Fullers London Pride - The Friday Pint #13

Earlier this evening I recieved bad news. The bottle of Life and Limb that I had purchased from Bitter Virtue two weeks ago had exploded as it was being put into the car ready to go to Cornwall, where it would have been opened on my birthday next Wednesday. The scene on reading this news was fortunatly captured on camera.

Okay, so that maybe an exaggeration, but I was looking forward to that beer. For those of you read this blog who are not aware of Life and Limb, it is a collaboration beer between Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head. It's a strong dark beer made with birch syrup, a description that makes me want to try it even before I get to the fact that it's a collaboration between two of my favourite American breweries.

All being well, I should be able to get another bottle, unless someone gets there before me. Even if I can't, the bottle shop I'll be going to now has a full range of Magic Rock beers back in stock, meaning I'll be able to try a Cannonball/Dark Arts and a Human Cannonball/Bearded Lady Black and Tan at some point.

As for this weeks pint, it will be a pint of London Pride, from across the road in the George and Devonshire. I can't really get to many other places, with the exception of heading up to the high street. Hopefully it will be on form. There's few things better than a good pint of your regular beer. (Likewise, there's few things worse than a bad pint of your regular beer).

Tomorrow, I'll be going on a birthday crawl, taking in The Southampton Arms, Brewdog Camden, and the two Euston Taps. It's a joint birthday crawl that I'll be sharing with my good friend who turned 27 on Tuesday, so I'll be calling him an old man all day.

Next week, it's my birthday, and I shall be in Cornwall. I'll also be coming back via Newton Abbot, so there'll be a bit of cider drinking on Thursday before heading across to East London for Brodies Bunny Basher Festival.

It's going to be one beery (and cidery) week...

Odell IPA - The Friday Pint #12

Okay, firstly I should probably confess that this week I didn't actually have a pint. I did however have several rather good halfs at Camden Brewery.

I set out from Chiswick at around 12pm. Making the most of the nice weather I decided to walk up to Camden Brewery.My plans were to try the Ska Brewing's Modus Hoperandi and the Sierra Nevada Relentless Rye before moving onto Unfiltered Hells until I'd had enough.

As it was, Mark Dredge told me that the Odell IPA and regular Hells Lager were tasting particularly good. He wasn't wrong either. If you happen to be reading this tonight and can still get down to the brewery (it's right next to Kentish Town West station) I'd do so if I were you.

As lovely and flavoursome as the Odell was I couldn't distinguish any specific flavours, unlike the Hells which had developed a slight bananary taste.

Rather than make a seperate post about the subject, I'm going to put my thoughts on minimum pricing here. There is now an official news article on the Number 10 site here.

Whilst I welcome anything that might get more people drinking in pubs rather than their homes, I can't help but feel that this plan is somewhat flawed. The main question I have is who will benefit from this financially.

Steve Lamond of the Beers I've Known blog pointed out this morning that Supermarkets raise the price of other groceries so they can sell multipacks of beer at below cost price. While it would be nice to think that if they were forced to sell alcohol at a certain price they'd use these profits to lower prices elsewhere, I doubt that will be what happens.

I could accept a minimum unit price if it somehow benefited the makers of the products, as well as the sellers. The news stories and the Number 10 report aren't exactly clear as to how the policy will be implemented. I'm assuming that this has still to go through parliament and the House of Lords before being passed. If it's already been through, what the hell were we doing to let it go through so easily?

Black and Tan Experiments #7 - Brewdog 2

Last month I mixed together Brewdog's Hardcore IPA and Riptide for one of my Black and Tan Experiments. Someone commented on that post about waiting for Anarchist/Alchemist to be released, so they could mix it with Tokyo.

I am currently in Brewdog Camden. I have tried this years IPA is Dead range (which I think is better than last years) and Paradox Jura, and I am now sat with a third each of Anarchist/Alchemist and Tokyo in front of
me.

Tokyo has long been a favourite beer of mine, ever since I first tried it on cask at Pub du Vin in Birmingham. Anarchist/Alchemist however I'm not a big fan of. It's just too strong for my liking.

