Saturday 31 March 2018

Week Beefy, Sheffield 2018

Hello Lazerngennulmern,

    the title is an entirely fictitious event that I have invented in order to tell you about a period in which I have drunk almost every day, and which is in no way based on any recent similar sounding beer themed events in sunny Sheffield.

On Monday last I was heading home when I got a call from Matty asking if I wanted to join him and his beautiful Mother for a few drinks. Since I was only just on the bus I got off on the Wicker and walked back to meet them on Exchange Street. They had gone to the Dorothy Pax, which alas doesn't open on a Monday. Despite my suggestion that we go Tarlequin, we ended up in The Bankers, where I had some Conwy Black IPA and a can of Elvis Juice, before we went to the Dove for me to have a pint of Little Critters stout.

On Tuesday I secured some funds and went on a mini pub crawl with them. I started in Shakespeares with a half of the macchiato stout which was on cask and quite strong at about 8%. It was delicious, but I only stopped for one, and headed next to the Gardeners Rest. They still had a couple of Welsh beers on from their recent festival and I had a pint of what may have been a Cwrw Lal beer called Trog, but equally may not have been. It was only £2.00 a pint and went down very well. I had another half of that before heading to the Forest up the hill.

I only had a half in here, of a Toolmakers beer which I had misremembered as being pale and hoppy but was in fact a ruby red brown colour with little bitterness. It was only £2.70 a pint though so that was fine.

My penultimate stop was at the Wellington where I had a pint of Neepsend Pale and a pack of crisps and spent a relaxing hour sat in the room on the right supping it before heading to Bar Stewards. Here I had a half of the Wild beer of some description on cask, and a half of the excellent Verdant Pulp on keg. A fab end to a good night.

I had a break from beer on Wednesday and then met my Mum in town at dinner on payday for a coffee.  Walking down to the Rutland I bumped into Mr Cain and he joined me for a few pints in there. I started on a pint of the Hop City DIPA which was dankly cloudy and fruitily hoppy, just how I like it. I tasted a sample of the To Ol dangerously close to guava which was getting a little low, but on agreeing with the title I went for a pint of the DDH IPA from Evil Twin called something like these days I like IPAs more than people. Its not going to be a remit of mine but it was a very tasty IPA with wonderfully complex bitterness in its flavour. I finished on another pint of the Hop City brfore catching up with Chris and Jodie before I left.

I stopped off for a half in the Old Queens Head - alas I can't recall what it was, and then got a taxi to Bar Stewards to pay off a tab and to have a can of the Clouidwater and Half Acre collaboration Triple IPA at 10%. It was worryinfgly easy t drink, despite its strength, and made me feel a little lightheaded.

Surprising then that I headed to Shakespeares afterwards to buy an drink. Its safe to say that as yet, I have not managed to recall what it was. I just remember sitting in the school room and chatting with Steve Lycett. I also don't remember what about!

Details of the rest of the Week Beefy week of Beefy drinking in Sheffield will follow in my next post.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy

Wednesday 28 March 2018

I'm a silent partner by the way.....

..........said the weirdo.

Beefy! I hear some of you cry, that is so judgmental!

Well, only literally. I did judge that he was mental, after all....

If you had been in the Rutland about 16.00 on the 08 March you may also have heard this or similar words uttered by this very odd man. Here's how my "chat" happened.

There I was, enjoying my second half of he frankly excellent Partizan Dank IPA at 6.7%, and a man with dark hair  and a studious look said "is it OK if I join you?" Noting that he didn't have a knife, gun, or worse, a bible, I decided to accept this seemingly harmless offer. We sat at the table for what seemed an age before he spoke.

"Is there anything that you need doing for you in your life at the moment then?" he asked. I said "No, am fine, thanks" and he shifted in his seat, failing to hold the gaze I was unwilling to give him. "Ah, OK so you are completely self sufficient in your life at the moment then?" he replied.

I wasn't quite sure what to say, but I had already started to become concerned by the oddness of these two responses. This was an awkward exchange, but not one that appeared to have a destination. I replied "Yeah". I looked away so that he couldn't clamber into my soul through my eyes. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

" Just to let you know, I am a silent partner, by the way" he continued. There was a pause whilst I thought how I might get rid of him, and also, about what on earth it might be that he was hoping to achieve.

"That's nice" I said, with only the very slightest modicum of sarcasm. In reality I wanted to ask him what he was a silent partner in, but feared that this may unlock a torrent of misguided ill thought through ramblings. I returned to my far off gaze.

The man sighed, stared at the table and grumpily said under his breath "well I can see am going to get nothing here" and said goodbye, also grumpily before approaching the bar, where he said something unintelligible to the barman, who when enquiring what he had said or meant was ignored, as the fruit loop said he was going outside for a smoke.

