Craft Beer Rising 2015

Craft Beer Rising 2015

After two years of failing to attend Craft Beer Rising, I made it my mission to attend the 2015 event. So last Saturday both Emma and I rose early from our bed to make the fateful trip across London. As Brick lane is located in East London, we decided to purchase day event tickets which ran from 11am to 5pm. After a long train journey, we arrived just as the doors opened. After being handed our beautiful glassware, we firstly walked around the venue in order to get our bearings. After a quick scout to locate our favorite breweries, we settled down on one of the picnic benches in the main hall. We both decided that we would open the festival with a beer from one of London's finest breweries; Beavertown. 

Kevin: Beavertown Moose Fang Imperial Brown. Rating 8/10.

Emma: Beavertown Appleton Bramley Apple Saison. Rating 7/10.

After such a strong start to the day (both of Beavertown's beers where over 7 per cent ABV), we decided (rather foolishly) to continue in the same vein. Since we are going to States in April, we decided to visit some of favourite US breweries; Lagunitas and Founders respectively. 

Kevin: Lagunitas Brown Shugga. Rating 9/10.

Emma: Founders Backwoods Bastard Scotch Ale. Rating 9/10.

After such a high ABV start to the festival, I know we needed to stop for a bite to eat. Fancying a lighter bite, we both plumped for a couple of sausage rolls. Now, I don't normally eat sausage rolls, but oh my god, these were absolutely delicious!  The only thing stopping me buying any more was the sky high price of £4 a roll. That's more than most of the pints of beer on offer at the festival! Daylight robbery I say!!

Shifting gears, I fancied a fruit IPA whilst Emma liked the taste of my last beer so much, she treated herself to some.

Kevin: Bear Hug Hibernation White IPA. Rating 5/10.
Emma: Lagunitas Brown Shugga. Rating 8/10.

It was here that I realised that Emma was starting to get very sqiffy. She had just consumed three halfs of very strong beer in under an hour, so we agree to stop for lunch. Emma plumped for beef brisket sandwich whilst I stuck to one of my festival staples; Bratwurst. Wanting to try a new brewery, I popped over to the Kiwi craft collective stand to try a Earl Grey IPA, whilst Emma (obviously wanting pudding) tried a sticky toffee flavoured beer from Young's.

Kevin: Yeastie Boys Gunnamatta Earl Grey IPA. Rating 9/10 (Beer of the Day).
Emma: Youngs Sticky Toffee Pudding. Rating 7/10

It was at this point that Emma began feeling the effects of the alcohol churning through her system so she decided to skip the next couple of rounds.

Kevin: Glastonbury Ales Equinox Black IPA. Rating 7/10

Kevin: Hop Stuff Amarillo Mild. Rating 6/10. (Emma loved the fact that this brewery used a Arsenal style cannon in thier logo).

Finding a Second wind (or possibly fueled by more sausage rolls and beer sticks), Emma decided she was ready to try a few more brews. She plumbed for a Christmas Ale from Williams brothers, whilst I decided to try Vedett's new IPA.

Kevin: Vedett IPA. Rating 7/10.
Emma: Williams Brothers Sprue Nollaig. Rating 8/10.

Kevin: Saltaire South Pacific Pale. Rating 5/10.
Emma: The Wild Beer Co. Millionaire. Rating 7/10.

It was at this point I realised that Emma had had a little too much to drink and we decided to make for home. Needless to say, the journey home was very eventful and my shoes will never be the same again!

In summary, I really enjoyed Craft Beer Rising. The range of beers on offer was excellent and everyone attending the event was in excellent spirits. I do have a couple of niggling gripes however. Firstly, when we arrived we were told that we could pay in cash for beer rather than use the tokens. Whilst this held true to a few stands, some would only accept tokens. This would often lead to you leaving your pint at the bar and walking to the token booth. Secondly, at most stands you could buy bottles or cans to take away. Wanting to cash in on this opportunity, I asked a few of the bar tenders to sell me an unopened bottle. Some where more than happy to oblige, whilst others flatly told me no. All we ask for is a little bit of consistency guys. Who knows, we may even review the beers we take home......     

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!

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/beavertown-gamma-ray-pale-ale.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/schlenkerla-rauchbier-urbock.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

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.

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).

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/partizan-brewing-pale-ale-cascade.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/schlenkerla-rauchbier-urbock.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery