Wych-wood you choose?

It’s been a while since my last blog post, for which I can only apologise for. My limited but not so weak excuses include: personal motivation, Israeli beers and a house move which has forced me to drink much of my garage stock! This has left me with little time to write sadly.

I return with my sixth beer on the list, and a cracking one at that! Wychwood Hobgoblin was one of the first “real” beers I ever enjoyed and to this day, I still love a drop of it. A particular friend of mine is a huge fan of all things Wychwood, and usually has a couple of dozen bottles in his beer fridge. He has a slight oddity in that he doesn’t always like to drink his beers, but rather save them like a collector. Save the empties, that’s what I say!

About the beer

The 300 beers list classes it as: Extra Strong Beer

Wychwood Hobgoblin is the flagship beer, as I see it, of the Witney-based brewery. They produce a wide range of beers, including a favourite of mine – King Goblin. It’s a bit of a strong one, but I do like a bottle on Christmas Day!

Hobgoblin is a dark and flavourful beer. I was once told it was modelled on chocolate fudge, but not sure if that’s the case or not. It’s rather gulpable, and not overly bitter but with a good balance. It’s widely available now, as is its Gold cousin, and also in mini-kegs.

As stated above, it’s classed as an Extra Strong brew, but at just over 5%, it’s not ridiculous and there are many beers on the list that far exceed its volume. Hey though, who am I to question the list?

Alcohol: 5.2%

My rating: 9/10

I love Hobgoblin, as it’s a great tasting beer and a fond favourite of many a real ale drinker. I’ve been to a few breweries in my time, but never made it up to Witney to visit Wychwood. I’m keen to put this right at some point soon, and want to see what else they have to offer. For Christmas this year, my lovely wife bought me a case of Wychwood beers which included such great titles as Goliath, Arrowaine and Bah Humbug (their Christmas beer, in case you hadn’t guessed!). Wych-wood you choose?

If you’ve not had Hobgoblin, where have you been? But seriously, if you’re just starting your real ale journey, this is a great one to get you started! Enjoy!

Meantime Chocolate Porter

As mentioned in a previous post, I’ve had a couple of memory lapses lately, buying a beer I thought was on the list when it in fact wasn’t. I corrected this by posting the list to this blog, so that when I’m out and about, I can take a quick gander before I buy.

I approached the bar recently, and spotted a bottle of Meantime Chocolate Porter in one of the beer fridges. Without hesitation, I ordered one and took it back to my seat. One of my fellow drinkers, who is way ahead of me on his 300 list, pointed out that the Meantime Chocolate Porter was not on the list. We debated this point for a minute or so, but he was quite right – it’s not. The Meantime London Porter is on the list, and I think that’s where I was getting confused.

So was I disappointed to have bought the Chocolate Porter in error? Not at all!

About the beer

Meantime Chocolate Porter – not, in fact, on the 300 list but great all the same!

This beer is dark and delicious. It starts in the mouth with a hit of bitterness, and then you taste the chocolate. We debated, my friends and I, what it reminded us of – one thought of chocolate ice cream, and another cream soda. Either way, it’s a really wonderful flavour and a full bodied beer. Because of the chocolate, it won’t fit all situations I guess, and likely won’t be a good match for a fish dinner! As a dessert beer, it’s bang on.

Alcohol: 6.5%

My rating: 8/10

I really struggled to rate this one, as it really is genuinely delicious. It’s not a session beer, at a hefty 6.5%, but also the flavour, as good as it is, is perhaps not what you always want in a “beer”. I can’t emphasise enough how good it is though, just specialised perhaps.

 

The Meantime Brewing Company is based in South-East London and offers a range of beers including a Lager, the two Porters mentioned above and a Stout. You can source their beers directly from them, but obviously can get them in and around London (and beyond). Like many breweries, you can visit them and take tour.

I’m a particular fan of the Meantime bottles, as seen in the attached picture. I’m not sure why, but it’s nice to see a more unusual shaped bottle! A friend commented that not only do you get a great beer, but you can keep the bottle and put a candle in it later… True, this may be, but I’m not sure Mrs Brown would be too keen on having naked flames and a set of empties dotted about the premises!

