Hello folks,
myself and Matty went to the event in the title on Friday, in some ways as preparation for spending most of Saturday moving furniture. On the Edge Nine Pin 4 once again took place in the Old Junior School Nether Edge and this was Matty's first visit. We started on halves of the IPA which began with A, (which I now know is called Atlanta) and the saisons IPA. Both were in excellent nick, the saisons an interesting mix which was tasty but not predominantly either style of beer. The IPA was hoppy and well rounded and an excellent, if nearly the strongest, beer to start on.
Next up were halves of the Cry Havoc steam beer and a half of the Strawberry wheat for Matty. He did not really enjoy it, but the steam beer was interesting. I followed this with another half of the strong IPA Atlanta and a half of the Davenport wheat which was a lovely refreshing wheat beer, along with the strong Abbey IPA made with Belgian Yeast. We finished on the two Black IPA's, Cascadian Black and a weaker one. The Cascadian Black is, in my opinion, a regular On the Edge brew, and tasted very good indeed. Alas we could not hang around longer, as we had other pubs to visit. Best of luck to Tom and Luisa with their next event in September.
Just down the road is the Beer Engine so this seemed like a good place to go. For info, we had started the evening at the Harlequin to try the Silly brewery Pink Grapefruit wheat beer called Pink Killer. I have to admit we were a little underwhelmed, mainly because it was too sweet - the yeast and malts used nullified the bite that you get from Pink Grapefruit. Shame.
At the Beer engine there was a fantastic Wiper and True Red IPA on keg and the Wild Ninkasi saison style wild yeast ale, along with Lost Industry Chilli Sorachi pale on cask. I had a half of that and a half of Wiper and True and Matty a half of the latter and of the Ninkasi. We sat in the beer garden in the fading sunshine thoroughly enjoying the beers on offer. The chilli beer was thankfully not too hot so worked well with the Sorachi, and the Ninkasi is a fantastic saison style beer (its difficult to say that its a saison only...so here is a link to their website!) . The Wiper and True was, unsurprisingly, the pick of the bunch.
Down the road a little we came to the Sentinel Brew Co. I warned Matty about the prices but we once again enjoyed the beers, mainly the EU IPA. We also had another of their range, the identity of which seems to have escaped me. The venue seems to be getting busier and is a good place to bump into persons from the world of Sheffield beer.
We finished the night in the Rutland Arms. The Rutland eh...whats it all about? We will never know. We had a pint of something tasty on keg and I tried a pint of Reet Pale but alas it tasted of paracetamol! It was swapped straight away for something else which was Amarillo from Crouch Vale. Or another beer. It was good to stay for a couple and listen to some excellent tunes on the jukebox before heading back to Chestnut Towers, on the last bus. When we got in I put on some tunes and poured us some beer and Matty fell asleep - bless him.
The above is one of a few crawls I have done so far this thirsty month of May, am hoping to provide some details of the others in the next week.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Showing posts with label On the edge brewery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label On the edge brewery. Show all posts
Tuesday, 10 May 2016
Friday, 24 July 2015
On the Edge Brewery beer fest and 3 very different pubs
Hello,
3 years ago last weekend I was the second customer. At the On the Edge Brewery launch. I met Geoff, Rich and Kath, Mark and John from the other side (of the Pennines) and others. it was great fun, and I tried all the beers. On Saturday last, a celebratory event, 9Pin #2 was held. I was not the first customer. I was however, one of many.
Walking from High Street is easy for me. Not sp much for Tash however with her tendinitis, and the hot sunshine and wind making her hayfever play up. We walked along the Moor and up past the beer engine, then forgot where to go at the former Vine, but eventually found our way onto Sharrow Vale Road and into the Old Primary School.
There were 9 beers from On the Edge, including 2 saisons, a couple of dark beers, pale ales and a red. Given our thirsty yomp up the hill, and leaving common sense behind we started on halves of the Saisons Houblon at 6.4%. It was delicious - not "too saisony" as Tom the brewer said, but incredibly light and refreshing and worryingly easy to drink. We sat in the hall and completed the quiz about beer and then got more.
