Showing posts with label London. Show all posts
Showing posts with label London. Show all posts
Friday, 20 February 2015 0 comments

Camden Town Brewery Indian Hells Lager

Camden Town Brewery Indian Hells Lager
Style: Lager
Alcohol Content: 6.2%
From: Camden Town, London, England
Purchased from: Real Ale Shop, Richmond Upon Thames

To reference a piece of cocky rhyming slag, I am cream crackered. Work has been tough since the turn of the year. Perhaps it's just the growing pains of a new role, but my real job has forced me to (temporarily) cut back on writing this blog. Personally, this pains me greatly as I find writing very therapeutic and extremely tasty.

Time; where does it go? It feels like only yesterday I was telling you all about my three beer resolutions. This weekend, Emma and I plan to make good on one of these resolutions by attending Craft Beer Rising this Saturday. Currently in its third year, CBR is considered to be one of London's premier craft beer festivals. However, after reading though the excellent list of breweries showcasing at this event, I can't help but notice some notable absentees. London based Kernel and Partizan are no where to be seen along with one of my favourite breweries Siren. Whilst I am naturally disappointed by their absenteeism, I have a plethora of new and exciting breweries to explore. Names such as Bear Hug Brewing and Saltaire wet my taste buds the most. Naturally, I will try an remember what I had and give you all a little write up next week.

Now onto this weeks tasting, Camden Town Brewing Indian Hells Lager or IHL for short. This beer appears to of taken the London Craft beer scene by storm. Every blogger worth their salt seems to be raving about its hop heavy drink-ability. Should I believe the hype? Let's find out.

A little bit of the back story behind the brewer: Jasper Cuppaidge is the grandson of Laurie McLaughlin, who ran the McLaughlin’s Brewery (Mac’s) in Rockhampton, Australia between 1910 to 1960. When Laurie past away he past on all his recipes to his daughter Patricia, who in turn then passed them onto Jasper. On Patricia's 50th birthday, Jasper decided to try and recreate one of Laurie's beers in the cellar of Horseshoe and that’s when it all started… Eventually the brewery moved from the cellar into several converted railway arches in Camden town and they opened for business in the summer of 2010. Camden Town are now considered to be one of London's premier craft beer breweries offering a range eight core beers and a range of seasonal offerings.


Colour: Pours a bright copper/orange topped with a tightly packed, pure white tight head. After a few minutes in the glass this reduces down to a heavy dusting of foam which laces the glass perfectly on every sip you take. Initially Indian Hells looked slightly cloudy once settled. However, I would attribute this to chill hazy as I drank this straight from the fridge. Looks like a lager so far!

Aroma: As soon as you open the can, your nostrils will be bombarded by notes of fresh pineapple and lychees. It's like a big tropical hop bomb has just exploded in my nose (just a lot less painful). There is so much sweetness rising from the depth that you will forget that this is meant to be a lager.

Body: One of the remarkable features of this beer is ability to trick your palate. Whilst the nose suggests a thick, sweet IPA style body, Indian Hells drinks almost like a soft german Pilsner. The delicate body tickles your taste buds before the resinous hop notes clog you throat and slow your drinking pace. What a pleasurable drinking experience!

Taste: Indian Hells' nose successfully translates into the taste. The juicy pineapple and lychee notes return but this time bring some back up in the form of a delicately tart lemon. This rich sweetness playfully mixes with a crisp malt base to help bring this drink to a beautiful crescendo. This beautiful beer hides its ABV extremely well, so be careful it doesn't creep up on you. Truthfully, this drinks more like a pale ale than a lager (or perhaps all this style blending has eroded all of my senses, I'm not sure). To paraphrase the immortal rap group Public Emeny, Do Believe The Hype!
Do believe the hype!

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Monday, 2 February 2015 0 comments

London Fields Brewery Love Not War

London Fields Brewery Love Not War
Style: Red Ale
Alcohol Content: 4.2%
From: Hackney, London, United Kingdom
Purchased from: Nobel Green Wines, Hampton Hill, United Kingdom
http://londonfieldsbrewery.co.uk/

London Fields brewery is a brewery based in the London Fields area of Hackney East London. The brewery was founded by Julian de Vere Whiteway Wilkinson (longest name ever!) and Ian Burgess around the same time of the devastating London Riots of 2011. Like most London based craft breweries, they set up home in some railway arches (either these arches are extremely cheap to rent or the brewers are secret train spotters I can't tell). The brewery has flourished during the past four years thanks to the success of their six core beers and array of seasonal offerings. However, clouds seem to be gathering on the horizon as in late 2014, co-owner Julian was arrested for suspected tax evasion. Fingers crossed this all gets straighten out and the brewery can look forward to a bright future. 

Here I will review one of London Fields Core beers called Love Not War. This beverage has an interesting story behind it as it was initially first brewed whilst the brewers where barricaded in due to the London riots. With those steamy, danger driven days behind them, the team at London Fields emerged with a peace offering to the people of Hackney. A hoppy red ale which they aptly named Love Not War. Let's see if it will calm my nerves after a difficult day at work shall we?

Love Not War

Colour: Pours a warming reddish brown topped off with a off white head. The head soon dies down to a generous dusting of foam that lingers for the duration of this beer. 

Aroma: As soon as you pop the cap your nostrils will be bombarded with heady notes of pine and sweet caramel toast. As the aromas settle, hints of summer fruits and crush hob nob biscuit begin to shine though. All smells very tempting I must admit.

Body: This beer is surprisingly deceptive. The level of sweetness provided by the taste should translate to a relatively thick mouthfeel. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Love Not War feels rather thin in the mouth and is more thirst quenching rather than full bodied. Perfect, after a long summers day at work, but not one for those short, cold nights in January. 

Taste: As soon as this beer hits your tongue, the upfront notes of caramel malts will provide a moorish sweetness which begs you to drink more. As the beer slides towards the back of your palate, hints of pine, grass and pineapple begin to shine though eventually leaving you with a finish that is oily on the tongue and mildly bitter. As a fan of Meantime's Yakima Red, I was hoping this beer would match the perfect blend of malts and hops that Yakima Red provides. Sadly, this beer does not quite meet these standards as I personally feel it's a little to thin on mouthfeel. However, that being said the low ABV allows Love Not War to fall into the category of a session beer which I would certainly return to before the next Arsenal game. 