Once outside a man sat behind me came up and said "Did he tell you he was a silent partner as well?" and I confirmed he had, and we both shared details of our assessment by Lord Moron of Incommunicable Castle. It transpired that he had been in for some time and had spoken to about three sets of people. On going out to check what was going on the barman reported that he had left. I got another Partizan Dank, a pint this time. It was delicious.

I have started to realise, perhaps admit, that I spend a little too much time in the pub for my own good. And during that time I have listened in on and joined in many conversations, far reaching and varying from the heartfelt to the passionately absurd. The pub is, after all, a warm building where the mildly deranged often shelter. Its not surprising therefore that it oft attracts a certain calibre of crazy. One thing I do know is that I am reasonably good at communicating with folks, and hopefully, never make anyone feel as uneasy as this man did me.

I never did find out what he was a silent partner in....

Wee Beefy

Saturday 24 March 2018

Sheffield Beer Week 2018

Well,

     late as always, here are my thoughts on the fourth explosion at a Sheffield beer factory that is Sheffield Beer Week. I did my usual number of events, and enjoyed every one immensely. Here are details of those events, and highlights.

Following a chance discussion in Hop Hideout I was able to get a couple of ticket to the Indie Beer Feast on the opening Saturday March the 10th. It started early and I managed to get in before 12.00 with my friend Mr P. It was held in the picture house part of Abbeydale Picture House, which I have never been in before. Mr P meanwhile had, when he was 8, to watch Sink the Bismark with his parents.

There were loads of people there I recognised, and many breweries serving a good range of ales, and. crucially for me these days, plenty of seating! Myself and Mr P sat in the oldest looking chairs towards the back of the auditorium and soon spotted Malc and Ally and others from the extended social hug of the Sheffield beer scene.

I think I started with a North Brewing Co beer - in one of a few nods to Indie Man Beer Con there was no beer list, but I  had already seen it on the Internet, in a process so cool it made my beard grow longer. I know my second beer was a wonderful DIPA from Mad Hatter brewery,. whom I had a quick chat with, and the third a third of the super dry hopped ale from Sierra Nevada.

I also had beers from Runaway (possibly), Torrside, Abbeydale, Black Iris, another from North and Mad Hatter and thoroughly enjoyed them all - I got to take the glass home as well which I have used for almost all my home tastings ever since. I finished off in Hop Hideout with a wonderfully soupy sour and a Magic Rock beer. A fab fest!

On Monday I was in my second home of Shakespeares trying a few of the barrel aged beers on offer. Being cautious I only allowed myself twp thirds - one of the excellent Harviestoun Ola Dubh, and the other a 15% Juel Maelke, which Chris told me meant Christmas milk, which I misunderstood as Chris's milk, a wholly less appettising undertaking....

I returned to Shakespeares and Bar Stewards on Tuesday, not for any events but just to drink excellent beer, including a can of the Cloudwater small Citra Ekuanot at the Stewards.

Wednesday I met up with Brotaar and we sort of attended the Atom brewery meet the brewer event at Kerbedge at West One. Arriving late I only got to chat to them for a few minutes but got to try a sour, a pale and a 7% dark ale which WK loved. We caught up with them again in BrewDog where amongst other things I tried the Lost Industry coconut cream ale and the Steel City Rogue one.

Thursday I was keeping up to date by once more visiting Shakespeares and Bar Stewards, before Friday night was the fantastic Northern Monk Tap Takeover at the latter. I started on halves of their Striding Edge 3% Light IPA and New World IPA at 6%. Very similar levels of juicy hop in both was a testament to the quality of the Striding edge. Having caught up with the sword of Justice and his mates I went to the outside bar and met up with Michael Sallot, who have probably not seen since my stroke. It was great to catch up, and also to try a Loka Polly beer on keg.

I went on to try three IPAs, Underworld, Helvellyn and the pick of the bunch Slam Dank, and got chatting to the brewer and marketing sales guy who I had a good long chat with before meeting Vikkie and Matt for moe Loka Polly and a great catch up, before a wobble back to the bus stop. A cracking night!

The final event I attended was the Cloudwater Howling Hops takeover at Shakespeares on Saturday afternoon. Although I really enjoyed the DIPA the two double dry hopped pale ales tried were also of note, and Adam recommended the Pale XXX from Howling Hops on "cask" which was a wonderfully easy drinking pale ale. I spent most of the time with the Lycetts, and then Rich and Kath, getting a trifle refreshed on my meagre funds, and courtesy of to the kindness of the  team Lycett.

Every year so far the Beer Week event has grown in stature and improved in quality as well. There were many many more events that I wish I could have gone to but as previously I still had a wonderful week.

Thanks and well done to Jules and all those involved in organising this wonderful event, showcasing the best of Sheffield, local, national and international beers and Sheffield's fabulous boozers!

Wee Beefy