North Eastern Breweries

Hullaballo,

      when I first started drinking in 1990 ish the main North Eastern and Newcastle area beers came from Scottish and Newcastle, Big Lamp, (although that may have been later) and of course Vaux and Castle Eden. Castle Eden Ale was, in fact, the first beer I had bought for me in a pub - in 1989 with a meal WF bought me a half. Am thinking that this was OK, and he bought it and the place we were eating in was full so am certain it was....

In the early nineties I made a couple of trips up to Northumberland, and discovered Longstone Brewery. Memories as always are a bit vague but I always recall it having a blur pump clip and a lighthouse on it - am certain there is still a Longstone Lighthouse. In it's short history one of their beers was called Old Grace Bitter, named after Bamburgh born lighthouse keeper's daughter Grace Darling. I only ever tried one of their beers, somewhere in Northumberland, which was a 3.7% one called Hotspur. And I never saw their beers again.  

Its at this point that I should point out my understanding of the North East as an area - I am in fact referencing everywhere from Middlesborough to Berwick. Am certain that is not everyone's idea of the same description but it is broadly accurate.

Meanwhile, I know that High House Farm and Wylam set up in the noughties, along with later on Anarchy Brew Co and Allendale, and also that Hexamshire was set up in the nineties and is still trading, but in the last couple of years we have seen both Almasty and Errant breweries set up, both producing excellent beers, and supplying output to a number of pubs including the excellent Shakespeares in Sheffield, AKA my second home. And recently, my latest selection of cans from local shops has pointed to a few more.....

First up is Full Circle Brew Co - I had a can of their Lake of stars pale ale at 4.5% and as well as being incredibly pale I also found it very easy to sup - there was bitterness in there, as well as oats, and although hardly a session ale, as well as not a strong ale, I found that it didn't last very long. A look on the tinterweb, where everything is true, suggests that its well regarded and also that they opened both a micro brewery and a tap room in Hoults Yard Newcastle, last year. Probably due to their newness, and also maybe because this appears to have been brewed with Brewgooder whom I thought may have some involvement with BrewDog, this is the first beer of theirs that I have come across. Once again the lack of information generally available about their products suggests I may have to unfurl the horror of Untapped at some stage.....

Next up is another new one on me - that being Play Brew Co in Middlesborugh, a place that I, undoubtedly incorrectly believe was or still is, in North Yorkshire - please don't hate me if this is not true! The beer of theirs that I tried was Lazy Daze, a 6.5% NEIPA featuring Mosaic, Eukanot and Amarillo hops. This once again did not disappoint in terms of flavour, and lacked any of the oftentimes appearance of sweetness which many North East and North West brews sometimes contain. Darker than the Full Circle, but 2% stronger, the calmer colouring did nothing to take away from the excellent mouthfeel within.

The final brewery is one that I have another of their cans paid for and pending in fine sunny Sheffield. Alpha Delta Brewing are based in Newburn in Newcastle upon Tyne and their Selene Galaxy DIPA at 8.2% was sensational. I have to clarify that appearance of cans does not on it's own pressurise my choice of beers, but also, that a good  design can often make me more willing to give one a try. The Alpha Delta can is black with a white A and triangular D letter below it, and it tasted fabulous. Possibly due it being Unfined, Unfiltered and Unpasteurised, this beer ticked all the boxes in terms of its appearance - a soupy cloud of delicious orange gunge which was not only easy to drink for it's strength, but if I hadn't had been taking care of my intake last night I imagine I could have supped down the beer in about ten minutes. Instead I let the flavours on show linger, and enjoyed every single minute of this.

I have discovered that there are also now a large number of other microbreweries in Newcastle and beyond in operation, and these are ones I ill take the opportunity to sample in the next year or so, but these three examples alone demonstrate that the North East area brewing industry is blooming and improving regularly.

Keep up the Good Work!

Wee Beefy

The 45th Sheffield Beer festival.....

Hellall,

      I must apologise for my lateness in providing info regarding this excellent event - I can assure you that it in no way reflects the quality of the venue or the happenstance, instead its simply that I have been wondering whether I was really sufficiently qualified to write up about this fest - the principal reason for which, instead of my brain injury, simply being that this year despite its earlier-ness I only visited once. And that was a monetary decision.

And so here is what I found.....

Arriving at 18.00 I was queuing before Wee Keefy joined me. I have to say it seemed busier than previous years - attendance on a Wednesday night used to be quiet, but I waited ten minutes to get in. Not a long time I accept, just a surprise if nothing else. Once I had paid the fee - which as well as getting you in also got you a glass and a fiver's worth of tokens, I headed straight into the downstairs tent and bumped into S.o.J and Jack. The kind fella even gave me a free programme which I had for some weird reason avoided buying - at just 50 pence. The info would have perhaps made my initial choice better - having asked for a pale hoppy beer I was sold a half of Peak Ales IPA, which was a decent sup, but a tad disappointing. S.o.J was on the excellent Williams Brothers Tin Man Tropical IPA at 5.5% and this was my second sample, and regardless of my being a Williams Brothers fan this was much better and well balanced. Joined now by WK we headed upstairs to find a 4Ts beer, and bumped into Josh, Bob, Marv White and his mate, along with Vikki and Matt. And the search for beers continued.....

I wanted to try a 4T's Papa Mangoes, a 7.0% ale described as a Mango fruit Double IPA. I was a little worried by the strength - not that it was too high, instead that for a double IPA it should be 8% minimum. The smell was very nice but the taste had an awful background - described as a children's cough syrup by Vikki, and as I went further down I had to agree - perhaps hoppy Calpol?

Things desperately improved next with a half of the Blue Bee Mosaic Brut IPA at 7.4% - always a fan of their stronger strongly hoppy beers this was a worryingly easy to drink IPA which ticked all the right boxes. After a wander and a very slow purchase of more tokens I dropped down to a Born in the Borders Flower of Scotland, a pale ale with some good flavours and a decent amount of Scottish malt to blend it. Things then got better still.

There were two cask ales from Almasty , Cashmere and Amarillo Cyro Pale was an excellent blend at 5% and their Mosaic and Azzaca IPA at 6% was phenomenal.  I am led to believe by a mixture of memories and scribbles that I also tried a half of the Arbor Yakima Valley at 7.0%, but am not certain whether or not I may have simply imagined this what with said beer being a big favourite. And now it was time to head down to the Keg room to sample some truly excellent ales.

I started on a third of the Abbeydale and Box Social Voyager IPA 19. All of a sudden the ale was soupy and tasted of excellent hops. The night was thereafter good. Not that it didn't get better, as next was one of my two halves of frankly excellent Cloudwater DIPA at a robust 9% - I finished my visit on the second. Am also sure I tried a third of St Mars of the Desert's excellent Clamp, a fab 5.4% IPA, and possibly a Track You Do You 7.0% IPA. Its fair to say I may have been a trifle relaxed by this stage, and that may also explain my lack of information regarding the taste of the latter.

I left about 22.00 having had a fab night, with some fab people, including Johnny and Declan from Bar Stewards, and also Nate and Lucy, whom I bumped into in the Keg bar.  It was interesting to hear of a complaint that a nearby barman received, where a punter said "thi sell that Keg beer un are dornt lark it, nevah goin again" an automatically infuriating comment, not because of the rejection of keg as a style, instead the fact that they sold over two hundred cask beers as well! They must have walked straight in the keg bar and without a word walked straight out......

Despite not being able to attend another night I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and with just one exception all the beer tasted was on excellent form. Big thanks to all the volunteers, and specifically to Mr Morton for his excellent role in ordering the beers for this fab festival.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy