Hellabaloo,
so far in the last week I have received two large orders of tasty canned and bottled boohar. And although I still have plenty left I have to say that so far this experience has shown me the difference between the qualities and attributes of what I would describe as standard more mass marketed output, along with the delightful soupy happiness that I so enjoy.
I have, admittedly, never made the phrase in the title by the way - but I am well aware that although Asda near me sell a few good beers from BrewDog, FourPure, Vocation, Thornbridge and Harbour, the majority of their output is, as a large retailer, of cheap mass produced beers which people guzzle without any particular interest in how it is made or what it contains. I should point out as well that this is fine - I know that in the beer universe there is plenty of criticism of some people's choices - but that is not an issue that am explaining here. What am here to say is that my choice of beers this year especially, has shown me the benefits of the styles that I like, and alerted me to features in more traditional style beers that I like much less.....
I should first of all point out that I still like draught Bass and Marstons pedigree, especially if they are gravity dispensed from the cask. And when it comes to smaller breweries the list of favourites is never ending. In this case I should confirm that I have always liked Little Critters brewery beers in Sheffield. I know that some folks don't, and I admit that I have not really got on with their standard bitters, but their single hopped C Monster beers at 6% or similar, along with their excellent stouts and porters at 6.5 - 7%, have never disappointed. So whilst ordering a large number of brews from Dronfield Beer Stop recently I chose a can of Little Critters Incubus Series Vol 9, a pale ale at 5.6% made with Columbus, Citra and Waimea hops. Along with the other hoppy delights I had purchased from Turning Point, Pentrich, Pomona Island, Brew by Numbers, Northern Monk and the excellent Kernel, I fully expected this to be a cracking brew. But I noticed a specific difference in the hops, overall flavour and crucially the type of fruit and type of bitterness in the Incubus 9. And I realised that I was appreciating the outputs of other UK brewers far more....
I have recently tried a lot of other Sheffield brews by the way - including the wonderful Abbeydale Moonshine in a can. This is ironic because despite it's renowned lagery pale appearance, as well as it's excellent hoppiness, arguably in Abbeydale's portfolio this is one of the more traditional beers in their range. And having first drunk it in 1996 when not only my tastebuds, but also the expectations of the majority of other drinker's were different then, am happy to say that I still love it. I have also loved everything brewed at St Mars of the Desert in Attercliffe and they have often used Waimea and Citra in their excellent output, so this, along with firm favourite Columbus, persuaded me that I would enjoy this combination perfectly. Yet the beer was lacking any identifiable hop punch, and the fruitiness came out as a dry sweetness in the aftertaste. It seemed that it was a beer aimed, on the basis of this tasting, at a more traditional drinker. So overall I found it underwhelming.
I did think that this outlook may be explained away at once by the excellence of boohar produced by the firms listed above, but after receiving my second delivery, from Archer Road Beer Stop yesterday, featuring a gamut of the excellent Gamma, along with wonderful Abbeydale Voyager, I had to accept that I really appreciate smooth, cloudy, fruity and citrus bitterness, and that the ease of drinking in all such products inescapably satisfied my needs. Last night I finished my daily session on a can of Gamma Beep Boop Session IPA at 4% and found it had a simultaneously overwhelming but joyous hop and citrus mouthfeel. It was so easy to drink that I had to go to bed.....
I know that differences in appreciation of drinks are a natural response, and I have admittedly mocked myself for hardly ever drinking clear beers below 5%, but these two latest deliveries showed me the amazing abilities of different micro breweries and the possible intent of their produce. Am not criticising the ideas and intentions or indeed the output of Little Critters at all, and I hope nobody thinks that, instead am simply acknowledging that their current beer styles seem to lack the punch and mouthfeel of others. And that is fine, whilst also showing me the benefits of brewers such as the impeccable Gamma, producing quite incredible brews from their brewery in Denmark.
One of the few advantages of this lock down has been my available time and willingness to see what else is available online, as well as from excellent Sheffield stores and pubs to take out. Am thinking now that my choices have reassured me that some excellent beers are still available.
Lets hope that we can get back to the excellent pubs in Sheffield soon, in order that we can enjoy this and similar beers together in sunny beer gardens once again.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Showing posts with label Little Critters Brewing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Little Critters Brewing. Show all posts
Sunday, 31 May 2020
Sunday, 21 January 2018
Little Critters Brewing Co
Evenorl,
I think its fair to say I was underwhelmed by my first taste of Little Critters beer. I may even have referenced the "full mash" brewing style beloved of Whitbread's regiment of brewpubs in the 80's and 90s. I was pleased to see that it was well priced, but it wasn't until they brewed their Hazelnut Milk porter at 6.0% that I started to take any serious notice. This has been joined in their range by the 6.5% C Monster, which, their website tells us, features Columbus, Centennial, Chinook and Cascade hops in the mix. Regular readers my realise that this combination of hops and strength makes me a happy chap.
I may be wrong but am sure there has been more than one version of C monster with different hops - there are certainly two pumpclips. If anyone can confirm that would be much appreciated. On Saturday I was meeting Wees K and F, Tash, Mumraah, Meathouse and Martin for a birthday celebration for my Mum and Tash at long time haunt the Ball on Crookes. The C Monster was on cask at £3.40 a pint at 6.5%. I had three pints, and it was excellent.
I had found recently that every time I went into Shakespeares, with few exceptions, I had looked at the keg line up first. The last time I was in they had the Kernel pale on at 7.0% or similar for £5.40 a pint. This has been the standard Kernel price for a couple of years now and represents good value for money. Alas I cannot recall which hops were in the mix, although there may be a piccy on Faceache..... (update, their post says Mosaic, Simcoe and Ekuanot. It was absolutely ace, I can confirm).
The point is, there are in fact excellent cask hoppy ales, but less so than on keg and in can or bottle, which does not have a k in it. Northern Monk Heathen and Neepsend Double Centennial (or century) are notable exceptions but am drawn to cask less than I used to be. This means that the C monster, with a decent level of IBU and wonderful hops list, is a reliable fall back when in pubs of um...less stature. That regards beer choice I hasten to add, before anyone gets knicker-twisty.
For years we have had many small micro and nano breweries in Sheffield but apart from Blue Bee, Steel City and Abbeydale, very hoppy strong pale ales have been hard to come by in many pubs. Recently however the scope and reach of the three previously mentioned brewers has extended, as has that of Little Critters, meaning a hophead like myself now has a choice of decent quaffable lupilous pints in many more boozers.
Lets hope this trend continues, so that I am able to go out to different pubs once in a while and still come home hop sated every time.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
I think its fair to say I was underwhelmed by my first taste of Little Critters beer. I may even have referenced the "full mash" brewing style beloved of Whitbread's regiment of brewpubs in the 80's and 90s. I was pleased to see that it was well priced, but it wasn't until they brewed their Hazelnut Milk porter at 6.0% that I started to take any serious notice. This has been joined in their range by the 6.5% C Monster, which, their website tells us, features Columbus, Centennial, Chinook and Cascade hops in the mix. Regular readers my realise that this combination of hops and strength makes me a happy chap.
I may be wrong but am sure there has been more than one version of C monster with different hops - there are certainly two pumpclips. If anyone can confirm that would be much appreciated. On Saturday I was meeting Wees K and F, Tash, Mumraah, Meathouse and Martin for a birthday celebration for my Mum and Tash at long time haunt the Ball on Crookes. The C Monster was on cask at £3.40 a pint at 6.5%. I had three pints, and it was excellent.
I had found recently that every time I went into Shakespeares, with few exceptions, I had looked at the keg line up first. The last time I was in they had the Kernel pale on at 7.0% or similar for £5.40 a pint. This has been the standard Kernel price for a couple of years now and represents good value for money. Alas I cannot recall which hops were in the mix, although there may be a piccy on Faceache..... (update, their post says Mosaic, Simcoe and Ekuanot. It was absolutely ace, I can confirm).
The point is, there are in fact excellent cask hoppy ales, but less so than on keg and in can or bottle, which does not have a k in it. Northern Monk Heathen and Neepsend Double Centennial (or century) are notable exceptions but am drawn to cask less than I used to be. This means that the C monster, with a decent level of IBU and wonderful hops list, is a reliable fall back when in pubs of um...less stature. That regards beer choice I hasten to add, before anyone gets knicker-twisty.
For years we have had many small micro and nano breweries in Sheffield but apart from Blue Bee, Steel City and Abbeydale, very hoppy strong pale ales have been hard to come by in many pubs. Recently however the scope and reach of the three previously mentioned brewers has extended, as has that of Little Critters, meaning a hophead like myself now has a choice of decent quaffable lupilous pints in many more boozers.
Lets hope this trend continues, so that I am able to go out to different pubs once in a while and still come home hop sated every time.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Monday, 6 March 2017
Broomhill crawl
Morning!
myself and Mr P went out on payday for the second Wanderiains of the year. I had more or less finished my tablets (although have started some more the day after) so decided that, and the arrival of funding, would be a good reason to meet up for bose. Having been at the osspickuw anyway, I asked Mr P to meet me in the York in Broomhill.
I first went in the York when I was 17. I had long hair and a leather jacket and glasses and sounded oldish. I was drinking Bass at that age in the York, and was only asked my age once when buying a cider for younger looking but older than me Rob Noble. At the time, the York was a 15 minute walk away, traditional boozer, in Broomhill. Soon it became a fake oirish pub (am guessing around 1994) and apart from having a decent jukebox, where I once played all of Faith no More's Angel Dust, it was a poor version of the former. After a few refurbs and different owners its been run by the Forum/True North Group since 2012 or similar.
The York looks fab in its new guise, but is prone to high prices and the staff don't always recognise words such as hoppy. That said, the food is excellent and they usually have some decent ales on - this time there were four from Shiny in Derby so I had a pint of their Disco Balls pale and another pale called memory loss if memory is memories. Mr P joined me just as the Disco Balls ran out so had a pint of the Shiny Pail, one of their series of two or three hopped pale ales around 4.0%. This was a good start to the nights slaking.
Round the corner and across the road is the Itchy Pig micropub. Its a regular feature of recent Brummell visits and features four real ales, many local, and three or four kegs plus cider and, inevitably given its name, numerous types and flavours of pork scratchings. No Ted this time but the younger bloke was behind the bar, and he didn't need to recommend my choice - a pint of Dark Star Revelation, that gloriously hoppy 5.7% IPA from Sussex. Mr P got a pint of the Abbeydale lower strength special, and we shared a pack of cheese-n-o, sat to the right of the bar.
The pub got quite busy before we left, which means about twenty or so people, and we had two halves of getting (or don't get?) caught in the rain by Blue Bee on keg. Am sure Josh told me it was primed with pineapple, but whatever it is with, it creates a slightly odd balance of sweet and very bitter. Still a good choice for a keg Blue Bee offering.
Back up onto the main road we went to the Little Critters brewery Tap at the Fox and Duck. This is a place I have warmed to since my first visit last year when I was slightly underwhelmed - I admit that this increase in residual temperature is down partly to an improvement in their fare. The pub was busy when we got in, mainly due to football being on, and we both had pints of C-hop from Little Critters, which I think in this case was Citra. The beer is nicely hoppy and not too full-mashy (am not suggesting its full mash, just that their weaker beers remind me of Frog and Parrot output) and was a lovely last beer in actual Broomhill, which we finished whilst watching some footy with some yout (plural).
Further down the road, bypassing the Broomhill Tavern and the Notty, we went in the University Arms. I haven't been in much of late, and it was good to see it was still very much open, still serving real ales and keg, and still popular. We sat at the end of the main room and supped, beer, which came from a handpump, in glasses. I have to admit that my memories of the beers we had that night are at best disparate from here on. Whatever I had was pale and about 5.0%, which is about what I would expect.