Love Not War

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Monday, 19 January 2015 0 comments

Fourpure IPA

Fourpure IPA
Style: IPA
Alcohol Content: 6.5%
From: Bermondsey, London, United Kingdom
Purchased from: Corbetts Real Ale Shop, Dorking, Surrey
http://www.fourpure.com/

As time goes by I have learnt that life is full of ups and downs. After finally booking our holiday to Chicago, Emma and I decided to watch the Oscar nominated; The Theory of Everything. After being blown away by Eddie Redmond's performance as the Stephen Hawkings, I was promptly brought down to earth by the news that my beloved Nan had past away. Saddened, I shut myself away for a few days to mourn and reflect on her truly remarkable life. If I'm being honest with myself, she was one of the main drivers of me writing this blog. She could see the passion in my eyes when it came to all things craft and she encouraged me to keep on writing even when I didn't feel like it. I certainly owe a lot to that beautiful women, so I dedicate this blog to her. Cheers Nan. Gone but never forgotten.

Fourpure is a London (Bermondsey) based family brewery founded in 2013 by brother Dan and Tom Lowe (no relation to Rob Lowe I hasten to add). They currently offer a range of six core beers including an Oatmeal Stout and a session IPA. As of 2014 they were the first UK based craft brewery to start canning their core range. Fourpure cites the enhanced protection from light, superior seal and lower environmental impact as the reason for this decision. Personally, I feel that canning helps to keep the beer fresher for longer, ensuring you get brewery fresh beer wherever you are. The subject of this review is this canned IPA.

Fourpure IPA

Colour: Pours a light copper or light orange colour complete with a bubbly white head that's around three finger digits deep. As the beer settles, the remaining foam lingers and clings to the glass perfectly.

Aroma: Imagine, walking though a Scandinavian pine forest after a spring shower. Now if you could bottle those aromas, you would not be to far away from the perfume this beer provides. Heady notes of pine and freshly cut grass dominate. These notes blend perfectly to ensure the nose is extremely well balance.

Body: For me this beer verges on becoming a double IPA due to its alcohol content and its sweetness. This sugariness helps to add a real depth to the mouthfeel, coating your tongue with sweet resin on every sip. From start to finish this IPA drinks incredibly smoothly. Tip top stuff.

Taste: Your first sip will reveal notes of juicy pineapple and mango, promptly followed by a rich, sticky caramel that lingers from start to finish. As the drink warms, hints of tart blackberries begin to appear, which helps to cut though the caramel sweetness. The finish is very dry and you can really taste the hop oils from the Cascade, Chinook and Centennial hops. Personally, this IPA verges to close to the sweet side for my taste. Perhaps the addition of a the Citra hop might cut though the sweetness but that's just my opinion.

Fourpure IPA

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Monday, 5 January 2015 0 comments

Pressure Drop Strictly Roots

Pressure Drop Strictly Roots
Style: Flavoured Porter
Alcohol Content: 6.5%
From: Hackney, London, United Kingdom 
Purchased From: Corbetts Real Ale Shop, Dorking, Surrey
http://pressuredropbrewing.co.uk/


Firstly happy new year to you all and all the best for 2015. Something tells me that this is going to be a vintage year. 

Like most people at this time of year, I have decided to make a few New Years resolutions. Whilst the majority of these will be familiar to most (lose weight, save more etc.), I have also decided on three beer related resolutions.

  1. Attend more beer festivals and tastings, starting with Craft Beer Rising in February. 
  2. Attend a craft brewing experience day at London Field brewery, (hopefully this should give me the confidence to try making beer at home.)
  3. Read more about the beer style, the brewing process and breweries in general. (I'm already making headway on this by reading an excellent book by Joshua M. Bernstein called The Complete Beer Course).

So the question is, can I stick to these over the next twelve months? I bloody well hope so.

Pressure drop was founded in 2012, in Hackney, London. Similar to both the Kernel and Partizan breweries, Pressure Drop have chosen to set up shop under some disused railway arches (guess it's a London thing). The subject of this review is their limited release Strictly Roots Dandelion and Burdock Porter, which is brewed in collaboration with the legendary wild man of the Hackney marshes; John the Poacher. John has made a living out of poaching wild rabbits on the marshes, so one can only assume that he foraged the dandelion and burdock roots himself (lets hope no rabbits "accidentally" dropped into the brew kettle).

Strictly Roots

Colour: Pours a deep black topped with a on finger high tan coloured head. This head lingers for the duration of your drinking experience and laces the glass perfectly on every single sip.If you hold this beer up to the light, you can see just how thick this drink really is. Not one ray of light passes through this oil like liquid. 

Aroma: The roasted malt produce notes of chocolate and coffee, whilst the addition of Dandelion and Burdock produce a subtle sweetness to take the edge off the bitter notes. All of these aromas work in perfect harmony to produce a welcoming nose that needs to be savoured.  

Body: This beer drinks like a classic porter. Once in the mouth this you will notice that it feels just as thick as it looks. The mild carbonation tickles your throat, whilst the oily texture covers tongue. Once swallowed, this oily sensation lingers for a few seconds before fading away.   

Taste: Yummy, there are a lot of individual elements to this beer. As you would expect from a porter, big, bold notes of coffee and dark chocolate are present from the get go. Once you grow more accustomed to these bitter flavours, a layer of sweetness will begin to appear. These notes come from the addition of Dandelion and Burdock roots during the brewing process which imparts a flavour very similar to that of Sarsaparilla, sweet with hints of licorice. Although these flavours are not overly pronounced, these additional ingredients help to compliment the coffee and chocolate perfectly. The aftertaste follows in the same vein and is incredibly smooth.   

