Dangerously drinkable

Afternoon,

  this is just a quick mention of a few pints I had last night, showing two contrasting beers, but both eminently drinkable, and excellent examples of their styles.

Not a Shakey Start

Starting at Shakespeares I was dallying with having a Raw Solstice pale, or having a reliable and slightly less expensive pint of Deception, until I noticed, to my delight, that Dark Star Saison was on. Having been my clear winner of the beer of the festival at Three Valleys (no mean feat in the face of some of the Raw, Buxton and Ashover offerings), I was chuffed to see it, and despite the cantankerous weather Gods serving up wind, hail and sunshine all at once it was still relatively warm, so Saison was the ideal choice.

To liven up the experience I should really have bought a bottle of Saison de Silly to compare - instead, putting my droughty gullet before hard research I just bought another half of the Saison and a typically Belgian delicacy, of a pork pie and some Beefy crisps. A tremendously Flemish approach to refreshment I'm sure you'll agree....

I had bought another half because I was conscious of the fact that the Saison would not linger long in my glass. I was right. Pint number one barely passed a five minute lifetime. More was required. So I had a further two pints of this nectar before moving on, once again leaving Shakespeares having had a memorable drinking experience. Full marks.

Cranes

Up next to the Cranes, as per Beer matters now leased by Rick and Luke and featuring Blue Bee as usual and more Vale. Initially I was stopping only for a half, and had the Welbeck Abbey Portland Black. A terrific super dark roasted malt tribute of a beer, that tasted far too fantastic to fanny about having only a half. So I had another.

The fact that I only stopped for one more half was down to a desire to get myself home like a good boy and cook tea instead of getting hammered, however had I not had so pious a calling I think I would have been in there for a good few more, such was the excellence of the Portland Black.

Am off out later and really really hope both beers are still on. And Rick tells me that they are going to try and stay open late on Friday and Saturday nights when, surprisingly, its actually quiet, so maybe I'll get the chance of another Portland Black at least.




Cheers!

Wee Beefy

What next for frontier brewers?

Ay oop,

     I was talking with a friend recently about the next big thing to hit real ale and beer in general. Obviously circumnavigating any assessment of where mega conglomerates and fizz packers would strike next, I focused on the smaller brewers, so often, even if not exclusively, at the forefront of beer innovation and trends.

Ten or fifteen years ago, in my experience, beers were still brown and malty. Some admittedly strayed into paler territory, in fact of course, Stones in Sheffield was always pale, but largely the output was mid brown to dark brown, plus a stout or two. The only noticeably hoppy stuff was from Burton Bridge (Empire) Freeminer (Trafalgar IPA), White Shield, and Whim, Hartington bitter, perhaps.

It turns out, unbeknown to me, and seemingly the rest of the larger percentage of British brewers at the time, that American brewers were putting huge amounts of hops into their beers years ago, and pushing the boundaries of what particular styles should be like, and experimenting with producing styles not native to their continent, or even their nearest ally, the UK.

Assuming then that we have spent the last decade in the UK catching up with the USA in terms of hop quantities especially, I consider that we are getting ever nearer to matching our Atlantic cousins in terms of bite. However, I wonder, will we continue to chase them, or pursue another countries style, or more intriguingly, forge our own way?

I mean, even the stoic world of stouts and old ales has been Yankified - for the better?

At present, where hops are concerned it seems that IKE is the start of the beginning of the end for producing equally hop forward beers. Reaching ever dizzying heights of IBU is impressive but ultimately I want to be seduced rather than hospitalised by a beer. Don't get me wrong, Steel City 666 is still a matchlessly hoppy and delicious beer. And I realise that the folks at SCB see other characteristics in their IKE touched beer other than hop induced pain.... 

 Overall though , after near on a decade of hop heavy dry bitter beers, I can see a desire for something a bit more rounded, or maybe at the opposite end of the flavour spectrum, or put another way, new. 

Of course trends have already emerged, but even then a scarcity of good knowledge of American beer styles prevents me from identifying where Black IPA and Red Hop/Rye ales originated, but its clear we are catching up, even if not quickly, rather than leading. IKE can take us to the eye watering heights of some overseas beers but it has to be in a magnificently complex beer to make it palatable.