From here we headed to our final destination the Bath Hotel. Still, at the end of February, with almost no spirits (I understand the stock has finally been replenished) we both definitely had pints in here. Am not even going to guess what we had, but will claim it was incredibly strong. Since I remember Mr P saying "don't fall asleep" and then waking up by myself. Beefdozing is something am going to have to reign in during 2017.....
The above crawl is short in distance, but peppered with good pubs (and there are others of course in the area) and is, once again, another excellent demonstration of the quality of beers and venues in Sunny Sheffield.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
myself and Mr P went out on payday for the second Wanderiains of the year. I had more or less finished my tablets (although have started some more the day after) so decided that, and the arrival of funding, would be a good reason to meet up for bose. Having been at the osspickuw anyway, I asked Mr P to meet me in the York in Broomhill.
I first went in the York when I was 17. I had long hair and a leather jacket and glasses and sounded oldish. I was drinking Bass at that age in the York, and was only asked my age once when buying a cider for younger looking but older than me Rob Noble. At the time, the York was a 15 minute walk away, traditional boozer, in Broomhill. Soon it became a fake oirish pub (am guessing around 1994) and apart from having a decent jukebox, where I once played all of Faith no More's Angel Dust, it was a poor version of the former. After a few refurbs and different owners its been run by the Forum/True North Group since 2012 or similar.
The York looks fab in its new guise, but is prone to high prices and the staff don't always recognise words such as hoppy. That said, the food is excellent and they usually have some decent ales on - this time there were four from Shiny in Derby so I had a pint of their Disco Balls pale and another pale called memory loss if memory is memories. Mr P joined me just as the Disco Balls ran out so had a pint of the Shiny Pail, one of their series of two or three hopped pale ales around 4.0%. This was a good start to the nights slaking.
Round the corner and across the road is the Itchy Pig micropub. Its a regular feature of recent Brummell visits and features four real ales, many local, and three or four kegs plus cider and, inevitably given its name, numerous types and flavours of pork scratchings. No Ted this time but the younger bloke was behind the bar, and he didn't need to recommend my choice - a pint of Dark Star Revelation, that gloriously hoppy 5.7% IPA from Sussex. Mr P got a pint of the Abbeydale lower strength special, and we shared a pack of cheese-n-o, sat to the right of the bar.
The pub got quite busy before we left, which means about twenty or so people, and we had two halves of getting (or don't get?) caught in the rain by Blue Bee on keg. Am sure Josh told me it was primed with pineapple, but whatever it is with, it creates a slightly odd balance of sweet and very bitter. Still a good choice for a keg Blue Bee offering.
Back up onto the main road we went to the Little Critters brewery Tap at the Fox and Duck. This is a place I have warmed to since my first visit last year when I was slightly underwhelmed - I admit that this increase in residual temperature is down partly to an improvement in their fare. The pub was busy when we got in, mainly due to football being on, and we both had pints of C-hop from Little Critters, which I think in this case was Citra. The beer is nicely hoppy and not too full-mashy (am not suggesting its full mash, just that their weaker beers remind me of Frog and Parrot output) and was a lovely last beer in actual Broomhill, which we finished whilst watching some footy with some yout (plural).
Further down the road, bypassing the Broomhill Tavern and the Notty, we went in the University Arms. I haven't been in much of late, and it was good to see it was still very much open, still serving real ales and keg, and still popular. We sat at the end of the main room and supped, beer, which came from a handpump, in glasses. I have to admit that my memories of the beers we had that night are at best disparate from here on. Whatever I had was pale and about 5.0%, which is about what I would expect.
From here we headed to our final destination the Bath Hotel. Still, at the end of February, with almost no spirits (I understand the stock has finally been replenished) we both definitely had pints in here. Am not even going to guess what we had, but will claim it was incredibly strong. Since I remember Mr P saying "don't fall asleep" and then waking up by myself. Beefdozing is something am going to have to reign in during 2017.....
The above crawl is short in distance, but peppered with good pubs (and there are others of course in the area) and is, once again, another excellent demonstration of the quality of beers and venues in Sunny Sheffield.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
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