Having sampled this Meantime beer, I can’t wait to get on to the beers that actually on the list! I’ll keep my eyes peeled for a chance to get my hands on them.

Brooklyn Mine-Mine

If you’re not familiar with the TV show – Brooklyn Nine-Nine, then the above pun may be lost on you. Anyway, I digress…

A recent trip to our local Weatherspoons had me perusing the drinks menu once again. You may remember before that I missed out on a chance to try the Brooklyn Lager in my local, as they were out of stock. Here, at the Spoons, I had another chance to get my hands on a bottle of this American brew. Success! They had a good supply of them!

As I proudly stood my lager on the table, some of my real ale drinking buddies were a little derisive that I would pick up a bottled lager by choice. In fact, shortly before this, they had poked fun at a Heineken drinker who felt our real ale was a bit “tasteless!”

I tried to explain that lager, as they knew it, was mostly watery, light and tasteless, but I knew this Brooklyn Lager would be different. If, in your mind, lager means Becks, Bud or Carling, then you are missing out on true beers and especially what true lager can be. Brooklyn Lager is worlds apart from these aforementioned lagers, and is certainly not watery or tasteless!

About the beer

Brooklyn Lager by the Brooklyn Brewery – classed as a Vienna beer

Brooklyn Lager is a great beer. It is full of flavour and would please any a real ale drinker I’d wager. Vienna style beers have been popular in Brooklyn for a long time, but this has a slight twist on the usual Vienna style. According to Brooklyn Brewery’s own web site, they “dry hop” the beer to create an American original. This dry hopping (explained later) gives the beer a great floral aroma. The beer is amber-gold in colour, balancing a strong malt flavour with a firm bitterness.

Alcohol: 5.2%

My rating: 7/10

 

Dry hopping is a technique where you add fresh or dried hops to a batch of fermented beer, leaving it to steep for several days. This gives the beer a fresh hoppy aroma, and depending on the hops you use, can really alter the scent coming off the beverage. Many breweries use this technique to lift their beers, but it’s a great thing to do at home (when using kit brews) as it can bring the ale to life.

As I said above, Brooklyn Lager can be found in Weatherspoons pubs but also other non-Spoons establishments. I understand it’s also available in Waitrose, and likely other supermarkets as well, so I hope you can get your hands on some.

If not, you could always hop across the Pond to the Big Apple and get it from the source!

Burns Night Beer

I don’t need much of an excuse for a celebration, and like St Patrick’s Day in Ireland, Burn’s Night is being marked beyond the borders of Scotland. Truth be told, I wasn’t entirely sure what Burn’s Night is all about, but since discovered it’s the birthday of Robert Burns – a noteworthy Scottish poet.

Our local Aldi, and I suppose Aldi’s across the nation, mark such days with special offers and themed beers. This Burns Night was no exception. They had a selection of Scottish beers, including the one I’m sampling tonight – the Rabbie Burns Blonde beer.

I know it’s yet another departure from the 300 beers list, but I hope you still appreciate my random thoughts on the subject! I did have a good look to see if I could find a Scottish beer that was also on the list, but alas I could not. Actually, I should say another Scottish beer… I have got one in my stash, ready for a certain upcoming event which I’ll tell you about later.

About the beer

Rabbie Burns – Blonde Beer seeming brewed by “Traditional Scottish Ales Ltd” – imaginative name by the way!

Described as a blonde beer, it’s the colour of some lagers and is very pale. It has a smooth and almost creamy taste, with very little bitterness. It’s well rounded and quite enjoyable all in all. My only complaint is that it’s a little forgettable. It’s perfectly fine, but not outstanding.

Alcohol: 4.2%

My rating: 5/10

I feel a little bad rating this as a 5. It’s not awful by any means, and it slips down rather easily. The issue is, I probably won’t remember it in a week’s time and unless I read back over my blog, I won’t even recall its name!

Well, if you celebrate Burns’ Night, I wish you a very happy one – if that’s the right phrase! My little beer this evening is by no means the end of my celebrations, as a few of us are gathering in a week or so to do a “proper” Burns’ night with haggis and the full works!