Strictly Roots
Can You Handle The Pressure 
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Monday, 8 December 2014 0 comments

New Belgium Brewing Company Snapshot

New Belgium Brewing Company Snapshot
Style: Wheat Beer
Alcohol Content: 5%
From: Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
Purchased From: Great British Beer Festival 2014, Olympia, United Kingdom


New Belgium was established in 1991 after its founder, Jeff Lebesch, decided to take his homebrewing passion commercially. The name New Belgium originates from a bicycle trip the founders took through Belgium in the late 80's. They would cycle from brewery to brewery, sampling beer as they went (sounds like bliss to me). Almost every label has been designed by watercolourist Anne Fitch. Anne has often been credited with helping the brewery develop so quickly due to her eye catching designs. Infact this partnership has helped New Belgium become the third largest craft beer brewery in the United States.

Not resting on their laurels, in 2013 the brewery became completely owned by their employees through an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan). The quirky corporate culture this generates helped New Belgium to be recognised as one of INC magazine's "25 Most Audacious Companies to work". The brewery is primarily based in Fort Collins where they produce over 700,000 barrels of beer each year.        


Snapshot

Colour: Pours a very pale straw yellow and is completely clear. Personally, I like to add the yeast into my wheat beers, so I naturally left a small amount of beer in my bottle and gave it a quickly swirl around. Normally this removes all the yeast that clings to the inside of the bottle, however, in the case of this beer, no yeast seems to be picked up and the drink remains crystal clear.

Aroma: Definitely not the most perfumed beer on the market, but you can pick up notes of zesty citrus fruits subtlety juxtaposed by the hints of creamed wheat. It certainly smells like a archetypal wheat beer. Perhaps this drink can now rise to the occasion.

Body: At first the body feels very rich and creamy. The incredibly low level of carbonation helps add to this depth. However, unlike the majority of the beers I review, this beer actually felt thinner in the mouth once it has warmed. It appears to become more watery as the temperature rises. The hints of citrus help to clear the slight clogging sensation on every sip. Mix this with the watery body and you have a real thirst quencher on your hands. Totally not what I was expecting from this beer.

Taste: To be honest, this is not the most flavoursome beer I have ever tasted. Sharp citrus notes completely dominate the subtle hints of creamed wheat and yeast. It all feels rather unbalanced much like the current Arsenal team. Lots of upfront zest, but no defensive body. The finish is slightly tart and ends incredibly dry. I hate to say it, but I think this beer is quite similar to Coors' Blue Moon. A thirst quenching wheat beer that has unfortunately failed to make its mark on me.

Snapshot


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Thursday, 4 December 2014 0 comments

Fuller's Vintage 2012

Fuller's Vintage Ale 2012
Style: Barley Wine
Alcohol Content: 8.5%
From: Chiswick, London, United Kingdom
Purchased From: Noble Green Wines, Hampton Hill, United Kingdom

A little while back me and Kev attended the Great British Beer Festival, and some time that afternoon, twitter informed us that Fullers would be tapping their most recent vintage ale. I got all excited as my 3rd was poured and went into raptures as it slipped down a treat- a definite highlight of the day.
Today, as I was browsing in Hampton' Hill's Noble Green Wines, I was elated to spot this on the shelf: Fullers 2012 Vintage Ale. Judging by my previous experience at the festival I put it in my basket immediately! It's been brewed with three of 2012s finest hop varieties: goldings, sovereign and target, which have been combined with yeast and organic barley from Nelson Park Estate in Wiltshire.

And now for a description of a brewery that is very close to my heart; Fullers. Fullers reside in Chiswick, London (a mere fifteen minutes drive from my home) and have been brewing on the site of their Griffin brewery since the sixteenth century. Not only do they brew a fantastic range of beers, they also own 380 pubs with over 168 of these being located within the M25. In fact some of my earliest drinking memories involve drinking a pint of their London Pride in the Red Lion pub in Staines.

The Griffin Brewery now produces a range of 10 core beers which includes their flagship London Pride and their multi award winning ESB. As of 2013, the brewery produces 215,000 barrels of beer per annum and their biggest export market is Sweden (this is very interesting considering the Swedish Market is very heavily regulated).

Fuller's Vintage Ale 2012


Colour: Pours a clear deep amber, with low effervescence. The head quickly runs to the side of the glass. The bubbles emanate slowly from the bottom of the glass, and unless you looked for them, you'll think this beer had gone flat.

Aroma: Rum soaked raisins dominate the aroma, with a base of banana and walnut loaf. Smells like a rich fruit cake with a definite sweet edge. You can really get a good sense of the alcohol content from a good whiff too.

Body: Full bodied and clings to the back on the tongue- that low level of carbonation really tickles the mouth pleasantly. Lovely!

Taste: The smells translate in the taste. It's bold and rich, with a stodgy fruitiness, a bit like a dense stollen. Definite banana notes, and rum soaked raisins. The alcoholic content sits well within this beer, with its age coming through in whiskey tones. Notes of caramel and toffee are also present but come through more on the aftertaste: It's lovely and warming- a great one for bonfire night! The more I drink, the more my cockles warm, leaving a slight tingling behind on my lips. I have to admit that it does not live up to the 2014 vintage, but nor does it lag behind either. A solid effort, that is enjoyable in itself, especially on a winter's, blustery, dark nights.

Fuller's Vintage Ale 2012


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Tuesday, 4 November 2014 0 comments

Beavertown Bloody 'Ell Blood Orange IPA

Beavertown Bloody 'Ell Blood Orange IPA
Style: IPA
Alcohol Content: 7.2%
From: Hackney, London, England
Purchased from: Beer Boutique, Putney, London, England
http://www.beavertownbrewery.co.uk/

Beavertown was set up in December 2011 by Logan Plant and Byron Knight in the kitchen of Duke's Brew and Que, in De Beauvoir, Hackney, London. The brew house, situated opposite the two Smokers of the BBQ restaurant, runs at 4 BBL per brew (650 litres - 1150 pints). In March of 2013 they moved out of their home at Duke's Brew & Que and into their new brew site at Unit 4 Stour Road, Fish Island, London E3 2NT. Now with a little bit more space they can push the boundaries of brewing and get more amazing beers out to the thirsty masses. So, after a few long months of searching through bottle shop after bottle shop, i finally manage to obtain a bottle of Beavertown Bloody 'Ell Blood Orange IPA. I'm so excited to try it, that i think a small bit of wee may of come out. So with no delay it's onto the tasting!


