Hardy companions

Hello,

    as you may know already from my post on Sunday, on Friday I got to try a bottle of aged Thomas Hardy Ale which was a fantastic privilege and a great experience. However, you don't just wander aimlessly into a plus 12% matured beer, there needs to be a bibulous pre amble. And so it was; Davefromtshop had carefully selected a few bottles, as had I, to try before and after the main event, the details of which are below.

We started low, as is always the best plan, with a beer I had lovingly carted back from Crete, Craft Black lager. I knew what to expect as I'd had a few bottles in On the Rocks but it was a first for Dave. The beer is, as you would expect, black, with a nice head of neat white bubbles and an incredibly intense sweetness that takes you back a bit at first. However, whilst its not subtle, and initially you could be forgiven for worrying that it would be too sweet, the flavours mellow out as you drink and it turns out to be an interesting, enjoyable, if unsophisticated drop.

Up next was Belfast Blues, from Birrificio Indipendente Elav. This is described as a bitter, which seems strange coming from Italy. I recognise, of course, that there is much new in the Italian beer scene so am not going to suggest that I expected a lager, but what we got was something really surprising and interesting. The beer is bottle conditioned (I think it certainly retains a yeast sediment) and was difficult to pour clear. Its also lively, although it would have probably benefited from being a little chilled on both flavour and carbonation fronts.

It was bitter, yes, but in a dry hoppy way, more pale ale rather than trad bitter, with a a wonderful herby aftertaste. Adding the yeast makes the beer easier to quaff and balances the bitterness better leaving a fantastic beer. A great introduction to the brewery's beer.

Next up was the Chiltern 30th anniversary ale. We tried it last time and were fairly underwhelmed, this time it was nearer its best before date and so had longer to mature. On opening it, despite my having taken it all the way from home on the bus, it didn't explode, although there was a fair champagne sounding pop, and it immediately smelt incredibly rich and strong in alcohol.

The aroma reminded me of a strong stout in some ways, but maybe a Fullers Vintage. Either way it was confusing, because the copper brown beer in fact had no such taste. Interestingly though, this older bottle had a very subtle edge to it that the younger one didn't, a kind of pleasant cherry flavour which worked really well with the dry bitterness and warming mouthfeel. Quite a puzzle of a beer, but much nearer to the excellence we had anticipated in the bottle we tried earlier in the year.
  

The Birrificio Indipendente Elav Indie Ale was up next, an "independent beer" which also carried a sediment but which we had no problem leaving in the bottle. Initial tastes were harsh - incredibly dry bitterness, not matched by much other flavours, almost metallic, and quite thin. So we added the yeast. It only heightened the ascorbic taste! It was strange, and not obvious what was being aimed for, the bitterness was impressive but it was neither an IPA or a indeed any other identifiable style, and its independent taste didn't help it to shine. A hop too far I think.

A totally different beer next, the last that I brought from home, Thornbridge Evenlode Brown Porter. This is a beer I remember trying on draught at the Hallamshire House and enjoying. It was a while ago, and to be honest I was quite surprised to read on the label that it was matured on blackberries, but it was too long ago to say for definite that I hadn't picked up on that from the cask.

I needn't have worried though.  The blackberry taste came through well, not too strong or overpowering, and melded with and complemented the brown malty porter brilliantly. Its certainly an unusual taste, but incredibly well balanced, a really subtle blend of flavours that gives an interesting new angle to the porter style - especially with an interest developing in sour stouts. After a few bum offerings from Thornbridge on cask of late this as a reminder of what they do well.

On the night our next beer was the coveted Thomas hardy Ale, after which we needed something at the exact opposite end of the flavour spectrum to compete with its strong tasting signature. Dave had been given a very large bottle of Hop-Ruiter, described as a blonde hoppy beer, and brewed in Belgium by Dutch brewers Scheldebrouwerij, so we shared that. It was suggested that they brewed the beer in Belgium because it would attract more praise as Belgium is well regarded as a brewing country. I'm not sure I could attach too much reliability either to the claim that this formed part of their thinking, or the insinuation that Dutch beer isn't well regarded, but either way, maybe one of those factors has influenced the unevenness of this rather puzzling ensemble.

Hop-Ruiter uses Belgian yeast and that is noticeable in the aroma and taste, its not particularly blonde, but Jesus wept its hoppy. Here though is s similar problem to the Indie Ale - its so dry and ascorbic you can't really get the benefit of the Belgian yeast or indeed any of the other flavours, such as the fruity notes that such yeast helps to showcase. Its just a big dry hoppy bitter beer, with little that stands out apart from the nagging questions it begs about what they may have intended.

That said, its quite hard following an even slightly past its best Thomas Hardy Ale, so maybe I need to try this one again. We both agreed that the fact it was a much larger bottle than is normally on sale also didn't help, so I reserve judgement on this one.

The last beer of the night was selected to stand up to any previous flavours and aromas and indeed, expectations we might have encountered.  Birrificio Indipendente Elav Techno double hopped IPA was exactly as we had expected, but perhaps in a better way than with their Indie Ale. Yes there was massive "assertive" hops, as label writers seem to like to say, but there were some subtleties in the overall flavour that brought out the best parts of the bite in the hops used.

It was a really satisfying, perhaps slightly challenging hop monster, but if I had a complaint it was that it maybe didn't have staying power - the initial thrill of tingly zesty hop was amazing but it didn't lead anywhere. Even the addition of yeast failed to make much impact.

Overall this was a night of great beers, some really interesting ones from new (or at least new to us) breweries and some rather incredible ones from those well established. Given that the Hardy's suffered from a minor but forgivable yeast malfunction, I think I would say that the joint best beers were the Belfast Blues and the Evenlode Porter on the night.

All I need to do now is start planning my festive treats by cracking a few examples from my collection. I'm very much looking forward to the return trip beer tasting at Chez Beefy in January 2013....

Wee Beefy

To Ripley and beyond...

Hello,

   after my beer festival visit on Saturday, it seemed churlish to simply jump on a bus home and not make the best use of my Derbyshire Wayfarer. The buggers cost £11.50 now so a return train journey doesn't really cut it any more, so, for this reason (and this reason alone) I decided to head out into Ripley and then see where the night took me.

