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?
Showing posts with label thornbridge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thornbridge. Show all posts
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
The Ideal Birmingham Pub Crawl, or is it Beer Crawl?
Given the pubs that Birmingham has, what would be the best achievable pub crawl?
More specifically, since I prioritise beer over surroundings/decor/atmos etc, what would be the ideal beer crawl in Brum?
Here's an imagined (but rooted in reality) attempt.
Starting slightly north of the centre, I'm kicking off with a pint of Oakham Citra in the Bartons Arms. This is a double whammy, as the pub is a beautifully restored Victorian gem, with lovely tiles; and... it's owned by Oakham, who are one of my favourite/the best breweries in the country. Citra is a deliciously crisp, hoppy and piquantly fruity beer, with a tickle across the tongue. Lip-smackingly moreish.
Next, a short bus ride away from the Bartons is the Bull - a small, homely, genuine old pub in the Gun Quarter. Here, I'd probably plump for an Acorn Barnsley Bitter, which seems to be consistently available. The comforting genuineness of the bitter, would echo the surroundings nicely.
Next I'd swing up to the Jewellery Quarter, to tick off the Lord Clifden, Brown Lion, Rose Villa Tavern, the Drop Forge and Red Lion (in that order). In those pubs I'd hope to be able to sample [halves obviously] of Bathams (in the Clifdo), Complete Muppetry or Jewellery Porter (in the Brown), Thornbridge Kipling (in the RVT), a Malvern Hills Black Pear (in the Forge), and finally a Purity Mad Goose (in the Red). Why those beers? Well, because they are, respectively: i) a pleasure to drink and should always be sampled when available, which it usually is at the Clifdo and Red Lion; ii) the best of Two Towers' current range; iii) Bitters 'n' Twisted pubs usually carry Thornbridge beers, and they are always good; iv) usually on offer around Brum, and a pleasant Golden ale; and v) the best of Purity's 3 ubiquitous Golden ales.
A detour would be required to get to the Black Eagle, and once there, I'd hope for a Brewdog Trashy Blonde.
Heading back to the centre, I'd hope for a pint of Moor Somerland Gold in the Shakespeare [Summer Row], then an Otley Thai-Bo at the Old Contemptibles. 2 x Nicholsons' pubs, with 2 x of the better breweries on their Spring ale roster.
On the homeward stretch, I'd swing by the Old Joint Stock and umm and arr about whether to have a Chiswick Bitter (toasty and tart), a Bengal Lancer (quite hoppy) or a London Porter (rich and roasty). The Porter would probably win.
In the nearby Wellington, the rotating ales make it difficult to pin down a guaranteed choice, but Wye Valley HPA IS always on, so that would 'do' me.
In the Post Office Vaults there are lots of bottles that I KNOW will be in the fridge on any given day, and a good number of them would tempt me on EVERY given day. On current form, I think I would have to plump for a De Molen Amerikaans, which has the best aroma EVER. However, having chosen Amerikaans, I would obviously have to live with NOT having chosen Rodenbach Grand Cru or Lindemans Cuvee Rene Gueuze - but those are the kind of tough choices I make every day.
Before the final leg, I'd head to the Victoria and certainly sample a Thornbridge Jaipur if possible.
Final 2 stops would be in Digbeth. First up the Lamp Tavern, where I would hope to sample an Everards Tiger, which is not only a delicious Bitter, but also a small taste of home. And then the Anchor, which has a retinue of ales which rotate at a similar speed to the Wellington: therefore I would cross my finger and hope to sample a Gargoyles Citra or a Steel City Vane Tempest.
After that I would be fit to drop.
But what conclusions can we draw from this imagined crawl? Well, firstly that the sort of breweries guaranteed to be available on any given day, in our best pubs, are not really members of the burgeoning 'Craft Beer' scene. My ideal Brum pub crawl would not allow me to sample Summer Wine, Magic Rock or Buxton. But, on the positive side, it would allow me to sample some nice Golden ales. Lots of Golden ales. Mainly Golden ales in fact. Golden ales seem to be doing rather well in Birmingham.
