZiKUNcARcqil5YcgwgLTATIXTix/s320/imgly_6444937346892057776.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>After an extremely enjoyable India Imperial Porter – think chocolate, liquorice, coffee, lots of tropical fruity hops and 8% ABV – from DouGall’s of Calabria on the way back to the metro one night, I liked the place so much I went back for a second visit. Incidently, and as the name implies, DouGall’s is one of the many craft breweries around the world founded by British or American immigrants, in this case an English guy who started his drinking career about 3 miles from me, down the road in Richmond on Thames. (I’m also a bit annoyed to discover only now that they were having a meet-the-brewer elsewhere in Valencia when I was there!)<p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7qVLRpdYoTSA5JY2-BaoIi-XJ8-5hJP1ALKVzZON_Ei5tF3QkRkOP40XlU6RcgdL7wLO_VMda_xHy_OmapVTeMPVBY2Y8ITSnn-j-AyrahrVluljMzbqbvapqapyhDAVbLj-PEAd--zKD2-PffdZ2UK_tng-5S0dz_X9_JY-0A2_5Qukx_2qqsN0/s4000/imgly_1157606346335227816.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7qVLRpdYoTSA5JY2-BaoIi-XJ8-5hJP1ALKVzZON_Ei5tF3QkRkOP40XlU6RcgdL7wLO_VMda_xHy_OmapVTeMPVBY2Y8ITSnn-j-AyrahrVluljMzbqbvapqapyhDAVbLj-PEAd--zKD2-PffdZ2UK_tng-5S0dz_X9_JY-0A2_5Qukx_2qqsN0/w144-h320/imgly_1157606346335227816.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><div>The following visit, I started with another one claiming to be a Märzen, this time from Drunken Bros in Bilbao. What I failed to spot was that it was 7.5%, and when I opened what was the fullest can I’ve ever seen, sure enough it was more like a bittered-up Bock (also a little worty and oxidised, unfortunately). It reminded me though that Märzen – tolerably authentic Märzen, that is – is well known in Spain, as several of the big breweries make one.
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Anyway, after that it was time to check out the taps, as our hostess had just put on a White IPA from local brewery Cervezas Antiga (left). I really enjoyed this – spicy, lightly fruity, juicy-dry and bitter, it put me in mind of a Witbier crossed with a hazy IPA, which I suppose is what you could very reasonably expect from a White IPA! Time then to finish with something dark and warming, and staying with Antiga I chose a bottle of their delicious 9 Grados (9%) Russian Imperial Stout. Rich and warming, with notes of chocolate and toasted treacle under a firm hoppy bitterness, this was just the thing for a nightcap.</p><p>There were a couple of other places I'd have liked to try, but didn't have the time. Maybe when I'm back in town there in a few weeks from now!</p><p>You can now read <a href="http://blog.beerviking.net/2022/07/beer-hunting-in-valencia-part-2.html" target="_blank">Beer hunting in València part 2 here</a>. </p></div>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-64130798207563884702022-05-12T10:05:00.002+01:002022-05-12T10:05:56.856+01:00Crowds turn out for Walthamstow brewers<p>To say that the opening of the Sunday afternoon <a href="https://blackhorsebeermile.co.uk/" target="_blank">Blackhorse Beer Mile</a>, alongside Blackhorse Road in Walthamstow, looked a success is putting it mildly. As the afternoon went on, the queues lengthened and the six venues became busier and busier. However, given that I could get a seat everywhere I went, space wasn't the bottleneck - more likely, it was that the taproom bars simply weren't able to keep up with the abnormally high demand. </p><p>And I expect that on future weekends, without the major publicity push that preceded opening day, they probably won't have to. So if you weren't able to go along last Sunday, it should be well worth trying on a future weekend. To help you plan, here's some potted reviews based on the tweets I sent along the way...