So as for new trends, alas, the UK seems alone in striving for great flavour in sub 3% beers and doesn't seem to have a NEW specific identifably British style, or direction. Since the USA has only been brewing  the better smaller brewer and innovative output for 20 or 30 years, its surely time to set a divergent and desirably unique beer direction in the UK, so that we can match, rather than follow US beers.

And, that of course does not even have to mean matching their ascorbic, dry, bitter, Belgian IPA, smoked whatever and red ingredient output. To be really good, the UK needs to keep up with the USA whilst also defining itself, not based on what has been UK beer for a century, but what is and can be UK beer now.

In terms of future styles and developments, I personally think a combination of cask, KeyKeg and Bottle conditioned (yep, that;s right, BCA, but really (hopefully) only produced by competent bottlers) output is the future, but giving equal stall to each medium. I don't think one of the three will outstrip the other as gradually, well informed punters come to equally appreciate and part money for the benefits of each style of dispense.

What I do foresee is, whilst carrying on with hop forward ales, assertive dark brews, remarkable lagers and steadfastly traditional bitters, the UK will find its feet pushing uniquely British unfiltered beers. Unfiltered KeyKeg starts to plugs the divide between cask and KK to some extent, unfiltered cask is a revelation, if only in the early stages (Waen spring to mind, yummy!) and unfiltered bottles have been around in Europe and in some small way the UK for years. Tasting Williams Bros Grozet from the conditioning tanks years ago at Strathaven was a highlight of my drinking years I can assure you. And the clamour for unfiltered Pilsner Urquell was legendary.

But do you agree?

And if not, what do you think will be the future direction of British brewed beer, be it in cask, KeyKeg, or bottle?

Wee Beefy.

Sunshine pints

Hello,

    I have to report that a sudden surprise sunburst has sent persons scampering to the public house here in Sheff. Luckily, your faithful reporter was there to record the phenomenon...

Uni Arms

 After fannying around at the hospital for important stuff I was walking down Western Bank, spotting the outdoor Special Brew enthusiasts hatefully arguing near the bus stop, before I ventured in the University Arms for beer and stuff.

Managing to make the pub
seem fearsome...

Here I tried pints of Pot Belly Hop Trotter, their Ambrosia and Acorn Bullion IPA. The Hop Trotter was a feindishly tasty refreshing beer with a moreish bite that meant I required two pints. The Acorn was heavily hopped and stood up well. The Pot Belly Ambrosia, alas, was a disjointed affair with toffee and malt and hops. leading to a harsh ascorbic finish followed by a vegetable aftertaste. Like Frog and Parrot full mash with hops thrown in after.

Dada

Moving on next I popped into Dada, obviously frightened by the steaming ball in the sky, I desired a shady joint to spend my time in. Good conversatio was on hand and this was a great accompaniement to halves of Black Harry, Bath Gem and Thornbridge Jaipur. The Thornbridge Jaipur was still not back in my favourites stable but still a decent drop as was the Black Harry, but the Gem lived up to its name with a zesty fruity balance of malt and hops.

Shakespeares

Final resting place was Shakespeares, where it was stronger ones to finish, sat in the beer garden. A half of Revolutions Identity XSB, 6.0%, and a pint of the excellent Raw Anubis Porter was my tiring menu. Whether a trick of the heat and fatigue or not I wasn't sold on the C60 offering but the porter was all I had hoped for. A cool and comfortable end to a short night out in the (often unfindable) sun!

More news soon....

Wee Beefy

Torch shines on the path to beers

Orw waaaaarh,

    today marks the day that I summoned up what little pride I had and fannied about in Parson Cross and Southey to watch a family friend carry the olympic torch to, er, the end of the road.

Getting there in the first place was purgatory - every twat boarding the bus seemed incapable of assuming that they may need to alter their route - having been blessed with thinking, we waited until we knew we were near Yew Lane (having checked the timetable earlier) and asked the driver, once, quickly, when we were nearby, how far he would go, which as he had exasperatedly explained to many other morons, he didn't know, and we'd have to wait and see where the route was closed when we were near (like what we were).

So, degree in understanding basic facts attained, we waited until Chaucer Avenue and then enquired if we could embark on a trip up Yew Lane, which we did, disembarking at what was alas the end of our friends route but still not too far to be problematic. Minutes later we were with family and friends enjoying the bustling vision of unified and respectful celebration carried out by masses of people as our friend carried the torch at some speed down towards Deerpark Road. An impressive and humbling community led spectacle.

After this admirable melee we headed off on foot to the car and Wee Keefy and Carlos and Chala and I visited the Cow and Calf, Skew Hill Lane, Grenoside, eschewing the limited allure of the Clan rally emporium of racism which is the Norfolk Arms (or was last year, May 2011).

The Cow and Calf was surprisingly quiet for a warm sunny June evening and we were soon enjoying pints of inexpensive tasty beer all round. Wee Keefy and I had a pint of the Bitter each, Chala a half and Carlos a pint of the Sam Smiths Taddy lager. My pint of bitter and half a lager came to £2.85. Which was nice.

We sat outside in the courtyard, some of us having been regulars in the 1980's as kids, and a good time was had by all.

Back into (towards...) town Wee Keefy dropped us at the Hallamshire House. Here Chala had a half of Versa and myself a pint of the excellent Pollards Milk Stout.Wee Keefy joined us and had a pint of the Thornbridge Black Harry which I had a pint of with an excellent half of Galaxia. Our final round included a half of Tzara for Chala and a pint of Black Harry for me.

the Galaxia was a lot better than I recall it in the Tap, having a lovely fruity flavour which took off the bite of the hops perfectly. The Chiron however, which I tasted before opting for the Galaxia, was grim. Odd dry fruitless hop and a herby aftertaste. Perhaps not.

We had to escape after this but these two visits were a welcome finish to a great day out celebrating Sheffield, and a couple of its pubs.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy

Wee Beefys June beer bites

Hello,

    here are a few bits of beery info from the last week.

Shakespeares

Once again offering a good range of local and further afield real ales, I had two incredibly good beers during the week. The first was Entertainment, a Polish lager from Revolutions brewery,  perhaps one of the best cask lagers I've tried (it didn't have that odd aftertaste that other offerings seem to have), the other was Espresso stout from Dark Star brewery, which seemed even punchier and coffee heavy than I remember. More Dark Star and Revolutions brewery offerings coming soon.

Three Cranes

More Blue Bee on the bar at the Cranes (and the football on the telly)  along with another game of two halves, the beer A game of Two Halves from Vale Brewery, which was a very nice drop. They have a cask of Blue Bee's new beer Light Blue in the cellar, likely to be on this weekend. Shakespeares, The Gardeners Rest and The Rutland will also be selling this new ale.

Dada

After the magnificence of the mighty Revelation pale, Dark Star Summer Solstice was on the bar along with three Thornbridge beers. I wasn't sure if this was the one that I hadn't enjoyed at the Coach and Horses, but it didn't matter since this was a very nice pint indeed. The Jaipur was also in good form.

Sheffield Tap

The Bearded Lady was still on, as was the excellent Odell/Thornbridge Pond Hopper, along with a good cask range including 3 from St Peters, of which the mild was probably the pick. For those that are interested, upcoming KeyKeg beers include Weihenstephaner St Vitus, Maui Big Swell, Thornbridge General Sherman and Puja, Magic Rock Cannonball, St Peters Cream Stout and Mikkeller Weizenbock.

That's all the news for now, got to get off and continue prepping for a hopefully dry BBQ (with real ale from Archer Road Beer Stop, where else?) tomorrow.

Wee Beefy

I really loved a KeyKeg beer - should I kill myself now?

Now then,

      I posted a few days ago about one of the best beers I've ever had, Magic Rock Bourbon cask Bearded Lady, on KeyKeg. Since that day, as well as dreaming about finding myself back there drinking it, I have been puzzling over my relationship with the weird expensive cold stuff. Why did I like a beer so much that was served by a method of dispense I don't rate, and crucially, would the beer have tasted as good in cask?

Before I answer that I should point out that me and cask go way back. I started drinking around 1991 and apart from parties, or occasional pubs with no cask when I defaulted to Guinness, I always drank real ale. Its brilliant. Gravity, hand pump, air pressure, electric font but from cask, I love it all. And this statement is still true, even after Saturdays eye opener.

However, over the last few years I've had a few beers on KeyKeg. I still haven't had chance to compare the cask version and the KK version side by side but in most cases I have had both versions at different times, which is a start, at least, in making a comparison.

Like Thornbridge Kipling and Jaipur  I didn't like the Kipling on KK because it lacked the depth of the cask and the hops were prominent, but in a way that just made the aftertaste bitter instead of lending citrus flavours to the whole taste. I didn't like Jaipur for similar reasons on KK (and it seemed to take away some of the sweeter balancing flavours, leaving it harsh).

Clearly, these are strong bitter pale beers, and they don't seem to be suited to KK. So these are examples of beers that would have tasted as good, indeed better, in cask.

I have also tried High Wire, Dark Arts, Rapture, Magic 8 Ball and Bearded Lady from Magic Rock on KK. I wasn't mad keen on the High Wire, but that was late in the evening at the Grove for the brewery launch night, the Dark Arts was alright on KK, but the Rapture was the unfiltered version and was brilliant, the Magic 8 Ball was fantastic and the Bearded Lady was unparallelled.

So, these are also stronger beers but mainly darker and the last three that I had have been really good. And heres the contentious bit : I actually don't think the Bearded Lady would have been as good on cask,
because it was too damned heavy and strong and wouldn't have retained sufficient condition in the time it took to drink it.

Yet the 8 Ball and Rapture would be, and in the case of Rapture are better on cask, and definitely so the Dark Arts....

So do I now have a proven formula which will guarantee the KeyKeg beer I'm buying is as good as the cask? No. All this demonstrates is that whilst the old style 1970's and 1980's keg beers were crap because the beer itself was crap, KeyKeg proves that really good beer can taste equally crap or excellent in that format.

I dunno, this KeyKeg stuff is as inconsitent as real ale.....

Wee Beefy

Euro drinking - British beers

Hello,

   Friday night was my official Birthday night out from work so I gathered together a troupe of close friends and took them on a pub crawl near to where we work. Here's what we found.

We started at the Harlequin, since its the nearest venue, and with the exception of Maureen who had recklessly started his evening;s drinking with a Budvar Dark, we all started low. I had a pint of the Great Heck brewery Yorkshire Navigator as it was at a quaffable strength. Suzie Wish, Crusher, J9, Stevo, Mr Robbery and Roy Crumb all started as they meant to continue. My second pint in here was the Brew Company Blackout Stout, which was very nice, but probably the start of my decline, as I had plenty more strong beers afterwards.

As soon as Wee keefy had arrived and had a swift one we were off to Shakespeares. A freak storm had scuppered all Orange and other telecommunications so I was unable to find out if folks were coming, or they to find out where I was. Luckily we got to the Pub before Miss M had given up waiting, gawd love her.

In here I had a pint of the Copthorne Mild and A.N.Other pale beer, which me and Wee Keefy contrived to mix up. Mr Protest joined us in here, but Maureen had to leave cos he had a "car" the big wuss. Soon it was 19.00. I had declared that we were not going to pander to the masses who wanted to watch football. I was happy to stay in Shakespeares for the night since they were also taking this admirable sportless stance,  but too many people craved Ingurrlearned action so we headed up to the Three Cranes.

Much good beer to choose from in here, although the Nectar wasn't quite ready so I started on Welbeck Abbey Brewery Red Feather, which was a fantastic pint in really good form.

As the match progressed, obviously entirely and solely due to my concentrating on that and not because of any other factors, it seem that after having a pint of Blue Bee Lustin for Stout my memories started to become unclear. To be fair, I wasn't intending to write this up, so I am doing all of this from memory. Christ, it shows.

Several  more pints, one presumes of Lustin for stout later, the match had finished and those stragglers left headed up to Dada. Here the excellent Dark Star Revelation Pale, 5.7% was on, so it seemed rude not to order a pint. Alas, a quarter of  a pint, maybe less if accusations are to be believed, into the lovely broth, my body succumbed to the excessive amount of emotion involved in the evening and I had to go home like a big girls blouse.

Despite this, I had a fab time, and it's a good sign that despite not every one being a devout real ale drinker like me, we still found venues to suit everyone's taste, and managed to watch an entire football match together without meeting any idiots. Well, just one at the beginning, and luckily he set the bar high so that some of my less admirable episodes seemed insignificant...

More details of pubs and beer coming soon.

Wee Beefy

Live Blog - De Dolle Stille Nacht 2010

Now Then,

this is my first live blog. So as not to disappoint those veterans of innovative media, I must confirm that its only really live in the sense that it is being written as I drink. Instead of afterwards, like it usually is....

So, this is my only bottle of the Stille Nacht from the dark days when the brew date wasn't on the label anymore. I still have a bottle of the 2006 in my stash. I imagine that will be fecking absurd to be brutally honest. This is silly enough.

Brewery : De Dolle (says Oer bier on side, probably from Esen, but label is more interpretive than factual.
Name : Stille Nacht, brewed October 2010
Strength : 12.0%
BCA/none BCA? : Erm...unfiltered maybe?.
Purchased : Archer Road Beer Stop Sheffield.

Colour : Gold, light chestnut, a little like Retsina, but without the cloudiness since yeast in bottle for now for initial taste.

Carbonation/Pouring : Silent insurgence from the bottle but with retained head and bubbles carrying on their ascent long after opening..

Aroma : Alcohol! Sweet malt and fruit, lots of peach, orange, lemon, brandy, perhaps cherry, currants, raisins and somehow, peat..

Taste : this is a very silly beer. Its crammed full of intense sweet alcohol notes, with a jammy fruit preserve in the back of the mouth before alcoholic flavours wash over to reveal spiky sweet malt, that distinctive Belgian yeast, and and some sort of sour marmalade, the fruit of which might be quince (I realise there's only really a few marmalade fruits....). I'm going to add the yeast now.

After adding the extra but vital matter there is a loud fizz and a flurry of detritus in the bottom of the glass riding the new wave of carbonation, quite large chunks of yeast swirl up and fall like the contents of a stood Alka Seltzer. Intriguingly they don't all drop, they are still there in the glass reminding me that this is an evolving brew.

The first apres yeast taste is a little more mellow but with a slight ascorbic edge, but there's more of that dry alcoholic fruit and some surprising bitterness fighting its way through to the forefront of this distinctly and thankfully uncompromising and unsubtle adventure into alcohol. Like a Barley wine but with more finesse it fizzes on the tongue with that ever present alcoholic citrus and dry fruit taste lingering. Its been chilled for 45 minutes and tastes like it it could live with another hour. Like I said, its daft.

Continuing down the glass the flavour splits a little - the dryish fruit and alochol linger but the more subtle malts and hints of bitterness disperse. Also, I notice that this is perhaps the cloudiest and most claggy ale I have ever drank - the yeast sediment neither dissipates nor sinks, it just hangs in sharp vinous stasis waiting to assault the tastebuds. I don't really know what to make of this. If I had poured this first off I might have been seriously worried that this was from Shropshire, but it doesn't necessarily impact on the flavour, except a half thought idea that older vintages had more proportionate yeast deposits and melded the physical matter and taste a little better.

Head retention - not bad, there's still an identifiable white/grey crown on the top as I near the end. .


WBrating : 7.2.
This low score may be a reflection of my unease at the pond water cloudiness f the beer, and also that the sheer intensity f the beer makes any kind of expeditious tasting impossible. And the drink warms it becomes cloying, and the yeast flavours niggle. Its a stupendous beer in terms of overall taste, incredibly fruity to begin with, but the slip in marks reflects the loss of those vibrant fruits as the beer goes on..
More birthday sups to come this week!

Wee Beefy

Hardwick Inn, Hardwick Hall Nr Bolsover Derbyshire

Hello,

  tonight I have been out for Fathers Day. Yes, I know, its not fathers Day. But Wee Fatha is as curmudgeonly and impatient as myself, hence, swarms of overly tense hyper expectant non realists makes fr a shit Fathers day n the world of pubs. Much netter than to go the day after, and more specifically to somewhere we know well.

The Hardwick Inn can hardly be called a pub in the traditional sense. The floor size of the bar is insignificant to the warren of rooms large and small for eating in but somehow that doesn't matter. Maybe if we went for just a drink this may be galling but I can't think of an occasion on which we have only gone for booze. its nearly always for a meal, and tonight was another of those occasions.

Hardwick Inn is also an anomaly in the Beefy Household because we seem only to go once a year pr twice maximum, despite having never had a bad meal or pint there. It isn't really even that long a journey from Wee Fatha's near Mosborough, so its puzzling why we don;t go more fem, apart from the fact that it usually warrants a celebration of some kind.

Tonight we found a space to sit in one of the far rooms near the kitchen and were served relatively fast considering the bar was heaving. Notable was the presence of a lot of people with sickening joviality stood around blocking access to the bar wearing suits. Or bellends, as I believe the anthropological term is - a nuisance of suits, is the group identification term.