The other conclusion, is a rather more obvious one, and that is that Birmingham has lots of lovely drinking venues. Rather more than you might imagine in fact. And perhaps more than we realise - which is a sign of improvement is it not?
In the style of Tony Hart, why not come up with you own imaginary pub crawl, using this ever improving Birmingham Pub Guide via Google Maps?
More specifically, since I prioritise beer over surroundings/decor/atmos etc, what would be the ideal beer crawl in Brum?
Here's an imagined (but rooted in reality) attempt.
Starting slightly north of the centre, I'm kicking off with a pint of Oakham Citra in the Bartons Arms. This is a double whammy, as the pub is a beautifully restored Victorian gem, with lovely tiles; and... it's owned by Oakham, who are one of my favourite/the best breweries in the country. Citra is a deliciously crisp, hoppy and piquantly fruity beer, with a tickle across the tongue. Lip-smackingly moreish.
Next, a short bus ride away from the Bartons is the Bull - a small, homely, genuine old pub in the Gun Quarter. Here, I'd probably plump for an Acorn Barnsley Bitter, which seems to be consistently available. The comforting genuineness of the bitter, would echo the surroundings nicely.
Next I'd swing up to the Jewellery Quarter, to tick off the Lord Clifden, Brown Lion, Rose Villa Tavern, the Drop Forge and Red Lion (in that order). In those pubs I'd hope to be able to sample [halves obviously] of Bathams (in the Clifdo), Complete Muppetry or Jewellery Porter (in the Brown), Thornbridge Kipling (in the RVT), a Malvern Hills Black Pear (in the Forge), and finally a Purity Mad Goose (in the Red). Why those beers? Well, because they are, respectively: i) a pleasure to drink and should always be sampled when available, which it usually is at the Clifdo and Red Lion; ii) the best of Two Towers' current range; iii) Bitters 'n' Twisted pubs usually carry Thornbridge beers, and they are always good; iv) usually on offer around Brum, and a pleasant Golden ale; and v) the best of Purity's 3 ubiquitous Golden ales.
A detour would be required to get to the Black Eagle, and once there, I'd hope for a Brewdog Trashy Blonde.
Heading back to the centre, I'd hope for a pint of Moor Somerland Gold in the Shakespeare [Summer Row], then an Otley Thai-Bo at the Old Contemptibles. 2 x Nicholsons' pubs, with 2 x of the better breweries on their Spring ale roster.
On the homeward stretch, I'd swing by the Old Joint Stock and umm and arr about whether to have a Chiswick Bitter (toasty and tart), a Bengal Lancer (quite hoppy) or a London Porter (rich and roasty). The Porter would probably win.
In the nearby Wellington, the rotating ales make it difficult to pin down a guaranteed choice, but Wye Valley HPA IS always on, so that would 'do' me.
In the Post Office Vaults there are lots of bottles that I KNOW will be in the fridge on any given day, and a good number of them would tempt me on EVERY given day. On current form, I think I would have to plump for a De Molen Amerikaans, which has the best aroma EVER. However, having chosen Amerikaans, I would obviously have to live with NOT having chosen Rodenbach Grand Cru or Lindemans Cuvee Rene Gueuze - but those are the kind of tough choices I make every day.
Before the final leg, I'd head to the Victoria and certainly sample a Thornbridge Jaipur if possible.
Final 2 stops would be in Digbeth. First up the Lamp Tavern, where I would hope to sample an Everards Tiger, which is not only a delicious Bitter, but also a small taste of home. And then the Anchor, which has a retinue of ales which rotate at a similar speed to the Wellington: therefore I would cross my finger and hope to sample a Gargoyles Citra or a Steel City Vane Tempest.
After that I would be fit to drop.
But what conclusions can we draw from this imagined crawl? Well, firstly that the sort of breweries guaranteed to be available on any given day, in our best pubs, are not really members of the burgeoning 'Craft Beer' scene. My ideal Brum pub crawl would not allow me to sample Summer Wine, Magic Rock or Buxton. But, on the positive side, it would allow me to sample some nice Golden ales. Lots of Golden ales. Mainly Golden ales in fact. Golden ales seem to be doing rather well in Birmingham.