</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nDrsIrjFua8oMldUZ3ZiW3OcFQM5NJFUZt1UaUcjO3I6qphec3pjeZM_y-7knk0TsiEHwn8gvfRUV0N3JdTrdIfC-B3OPtFGuiD7kCQMpToyfnP3fVmD8DNBiPzJJ2wna2aA0rdlXeWH-ey8UdYy-7jz8vABMgz23T_MXmyI38bQxyY7Ma4co-J3/s1934/IMG_20220501_132149__01.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="1934" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nDrsIrjFua8oMldUZ3ZiW3OcFQM5NJFUZt1UaUcjO3I6qphec3pjeZM_y-7knk0TsiEHwn8gvfRUV0N3JdTrdIfC-B3OPtFGuiD7kCQMpToyfnP3fVmD8DNBiPzJJ2wna2aA0rdlXeWH-ey8UdYy-7jz8vABMgz23T_MXmyI38bQxyY7Ma4co-J3/s320/IMG_20220501_132149__01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The six venues are pretty much in a line north-south, so the first decision for the visitor is where to start: at the one closest to the station or the one furthest away? Aiming to avoid having the longest walk at the start or end of the afternoon, I tried a third route - start in the middle, then go north, and finally head south again. <p></p><p>My first stop was therefore <a href="https://www.exalebrewing.com/" target="_blank">Exale Brewing</a>, where I've not been before - and what a nice job they've made of an otherwise unprepossessing site. Just the right mix of open and cosy, both inside and out, and a decent amount of cover on this rainy May Day. Good beer menu too, with guests alongside Exale's own beers - I kicked off with their excellent new hazy session IPA, Serendipity. It's light yet full-flavoured, juicy-dry and hoppy, with an almost sherbety spritziness.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitNzkIdtsAz5__WqCwZay8Y4tqhsBVL3NV4cxds68CCvz8wQsi38YyITDX76pzz-vVEN4XKMsloEoCIkOj53s9HtthCtUuesWfAF7VqVNtdVJ2o5oGx6KHtmGvg1kY_oX056UlxgJBHZ26QeR7uVf1tXBXYDaUpbaH8cYFNBn4gNDbzrfqKf1pr5O/s2923/imgly_6847212496168125985.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="2923" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitNzkIdtsAz5__WqCwZay8Y4tqhsBVL3NV4cxds68CCvz8wQsi38YyITDX76pzz-vVEN4XKMsloEoCIkOj53s9HtthCtUuesWfAF7VqVNtdVJ2o5oGx6KHtmGvg1kY_oX056UlxgJBHZ26QeR7uVf1tXBXYDaUpbaH8cYFNBn4gNDbzrfqKf1pr5O/s320/imgly_6847212496168125985.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Stop no.2 was <a href="http://www.wildcardbrewery.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wild Card</a>. Again, not one I've visited before, although I have been to their pub not far away. Another fine tap menu featured several 'specials', including a couple of tasty farmhouse Saisons and an Imperial Stout that was seeing a lot of action! <p></p><p>While I waited for the advertised meet-the-brewers session, I started with Fragile Loyalty, described as a red, juicy, sour wheat beer, which in this context of course means Berliner-style Weisse, not Bavarian! It was properly tangy-sour and brightly fruity, with tons of tangy red berry notes. </p><p>However, as time went by - and as I went for the smooth, funky and tart-sweet True Leaf, which is an Apricot Saison brewed for International Women's Day - the pressure and the queues were ramping. It was clear that the brewers (apart from head brewer Jaega Wise who was busy tidying up and generally supporting the barstaff) were going to be delayed at best. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7TUwgfDF26w2EXQSEYCZfJJS9pB8kUI-4Xr0llAi2QhKr_MgrMTcHj5y3PmEi5qIaK_o4YaZQrf1jN7OI339xQFYT4L0_Cxkj045SDp5t1rv9spb-l17mpm3y8gIKfLr-U9fPFzE7agC3_BBjzWJZ5bgTn35tsSLq2d7H19hpnrheASeR8DFX1qC/s3264/IMG_20220501_135819.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="3264" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7TUwgfDF26w2EXQSEYCZfJJS9pB8kUI-4Xr0llAi2QhKr_MgrMTcHj5y3PmEi5qIaK_o4YaZQrf1jN7OI339xQFYT4L0_Cxkj045SDp5t1rv9spb-l17mpm3y8gIKfLr-U9fPFzE7agC3_BBjzWJZ5bgTn35tsSLq2d7H19hpnrheASeR8DFX1qC/s320/IMG_20220501_135819.