I think this is also something that is a limitation of the mix. This is, essentially, a two thirds 17% Black and Tan. Even with just a third this is a high percentage of alcohol.

Flavour wise, the beers mix well, with the hoppiness of the Anarchist/Alchemist giving way to the flavours of the Tokyo. I think this is a drink worth trying, though it's probably best to have someone to share it with.

I'm now going home for a beer induced sleep.

See you all tomorrow for the Friday Pint.

Fuller's Spring Sprinter - The Friday Pint #11

Some pints aren't particuarly special, but they're often tasty, and feel deserved. That was certainly the case with this week's Friday pint, which came after a morning in which the phone seemed to ring non-stop.(It actually only really rang a lot around 10am, when everybody else started work).

I'm actually quite pleased that Spring Sprinter has returned after it's debut last year. I didn't quite have enough of it as I would have liked. That said, I was slightly disappointed when I had this pint. I'm sure the Spring Sprinter I had last year was much more enjoyable, not that this years isn't an enjoyable drink.

Whilst drinking my pint I made my usual notes. The best I could come up with to describe the pint was that it seemed "grassy", in both aroma and taste.This led to me thinking how would I market this beer, and a phrase came into my head from an advert.

"a refreshing, easy taste"

Look at it. Annoying isn't it. At least, it is to me. Refreshing I'm fine with, I like refreshing beers. It's the "easy taste" that bugs me. What exactly is "easy taste"? Is it something that doesn't challenge your tastebuds in anyway at all, like say, water?

I'm starting to sense that my Friday PInt sessions are becoming less about the actual pint, and more idea sessions for blog posts. As I finish making notes on the beer I have found myself continue to write things down. In a way, I think the purpose of The Friday Pint is working already.

Black and Tan Experiments #7 - Sierra Nevada

This morning, before I left the house I looked at the bottles of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Stout that I had recently purchased, and decided to stick them in the fridge. The plan was to walk along the Grand Union Canal up to Uxbridge, but this wasn't the case. As it is, I now find myself back, and with the two beers mixed, about a third of each, in a pint glass.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was essentially my introduction to the world of American beer outside of the likes of Budweiser, MIller and Coors. The flavour still provokes memories in me of that time I discovered the beer, and I still get excited when I see it on tap in a pub.

The stout is a beer I've had before, but I can never remember what it's like. Drinking it now, I find myself thinking that there seems to be a distinctive taste to American stouts, that is very different to English and Irish stouts. For me, this is a good thing. I quite like it. It's rather rich, and increases in flavour as it warms up.

In terms of the mixture, the stout is the dominant beer, though the richness has been replaced by a subtle burnt malt flavour. The pineapple notes of the pale ale aren't noticable at all, which in a way, makes this Black and Tan slightly disappointing.

After doing seven of these experiments, I'm starting to develop an idea of what I want from a Black and Tan. I want something that changes as I drink it. A mixture that begins with a wave of hops, then gives way to an aftertaste of burnt malts and chocolatey flavours, or the other way round. This isn't an example of that.

ELB Foundation Bitter - The Friday Pint #10

So, here we are at the tenth Friday Pint already. This was the first week I wasn't really up for going out and having a pint, but go out I did, and I actually ended up having a few other beers and a cider.

This week I went to The Southampton Arms for my pint. I'll admit now that I already can't remember without looking back over these posts where I've had the previous nine Friday Pints, so I expect I may be repeating venues sooner rather than later.There's also the factor that I am incredibly lazy, and so the easier a place is for me to get to, the more likely I am to go and drink there (step forward Southampton Arms and Brewdog Camden).

The beer in question chosen for this weeks pint was East London Brewing's Foundation Bitter. I'll admit now that it surprised me, though whether this is due to having drunk a number of poor bitters recently, or that this bitter is actually very good is subject to debate. Personally (and really, when the beer is hitting my tastebuds, my opinion is all that matters), I'd like to think it's the latter. There was a slight citrusy element to the beer, and unlike a lot of bitters I've had over the years, it actually tasted bitter.