Colour: Pours a dark orange with a slightly hazy reddish hue. This colour clearly comes from the use of fresh blood orange which are squeezed and zested into every boil. A brilliant white head is also present and lingers in your glass for the duration of the beer.

Aroma: Notes of juicy citrus fruits mixed with a subtle blend of pine, grass and mango. The aromas will slowly dissipate after a few moments in the glass so catch them while you can. To me this is quite disappointing as it smelt amazing when I popped the cap off the bottle and I would of loved the smells to of linger longer.

Body: The addition of blood orange to this brew really helps to add a juice like quality to the body. It seriously feels like you are drinking a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice with just a hint of carbonation. Weird I know, but it helps to make this IPA very easy to drink and potentially very dangerous given the relatively high ABV.

Taste: Über juicy. Notes of sweet blood orange and slightly sour lemons dominate the palate. The flavour soon mellows to become more vinous and reveals base notes of sweet caramel and crunchy biscuits. The finish is mildly bitter (partly from the hops and partly from the additional orange zest) and feels slightly juxtaposed against the juicy start. This is a perfect beer to enjoy with a spicy pepperoni pizza as it cools and cleanses the palate on every sip. Juicy, Juicy!



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Thursday, 23 October 2014 0 comments

Weird Beard And Electric Nurse Bearded Nurse

Weird Beard And Electric Nurse Bearded Nurse
Style: Barley Wine
Alcohol Content: 10.2%
From: Hanwell, London, United Kingdom
Purchased From: Purchased from: Real Ale Shop, Twickenham, United Kingdom

Barley wine is my favourite style of beer- it's rich, dark and nicely full-bodied. So when I was having a hunt around the Real Ale shop in Twickenham, I was dead chuffed to find this Barley Wine by a brewery I already know and love; Plus, I love the label with the little skull face and nurses' hat (such a girlish thing to say!).

Weird Beard hail from Hanwell in West London which makes them a local-ish Brewery- it was formed by two chaps with a passion for both beer and beards! The craft brewery is known for their experimental style and this Bearded Nurse is no exception. It is a collaboration with their friends at Electric Nurse, who had in their words "a malt bill for a killer Barley Wine" and then they threw in their favourite hops to boot; Pacific Gem and Amarillo. I like the sound of that! This is the kind of drink you know has to be sipped slowly at 10.2% volume, so i'll leave it out the fridge to warm up, and help myself to a slice of homemade Courgette cake.

Bearded Nurse


Colour: This drink pours a reddish-brown, like that of a peach skin. When held up to the light you can see through it. Actually, it looks like I've just poured myself a massive glass of whiskey (especially as the head dissipates as quick as flash).

Aroma: Potent notes of whiskey, caramel and smoky peat dominate the nose. However on the second whiff, out come the smells of a gorgeous banoffee pie with a delicious buttery, biscuit base. Yum! My mouth is salivating!!

Body: I would describe this beer as medium to full bodied, as it coats the back of the tongue nicely. Due to the lack of carbonation, this slips down far too easy (need to watch out for that!). However, with each and every sip, the alcohol is becoming more and more overpowering.

Taste: To start with, it's like a boozy Banoffee pie - it's absolutely gorgeous. All the flavours come through at different times so that you can really appreciate them on the tongue. The flavours are bold and beautiful with a warming, spicy depth to them. The biscuity, malty favours then subside and as I keep sipping, the alcoholic content becomes slowly overwhelming. Towards the end of the bottle, I feel as though I am drinking a short and my tongue has gone dry. It's a real shame as the other flavours of this beer are not strong enough to hold up against its alcoholic volume. Quite frankly I'm struggling to finish it so I'll have to see if Kev fancies a sip!

Bearded Nurse

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/dark-star-espresso-beer.html

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Tuesday, 26 August 2014 0 comments

Great British Beer Festival 2014

Great British Beer Festival 2014

So last Friday i took the day of work to visit the UK's biggest beer hodown ,the perennial classic known as the Great British Beer Festival. Normally i get so drunk at this festival i never quite remember what i have had to drink, however this year i decided to make a concerted effort to document my beer intake. So let see what i swallowed down my pie hole shall we?

Arbor Ales Yakima Valley
Loaded with American hops; they used twice as many hops as they put into their imperial IPA, then dry-hopped with another few Kilos.

Beef Says "What a great way to start the GBBF! Citrus and mango notes dominate from the get go. The finish is long and dry to perfectly balance the sweet mango notes. Arbor have blown my mind yet again. Top stuff!" Rating: 8

Great British Beer Festival 2014

Adnams Topaz Gold
Medium bodied, hints of apricot and lychee hopped with Australian hops; bitter with a crisp finish.

Beef Says; "Normally, I quite like Adnams beers but this is a real let down. Really thin body with nominal notes of the apricots and lychee. I drank this so quickly as I thought it was a glass of squash" Rating: 3

Stumblefoot La Grassy Monk Belgium IPA
Caramel, biscuit malts superbly balanced with an earthy hop bite and juicy citrus. Grapefruit citrus aroma and flavour.

Beef Says; "The worst beer of the day. I could taste none of the above flavours and all I could taste piss vinegar. It tastes more like a lambic than an IPA. What a let down." Rating: 1

After a series of disappointing drinks I picked up an equally dull/flavourless ostrich burger. I hung my head in shame as I picked up slices of plastic cheese to add a bit of flavour to my burger. After moaning to Emma, I decided to play it safe and visit the Czech/Germany bar. Hopefully the Reinheitsgebot will restore faith in this festival.

Schumacher Alt 1838
Fantastic Alt with a deep malty flavour which carries through to the finish. One is never enough!