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>So I headed across the road to Hackney Brewery and its <a href="https://www.highhilltap.com/" target="_blank">High Hill Tap</a>, where the contrast with my last visit six months ago was striking. Again there were still seats available here and there, but it was seriously busy, and having experienced the length of the queue I took care to buy two beers at once. They have the longest tap list of any venue here - there's 20 taps, more or less equally split between Hackney beers and guests. The latter this time included several from Queer Brewing, including their 3rd birthday brew Glitter Veil which turned out to be a worrying drinkable 6% hybrid Hazy West Coast IPA. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-y1sCiu-HlEDyNRZfJnSKgDyqIEPvS-KxK8CL_67mKSBkJlwKExnDXWE5we1BuDONlxEN_aMSAPdadZqhMKNTwB7P4vJH91qa1tUVFUIYvibxIQo3jJjBxF2MbrNqDN7ClLOhlAKt_BpTeNItN7fOamvUbLGVBI0e7eVAy8XozHEm1r9WX5Xuau9/s3277/IMG_20220501_151814__01.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1101" data-original-width="3277" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-y1sCiu-HlEDyNRZfJnSKgDyqIEPvS-KxK8CL_67mKSBkJlwKExnDXWE5we1BuDONlxEN_aMSAPdadZqhMKNTwB7P4vJH91qa1tUVFUIYvibxIQo3jJjBxF2MbrNqDN7ClLOhlAKt_BpTeNItN7fOamvUbLGVBI0e7eVAy8XozHEm1r9WX5Xuau9/s320/IMG_20220501_151814__01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>With the benefit of hindsight, and having spotted the bus stop right outside, I wonder if the best tactic for tackling the beer mile mightn't be to hop on a bus at the station and then walk back from here. The risk though is that, having seen the 20 taps at High Hill and the 10 taps across the road at Wild Card, you might not actually bother to go anywhere else... <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidGEIZu4t7RD29BZOylChEviTq07E0ncaTsNSdtYVyNxVJGpBqdGK9w6nJ2IreoFmipFOVsPU5Dabku491kUWWksIdEafLwVzdZHqLLSnDOcpickzalTGc-ewMqmy9GcqOUQhNcVTzWntgsZrBweLvx52K63DPPEjnp4c6s16e1o0Pg6G1SuFlzD7Q/s3385/IMG_20220501_162611.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="3385" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidGEIZu4t7RD29BZOylChEviTq07E0ncaTsNSdtYVyNxVJGpBqdGK9w6nJ2IreoFmipFOVsPU5Dabku491kUWWksIdEafLwVzdZHqLLSnDOcpickzalTGc-ewMqmy9GcqOUQhNcVTzWntgsZrBweLvx52K63DPPEjnp4c6s16e1o0Pg6G1SuFlzD7Q/s320/IMG_20220501_162611.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I didn't fancy rejoining the lengthening queue though, so opted to walk to stop no.4 which was <a href="https://www.beerblefish.co.uk/" target="_blank">Beerblefish</a> - only to find an equally long queue, of course. My last visit here was near closing time, and I was pretty much the only customer. This time it was pretty full - although once more, there were still a few seats available after you finally made it to the bar.<p></p><p>Beerblefish is the only actual brewery here serving cask real ale, and its beers have generally improved since it moved into its own space with a proper brewkit. They can still be inconsistent though - in the sense that some are stonkingly good while others are a bit untidy, and so it was with my order. An excellent glass of Edmonton Best Bitter, which is one of their core beers, and a slightly muddled Hoppy Pale no.14, the latest in a series with a changing hop bill.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXtsswV0qZR5jSRLXfs8MceJ-2MItboFq97bFqfX5jqXHWMBC3qfecTiwdD7AX-G90otfwSVGhEeW2ZmUjB_IXRM-69Y3YazFoTOD1ibtyjnk-vYXV9vSTUDcH3rsZ2p2TAt8e4tqeDrJY0ugatb2Ed3lx0lOKVTeN0vwtZ88QbpBGxOIOLrrkt8X/s3233/imgly_3148831962639123662.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3233" data-original-width="1779" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXtsswV0qZR5jSRLXfs8MceJ-2MItboFq97bFqfX5jqXHWMBC3qfecTiwdD7AX-G90otfwSVGhEeW2ZmUjB_IXRM-69Y3YazFoTOD1ibtyjnk-vYXV9vSTUDcH3rsZ2p2TAt8e4tqeDrJY0ugatb2Ed3lx0lOKVTeN0vwtZ88QbpBGxOIOLrrkt8X/w129-h235/imgly_3148831962639123662.