As is already tiresomely well established, I love top tens and indeed lists of any type. They keep me off the street.
Now, in last week's issue I listed my top ten breweries and was happy to do so. Unfortunately it seems that in the course of that top ten I a) took leave of my senses and b) have subsequently remembered some more breweries that I really like, but which I failed to include, but which I now want to pay homage to, in whatever cockeyed route is still available to me. What an appalling opening to a blog post this has been so far. Genuinely terrible. >>>Fast forward>>>
So then, here are 10 more outstanding breweries, who I love for my own reasons, and who could quite easily have been interchanged with any of the previous top 10*. These ones are in no particular order.
i) Stone
Original Yank powerhouse brewery. I tried Arrogant Bastard and Ruination in 2004 and was blown away. More recently in 2011, Sublimely Self Righteous was the first good Black IPA I ever tried.
ii) Great Divide
Can't believe I didn't include this lot in the original list, not least because my two highest rated beers of all time, were both brewed by them - Hercules and Yeti. Wowsers.
iii) Andechs
Fabulous Munich** brewery - great lagers and weisse beers.
iv) Oakham
Another headshaker. Cannot believe that I forgot to include the people who gave me Citra and Bishops Farewell, in my original list. Green Devil is a new favourite.
v) Buxton
I just cannot resist Buxton. Such a sweet hop blend in all their beers. Their Black IPA is magnificent, and so is Axe Edge.
vi) Brodies
Wonderful London microbrewery. So fresh and full of experimentation, and yet so weighted down with finesse and quality.
vii) Everards
Yes, they are from Leicester, so they sneak in through the local connection, and through happy memories of childhood. But, in all fairness, Tiger is a brilliant ruddy Bitter.
viii) Crouch Vale
They predate the 'craft revolution', but their attention to hops fits well into this new paradigm. Brewers Gold was a classic back in 2003, and they continue to churn out hoppy golden treats.
ix) Paulaner
A wide variety of German proficiency is available from this giant. Their Hefe is a classic, but it's their Roggen which is, for me, a classic beer sadly absent from these shores, in recent times.
x) Dark Star/Marble/Bristol Beer Factory/Magic Rock/Moor
Lists are always unsatisfactory (and yet I love them). There will always be breweries I'm not able to include, but whom I love. Here are a fistful of massively brilliant UK names, who deserve to be namechecked in any list of top breweries.
I may write shortly about the lovely story which featured in the Birmingham Post.
*perhaps. To be fair to the previous top 10, they deserved their exalted status.
**not actually based in Munich, but close-ish.
Showing posts with label dark star. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dark star. Show all posts
Saturday, 14 July 2012
Friday, 1 June 2012
Brand Focus no.1: Oakham
I sometimes take Oakham for granted. I think perhaps all UK beer fans do. They have been doing their thing for as long as I have been rating beers. Unencumbered by fashion, unaffiliated with 'craft' beer, this Peterborough-based powerhouse have been steadily churning out peerless Golden Ales, with a level of consistency which is breathtaking: to wit, I cannot remember having a bad Oakham.
When I look back to British real ale in 2003 (around the time I was 'discovering' it) brown bitters were ceding ground to a new breed of well hopped British beers, all golden in hue. Crouch Vale were there (and still are), Hopback Summer Lightning was an early archetype of the style, Dark Star Hophead was about to land and Oakham JHB was tasting marvellous. Coincidentally, in early 2004 Oakham opened a pub in Brum - the peerlessly beautiful and carefully restored Bartons Arms, replete with a range of Oakham's best on handpull. Here was easy access to fresh JHB, White Dwarf and Bishops Farewell. As I said, marvellous. But that wasn't the end of it: over the succeeding 8 years Oakham have continued to deliver beer after new beer, all well hopped, flavoursome and with the balance of an Olympic gymnast. Here are some highlights.
Citra
Supped throughout the evening of Christmas Eve 2010, with my brother Chris, in the homely Black Eagle. This. Blew. My. Chops. Off. A hoppy taste yes (I expected nothing less), but oh! what hops. Like a basket of freshly sliced mangoes tipped down my eager gullet. So clean, powerful and delicious. Wow. It's now a regular at the Wellington, but my first taste of Citra was a beer experience that will be branded on my soul, till my toes turn up. Terrible headache in the morning, mind.
Hawse Buckler
A bottle purchased from Global Wines not long after the birth of my daughter; this, unusually is a dark Foreign Stout, but is delivered with the standard precision and level of hopping you would expect. Smooth, flavoursome and with diversely profiled, but equally generous portions of roast and big hop. I actually believe this was a precursor to Black IPA - a style which is now 'all the rage'. It disappeared for a while, but I was happy to sample it at the Bartons a couple of months back.
Bishops Farewell
A mainstay of the Oakham range, this one kills it every time. So rich, so tongue crushingly, unrelenting hoppy, but served in soupcons of such tonsil caressing care, that my heart skips a beat with every swig. This is the archetypal UK Golden Ale, as far as I am concerned.*
Dreamcatcher
Sampled at the Swan and Rushes in Leicester, just after witnessing LCFC beat eventual Championship promotees Southampton. This is a big, purple IPA, with an Ikea shelving system full of unusual tastes and flavours, vying for supremacy on one's tongue. Forest fruit, marzipan, deep radiant, bitter and powerful hops. Big, even by Oakham's standards, and one of the first, and still rare, genuine UK cask IPAs that I have tried/loved.
I could go on and on. I could wax lyrical about tropical Preacher, super solid Taipan, light, yet merciless Tranquility or bitter, smooth and powerful Green Devil. But I'll try to wrap up here. My Ratebeer records show that I have sampled 42 Oakham beers, and the scores I've given show that I've loved them all. Oakham are masters of producing consistently high quality beers, and if pushed, I might even say that they produce the best beers available on cask in the UK. Even when pitted against the likes of Kernel and Mikkeller, Oakham punch at and above their weight.**
*Unless I say otherwise at a later date.
**Unless I say otherwise at a later date.
When I look back to British real ale in 2003 (around the time I was 'discovering' it) brown bitters were ceding ground to a new breed of well hopped British beers, all golden in hue. Crouch Vale were there (and still are), Hopback Summer Lightning was an early archetype of the style, Dark Star Hophead was about to land and Oakham JHB was tasting marvellous. Coincidentally, in early 2004 Oakham opened a pub in Brum - the peerlessly beautiful and carefully restored Bartons Arms, replete with a range of Oakham's best on handpull. Here was easy access to fresh JHB, White Dwarf and Bishops Farewell. As I said, marvellous. But that wasn't the end of it: over the succeeding 8 years Oakham have continued to deliver beer after new beer, all well hopped, flavoursome and with the balance of an Olympic gymnast. Here are some highlights.
Citra
Supped throughout the evening of Christmas Eve 2010, with my brother Chris, in the homely Black Eagle. This. Blew. My. Chops. Off. A hoppy taste yes (I expected nothing less), but oh! what hops. Like a basket of freshly sliced mangoes tipped down my eager gullet. So clean, powerful and delicious. Wow. It's now a regular at the Wellington, but my first taste of Citra was a beer experience that will be branded on my soul, till my toes turn up. Terrible headache in the morning, mind.
Hawse Buckler
A bottle purchased from Global Wines not long after the birth of my daughter; this, unusually is a dark Foreign Stout, but is delivered with the standard precision and level of hopping you would expect. Smooth, flavoursome and with diversely profiled, but equally generous portions of roast and big hop. I actually believe this was a precursor to Black IPA - a style which is now 'all the rage'. It disappeared for a while, but I was happy to sample it at the Bartons a couple of months back.
Bishops Farewell
A mainstay of the Oakham range, this one kills it every time. So rich, so tongue crushingly, unrelenting hoppy, but served in soupcons of such tonsil caressing care, that my heart skips a beat with every swig. This is the archetypal UK Golden Ale, as far as I am concerned.*
Dreamcatcher
Sampled at the Swan and Rushes in Leicester, just after witnessing LCFC beat eventual Championship promotees Southampton. This is a big, purple IPA, with an Ikea shelving system full of unusual tastes and flavours, vying for supremacy on one's tongue. Forest fruit, marzipan, deep radiant, bitter and powerful hops. Big, even by Oakham's standards, and one of the first, and still rare, genuine UK cask IPAs that I have tried/loved.
I could go on and on. I could wax lyrical about tropical Preacher, super solid Taipan, light, yet merciless Tranquility or bitter, smooth and powerful Green Devil. But I'll try to wrap up here. My Ratebeer records show that I have sampled 42 Oakham beers, and the scores I've given show that I've loved them all. Oakham are masters of producing consistently high quality beers, and if pushed, I might even say that they produce the best beers available on cask in the UK. Even when pitted against the likes of Kernel and Mikkeller, Oakham punch at and above their weight.**
*Unless I say otherwise at a later date.
**Unless I say otherwise at a later date.
Sunday, 22 January 2012
Saturday's stolen 'crawl' and a craft beer checklist
Well it was stolen, but not a crawl. I left work yesterday, pinched borrowed 5 bob off leather-clad chum Malcy, legged it straight to the Welly and necked two halves in ten minutes, as follows:
Black Iris Bitter - a proper old-skool, 'real man' type Bitter, which makes no concessions to fruity transatlantic flavour, just a wallop of grizzled UK hops and chiselled sandpaper malt. It was alright though. Interestingly enough, having tried all five beers from this newish Derby-based microbrewer, I am now their top rater in the World. Consider personal trumpet thoroughly parped.
Second was a new beer from Oakham - always a pleasant sight to greet a weatherbeaten beer fan, upon entering a boozer. This one, entitled 'Preacher' was a suntanned bronze colour, with a luscious aroma of tropical fruit. Taste was right upfront in the 'delicious mango and passionfruit' department and as balanced as my current account* throughout. Really good from Oakham. As always. Which got me thinking....
How many of the top, top UK breweries' products actually make it to Birmingham on a regular basis?
Oakham - We are lucky to have one of their own pubs serving all their best stuff, plus their beers always make it to the Welly.
Crouch Vale - they pop up in the Welly, fairly frequently.