Starting my Derbyshire Wayfarer abuse mission took some time since I missed a bus on my way out of the festival and decided to walk into Ripley, which isn't far. Spotting a festival goer heading in the opposite direction I asked him if I could cut through the road opposite to join Lowes Hill. He said I could. I had guessed nearly the best point to come out, along Alma Street, to get to the George.

The George, tucked away down Lowes Hill seemingly a long way from the centre (more so on the way back up) used to be in the GBG but always had a chequered history for me. The first time I went, with Davefromtshop, having laboured down the hill in the dark and cold on a Christmas jaunt we found it packed out and selling just Cottage Santa's something or other. I have to declare a certain dislike for post Golden Arrow Champion beer of Britain Cottage beers. They are malty, sweet and usually cloudy.

My next visit heralded a couple of Amber Ales beers which was a marked improvement and me and Dave returned once more to savour the same level of excellence, but its not been in the GBG for a bit and seemingly in testament to this the Wild Walker brewery banner on the side suggested that its fortunes had perhaps faltered with them. On the bar was 1 beer. Cottage something or other. Having been supping cracking ales like Oakham Green Devil and Citra there was no way I was going to enjoy this so made my polite excuses and left.

On the way back up the hill a bloke I had asked which way the pub was (just to be sure) enquired if it had been shut - I replied that the beer choice was a bit grim and was off instead to the Taphouse. "I hope your earning plenty then coz its bloody expensive" he said. "Beers good though" I replied, and went on up the hill wondering how cheap the beer I didn't fancy at the George would have to have been to make the £3.00 a pint I was expecting at the Talbot  seem expensive.

Inside the Talbot Taphouse was busy as always and there were plenty of ales on offer. Here I was determined not to fanny about with nonsense like notes and simply photographed a blackboard and the odd pump clip. I started with a couple of guest beers, Raw Ecky Thump which was brewed with fresh hops, and Liverpool Organic Simcoe, which was a really nice hoppy brew, although less pale than I'd expected. I also had a half of the Amber Ales Revolution, which was described as an amber ale. It really was. I also remember a protracted quest for an Amber Ales original stout but I have to confess I'm not sure i got to try it!

To be honest my most sensible purchase in here was a large sausage roll, although I quickly worked out that further sustenance was required. Still, it was nice to once again pick a perch in the long bow of the ship like hostelry, looking at the sun streaming in through the window and picking out a random customer, or glass, in perfect detail.

Soon I upped sticks and headed for the Red Lion, sort of on the understanding that I might bump into the Kilburn Crew, but mainly to assess the ales on offer. Whether through poor eyesight or some mild confusion I didn't spot anything to tempt me so headed off round the corner to the Crest of the Wave chippy, and set about securing directions to the Beehive.

This proved quite difficult as no-one seemed to have heard of it but the lass serving said she knew it was down Peashill and set about giving me complex directions. Luckily the bloke in front of me said he was heading that way in the car and gave me a lift. Even in the car it was nearly 10 minutes (although its further round) and I was glad I hadn't attempted the walk in the dark across the fields. Many thanks to traditional Northern named Pierre for his kindness!

The Beehive is an unassuming ex Home Ales pub near the bottom of Peashill with a relatively unspoilt interior and a visible allegedly usable off sales hatch. There was one real ale on the bar, Consett Ale Works Red Dust, which was OK, but the barmaid quickly worked out that I was here for the Honeypot bar at the back of the pub. Mind you, I necked the Red anyway.                                     



Out the back and up through a marquee and a gap in the hedge and up some steps is the bar, open slightly less hours than the main pub but boasting an admirable range of ales from the cask, plus draught lagers and bottled beers. I went for a half of the very drinkable dark Nutbrook More, a 4.8% dark ale which I had a couple of in the end.

All the real ales are £2.50 a pint, but there were some slightly stronger ales, from a choice of 4. There was also a cider and only that and the strong continental draught beers attracted a premium. It was a really interesting place to visit, and its something thats catching on in pubs in Derbyshire - the Silk Mill has another bar inside at the back, the Queens Head at Marlpool has one outside, the Red Lion at Fritchley does or did and I'm sure there are others around.

Alas all too soon  I had to head off following the landlords directions to the bus stop in Marehay, and was in Derby by half 9. Just chance to catch a bus round to the railway station to check the time of the last train, and pop in the Station on Midland Road for a last couple of pints of delciious Bass from the jug. The pub was busy and surprisingly the door was unlocked - perhaps this was a reflection of the fact that the East Midlands Derby was being played the next day? Please note, the below photograph of delicious Bass from the jug is deliberately taken at a jaunty angle. Honest....

Boarding the train home I bumped into Dave Unpronounceable, and Shaz, and had a very long but if am to be honest not especially cogent conversation all the way back to Sheffield. Here I had agreed to meet Fluffy for a last one in the Rutland, and its not clear who out of the two of us, and his Mum and Colin who were also out with him, was most "refreshed". Either way, I somehow ended up with one dark half of something that might have been from Raw and two halves of Black Mass. Almost all of which I think I drank.

I then walked up to Arundel Gate to fall asleep at the bus stop and end up getting a taxi home, after which I slept for 14 hours. Looks like I may have overdone it slightly over the last couple of days....

So, this was a great day out, featuring a new pub, an old haunt or two and a favourite pub in the making, along with some excellent beer.

Now to try and recover and prepare for the 38th Sheffield Steel City Beer Festival starting Thursday.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy   

Real Ale and railways in Ripley.

Now then

      on Saturday I decided to make my first visit to the 3rd Amber Valley CAMRA beer and cider  festival, at the Midland Railway Centre in Butterley, a short walk from Ripley. I've never been to this festival before so it seemed like a good opportunity to visit a new event, and one at an interesting venue.

Getting there was a doddle - buy Derbyshire Wayfarer, get half hourly train to Alfreton, walk round corner from Station, get on 9.2 or similar bus service towards Derby, using stereotypes work out who is likely going to the festival, get off at the same stop as them if you are unsure where the festival is, and hey presto, you're there. And all this took me about an hour, which was good.

First of all, here are some details about the set up.