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>Beerblefish also has a decent pile of board games, some table games, and there's stuff to read too if you have a quiet moment, including copies of CAMRA's London Drinker magazine!It's almost next door, so I paid a second visit to Exale to try a beer I'd spotted on the menu earlier - Bromelain, a 6.5% Pineapple Gose brewed with Left Handed Giant. At first though the doorman (or gateman?) wouldn't let anyone else in as "we're full", but thankfully as I and a couple of others dithered he got word that it was OK now. A band was setting up for the evening inside so I took my Gose outside to share a table with a family, and yes, it was pretty good. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprGkwKz9geyPXZZ3hWnHppCRX-bFsj4D6fdeWbtGmZ6kQnfhsRVYAPJ-o0N7cGlJpNQcrueV8ca6nCk53U2JoB8AtOulqFKsETGV3COD4A4VVfLGSTwcHFmbOQCucanlE8bv1ixyXef7bnGnPV2R4BZ0-u4TvE1CB__qvYkjXzFo3geRZr2MmlSFx/s2885/IMG_20220501_191403__01.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="2885" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprGkwKz9geyPXZZ3hWnHppCRX-bFsj4D6fdeWbtGmZ6kQnfhsRVYAPJ-o0N7cGlJpNQcrueV8ca6nCk53U2JoB8AtOulqFKsETGV3COD4A4VVfLGSTwcHFmbOQCucanlE8bv1ixyXef7bnGnPV2R4BZ0-u4TvE1CB__qvYkjXzFo3geRZr2MmlSFx/s320/IMG_20220501_191403__01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Walking feet back on, and it was off to no.5 which was <a href="https://www.signaturebrew.co.uk/" target="_blank">Signature Brew</a>. Every time I go here it's grown some more - yet somehow they still manage to make room for a band to play on a stage in front of the brewkit! The old Brewers Bar taproom was closed, and there's now a bigger Yard Bar out front, along with six tall tanks. At the same time, the quality is as good as ever and the three beers I tried - the new Stylus NEIPA, the revived Black Vinyl tropical stout, and the 2021 release of Anthology, their barrel-aged Imperial stout, this time at 9% - were all excellent. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyu4k66zb-zl_ly9RSbNU2OaaP0D1NQRnpudtHjNkW66tIMg73_OcZ29g7OT9JL4ZIAhEF1tVHp5n-Fnuj2-tn8V65MPkZVghQKJ0xWyLWofNG_uJBeHS00_0EE_4dGrWAr7uLtEMiSCe-VdwIABE71AHuglyNZyOGrWxXiA1EhAeYowtvQgT2eao/s3264/IMG_20220501_201752.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="3264" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyu4k66zb-zl_ly9RSbNU2OaaP0D1NQRnpudtHjNkW66tIMg73_OcZ29g7OT9JL4ZIAhEF1tVHp5n-Fnuj2-tn8V65MPkZVghQKJ0xWyLWofNG_uJBeHS00_0EE_4dGrWAr7uLtEMiSCe-VdwIABE71AHuglyNZyOGrWxXiA1EhAeYowtvQgT2eao/s320/IMG_20220501_201752.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Time was ticking though, and I still had one more visit planned. This was to <a href="https://www.trumanssocialclub.co.uk/" target="_blank">Truman's Social Club</a>, a gigantic industrial unit converted into a huge beer hall - or series of halls - and serving guest beers plus pretty much the full range of cask and keg from Truman's brewery in Hackney Wick. I've walked past it several times but never realised just how big it is inside! <p></p><p>It was originally meant to house a new brewkit as well, but those plans had to be scaled back due to Covid so this is the one out of the six that is not (yet) actually a brewery. Anyway, the beers were good - a bitter-sweet and wintery cask red ale called Firestarter, and Roller, a very nice fruity-piney and lightly toasty keg IPA.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI2t9vH_wnY6Fg5z5LURHmB4q-DbsJ1xC4TZ0wWKbTpz1-TXc6h0pOPuCM-Jsjh3iwzq6RSvi6_Q3NSJIZPNjW9Blghr31UMNQJo6hc00gAVd9W8G_UGDTFhjVtwy9liUrfHAa3Xax41Phcp69dT5FLqp5CAqYX6ZI9LdtV7-mr9aUW_zRZXJzIpkx/s3350/IMG_20220501_200813.