The other conclusion, is a rather more obvious one, and that is that Birmingham has lots of lovely drinking venues. Rather more than you might imagine in fact. And perhaps more than we realise - which is a sign of improvement is it not?
In the style of Tony Hart, why not come up with you own imaginary pub crawl, using this ever improving Birmingham Pub Guide via Google Maps?
Monday, 2 April 2012
MBA on Tour in Sheffield
Last Friday was indeed a good Friday, as Mediocre Beer Adventures and their brother in law took it's second (and pending financial upturn, possibly last) 'foreign' pub survey of the year.
I have been to the Steel City before (well I've watched LCFC lose at Bramall Lane and been shopping at Meadowhall), but this was my first drinking-based visit - one I felt impelled to make, after hearing nothing but good from wiser and better beer aficionados than myself.
A full programme yielded visits to 12 splendid pubs, including 7 or 8 official/unofficial brewery taps and left a warm, rippling feeling inside my heart.
Because there were so many good beers and lovely pubs, this report is going to be a bit of 'whistle stop' (much like my day), so watch out for bullet points and try to keep up.
1. On the Sheffield Station itself is the amazing Sheffield Tap, offering Thornbridge on cask and keg, + other top craft efforts from the likes of Tempest and Magic Rock, all complimented by hundreds of the World's best bottles. Nice leather seats too. Magnificent. I could have stayed here all day.
2. A short trip by tram, to the destination furthest from the centre: The Hillsborough Hotel. Or..... rather the about to be renamed 'The Hillsborough'. A lovely raised beer garden afforded a lovely view of the local ski slope (!) and I enjoyed sampling 2 beers from their house brewery Crown. Or.... rather from theirabout to be already renamed house brewery Wood St. Top marks for the [nearly] defunct beers and for stocking November's issue of Ales and Tales (which is the local CAMRA mag for the Stourbridge/Halesowen/Dudley branch) and which (coincidentally) contains an article written by me! I did offer to sign it for them, but they politely told me to sling my hook.
3. A walk down a hill, through an industrial estate, landed us up at the Gardener's Rest, my fave pub of the day. A tap for the Sheffield brewery - they stocked 4 of their offerings, plus other handpulled guests; but it was the decor and fabulous beer garden that won the plaudits. What a lovely clean pub, with lovely light and furniture, and what a lovely garden: full of nick-nacks, stained glass pagodas and a river view. Genuinely lovely.
4. Tap for the Little Ale Cart brewery - The Wellington was up next. Very quiet inside, but with excellent tables and nectar-like hoppy Goldens on the bar, I did not care. Several charming rooms. Another winner.
5. No time to hang around, because it was 5 minutes down the road, to the multiple winner of CAMRA UK pub of the year, the Kelham Island Tavern. Nice burger scoffed, then on to...
6. The Fat Cat, unofficial tap for the Kelham Island brewery (are you keeping up?). This was [yet] another beautifully genuine and unspoilt old boozer, nestling on a corner. Dead comfy inside, with charming features and a mix of handpulls and foreign beers.
7. But we couldn't dawdle, as it was off to the Shakespeare, our last venue in the Kelham Island area*, beforewending back to the wending towards, heading back to town. The Shakespeare specialised in old furniture, pump clips on the wall and a serving hatch that looked like it had been scraped from a giant bar of soap. Summer Wine Vanguard was the beautifully hoppy pale ale sampled here, thank you very much.
*Of course, this is not strictly true, as we first popped into venue number 8, which was:
8. The Harlequin - brewery tap for the Brew Company. Samples of their Blonde and Best Bitter were completed, just as a touring party arrived. Nice wooden furniture here also + good foreign beers.
9. DAda. Which is, of course, Thornbridge's reinterpretation of a wine bar. Funky collages on the tables and funky keg beers on offer, mainly of the Thornbridge variety, but appendixed by the brilliantly hoppy Modus Hoperandi, from the Coloradan Ska Brewery. Wowee! What a greatly delicious beer to perk up the sagging central trunk of our crawl. Onwards.
