Chubbles

 Evening all,

        When there was a Magic Rock Cannonball run at Shakespeares way back in the days when Verdant changed Howl to Allen, I started on a third of Chubbles. Arguably the fact it was a third, in my mind, somehow normalises the fact that this combo with The Veil Brewing was a whopping 10%. On that day, much of which was spent sat in the sunshine with the lovely Vikkie, I tried halves of all three of the Cannonball versions and enjoyed a can of Verdant Allen, but the Chubbles really stood out.

Since then have likely only ever had a can of it once. And this year, I missed buying a can from Beer Central on two separate occasions, such was it's popularity......

Luckily the man Luke at Dronfield Beer Stop has got quite a range of Cloudwater beers in. As I may have already mentioned, probably because am using a roobish version of Windows on my PC I registered as a key worker (as I am) on the Cloudwater website but that said my card wasn't valid. I have since found out this is due to using Vista. I have therefore been unable to order beers from Cloudwater brewery's website. Luckily there were cans of both Chubbles and chubbles 2 available - in fact, as a chum in the business confirmed, there is even a third version. Being a sensible chap I simply ordered a can of each. They were exceptional.

Am all too aware that there's a chance I may like "easy drinking" aspects more so even than the blend  of hops in the soupy brews that I sup. That's my suggestion, based solely on my own observations. The thing is, I do rank that aspect very highly. And I have tried many beers recently which lasted 5 or 10 minutes a can. Had I not enjoyed it so much previously, one of these cans may have been dispatched similarly quickly.

In addition to the above that includes the balance of a drink - and Cloudwater do now and again confirm the specific hops they use in particular brews. As not in this case, all I can say is that it tasted exactly how I remembered it - although I sadly have to admit that the amount of boohar I consumed thereafter possibly renders my memories of that exercise somewhat less supportive.

Interestingly the Chubbles 11 is an 8% version that states "discovery of pilsengris" on the front. Sadly, as the oldest man on earth, am not sure if this is an ingredient or beer style but I have to say that am certain that this was even better than the mighty first Chubbles!

Its important to admit that usually 8% is not a noticable drop in strength (although those brilliant original Cloudwater DIPAs were all 9% if I recall) but I was a little disappointed pre trying - and I had no reason. This of course makes the tasting of other Cloudwater + 6% beers afterwards  even more interesting. And now I have a regular supply, albeit without my key worker discount, I fully intend to purchase a few every month.

Am not sure how many were brewed and canned, but if you aren't concerned about higher ABV beers, and also didn't discover your impression of strong beers based on sickly sweet 1970s barley wines, I would highly recommend you give a can a try.

The very best of health!

Wee Beefy

Tzatziki sour......

 Evening everyone!

Whilst I realise that many of you are currently rolfing into your rice crispies, before continuing I would like to provide some background......

Whilst am not a member of any club, or Clurrubp" as Vic Reeves may have espoused,nsider myself one of the beer loving community, albeit meaning different things to so very many, and an enthusiast of drinking and trying beers, old and new, in a number, slightly less so at the moment admittedly, of locations. I would be the first to admit that I realise that I perhaps overly favour DIPAs and IPAs - although, of course, it would be nonsense to suggest I drink too much....but given current trends and developments, I often feel I am letting the same said groupings down by trying less sour beers.

As you may recall, my thus far favourite was Llamass Harvest goosbery sour by that Welsh brewery, that had a name - warned as I was that it may melt my face off, I nonetheless ordered a pint of it for me and Tash each. We loved it.

I have, perhaps unsurprisingly, only ever tried 3 Tzatziki sours - the first was in Shakespeares back in 2017, by the sadly long closed Mad Hatters brewery in Liverpool - as expected, the name alone caused a manner of mortification, whereas I had and enjoyed two whole pints. Perhaps this is because I like tzatziki.....

The next was not named as such but was a wild garlic IPA by Lost Industry here in Sheffield. Once again horror accompanied it, not just the name but in some circumstance the taste. Probably lacking cucumber, I have to admit that despite not actually being tzatziki flavoured I quite liked it, but a wild foraged tzatziki IPA would have perhaps suited better.

Last year or before, Maltgarden Browari came along. I had already tried a few of their excellent stouts, along with stumbling through opening their ridiculous wax capped can, and then bought a can of Tzatziki pastry sour with Pink Guava, Mango and cucumber. On Saturday I had quite a few beers - and this was the absolute best!

I drank the whole can in about ten minutes. It was ludicrously easy drinking - but also featured a distinctive but perhaps created tzatziki flavour along with the excellence of the pastry elements. It tasted very strongly of the cucumber and as I admit, the tzatziki I imagined but impressively the other flavours blended in so well together! I used it as a palate cleanser, but as soon as I had finished it I wanted some more.....

As I have admitted I do love tzatziki - I even make my own, possibly twice each year. And I also love trying it when I visit Crete. This particular brew was carried out by a collab of Maltgarden and Seven Island Brewing in Corfu or similar and it was called Corfu Food Advisor. I would love to try another soon.

Am not convinced that this settles all of my anxieties about how the young uns in the beer world (without mentioning the dire craaaft) continue to perceive my consumption of their wares, but I have to say that this was a gem!

If you do, or even if you don't, like tzatziki, I would highly recommend a try.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy

Entering the darkside.....'

Hello folks - am now on my old laptop and new keyboard - and it has taken me two hours to log in! But am alive, reasonably well, and once again actually here!

So am happy to confirm I have not in fact, been stolen by satanists or dark arts purveyors, or indeed many innumerable such factions. Thankfully am simply referring to my sudden - ish - movement into dark beers. Stouts, porters, imperial stouts, less so Black IPAs. I know that you may legitamately think I only drink cloudy pale ales, and I admit that I largely do, but over Christmas I ordered a much larger number of stouts. And, worse still, I also tried and enjoyed, beers from the horror that is Thornbridge. Shudder......

Indeed, presently am enjoying a Vocatoin Affogato coffee and vanilla imperial stout, and I have two  bottles of Nerd Brew at above 10% in front of me, along with an LHG stout. And I have to admit that I am really enjoying them. I know that some stouts "these days" have a modicum of delicious hops in them but I truly and very much enjoy them.

  I have also got into wild ales, including the dark versions of the same - wild ales, brewed with wild yeasts and other adjuncts, are a new ish style to myself but have really enjoyed them - the Trillium Fated Farmer on fruits beginning with A or similar was stupendously easy to drink. And, to be fair, it really ought to be at that strength and price.....

Thornbridge? Well, I ordered two versions of Jaipur X, a double Green Mountain DIPA and a bottle of Necessary Evil, a strong, Bourbon barrel aged imperial stout. And yes, despite my none hatred filled torysim, heinous spiteful reluctance to accept the rights of the poor or disabled ( and others ), I admit that I enjoyed them all - especially the necessary evil. Which, given their involvement in or at best linkage to A 4 E ( Absoluteley for Exploitation ), I naturally worry that this toe dipping in the sump of vile hateful sewage that they so obviously are, will send me down to hell/. Hence the title......

Lastly, and vaguely related to the tittle, am sorry to inform readers, specifically those who may not be friends with me on Friendache, that at Christmas Wee Fatha passed away. Me and WK visited him with gifts on Christmas Eve and found him dead. 

It's noticable that Dad not only got me into National Inventory pubs ( the Colliers Arms at Mossley being my first such visit) but also into whisky and later on to the delights of Kilchoman on the isle of Islay.

He was buried on Friday 22nd January and on Burns Night on the Monday after (another Wee Fatha influence) I cut the haggis and raised a large dram of Kilchoman Machair Bay to him in his honour. 

Hopefully I will now be able to blog more regulaly again - not least as the vaccine benefits take hold.

In the meantime I wish you all the very best of health.

Regards

Wee Beefy