Clamp

. Eefnin all,

         Since starting in late 2018  ( feel free to add relevant date/year), and, as admitted themselves, regrettably opening to visiting drinkers in January 2019 (same offer!) I didn't in fact get to visit the excellent folk at St Mars of the Desert until June 2019, and at once somewhat fell a bit in love with the place. Of course I also like Daan and Martha, fabulous folk as they are, but with them having been closed since November or similar, as well as having tried a few excellent new brews including Fluffy White Rabbit hoppy spring ale, it occurs to me that they are a brewing operative to rely upon.

As every month. as far as is possible, I recently bought a can of Clamp. This is a 5.4% NEIPA made exclusively, hop wise that is, with Mosaic and Waimea. Being so "weak" its an absolutely fabulous starter, and whilst I have thus far yet to find a dire drink of their's, I have to say that Clamp is a modern classic.

Its quaffable strength is not the whole story re it's drinkability -  whilst I don't know if they use the Koelship in this brew, the blend of hops malt and yeast alone makes this entirely suppable. The other aspect in their appeal lies perhaps in the sheer range of styles produced. Although have not so far found a standard brown bitter in their range, the density of styles along with the long list of strengths always encourages interest.

On my first ever visit I tried a pint of what was likely a 3.2% pilsner, and it was delicious - not heart stoppingly weak of course, but still packing a substantial punch regarding its ease of drinking along with a myriad of traditional flavours. They also did a traoitional Victorian imperial mild or similar at 9% at a festival at Shakespeares, and all that they produce seems to be simultaneously well balanced along with extremely flavourful.

Once the luffly pubs reopen, in the next month or so, I can heartily recommend following the Five Weirs Walk upo from Sheffield town centre and coming out across from the beginning of Stevenson Road next to Washford Bridge  its just a short hop from there to the excellent looking brewery outside seating and their excellent tap.

Finally I should point out that I tried all  of their Belgian style ales at Christmas and not one disappointed!

Give their beers a try if you see them in off licences or local pubs to drink in or take out, and continue ti support this fabulous Sheffield brewery.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy

Chubbles

 Evening all,

        When there was a Magic Rock Cannonball run at Shakespeares way back in the days when Verdant changed Howl to Allen, I started on a third of Chubbles. Arguably the fact it was a third, in my mind, somehow normalises the fact that this combo with The Veil Brewing was a whopping 10%. On that day, much of which was spent sat in the sunshine with the lovely Vikkie, I tried halves of all three of the Cannonball versions and enjoyed a can of Verdant Allen, but the Chubbles really stood out.

Since then have likely only ever had a can of it once. And this year, I missed buying a can from Beer Central on two separate occasions, such was it's popularity......

Luckily the man Luke at Dronfield Beer Stop has got quite a range of Cloudwater beers in. As I may have already mentioned, probably because am using a roobish version of Windows on my PC I registered as a key worker (as I am) on the Cloudwater website but that said my card wasn't valid. I have since found out this is due to using Vista. I have therefore been unable to order beers from Cloudwater brewery's website. Luckily there were cans of both Chubbles and chubbles 2 available - in fact, as a chum in the business confirmed, there is even a third version. Being a sensible chap I simply ordered a can of each. They were exceptional.

Am all too aware that there's a chance I may like "easy drinking" aspects more so even than the blend  of hops in the soupy brews that I sup. That's my suggestion, based solely on my own observations. The thing is, I do rank that aspect very highly. And I have tried many beers recently which lasted 5 or 10 minutes a can. Had I not enjoyed it so much previously, one of these cans may have been dispatched similarly quickly.

In addition to the above that includes the balance of a drink - and Cloudwater do now and again confirm the specific hops they use in particular brews. As not in this case, all I can say is that it tasted exactly how I remembered it - although I sadly have to admit that the amount of boohar I consumed thereafter possibly renders my memories of that exercise somewhat less supportive.

Interestingly the Chubbles 11 is an 8% version that states "discovery of pilsengris" on the front. Sadly, as the oldest man on earth, am not sure if this is an ingredient or beer style but I have to say that am certain that this was even better than the mighty first Chubbles!

Its important to admit that usually 8% is not a noticable drop in strength (although those brilliant original Cloudwater DIPAs were all 9% if I recall) but I was a little disappointed pre trying - and I had no reason. This of course makes the tasting of other Cloudwater + 6% beers afterwards  even more interesting. And now I have a regular supply, albeit without my key worker discount, I fully intend to purchase a few every month.