Our annoyance was lightened when we spotted the bar - its never been a haven of small brewery excellence n here but the (perhaps now gone) Youngers signage shows you it used to be all Scottish and Newcastle, and irrespective f who now or during its numerous incarnations owned the pub it was a surprise tonight to find not one but two independent Locale's on the bar. There are five handpumps to choose from, although one appears to be a strange Black Sheep one suggesting keg through a swan neck? I shudder to think, and given that itg was the oft abused Sheep, I ignored it.

Better though was the range of Theakstons XB and Old Peculier, Bess of Hardwick Best Bitter from Brampton, and the excellent Chatsworth Gold from peak Ales.

We all started on the Chatsworth Gold and it was in fantastic nick, perhaps the best pint of their beer I have had. Alas this emant another jaunt back to the bar, picking our way through th ignorant forest of the thinking bypassed suits, to get more delicious golden ale supplies.

The meals are not too expensive and generously proportioned, and come relatively quickly - am not saying there can't be a suggestion of any reheating but if there is its incredibly well disguised because all three of our meals were tremendously tasty and entirely satisfying, which warranted further Chatsworth Gold. I had the pork steak with black pudding and Stilton and mushroom sauce with chips salad and veg. The black pudding was memorably tender and full flavoured and the pork was cooked to a tea, with a slightly smokey flavour.

After eating Wee Fatha was treated to a dram of Glen Scotia single malt from a lengthy and exemplary whisky list, before I ordered a half each of the Brampton and Peak Ales, along with another half for WF and Wee Keefy. Finishers were coffee and a pint of the Old Peculier for me.

This is a pub we never tire of visiting and despite its food emphasis, its always worth a look - especially now not every beer seems to have to come from a regional brewer. The Peak Ales Chatsworth Gold was fantastic. If you pop in after 21.30 its much more pub like and given the notable vintage of the building (16th century I understand) its well worth a visit.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy 

Best beer of 2012 spotted in Sheffield Tap

Now Then,

    after watching the Docfest films about pubs in the past I decided to go and make my own artistic contribution to the enjoyment of ale. I popped into the Sheffield Tap to partake in a live installation of a man drinking beer, and to simultaneously see what they had to offer.

A couple of real ales caught my eye, not least the excellent Dark Arts from Magic Rock, but it felt early (it was actually about 12.15) so I opted for two halves of sensibly moderate strength beers to begin my worship at the altar of ale.

First up was a half of the St Peters Bitter, along with a half of Brewsters Hophead. I drank the St Peters first as I was convinced that despite a noticeable harshness in bottle it was going to be maltier and sweeter than the Brewster's. It was, but that wasn't to its detriment, it was the perfect starter, a refreshing mellow lightly hopped bitter. The Hophead was an altogether different affair.

Despite being weaker, it packed in a dramatic sackful of dry sharply bitter hops, the prominent flavour was one that I recognised - I have tasted it in Brass Monkey and Grafton Brewery beers to name but a few, and its not my favourite, but I was impressed by the amount of sheer bitter flavour crammed into a beer of this strength.

Aloha to the bank manager

Next things became a but weird, and very expensive. I had a half of the Maui Coconut Porter, 6.0% and £3.30 a half. I understand the cans, which caused a bit of a buzz when they were first spotted over here, retail for a fiver. All this is tremendously silly in terms of cost to the consumer versus cost to the manufacturer, but it was worryingly easy, especially buying halves, to legitimise the expense.

Yes, given its £6.60 a pint you need to at least have a reason for drinking it - I figured my impending birthday and a smidgen of hype, plus innate curiosity of how the two flavours would combine met that requirement. I am, however, fully aware that I paid an absurd sum of money for 268ml of beer (although, it was so lively, that with the kindly proffered top up glass I got more than a half in the end, but shhhh, don't tell anyone).

The Maui porter was exactly as and everything that I had expected. It was a scrumptious luscious creamy porter, a little bit like the Nogne, and it somehow managed to glide elegantly into the sweet coconut flavours like it was the most natural combination in the world. It was not a heavy beer for 6.0%, but nevertheless it was probably not something I'd have a session on. Besides, next I was about to attempt to drink something far stronger.