Beef Says; "Hallelujah, my day has been saved by my first Alt experience. I have never had anything like this this before. It's like drinking toast, butter and jam. Beautifully malty and perfectly balanced. Hell yeah I'm going back for more!" Rating: 9

Portobello White
Brewed with fresh cherries, this wheat beer has low bitterness and flavours of banana, clove, and just a hint of cherries.

Beef says; "Very smooth and perfectly balanced. The cherries lurk in the background and add a tart sweetness to the finish if this beer. Very enjoyable and went perfectly with some chocolate truffles". Rating: 8

Brains Craft Brewery Goedian Knott
An American style 'West Coast IPA' with big hop flavours and bitterness.

Beef Says; "Normally, I love any beer created by the Brains craft brewery, however, this was a let down. Instead of the big hop flavours I was presented with notes of bread and subtle hints of citrus. Reminded me more of a bitter than a West Coast IPA. Real shame". Rating: 6

Great British Beer Festival 2014

Windsor and Eton Conqueror
Intensely flavoured black IPA brewed with dark malt but generous amounts of hops for a lingering, complex bitterness.

Beefs says; "Whilst waiting in the queue for the opening of this years Fuller's vintage, I noticed that one of my favourite beers was on sale on one of this years bar. Without haste I ordered a third to enjoy the upfront citrus notes this beer offers. The follow though of the sweet chocolate notes helps to round the drink of perfectly. Great drink to waste a few minutes with whilst queuing for the main event". Rating: 9

Thornbridge Jaipur
Complex, bitter IPA with a fine blend of citrus and grapefruit flavours with a lingering bitter finish.

Beef say; "You always know what your going to get with Jaipur. I love the perfect blending of juicy grapefruit flavours and a mild bitter hop finish. Very smooth and extremely drinkable, the perfect counterpoint to the incoming glass of Fuller's Vintage. I have read numerous articles suggesting that Jaipur is not the drink it once was. Personally, I still think this drink has a lot to offer and I feel that the current trend to hop beers to death has caused people's palates to change and thus expect more from this beer". Rating: 8

Fuller's Vintage 2014
This year's release of Vintage Ale - we are expecting spicy citrus fruit with malty sweet biscuit but we won't know until the casks are opened.

Beef says: "Finally, it's time for the MAIN EVENT!!! This years Fuller's vintage really hits the spot. This barley wine is full of citrus notes on the nose followed by sweet molasses and toffee on the tongue. Much more enjoyable than last years high octane addition. A real drink to savour and well worth the half an hour wait". Rating: 9.5 (Beer of the Day).

Great British Beer Festival 2014

Pelican Silverpoint IPA
Blend of Sterling, Fuggles and Meridian hops, focusing on herbal, floral, spicy and tangerine like characters.

Beef says; "After the disappointment of the stumblefoot, Pelican Silverpoint helped to restore my faith in the US beer on offer at the GBBF. Beautifully hopped to produce aromas of spiced oranges. This also translates to the taste complemented with delicate hints on soft elderflower. I really enjoyed this beer and I wish managed to drink it earlier in the festival (my memory of my day becomes slightly hazy at this point)". Rating: 8

Geeves Captain Gingerbread
Naturally hazy pale wheat beer infused with ginger; spicy refreshing and with a hint of citrus.

Beef says; "The warming ginger is perfectly counter pointed by notes of tart lemon. Spicy on the nose and tongue, this is a perfect winter warmer for people who do not like dark beers or those with a high alcohol content". Rating: 7

So that was my GBBF for 2014 and I must say, this was the best of my three visits so far. The increase amount of seating was a welcomed addition, as was the theming of the event (as a circus). The pricing remains the same as in previous years and the range of beers on offer is superb. However my two gripes would be the food and the lack of London based breweries. Whilst I'm not expecting gourmet cuisine, when I pay over five pounds for a burger, I'm expecting something better than a cheap, smooth "Tesco value" esc. burger. The addition of Meantime, Kernel, Partizan and Brew by Numbers would help to heal the wounds between both the craft beer and real ale communities. Here's hoping for next year!

Great British Beer Festival 2014
Good Day, Good Sir!

Tuesday, 5 August 2014 0 comments

Redchurch Brewery Soreditch Blonde

Redchurch Brewery Soreditch Blonde
Style: Blonde
Alcohol Content: 4.2%
From: Bethnal Green, London, United Kingdom
Purchased From: Beer Boutique, Putney

Everyone loves a good blonde. Both literally and figuratively.

Redchurch brewery started life back in August 2011 after being founded by ex solicitor Gary Wood (I'm starting to see a rising trend of ex legal employees entering the brewing trade here). Based in Bethnal Green, East London, this small brewery currently brews three times a week and spends the other two hand bottling. Like many London based breweries, red church have a small tap room which opens every Thursday evening at 6.30pm.

Soreditch Blonde

Colour: Pours a bright sun bright yellow complimented with a brilliant white head. This head will fizz down to a light dusting after five minutes but it will linger in your glass for the entire duration of the beer. If you hold the beer to the light, you will notice that there is a slight hazing as the yeast slowly settles in the glass.

Aroma: I generally find that blondes are very delicately scented, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that Soreditch Blonde bucks this trend by launching a full frontal assault on your nostrils. A light infantry of grassy notes land early on the palate to help capture the key taste buds. Soon after, the howitzers of oranges and lemons open up to pummel the beaches until the earthy GI notes storm forward to relieve the bridgeheads. Top stuff!

Body: Just like a game of  football; this is a beer of two halves. Firstly this beer is extremely light and refreshing due to the soft carbonation that tickles the back of your throat on every sip. However, as the drink rises to room temperature, the body begins to develop into something slightly creamy, almost akin to a Weiss beer. This morphing causes the drink to clog slightly on the tongue and eventually leaves your mouth feeling as dry as the Sahara desert.