I had planned to do a small crawl after this pint, walking down to Brewdog Camden via Camden Brewery (a route I'm hoping will be the start of a crawl at the end of the month). So accomodating is The Southampton Arms though, that I ended up staying there for the afternoon, even delving into the ciders for the first time, after a year of saying to myself that I must have a cider there one day.

Another factor about The Southampton Arms that draws me back is the music. The collection of 12" vinyl records that spin on the record player in the corner. It's led me to discover a few bands I wouldn't have done otherwise, Kitty Daisy and Lewis being one. I wouldn't be surprised if I have another Friday Pint here before the year is out. In fact, I could easily have them all at The Southampton Arms.

Beer Stories #1

Some beers provoke memories. They may be from the first time they were drunk, or they may be from a special time in which that beer was prominant. It's not an exclusive phenomenon to beer of course, but as this is predominantly a beer blog (I still reserve the right to post about other things if I feel like it) those are the memories I will focus on.

I'm currently drinking a bottle of Trappistes Rochefort 8. This is the second time I've had this beer. The first time I had Rochefort 8 was during a late shift at work in August of last year. I had spent most of the evening watching News 24, and the riots had hit Ealing. It was a genuinely frightening evening, having no idea where things would move to next.

I had bought the bottle of Rochefort 8 earlier that day before my shift from the newly opened Beer Boutique in Putney. It was sat in my bag along with a Dark Star Imperial Stout. Towards the end of the evening I'd had enough. After an afternoon and evening watching rolling news coverage of the riots, I needed a beer.

I found the best glass I could, and used a spanner to prise the bottlecap off before pouring the beer into the glass. Not only was it incredibly welcome and relaxing, it was also the beer that proved to be my Belgian beer epiphany.

I'd had a few Belgian beers before, some of the few you can find on supermarket shelfs like Chimay and Duvel. At the time I tried them they didn't really do much for me (I'll have to try them again, to see if my tastes have changed). Rochefort 8 though, made me take notice. I instantly wanted to try the 6 and 10, which I have since tried and neither of which I preferred to the 8.

When buying from bottle shops now I always try to pick up at least one Belgian beer that I've not tried before, and on my two trips to The PO Vaults in Birmingham so far it has been the selection of bottled Belgian beers, rather than the cask ales, that I've been drawn to.

So, there it is, my Trappistes Rochefort 8 story. Here's a picture...

Black and Tan Experiments #6 - Fullers

Sometimes, a beer is needed.

Some times among those sometimes, a beer comes along that rewards the wait you've had to make for it all afternoon. Fuller's Past Master's Double Stout is currently one of those beers.

Yesterday afternoon, midway through an unnaturally hectic Wednesday afternoon (It's never hectic on a Wednesday, Monday mornings and Friday afternoons yes, but never Wednesday) I decided I needed a beer. Actually, I decided that what I wanted to do was to head to The Mawson Arms and see if I could attempt a Fuller's Black and Tan.

For the pale ale I used Fuller's Bengal Lancer, a beer which I find much more enjoyable bottled than I do on cask. For me, on cask it seems lifeless and dull, whereas the bottled Bengal Lancer seems to have a bit of character to it.

The dark beer I used was the aforementioned Double Stout. It has aged spectaculary, with a gorgeous chocolatey bourbon aroma, and similar aspects in the taste as well. Of all the stouts I've had doing these experiments so far, this has to be a strong contender for the best.

So powerful was the taste and aroma of the Double Stout that I really needn't have bothered with the Bengal Lancer at all. The mixture was by far the most disappointing yet, the only slight difference between the mixture and straight stout being a slightly weaker taste in the mixture.

As it was, I had tried the Double Stout before mixing, and so conciously had a much smaller mix than usual, and finished the night enjoying what was left of it.

If you can get some Double Stout, I highly reccomend you do.

Drinking in Birmingham.

Around this time last year I went up to Birmingham to drink some beers at The Anchor's Church End Brewery Festival. (The two posts can be found here and here). This weekend, I was there again, though today I find myself compelled not to write about those beers, but about an entirely different place altogether.

