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

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

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).

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!

Good Day, Good Sir!

Adnams Southwold Spindrift

Adnams Southwold Spindrift

Style: Golden Ale

Alcohol Content: 5%

From: Southwold, Suffolk, England, UK

                                                                Purchased from: Tesco

Adnams PLC is a British regional brewery company founded in 1872 in Southwold, Suffolk, England, by George and Ernest Adnams. The company produces cask ale and pasteurized bottled beers. Annual production is around 85,000 barrels. The Sole Bay Brewery in Southwold was purchased in 1872 by George and Ernest Adnams. The company was incorporated in 1890, and has remained independent since then, producing a range of beers for distribution mainly in East Anglia. The Adnams family was joined in 1902 by Pierse Loftus and his brother Jack, and Adnams still has members of each family on the board, with Jonathan Adnams as chairman and Simon Loftus as a non-executive director.

In 1993, Adnams Extra won the Champion Beer of Britain, an award presented by the Campaign for Real Ale at the annual Great British Beer Festival. Adnams remains committed to brewing cask ale and operating non-themed pubs.Cask ale is available in all its 70 pubs, and it supplies more than 1000 other outlets direct. New fermenting vessels were installed in 2001-3 to cope with demand, and the brew house was completely re-equipped in 2006-7, making it one of the most energy efficient in Europe.At the beginning of 2004, Adnams purchased land in neighboring village of Reydon to expand its business with a new distribution center designed by architect Jeremy Blake, which was nominated for the 2007 RICS East of England Award for Sustainability. Adnams was awarded a Queen's Award for Enterprise in the sustainable development category in 2005.

For his review we will be delving into the world of Spindrift. One of the unique characters about this beer, is that it comes in a dark blue bottle. It is certainly the only beer that I'm aware of that comes packaged like this (let me know if anyone knows any more). The Spindrift is also heavily themed to show of the East Anglia Swash. So lets dive right into the sea and pull out a review!

I Can See the Sea Dad!

Colour: Very pale brown colour very similar to good quality Czech lagers such as Staropramen or Kozel. On the pour you get a small white head which stays for about two minutes and then leaves the joint. You are left its a small amount of foam to enjoy. The delicate foam reminds me a lot of the wash off the sea on a Weymouth beach in summer. Ah I reliving my youth just by looking at the beer.

Aroma: On your first sniff you will be blasted with sensuous pineapple and kiwi notes. It really invites you into this beer but unfortunately these fresh fruity smells die away after some exposure to the atmosphere. Smelling the beer again you will pick up sweet hop and hobnob biscuit notes. This beer has many delicate layers to it, that subtly interplay to give you a beautiful aroma sensation.

Body: I'm starting to think that every beer I seem to review is light and refreshing, so I'm going to try an expand my vocabulary. When you have your first sip you will notice that this beer is quite robust. It's actually a little bit heavier than it looks. The mouth feel is not clingy but you will notice that takes a little longer than say a lager to leave you.

Taste: This beer is mildly sweet on the tongue with a refreshing crisp finish which cuts though the sweetness leaving your thirst quenched. Whilst drinking this beer I could taste hints of white grape or kiwi mixed with cashew nuts. Odd mix I hear you cry, but it really works an the flavors compliment each other very well. You are also left with a slightly mineral notes at the end which really help cleanse you palate. I first tried this beer a couple of years ago in a a cocktail bar in Richmond called B@1. After drinking far to many Tennessee Iced Teas, I elected for a beer. Thinking I would be served some standard lager, I was extremely pleased to be offered a Spindrift. It was a great break from the overly sweet drinks. If you are new to craft beer, give this drink a go and you will be sailing the seven seas in no time.

Message In The Bottle?

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