Taste: Full of fresh lemon which are perfectly complimented by soft delicate elderflower. The lemon flavouring adds a tart, sour edge to the after taste which dries your mouth out. As I eluded to above, the characteristics of this beer change as the drink warms. Hints of creamy cereal and spicy coriander begin to reveal themselves encouraging you to drink more. What I find most remarkable about this beer is that all of these complex flavours come from the use of Warminster maltings paired with the Classic European Saaz hop and the US Chinook hop. Sometimes it's simple ingredients that can provide remarkable flavours. A real surprise (just like Everton signing Romelu Lukaku for £28 million. Chelsea, what are you thinking!!!)

Soreditch Blonde
Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/sambrooks-brewery-no5-barleywine.html

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Monday, 26 May 2014 0 comments

Sambrook's Brewery No.5 Barleywine

Sambrook's Brewery No.5 Barleywine
Style: Barleywine
Alcohol Content: 8.2%
From: Battersea, London, England
Purchased from: Beer Boutique, Putney Upon Thames


It's funny how beer can change people. Whilst some are destroyed by drink, others use it to succeed. Back in 2008, Duncan Sambrook decide to halt his promising career in city accounting and build a brewery. Like many, this stroke of genius came about at the Great British Beer Festival. After scouring the multiple bars, Duncan and his friends realised that other than Fullers, there was no other brewery representing London at the festival (this is potential due to Camra's, cough "higher standards"). Deciding enough was enough, he promptly purchased a five barrel brewing kit and gave it a go. Needless to say this turned out to be a disaster and after many failed experiments he decided to take brewing more seriously by enrolling a course at the University of Sunderland and seeking advice from the head brewer at Ringwood; David Welsh. The results where a 20 barrel plant and the successful launch of their first beer, Wandle. The rest they say is history.    

No.5 Barleywine

Colour: Pours a devilishly dark blood red with no head to speak of. To be honest, this beer looked very flat and I began to think the beer was off. Luckily my fears were abated as after closer inspection I could see small champagne style bubbles slowly rising from the depths of the glass. Phew!

Aroma: There is a hell of a lot going on in this beer, it really has a dream of a nose. Heady notes of dried fruits (such as sultanas, raisins and cherries) soaked in a warming, spiced rum rise to greet you on every sip. There is also very faint traces of a metallic, carbon dioxide edge. It reminds me of the coke flavoured panda pops that I used to drink as a child.

Body: As the name suggests this drink feels just like a red wine in the mouth. Then suddenly a depth charge will hit you. Like a U-boat stalking its prey, a strange layer of carbonation will hit you with such intensity, that you will be launched from your seat. The CO2 will help to cleanse your taste buds and playfully caress the back of your throat.

Taste: The taste of this beer is directly linked to the complex aromas. The dried fruit returns only to pleasantly washed away by a hint of sweet plum and thick, sticky molasses. The alcohol provides a warming yet dry finish which will force you to take another sip. Very refined but it also feels a little restrained. I would of preferred something slightly bolder personally. That being said this is a great introduction to the style and it certainly has peaked my interest in the style. If anyone can recommend any other Barley wines please let me know by leaving a comment below.

No.5 Barleywine


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Friday, 16 May 2014 0 comments

Truman Brewery Tom Ditto IPA

Truman Brewery Tom Ditto IPA
Style: IPA
Alcohol Content: 5%
From: Hackney Wick, London, England
Purchased from: Direct from the Brewery

After just over a year of penning beer reviews, I received my first sample beer direct from a brewery. The nice folks at Truman's kindly sent me a bottle of their new IPA. Working with Danny Wallace – a champion of the traditional British pub - to celebrate the forthcoming launch of his book Who Is Tom Ditto? , Truman’s brewery created Tom Ditto IPA just in time for the Nicholson Spring Beer festival. If you managed to catch this beer on draft you should consider yourself lucky as my spy's told me that it often sold out rapidly. So does this beer live up to the hype once bottled? Let's pour a glass and put some Steely Dan on shall we?

The original Truman brewery has often been described as one of the first true powerhouses of the London brewing scene. Founded around 1666, the Black Eagle Brewery was established on a plot of land next to what is now Brick Lane in London, E1. It grew steadily until the 18th century when, under the management of Benjamin Truman, and driven by the demand for Porter, it expanded rapidly and became one of the largest brewers in London. In 1873, it purchased Phillips Brewery in Burton and became the largest brewery in the world. However, as with most things in life, nothing lasts forever. By the middle of the 20th century Truman’s struggled to come to terms with the rise of lager, cheaper competition from imports and the consolidation of the biggest names in British brewing through mergers. The brewery was eventually sold to Grand Metropolitan in 1971 and by 1989 the decision was made to retire the Truman brand and shut the Black Eagle Brewery site.


In 2010, the Truman's brand was purchased from Scottish and Newcastle by two London businessmen. After several years of planning, with trial brews produced under contract by Everards Brewery in Leicester and Nethergate Brewery in Essex, a new brewery in Hackney Wick was completed in August 2013. The eagle will soar again? I sure hope so.

Tom Ditto IPA

Colour: Pours a deep amber with a brilliant white head, which will eventually dissipate down to a heavy dusting of foam in the glass. This foam helps to provide excellent lacing throughout the duration of your drinking experience.

Aroma: Full of juicy, tropical pineapple mixed with an ever so subtle hint of delicate elderflower. As the drink warms, the aroma matures into notes of sweet apricot and zesty lime.

Body: Extremely soft carbonation helps to ensure a very pleasurable drinking experience. This beer will fill your mouth and tingle the back of your throat on every sip. This carbonation helps to ensure no clogging on the back of the throat, lovely!

Taste: Just like the nose, the taste begins full of juicy pineapples. This is then playfully intertwined with subtle notes of caramel and a earthy malt base. Resisting the popular tend to hop IPA's to death, Truman's use a subtle blend of three hops in this beer; Challenger, Centennial and a new experimental hop called Wallex. These three hop musketeers impart a relatively low level of bitterness and create a smooth citrus aftertaste to cleanse your palate. I must be honest, this beer was a hell of better than I was expecting. If you managed to try some of this beer at the Nicholson Spring Beer Festival, congratulations you have backed a winner. Hopefully this beer will make a reappearance very, very soon for the masses to enjoy. Top work all round guys!