The Burns’ Night event will be a beer fest also. Each will bring a chosen beer for the rest to rate and guess the alcohol content. I’d tell you more about the beer I’ve chosen, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy so as not to ruin the game. Leave it said that it is both Scottish and on the 300 list, so a blog will follow… bet you can’t wait?!

Norfolk Nog

Believe it or not, I’ve been to the pub twice this week! It is slightly unusual, as I often don’t get time to go but I managed to get there.

Earlier in the week, I met a friend for a chat over a pint. Actually, it was just me who had the pint as he’s staying dry for the moment. He popped to the bar and came back with a pint of Old Speckled Hen for me, which was darn decent of him I thought. It may not be my favourite beer but it’s better than some and pickings were slim on the pumps that evening.

Anyway, whilst waiting on him to come back from the bar, I started perusing the drinks menu. White wine, red wine, pink wine and the usual, and a whole page of various gins. Who knew that one of my locals offered a selection like that! I then turned over to find a “Craft Beer” page! Fantastic! I looked with interest to see what they had on offer, and low and behold, two of the 300 list were on there!

Looking somewhat disappointedly at my pint of Old Hen, I thought I’d missed a golden opportunity. Round two shortly followed and I skipped eagerly to the bar looking for either one of the Goose Island IPA or a Brooklyn Lager. Sadly, double disappointment was to follow as the barman shook his head to say they had neither on offer tonight. Like a child told they weren’t allowed any sweets, I returned to my seat with a second Old Speckled.

I shared my disappointment with my companion and we discussed whether the barman had even heard of the two beers on the list I had asked for. He did seem a little confused when asked about them, and certainly didn’t go looking. Could it be that no one had asked for these beers before?

Later that same week, some work colleagues and I went to our local Weatherspoon’s. I know, some don’t like the Weatherspoon’s’ way of doing things, but often they have a good offering of real ales. The other appeal is the price. The average cost of a pint in our non-Weatherspoon’s’ local is £3.25 which is often a pound a pint more. I know that Weatherspoon’s charge less because they buy in bulk, they buy beers nearer the end of their shelf life (because they can shift them) and sometimes don’t look after their beers so well. Anyway, perhaps we’ll pick up this subject another day – but for now, we were in there!

Our first round was a no brainer. A quick glance along the pumps and we saw the wonderful Norfolk Nog by Woodforde’s. This is a tremendous dark beer and slips down way too easily. I didn’t have the 300 list with me at the time, but would have bet good money that Nog was on there. As it turns out, it is not. Woodfordes do have two beers on the list; Wherry and Nip, but not Nog sadly.

About Woodforde’s Nog

Nog is a smooth and rich beer, quite black but with a hint of ruby red (according to Woodfordes) and is like velvet in a glass. Woodfordes suggest it’s a great match for game or venison, but a beer that stands on its own for sure. It has a good balance between sweetness and bitterness and is in the “Old Ale” class.

Alcohol: 4.6%

My rating: 9/10

I do rate this highly, as it’s a delicious beer. If you don’t like dark beers or beers in this style, of course you won’t be a fan. It’s a very different beast to the multiplicity of golden ales out there these days, but for me is hard to beat.

If you can’t find Nog in your local, then you can buy it in various forms from Woodfordes directly. For homebrewers, you can even buy a Nog kit to make at your leisure.

After the double disappointment of missing out on ticking off two of the 300, a couple of pints of Nog really made up for it. Get yourself one and see what you think!

Empire Strikes Back

Burton Bridge Empire pale ale is an IPA. In case you have ever wondered, IPA stands for India Pale Ale. It doesn’t originate from India, and is not Indian Pale Ale but I believe has its roots in sending British beers overseas. To endure the journey, they were brewed stronger than your average beer, and that should still be the same today.

You see a lot of beers boasting the title “IPA” these days but I’m not always convinced they are true IPAs. In my book, two things are true about a proper IPA. 1) They are pale and 2) they are brewed strong (perhaps to the 6%+ range but certainly 5.5%). You see plenty of examples in the supermarkets and elsewhere of ale that are dark and weak, and yet still claim to be IPAs. Not so in my humble opinion!

The Burton Bridge Empire pale ale is both strong and pale, and an excellent example of what I think of when I hear the term “IPA”.

