September Round Up

A. There are a few bits and bobs I can update you on, and a few photographs you can drool over.

Q. What is the point of this post?

First up, some sad news.  Apparently the Brown Lion has closed.  This is really sad, for not only was this a friendly venue, but they were also Birmingham's only genuine brewery tap, offering Two Towers' beers, such as Jewellery Porter and Complete Muppetry, both of which were very drinkable indeed.

Way back in April I reported on quiz night at the Brown Lion and (I hope) conveyed my enjoyment.  Fingers crossed that the Brown Lion will return in some form, but perhaps by then, Birmingham's sights will have moved to John Bright Street and the impending Brewdog Brum.  Speaking of which...

Brewdog Birmingham is now scheduled to open in errrrr, not sure.  It was originally due in August, but the last official word was that it'll be mid-November.  I don't suppose it matters when it gets here, as BD's fans are so rabid, that they'll lap it up come what may.  I probably will too.

Last week I had a lovely super quick tour of Leicester, which mixed Richard III tourism, with visits to some of the City's lesser known boozers/hidden 'treats'.



I hit the Salmon, the Ship and the Longstop, of which the first one was the best.  All were interesting though.   



In Twitterati news, this week I, along with Carl Durose and Tania Nexust hosted national beer legends Jezza, Martin Ridge and the enigmatic Black Haddock.  This was a good opportunity to sample excellent Thai food and Oakham Carioca at the Bartons Arms, some Saltaire at the Anchor and bottled UK 'Craft' beer at the Victoria.



Speaking of which, did I tell you that a Birmingham pub has finally taken the plunge and started stocking bottles from the UK's best new breweries, i.e. the ones who have invigorated and/or reinvigorated our national scene?  Kernel, Bristol Beer Factory, Arbor and Summer Wine are all (or certainly have all been) available, with highlights such as Amarillo Pale Ale and Cohort.  It is worth saying again, simply to highlight how gobsmacked I am that it has taken this long, but let me emphasise that the Victoria are still the ONLY pub in Birmingham stocking bottles from our top breweries.  Well done to the Victoria, I hope that their adventure is rewarded by people buying the new range by the truckload and that therefore the experiment widens and becomes a permanent feature.

But honestly, all other Brum pubs need to look hard in the mirror and ask themselves why no one else has been prepared to have a stab at stocking UK bottled craft.

In happier, or rather equally happy news, here are some of the best beers I've sampled in the last fortnight:

Raw Citra Black Ale - a magnificent Black IPA sampled at the Anchor,

Flying Dog In De Wildeman Farmhouse IPA - a deliciously funky Saison, which utilises New World hops.

Raw Dark Peak Stout - sampled at the Salmon in Leicester, this is the second delicious Raw beer I've tried recently; with this one being a super smooth and tasty Stout.

Great Heck Powerhouse - as recommended by @ckdsaddlers, this was a well balanced UK Golden Ale, replete with many hops and sampled at the Anchor.

Ksiazece - a lovely Polish Hefe Weizen, picked up in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton



Finally, as previously mentioned,

Oakham Carioca - a wonderful tropical fruit salad of hops and that. Smelt like an Avon saleswoman's basket.

Oh, one final thing - here are a photo of bottled "treats" which have latterly been placed in my beer cellar [cupboard] for future consumption.



Lager is for life, not just for Michaelmas.

Pioneer Launch

Last night was the launch of Freedom Brewery's new beer - Pioneer.

Now normally, the arrival of a new UK lager wouldn't necessarily feel me with the throbbing of a deep joy, but as it happens I was rather glad I attended this.

Where was it held Dan?  It was held at the Post Office Vaults, whose staff were bedecked with Freedom shirts as they busily dispensed steins of free Pioneer to the hordes of free loading parasites, errr local beer enthusiasts, all eager to whet their whistle.  I include myself in the aforementioned number.