Am not sure how many were brewed and canned, but if you aren't concerned about higher ABV beers, and also didn't discover your impression of strong beers based on sickly sweet 1970s barley wines, I would highly recommend you give a can a try.

The very best of health!

Wee Beefy

Pomona Island Brew Co

Afternooo.

     a few years ago I first tasted some Pomona Island on cask from the past. I had never heard of them before and didn't know where they came from apart from "somewhere near Manchester" as an informant told me. I noticed that my friend Martin who runs the Grocers Micropub in Cadishead in Salford was starting to have their beers on regularly, and he confirmed that, as am sure I would know if lived in Salford, this was where they were from - am fairly confident that Pomona Island is an area of Salford, and everything.....

Doing a modicum of checks before today's espousal I found not only their website here - about cans.... but also that they were originally set up by two chaps called Nick and Ryan, whom started the excellent Gas Lamp bar just over the river in Manchester, along with Gaz from Marble and James from Tempest Brewery. Since I have always liked Marble and Tempest output, and also the Gas Lamp bar, its perhaps unsurprising that I found that I liked their beers. But I have to pay tribute to the excellent balance and quality of their brews.

Today am on a can of their My Toe Hurts Betty, a 5.6% starter Pale ale double dry hopped with Cyro Mosaic, Bru-1 and Amarillo. Regular readers aware of my quite worrying level of hopsession may assume this is a hop fest of overwhelming bitterness, but as I said, their beers are so balanced that this isn't the case. The beer is gloriously orangey, fruity, bitter, hoppy, and oaty. And reflecting another regular feature - it is also very easy to sup.

Earlier in the month I also tried a can of their TIPA at 10% called An Overwhelming Surplus of Diggity. Am always a little concerned that I may be underwhelmed by a TIPA since the extra hops and alcohol may create an unwanted sweetness that overrides, but although there was sweet fruitiness in the flavour the brew was once again balanced for that kind of strength, and wonderfully palatable.

They continue to produce beers in both cask and keg and also occasionally in bottles and regularly in the future of beers which is in can. I often like to start my sessions in Shakespeares on a pint of cask Pomona if its on, especially their delectable APA or indeed anything they have thus far produced. They have a core range of five casks (details also available on their website) but am certain their overall range is extended in all formats - usefully their website states that many listed beers are one offs and not always produced but which may be produced again. Last night I enjoyed their Style Control Damage Aggression which was a delicious 6.5% IPA which finished my night's supping off perfectly. And one of the many advantages of buying beer from four or more different suppliers is that its often possible to go back to beers that I have really enjoyed.

Thus far that description applies to everything I have tried by Pomona island Brew Co. Long may their excellence continue.

Your very best of health

Cheers!

Wee Beefy

Not like that boring stuff they sell at Asda, man says......

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

Goose Willis

Good evening, readers.....

      this is a bit of a different post for me- because this is about neither an IPA, DIPA, TIPA or even a standard pale ale. No, this is a post about a sour beer. And in case some of you think it's 1983 again ( I did drink some Banks' Amber the other day as am low on boohar....) I am happy to point out that it is meant to be sour. And the beer is in date. Beer fear is therefore not appropriate in this respect.......

First brewed in 2017 as a collab with the local Brewdog, this was first brewed and released by Brew York in what I think was possibly 2018 (their website list of beers does not confirm alas, and I only know for certain that they first brewed it in 2017 as  a collab). I did try and recall the last time I tried a beer with gooseberry in it - and struggled, although I did think that gooseberries are also called goosegogs oop north so am guessing that was perhaps it? That would have been a while a go, but the beer in question would have been Grozet - and if memory serves it was frankly very nice indeed.

The first thing I did upon opening the can was to smell it - and that wasn't difficult. Because there are a decent amount of hops (and it is dry hopped as well) in the nose as well as some fruit which as a person who does not often consume the same am certain may well have been the Gooseberry. The first taste was amazing - a big hit of fruitiness and finishing with a good amount of the hops which are Nelson Sauvin.  One surprise - although perhaps a benefit of the excellent skills in its brewing, was the lack of...sourness? I admit that there was sourness in the aftertaste but being one of the first canned beers I have had proclaiming it's use of Lactobacillus I was perhaps expecting a bit more. This also may be one reason that it was in fact a perfect beer to enjoy in the now warm sunshine in my back garden - because the entire 440ml was gone in ten joyous minutes.

It was 5.3% so not babbeh milk but the strength was not a theme as I supped it down. Because as well as perfectly showcasing both the gooseberry used as well as the dry hopped Nelson Sauvin, the overall taste and mouth feel was wonderfully refreshing. It was a maximum of  22 degrees today and sitting in the bright and strong sunshine I was very happy to quaff this down - an act which would have been completed far quicker if it wasn't for the fact that I only have one more can of beer left (a favourite of mine as well....) and I won't get paid for three days - a situation managed by a pop up to the shops on Friday....

I have always liked Brew York's output, indeed it was one of their beers that I first tried in the Oxbow micropub in Woodhouse back at the beginning of March.

On the basis of this and other products of theirs (and their popularity when a selection arrived at Sean's beer central last month) am absolutely certain that I will be trying their products again in the near future, and, with the greatest of hope, heading up to York to sample their wares at their fabulous Taproom.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy

Arpus

Eefnin,

        am willing to admit that after a short period without luffly bowze, today's delivery from Bar Stewards (and with the help of the lovely Laura and Anthony), may have stemmed a worryingly early desire to spout praise about "just another" boohar. But to be fair, the reviews on Ratebeer, for what that is worth, are very high, and even though am only just finishing my first ever beer from them, I have to join the melee of praise and compliments myself.  So what do I know about Arpus?

Well, firstly, the letter A should have a small line above it, similar to an Umlaut, but only because I know the name of that. Secondly, the folk making this glorious potation are based in Latvia - a country which I have both never been to, or tried beers from. I did pop on their website and Friendache pages quickly, but apart from finding out that they chose Arpus as the name of their escapade in beer because it was a local or at least Latvian word, am not sure where they are all from. For example, The Donkey brewery on Santorini (now called Santorini Brewing Co or such...) produce excellent beers, and this may stem from the number of nationalities involved in the beer's production. Regarding Arpus am happy to confirm that my lack of knowledge of such facts does not reduce my appreciation of their output.

Am trying a can of DDH Nelson IPA, a worryingly easy to drink, and thankfully easy to enjoy, soup of Nelson Sauvin hops, unless there has recent;y been a new hop called Nelson, which I have missed. As with many new (to me) breweries I am happy to report that it may be the addition of oats into the beer, and perhaps its combination with the wheat used, which makes this beer so very easy to drink. Its also described (answering my previous question) as a double dry hopped Nelson Sauvin IPA. There is, in reality, very much to anticipate enjoying.

The other beer of theirs that I have but have not yet tried, is another DDH IPA this time with Nelson and Citra - as a proven Citra fiend I am saving that until later in the next week to treat myself to. Unless I drink it tonight.... I also saw that they produce an NE DIPA at 8% or so which of course I would very much like to try. With just a third of a pint of this left am willing to claim that the blend of flavours has settled superbly, and even though it has slightly warmed up, am not remotely disappointed.

I have to say that when I poured it I was initially worried about the strength of sweetness in the aroma - but I was immediately calmed by the simplicity of the ingredients, the fact that its double dry hopped, and also it's soup like appearance. Possibly due to the use of Nelson Sauvin, and oats, its also reassuringly more orangey than some UK brews I have tasted for the first time - exactly the right colour to persuade appreciation. Am not suggesting for a moment that I don't like pale beers of course, because as a fan of, what it pains me to describe as "craaft" based on the assumptions of others I have to admit - I realise that does come with an emphasis on the joy of pale. And this delivers a lot of joy in that, and numerous other, areas..

Looking at their list of products, whilst admitting an appreciation of certain hop types in DDH and similar beers, I have to say that I am very much looking forward to finding more of their treats in other venues here in fine sunny Sheffield.

In the meantime - if you spot some - I would suggest you buy it!

Cheers!

Wee Beefy

Pentrich Brewing Co.

Hullabaloo!

      Pentrich Brewing are a bit of a strange one for me - not least because I have noticed that in the last two years they have improved their output considerably. But the situation where I first came across them is more interesting, as it involves more uncertainty and much later, rejoicing.....

I first blogged about Pentrich following an end of March wander I took in 2013. It was the last place I supped - that is, the Miner's Standard above Winster, before our lengthy and snow heavy traipse across Bonsall Moor - you can see the details here in my April 2013 post . When I got back home I did some research on the same and found the info quite confusing - they appeared to either be a cuckoo brewery based in Derbyshire or some unseemly underworld supplier of drinks in the same. Either way I did not see much of them - apart from a reference in a planned but never carried out pub crawl in Derbyshire and Sheffield of all pubs called the Devonshire Arms - which went near where they may have been based.

