Brizzle 2025

 Hello there  

     On Friday just gone (it was in fact 22nd August!) I went to Bristol - or Brizzle - after work, to attend the Forwards festival (Music), and also the East Bristol Brewery Trail, visiting for the first time a number of Taprooms in Bristol. On the Friday night we started in the marvelous kings Head - where owners Good Chemistry were celebrating their 10th birthday! Just the one in here, both myself and Matty enjoying a 6% Baltic  porter collab called Smooth Operator with fabulous Shefielders Abbeydale! We enjoyed this sat outside in the last of the sunshine

After booking in to the Ron Clayton hotel we headed next for BrewDog where the manager plays almost exclusively metal music, and sells a whopping range of beers as well. We had a pint of Marine Hazard Extravaganza and White Dog Will it float and finished on halves of their Habas and Fierce Very Big Moose barrel aged imperial stout. Having met Simon, Matt's dad, we finished the night in the Strawberry Thief where we enjoyed pints of Lost and Grounded Helles on draught and bottles of Augusteiner Helles and others, which I did not photograph....

The next day after a marvelous breakfast nearby we wandered through the city up to Arbor Ales Taproom for 12, once again meeting Simon at about 5 minutes before they opened. This was our first stop on the East Bristol Brewery trail and by 12 there was a hefty crowd waiting to get in! I started on Arbor C Bomb a Citra pale on keg from the current, and Simon bought me a second before we wandered off the trail slightly to a new Brewery and Tap to me.

At strength and Noble they had 6 of their beers on keg and two guests and we had 2 pints each of theirs and 3 halves to finish - we were once again sat out in the sunshine and enjoyed all of their beers, and I have to say the food smelled fantastic! Over the motorway next and down to Clark street where we walked up and into Wiper and True - this was really busy but we got a table for the 3 of us and ordered a few halves from an amazing range of 15 beers available - sadly I didn't take a pic of the line up but I know I had a fabulous pint of kaleidescope IPA on keg from the now, before we returned to the trail and headed straight for Good Chemistry Taproom for my also first ever visit!

I now I had a pint of Pure Celebration Party Pale also on keg, and at a pleasant 5.8 % and once again enjoyed that sat outside in the none sunshine! Off next back into town where we headed to Little Marthas brewing brew pub under a railway arch where we all ate delicious food, and once again sat outside as the clouds darkened the sky above us. We next went to the Portwall Tavern, which is not a brew pub and sadly, since my last visit in 2003 the beer selection seems to have gone downhill somewhat. No doubt based on it being a Craft Union pub, I had a pint of their Bonville Pale om cask from the past before myself and Matt hurried on up to Small Bar, which was not very welcoming, but  we finished on several excellent pints in the fabulous Famous Royal Navy Volunteer where we were both on pints of 8.2% Wibble DIPA on keg which was a fab collab between Balance Brewing and Cloudwater - possibly the best beer of the whole trip.

The next day was Forwards Festival and despite being the day before Bank Holiday Monday it was rather warm! Me and Matt opted to walk to the Downs in order to get some pre festival beers and we started in Zero Degrees Brewery Tap where we started on a clear lager before walking out onto St Michaels hill/Mount and despite its incline we quickly reached the comparative Darkness of the Highbury Vaults - I was once again on kaleidescope and Matt may have been on Otter Oak IPA as we sat in the back . Off next to the nearby turning for Brewhouse and kitchen where we stayed for just one, possibly a pale before visiting a new pub recommended by Simon - up a little side street past a closed pub was a marvelous micropub called Last Port of Call - a tiny 2 roomed boozer selling a great range of local beers where I started on a delicious pint of Gloucester Gold a pale at 3.9% on cask from the past and finished once again on a pint of kaleidoscope as its correctly spelled! A cracking pub to which I will return.

Beer at Forwards was once again cans from Lost and Grounded but £5.50 a can seemed lie a good festival price! We only watched about 4 bands this year, the best being Squid and Nea Archives - we were therefore back in town to make a quick final stop at BrewDog where I now we had Mad Scientist blackcurrant sour at 8.4%!

On Bank Holiday Monday I wandered off by myself post breakfast and made my first visit to the king Street Brew Pub where I sat inside looking at the busy Street outside enjoying a pint of their Hazy IPA at 4.8% before thanking them and waddling accross for my also first visit to the Llandoger Trow where I had a whole pint of their Three Acre Extra Special best at 5.4% which was a very easy drinking bitter on cask from the past.