The 12.00 til 17.00 session was £2.00 or free if you are in CAMRA and featured it seemed, most of the range of beers that could have been available. You could hire a glass for £2.50 and tokens came on a sheet much like most good fests, this one costing £10.00 (refunds available). There was food in the marquee, and a burger van doing what looked like very tasty snacks and meals in the museum grounds near the Black Bull bar (as I called it) and the train carriages. For those so inclined you could ride on a locomotive, possibly steam powered, about twice an hour during the day. I'm sure it was tremendously exciting, but I had beer to drink.

There were two main areas to the festival - a large marquee in a field on the right, complete with straw in case of a deluge, and a bar in a railway carriage on your left, with plenty of other carriages to sit in and enjoy your beer in comfort. I eschewed this luxury at first, and having spent ages reading the beer list in the programme, I eventually plumped for a Beer Geek - Geek Unique (4.3%) to start. A brown reddish soup which tasted fine, but probably not an ideal starter. Things improved drastically from here on though.

I found myself a spot to sit on the stage and got chatting to a group of drinkers from nearby Kilburn about beer, of course, and also pubs (naturally) inebriation and Morris Dancing. Three of these subject matters were to feature to varying degrees at the festival...

Below, having lost the blasted programme on my way home, is a likely only more or less accurate list of the beers I supped :

Beer Geek Geek Unique
Bump Mill Heart of Gold
Oakham Citra
Lincoln Green Tuck Porter
Bollington Oat Mill Stout
Oakham Green Devil
Old Dairy Red Top
Amber Ales Barnes Wallis Dry Hopped special (5.1%)
Hop Fuzz the Hawaiian
Titanic Plum Porter.

Beer of the day by far was the Oakham Green Devil. I was concerned that having heard so much about it I may end up being disappointed but it was fantastic. The Lincoln Green and Bollington beers were also excellent, as was the dry hopped Barnes Wallis. It was also interesting that had I wanted to, they were serving third pint measures. This would have been a great idea for trying the stronger beers (although the Green Devil was just too nice to only have a third of)

The Kilburn crew sought out the comfort of train seats about the same time that the Ripley Morris men got started, so I got myself some food (none of the advertised Indian fare was spotted) and sat back down on the stage to eat and sup some more beer. Unfortunately I was turfed off because a band were setting up so decided to seek out the Kilburn crew in the train carriages. Below are a few photo's I took, included not only to show you that everyone seemed to be having a good time, but also to prove to those in the pictures that I've been true to my word...














When I was first introduced to them I pointed out that I was certainly not going to remember all their names, so called all of them Brain, Graham or Dave for the first hour. Now, a few pints further down the line, I was going to try to remember them all! I have, of course, also been to sleep since then but I think there was Sue and Dave, Liz and Phil, Roger, a man who was quite tall (sorry quite tall man), some blokes from the West Midlands (Coventry if I recall, although that of course is Warwickshire....) and Jill. They were great company and made my visit really enjoyable. Its nice to find a group of easy going like minded drinkers, and to be honest that's something that tends to happen at most beer festivals. I certainly don't mind being at a festival by myself.

Eventually the lure of Wetherspoons vouchers and a need for food (happily co-inciding with the fact that Sue had become a trifle tired after several glasses of Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild) saw them disappear en masse, leaving me to ponder my next move. Initially this was to involve trying a couple of strong beers to finish but time got the better of me. I had to leave before 17.00, obviously, because the 18.00 segment of the festival needed to be got ready and that was a more expensive ticket only session, but I could have stayed sat in the comfy carriages if I had wanted. In the end though, I headed off up into the wilds of Ripley, which is another blog post....

Overall the Ripley Rail ale festival was a really enjoyable event with some very good beers, and its unusual location makes for an interesting angle. Its also very good value, and easy to get to. If you get chance, I warmly recommend a visit to next years event.

Wee Beefy

Genius in a bottle?

Good evening,

     Wednesday 1st July 1981 was a good day. I was 7 years old, probably doing something carefree in the garden, most likely involving a hosepipe or climbing frame, and it was probably sunny. It always was. That's a fact, using rose tinted glasses. To be fair, even if it wasn't sunny, it was certainly a good day for me because Davefromtshop graduanded in Bournemouth and purchased at least 2 bottles of Eldridge Pope Thomas hardy Ale, brewed on that date. We tried one in 2006 and it was astonishingly good. Kept for 25 years, as the bottle promised you could, the beer was in amazing condition.

One bottle remained, and it was getting to the point where Eldridge Pope'/s claims about it still being drinkable were seeming less likely. Dave mentioned to me a while back that he as looking forward to opening it and kindly asked if I'd like to partake of half the bottles contents. Unsurprisingly I said yes, and have been looking forward to the prospect ever since.

So 11,412 days after it was brewed, we hoped to find out if 01 July 1981 is still a date worth remembering, as we opened the second bottle.

I wasn't writing a blog in 2006, which is a shame because I don't have any written details about the taste or even appearance of the 25 year vintage, in order to make a clear comparison. All I can do is fossick through my obfuscate cupboard of beer memories to note a few things - like its colour, which was a beautiful chestnut orange (memories don't seem to wheedle out absurd sounding colour combinations it seems), that it was incredibly strong, that you could still taste the hops in amongst the overpowering alcoholic punch and that crucially the yeast was still alive, and doing its job.

We opened this one with trepidation. It fizzed, but it was more like a tiny cough and straight away we could tell the bottle was not carbonated as the brewer had intended. It smelled very similar to the last bottle, if that's even possible, with a huge sherry and slightly musty aroma in amongst an unsubtle blast of alcohol and , I swear this is true, leather. However, here the similarities with the 25 years old version ended.

It was a far darker colour. It tasted sharper, and there was no hint of hops. It even managed to taste slightly musty, and also had the sherry flavour that was present in the George Gales Prize Old Ale. It was better than that though, really much more fruity and the strong alcohol flavour was faintly reminiscent of port. There wa also just enough sweeteness to balance it out, similar to the taste of barley sugar sweets

One really interesting feature was the bubbles. We had poured the beer quickly into each glass to teases some otherwise missing carbonation from the brew. They were a really beautiful white, really large in size and they didn't seem to disappear as we drank. Taking a close up in the glass, with the bubbles grouped round teh sides, the image below nicely shows the beer with a deep russet red colour, flanked by the sparkling pearl like bubbles.

We kept aside a small amount of the yeast, and we did actually add it at the very end. It was clear from the less harmonious flavours that the yeast had died. This was disappointing, but I think the yeast does pretty bloody well to last 25 years, which our previous bottle demonstrated it had.

There are, as with all live bottled beers, numerous factors that could have contributed to the yeasts demise and the slight spoiling of what is a truly incredible beer. I have tasted a 1 year old, 8 years old, 15 year old and a 25 year old prior to this. And I still can't say what the best age is to drink it given the myriad of possibilities that there are for how the beer could turn out. The 25 year old was amazing, but Dave mentioned that this bottle had been mistreated over the years, kept at different and unsuitable temperatures amongst other things, so perhaps the beer is drinkable aged 31, but only if its kept at a constant suitable temperature?

Who knows, but if you see a vintage for sale I would still recommend shelling out for it. I am still taken aback by how brilliant the 25 year old was, and the slightly off flavours in amongst the overwhelming vinous qualifies reminded me that this was probably only a random event away from being one of the best beers I ever tasted. So near, yet maybe a year or two too far.

Next year my oldest bottle turns 20. I only have two left now, and both are different vintages so I'm going to have them both at 25 years and hope for the best. Despite this minor upset, I am really looking forward to it.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy 

Wander-iains

Hello,

    I was going to write up a few recent beery delights that I have encountered, but aside from the fact that if my Diabetic consultant ever read this we might have to have a "chat" it also occurred to me that what I had embarked on last night was a regular monthly pub crawl. So I thought I might personalise the journey, literally, and tell you how to do that same route, and what you might expect along the way.

Me and Mr P have, on our last 3 monthly, after work, beer wanders, gone and done the same route. The things is, we always used to go to the Harlequin then the Kelham without even thinking about it, rarer still we wandered to the Blake or the Sheffield Tap but recently we have settled on a regular trail.

Starting on Bridge Street (think Whitbread's brewery) we walk up past Irwin Mitchell's and follow the road round past Plum Lane and out onto and across the dual carriageway. Theres a cashpoint here for butter memories like me who never have any cash on them...

Round the corner next, then we walk past the Fat Cat, at which point comes your first choice. Obviously, the KIT and the Cat are here, and well worth a visit - but we usually walk onto Green Lane, then right over the bridge past the Milestone, up Ball Street. For a more scenic walk take the next right, Cornish Street, follow to the end and walk down the jennnel to join Waterloo walk which comes out at Rutland bridge. We normally take a left over the river off Ball street and follow the path out onto Neepsend Lane, which we follow to the Gardeners Rest (if going tother way turn left at the junction over river).

Here of course there are beers a plenty and outside seating. There;s nothing finer than sitting by the river on a sunny day, or sheltering in the conservatory during a heavy shower. Somehow, half of the time, the latter happens.

Last night was no exception. We were nearly drowned out chatting over our pints - we started with pints of Eden Best for me, which was a light refreshing little dryness in the aftertaste, whilst Mr P had a pint of a Tintagel ale, which I had low expectations of, but was in fact probably gutsier and more hoppy than my choice. Mr P had another of these, and I had a very unusual tasting but very enjoyable Wharfebank Treacle Toffee Stout, which smelt like Dandelion and Burdock and tasted of vimto and roasted barley. Despite this clumsy mix of descriptors I assure you it tasted fantastic.

Should you be able to tear yourself away, you could go mad and ditch the crawl and head for the Hillsborough - this of course is part of the rather longer and rightly more famous Don Valley pub crawl. What we do, however, is head back down Rutland Road and turn left onto Old Penistone Road, and head onto Shalesmoor.

At this point, assuming you didn't fancy a saison or other invented beer, you could cross the ring road and tram track to visit the Wellington, and try their excellent Little Ale Cart beers plus guests. What we usually do, however, is press on to the Ship.

Now, the Ship is a pub that I like very much but we're never quite sure of the opening hours. We consistently aim for 19.30 but at different times before now the landlord has insisted its 20.00, or, presumably in jest (!) 21.00. Either way, I think a sensible plan would be to aim to get their for 20.00, to avoid disappointment.

On our last visit there was Abbeydale Moonshine, Kelham Pale Rider and the excellent Welbeck Abbey Red Feather, which was our tipple of choice, perfectly kept and on sale at a decent price - £2.60 a pint. I understand that Kelham Wild Rider and the Barlow brewery stout are to feature soon, along with another few from Welbeck. Should be well worth finding out.

Our final stroll is fairly simple, just along Shalesmoor and keep right up Gibraltar Street to Shakespeares. Last time in Mr P was on the Axholme Best Bitter and I was trying, enjoying and all round being impressed by a sumptuously orangey bitter called Mudhopper from Mallinsons. Alas we were both pushed for time and it was getting really busy in the pub what with events on upstairs and down it seemed so this was our only drink. I could easily stayed for many more Mallinsons to be honest.

From here we usually go our separate ways, if I am being a good boy (which of course I always am), I go home as well, although its not unfeasible that I might instead head off for DAda or the Three Cranes. The KIT, Cat, Riverside and Harlequin are all 5 minutes away of course, so if you so wished you could walk on round the ring road and check them out aswell.

I hope you get chance to try out this trail sometime, if the weathers nice (ahem...) its a lovely walk for the most part, and crucially its populated with excellent pubs. Which is nice...

Wee Beefy

Looking forward to a pint

Hello,

    if you are, then I have a few morsels of info, from the immediate to the further ahead. But first, some info from the last couple of days.

Recently I have sampled Abbeydale Chocolate Stout and their Dr Morton's Break Fluid at Shakespeares. The Break Fluid was an unusual but enjoyable mix and the chocolate stout was good, and satisfying, perhaps better for not having an overtly chocolate taste, although it was more pronounced than I imagine a beer with just chocolate malt in normal quantities would taste. I also tried a half of Oldershaws Cascade, a beer I'm sure they were making long before the current fascination and desire for hoppy single varietal brews. At £1.25 a half this was also a decent price as well.