Next up were two halves, one of the Sorachi pale at 5.5% and another of the Liquid Amber at 5%. Both were packed with flavour but the Sorachi was probably the better. We supped this sat in glorious sunshine in the playground, chatting to other drinkers. A perfect spot. Next we had halves of saison houblon again, before I grabbed an extra half of Green Bullet, a glorious grassy 5.8% pale ale which once again went down well. By now the Sorachi had run out, and although I tried and disliked the treacle saison, we both finished on further halves of the Saisons Houblon.
It was good chatting with Tom and Luisa who run the brewery, and great to see the event well attended. Maybe 9Pin #3 is on the horizon....
Off next down a side street to the end of London Road and into the Beer Engine. Before we'd even assessed the cask ales on offer, Tom had pointed out the Bad Seed Brewery Pale ale at 7.0%. Even thought it was pricey at £6.00 a pint, it was delicious, so we had a pint each and went to catch the last of the sun's rays in the beer garden.
Tom also gave us a can of Roosters Baby Faced Assassin a 6.1% pale ale, to sample. Getting over my horrid memories of canned beer (with widgets in, no less....) is quite a trick, but this helped enormously. A tremendously complex yet equally refreshing hoppy pale ale, this is something I'd be more than happy to try again. We finished on sublime tapas, chorizo and patatas bravas of course, before heading into town.
Here we popped in the Dove and Rainbow on Hartshead Square. As is happening more often, they had Jaipur on from Thornbridge. We each had a pint, in keeping with our strong pale ale crawl, and got chatting to truck driver Ben, wearing an absurdly large wizards hat, in the beer garden. Those who know me well know that the Dove is hardly my favourite boozer - and I can't explain why. However, this visit showed they can serve good real ale, so points for that!
Our final stop was a bus ride away on South Road, Walkley. On my birthday, or just after, last year, I sat in the then temporarily open Walkley Beer Co and supped a Blue Bee beer which was rebadged (and crucially, re-hopped) as my Wee Beery birthday brew. I was impressed by the cask choice, the prices, and the bottled beers. Saturday was the first time I have been back since. With friends like me eh....!
Of the ales on offer the obvious choice was the 5.3% Weird Beard Mariana Trench, described by them as a Transpacific pale, this is a well rounded hoppy pale ale at 5.3%, using, one imagines, American hops. It was lovely. We also bought a half of the Beavertown Power of the Voodoo at 10% on keg to share. Although 50p a pint more than Shakespeares, you really only do need a half so it still represents good value.
We chatted at length with Kit and Rod behind the bar, and with the guy from Emmanuales brewery, forgetting of course that the pub shuts at 22.00 - we were the last to leave, and hopped straight on a 52 round the corner, all the way home! We wish the Walkley Beer Co all the best in their now permanent home, and promise we will be back in less then 13 months time.
So, a fab day of drinking at 4 very different venues, including some truly outstanding beers and great company. It will be a long time before we have another day out like that I'm sure.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
3 years ago last weekend I was the second customer. At the On the Edge Brewery launch. I met Geoff, Rich and Kath, Mark and John from the other side (of the Pennines) and others. it was great fun, and I tried all the beers. On Saturday last, a celebratory event, 9Pin #2 was held. I was not the first customer. I was however, one of many.
Walking from High Street is easy for me. Not sp much for Tash however with her tendinitis, and the hot sunshine and wind making her hayfever play up. We walked along the Moor and up past the beer engine, then forgot where to go at the former Vine, but eventually found our way onto Sharrow Vale Road and into the Old Primary School.
There were 9 beers from On the Edge, including 2 saisons, a couple of dark beers, pale ales and a red. Given our thirsty yomp up the hill, and leaving common sense behind we started on halves of the Saisons Houblon at 6.4%. It was delicious - not "too saisony" as Tom the brewer said, but incredibly light and refreshing and worryingly easy to drink. We sat in the hall and completed the quiz about beer and then got more.
Next up were two halves, one of the Sorachi pale at 5.5% and another of the Liquid Amber at 5%. Both were packed with flavour but the Sorachi was probably the better. We supped this sat in glorious sunshine in the playground, chatting to other drinkers. A perfect spot. Next we had halves of saison houblon again, before I grabbed an extra half of Green Bullet, a glorious grassy 5.8% pale ale which once again went down well. By now the Sorachi had run out, and although I tried and disliked the treacle saison, we both finished on further halves of the Saisons Houblon.
