Whiplash Drone Logic Simcoe DIPA

 Hello folks,

              now am well aware that some recent posts may worry the less open minded of you that all I drink is marmite and blood orange land bier, and equally, that you may, all you caring bunch, worry that all I  drink is beers above 6% - my usual starting strength. Well in truth as I worry I may have said about 50 times, whilst at home at least less so, but I always like to start on a pint of "cask from the past". Its like the 1860s , when we hde yet to learn that diseases such as cholera were transmitted by mucky water. And therefore we should all the same only drink clear cask ale.....

So to undermine that outlook I wanted to describe a beer from Whiplash brewery, whom I understand are based in Dublin. The chaps at Bar Stewards have been getting Whiplash beers in quite a lot this year and thus far have tried about 6 of their brews. I have enjoyed every one. Unsurprisingly this brew contains oats . When I was a youngster, about  7 years ago, the very suggestion of the inclusion of "modern muck" like oats and wheat malt in the mash, would have instantly made me suspicious and dismissive. But I now realise that in its right place most adjuncts have the potential and in this case the ability, to help dispense tasty beers. Am certain that Arpus from .....um...somewhere Eastern European, (Latvia?)  contain the same. And I love their beers. This one is once again extremely easy drinking.

I have always loved Simcoe hops - am not 100% sure how long they have been around, nor indeed where they might be produced in, but have always loved them along with US cascade and Citra and Columbus and similar. And as you know, I do like an easy drinking beer.

The aroma of Drone Logic is in this case quite yeasty - but that is likely down to my always washing out cans to get the chunks of non dissolved yeast elements and other physical additions mixed into my cloudy beer. The taste is actually quite honest in terms of the yeast - and the Simcoe still provides a delicious background, probably less hoppy in terms of bite due to the collaboration of both oats and wheat.

So far have more or less finished the beer in an hour - but that is related to the amount of time it takes to log onto here!

 I realise that the addition of wheat and oats no doubt is repsonsible for its easy drinkingness but its still incredibly quaffable. I also realise that I have said before that ideally I should want beers to taste of cement or unset concrete, and sadly in the last 30 years a few probably have, but this collage of features is extremely enjoyable. Who wouldn't crave the mix of suppability and hoppy delights? Well, in the absence of any actual answer, the short answer of course is myself. Cracking brew!

Last info is to confirm that tomorrow, which is a day, I will be supping in the niddering cold of the outside of Bar Stewards in the evening! I was very lucky to get a table full stop if am honest. I admit that I probably told a lot of regular drinkers that I wanted initially to avoid my favourite pubs but this is the fourth consecutive day (tomorrow) that many will have been available to us folks.

In the meantime, I may see some of you there , and if so or if not, I wish you the very best of health.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy 

Shakespeares's 4th IPA tap takeover

Hello,

      following a theme, i.e being 9 days late, here is my review of the post titled event, held on Saturday 14th April 2018 at my second home.

I had contrived to somehow misremember and mix up both the date and start time of this event. A brief chat with Chris or Adam (these are just names) the night before got me the right day (changed to avoid clashing with the Hop Hideout goodbye to Axe Edge) but I still thought it started at 17.00. In fact it started at 15.00. As I noticed at 15.10. I got there at 16.10, still a trifle refreshed from the Verdantious guzzling of the night before....

As a maniac I started on a half of the Northern Monk Double Heathen at 10% on keg. Surprisingly given their recent accolades, this was one of the weaker beers I tried, at least in terms o excellence. Doubling any established brand is always a risk, and rarely delivers. This was too heavy, and lacked balance. A shame, but before I finished my last slice I moved onto the frankly sumptuous O/O 50/50 Citra Chinook, a sublime and stupidly easy drinking keg pale at 6.5%. For info, all the beers I tried were on keg. And all the beers available for the IPA takeover were also on keg. And rightly so.

After a quick chat with Rodney who was also in the clock room I bought half of the beer of the takeover, the Deya and Glasshouse momentary bliss at 8%. This super pale extra easy drinking IPA was bliss in a glass, so much so in fact that I had at least three halves.

Returning to my seat with the second half I encountered some Camroids. Since many of my friends are members of CAMRA and I was once, in times of poorer judgement in the past, I am perhaps attuned to some of their quirky behaviours and odd idiosyncrasies. That's probably for the best, drinking as I was exclusively keg beers. Its notable that the reaction of one of the Leicester area CAMRA members to my choice of slake would probably have warranted a polite fuck off or worse still a punch in the chops from anyone not possessing my restraint.

After a good few minutes of comments about evil keg and surprise at how cloudy a drinkable beer could be (its 1985 once again Ladies and gentlemen) a more moderate and slightly more sane member of the group suggested that he had drunk some "craft" keg beer recently and had actually enjoyed it. Am guessing he has now been tarred and feathered, but in being honest, I was more drawn to chatting with him, as it turned out, about my almost exclusively cask only beer crawl in Derbyshire. Once their on theme prejudices had dissolved all were clearly reasonable folk with a passion for real ale. Its such a shame that you had to wade through gallons of nonsense to paddle in this puddle of comparative normality.

By now I had been joined by Reason, which is both a pun and literal description, and he had bought a half of the Magic Rock Hedonistic Escalation, which I have to admit I disliked, and I a half of the Neonraptor Very naughty luggage DIPA, which was far better. Missur Rich didn't stay too long but having pointed the CAMRA folk towards the Wellington, with its horrifying mix of beer dispense methods, I went outside to soak up the sunshine and chat with Rich and Kath.

Once in the fine sunshine two more halves of the frankly excellent Deya Momentary bliss were supped, and roundly enjoyed. It was agreed by some staff in the days following that this had been the beer of the festival, with which I wholly agree. I did also try the Interboro DDH Mad fat Mofo at 8% but despite its excellent NY credentials, the Deya won by some distance.

Once again Adam and the Shakespeares team excelled themselves in a brilliant choice of keg hoppy IPAs which I relished trying, and in the case of the Deya, devouring. Its so fitting a scenario that this IPA fest co-incided with the start of the hottest week of the year so far!

Yours in refreshment

Wee Beefy