Moor - Nicholsons carry them, so four chances for their beers to appear in the City centre.
Brewdog - no bar in Birmingham as yet, and their stuff hardly ever pops up on cask, except occasionally in the Bleagle. Nowhere in Brum serves craft beer on keg, so we are fairly scuppered for Brewdog generally. Their bottles make it to Stirchley Wines; as do >>>
The Kernel - no pubs in Brum take these bottled masterpieces. Thankfully Stirchley Wines are doing Birmingham proud.
Magic Rock - to my knowledge, none of their beers have ever appeared in a Birmingham pub, which is nothing short of a scandal, given their reputation as one of the UK's hottest new brewers. Thankfully Stirchley Wines have just picked up their bottled range (are you noticing pattern here?).
Summer Wine - they very (very) occasionally pop up in the Welly - I've sampled them there twice.
Thornbridge - pretty good coverage with Post Office Vaults, Wellington and the Nicholsons' pubs taking them. Unfortunately no one serves their keg efforts, so we have never seen Versa, Italia or Kill Your Darlings, to name but three.
Dark Star - these appear in the Welly with almost acceptable frequency.
Brodies - never glimpsed in Brum.
Redwillow - spotted twice in the Welly by my good self.
Marble - occasional visitors to the Welly, but a full bottled range is at... wait for it....Asda Stirchley Wines.
Bristol Beer Factory - not spotted in any Brum pubs for a good wee while, luckily someone has some bottles for your delectation.
Hard Knott - Stirchley only.
Hawkshead - interestingly enough, Wetherspoons are your best bet for these Cumbrian beauties.
Gargoyles - The Anchor is your best bet to try these Devonian treats on cask, which is the same story for...
Steel City - only spotted in the Spanker.
Camden Town - only Nicholsons have sported a beer from this lot so far, but then again, they are primarily keg only.
Buxton - yawn, I'm boring myself now ... these are spotted very occasionally in the Welly, but Stirchley take their bottled range.
As a City, the end of term report reads "Must do better". Beer fans like you and me must request these brewers' products and our band of dedicated landlords must seek them out.
*perhaps more so actually.
Black Iris Bitter - a proper old-skool, 'real man' type Bitter, which makes no concessions to fruity transatlantic flavour, just a wallop of grizzled UK hops and chiselled sandpaper malt. It was alright though. Interestingly enough, having tried all five beers from this newish Derby-based microbrewer, I am now their top rater in the World. Consider personal trumpet thoroughly parped.
Second was a new beer from Oakham - always a pleasant sight to greet a weatherbeaten beer fan, upon entering a boozer. This one, entitled 'Preacher' was a suntanned bronze colour, with a luscious aroma of tropical fruit. Taste was right upfront in the 'delicious mango and passionfruit' department and as balanced as my current account* throughout. Really good from Oakham. As always. Which got me thinking....
How many of the top, top UK breweries' products actually make it to Birmingham on a regular basis?
Oakham - We are lucky to have one of their own pubs serving all their best stuff, plus their beers always make it to the Welly.
Crouch Vale - they pop up in the Welly, fairly frequently.
Moor - Nicholsons carry them, so four chances for their beers to appear in the City centre.
Brewdog - no bar in Birmingham as yet, and their stuff hardly ever pops up on cask, except occasionally in the Bleagle. Nowhere in Brum serves craft beer on keg, so we are fairly scuppered for Brewdog generally. Their bottles make it to Stirchley Wines; as do >>>
The Kernel - no pubs in Brum take these bottled masterpieces. Thankfully Stirchley Wines are doing Birmingham proud.
Magic Rock - to my knowledge, none of their beers have ever appeared in a Birmingham pub, which is nothing short of a scandal, given their reputation as one of the UK's hottest new brewers. Thankfully Stirchley Wines have just picked up their bottled range (are you noticing pattern here?).
Summer Wine - they very (very) occasionally pop up in the Welly - I've sampled them there twice.
Thornbridge - pretty good coverage with Post Office Vaults, Wellington and the Nicholsons' pubs taking them. Unfortunately no one serves their keg efforts, so we have never seen Versa, Italia or Kill Your Darlings, to name but three.
Dark Star - these appear in the Welly with almost acceptable frequency.
Brodies - never glimpsed in Brum.
Redwillow - spotted twice in the Welly by my good self.
Marble - occasional visitors to the Welly, but a full bottled range is at... wait for it....
Bristol Beer Factory - not spotted in any Brum pubs for a good wee while, luckily someone has some bottles for your delectation.
Hard Knott - Stirchley only.
Hawkshead - interestingly enough, Wetherspoons are your best bet for these Cumbrian beauties.
Gargoyles - The Anchor is your best bet to try these Devonian treats on cask, which is the same story for...
Steel City - only spotted in the Spanker.
Camden Town - only Nicholsons have sported a beer from this lot so far, but then again, they are primarily keg only.
Buxton - yawn, I'm boring myself now ... these are spotted very occasionally in the Welly, but Stirchley take their bottled range.
As a City, the end of term report reads "Must do better". Beer fans like you and me must request these brewers' products and our band of dedicated landlords must seek them out.
*perhaps more so actually.
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