Hello,
whilst yesterday myself and Christingpher spent hours battling mud and rain in the Derbyshire Dales, the Saturday before I was in town around mid afternoon and in need of somewhere to go. You know, to keep warm. And fed. And maybe watered....
I started in the Three Tuns where I bumped into the lovely Dave for a hug and to show her my valentines card for Tash. I had two pints of lovely Blue Bee Transatlantic Pale ale, a nice starter to an hour or five of supping. It was good to catch up with Nathan and later Siobhan, or Jamie, and I also had a delicious bacon sandwich. I did however fancy something a bit different so headed up to the Bath Hotel.
The pub was rammed when I arrived, with a crowd of the noisiest people on earth stood and sat in teh front bar. After buying a pint of Blackjack I sat down with Dan Ransome and Kara and friends and told them that I had come for a relaxing pint - seems they had too, but this was not happening! They soon left and I sat by myself for a while before venturing to the bar to find out of Chris and Stef and Mark were OK, before finding out that long departed Dada barman Jamie would be in town and maybe the Bth that night. Alas I couldn't hang around to see him, maybe next time.
Whilst there I tried the hops and dreams from Brew Foundation on keg - a great example of a beer that simply does not work on keg! Instead I had a pint of Blackjack and a half of Jaywick to tide me over.
Off next to the Devonshire Cat to try the rye IPA that Nathan had told me about - it wasn't to my liking, quite jarring and not very well balanced. It was either an Intrepid or Bad Co beer if memory serves. Instead I went for the pricey Siren Liquid Mistress on keg at over £6.00 a pint. As always this was a lovely flavourful beer, which I enjoyed supping whilst watching some rugby and chatting to Rich and Kath and Tom.
I was supposed to be heading home from here but on West Street I encountered a drunk mentalist supping Oranjeboom strong from a can - whilst doing which he didn't notice the 52 and ran into the road shouting and waving his arms. He then proceeded to kick the bus shelter and shout abuse. I was waiting for the 52A so assumed he would get on the bus with me so I jumped on the 95 instead and got off at the top of the Moor. A short walk took me down to he Beer Engine.
This is probably only my third visit this year but it ended up being just as good if not better than my last visits. Mind you, initially I was disappointed by the cask offerings, mainly dark or Intrepid or Bad Co or the now identifiably bland Hops and Dreams - which I can confirm tasted mainly of dreams. I spotted the Axe Edge on cask so asked for a pint but was told that had run out. In the end I opted for a bottle of Wild Sourbeast and supped that whilst talking once again to Rich and Kath.
At this point Baz turned up and asked me which one of the 5 beers he had on offer I wanted him to put on next. I immediately recommended the Bad Seed IPA at 7.2% on keg. By the time I had finished my lovely bottle of chocolate sour the keg was ready and I straight away ordered a lovely, thick, light orangey red IPA. It was tremendous. t may have been £6.00 a pint but it was worth every penny.
After a quick chat with David and Patrick and after Rich and Kath had departed I sat with Barry for a bit and had an enjoyable catch up. Another pint of the excellent IPA was purchased as well as a bottle of a Blackjack IPA at 10.1% which I am keeping safe in the fridge. I finished the IPA, now a trifle refreshed, and was very kindly assisted in getting home.
Once more, another fantastic afternoon, evening and night of drinking in Sheffield pubs ended perfectly.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Showing posts with label Bad Seed Brewery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bad Seed Brewery. Show all posts
Sunday, 21 February 2016
Thursday, 25 June 2015
Beer Engine, the
Hello!
thank goodness, regular readers must be thinking, at least Mr Beefdozer isn't going to report half remembered details of some beers he tried recently, or ages ago, or last night. No, this is going to be a forthright and informative post about that stalwart of the bar, the good old beer engine, tirelessly taking beer from cask to glass for centuries. Of course, that would be an erroneous expectation. This is a post about a pub. And the half remembered details of some beers I tried recently, or ages ago, or last night.
I first went to the Beer Engine in 1994. It was expensive. It was £3.00 a pint for Orkney Raven. Actually, no, it was £2.30 a pint. A fortune in 1994. I went in twice, and never again. I never visited Dulos, so don;t know anything about it, but I did visit Delaneys a few times, and now am becoming a regular at the all new Beer Engine.