It was good chatting with Tom and Luisa who run the brewery, and great to see the event well attended. Maybe 9Pin #3 is on the horizon....
Off next down a side street to the end of London Road and into the Beer Engine. Before we'd even assessed the cask ales on offer, Tom had pointed out the Bad Seed Brewery Pale ale at 7.0%. Even thought it was pricey at £6.00 a pint, it was delicious, so we had a pint each and went to catch the last of the sun's rays in the beer garden.
Tom also gave us a can of Roosters Baby Faced Assassin a 6.1% pale ale, to sample. Getting over my horrid memories of canned beer (with widgets in, no less....) is quite a trick, but this helped enormously. A tremendously complex yet equally refreshing hoppy pale ale, this is something I'd be more than happy to try again. We finished on sublime tapas, chorizo and patatas bravas of course, before heading into town.
Here we popped in the Dove and Rainbow on Hartshead Square. As is happening more often, they had Jaipur on from Thornbridge. We each had a pint, in keeping with our strong pale ale crawl, and got chatting to truck driver Ben, wearing an absurdly large wizards hat, in the beer garden. Those who know me well know that the Dove is hardly my favourite boozer - and I can't explain why. However, this visit showed they can serve good real ale, so points for that!
Our final stop was a bus ride away on South Road, Walkley. On my birthday, or just after, last year, I sat in the then temporarily open Walkley Beer Co and supped a Blue Bee beer which was rebadged (and crucially, re-hopped) as my Wee Beery birthday brew. I was impressed by the cask choice, the prices, and the bottled beers. Saturday was the first time I have been back since. With friends like me eh....!
Of the ales on offer the obvious choice was the 5.3% Weird Beard Mariana Trench, described by them as a Transpacific pale, this is a well rounded hoppy pale ale at 5.3%, using, one imagines, American hops. It was lovely. We also bought a half of the Beavertown Power of the Voodoo at 10% on keg to share. Although 50p a pint more than Shakespeares, you really only do need a half so it still represents good value.
We chatted at length with Kit and Rod behind the bar, and with the guy from Emmanuales brewery, forgetting of course that the pub shuts at 22.00 - we were the last to leave, and hopped straight on a 52 round the corner, all the way home! We wish the Walkley Beer Co all the best in their now permanent home, and promise we will be back in less then 13 months time.
So, a fab day of drinking at 4 very different venues, including some truly outstanding beers and great company. It will be a long time before we have another day out like that I'm sure.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Wednesday, 20 November 2013
I don't get bored, get bored, in the Broad field
Evening,
with recent rounds up of linked venues and breweries it's time to reprise my 2012 visit to the Forum Bars Broadfield Ale House on Abbeydale Road - conveniently situated next to the Hop Hideout, which you may remember from being a new specialist beer shop, and everything. My initial two visits heralded good and bad impressions but apart from a spate of visits later that year I've been a bit of s stranger. Lately, a flurry of visits have afforded me the chance of a re-review, thus...
back in the warm late September Miss N and myself had a day boozing in the Tap, grabbing a coffee in coffee shop-cum-restaurant-cakery-cum-off license Sellers Wheel, before heading to the Broadfield for a beer in the garden. On that occasion the first two beers we spotted were ours for the session. Miss N waded in recklessly to several pint of the Hardknott Infrared and I switched between that and Ilkley Norseman. Both beers were well kept although they could perhaps have been a bit cheaper, and were perfect for the third quarter of our session. It was nice to sit outside and enjoy ale in the sunshine and there is a reasonable amount of space to do so.
The other Saturday was Nat's 40th - and we had "prepared" for it with a session in the Rutland as I reported last time. Reaching Abbeydale Road and hoping to catch the party of revelers as they headed down from Woodseats we nipped in the Broadfield for a beer and started texting the throng. Finding a space at the right hand side bar in the incredibly busy pub I caught the barman's eye and asked what other beers were on offer. Initially I was contemplating a Bradfield Pale but as soon as he said On The Edge Berliner my mind was set on that!
The former Sheffield beer festival award winner was every bit as good as I had hoped - eminently quaffable and utterly refreshing this ale was not to enjoy a lengthy life - probably lasting twenty minutes, and then only because we were searching for a seat instead of drinking. So good was it that, even having established that the party were not that far away, we had to stay for another to make sure. This visit showed up the minor downside to the Broady - that being that its undoubted popularity makes it claustrophobicly busy at times.
This weekend I was at a loose end twice whilst in the vicinity. After my drink at te Rising Sun Friday I was dropped off on Sheldon Road and popped into Vintedge for a sneak preview of Hop Hideout. Since they weren't officially open it seemed cheeky to hang around so I made my excuses and escaped to the Broadfield for a beer or two. Finding a spare seat on a Friday night is a bit of a problem - but I managed it, and set about assessing my options. I opted for a pint of the Black Iris stout at 5.0% - alas I couldn't tell what the name was but it had a picture of a mans face on. So it was that one. And it tasted good. Next up I had a pint of Magic Rock Curious, and a half of Blackjack Dunkel on Keykeg. The Magic Rock offering was on good form and the Dunkel a nice chewy half to slow down my earlier rapacious intake.
Saturday I was back at Hop Hideout for the pzazz of the opening day, and hoping to be committed to celluloid as well - alas that leap into stardom never came about but I still found my way round to the Broadfield for an earlier and quieter visit. This time the Bradfield Pale was my starter of choice, which stood up well to the free taster of Northern Monk Imperial Stout that I'd had at the shop. It was also good value at £3.00 a pint. I then moved onto another half of the Blackjack Dunkel, along with half of their Texas Holdem on cask, a well rounded feisty bitter which came to £3.40 for the two. Both were once again in good nick, especially the Bradfield.
This shows that after an initially perhaps cautious start the Broadfield, not least because its an outlet for On The Edge beers, has adopted a policy of featuring interesting and varied guests which showcases some of the better upcoming and established microbreweries in the UK. Obviously as a drinker I'd prefer less space to be allocated to eating but that's the only gripe really, which means its always worth popping in if you are up at that end of town.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy.
with recent rounds up of linked venues and breweries it's time to reprise my 2012 visit to the Forum Bars Broadfield Ale House on Abbeydale Road - conveniently situated next to the Hop Hideout, which you may remember from being a new specialist beer shop, and everything. My initial two visits heralded good and bad impressions but apart from a spate of visits later that year I've been a bit of s stranger. Lately, a flurry of visits have afforded me the chance of a re-review, thus...
back in the warm late September Miss N and myself had a day boozing in the Tap, grabbing a coffee in coffee shop-cum-restaurant-cakery-cum-off license Sellers Wheel, before heading to the Broadfield for a beer in the garden. On that occasion the first two beers we spotted were ours for the session. Miss N waded in recklessly to several pint of the Hardknott Infrared and I switched between that and Ilkley Norseman. Both beers were well kept although they could perhaps have been a bit cheaper, and were perfect for the third quarter of our session. It was nice to sit outside and enjoy ale in the sunshine and there is a reasonable amount of space to do so.
The other Saturday was Nat's 40th - and we had "prepared" for it with a session in the Rutland as I reported last time. Reaching Abbeydale Road and hoping to catch the party of revelers as they headed down from Woodseats we nipped in the Broadfield for a beer and started texting the throng. Finding a space at the right hand side bar in the incredibly busy pub I caught the barman's eye and asked what other beers were on offer. Initially I was contemplating a Bradfield Pale but as soon as he said On The Edge Berliner my mind was set on that!
The former Sheffield beer festival award winner was every bit as good as I had hoped - eminently quaffable and utterly refreshing this ale was not to enjoy a lengthy life - probably lasting twenty minutes, and then only because we were searching for a seat instead of drinking. So good was it that, even having established that the party were not that far away, we had to stay for another to make sure. This visit showed up the minor downside to the Broady - that being that its undoubted popularity makes it claustrophobicly busy at times.
This weekend I was at a loose end twice whilst in the vicinity. After my drink at te Rising Sun Friday I was dropped off on Sheldon Road and popped into Vintedge for a sneak preview of Hop Hideout. Since they weren't officially open it seemed cheeky to hang around so I made my excuses and escaped to the Broadfield for a beer or two. Finding a spare seat on a Friday night is a bit of a problem - but I managed it, and set about assessing my options. I opted for a pint of the Black Iris stout at 5.0% - alas I couldn't tell what the name was but it had a picture of a mans face on. So it was that one. And it tasted good. Next up I had a pint of Magic Rock Curious, and a half of Blackjack Dunkel on Keykeg. The Magic Rock offering was on good form and the Dunkel a nice chewy half to slow down my earlier rapacious intake.
Saturday I was back at Hop Hideout for the pzazz of the opening day, and hoping to be committed to celluloid as well - alas that leap into stardom never came about but I still found my way round to the Broadfield for an earlier and quieter visit. This time the Bradfield Pale was my starter of choice, which stood up well to the free taster of Northern Monk Imperial Stout that I'd had at the shop. It was also good value at £3.00 a pint. I then moved onto another half of the Blackjack Dunkel, along with half of their Texas Holdem on cask, a well rounded feisty bitter which came to £3.40 for the two. Both were once again in good nick, especially the Bradfield.
This shows that after an initially perhaps cautious start the Broadfield, not least because its an outlet for On The Edge beers, has adopted a policy of featuring interesting and varied guests which showcases some of the better upcoming and established microbreweries in the UK. Obviously as a drinker I'd prefer less space to be allocated to eating but that's the only gripe really, which means its always worth popping in if you are up at that end of town.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy.
Tuesday, 17 July 2012
On The Edge Brewery launch, Sheffield 14th July
Hello,
on Saturday I was up early and awaah across town to the Old Junior School, South View Road, Nether Edge, for the exciting launch of On The Edge Brewery. This was a great opportunity to try some new Sheffield beer and also to test the performance of that old chestnut "expectation" since I had persuaded myself in advance what some of the beers ought to taste like.
Whether expectation or anticipation, the sense of both had been building based on the release of various details about the brews on offer in the week before the launch so I couldn't wait to get there - literally. I arrived before any beer was served, with just Billingham alesman Geoff for company.
Sadly its probably recorded in the annuls of the history of the brewery that he bought the first half pint, whilst I was fannying around trying to organise pictures, change and discourse with the brewer, but that is the burden on the noble beer blogger. Or pisshead - I think the roles are interchangeable....
Things quickly got busy and it soon became apparent that punters would be following the same route, i.e starting low and then increasing the strength of beers tasted - that said, there were only pins of the strong stuff, so I was quite perturbed that I might have to embark on a less than wise beer early on.
All in all I got to try all of the beers on offer, a temptingly broad selection of styles using different yeasts and a core bittering base as a platform for styles as divergent as smoked Maarzen wheat beer and Double IPA.
Here are the notes I made about each of the beers, possibly in order...
Wath IPA 3.8% £1.20 my first half was quite sweet and fruity initially, and after getting over my damaged by Greene King abhorrence at a low gravity IPA (I know, I know, IPA's needing to be plus 7% ABV is a beer myth, etc...) I found it very well flavoured for its strength, and a satisfying hoppy finish made this a good start.
Wit Wash 5.2% - £1.40 my second beer was a fantastic orangey refreshing wheat beer, using German yeast and slightly reminiscent of Weihenstephaner, although if I had one complaint, it was that it didn't stay cloudy throughout - I demand soup!
Citradel 5.5% £1.50 my first tainting by the gaunt spectre of expectation came with this orangey, slightly yeast prominent (but in a good sense, i.e not sour or anything) IPA which just didn't meet my expectation of how bitter it was going to be. I know Citra is a fruity hop but there was no depth to the bite and the hoppiness faded too fast.
Black IPA 6.0% £1.90 this was exactly what I expected, dry roast malts and bitterness, made with U.S yeast and mainly Cascade hops, possibly a mite too dry but definitely ticking the Black IPA boxes.
Maarzen - smoked Brown 5.5% £1.50
Wow! A smoked bite that smacks you square in the chops, then attaches to you with its brutal burnt wood claws and refuses to let go for at least the first half of the drink. I really didn't care for this at first, but as I continued drinking it mellowed just enough to be the rich smoky beast that I had hoped for. The brave and commendable use of peated malt gives this an edge, no pun intended, and harshens the bite.
Imperial stout, 7.5% - £2.00 Spectre 1 - brewer 0.
Unfortunately this was not at all what I hoped for. It was dark, yes, it had stout character and robust dark malt flavours but it had a subtle taste lurking at the back which I couldn't ignore. A few sips in I realised to my horror that it had a fruity almost lambic sharpness. The world's first black lambic? I wasn't sold on this one, but I think this is an example of where the expectation scuppered its chances of having a fair assessment. One to revisit.
Pilgrimage, 3.9% £1.20 a reckless and unjustified slump in ABV had me arrived at this enjoyable earthy pale ale, still with a distinct hop (or maybe malt?) signature, but reminding me of the better sulphurs and chewy bitter notes of beers I know and love, but, erm,which seem to be hiding from me. Stood up well to the might of the darker one before. Brewed with Pilgrim hops, tha sees..
Double Gold 9.5% £2.50 Puzzlingly, there appear not to be any notes for this beer. Almost inevitably it was my last, but for some reason the pen appears to have become too weighty and cumbersome to wield under its influence. I recall being slightly underwhelmed by the bitterness, but my memories are sufficiently unclear to warrant a description no more than guess work, which would be harsh.
Overall this was a great festival/brewery launch with cheerful and knowledgeable volunteers and helpful brewery staff Tom and Luisa, which was a great introduction to the breweries interesting brews. My favourites were the Wit (I had 3 of them, later notes proclaiming only "Yum!" ) the Maarzen and the Black IPA.
My only concern is, with a plant so small that, I think it can only produce 2 firkins at a time (or is it one?) where are we going to get hold of some more?
I suspect Steel City beer festival 38 might offer a helping hand on this one...
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
on Saturday I was up early and awaah across town to the Old Junior School, South View Road, Nether Edge, for the exciting launch of On The Edge Brewery. This was a great opportunity to try some new Sheffield beer and also to test the performance of that old chestnut "expectation" since I had persuaded myself in advance what some of the beers ought to taste like.
Whether expectation or anticipation, the sense of both had been building based on the release of various details about the brews on offer in the week before the launch so I couldn't wait to get there - literally. I arrived before any beer was served, with just Billingham alesman Geoff for company.
Sadly its probably recorded in the annuls of the history of the brewery that he bought the first half pint, whilst I was fannying around trying to organise pictures, change and discourse with the brewer, but that is the burden on the noble beer blogger. Or pisshead - I think the roles are interchangeable....
Things quickly got busy and it soon became apparent that punters would be following the same route, i.e starting low and then increasing the strength of beers tasted - that said, there were only pins of the strong stuff, so I was quite perturbed that I might have to embark on a less than wise beer early on.
All in all I got to try all of the beers on offer, a temptingly broad selection of styles using different yeasts and a core bittering base as a platform for styles as divergent as smoked Maarzen wheat beer and Double IPA.Here are the notes I made about each of the beers, possibly in order...
Wath IPA 3.8% £1.20 my first half was quite sweet and fruity initially, and after getting over my damaged by Greene King abhorrence at a low gravity IPA (I know, I know, IPA's needing to be plus 7% ABV is a beer myth, etc...) I found it very well flavoured for its strength, and a satisfying hoppy finish made this a good start.
Wit Wash 5.2% - £1.40 my second beer was a fantastic orangey refreshing wheat beer, using German yeast and slightly reminiscent of Weihenstephaner, although if I had one complaint, it was that it didn't stay cloudy throughout - I demand soup!
Citradel 5.5% £1.50 my first tainting by the gaunt spectre of expectation came with this orangey, slightly yeast prominent (but in a good sense, i.e not sour or anything) IPA which just didn't meet my expectation of how bitter it was going to be. I know Citra is a fruity hop but there was no depth to the bite and the hoppiness faded too fast.
Black IPA 6.0% £1.90 this was exactly what I expected, dry roast malts and bitterness, made with U.S yeast and mainly Cascade hops, possibly a mite too dry but definitely ticking the Black IPA boxes.
 |
| The expert tasting panel, i.e not me! |
Maarzen - smoked Brown 5.5% £1.50
Wow! A smoked bite that smacks you square in the chops, then attaches to you with its brutal burnt wood claws and refuses to let go for at least the first half of the drink. I really didn't care for this at first, but as I continued drinking it mellowed just enough to be the rich smoky beast that I had hoped for. The brave and commendable use of peated malt gives this an edge, no pun intended, and harshens the bite.
Imperial stout, 7.5% - £2.00 Spectre 1 - brewer 0.
Unfortunately this was not at all what I hoped for. It was dark, yes, it had stout character and robust dark malt flavours but it had a subtle taste lurking at the back which I couldn't ignore. A few sips in I realised to my horror that it had a fruity almost lambic sharpness. The world's first black lambic? I wasn't sold on this one, but I think this is an example of where the expectation scuppered its chances of having a fair assessment. One to revisit.
Pilgrimage, 3.9% £1.20 a reckless and unjustified slump in ABV had me arrived at this enjoyable earthy pale ale, still with a distinct hop (or maybe malt?) signature, but reminding me of the better sulphurs and chewy bitter notes of beers I know and love, but, erm,which seem to be hiding from me. Stood up well to the might of the darker one before. Brewed with Pilgrim hops, tha sees..
Double Gold 9.5% £2.50 Puzzlingly, there appear not to be any notes for this beer. Almost inevitably it was my last, but for some reason the pen appears to have become too weighty and cumbersome to wield under its influence. I recall being slightly underwhelmed by the bitterness, but my memories are sufficiently unclear to warrant a description no more than guess work, which would be harsh.
Overall this was a great festival/brewery launch with cheerful and knowledgeable volunteers and helpful brewery staff Tom and Luisa, which was a great introduction to the breweries interesting brews. My favourites were the Wit (I had 3 of them, later notes proclaiming only "Yum!" ) the Maarzen and the Black IPA.
My only concern is, with a plant so small that, I think it can only produce 2 firkins at a time (or is it one?) where are we going to get hold of some more?
I suspect Steel City beer festival 38 might offer a helping hand on this one...
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Upcoming ale treats
Hello,
July looks like being a busy month in terms of events, here in Sheff and a little further afield, so here are some bits of info I've gleaned from social media and the wider tinterweb for your delectation.
We start with the biggest event.....
Of course, eclipsing all planned activities for most of the year I reckon (sorry Sheffield beer festival....) is the launch of Sheffield's newest Brewery, "On the Edge", based in and launching in Nether Edge on Saturday.
This exciting new Pico-brewery* is launching with what sounds like an innovative and really interesting range of beers, eight of which are expected to be available on Saturday, and all of which I am really looking forward to trying.
Teasers released by the brewery on social media include a smoked malt imperial stout, a Chinook and Citra hop IPA, and a 9 month aged Marzen.
The event runs from 12 noon at the Old Junior School, South View Road, Nether Edge, Sheffield. For more details see @OntheEdgeBrew on Twitter, the latest copy of Beer Matters, or the following Facebook link .
Further afield..
The Star Inn, Folly Hall, Huddersfield is running a beer festival starting tomorrow, or more likely today, since its now Wednesday. Not really a sleuthing by myself, since this info is on the A Swift One blog, so for more details see : aswiftone .
Maybe less further afield?
Also high up on any ale aficionado's beer destination list is Derby; their summer beer festival, which I have been to a couple of times, starts today and runs until Sunday. More details here
Music and ale ahoy!
Another reminder, although I doubt any Sheffield folk require it, that Tramlines is on from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd July, featuring numerous venues for music and of course beer, and a bar down at CADS on Snow Lane Shalesmoor serving up blues and real ales. Last year a few pubs that previously hadn't ever, started selling real ale for the event, and still are, so maybe try a few new venues and see what you find.
Cask vs Keg dream realised
Well, I sincerely hope I get the chance to see this to happen!
The Hallamshire House and everything have said that they will be selling Thornbridge Kipling on cask and Keykeg side by side at the same time! This presents me with a really interesting opportunity to properly assess the relative and contrasting merits of each style, as well as hopefully sampling some of the other delights, like maybe my favourite Pollards Coffee Milk Stout.
And whilst we're on the subject of cask vs keg, I would like to finish with a question for you to ponder (and would really appreciate some answers/help on this one). Having received a comment from Keykeg team on my recent post on the subject, which really is a bit naughty, since they are a trading website so officially its spam, I wondered what exactly it was that made Keykeg so damned expensive?
I note that more often or not the halves of KK I am buying are at a very considerable strength, or imported, or both , but even the few UK brewed lower ABV ones I have encountered are all over £3.50 a pint.
I genuinely don't understand why Keykeg is so much more expensive a method of dispense (especially with it being pricier than normal keg, although obviously better).
Does anyone know or can anyone explain WHY?
All help gratefully received!
See you at Nether Edge
Wee Beefy
*(it sounds smaller than a nano, you see, so that description figures, unless, and this seems unlikely, the inexpugnable accuracy of responses on Yahoo answers is wrong.... ahem...)
July looks like being a busy month in terms of events, here in Sheff and a little further afield, so here are some bits of info I've gleaned from social media and the wider tinterweb for your delectation.
We start with the biggest event.....
Of course, eclipsing all planned activities for most of the year I reckon (sorry Sheffield beer festival....) is the launch of Sheffield's newest Brewery, "On the Edge", based in and launching in Nether Edge on Saturday.
This exciting new Pico-brewery* is launching with what sounds like an innovative and really interesting range of beers, eight of which are expected to be available on Saturday, and all of which I am really looking forward to trying.
Teasers released by the brewery on social media include a smoked malt imperial stout, a Chinook and Citra hop IPA, and a 9 month aged Marzen.
The event runs from 12 noon at the Old Junior School, South View Road, Nether Edge, Sheffield. For more details see @OntheEdgeBrew on Twitter, the latest copy of Beer Matters, or the following Facebook link .
Further afield..
The Star Inn, Folly Hall, Huddersfield is running a beer festival starting tomorrow, or more likely today, since its now Wednesday. Not really a sleuthing by myself, since this info is on the A Swift One blog, so for more details see : aswiftone .
Maybe less further afield?
Also high up on any ale aficionado's beer destination list is Derby; their summer beer festival, which I have been to a couple of times, starts today and runs until Sunday. More details here
Music and ale ahoy!
Another reminder, although I doubt any Sheffield folk require it, that Tramlines is on from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd July, featuring numerous venues for music and of course beer, and a bar down at CADS on Snow Lane Shalesmoor serving up blues and real ales. Last year a few pubs that previously hadn't ever, started selling real ale for the event, and still are, so maybe try a few new venues and see what you find.
Cask vs Keg dream realised
Well, I sincerely hope I get the chance to see this to happen!
The Hallamshire House and everything have said that they will be selling Thornbridge Kipling on cask and Keykeg side by side at the same time! This presents me with a really interesting opportunity to properly assess the relative and contrasting merits of each style, as well as hopefully sampling some of the other delights, like maybe my favourite Pollards Coffee Milk Stout.
And whilst we're on the subject of cask vs keg, I would like to finish with a question for you to ponder (and would really appreciate some answers/help on this one). Having received a comment from Keykeg team on my recent post on the subject, which really is a bit naughty, since they are a trading website so officially its spam, I wondered what exactly it was that made Keykeg so damned expensive?
I note that more often or not the halves of KK I am buying are at a very considerable strength, or imported, or both , but even the few UK brewed lower ABV ones I have encountered are all over £3.50 a pint.
I genuinely don't understand why Keykeg is so much more expensive a method of dispense (especially with it being pricier than normal keg, although obviously better).
Does anyone know or can anyone explain WHY?
All help gratefully received!
See you at Nether Edge
Wee Beefy
*(it sounds smaller than a nano, you see, so that description figures, unless, and this seems unlikely, the inexpugnable accuracy of responses on Yahoo answers is wrong.... ahem...)
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