A toddle next to the Grain Barge parked on the river where I had two beers - I know that they were both Bristol Beer factory but I forget which - before paying my first visit of the trip to The Myrtle Tree for a few excellent pints of Bass straight from the barrel - I even sat outside in the sunshine with two gents eating a cheese and onion cob, before being joined by Tash Matt and Rhodhri. Round the corner to the Bag O Nails next where not only does it smell less "feline" but also had a great selection of ales - I had Uley Guilty pleasure and something without a pump clip on keg before walking, now with Simon, up to a new pub  to me called the Three Tuns where we had a print of Bristol Beer Factory, and then walked into the Limekiln. Always worth a visit, this time it sold in its range Lenton Lane Big Dreams IPA at 6.5% on cask from the past so I was on that before me and Simon headed into town to get a burger and we all re met in the Old Hatchet Inn which used to sport a door made with possibly human skin? All I can say is that the beer selection was really underwhelming so we only stayed for one and I didn't even photograph it!

Our next to last day was quite cloudy and after our usual breakfast in Cafe Revival we went our seperate ways with a plan to  catch up later - I started by meeting a lovely lass on the bridge before walking up to see the church of the Holy Cross ruin and waling out to visit the fabulous Cornubia -a fabulous beer selection as always and I started on a pint of Burton Bridge XL Mild on cftp, then a Bobs your uncle IPA from Electric Bear at 5.4% from also cftp before walking to the Bridge on Passage Street, where the bar had a fab collection of beers on offer. I did ask the chap about Moor Brewing whose owner had posted an explosive outburst on the Friday about almost every customer and type of customer, and whom agreed not to take part in the East Bristol Brewery trail. He does sell quite a lot of their beers so I was happy to try some since he had paid for them, but I started on Newbarns Canopus IPA at just 4.5% which was delicious, then Misfit Brewing Astro Zombie IPA before finishing on Moor.

Next I headed to the Seven Stars for a pint of Hop Union Classic Gold which I enjoyed drinking outside, and then headed a trifle refreshedly for Left Handed Giant. It was really busy and in the end I was so surrounded by by shouters I opted to leave for food at the Fullers Old Fish Market where I met Tash and Matt and Rhodhri for scran whilst on Fullers Olivers Island before finishing in BrewDog on more plus 8% beers and getting cans of Chubbles for our journey home the next day.

After our final breakfast at Cafe Revival we walked together to the the Cornubia for pints of Electric Bear and then to the ruined Abbey for a look round and just got in the kings Head as it started to pee it down! Tash and Rhodhri only stayed for halves as they were off to catch an earlier train so me and Matt stayed for a few including two excellent pints of Good Chemistry kokomo weekday Hazy Pale on Keg and to finish on thirds of fabulous Vault City 7th birthday 14% stout between us, and to buy two Good Chemistry celebratory cans for our trip home.

Still time to pop in Simon's least successful recommendation, the Sidings, which sold no cask ales and sold only Beavertown mass produced beer on keg! We had halves, and I once again did not take any pics whatsoever.

So that was Brizzle! A mostly hugely enjoyable dawdle round some truly fabulous pubs and bars, mostly with fabulous ales and breweries!

Kindest regards

Wee Beefy

Cloudwater Chubbles X 10th Birthday QIPA!

 Hello there readers

       back in April this year Cloudwater put out a message about the hop line up along with their intent, to brew their first QIPA - a special 10th Birthday strong Chubbles! Not only did the hop line up - Centennial, Mosaic, Strata, Columbus, Galaxy, Enigma, Citra, Nelson and El Dorado - excite, but it seemed to sit perfectly with the expected extra 2% ABV - and today, am currently trying my second taste of this absurd Miasma of tropical Hops.

The cynical amongst you may simply claim that this is just Cloudwater showing off the" easy"  spectacle of mixing numerous hops at a higher ABV - not least if you had perhaps encountered negative brewing operations previously. But weirdly, the excellence of Cloudwater's existing I, D and T IPA mixes meant that this was likely much of that - but when its as accessible and easy drinking as this - who cares?