About the beer

Burton Bridge Empire pale ale – my fourth beer on the 300 list and is classed as an IPA – you may have guessed.

It is pale and golden, and if I had to sum it up in one single word, that would be “rich”. This is truly a “rich” beer, and its sumptuous taste doesn’t disappear as soon as you swallow it. You don’t get punched with bitterness, as some IPAs can, but rather the richness of the malt and hops fades leaving a lingering bitterness on the tongue. It really is a splendid beer!

Referring to my previous post about not wasting your units; this is furthest from doing so. A pint or bottle of this beer could last you a fair while if you savour it. At a hefty ABV too, you won’t need too many before you reach the recommended daily alcohol limit!

Alcohol: 7.5% (that’s 3.75 units for the 500ml bottle and above the daily intake recommended by the new guidelines)

My rating: 7/10

 

This is a great beer, and one I’ve not had before. If you get a chance to try it, I’d recommend you do so. It’s brewed by Burton Bridge brewery, in Burton-on-Trent and if you can get to their brewery tap and try it, you won’t regret it. For those of us who don’t live in the area, you may find it harder to come by.

Where did I get mine? Believe it or not, I bought it from Amazon! They don’t just stock CDs, books and the like these days, and actually have a fair few brews to choose from. You have to watch the delivery prices, as they can really sting you if you’re not careful, but a pack of six Empire ales was a little more than £20 delivered. That may seem quite expensive, but don’t forget how strong this beer is and you won’t find it on 4 bottles for a fiver in your local Asda!

More on where to get your beer in a future blog I suspect!

A final word about bottle-conditioned beers. Empire ale is an example of a beer that is bottle-conditioned and what this means is that there is live yeast in the bottle and it will therefore have sediment in it. If you don’t pour it carefully, you will get a cloudy beer. This is worsened by buying online, as it will only get shaken up and disturbed on route to your home.

Again, more on bottle conditioning in a future blog. But for now, if you procure one, just make sure you pour it slowly and carefully, and where you can see the beer clearly. Stop pouring if you see the sediment coming out! It won’t hurt you, but could affect the taste of your beer.

Heather ale? What will they think of next!

What exactly is beer? What ingredients are used to make it? Well, in essence, there really isn’t a long list of ingredients. You have malted barley or similar, yeast, water and hops. That’s pretty much it. Sounds simple huh? Actually it’s quite difficult because you can combine those four ingredients in many different ways, and get really rather different results. I suppose that’s why there are 300 beers on the list, showcasing the supposedly best in the world. Sure, you can use different types of grain (or even rice), and you would be surprised how much difference using different yeasts can make. Many of the big breweries even have their own strain of yeast, such as Adnams, which give their beers their characteristic flavour.

These days though, you’ll see all manner of things being introduced into the beers on the supermarket shelves. Fruit beers, such as raspberry wheat beers, are common and have distinctive flavours. Badgers brew a whole host of beers boasting different flavours from peach to liquorice to ginger. Other beers include spices, honey, and yes, even flowers like elderflower.

Here is an example of a beer that is made using other additions. As the name suggests, this beer includes a generous amount of heather. But you would be wrong to think this is a new idea however, as I understand the Scottish Fraoch has been around a long time. In fact, some sources suggest heather has been used for nearly 4,000 years!

About the beer

Beer 2 of 300 – Fraoch Heather Ale by Williams Bros.

The 300 beer list categorises it as “Beers made with fruit” Is there any fruit in it? I’m not sure, but there is heather… I suspect!

The beer is very light and refreshing, and has a golden honey colour. You can certainly taste the heather in it, although it’s not overpowering by any means.

There was some fairly heavy sediment in the bottom of my bottle (which shouldn’t put you off), so it’s a good time to mention that many beers are “bottle conditioned”. To carbonate a beer, or put simply “make it fizzy” you can either inject CO2 into it or else add sugars to the beers when you bottle it. If you do the latter, the yeast in the beer will convert the sugar into alcohol and CO2, and this will make the beer fizzy. It’s worth being aware that beer conditioned in this way will have a small amount of sediment in the bottom.