Tom Ditto IPA


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Monday, 14 April 2014 0 comments

Beavertown Gamma Ray Pale Ale

Beavertown Gamma Ray Pale Ale
Style: Pale Ale
Alcohol Content: 5.4%
From: Hackney, London, England
Purchased from: Beer Boutique, Putney, London, England
http://www.beavertownbrewery.co.uk/

Beavertown was set up in December 2011 by Logan Plant and Byron Knight in the kitchen of Duke's Brew and Que, in De Beauvoir, Hackney, London. The brew house, situated opposite the two Smokers of the BBQ restaurant, runs at 4 BBL per brew (650 litres - 1150 pints). In March of 2013 they moved out of their home at Duke's Brew & Que and into their new brew site at Unit 4 Stour Road, Fish Island, London E3 2NT. Now with a little bit more space they can push the boundaries of brewing and get more amazing beers out to the thirsty masses.
Beavertown Gamma Ray Pale Ale
Really love their label designs
Colour: Pours a sumptuous bright orange with a minimal head. This little head laces the glass beautifully throughout your drinking experience.

Aroma: Upfront notes of grass and carbon dioxide to start with, however this quickly settles down to unearth notes of fresh grapefruit and sharp, ripen oranges. It's a bit like you are walking though an orangery just before the summer harvest in sun kissed Italy. All that's missing would be your beautiful summer crush.

Body: Speaking of oranges, the mouthfeel of this drink is remarkably similar to that of a orange juice that's been slightly watered down. If you can remember a drink call Sunny Delight, then you will understand what I mean. Very smooth and easy to drink which could be rather dangerous if you attempt to session this beer given it's 5.4% ABV. As you swallow this drink, you will notice a very slight clogging on the back of the throat. This is caused by the use of four hops, Magnus, Columbus, Bravo and Amarillo working in tandem to create 45 units of bitterness.

Taste: Just like the nose, this beer is full of juicy grapefruit and orange notes. There are slight hints of the caramalts which help to provide some extra body and sweetness. That being said, I personally found this beer rather thin and feel it could benefit from a little extra body. This is rather unfortunate as I loved their 8-Ball Rye IPA but feel rather let down by this beer. Let's hope their Blood orange IPA goes down better (once I get my greasy little mitts on it).

Beavertown Gamma Ray Pale Ale


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Monday, 7 April 2014 0 comments

Weird Beard Brewing Company Chinook

Weird Beard Brewing Company Chinook
Style: Barrel Aged Brown Ale
Alcohol Content: 7.4%
From: Hanwell, London, UK
Purchased From: Real Ale Shop, Richmond upon Thames, London, England
http://weirdbeardbrewco.com/

After another busy week at work I was really looking forward to attending Craft 100 this weekend. But alas, just like my attempt to visit craft beer rising, my hopes were dashed by illness yet again. This time it was myself who caught the dreaded bug, it was my long time drinking buddy Jon. After sulking for a couple of hours i decided to pick myself up and write a number blogs over the weekend. Here is one of them, Weird Beard Brewing Company Chinook. 

Weird Beard Brewing company is based in Hanwell, West London. Like most brewers, the company’s founders, Gregg and Bryan, first began brewing beers in their kitchen’s. After winning numerous home brewing awards, the dynamic duo decided to up the ante and turn their hobby into a business. And before you ask, yes, Gregg and Bryan do sport some very impressive facial hair (Daniel Bryan would be proud!). Now as my best friend is moving into this area later this year, no doubt I will be popping in to check the beard’s and beers out for myself.

Weird Beard Brewing Company Chinook


Colour: Pours a thick, dark brown with minimal head. This head will lace your glass perfectly thought the duration of your drinking experience. The also opaque liquid helps to create a sense of mystery that will intoxicate you like young mistress in a summer dress. 

Aroma: Not the most perfumed beer in the world as it only uses the Chinook hop. This hop adds a slight pine and citrus note to the aroma profile. If you get your nose right in there you will be able to pick out notes of rich molasses mixed with smoky bourbon. Slight hints of warming, dry alcohol will also rise from the glass to sting your nostrils. Very subtle aromas that are perfectly blended to draw you further into this drink.

Body: On your first sip you could be forgiven in thinking that you are indeed drinking a bourbon. The beer feels very sticky and will clog the back of your throat on every single sip. The warming alcohol will burn slightly on the way down like a good whisky should. This is definitely not a beer to rush, so sit back and relax while drinking it.

Taste: As I eluded to before, this beer has been aged in bourbon barrels. The barrels have imparted notes of sweet, smoky bourbon combined with slight hints of oak. These flavours are beautifully juxtaposed by the use of the Chinook hop. The hop provides a citrus note which helps cut through the smokiness slight to refresh your palate.  The finish is beautifully sweet to start but is followed by an intensely bitter and warming alcohol finish. This is the second bourbon aged ale I have reviewed, (the first being Founders Backwoods Bastard). Between the two, I preferred the Founders as it was slightly sweeter than Weird Beards attempt but that’s down to personal taste as this is an excellent effort.   

Weird Beard Brewing Company Chinook


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Tuesday, 1 April 2014 0 comments

East London Brewing Foundation Bitter

East London Brewing Foundation Bitter
Style: Bitter
Alcohol Content: 4.2%
From: Leyton, London, England, United Kingdom
Purchased from: Beer Boutique, Putney 
http://eastlondonbrewing.com/

So it would appear that spring is here again. Kids in shorts and flip flops are now multiplying by the day and the clocks have finally “sprung” forward to herald the start of yet another great British summer. This spring is however different. This spring, brings the birth of the first baby among my close friends. Whilst I am over the moon about the upcoming arrive, I can’t help but think I'm getting older and moving into another stage in my life. Talk nappies and houses have replaced talk of ladies and shots. Our hair continues to thin and waists grow ever larger (no matter what products/diets we use to try and fight it). As my hairline recedes, one thing that has improved with age is our appreciation of good beer.