One of the beauties of Chubbles is their pairing with The Veil Brewing, possibly in Albany, New York. I dont now much about them as a brewery but I have to say have enjoyed everything that they have thus far produced. Perhaps its heir love of producing cloudy, hop heavy, soup, that is so deliciously easy drinking. Such values do not dissipate in this offering - drinking the same now am happy to confirm that it retains a dark yellow, slightly orange appearance, and despite it being a hefty 12% it remains ridiculously easy drinking.

I realise that my knowledge of QIPAs is slightly restricted by a lack of them being produced in the UK, even more so since never ending rising fuel and ingredient costs in both the brewing and indeed the home living sectors - but - I have to mention once again how stoopidly easy drinking this remains!

Incidentally - I also wouldnt normally drink a QIPA as my 3rd beer of the day, however I did want to make sure that I at least was able to demonstrate a reasonable snifter of its taste attributes whilst I write - theres a heck of a lot of Mango and possibly stone fruit, and some sweetness - in the aftertaste - but you cant escape a truly excellent lingering Citra bitterness in the bite. This is a dry and simultaneously fruity adult beer at the very top of its game, and quite likely also the limit of the margins of its possibility of retaining bitterness in that absolute wall of citrussy hops.

In short - its basically, everything I expected of a beer of this magnitude, but brewed well.

Finally - I did half jokingly ask a few of my regular pub haunts if they were considering purchasing cans or a keg of this beer - I ordered it the Friday dinnertime on the day it appeared on their webstore - but I suspect that although it may have appeared at their bar in Manchester or London, it might not be available on KftF at any time soon,  which is a shame, because I offered to buy half a keg if they did.......

With warmest regards

Wee Beefy

 

Sobremesa

 Afternoon readers - am going to post about a new brewery to me that I came accross at Indie Beer Feast back in March. 

This year I secured 2 tickets and before I went to the first session i received a text from the lovely Tash about a chap she had met or been introduced to in the Old Shoe who specialised in Saisons - he was called Adrianne and was showcasing his products at Indie Beer Feast. Half an hour after arriving, and finishing my bold opening pint, I spotted what sounded like his bar, and I introduced myself. After a quick chat, I promised him I would pop back later on to purchase some saison, although I did get to try a sample of his bottled saison, and I admit I absolutely loved it.

So having finished my starter and after meeting up with kieron and RJW, I went back to his bar and got a half of his Farmyard ale - a saison style brew which was lovely, but sooooooooo easy to drink! I cant accurately recall if you could buy bottles to take out from the Beer Feast, but he assured me that his beers were available in Hop Hideout, and also the Old Shoe - infact, on my next visit there they were indeed selling two of his beers on draught!

The brewery is based in some out buildings at a farm in rural Wales - writing this post has pointed out to me that there are some facts which I need to check out - in the meantime - here is a link to their website: Brecon Breacons Craft Beer & Tap Room | Farmhouse Beer & Natural Cider | SOBREMESA Drinks

I admit that I had forgotten that they had a taproom in the Brecon Becons, for example......

I also forgot the meaning of Sobremesa - it describes the period post meal when friends and family members chat with each other sat at the table......

And also that they produce their own cider.

And I cant recall definitely if Adrianne's name is Adrianne......

What I do know is that his beers are marvelous!

Last week I popped into Hop Hideout and bought a can of his Farmhouse Pilsner, a 750ml bottle of his Farmhouse Ale, and an as yet untried bottle of his Damson Saison. I had the whole bottle of his Farmhouse Ale last night - it was poured over about an hour but I finished it all and after a large meal and a few hours in the pub this was an ideal finisher!

This is a link to the details of their Rosalind Yeast -Rosalind yeast | SOBREMESA Drinks

I always like to read these sort of facts at such a detailed level on a brewery website because many breweries seem reluctant to share this amount of info? Not an industry criticism, of course, but a valid observation - its reassuring to see the length of preparation undertaken by the brewery and cidery before they started - and thus far, possibly affected by the yeast used, their output has been fabulous!

Aswell as ordering online from the brewery in Talgarth, you can probably still buy from Hop Hideout here in fine sunny Sheffield! So I would recommend that you should pop in there to get a bottle or a can.....

Finally - and this is not proven - I suspect that Adrianne is probably Spanish - although his name may still not be Adrianne - have had a sleep since then.......