The pub has a large comfy beer garden, a bar, tables which attract debate and posts on Sheffield Forum, very tasty food, 5 or 6 real ales, key keg guests and regulars and bottled beers. I rather like it.
Having visited on its reopening day I was quite taken by the place, and went back soon after with Tash. I have visited with Mr P, and also with J9, on the day before my birthday. I've never had a bad beer in there and particularly appreciate the range of beer styles available - bitters, red ales, pale ales, stouts, sours, saisons, imperial IPA's. imperial stouts, wheat beers - you name a style and I reckon they will have had an example of it. There is also a good mix of local brewery fare, as well as interesting producers from further afield, such as Crate brewery in London, Bad Seed in Malton and others that, in a change from previous posts, I can't remember.
I can also recommend the tapas - its about £4.00 a dish but you seem to get plenty, and every time I've tried it I have gone for the chorizo, served with horseradish sauce, and the delicious patatas bravas. I realise there is a fear that tapas is pretensions and over priced - goodness knows I've had some that fits that description, but not at the Beer Engine.
Recent treats beer wise have included the Neepsend Brewing Co Pale Ale which featured Brewers Gold and Mosaic, Magic Rock Rapture, Hand Drawn Monkey Orange Cream Soda, Pioneer Special Edition Double IPA, Beavertown Red Rye IPA, Dark Star Revaluation and many more. As usual, the above claims are made on a mixture of guesswork, memories and a quick look at their Twitter account. I remember the Pioneer best as I had it last week....
So, if you haven't popped in yet I suggest you give it a go. Tom is in charge and likes beer and food, and many of the staff will be recognisable to Sheffield real scene drinkers. Its also a good finish to a London Road or Heeley Triangle crawl - the starting point to 2 of my last 3 visits.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
thank goodness, regular readers must be thinking, at least Mr Beefdozer isn't going to report half remembered details of some beers he tried recently, or ages ago, or last night. No, this is going to be a forthright and informative post about that stalwart of the bar, the good old beer engine, tirelessly taking beer from cask to glass for centuries. Of course, that would be an erroneous expectation. This is a post about a pub. And the half remembered details of some beers I tried recently, or ages ago, or last night.
I first went to the Beer Engine in 1994. It was expensive. It was £3.00 a pint for Orkney Raven. Actually, no, it was £2.30 a pint. A fortune in 1994. I went in twice, and never again. I never visited Dulos, so don;t know anything about it, but I did visit Delaneys a few times, and now am becoming a regular at the all new Beer Engine.
The pub has a large comfy beer garden, a bar, tables which attract debate and posts on Sheffield Forum, very tasty food, 5 or 6 real ales, key keg guests and regulars and bottled beers. I rather like it.
Having visited on its reopening day I was quite taken by the place, and went back soon after with Tash. I have visited with Mr P, and also with J9, on the day before my birthday. I've never had a bad beer in there and particularly appreciate the range of beer styles available - bitters, red ales, pale ales, stouts, sours, saisons, imperial IPA's. imperial stouts, wheat beers - you name a style and I reckon they will have had an example of it. There is also a good mix of local brewery fare, as well as interesting producers from further afield, such as Crate brewery in London, Bad Seed in Malton and others that, in a change from previous posts, I can't remember.
I can also recommend the tapas - its about £4.00 a dish but you seem to get plenty, and every time I've tried it I have gone for the chorizo, served with horseradish sauce, and the delicious patatas bravas. I realise there is a fear that tapas is pretensions and over priced - goodness knows I've had some that fits that description, but not at the Beer Engine.
Recent treats beer wise have included the Neepsend Brewing Co Pale Ale which featured Brewers Gold and Mosaic, Magic Rock Rapture, Hand Drawn Monkey Orange Cream Soda, Pioneer Special Edition Double IPA, Beavertown Red Rye IPA, Dark Star Revaluation and many more. As usual, the above claims are made on a mixture of guesswork, memories and a quick look at their Twitter account. I remember the Pioneer best as I had it last week....
So, if you haven't popped in yet I suggest you give it a go. Tom is in charge and likes beer and food, and many of the staff will be recognisable to Sheffield real scene drinkers. Its also a good finish to a London Road or Heeley Triangle crawl - the starting point to 2 of my last 3 visits.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Saturday, 28 February 2015
Pints of cold baffler
Hello,
recently I have had a cold. But wait...there's more. Some of Sheffield's finer pubs have, also recently, managed to offer me pints that I could actually taste through the film of lung butter and various mucas that inhabited my throat and mouth. Yum.....
It all started about a fortnight ago in Shakespeares. Myself and Tash had already been in the Three Tuns supping Sunny Republic Hop Dog, a 5.5% IPA, and afterwards we headed the short distance to Shakespeares. And there it was. Buxton Wyoming Sheep Ranch Double IPA at 8.4%. Wow. Goodness in a glass. Class in a pot. Love in a dimpled mug.
The Buxton, having been brewed by them and being a whole percent above the HSBD level, was a trifle expensive. However, it was also a trifle strong, as I said. And it tasted superb. Some of you I know will balk at this, but I didn't mind paying £4.80 a pint for what was an impeccable, and worryingly suppable IPA. It was packed with hops but no overwhelmingly bitter, had smooth malt in the background and a sensational, lingering, bitter finish.
Later that week myself and Tash found ourselves in the Bath. Hotel. On the bar was a delightful Anarchy Brew Co Blonde at a sessionable strength. As my nose streamed and voice fought not to disappear, I was drinking the Blonde in readiness for a pint of Bad Seed IPA at 7%. Being a Thornbridge pub, the Bath is a little less able to offer beer cheaply, so this was £4.60 a pint. However, once again, it was well worth it. The IPA was also, very easy, in fact far easier than the Buxton, to drink.
According to their website the beer features Cascade, Columbus and Chinook hops. Not being that good at picking out those, except maybe Cascade, what I can confirm is hat the blend is so eloquent as to render them as one, a tumult of oily, fragrant citrussy hoppiness to tingle your taste buds. We had several pints, of course, just to make sure.
The Rutland Arms is somewhere I don;t visit as often as I used to. There is no particular reason, its just how it is. Two recent trips towards the end of my sniffling revealed exceptional Blue Bee Into the Abyss, a hulking but subtle (if that makes sense) Black IPA at 6.0%. The malt used must be quite soft , by which I mean it allows the beer to slide easily down your throat but without being the worst of beer styles, creamy. The hops are punchy as they should be, and as a Black IPA its noticably, erm, stoutish, which is a good thing. Accompanied by excellent Magic Rock High Wire NZ , the Rutland has reawakened my leaden tastebuds successfully.
The final cold baffler came once again, on Thursday night, in Shakespeares. We only went in for 1 - we only had 1 Although it came in two rounds of halves. On the keg section, was an oft favourite brewery Beavertown, and their Blood Orange IPA called Bloody Ell.
Any points lost for subtlety of name were regained with the exquisite blood orange flavours complementing and sitting with the hops so perfectly. As the only keg beer of the bunch this was also the most expensive at £5.50 a pint but once again its flavour and sensational aroma made it stand out. I understand from fellow "blogger" (clears throat) Mr Bamford, that they had sold half the keg by Thursday - so am afraid I doubt there will be any left! Even so you should definitely head along there today and try and get some.
All the above beers have been excellently hoppy but vastly different in style. They have been strong, sometimes expensive, but always of impeccable quality. What a fantastic advert for the cellar work and beer choosing skills of some of Sheffield's finest boozers.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
recently I have had a cold. But wait...there's more. Some of Sheffield's finer pubs have, also recently, managed to offer me pints that I could actually taste through the film of lung butter and various mucas that inhabited my throat and mouth. Yum.....
It all started about a fortnight ago in Shakespeares. Myself and Tash had already been in the Three Tuns supping Sunny Republic Hop Dog, a 5.5% IPA, and afterwards we headed the short distance to Shakespeares. And there it was. Buxton Wyoming Sheep Ranch Double IPA at 8.4%. Wow. Goodness in a glass. Class in a pot. Love in a dimpled mug.