DAda was serving up a slightly different range to that of late with Thornbridge Black Harry and Kelham Island Easy Rider. It was a bit busy so I didn't hang around but had an enjoyable pint of the Harry, and a pleasing half of the Schlenkerla.

I also popped in the Dog and Partridge on Trippet Lane, open since August I believe. There are 4 handpumps, the GK IPA was off, but there was Black Sheep best, Courage Directors and Taylors Landlord on offer. The Courage sample I had tasted a little sharp but the Landlord was quite nice. Alas, in a terrible faux pas, I had arrived with no money as I was planning to go straight to DAda and pay on card. So I had to make my excuses and leave without buying anything!

Those of a venerable age will remember rock DJ Les from, er, the 80's at least, and he is doing a set/gig/night there next week. Meanwhile the interior doesn't seem radically different, although I didn't get in the amazing snug, and there is now a pool table...hmmmm...must pop back to actually buy something!

The Hop had a less than salubrious line up when I called into purchase my ticket to the Green hop festival. A stellar line up of brews and brewing types is promised along with tastings and hop taste and sniff (my words) sessions showcasing different varieties. I would have stopped for a  half but even buying a £5.00 ticket and that would take me below the preposterous £10.00 limit and I would be charged 50p. What? I have no idea how this instills any determination to visit, but am duty and financially bound to attend in October now (link here ) for their celebration of hops.

My final stop was the Bath Hotel where excellent if cloudy (none the worse for it) Dark Star Hophead was on at £2.80 (or 70?) a pint which is a decent price, plus the Kelham Back to Black which was a decent half as well. Thornbridge Topaz and Beadecas Well are promised so there should be a few treats on the bar soon, although the Hophead will take some matching.

This weekend, indeed, Thursday onwards, the Ripley beer festival is on at Butterley station, AKA the Midland Railway Centre. Scene of recent music fest off the tracks (?), this promises t be an interesting venue for a festival, with a pretty large beer list, and excellent hostelries in nearby Ripley Waingroves and Alfreton nearby. See link here .

On the 19th til the 21st October is the Sheffield Cathedral beer festival as reported in Beer Matters, and everything. Probably the first time this has happened I understand though cannot confirm that this is the handiwork of the Kelham Island Brewery team. See Beer Matters or the Sheffield CAMRA website for info.

Sheffield beer festival happens soon as well! No shit Sherlock....blog will follow as early as feasible.

Next up, those lovely folks at Shakespeares Ale and Cider House on Gibraltar Street Shalesmoor are having another beer festival starting Friday 16th November (although this may need confirming, only in that it may start Thursday). This promises to be another excellent do with a cracking range. Look out for the staff brewed real ale on the bar soon at the pub as well.

Finally, Cropton beer and cider festival is on once again at the end of November at the New Inn Croptn, North Yorkshire, when the weather is great. Nut cases like me and Wee Keefy can camp, and erm, well, no doubt yer can shell out for better accommodation than us! If you missed it last year its well worth a visit - see their website, which does not yet appear to confirm the dates, so you'll have to take my word for it - for details.

So, that rounds up beery treats here and now and further ahead.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy

Lancashire pubs and beer escapade

Afternoon,

     well, as mentioned in my previous post, I went out all day yesterday in the automobile with Wee Fatha to the far away land of Lancashire (and Cumbria, briefly) for a day of culture, ruins, beer and most importantly, pubs. More precisely, I wanted to visit one particular pub that I had known about for years. Would my much vaunted failure to visit unspoilt pubs by procrastinating over arranging to visit them scupper my plans once again?

Well, in order to find out, Wee Fatha arrived at 8.30 and we set off out over the snake pass to Glossop, then on to them there Motorways, before we eventually got onto roads promising scenery, and headed for Whalley, near Clitheroe.

Now, Clitheroe is an interesting enough place for me, because every time I go there or meet someone from their I inadvertently cause offence. Its an inescapable fate which makes such visits problematic. More importantly, the excursion I took last time I was there many many years ago, involved suffering the indignity of going by taxi to Whalley, and going to a nightclub, the name of which escapes me, which cost about £6.00 to get in (a stupendous amount back then) and which only played happy hardcore. It was immeasurably shit, and I have hated Whalley ever since.

So it was with some surprise that driving through in glorious sunshine I noticed it was actually quite nice, had a seemingly decent real ale pub according to the GBG, and also some decent ruins for me and Wee Fatha to visit. Finally I can put my irrational fear of Whalley behind me - although, there is still a nightclub, called Rendezvous. I'll have to block that from my mind.....

Off next through spectacular scenery in the impressive trough of Bowland and on over the fells to pop out near the sea, heading for the ruins of a premosntratensian abbey. WF, who helps out at Sheffield's own premosntratensian abbey, at Beauchief, has decided to set himself the challenge of visiting all the orders relics in the UK, and further afield. Given that he does not use the Internet, or visit the library, his depth of knowledge is fairly impressive. And so it was we were off to Cockersands abbey, now just a single circular building and some walls, stuck out on a remote headland near Glasson port. The views back to the Bowland fells, and out towards Overton were spectacular, but all this walking was making us thirsty....

Our first refreshments came near here as well. The Stork at Conder Green is a large old building with a multi roomed but modern tweaked interior, on a corner near where the river Conder snakes its way into the Glasson Marina. There were 4 real ales on the bar, 3 from Lancaster Brewery and Taylors Landlord. WF had a half of Lancaster Amber, myself a pint of their Lancaster Black. It came to £5.20. Yep, that means had they both been the same beer they would have been about £3.45 a pint. Hmmmm

Don't get me wrong, the pub was nice, the food looked delicious, and the garden was sunny and comfortable if a little muddy, but I can't see how the beer would cost that much. It wasn't immediately obvous that the prices were displayed either, and whilst that isn't the end of the world, its particularly galling when you end up paying over the odds. Still, drinking the Lancaster Black on cask gave me the excuse to get another monkey off my back - because I was fairly underwhelmed by it in bottles. On cask, and it was well kept at the Stork, it tasted far better, with a hint at what it perhaps was intended to taste of in bottle. Delicious.