So whilst visiting a beer garden on Saturday, I took great joy in speaking to my oldest friend about the various beer styles and how they are created. He was shocked to hear that Budweiser actually use rice in their recipe. So as we washed down our splendid lunches with a few pints of Fuller’s ESB, I thought to myself how lucky we are to have such an amazing choice of beers right on our doorstep. With this in fresh in my mind, I decided to open a bottle of East London Brewing Foundation Bitter and reflect on my disappearing youth and look forward to all the changes ahead of me.

East London is a small independent brewery based in Leyton, London. After both deciding to give up their day jobs, Stuart Lascelles and Claire Ashbridge-Thomlinson set up their 10-barrel plant in February 2011. While for most people juggling a young family and an embryonic brewery would prove to be insurmountable task, the dynamic duo rose to the occasion and produced their  first batch of ELB pale ale six months later. Due to their tenacity the brewery was able to stay open and eventual expand into the unit opposite in May 2013. Its well documented that good things come in small  packages so let’s see how their Foundation Bitter tastes shall we.  

Foundation Bitter

Colour: Pours a deep, rich chestnut brown with a small white head which will lace the glass beautifully on every sip. Personally I would prefer a larger head on my bitter but that could be down to my dodgy pouring.

Aroma: As soon as you pop the cap, you will feel like you have walked into a bakery just as the loaves are removed from the oven. A baker’s dozen of aromas will rise to meet your nostrils. Fresh baked brown bread and yeast are present from the outset. After a few minutes in the glass, slight hints of sweet citrus can be detected which helps to round out the aroma profile perfectly.

Body: This drink is remarkably light/thin for a bitter, which actually makes it very thirst quenching. However as soon as you swallow this beer you will notice a high amount of clogging on the back of your throat. Although this sensation is not unpleasant, it will certainly force you to slow down and enjoy your pint. For me this is a hallmark of how a good bitter should be drunk; slow and with great company.  

Taste: I always find the Bitter style very interesting. Although the name suggests the drink should be so overall bitter that you won't enjoy it , I personally find that most bitters have a relatively low IBU (International Bittering Units). So I was pleasantly surprised to find that my bottle of Foundation was actually rather bitter in the mouth.  Upfront notes of brown roasted malts provided a taste similar to that of brown bread or roasted hazelnuts. The finish of this beer is very intriguing, with a large amount of bitterness which is underpinned by a slight, sour lemon edge. I was rather taken aback by this a first and it did take quite some time to get used to. That being said, this sourness helps to create the “thirst quenching” edge which sets this bitter apart from the crowd.

Foundation Bitter


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Monday, 24 March 2014 0 comments

Sharp's Quadrupel

Sharp's Quadrupel
Style: Quadrupel
Alcohol Content: 10%
From: Rock, Wadebridge, Cornwall, UK
Purchased from: Beer Boutique, Putney 

Last Tuesday, I attended the UK Beer Academy’s one day foundation course in the Draft House near Tower bridge. My prime aim for my visit was to expand my insight into the UK brewing industry and gain my first qualification in subject. I won't lie to you, I was rather nervous. This sensation left me very quickly once I met my fellow students and our remarkable lecturer Ian Swanson. With over 30 years of experience and knowledge behind him, Ian schooled us in a variety of subjects ranging from the brewing process to good pub management. Obviously, a beer course would not be complete without any social lubricant and the Beer Academy were more than happy to oblige. In total we sampled thirteen beers ranging from a rather bland Carling to the excellent Fuller’s Golden Pride.  

Then came the moment of truth, the test. Feeling rather tipsy, I surprisingly rattled though the questions with great ease and handed in my paper after only fifteen minutes. We then all retired to the main bar for yet another drink and more banter. So in summary, if you are thinking of purchasing the foundation course, then please do. You will never see beer in the same way again and it’s a great way to meet some new beer chums. I will be definitely attending the advanced course later in the year.  

But the big question is did I pass? Well I’m still waiting to find out  but have no fear you will be the first to know when/ if I do. Onto the review.

Sharp's Quadrupel

Sharp’s Brewery first opened its doors back in 1994 as a small microbrewery. Back then, Sharp’s owner Bill Sharp, could not of imagined how his company would grow to be one of the UK’s largest independent breweries. After years of posting healthy profits, Moors Coulson acted quickly and snapped up the brewery for a princely sum of £20 million back in 2011. The merger appears to be a match made in heaven as Sharp’s flagship bitter, Doombar has now become the largest cask ale brand in Molson Coors' portfolio and indeed the UK.  However, the subject of this review is not their famous Doombar, it’s actually their Quadrupel Ale which forms part of their Connoisseurs Choice range.

Colour: Pours a dark ruby red with an amazing two finger deep bubbly white head. Rather unfortunately, this dissipates extremely quickly leaving no trace of its existence after a couple of minutes.

Aroma: Beautiful notes of sweet caramel or molasses dominate the nose. Eventually this gives way to hints of chocolate orange and very faint hints of the 10% alcohol. The use of four hops help to create a beautifully perfumed beer. The Centennial, Simcoe and Aurora hops help to produce the citrus notes whilst the Hallertauer and chocolate dark malts fuse perfect to give the sweetness. Truly remarkable.

Body: The mouthfeel of this beer is very full and extremely sticky. It's almost like chewing on a creamy toffee. The warming alcohol will then cut through to wash over your palate leaving you with a clogging sensation on the back of your throat. A drink not to be rushed that's for sure.

Taste: Big bold flavours of spiced rum dark fruits like currants and sultanas. The taste really reminds me of my Nan's fruit cake that she makes every Christmas. Very faint hints of chocolate and molasses lingers in the background like the big bad wolf. Extremely sweet and sticky at first but as the drink warms, the slowly receding fruit notes will then give way to the warming alcohol and a mild bitter finish. Excellent stuff and well worth all the accolades that it has received over the past couple of years. I had heard a vicious rumour that Sharp's were planning on ceasing production of the Quadruple later this year. Let's hope for all it's fans this is not true.

Sharp's Quadrupel
A simple label hides a complex beer

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