The beer itself tasted like a UK version of Victory Prima Pils, but hopped heavily with indigenous, rather than US hop varieties.  I detected herbal notes, some sweet grassiness and plenty of tongue wrapping, juicy, mulled lemon mulch.  It was very pleasant.  Hopefully it will become a fixture around the bars of the City, as it will offer a reliable kegged option, for refreshment porpoises.

Following the launch, I skedaddled to the British Oak in Stirchley, to hook up with an unspecified member of Brumcraft and top Birmingham beer reviewer the_Bish.  Having not been to the British Oak for many years, I must say I was very pleasantly surprised to see the well kept decor, and lovely atmosphere, which was a blend of hipster-honeytrap and family friendly.  I particularly liked the sprawling garden (complete with bowling green), which really is one of Brum's best beer gardens.

During the launch I was happy to grovel network with the head of Freedom Brewery, who struck me (n.b. not physically, he didn't hit me) as a nice chap indeed.  If the purpose of the evening was to demonstrate that Freedom brewery is safely being steered in the right direction, then that objective was achieved.  Now we just need them to launch that range of bottled Berliner Weisse they were talking about.

For a bit of formatting fun, why not cut and paste the previous paragraph into the correct position within this blog post?  Prizes for the best guess.

Following the British Oak, a quick dash into Stirchley Wines also, which saw me commit a classic schoolboy error - yes, I bought a beer I've already tried.  Heavens above/strewth etc.  There is nothing which drives more mad (for indeed I am a beer trainspotter) than to buy the same beer twice**.  So if anyone in Birmingham would like to do a swapsy with me, I am willing to listen to offers for a pristine bottle of Summer Wine Reaper Red IPA - which is a lovely beer.



**Not strictly true.  I do buy a number of beers more than once, if I like them - e.g. Lindemans Cuvee Rene Gueuze et al.        

Two Lovely Black 'Ayes'

I love the idea of doing back to back tastings - typically this might consist of 2 or several beers by the same brewer, or of the same style.  Here's one I sort of did for Saisons; and here's one that CAMRGB organised for Double IPAs.

Here, today, is some details of one what I done the other night, and it was done on the theme of Milk Stout.  What is Milk Stout?  Well, in technical terms it's something to do with the use of milk sugar.  Nope that doesn't mean anything to me either, but Sheriff Mitchell gives a good overview here, which I recommend you read.

So Milk Stouts are a rather antiquated sounding beer style, but a good few examples have popped up recently, and in fact I've sampled 4 that I can think of over the last year (which were all very pleasant).  Below is some detail of the two which I supped this week.

Bristol Beer Factory Milk Stout arrived courtesy of my brother Pete, a Bristol resident.  It's a jet black, sweetly perfumed, beguiling foxtrel.  Initial swigs revealed little in the way of flavour, but wait..... repeated sips rewarded my perseverance, by delivering super subtle, sweet milkshake choc, with a bit of gentle roastiness.  An attractive dark beer experience, which builds and builds.  Right this moment I am folding my arms, staring intently at you and whispering "compelling" (try to picture Christopher Lee, and you won't be far off).

So having done Bristol's effort, let's move onto a Milk Stout from Holmfirth.  Summer Wines' Mokko is another jet black beast, with a chocolateade scent. Marginally less dramatic than the previous beer, this is nonetheless a satisfying and subtle experience.  Choc-led, rather than roast-driven, this is filled with sweet nuances, and feels marvellous dans your gob.

If I had to pick a winner, it'd be the Bristol Beer Factory Milk Stout, but both beers are recommended, and can be purchased from Stirchley Wines and Cotteridge Wines.

If you in the market for further Milk Stouts (and why wouldn't you be?) I also recommend Pin-Up's version and the version from American brewer Left Hand.  Both are excellent, especially latter.  Mackesons is also still doing the rounds, if you want to get in touch with your inner 'old git'.