In the last year or so hops have been a feature, as has their inclusion in the mesmerising list of excellent brews on cask in my second home, the Shakespeares. I may even have tried one of their super hoppy and soup like cloudy IPAs at my birthday last year. Their renown for excellent soups has since grown and this, along with a number of other events, has seen their output at Shakespeares regularly. Today, I also finally got to try my first ever Pentrich can.......

This conveniently allowed me chance to view their website and also to find out that they had opened a tap in Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, called the Duke of Sussex. Have a look at their wares Here.   It doesn't alas, list their DIPA's but I am pleased to tell you that I am currently enjoying their Dream Tempo IIPA at 8.3%, very much!

Its important to clarify that despite my often mockery of CAMRA and brown bitters, and my creation of the phrase "Cask from the past" which, in certain circumstances at least, can be requested using processes stemming from the Dove from Above, that I do not insist that all beer looks like soup. I would have to admit though. that said slush is very much far easier to drink. I remember drinking a 7.4% or similar beer on cask, likely from Titanic, in the nineties, and thinking that I was glad I had only ordered a half - strong beer does not have to be hard work at all, as proven by Magic Rock Bearded Lady on keg when that came out in 2012. Beer is to be drunk, not hiked around the mouth feel and strained into the gullet.

I got my can of Pentrich from Dronfield Beer Stop recently and I have to say I like the products they sell - always a pleasure to go on a company website and select a number of potentially, and thus far seamlessly - excellent products from the world of brewing.

Long may the output and excellence of this fine Derbyshire Brewery continue!

Cheers

Wee Beefy

Ales at home - what I discovered....

Hullall,

           firstly I should point out that I have been a little short of funds yet again, although I am off to South West Scotland before and on payday so am hoping things may improve next month. I should also admit that I have been out a few times, if not more, this month, and have really enjoyed those trips. In the meantime I also bought a number of canned and bottled beers on Thursday the 5th to have with my anticipated beer tasting, although, I had already cancelled it due to a lack of attendees, feeling unwell, and a leak in my Kitchen ceiling. The latter two have now been sorted so it seemed unwise to miss out on sampling almost all of the products purchased.......

The first one I tried was from Nottingham or Derby based brewery Black Iris. I had purchased their Nottingham Pride Pale ale which came in at a sensible strength of 4.5% and was an ideal starter. Pale, as described, and cloudy, as preferred, this was a gloriously easy drinking soup which very much tickled my taste buds.

Next up were two bottle conditioned bottles from Torrside Brewing. Their first was the Craft Hoodlums, a gloriously murky broth at 4.5% again, and wonderfully well balanced. I have to admit that my years in the beer selling trade has rather tainted my appreciation and indeed expectations of bottle conditioned beers but the two from Torrside restored my failing. Their second, the excellent Citra at possibly 5.0% was also once again glutinous (in a very good way) and proved an excellent start to that night's session.

There was a can from the wonderful Turning Point Brewery and their wonderful Circle Game, a Simcoe IPA whose strength alas I failed to record - I did however remember to photograph the blonde hazy mass of this wonderful concoction. On a similar note was the Cloudwater Citra Cy18, one of the many Yakima Chief hop series that was released recently. One of the complaints I made a year or two ago was the lack of any specifics of their ingredients - although - this is scarcely the point in this instance. What I can advise is that I have found almost all of their recent output incredibly refreshing, often bitter and reassuringly tasty. This trend was not abandoned in either this or their beautiful Horse DIPA at 8.5% which I supped last night - an excellent blend of hops and fruity flavours was very easy to enjoy.

Next was a fantastic can of the Neonraptor Hippo Launcher DIPA at 8.0%. As I noted on Faceache, whilst I recognise its an easily used word, I had to confirm that this was an excellently fruity DIPA. Brilliant design on the label as well.

I only purchased one small can - that being a 330ml ATOM and Salt Brewing DIPA called Hailte, or similar. I mentioned that it didn't list the hops used but I would point out that ATOM regularly use no or almost none of such ingredients. Possibly due to the involvement of Salt they were listed as HOPS in the ingredients and as with both of the similarly listed Cloudwater cans this was in no way an effect on the enjoyability of the flavour. In fact, the numerous listed herbal flavours perhaps made it a more enjoyable and quaffable ale.

There was also a can of Verdant, a 6.5% Pale Ale called Have we met before?, which in addition to the four excellent hops used I suspected the addition of London Fog 111 yeast helped me to find this especially enjoyable.

The 6.4% Citra Fog IPA from Burnt Mill made equally good use of the Citra involved, as well as being yeastily and frothingly cloudy to stimulate the taste buds further. The best of the new material however was a 5.5% saison from Wild Horse Brewing Co from Llandudno in Wales. Using an interesting mix of hops in Lemondrop and another I cannot at present recall (but which had a German sound if memory serves), this proved to be an excellently drinkable and reassuringly bitter, sweet and slightly but only marginally sour ale which met the description of its name perfectly.

Finally comes two interesting ales from Wander Beyond in Manchester. Soma was an 8.6% DIPA with a hint of lactose making a fantasticly easy to drink yellowy cloudy broth of fabulousness. The artwork on the can was likewise superb. Their final can was the La Catrina spiced Imperial stout, a fabulous mix of ingredients creating a murky depthed slab of ground like black horror which I have been very slowly and carefully supping for over an hour. A mixture of different sweet, spicy and tobacco themed ingredients balances out so well in this absolute cracker.

Once again, despite an understandable influence of DIPAs, I have managed to buy and try a marvelous selection of strong and hoppy and, increasingly, fruity and also sweet beers from a number of breweries, showing the British public that all of them, regardless of size or reputation, can produce an excellent and diverse range of ales..

Now to arrange to try the bottles of 86, 87, 88, and 1994 Thomas Hardy Ales that I have in bottles in the fridge.....

Your very good health!

Wee Beefy  
 

Why did I Bother Understanding IBU?

Good arternoo,

     a few years ago, maybe five, perhaps six, or four, or any other number, I had a chat in my second home with Dave Unpro of Steel City Brewing. I was asking his advice on what IBU, apart from International Bitterness (or ing) Units, actually meant. I have had a drink since then, and so can't really remember much of the outcome of this discourse but I think it was similar to wind chill in that the bitterness measured in IBUs is how you perceive its level but is different to the actual level. Or it could be none of these. These are guessesmories after all. And I have had a drink since then. Did I mention I'd had a drink sine then?

Back in 2012 Unpro and Arbor Ales had collaborated to brew a 666 IBU beer at 6.66%. I even wrote about it, here. I was very impressed by the beer and pleases at how easy it was to drink. I also mentioned that BrewDog Hardcore IPA had an IBU of 150 but Punk IPA, which I had loved when I first tried it, was only 40. This may be where my reliance on IBU as a sign of quality started to waiver.

Earlier this year I tried Northern Monk Infinity Vortex, a 6.4% or similar IPA which I absolutely loved. Checking their (or another's)  website I was surprised to note that the IBU of this beer was only 25. Since the beer was double dry hopped I couldn't work out why it hadn't been higher, and also why I had still loved the brew. Did IBU still matter to me?

The answer to the question in the title incidentally is simply that it seemed to be a good indicator of good beer. And as the below highlights that is not necessarily the case.

Evidence it doesn't equate also came from my love of Verdant beers. I saw an interview with them earlier this year where they said the biggest surprise to them had been just how sweet people liked their beer. Pah! I retorted. I don't like sweet beer, yuk! But actually, having last night tried even sharks need water from the same, it was described more like a can of sweets than an IPA, and once more I glugged it down like it was...well, manna from heaven is a slightly unfortunate comparison, but certainly it was a fab concoction. Incidentally, I can't find details of this beer's IBU. And Untapped states No IBU.....

Its interesting to see how my tastes have developed over time, I now prefer a colder cloudier beer than I did 5 years or more ago, and am much less interested in hop bite, although that always tickles my tonsils when its a feature. I don't actually think that the reduced prominence of IBU in beer is a sign of taste changing however, instead its as much a miscomprehension on my part, the idea that high IBU equaled high enjoyment.

In looking at the details of the malts and yeasts used in Cloudwater Verdant and Northern Monk beers I am more clear now on what I think are the many parts that make a good beer. Flaked oats and London Ale yeast are just two ingredients that feature regularly in beers I love and contribute to a smoother and easier drinking beer. I don't think this reduces the hop or bitterness tastes in the beers, I just think it makes the palate more open to subtleties otherwise unnoticed in the beer.

Ironically therefore, am not considering the level of IBU in a beer but loving the dry hopping rate. So if anything IBU as a measurement is just a distraction from my primary consideration of whether or not I like a beer or not, that being just exactly that. IPAs have a lot t answer for it seems!

Cheers

Wee Beefy

Cloudwater DDH Simcoe Vic Secret pale

Hello,
   
     I have tonight had a second can from my haul from Beer Central. I tried to resist but its been a tiring day of work in the garden (luckily all standing on soft grass and slowly moving as am not well enough to stand on step ladders yet) and although the sun and temperature lessened as the day went on I fancied some liquid reward for my efforts.

What I have discovered is more about Cloudwater, specifically their ingredients, and I have reached some possible conclusions about their distinctive Manchester sweetness aroma. Of course, I am not a brewer. So apologies to the Cloudwater's if I muddy them with guesswork.

The first thing to say about this 440 ml can is that the distinct (to me) Cloudwater nose was missing when I opened it. They have used WLP001 yeast which means nothing to me, other than its not the one which they use from J W Lees, which a quick scan of some cans from Cloudwater shows is either known simply as that, or is used with WLP4000. Am starting to cluelessly grab hold of the idea that the JW Lees and or WLP4000 yeast is the singular characteristic in the nose of other Cloudwater beers....

The can also states that they have increased the carapils and dextrin (malts?) and brewed with WLP001 for a "neutral yeast profile". This may be more egg to my omelette.

So, what of the bose itself?

The beer looks London opaque, and is a pale yellow hued colour. Crucially, the primary  characteristic of this beer is its bitterness. Chuff me. Even before reading it was double dry hopped with Simcoe, Vic secret and Chinook I was agog at how wonderfully bitter the initial and aftertaste was. I know I like Simcoe and Chinook but that combination with Vic secret and dry hopping with each takes this beer to another level. Its 5.5% but is considerably more bitter than their DIPA's. That, is a triumph of dry hopping.

I discovered some small clumps of yeast in the bottom of the glass so mixed them in just now - this makes the beer smoother, but also increases the bitterness. The key feature is the balance of those two competing flavours. Its difficult to pull off with very bitter dry hopped ales, and Cloudwater have managed to do so without that niggling sweetness. I really hope they use the neutral strain again as it sets this beer apart from its predecessors.

Its taken me thirty minutes, slowed down only by writing this and searching for an empty can of DIPA13, to drink this beer and I enjoyed every mouthful. The hoppiness is lingering and in some ways a little too much perhaps, but that is the only minor fault I can find in this exemplary modern pale ale.  

I look forward to drinking many more ales of this caliber in the future. A very enjoyable and accomplished, and very bitter, pale ale.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy

BBNo 0520 and Hop City collaboration IPA.

Good evening,

         its the Friday night before the Bank holiday. Today the temperature has nudged 30 degrees and its still warm now, looking like 16 or 17 overnight. The room has a lovely orange glow from the last embers of the hot sunshine. I am crying out for a cold beverage.

I have had a bottle of beer in my fridge since late March or early April, and recently spent a sum of money on some other rather excellent ales from Sean at Beer Central. The bottle in question is the BBNos and came from Shakesepares and is the first I will use to try and cool me down. I wouldn't normally drink it straight from the fridge but am warm and alas a little sweaty and the instructions on the bottle of the unfiltered and unpasteurised ale say to do that. It also says drink fresh - it was bottled 30 January so should be drunk by 30 May. I have therefore also followed that instruction. The Hop City is chilling in the fridge whilst I write about this one...

The BBNo 05/20 is an Azacca and Amarillo IPA at 6.5%, so a perfect starting strength. The label mentions that the resinous tropical fruit flavours of the Azacca are enveloped in the soft citrus of the Amarillo - this is probably why the veer has such a piney, fruity hoppiness, although it packs a very bitter after taste.

Its colour is darker than I had imagined and I wonder if I had drunk it in February instead of May it might have been paler? Not that it matters, its still a wonderfully easy drinking punchily hopped IPA. The aroma is also beautiful , its possibly pine or hop resin that I can detect. Its definitely a characteristic of the hops used that gives it that distinctive moreish luponic tang. And now its warmed a little, there are subtle flavours of blood orange coming through. And the bitterness does not dissipate. Brilliant.

The Hop City IPA is a beer Sean raved about. I understand there was a festival in Leeds, maybe at the Northern Monk brewery, of the same name, and this collaboration was born out of or for, that. The IPA is a collaboration between Northern Monk, Cloudwater and YCH Hops. I had never heard of the latter, but a quick Google search leads you to their website which is here and information about Cyro Hops. I have heard of them, if nothing else because Cloudwater and Magic Rock I think used them, or maybe the Lupulin Powder, in some recent canned ales. Alas at present I can't recall which beers, but one of the DIPA's had Lupulin powder in it so am guessing its the same product.

The Hop City is lighter than the BBNo and has a distinctive Cloudwater nose - maybe its that J W Lees yeast they use? For a hoppy 6.2% pale its incredibly easy drinking and the hoppy bitterness is subtle but ever present. The can proclaims they used HBC 344, which is a new or maybe experimental hop, along with Simcoe, Amarillo and Mosaic. The result is a lovely blend of tropical fruit, spice and bitterness.

These are two fantastic beers that showcase the hops used perfectly, and both have tropical fruit notes with lingering bitterness, so are right up my street.

Lets hope that now I know about it, I will be able to try similar and other hoppy ales at Hop City 2018.

Cheers!


Wee Beefy

Great tasting Gluten free beer shock

Hello,

         I was in Shakespeares the other day (obviously) and having recently finished the last of the phenomenal cans of Magic Rock Clairvoyance - quite simply the finest beer I have had in a can for a long time - I was asking bar-meister Christopher Keith Wadsworth which can I should choose next. In a moment of apparent sobering madness he recommended Magic Rock Fantasma, a plus 6% IPA which was gluten free. I checked my pockets for smelling salts but none could be found, but his insistence it was good made me agree to buy a can. Am glad I followed his sage  recommendation.

Years ago, between one and twenty, I heard about gluten free beer. It had no doubt been around longer but we in the UK are often slow to recognise, possibly distrustful of, developments and improvements, especially regarding at that time lesser known illnesses. So the first one I heard about was from Hambleton. With the greatest respect to them (I love their Nightmare and their strong pale which has a name I have since forgotten) it was a noble effort to make such a beer, but it tasted rank.  As did the Greens, and less so the Wold Top one. The removal of gluten seemed to take away any resemblance to a balanced beer.

Magic Rock Fantasma is not that kind of show. Admittedly I was told it was gluten free and that came for me with its own raft of expectations, but am fairly sure if I hadn't know it prior to supping I wouldn't have known it was gluten free. The only minor difference to other Magic Rock pale ales of a similar strength was that it lacked...something, maybe a tang of sweetness from the yeast or malt used? What it did have however was a wonderful, and crucially balanced, blend of hops with a delicious tropical bitterness. It would am sure, stand up against peer pales in a blind tasting.

In a reprehensible display of lazy journalism, I haven't spoken to Stuart or anyone else at Magic Rock about how they made a masterpiece from such a potato cut outs and paint template of a beer style. And am sure if I needed to drink gluten free beer I would want to know, so if nothing else I could share that with other brewers. But I don't. And also I haven't seen Stuart in some time. Journalism, eh. Whats it all about? Like memories.

Anyway, one good thing that might come from this, as well of course of the opportunity to drink excellent gluten free ale,  is greater awareness of those who have to drink gluten free beer. I refer of course to coeliacs, although that may not be all those affected. Funnily enough I was discussing the restrictions of and improvements in such beers with Liz at the Devonshire Cat last year - she was intending to have one completely gluten free handpump at the Dev. I have no idea if this has been taken on board following the refurb but if so that would be a really positive development. I understand that gluten or its constituents can still be present in the lines following the sale of non gluten free beers so a dedicated line would wipe out such a problem.

The addition of an exemplary pale ale also without gluten is a similar bonus.  Lets hope brewers can start to push forward improvements in gluten free beer so it can become a product that coeliacs actually want to drink rather than feel they have to.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy

Can conditioned

        You might like this one Beefy - its can conditioned....

So were the words, or similar sounds, uttered by Sean Clarke at Beer Central. I had been into collect a can of Big Dipper and decided I wanted something else - to be honest, its apparent conditioning didn't attract me as much as the fact that it was Moor Brewing Entanglement Red IPA at 9.something percent. It was only when I got home that I thought - what the chuff is can-conditioning when its at home?

In an inescapably poor situation of no research whatsoever (stick with what you (don't) know after all) I don't actually know what can conditioning is. I can hazard a guess, having drunk cask conditioned, and bottle conditioned (and ruined) beers over the years with yeast sediment present. The beer in question was excellent, and poured cloudy, but that doesn't mean there was any yeast in it. What I can say is, for a strong over 9% beer, it drank very easily. It was smooth, but not widget artificially smooth, rather pleasant and refreshing.

Bottling with yeast is meant, in perfect conditions at least, to make the beer fresher, and more carbonated and to continue to "brew" in the bottle using live yeast. Bottle conditioning is not, in my experience, a guaranteed art. Its fraught with potential hazards, probably more so than cask, where at least a decent proportion of those handling it have some idea about what to do with it. So far, by way of absurd comparison I have tried two cans of can conditioned beer, both from Moor, and liked them both.

The other was their Illusion session Black IPA, and this was more casky, if that's a word, than the stronger one. I understand Marble also condition their or most of their cans, and another well known brewery that aren't well known enough for me to recall have also taken the practice on board. There is promise therefore that the practice may take off, at which point a more accurate comparison can be made.

Meanwhile I am still not sure about the likelihood of exploding can conditioned cans, probably down to discombobulation about brewing processes, and a general lack of relevant knowledge re yeast. I know there is no point putting live yeast in a keg (so said Stuart from Magic Rock, probably) because it makes it too fizzy, but that hasn't been my experience of the two Moor beers.

The best thing that I can see coming pit of this is the fact that the CAMRA may now start taking canned beer seriously, now its no longer Worthington Creamflow and Skol. Obviously one can never tell in such areas, but to me there are now four excellent ways of serving perfectly brewed beer and at least three should meet one or other definitions of real ale.

Which means more choice for the consumer. Which is, after all, what we all want.

Huzzaah!

We Beefy

Cans.

Hello

         in the 1980's and 90's people really seemed to like canned beers. Almost all breweries canned their beers, from Multinationals to regional family brewers and even some new, up and coming microbreweries. Cans were available in corner shops and supermarkets and were inexpensive. My first party aged...um...an age, where canned drink was bought, was memorable as much for the antics of the guests as the number of cans and PET bottles that I disposed of the next day.

At Hagueys on Crookes you could buy cans of beer with widgets in - Castle Eden, John Smiths, Guinness, Trophy being ones I remember. These produce a silky smooth, film-like, jet of foamy beer which had almost no taste apart from a slight malt and bitter aftertaste - sometimes a lingering pharmaceutical aftertaste. Probably as bad as smoothflow beers are now.

As soon as I got into real ale aged 18 (ish) I started drinking less cans and moved onto pints and bottles - most notable when I started going to Archer Road Beer stop. Pretty soon I stopped drinking crap cans of bowze. I mean, why would I?

In the US of A, am fairly certain that breweries producing hoppy, excellent quality beers, Sierra Nevada, Brooklyn and Anchor spring to mind in this respect, have been producing their wares in cans for a long time. However, its probably only five years ago in the UK, likely with London based Microbreweries, that high quality hoppy tasting UK beers have started to appear in cans - most noticeably, in my experience, in the last eighteen months.

Given the above memories, and the often sky high cost of such products, I immediately turned my nose up - just like I did with keykeg, before I understood what it actually was. Earlier this year I tasted  a couple of UK cans, I think from CamdinBev and Roosters at Sheffield beer week, and really enjoyed them, And then later, Tom, or Barry Valentine at the Beer Engine, kindly gave me and Tash a can of Roosters baby faced assassin to try. I was amazed at how hoppy and distinctive it was. Granted, the beer itself is a hoppy easy drinking strong pale ale, so right up my street, but it tasted superb. What on earth was going on?

I have since tried Beavertown cans, and Magic Rock and think that as long as they are sold at a sensible price, the can is, or rather can be, a valuable means of dispense. A case in point is Magic Rock Grapefruit High Wire. Bought from Archer Road Beer Stop for £2.00 a can, which is a sensible price given its cost on keg, I was immediately struck by just how grapefruity the beer smelled and tasted. I have had this beer on keykeg, which I expected to love, (expectation versus delivery, I know...) and found it disappointing - the grapefruit was no more than a subtle hint in the background, perhaps overwhelmed by the carbonation?

In the can, the grapefruit is a complimentary but strong flavour at the forefront and again in the aftertaste. Supping a can last night I found it was refreshing and fruity and hoppy, as well as excellent value. Is this an example of the can being the best dispense method for a particular type pf beer?

Well, alas I can't say - I have not had the beer in a bottle or on cask so its not a fair comparison. What is a fair comparison is that cans from forward thinking innovative microbreweries now seem far better than the widget weary smooth foam of the nineties. If those selling such a product could be more realistic about pricing then I may start drinking more canned beers. And cans are after all, recyclable.

I would always prefer to drink real ale though, in case anyone is worried...!

Psssht click


Wee Beefy