Warmest regards

Wee Beefy

Sheffield SU's Beer and Cider festival 2025

 Afternoon, readers

       sadly I don't know which year this was in terms of numbers of Sheffield SU beer festivals previously. I now I went to SU Beer Fest in Sheffield in May 1994 for my first ever beer festival aged 19, so its more than 30 years old....

I would also like to point out that :

it is still on today;

and, crucially, that it is staffed by volunteers - so hopefully no staff received embolisms from spluttering drunkards.......

I arrived about 1415 and saw Mr Ciderman, who told me that they had sold all of yesterdays cider as well as half of today's cider the day before - it seems Friday had been a thirsty day! Am no expert on cider by any stretch but am always impressed to find a large range of ciders, many of which I admit I have never heard of.....

I started on a whole pint of evil filthy Thornbridge - their Day Maker, a 4% session IPA - as I supped,  the sky darkened and broiling clouds of wrath simmered in the air above - but thats just May. It went straight back to bright sunshine afterwards.

Next up I ventured into what seemed like the pitch black chasm of Hades, which was the main cask and keg bar - I couldn't see the pumpclips, less so the sheets of info, so I asked the lass behind the bar what she suggested - she froze - so I opted for a pint of Two by Two on kftc - it was a tasty if surprisingly flavoured pineapple sour - not that sour to be honest, but it was refreshing!

Having now selected Hopworks Ferocious Citra IPA and secured a table, my next visit involved finding out that they didnt think that was available, nor my second suggestion which was Triple Point Flux,  (which was on later) so I opted for a pint of Brol Future Depends, which I paid for - sadly the guy serving that said it had run out and the lass serving me said they couldnt do refunds so I opted for a pint of Pollys Little petal at 5.2% which cost the same. I went next for a pint of Bristol Beer Factory laser Juice which was a delicious and cloudy pale which I supped chatting to a chap called Tyler, who was probably from Leicestershire. I was then told that the Thornbridge DIPA had run out, but I opted to check on my next bar visit.

Sadly it really had, but the Triple Point Flux NEIPA was now available so I went for that before having my next to last which was to risk the Necessary Evil whisky aged stout at 13.5% so I only had a third,  and, I have to say - it was fairly easy drinking for its strength!

By now the luffly Tash and George had arrived to see me, along with Meathill who was working, and we quickly (not for me!) went for food, where it transpired that probably due to the level of University student demand, everything meat was chicken! I had a spicy chicken burger and chips which was very nice, along with my final pint which I think was Neptune Hidden Cove IPA - sadly all I know is it was cloudy!

So in summary - some aspects were misleading and therefore disappointing, and the lack of knowledge of what was available was frustrating, but, I did enjoy everything I tasted and I think that overall the festival was well organised - I don't know how the cider bar will be doing today with reduced stock but I hope all goes well!

Warmest regards

Wee Beefy

Neepsend Craft Beer Festival

 Hello again readers - as usual am a bit late reporting events......

Also - if am honest - I  wasn't actually planning on going - it was only because my good friend J offered two free tickets for the Saturday session that I went at all - so I went with Meathill, obviously.

It was held at Peddlers Warehouse, right next door to the Factory Floor - there was a decent queue to get in, and you showed your ticket on your phone at the door, where you received a tag and a glass and a free pint card (where you could also choose your favorite cask pint) - in fact, the Sheffield cask bar was the first place I visited for a pint of Duality Citra on the Dock of the Bay - a tasty 4.1% session pale, followed by a half of the fabulous Neepsend Double Century IPA at 7.2%. One of the advantages of this festival was an old fashioned printed  list - of the cask beers, which I admit proved very beneficial in this post!

Other features included Pangolin Micropub and Bottle shop from Hillsborough, Quality Ferments drink  importers, a Low and No alcohol bar, and a fabulous selection of street food vendors - as you now I no longer eat food, but I did get some fabulous German Sausage from Get Wurst, with tasty  loaded fries.

So what about the keg beer bars?

Well, I have to say the selection was very good! Highlights included Anthology, Atom, DEYA, Neon Raptor, Dark Element, Sureshot, Zapato and Vibrant Forest - I had a fab pale ale from  Anthology, a strong stout at around 10% from ATOM, a marvellous cloudy IPA from Vibrant Forest, a strong Zapato ale, a dark and hoppy ale from Dark Element from their caravan, and having masticated, I finished on 2 whole pints of DEYA DIPA (possibly saturated in Citra?) from the lovely folks on their bar!

Sadly I was probably only there for a few hours or so as I was going to the secret Birthday do for my chum Dave "Hudares" Howard from the world of music, taking place at Sidney and Mathilda, but despite the shortness of my visit I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it.

One last comment is that, discussing this festival with a person in the Harlequin where i started on two pints, one cftp, the other kftf, I was told that some of the brewers that had served there had been disappointed by the attendance, and it hadn't been considered a success - all I can say is that it seemed well attended in my experience, there had been plenty of locally brewed cask (from the past), the food had been excellent, and I had really enjoyed meeting representatives from all of the breweries I had bought from! I do also suspect that the spiraling costs in the brewing and hospitality sector could have likely undermined some of the excellent features of the festival, and maybe reduced visitor numbers?

Either way - am sending a big thanks to the organisers, traders and suppliers at the Neepsend Craft Beer Festival!

Warmest regards

Wee Beefy

Its 2025 - whats happening?

 Afternoon readers

          its only March and am already penning my first post!

So I realise I could mention the take over of a number of popular breweries by Keystone, or indeed the continuing demise  in numbers of unspoilt national Inventory pubs in the UK, but instead I wanted to write about ranting, by customers, at pub staff.

I am well aware that I "perhaps" drink too much and also that when I become drunk I simultaneously become a nodder, but in other people drunkenness bears a ferocious aggressive and solipsistic child, whose reason leaves them and they cling instead to imagined powers that they do not posess, like earlier this week. Allow me to Elucidate...

It was late on a midweek night in a popular Sheffield pub and probably about 30 minutes prior to closing. Two men I didn't know came in and sat down and started chatting but quickly one expressed his extreme irritation at them playing rap music, a phrase he couldnt accurately pronounce. After a couple of minutes he shouted "why dont you play some proper music instead of this rap shit" His friend told him to stop shouting which riled him further so he decided to storm over to the counter and shout the same accusation directly at the barman - who said, politely and calmly, that what they were playing was all music, and may even have suggested that some people liked the music they had chosen. Cue embolism number 2.

The stroppy man returned to his seat to complain that he didnt see why they didn't play proper music, instead they played this fuffin rab schyit.

I reneged the opportunity to ask him why he thought that rap wasn't music, and neither did I choose to explore which particular facet of the musical style he was unable to pronounce that enraged him so, nor did I enquire if he didn't like every single one of the millions of rap tracks ever recorded because of its established cultural backgrounds and influences. Instead I simply ignored them as best as I was able and then I awaited their threatened departure. Then came the line that really caught my attention. The loud guy returned to the bar as they were on their way out and once again started ranting about "rap shit" and then said " n I know xx and xx and I'll tell them about you and get this pub removed from the Good beer guide and (probably) youll never win pub of the month". 

Erm What now?

And this is when I realised that they were CAMRA members.

And I knew both of the gents he mentioned, one for nearly 30 years. And I was amazed that both those men had carried out surreptitious undertakings in Sheffield and Dronfield CAMRA as a Siloh of Silent Assassins to destroy and therefore close down any public houses or bars, which didn't meet strict musical requirements, weapons loaded, court orders at the ready and bile spilling between their clenched teeth pre action.

And do you now how the angry persons finished their visit?

As the bar man said that he didn't appreciate being shouted and sworn at and harrassed, they both said "fuck off" in unison before one said "gerra fuckin grip" as they stormed out. Children.

Lets just list all the normal and CAMRA benefits of the pub which they did not consider:

6 to 8 cask handpulls (admittedly these are just numbers - it could be 9) selling cask beers and ciders;

10 keg lines selling further and often stronger beers and ciders;

3 fridges selling further canned and bottled ales and ciders;

High quality fresh food produced in the newly refurbished kitchen;

Available function room upstairs for hire;

And what did the CAMRA members hate?

The style of music being played at closing time.

Interestingly - am not especially a massive fan of Rap music as a genre - because I have my own tastes in music. But in the event that a venue I liked or even one that I had first visited, played a style of music that I didnt like, I wouldn't undertake a roaring embolism of chuntering and swearing at bar staff, I would instead remember that I didn't live there, and go somewhere that I believed to be more appropriate. What an absolute shit show by these two Cameroids!

With kindest regards

Wee beefy

 men I