The Buxton, having been brewed by them and being a whole percent above the HSBD level, was a trifle expensive. However, it was also a trifle strong, as I said. And it tasted superb. Some of you I know will balk at this, but I didn't mind paying £4.80 a pint for what was an impeccable, and worryingly suppable IPA. It was packed with hops but no overwhelmingly bitter, had smooth malt in the background and a sensational, lingering, bitter finish.
Later that week myself and Tash found ourselves in the Bath. Hotel. On the bar was a delightful Anarchy Brew Co Blonde at a sessionable strength. As my nose streamed and voice fought not to disappear, I was drinking the Blonde in readiness for a pint of Bad Seed IPA at 7%. Being a Thornbridge pub, the Bath is a little less able to offer beer cheaply, so this was £4.60 a pint. However, once again, it was well worth it. The IPA was also, very easy, in fact far easier than the Buxton, to drink.
According to their website the beer features Cascade, Columbus and Chinook hops. Not being that good at picking out those, except maybe Cascade, what I can confirm is hat the blend is so eloquent as to render them as one, a tumult of oily, fragrant citrussy hoppiness to tingle your taste buds. We had several pints, of course, just to make sure.
The Rutland Arms is somewhere I don;t visit as often as I used to. There is no particular reason, its just how it is. Two recent trips towards the end of my sniffling revealed exceptional Blue Bee Into the Abyss, a hulking but subtle (if that makes sense) Black IPA at 6.0%. The malt used must be quite soft , by which I mean it allows the beer to slide easily down your throat but without being the worst of beer styles, creamy. The hops are punchy as they should be, and as a Black IPA its noticably, erm, stoutish, which is a good thing. Accompanied by excellent Magic Rock High Wire NZ , the Rutland has reawakened my leaden tastebuds successfully.
The final cold baffler came once again, on Thursday night, in Shakespeares. We only went in for 1 - we only had 1 Although it came in two rounds of halves. On the keg section, was an oft favourite brewery Beavertown, and their Blood Orange IPA called Bloody Ell.
Any points lost for subtlety of name were regained with the exquisite blood orange flavours complementing and sitting with the hops so perfectly. As the only keg beer of the bunch this was also the most expensive at £5.50 a pint but once again its flavour and sensational aroma made it stand out. I understand from fellow "blogger" (clears throat) Mr Bamford, that they had sold half the keg by Thursday - so am afraid I doubt there will be any left! Even so you should definitely head along there today and try and get some.
All the above beers have been excellently hoppy but vastly different in style. They have been strong, sometimes expensive, but always of impeccable quality. What a fantastic advert for the cellar work and beer choosing skills of some of Sheffield's finest boozers.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Saturday, 3 January 2015
Drinking beer in 2015
Hello,
this post is not, as you may perhaps expect, an assay of the factors involved in drinking in this sparkling new year, instead it is a detailed reporting of beers I have supped so far. In 2015. Self explanatory really....
New Years day I finished off the last 5 or 6 pints of Abbeydale Absolution in my polypin which I had saved for me and Tash. I poured most of into the fantastic Shepherd Neame glazed beer jug she had given me for Christmas in 2013 and placed that in the fridge then drank the rest. Being an unfiltered polypin it was now nearly 10 days old and a little cloudy at the end, which is perhaps the fault of my polypin, but tasted fine, now with an extra hint of nuttiness. It washed down our very extensive meal very well.
Later we opened a bottle of Bad Seed Brewing Saison which I bought from Hop Hideout back in September. This bottle conditioned beer was on fine form but the saison really came into its own when the yeast at the end was added. What a sensationally refreshing ale! It met all my expectations, which is not something that happens very often, and was a perfect accompaniment to our evening listening to the Damned and Tom Waits.
Yesterday I met up with Carlos in Crookes. We started our beer tour in the Ball Ale House, where I had a very enjoyable pint of Belgian Blue from Bradfield. Had I stayed for another I could perhaps have found out how the Dukeries Sno wonder should have tasted, since the bottled version was vile and much was tipped down the sink - alas we did not stay for another, but did bump into Dan Baxter, who was there for beer. Good choice!
Down the hill next we made our way to the Cobden View. The Belgian blue was my choice again and it tasted superb. Carlos mentioned that lots of people had been mentioning it and trying it recently - perhaps they have brewed more this year? As always the atmosphere was great and there were plenty of families out enjoying a beer in this traditional back street local.
Next to the Closed Shop on Commonside. As usual a good range of real ales was on and I opted for the Blue Bee Amarillo IPA, which was on fine form. We also had much needed food in here - a cheesy chip butty for me and southern fried chicken for Carlos. Wee Keefy joined us and had a delicious rib eye steak at £12.00 which he loved. He also loved his pints of Ringwood xxxx porter. We stayed here to meet Tash and Matty and I had three or four pints of the Amarillo, and Keith and Matty the 4x, and Tash joining me on the Amarillo.
Carlos and WK didn't fancy walking to the Bath so we went across the road to the Hallamshire House pub for our last beers of the night. Me and Tash had pints of Jaipur and alas it escapes me what WK and Matty had but Keith kindly bought us thirds of the excellent General Sherman from Thornbridge, which I think was aged, at 8.4%.
It was great to catch up with Keith, and Carlos especially, and Tash and Matty, and also to find great real ale in 4 pubs only a few minutes walk away from each other. Lets hope 2015 continues in the same vain!
Wee Beefy
this post is not, as you may perhaps expect, an assay of the factors involved in drinking in this sparkling new year, instead it is a detailed reporting of beers I have supped so far. In 2015. Self explanatory really....
New Years day I finished off the last 5 or 6 pints of Abbeydale Absolution in my polypin which I had saved for me and Tash. I poured most of into the fantastic Shepherd Neame glazed beer jug she had given me for Christmas in 2013 and placed that in the fridge then drank the rest. Being an unfiltered polypin it was now nearly 10 days old and a little cloudy at the end, which is perhaps the fault of my polypin, but tasted fine, now with an extra hint of nuttiness. It washed down our very extensive meal very well.
Later we opened a bottle of Bad Seed Brewing Saison which I bought from Hop Hideout back in September. This bottle conditioned beer was on fine form but the saison really came into its own when the yeast at the end was added. What a sensationally refreshing ale! It met all my expectations, which is not something that happens very often, and was a perfect accompaniment to our evening listening to the Damned and Tom Waits.
Yesterday I met up with Carlos in Crookes. We started our beer tour in the Ball Ale House, where I had a very enjoyable pint of Belgian Blue from Bradfield. Had I stayed for another I could perhaps have found out how the Dukeries Sno wonder should have tasted, since the bottled version was vile and much was tipped down the sink - alas we did not stay for another, but did bump into Dan Baxter, who was there for beer. Good choice!
Down the hill next we made our way to the Cobden View. The Belgian blue was my choice again and it tasted superb. Carlos mentioned that lots of people had been mentioning it and trying it recently - perhaps they have brewed more this year? As always the atmosphere was great and there were plenty of families out enjoying a beer in this traditional back street local.
Next to the Closed Shop on Commonside. As usual a good range of real ales was on and I opted for the Blue Bee Amarillo IPA, which was on fine form. We also had much needed food in here - a cheesy chip butty for me and southern fried chicken for Carlos. Wee Keefy joined us and had a delicious rib eye steak at £12.00 which he loved. He also loved his pints of Ringwood xxxx porter. We stayed here to meet Tash and Matty and I had three or four pints of the Amarillo, and Keith and Matty the 4x, and Tash joining me on the Amarillo.
Carlos and WK didn't fancy walking to the Bath so we went across the road to the Hallamshire House pub for our last beers of the night. Me and Tash had pints of Jaipur and alas it escapes me what WK and Matty had but Keith kindly bought us thirds of the excellent General Sherman from Thornbridge, which I think was aged, at 8.4%.
It was great to catch up with Keith, and Carlos especially, and Tash and Matty, and also to find great real ale in 4 pubs only a few minutes walk away from each other. Lets hope 2015 continues in the same vain!
Wee Beefy
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