For those wondering about the beers at the festival, there was nothing particuarly exciting or surprisingly tasty, like last year's Strawberries and Cream. Perhaps the closest that this years selection got to that was a beer called Banana Bonkers, which was a dark beer with a banana aftertaste. The only other beer of note for me was one that had been made with beetroot, which I tried and disliked, but it perhaps suggests that the best way to get me to try anything new is to make a beer from it. I'll happily try chilli beer, even though I don't really like chilli.

I had finished what beers were left at The Anchor on Sunday night, and so Monday was free to spend more time in some of Birmingham's other pubs and bars. The Wellington was first up, and after I had a few beers there I moved onto The Brown Lion, only to find it was closed. As a result, this meant I ended up spending more time in the newly opened Post Office Vaults.

It's easy to miss if you're walking along New Street, a red door nestled inbetween the shops near Victoria Square. There's not much space inside either, and from what I understand it already gets very busy at nights and weekends.

There's very good reason for this too. As well as having eight cask taps, Hogans Cider and Freedom's Lager and Stout on tap, along with a guest keg tap (a rarity in Birmingham), The P.O. Vaults also stocks a respectable range of bottles.

The website currently states that there are 198 different foreign beers in stock. Among these bottles are beers from De Molen, Flying Dog, Aecht Schlenkerla, Anchor, Sierra Nevada, Nogne, one of the largest selections of lambics I've seen in a pub, and Delirium, to name just a few. That really is just the tip of the iceberg. The menus are full of wonderful beers at quite reasonably prices.

The good thing for travellers, is that it's not that far from New Street Station, and so is perfect for a pre journey drink or two. Hopefully the success of The P.O. Vaults will result in a couple of other similar venues opening around the city. I think Birmingham is pretty much covered for cask ales, but there's a much more limited choice when it comes to kegged and bottled/canned beers. Maybe there isn't as much of an audience for it, but until someone tries, and fails or suceeds, we won't know.

Black and Tan Experiments #5 - Camden Town Brewery

After four experiments involving bottles, I now have my first with draught beer.

I'm currently at Camden Town Brewery, who have opened their doors to launch US Hells. On the table in front of me I have a half each of Pale Ale and Ink, and a spare glass which I have poured a bit from each into to give me my Camden Brewery Black and Tan.

Ink, as served here, is wonderfully creamy, and a world away from the disappointing beer I had at The Jolly Butchers in January. It has a gorgeous mouthfeel, and to me only further proves how overrated Guinness actually is.

The pale ale has a nice and rather familiar hop element to it, both in taste and aroma. There's an element of citrus in there. For a pale ale, it's actually very drinkable.

Now for the mixture. There's still some of the creaminess from the stout there. The hops from the pale ale aren't as prominent, but the flavour of the stout is less harsh.

I think this might be the best Black and Tan so far. It isn't loaded with complex and interesting flavours like the Brewdog and Great Divide ones, but it's very drinkable.

Otley Brewing Co - The Friday Pint #9

For this week's Friday's Pint I did something I rarely do, something that I knew I would have to do eventually. I ventured out to a non local pub on a Saturday night.

I'm fully aware that when I'm on the 11-11 shift (which usually finishes at around 9:30pm on a Friday) my choices of venue for The Friday Pint will be rather limited. As a result, I find myself catching tube trains to selected venues. This week was the turn of Tap East, situated in Westfieldm Stratford. It wasn't as busy as I expected, yet I still wasn't able to get myself a table and enjoy my pint as I'd have liked to.

The Pint (or rather pints) in question this week, were O8 and Motley Brew. These are both beers that I have had before, but that is the reason I travelled out to Stratford this evening. It was more for the now retired O8 than the Motely Brew.

That being said, the O8 was slightly disappointing. It has tasted a lot better for me, as has the Motley Brew. After a rather busy (and deceptively long) day at work, they were much enjoyed.

These two pints are merely the beginning of a beer filled weekend. Tomorrow I'm off to Camden Brewery to try US Hells, and Sunday will see me returning to Birmingham for the Anchor's Church End Brewery festival.

Expect a summary from me on Monday.

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