Bearded Lady

Having purchased a sandwich in preparation for the sudden intake of a bit too much alcohol, and having checked the price of this behemoth in advance (so that I knew beforehand that I was about to buy the most expensive drink of beer I had ever), I was ready to try a half of the Magic Rock Bourbon cask Bearded Lady, 10.5%. I think I might never be able to consider anything a beer of the year again.

Bearded lady bourbon cask stout is an epochal brew. A staggering wall of flavoursome delight which made me want to stay sat where I was for the rest of forever. I bought a half, am not mental after all, and it took me about 50 minutes of persistent sipping to finish it. It did not cloy, it did not wain, it did not disappoint. Christ, it was so tasty that it was barely credible. It is the end of beer.

I think I may struggle to convey the finer points of its taste but having just last week enjoyed the incredible tastes of a 5 year vintage of Durham Temptation I think I'm well qualified to state that this is the best stout I ever tasted. Better even than a 4 year vintage of the Thornbridge Islay cask reserve, even than the 11% headiness of a Rogue coffee porter (yes, I realise that's not a stout). It was like the best stout you ever tasted, but then better again, with an unbelievable satisfying rich and lingering finish, joined by a bite of bourbon which quickly mellowed into a rapturous melee of soothing , comforting malt loveliness.

Tremendous.

I should point out by the way that it was expensive. Very expensive, at over £8.00 a pint. And yes, I remember that I nearly bust a lung with anger at Thornbridge Bracia being over £9.00 a pint, but without tasting that, I would be amazed if it could have equalled the matchless excellence of this immense beer. To put it in perspective, I paid £4.25 to have 50 minutes of unbridled pleasure, and it was legal. What's not to love?

And in other keykeg news

Nicely ignoring the fact that this years finest ale was on keykeg, for which I dislike my self a little, it was unfair play from the Tap to have had such an amazing line up on - St Peters IPA, Odell and Thornbridge Pondhopper and Mikkeller Big Worse Barley Wine were also available on keykeg, for those with an entire day to drink their way through the offerings. Along with Magic Rock Rapture and Dark Arts, and Thornbridge Black Harry, all on cask, this was possibly the best line up of beers I have ever seen.

To the Rutland...

What to do after drinking the best beer ever? Wh-hy, head off to the Rutland to try and better it of course! Entering the quite busy pub I immediately noticed that those scamps at Steel City had brought out another 2.7% beer. Perfect! I thought, and I'll just get a half of that Arbor Ales beer whatever its called. When Paultous charged me I assumed, naturally, that in his youthful exuberance he had made a critical error in ringing the sale into the till. Unfortunately I was wrong. I had just bought a half of a 10% beer. Oh dear.

I jokingly said I'd down it in one and have the Steel City afterwards as I was sure it would be packed with flavour. True to my word I tasted the Arbor Down Deeper Sports IPA, enjoyed its initial bite of hops but perhaps less so its lingering sweet finish, and downed it. Childish it may sound, but I really thought the longer I lingered over it the more my body would remind me that this was all a tremendously bad idea.

The Bolshevik Revolution from Steel City was not as good as Parasite God but still a good lesson in flavour, and I finished off my visit with a half of the Blue Bee Red White and Blue which was in excellent nick. And then I went for a walk.

This was mainly to clear my head and also to search out food, which I did at a disreputable global conglomerate, before sitting down near the bottom of Fargate for a nosh and a brief spell of thinking. Clearly the additives in the distasteful muck I was eating had addled my brain, because I decided to go for a last one.

Ta Dah!

I arrived at Dada much the better for my mastication and perambulation and spotted James on the way in - even though it was not required, I quickly apologised for leaving my three quarters of a pint of Revelation from the night before - details of that yomp to come tomorrow. Once inside, noting that it was still on, it seemed silly to miss out, so I had a half this time, a very pleasing and not exactly out of place given the earlier consumptions, pale ale at £1.65.

I also had a nice half of the Brock, and gleaned some upcoming news about beers at Dada, where they also had Purity Mad Goose on the bar. Apparently, Magic Rock Cannonball, High Wire and their new Wheat beer Clown Juice should all be popping up soon - I can't be certain which ones were on keg so its perhaps best to find out by popping in over the next couple of weeks just to make absolutely certain.

And so ends a tale of strong beers, steep prices and unbounded joy in the hostelries of Sheffield. Wishing myself many happy returns!

Wee Beefy