   

My 10 Favourite Breweries (at the moment)

Pretty self explanatory this one.

Here then, in reverse order, are my 10 favourite giants of the brewing world.  I hasten to add, (or preamble) that this classification is temporal, 'of the now' and entirely personal in a way which means it is not based on any kind of established measurement or Worldwide score.  I reserve the right to change my mind next week. 

10.
Svyturys
This is a bit of an leftfield choice, but I justify it thus: these Lithuanian macro lads provide a range of lager variants which are very consistent and which consistently offer refreshment, archetypal lager finesse and balance.  Plus they also offer an excellent wheat beer.  They are also cheap/good options in the face of the 'craft' onslaught.  Buy these products from Lithuanica and you will be pleasantly rewarded. 

9.
Summer Wine
I just love these guys.  I never get to sample them on tap obviously (except when I go to Sheffield (once, ever)), but I still love them.  Great range of styles, great hops, accessible proficiency.  Cohort is a favourite.  Buy at Stirchley and Cotteridge.    

8.5
Brewdog
I was going to be controversial and leave them out, but then I remembered Dogma.  And 5AM Saint.  And IPA is Dead.  And their bars - where you can sample all of their wares.  Come August, come Birmingham and join their gang.  

8.
Thornbridge
Another obvious choice.  I don't love Jaipur as much as some people, but I do love Raven, St. Petersburg, Geminus.  And many more.  Solid and spectacular.  Consistent and highly productive also.  Try them on tap at the Victoria, Rose Villa Tavern, Waggon and Horses; try them via bottle at all the usual [good] Birmingham outlets.  And Tesco.    

7.
Schneider Weisse
Schneider Original is the best Hefeweisse in the World, period.  Well, in my opinion anyway.  Aventinus is a classic Doppelbock.  Hopfenweisse is a delicious collaboration with Brooklyn and marries traditionally unyielding German style, with new World hops.  Tap X is another example of their delicious wheat credibility, but with an eye to the future.  These lot deserve their place on any list.  To be found at Post Office Vaults and Cotteridge and Stirchley (get used to me saying this). 

6.
Rodenbach
They only seem to do one style - Sour Flemish Ale.  Thankfully I love Sour Flemish Ale, and they make the best one (Grand Cru).  They also make a junior version, which is very pleasant.  Their retired Alexander is top of my list of retired beers, that I dream of sampling in Belgium.  See them at Post Office Vaults and our chums on the Pershore Road.   

5.
Lindemans
I'm a fan of Lambic Fruit beers going way back, and Lindemans' Kriek and Pecheresse are among my very favourites.  That alone may not have been enough to warrant their place on my list, but recently I have sampled a couple of bottles of their Cuvee Rene Gueuze, which I ab-so-lutely love.  Give me a 3-pack of those aforementioned err 3 and I'll be happy, Mother.  Check them at Post Office Vaults and possibly Stirchley and Cotteridge.  

4.
De Molen
New-ish, but more than just good-ish.  Very good in fact.  I love their hop aromas and their embracement of both British, continental and US styles.  Very good value (mostly) at the Post Office Vaults, too.

3.
Mikkeller
If I had written this post 2 weeks ago I might have left them out, as I was slightly jaded, from hearing about their delicious strong beers on tap in the best London bars, for £4.95 a half, knowing full well I had neither the money, nor opportunity to sample them.  Also, it had been a while since I'd tried one of their bottles which really knocked my socks off.  This week however I have been bowled over by both Wheat is the New Hops and Beer Hop Breakfast, which were both mindnumbingly good.  They are indeed prolific, innovative and worthy of the hype.  Available mostly at Stirchley Wines.   

2.
Nogne
Norway's finest; they offer a range of the most beautifully well constructed hoppy beers, with a great example of virtually every style you can think of.  Balanced, precise and magnificent.  Their consistency is first class - better than everyone else in fact.  Almost everyone.  (As seen at Stirchley and POV).   