Alcohol: 5%

My rating: 7/10

This beer is produced all year round, but I have to confess, I’m not 100% sure how I came about possessing one! As mentioned in a previous post, I searched my extensive beer stash for beers on the 300 list, and this was one I found. Where did I get it from? I just don’t recall! There’s a good chance my lovely wife picked it up for me one day while doing the weekly shop (she’s wonderful like that!). If that was the case, then chances are you can find one yourself in your local supermarket.

I don’t know a great deal about Scottish beers, and must confess I’ve never ventured that far north myself. Based on this little brew though, I’ll look forward to sampling a few more.

The only way to begin!

2016 has finally arrived, and may I wish you a very happy new year! As well as beginning a new year, I’m beginning my 300 beers challenge! When I look over the list, there really is only one way to begin… Adnams Broadside!

I wasn’t always a beer drinker, but one of the reasons I started enjoying real ale was a trip to the Adnams brewery in Southwold. It was my first brewery trip, and ever since then I’ve enjoyed drinking and making beers. Adnams were particularly generous when it came to tasting (more so on the wines and spirits than the beers, but still!) and we had a great afternoon wandering around the brewery. I can highly recommend a trip there if you ever get a chance.

Since that time, Adnams beers have always been special to me. Last summer, one of my beer buddies held an “Ale Test Fest” where we all brought one of our favourite beers to line them up against each other. We had to guess both the beer name, brewery and its strength. No one had trouble guessing mine, as I make no secret of the fact that Broadside is one of my top rated beers. The winner on the day was Badgers’ Poachers Choice (another tasty and more unusual beer tasting of liquorice and damsons) but Broadside stood well and was in good company. More about the Ale Test Fest and other events another day…

About the beer

Beer 1 of 300 – Adnams Broadside

The 300 beer list categorises it as “Best bitter”

This is one of Adnams flagship beers alongside Southwold Bitter, Ghost Ship and Explorer. At a hefty 6+%, Broadside is not for the faint of heart! It’s dark and rich and tasty, with a good hop balance. It’s delicious on tap and in the bottle, although the cask version is not as strong as the bottle (4.7% I believe). You can buy it in mini-casks as well, direct from Adnams and elsewhere, which is a great way to enjoy it.

Alcohol: 6.3% (in the bottle, less on tap)

My rating: 10/10 (slightly bias!)

I rate it highly because of its sentimental value to me (of course) but mostly because I just can’t walk past a Broadside pump clip in a pub without stopping for one (or more). It truly is an awesome beer and a personal favourite.

Where can you get Broadside? The fantastic thing is that it is readily available in most supermarkets and from Adnams directly. You won’t have to look hard or far to find one, and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

What a great way to start my 300 beer challenge! If all the beers end up as good as this one, I’ll be a very happy (and likely tipsy) man!

Let's get cracking!

I’ve been a fan of buying, making and drinking beer for a while now and decided to take on a new challenge in 2016. You may be familiar with the book – 300 beers to try before you die – which is a great read for any beer lover. The book sets out a list of 300 must try beers, and this coming year (2016), I’m going to try and acquire and sample as many of them as possible.

Now 300 beers is a fair few, and throughout the year I’ll continue to make my own delicious home brews so it’s unlikely I’ll be able to hit all of 300 in one year. However, I’m going to set out on the journey and see how far I get! Even if I never reach all 300, it sure will be fun trying!

 

This blog is intended to track my progress on this journey, share my thoughts on the quality of the beers themselves, and just generally point out anything of interest along the way. I’ve no doubt some of the beers will be hard to come by, so I’ll try to share my success stories as well as the inevitable frustrations!

 If you want to join me in the challenge, please feel free to comment and tell me how you’re getting on. You can find the list in the book, of course, and no doubt some of the darker corners of the web also!

After deciding to take this on over Christmas, I’ve had a hunt through my rather sizeable stash in the garage and found six of the 300 already in stock! Hurrah! This will get me started, and many of the beers are also readily available from the supermarkets. Once those have been ticked off however, I suspect I’ll have to get a little more creative about where I find them. If you have any suggestions or tips, please pass them on!

 I look forward to sharing this challenge with you, so check back regularly for updates. I don’t drink every day, I hasten to add, but I’ll try to post frequently and fill in the gaps with my highs and lows of home brewing, pub crawling and other such shenanigans!