10. Bonus visit! We nosed our way inside Hop, on the way to pub number 10, and were rewarded with very loud music, lots of students and nightclub style interior. Very strange when you consider that this is an Ossett gaff, with 4 of their beers on handpull. Inspite of this, it was the lovely Hawkshead Dry Stone Stout, which tempted me.
Number 11 was the Devonshire Cat, which offered an impressive array of well known Belgian bottles and about a dozen handpulls. Very big, very modern, very open plan, very busy, very short visit.
12. It took an age to find the Rutland Arms, but then again I did have to divert via a comfort break, which had become all too pressing. The Rutland was more like rammed-land (by which I mean it was rather busy). I believe this is an unofficial tap for the Blue Bee brewery, but didn't realise until afterwards. This explains why I sampled an Ascot beer. Chris had a pickled egg. Bully for him.
Then back to the Sheffield Tap and just enough time for a Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye, before boarding train home.
Final thoughts:
This post is dedicated to Steven Raymond Vaughan, who recently celebrated his 30th birthday.
I have been to the Steel City before (well I've watched LCFC lose at Bramall Lane and been shopping at Meadowhall), but this was my first drinking-based visit - one I felt impelled to make, after hearing nothing but good from wiser and better beer aficionados than myself.
A full programme yielded visits to 12 splendid pubs, including 7 or 8 official/unofficial brewery taps and left a warm, rippling feeling inside my heart.
Because there were so many good beers and lovely pubs, this report is going to be a bit of 'whistle stop' (much like my day), so watch out for bullet points and try to keep up.
1. On the Sheffield Station itself is the amazing Sheffield Tap, offering Thornbridge on cask and keg, + other top craft efforts from the likes of Tempest and Magic Rock, all complimented by hundreds of the World's best bottles. Nice leather seats too. Magnificent. I could have stayed here all day.
2. A short trip by tram, to the destination furthest from the centre: The Hillsborough Hotel. Or..... rather the about to be renamed 'The Hillsborough'. A lovely raised beer garden afforded a lovely view of the local ski slope (!) and I enjoyed sampling 2 beers from their house brewery Crown. Or.... rather from their
3. A walk down a hill, through an industrial estate, landed us up at the Gardener's Rest, my fave pub of the day. A tap for the Sheffield brewery - they stocked 4 of their offerings, plus other handpulled guests; but it was the decor and fabulous beer garden that won the plaudits. What a lovely clean pub, with lovely light and furniture, and what a lovely garden: full of nick-nacks, stained glass pagodas and a river view. Genuinely lovely.
4. Tap for the Little Ale Cart brewery - The Wellington was up next. Very quiet inside, but with excellent tables and nectar-like hoppy Goldens on the bar, I did not care. Several charming rooms. Another winner.
5. No time to hang around, because it was 5 minutes down the road, to the multiple winner of CAMRA UK pub of the year, the Kelham Island Tavern. Nice burger scoffed, then on to...
6. The Fat Cat, unofficial tap for the Kelham Island brewery (are you keeping up?). This was [yet] another beautifully genuine and unspoilt old boozer, nestling on a corner. Dead comfy inside, with charming features and a mix of handpulls and foreign beers.
7. But we couldn't dawdle, as it was off to the Shakespeare, our last venue in the Kelham Island area*, before
*Of course, this is not strictly true, as we first popped into venue number 8, which was:
8. The Harlequin - brewery tap for the Brew Company. Samples of their Blonde and Best Bitter were completed, just as a touring party arrived. Nice wooden furniture here also + good foreign beers.
9. DAda. Which is, of course, Thornbridge's reinterpretation of a wine bar. Funky collages on the tables and funky keg beers on offer, mainly of the Thornbridge variety, but appendixed by the brilliantly hoppy Modus Hoperandi, from the Coloradan Ska Brewery. Wowee! What a greatly delicious beer to perk up the sagging central trunk of our crawl. Onwards.
10. Bonus visit! We nosed our way inside Hop, on the way to pub number 10, and were rewarded with very loud music, lots of students and nightclub style interior. Very strange when you consider that this is an Ossett gaff, with 4 of their beers on handpull. Inspite of this, it was the lovely Hawkshead Dry Stone Stout, which tempted me.
Number 11 was the Devonshire Cat, which offered an impressive array of well known Belgian bottles and about a dozen handpulls. Very big, very modern, very open plan, very busy, very short visit.
12. It took an age to find the Rutland Arms, but then again I did have to divert via a comfort break, which had become all too pressing. The Rutland was more like rammed-land (by which I mean it was rather busy). I believe this is an unofficial tap for the Blue Bee brewery, but didn't realise until afterwards. This explains why I sampled an Ascot beer. Chris had a pickled egg. Bully for him.
Then back to the Sheffield Tap and just enough time for a Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye, before boarding train home.
Final thoughts:
- The best pub crawl in the World? Yes.
- Every pub a winner? Ain't that the truth.
- My fave was the Gardener's Rest, but the Sheffield Tap was amazing, the Wellington was grrrrreat, the Fat Cat was effortlessly homely and DAda dripped with cool. They were all good.
- Lots of beer gardens. A relative rareity in Brum, but in Sheff, each pub offered a bit of inner-city greenery and the chance to sample some fresh air.
- Great scenery in this hilly city.
- Good beer was unavoidable. Every place offered lots of cask choice. And keg choice. And foreign bottles were ubiquitous. And the quality was high. And there about 1000 different breweries within a 10-mile radius. Mind blowing.
- Quite cheap too. Not to be sniffed at.
- I love Sheffield.
This post is dedicated to Steven Raymond Vaughan, who recently celebrated his 30th birthday.
Friday, 17 February 2012
Wednesday in the Victoria and Friday in the errr, nowhere
On Wednesday I had a pre-planned (unusual for me) night out at a pub, with, wait for it, some friends (highly unusual for me {sob}).
It was at the Victoria and was most pleasant, thanks for asking. It was also uncharacteristically pleasant to stay in one pub, all night, and work my way through their wares. I was happily reacquainted with some old favourites, whom in some cases, I have not sampled for far too long.
Brewdog 5AM Saint rarely disappoints, and must be one of their best, yes?
The Flying Dog Doggie Style was a new one for me and enjoyably hoppy and drinkable, in a sort of 2006 kind of way. What does that mean? Well, it merely means that in 2006 I was drinking lots of new US beers with the same sort of hop profile. Is that OK?
Jaipur was (and is), well, Jaipur. Very juicy.
Brother Rabbit, also from Thornbridge was another new one for me, and not my favourite from these reliable lads. The sunshiney hops were by turns 'a bit' juicy, and then 'a bit' straw-ish.
The Kirin lager was lager. I don't think I am able to handle lager any more. It's been so long since I drank it, and it makes me feel a little bit queasy, and a little bit like Morrissey might have felt when asked to do cross-country running at school.
The Wye Valley Butty Bach was terribly run of the mill. Not terrible. Served in good nick, but utterly lacking in inspiring flavours.
The Maisel's Weisse was fluffy, smooth like a satin bedspread and undulating with it's cakey, creamy manifestations.
The Brooklyn Lager was perfectly acceptable, and rather slick.
The Victoria has lots of lovely murals, appropriate lighting levels and a good atmos. My fellow drinkers made me feel like an old git and no mistake, but that's my problem and not theirs. I wish I had been as well dressed as them, when I was their age.
And then I went home.
As a quick addendum, let me tell you about tonight's beer hunting. With a window of about 10 minutes after work, I trooped in and out of three pubs and tried.... zero beers. There was nothing on offer which excited me, so rather than blithely sup a half of this or that, I kept my wonga in my pocket. Does that represent exceptional strength of mind, or gargantuan beer snobbery? Only you can decide.
It was at the Victoria and was most pleasant, thanks for asking. It was also uncharacteristically pleasant to stay in one pub, all night, and work my way through their wares. I was happily reacquainted with some old favourites, whom in some cases, I have not sampled for far too long.
Brewdog 5AM Saint rarely disappoints, and must be one of their best, yes?
The Flying Dog Doggie Style was a new one for me and enjoyably hoppy and drinkable, in a sort of 2006 kind of way. What does that mean? Well, it merely means that in 2006 I was drinking lots of new US beers with the same sort of hop profile. Is that OK?
Jaipur was (and is), well, Jaipur. Very juicy.
Brother Rabbit, also from Thornbridge was another new one for me, and not my favourite from these reliable lads. The sunshiney hops were by turns 'a bit' juicy, and then 'a bit' straw-ish.
The Kirin lager was lager. I don't think I am able to handle lager any more. It's been so long since I drank it, and it makes me feel a little bit queasy, and a little bit like Morrissey might have felt when asked to do cross-country running at school.
The Wye Valley Butty Bach was terribly run of the mill. Not terrible. Served in good nick, but utterly lacking in inspiring flavours.
The Maisel's Weisse was fluffy, smooth like a satin bedspread and undulating with it's cakey, creamy manifestations.
The Brooklyn Lager was perfectly acceptable, and rather slick.
The Victoria has lots of lovely murals, appropriate lighting levels and a good atmos. My fellow drinkers made me feel like an old git and no mistake, but that's my problem and not theirs. I wish I had been as well dressed as them, when I was their age.
And then I went home.
As a quick addendum, let me tell you about tonight's beer hunting. With a window of about 10 minutes after work, I trooped in and out of three pubs and tried.... zero beers. There was nothing on offer which excited me, so rather than blithely sup a half of this or that, I kept my wonga in my pocket. Does that represent exceptional strength of mind, or gargantuan beer snobbery? Only you can decide.
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.
Friday, 13 January 2012
Friday afternoon, an early finish, and another stolen crawl
God bless the Wellington for having an interactive beer board which lets you see what is on, in 'real time'. It's a shame that there aren't more beers 'on', more frequently, which tantalise my tastebuds, but hey ho. This afternoon though, they had an Allgates and Saltaire, so the chance of a double your money, Brucie bonus beckoned. Not a roaring success though really:
i) the Allgates Winter Warmer, was slightly akin to licking an over-warmed, honey and rosehip lathered innertube; whilst
ii) the Saltaire Rye Pale Ale had a yawn of balanced, tasty hops, but didn't really turn up to the party wearing its party trousers. Shame.
But still. Don't be downhearted brethren, for I skipped and gambolled across New Street and down to the Post Office Vaults, the lovely new venture, now occupying the old Royal Mail. Yes, it smells of paint and yes there was a really annoying customer grilling each person who had the temerity to order a pint, but even so, it was a worthwhile [brief] visit.
I have now popped into the POV about 5 times since it opened in December and my emotions towards it vascillate up and down like a bride's nightie. What am I on about? Well I started off with massive expectations as someone mentioned that it would be a 'craft' beer venue :) >>> but then it turned out that they wouldn't be serving kegged ales :( >>> then I realised that it had a fantastic selection of Belgian beers - something Brum has been crying our for :) >>> then I had two horrible halves of Byatts beers (not sure whether this was due to beer quality or what really) :( >>> then I popped in today and had a Thornbridge McConnells Vanilla Stout :) >>> and realised that they are now stocking 2 x de Molen beers :) :) amongst other bottled treats.
Phew! No wonder I'm exhausted.
On the whole, I think the POV may be on track to dislodge the Wellington in the hotly disputed contest to be the place that offers the best beer range in the City. Certainly it's too early for them to get cocky (I'm sure they won't), but if you are looking for 6 reasonable ales and 100+ Belgian bottles, in a central Brum location, then you will struggle to find somewhere else called the Post Office Vaults, which is as good as this one.
Once home I had intended to sup a bottle of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale tonight also, but on reflection I'll have some chocolate biscuits and a cup of tea instead, because my Fantasy Football team won't choose itself.
Fridays are exciting aren't they?
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