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3350" data-original-width="1765" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI2t9vH_wnY6Fg5z5LURHmB4q-DbsJ1xC4TZ0wWKbTpz1-TXc6h0pOPuCM-Jsjh3iwzq6RSvi6_Q3NSJIZPNjW9Blghr31UMNQJo6hc00gAVd9W8G_UGDTFhjVtwy9liUrfHAa3Xax41Phcp69dT5FLqp5CAqYX6ZI9LdtV7-mr9aUW_zRZXJzIpkx/w155-h293/IMG_20220501_200813.jpg" width="155" /></a></div>With that, it was time to hand in my collector card, pick up my commemorative glass and trundle back to the station. Not too far to stagger, thankfully, so finishing at the venue closest to there was probably the right move. <p></p><p>Would I recommend the Blackhorse Mile as a weekend afternoon out? Absolutely, as future weekends should be less crowded - mind you, come summer you never know. Some places also do food, others had a food van outside. Alternatively, bring a picnic or pick up something at the Co-Op on the way up from the station. Incidentally, Blackhorse Lane is on the Goblin (the Gospel Oak to Barking line) overground as well as the tube, so it's fairly easily accessed from north and west London.</p><p>It's also both dog and child-friendly, with the caveat that there's no playgrounds and nothing much else to amuse kids, apart from some places having table games - I watched a group of four young girls playing a fierce game of table football in Truman's! </p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530972841308721533.post-69671159387008505722022-04-30T00:09:00.003+01:002022-04-30T00:09:30.169+01:00The new Blackhorse Beer Mile opens up this weekend<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKhIZ-TA87ivBwByuUS8v2Ccq6SlS9iOF584uK0qZjsEQe1KqYWlRooWjpi50VicjW-PDpbV1B6FdDJ8GZwJ9p8Vxq5Fx-EPdpzN6xEUAqTo98X_-PgzU9YcNjjCh34WD5AtZcY82-uRSnQi-PujlFQQjwZOqWOAXj7_eEAYtZrD1EWNi3lhh79Li/s1122/bbm2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="692" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKhIZ-TA87ivBwByuUS8v2Ccq6SlS9iOF584uK0qZjsEQe1KqYWlRooWjpi50VicjW-PDpbV1B6FdDJ8GZwJ9p8Vxq5Fx-EPdpzN6xEUAqTo98X_-PgzU9YcNjjCh34WD5AtZcY82-uRSnQi-PujlFQQjwZOqWOAXj7_eEAYtZrD1EWNi3lhh79Li/s320/bbm2.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>It’s been 18 months of pandemic since it was <a href="http://blog.beerviking.net/2020/11/under-lockdown-maybe-we-can-travel-by.html" target="_blank">originally supposed to open</a>, but Walthamstow’s <a href="https://www.blackhorsebeermile.co.uk/" target="_blank">Blackhorse Beer Mile</a> is launching at last this coming Sunday, 1st May 2022. And the delay has had its compensations, because in the intervening time two more breweries have moved into the area: Beerblefish and Hackney. <p></p><p>They join the original four venues – that’s the Signature, Exale and Wild Card breweries, and the Truman’s Social Club beer hall – on a very walkable route up from the eponymous Blackhorse Road tube station. </p><p>Will it “rival the Bermondsey Beer Mile”, as its promoters claim? Not on the number of breweries, taprooms and bars, that’s for sure, and Walthamstow’s industrial estates aren’t big on Victorian heritage – but I reckon it’s a significantly fresher route. </p><p>It also involves visiting breweries that aren’t anything like as pressed for space as the denizens of Bermondsey’s railway arches. (Just think how many Bermondsey brewers have moved out – often to places like the Walthamstow industrial estates…)</p><p>Anyone, the fun kicks off at noon on Sunday, and we are promised “exclusive beers, live music, street food & brewery tours all day.” Looks good to me! </p><p><i>Yes, I know it was originally pitched as “Tottenham”, perhaps to capitalise on the nearness of Pressure Drop and Beavertown (until the move to Enfield), but it’s actually E17 not N17, and the two are separated by the River Lea. </i></p>BryanBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550482701819539081noreply@blogger.com0