Off next into Lancaster, where we fortuitously got parked near the Sun Hotel, which is where we were going for a beer. Wee Fatha had reasoned that being on Church Street it would be near the Cathedral, and so he went off to find that whilst I went to sample the wares. The Sun Hotel is a Lancaster Brewery venue (it does rooms like what a proper hotel does), in so far as their beers are the predominant ales on offer and their logo is on the menu. It has been modernised, and maybe lacks a comfy chair or two (sofa's are too low for Wee Fatha) but is a nice place to relax and sup. I was also impressed to be able to buy a packet f Lancashire sauce flavoured crisps - not everyone has heard of Lancashire sauce, so to make it a crisp flavour was a commendable feat.

Beers here were once again pricey, although they averaged less than the Stork at around £3.15, with the "strong" Lancaster Black (4.6%) £3.25. The prices were in the menu. Of the 5 of their offerings I had halves of Golden Feather, a 2.8% light ale, Straw, at 3.5%, and their Black, along with a half of Purple Moose Snowdonia Ale. The 2.8% beer was malty but tasted overwhelmingly of biscuits (and I don't think it was sub £3.00 a pint either, despite the apparent tax break...) and the Straw, also quite a weak malty beer, had little depth of flavour, but was sessionable.

Here the visit was soured slightly by the importance the staff placed on clearing tables at all costs. I had a swig or two of Straw left in my half glass, along with my two newly bought beers, when I popped to the loo. As WF was getting ever later, I knew he would have neither the time or the desire what with driving, to buy another half, so I figured he could have a bit of the Snowdonia, and the remaining taster of Straw. When I got back, the beer had gone.

I asked the lass clearing the tables if she had took it and she said no, and I explained why it was annoying and she did say sorry, but laughed and walked away. Now, I get that its only a modicum of beer but which school of bar training tells you to take away a beer from a table where someone is clearly still sat, whilst they are in the loo? Given the swish modernity of the establishment and its high quality looking menu, I would imagine this is meant to be a sleek operation, but what should have happened is that the glass should have remained on my table until it could be ascertained that it was finished with.

As this didn't happen, someone should have come back with a replacement sample once the situation was made clear, which it was. Since I was unable to locate WF, and with time running out to get back to the car within the hour I didn't really want to go and wait at the bar to wrangle some of my beer back, but its still shoddy. Two Lancaster Brewery outlets in and it was expense and getting the basics wrong which stood out, although I concede the Lancaster Black was excellent once again.

Ruskins View, Kirby Lonsdale

 

Off next to Kirby Lonsdale, in Cumbria, via a rather fruitless search for a premosntratensian nunnery which WF conceded was likely just a farm built on the spot. The path along the Lune disappeared before I could reach it so the search was called off. Kirby Lonsdale is of course in or at the very least overlooking Lunesdale, and boasts a brewery and their Tap. The Orange Tree is just past the church and sells, according to the ever optimistic GBG, about 6 of their Kirby Lonsdale brewery beers plus guests.

I don't mind at all that they don't, but at least be realistic - theres only 6 handpumps! We got in about  10 to 6 intent on ordering food and supping their Lonsdale beers. There were two on, Radical Bitter (oh dear) and Monumental. I went for a pint of the latter as it was stronger, and WF a half of the Radical. We were told we'd have to wait 10 minutes to order food, and then whilst we waited for my pint to settle, and having sent WF to secure a table, the lass behind the bar informed me there was no change in the till, so could I wait a moment. She then went on to serve a number of other customers, before another staff member came to ask if he could help.

I explained I wanted to pay and only then the lass confided to him they needed some change which he went to attend to. I now noticed WF's half hadn't even been poured in the 5 minutes I'd waited so asked for that, and got a very lively beer - but the wrong one. That finally rectified I went and sat down, having set up a tab rather than wait any longer to pay, to find no menus on the tables, in a pub where almost everyone was going to eat.

By this time everyone else had made up their minds what to order and was queueing in a throng at the bar whilst we deliberated. Almost all the food was burgers or Mexican, but with none of the affordability that you associate with such foods. There were a few pub standards but they were expensive. We were slightly pushed for time and they didn't seem very competent or organised, and also, there would probably be a long wait for food. So we decided to pay for the drinks and leave.

The beers were good, both about £2.80 a pint, the Monumental had a very pleasing bitterness, and the darker beer had a fantastic roasted barley/red ale sort of flavour. But ultimately the pub was poorly run on this occasion, which was a shame.

We went round the corner and spotted a Theakstons pub with signs along its front proclaiming its food, and cask ales, so went in. Black Bull and Best were on offer, but when we asked for a menu they said they'd stopped serving. It was 18.15. Words fail me.

Our saviour was the Red Dragon, a Robbies pub with 5  beers and a fairly large menu. Not too expensive, not especially exciting, but I knew what to expect having eaten in Robbies pubs before, and although it was basic mass produced fayre it tasted fine and filled a hole. Crucially, the staff were well organised and competent, the beer was under £3.00 a pint, (the Triple Hop was going off but we had good halves of Hartleys Cumbria Way) and we were out not much later than we had wanted. Good on them.

Our final call was to be the jewel in the crown for me, the Limeburners in Nether Kellet. Wee Fatha plotted a route through the lanes and we raced the sun to get their in daylight. Even though we stopped to photograph a magnificent sunset over Morecambe bay there was still daylight when we reached Nether Kellet. But would there be a pub to visit?

As I mentioned before, usually my desire to visit an interesting or unspoilt pub ends in disaster. Notable examples include the Dun Cow at Billy Row, the New Inn in Springthorpe in Lincolnshire  and the Queen Adelaide on Snelston Common near Ashbourne. On ringing the phone number Friday it seemed not to exist, and the village newsletter, which is quite informative, made no mention of the pub in the copies I read from 2011, so all looked bleak....

But it was open. And it was every bit as excellent and unspoilt as I had hoped. The pub has a plain frontage, being one half of two large cottages,  with an old 60's or 70's illuminated sign and circular stone steps to the door. There is then a small lobby with the lounge off to the right, which wasn't in use, and the main bar room to the left. The bar is in front of you slightly to the left with a door to the other room and out through the back to the toilets which are in the yard. As you walk out to the yard you can see into and indeed could walk into the bar, much like at the Seymour Arms in Witham Friary, Somerset.

On the bar are two old handpumps, with Matthew Brown Bitter and Mild pumpclips, and a couple of keg fonts, with the handpump in use being at the back of the bar, dispensing the guest ale (I think the Boddingtons referred to may be keg, but we didn't investigate). Unfortunately we had just missed a beer form the local Cross Bay brewery but the one we tried from Wadworths was very nice - Wee Fatha said he said he couldn't remember what it was, but my pictures show it was Horizon, which is 4.%. Crucially though, it was £2.20 a pint. That's right, AKA fantastic value. Are you listening Lancaster Brewery?

We got chatting to the locals and the landlord Joe, and he let me and WF take photo's whilst WF was given a tour of the bar by a local bloke who sometimes opens up the pub when Joe is busy at his farm. At one point a local lady came in with some apple pie for the landlord so he had a break to eat that whilst we chatted about pubs. We were told it gets busier around 21.30, which maybe reflects the kind of work that most of the regulars do. The Duke of York at Elton doesn't open until 20.30 because Mary has to finish off at the farm then drive over. This is a similar set up for the landlord and customers here, it seems.

I knew about the Limeburners from the GBG recently but in fact had been told about it by a couple we met in the Turf Tavern in Bloxwich about 5 years ago. I had remembered the conversation, but only the description, I only knew the pub they told me about was in Lancashire and has some sort of boiling or burning or melting in its name. Fruitless searches of the Internet for the smelters, leadboilers and similar resulted in nothing until the Limeburners appeared in the 2011 GBG. Thank God it did.

The atmosphere was convivial, the locals and landlord friendly, and the pub was every bit as unchanged as I had hoped. However, unfortunately we had to leave about 20.30 for the long drive back to Sheffield, satisfied with our days travelling and the fact that we had got to visit the excellent Limeburners.

What I found out based on this trip was there was a predominance of expensive pubs and malty light flavoured beer in North Lancashire, (and Cumbria)  in fact, the Lancaster Black was by far the strongest beer I saw all day. Its not fair to make a full assessment of the "scene" on the basis of this limited visit, but I think on my next foray we might want to try a few more free houses to see if the pricing, and range of styles and strengths improves.

And we definitely want to get back in the Limeburners again!

Wee Beefy.

Continuing excellence

Now then,


     following on from my Tuesday epiphany, I returned to abstinence on Wednesday then back to reckless abandon as I careered towards the weekend.

My indulgence started with a meal. Not my usual way of supping, usually I find that eating interferes with the process of ale consumption but, albeit after a pint, I was starting with a meal at the Rutland Arms on Brown Street.

I knew thew food here was excellent based on every time I had eaten there but that doesn't help explain my lack of foody visits, and the dearth of minutes partaking in joyous mastication at its tables. I started with a pint of Dark star Sunbeam or similar - alas Dark Star do two ales with Summer in the name, and one of them, which I don't particularly care for, has ginger or something similarly wrong in it. This was it. perfectly kept, but doing nothing for me. Humph.

Instead I went for the excellent Welbeck Abbey Brewery King Tom(?) red ale, and ordered what, from the ingredients alone, appeared to be a dream meal. Ignoring the somewhat unfortunate name (Sports Pork? I'll get me Profanisaurus) I was bowled over by the suggested parts and ordered it without a second thought. Heeley City Farm boar loin with mushroom and black pudding mash, peas, carrots and red cabbage in an excellent possibly ale gravy. And it was only £8.00. Stupendous value.

I had another Welbeck here but all too soon my companion for the night Middlemarch, was struggling and had to go home. So I went to the Sheffield Tap for a couple of halves.

Tempest Into the Light, 4.1% and an excellent Great Heck Porter were my liquid companions here, and both were fine ales, although I concede I much preferred the roasty bite of the excellent porter. Great heck are a brewery who's beers I have long enjoyed but recent offerings, especially those with the distinct pumpclips, have been rewarding.

Dada provided my finishing flourish, more excellent McConnells came my way, as did the fine company of the Jims. There was a singer on, which was mildly annoying in terms of conversational quality, but he wasn't too bad. Several pints of McConnells passed my lips before I opted for a half of the Schlenkerla, by way of comparison.

I was also forced, on pain of death, by the Jims, to sup a half of the Chiron. I accept its a punchy hoppy pale beer that's not too strong but I still had to let it stand for 20 minutes to start getting the flavours. I'm not sold on this!

I also popped in the Riverside recently. Spiro was leaving for pastures new and I joined him and his mates for a pint or two. The beer range can be very good at the Riverside, but there can be a reliance on samey Brew Company output and also much of the range is unavailable! I mentioned I hadn't seen or tried the Freedom Stout - then noticed the glass on the dispense and conceded that this situation would remain unchanged.....

Sat outside under the shelter proved very enjoyable (especially when a wall of rain fell), and I enjoyed a pint of Crouch Vale Summer Breeze. Alas this ran out after my pint so I migrated to Brew Co Summer instead, which was a decent golden pint.

Round the corner I popped in the Fat Cat. Having a funding malfunction I had cleverly arrived hungry, with enough for either a half, or a pork pie. I wanted both. I opted for a half of the Salamander Warpath 4.5% stout in the end. I didn't stop long, but loitering with intent in the hallway I spotted seminal starlets Alison and Diane, and redoubtable bar wizard Steven.

It was great catching up with all three, Diane taking time out for a chat in the corridor. It's no exaggeration to say that I cut my drinking, erm, cliche finishers in here in the nineties, especially honing my solitary supping skills whilst on the dole (my other doley mates didn't want to squander their money on an afternoon or more likely dinnertime of pints, so I often ventured in alone). That I could still wander in and find the familiar friendly faces of the team makes the Fat Cat a must visit pub, even if I accept that I go in less now tan I did when I was broke.

Shakespeares was my final call on this occasion, and I was pleased once again with the choice on the bar. A half of the Salamander (again), a pork pie and a pint of the excellent Brass Castle Bad Kitty vanilla stout secured a card payment, and I settled down to a read and a long and interesting chat with Dave in the bar about photography.