1.
The Kernel
The UK's best, just got bigger.  A bigger brewery that is.  I'll never forget my first Kernel - Simcoe IPA purchased from the Euston Tap.  It was an explosion of taste, with hopping hitherto unseen in a beer from the British Isles.  I try to relive that first encounter whenever I can.  I always love it.

Do you like?

MBA - State of the Dan Nation

The other day, or yesterday (whenever it was), I pinned up a quick note about the state of the beer scene in Birmingham now (as in ‘now’), plus a vision of where we are headed and whether things are looking good.  Which they are. 

But what about me?  Where am I located on the graph?  Well, I clocked up 221 rates on Ratebeer so far this year, which is a healthy number.  Travel-wise, I've managed very enjoyable visits to London and Sheffield, and popped home to the Swan andRushes - all of which have reinforced (quite thickly), my excitement about beer and my passion to continue seeking out the very best. 

But. 

I can see trouble on the horizon, and it is this: I am starting (ever so slightly) to be priced out of the craft beer revolution. 

I have a job, I pay my bills etc, so I am not claiming poverty by any means; BUT the general state of the economy means there is less disposable income at my, err disposal than previously.  In fact the economy might not even be the principal factor in limiting my pocket money.  It's more likely something to do with the fact that I am no longer a young, thrusting urbanite, instead, I am grown up (sort of) and have responsibilities.  Being a parent invariably requires a different allocation of financial resources, with beer ranking lower on the family spending plan, than e.g. clothes for one's child (me and my mixed up priorities, eh?).  But anyway, less disposable income, coupled with the very real increase in the cost of today's 'premium' beer products, means that I end up with less bang for my buck.  Like it or not, good beer is an expensive business these days***.

This is frustrating for a number of reasons, but mainly because I feel that with over a decade's experience of hunting for great beer 'under my belt', I now know a thing or two about quality, style etc etc.  It's just that I can't ruddy well afford to keep my knowledge up to date.  In my brain of brains (honestly) I do know that a barrel-aged imperial stout will be more interesting and flavoursome than a Polish Mocne, but if I want to have a couple of drinks whilst watching The Big Question, with NickyCampbell on TV, what am I more likely to buy?  Which of those two can I afford to buy?*

There is obviously a sliding scale of cost, with lots of great UK beer available at perfectly reasonable prices (yes I'm talking about Bristol Beer Factory, Buxton, Summer Wine and so forth), but there are also an increasing number of products with price-boosting features - i) limited editions, ii) higher strength beers, iii) imported beers, iv) super trendy beers, v) collaborations, vi) all of the above.  With my own twisted logic I can** say YES to a £6 Nogne #100, which is a very strong beer, flown over the fjords from expensive Norway (plus I already know how delicious it is); but I am always going to struggle to say YES to a Brewdog/Nogne/Mikkeller collaboration for £17, no matter how fantastic it might be.  {I also hate having to cough up for 750ml bottles, which I might not like or might have to share, but that is an unrelated grumble.}

In short, I have to limit my involvement in the craft beer scene, due to rising costs.  I'm not all in; I'm a % of the way in.  Am I the only one?  How do other beer fans on a budget cope?  If I lived in London for example I would want to be in Craft Beer Co or Euston Tap every day sampling halves of £4.95 foreign DIPAs, but I wouldn't be able to. 

Depressing though it is, maybe I was more ignorant and blissful, when Birmingham was more rubbish for beer.  Being confronted with good beer, with increasing ease and frequency, is turning me green with envy.  Gosh, that is bad karma on my part.

Hence the ‘Second Summer of German Beer’, which I keep trailing, and honestly will explain very shortly. 

*you know the answer to this.  It's called a rhetorical question.

**just about.

*** with a few notable exceptions, e.g. Brodies

4 dark beers and DownDIPA/Eurovision

Sometimes the joy of beer is in sharing.  The best case scenario is to share the beer experience in 'real time' either with friends in the pub, or via the medium of off-licence, at home (also with friends).

However, for someone like me with burgeoningly anti-social habits, the Internet offers a remarkably pain free way of sharing good beer experiences, with some complete strangers/friends who feel obliged to read your blog.

Here is a quick resume of my most recent 'good' beer experience.  Actually, I'll give you my two most recent best experiences... how's that for a BOGOF?

i) 19th May AKA Champions League Final.

This evening saw four dark beers stashed in the fridge, and supped whilst Chelsea put Munich away on penalties.  In fact, because I'm rather a slow drinker, this session probably lasted until well after the Chelsea fans had downed their last stein of Augustiner Helles in Munchen.

Things kicked off with Buxton Imperial Black IPA, an absolutely belting beast.  Hoppy, ashy, smooth with licorice and good, clean earth.  From that high point, it was a tough ask to top it.

But Magic Rock Dark Arts had a good stab at living up to Buxton's err blazing trail.  Dark Arts is une grande Stout: chiseled blocks of graphite, bobbing in a sea of blended hop and sweetness.

Next up a Brewdog Dogma - an example of the style which is known as a Scotch Ale.  What exactly is a Scotch Ale Dan?  Did the style originate in Scotland presumably, Dan? Err, well yes, but it's been popularised by our US craft-brewing cousins.  Dogma is everything which I profess to be err not necessarily enamoured with: thick, sweet, extremely malty, with not much hops.  But, this was very delicious; exceptionally smooth and compelling.  Another winner.  But hang on, could it be that I'm deliberately lauding a Brewdog beer, because I'm so delighted that they are opening a new bar in Birmingham?  Perhaps subconsciously.  But honestly the beer was great.  Great news about Brewdog opening a bar in Birmingham, by the way.  Can't wait until August.

Fourth and [thankfully*] last of the evening, was a Bristol Beer Factory Raspberry Stout.  Now this was plainly a nice beer, but I'm afraid my tastebuds were shot by this point.  In fact my sense of reason had wandered down Hagley Road some time previously.**  It didn't hit the heights of the others.

* With ABVs of 7.5%, 6%, 7.4% and 7.7% respectively, I was at full capacity.
** Please see above sentence and try to pay more attention.

Buxton won the night.

ii) 26th May AKA Eurovision

Oh yes - Eurovision.  But oh, not just Eurovision, also DownDIPA, the Campaign for Really Good Beer's celebration of Double India Pale Ales.

Not quite as socially unacceptable as the evening detailed above, this night saw the consumption of three beers of 7.2%, 9% and 4.9% content.

First up was Ageless, a very tasty hopfiend from Redwillow.  This was more of a single IPA, rather than a double, but that's missing the point; the point being that it was a very tasty, hoppy, orange rock and parma violet accented beer.

Then came a genuine DIPA - Summer Wine Maelstrom.  For those who need to know, Summer Wine are a really very good UK 'craft' brewery from Holmfirth (yes, the place where they filmed Last of the Summer Wine). Maelstrom was thin, sticky and packed with very bitter, oily alcoholic menace. Excellent.

At that point I was sensible (for once) and opted out of any further DIPAs.  I had a Dunkelweizen instead.  Maisels Weisse Dunkel in fact.  Yes, it suffered in comparison with the two previous beers, lacking their hoppy, high content flavour.  But it was nice to relieve some happy Germanic memories of Summer's gone by.  More proof that this Summer will be the 'Second Summer of German beer' (which I will explain another time, but basically means that I am aiming to drink lots of delicious German beers this Summer, in some futile attempt to regain my fast fading heyday).

Any way, the Maisels was smooth, nutty and full of frothy sweetness.  One day soon I might tell you my top ten Dunkelweizens***

Eurovision is obviously a hoot, and the beer was equally good.  Here's to the next DownDIPA.

*** If you are particularly naughty.      

   

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.