The Bad kitty is a little heavy (I only had a pint and a half) but is so luxuriously fine as to warrant savouring every last delicious drop. For the second time in a week I was in Shakespeares contemplating the practicalities of draining an entire cask of a beer by myself. Luckily I was more sensible than that and was home before 21.00.

Finally, I am going to Lancashire with WF tomorrow so need to be up early. I hope to write on Sunday about my trip to the Limeburners Arms in Nether Kellet. I have wanted to go there for about 18 months, but I am worried that whenever I want to visit an unspoilt pub, one outcome usually prevails - it shuts. Finding that the number does not exist earlier doesn't fill me with confidence.

Lets hope this isn't another unspoilt treasure that I miss.

More news soon

Wee Beefy

Not another fined mess

Hello,

    now regular readers may wish to admonish me or mumble under their breath in dissatisfaction at the fact that my detox and stop at home money saving plan lasted only 2 days. However, any such scathing disapproval would only prevent you from sharing in my joy at drinking two utterly faultless beers last night, in ideal surroundings. So forgive me, and allow me to tell you why breaking my abstinence was so worth it...

I left work with a significant thirst after a day of frustration and poorly executed projects by those above me. I decided to go straight to Shakespeares Ale and Cider House on Gibraltar Street, not five minutes away (well, literally, if you walk slowly) without even stopping to secure myself some cash first.

Having checked the card machine was working, I selected a pint, a half of somethiong strong and a packet of crisps. It came to a fiver. Myself and the lass behind the bar were impressed, and I paid on card and got some cashback. I realise I may have mentioned this before, but giving cash back, especially in the form of for example, charging £12.80 for a pint and giving a tenner back, is simply good business sense. Punters stop around longer, and assuming they purchase more beer, don't pay by card thereby saving you the transaction fee...

Anyhoo, todays business lesson aside, lets talk about the incredible beer.

Revolutions Brew Demo, 4.5% unfined late hopped ale. A glorious amber, possibly slightly chectnut ale which, was crystal clear. Initially I was disappointed about this. However, my sense of let down evaporated, after one swig told me straight away I had picked the best beer on the bar. As my visit continued, it became obvious that I had probably picked the best beer on any bar, anywhere, on that night.

Demo drinks so easily as to be embarrassing. There is a distinct and pleasing nutty flavour lurking in the bitterness which I swear I have detected in unfined beer before. That its colour is so glorious maybe an anomaly, since I was expecting a cloudy offering, but it was suggested to me that the finings weren't there to clear the beer, rather to keep the yeast at the bottom. Arguably, one is the same as the other -  I found out though that the beer had been in the cellar at Shakespeares for a good while. So you could suggest that all the "matter" i.e. yeast and hop debris had naturally settled to the bottom of the cask.  I still don't understand if or how that could have contributed to the beer being so damned amazing though....

Five minutes after my first purchase, without even having entertained the idea of starting to sup my half of Raw Pacific Ghost, 5.9%, I was back at the bar using my tenner to purchase a sarnie and another pint of Demo. This time I had to force myself not to drink Demo until I had finished my Raw beer. It was a very enjoyable and impressively balanced hoppy beer in itself, but it possibly didn't receive a fair assessment in the face of the competition.

All too soon I was once again delighting in the absurdly pleasing quaffability of the tremendous Demo. Had I the money, time and physical capacity, I think I would have drunk the beer until it ran out. It was that good. That it was also safe to drink plenty at a sensible 4.5% made it all the more satisfying. An unrivalled start to any night's drinking.

I was off oop troad next to pop in Dada as Tuesday's demand. The two other Tuesday regulars were in and we chatted about darker beers, mild at the Temple, and the National Inventory of Unspoilt Pub Interiors. On the bar there were no guests, which would normally annoty me immensely, but I didn't care, because they were selling Thornbridge McConnells. Which is bloody excellent. I haven't drunk it since December, and it was well worth the wait.

Plenty of Thornbridge favourites have fallen from grace recently for me. Most notably Kipling, Jaipur and for a while now, Lord Marples. So to find McConnells in such fantastic form was reason to celebrate. And I did so by buying several pints of the wonderful drink.

The enjoyment of my visit was enhanced by chatting with beer genius Emily and James, the youngest man in the world. There are times I have been to Dada and been non-plussed about the beer, but not minded in the face of excellent company. I have already written at length about why I like the place so I won't go over old ground, but its safe to say that my trip there, on this occasion of beer excellence, was the perfect end to the evening.

This year has seen me bowled over and blown away by Brodies Citra, Red Willow Faithless, Magic Rock Bearded Lady Bourbon Cask and Magic 8 Ball, Blue Monkey BG Sips (again), Steel City 666, Dark Star Saison and now Revolutions Brew Demo.

It looks like I've nearly settled on my top ten beers of 2012....

Wee Beefy

Learning to blog

Now then,

    I almost feel I should apologise for this in a way, because I have no news to report from the world of Sheffield pubs and beer, breweries or bottled products. I overstretched my budget, and T Shirts, in an unjustifiable orgy of self indulgence over the last 3 weeks, and now I need to get a grip and have a break. So now for the come-down.

Luckily, on the day I returned to the peculiar world of work, I was cheered by seeing another blogging stats milestone passed, and was, I admit, quite pleased with my efforts. So I decided to have a quick look at some of my older posts to see what the actual number of page views were, since Blogger finds this infinitely confusing for some reason.

In doing so, not only did I confirm my suspicion that I hadn't blogged about beer in 2008 (which Blogger tells me I did on the all time history stats) but I also got to see a couple of great examples of my faltering steps in the world of blogging, thus :

*A post with no title, or indeed, any tags. (although it did generate some hits, somehow...)
*A post simply titled "Welsh Wandering" (part 1 of a 5 parter which, erm, I only wrote 2 parts for...)
*The second post about Wales, ingeniously titled "More Welsh Wandering", this time with a tag - "Welsh Wandering"

And, my absolute favourite.

A post entitled "Big lad goes for a walk"
With no tags
And 2 pageviews.
And I know who they are.

I laughed at my own ineptitude. It was humbling.

So please can I ask that you don't ruin the magic of my aimlessness by searching out that post and increasing the number of views beyond 2....

Thanks all

Wee Beefy