broadfordbrewer
The proof is in the drinking
You are Mutually Oblivious 4
Pass it on
It’s roughly a month since I last posted my ‘Mutually Oblivious’ update and may make this the last one in this format. Or maybe not, undecided as I write. For anyone who hasn’t read one of these updates before they are basically a summary of British breweries large and small who I have recently become aware of on Twitter. See also You are Mutually Oblivious, You are Mutually Oblivious 2 and You are Mutually Oblivious III. So, if you are interested in adding a few more breweries to your network then please read on.
Through my brilliant deduction and ability to state the bleeding obvious, it is my opinion that the ever increasing number of breweries is being driven by beer drinkers wanting to try new beers and generally support brewers who innovate and gift us with thought provoking creations. As well as gorging on these specialty beers, there is no doubt that we all still enjoy the staple beers in our diet and like me you should try to get your Five a Day.
On to the additions to my ‘Mutually Oblivious’ Twitter list. I include breweries that I have yet to drink from, but believe me when I say that I practice what I preach, and I have a very long list to get through. I have previously used an arbitrary number of <500 Followers to be included in the post, but I’ve decided to open it up to any breweries with any Following. Afterall, size isn’t everything, right?
Aside from the above, the following breweries are in the newly opened or planning to open soon category. So in the spirit of #ff (Follow Friday on Twitter) give them a Follow.
Thanks for reading and if you know of any new breweries that I haven’t mentioned here, then please do post a ‘Comment’ and let me know.
The Hoppening – Ghost Drinker’s Neurotoxin
Why are you eyeing my lemon drink?
The Hoppening
I think I’m starting to get the hang of this beer blogging malarkey. I let my mind wander during both my waking hours and the slightly abstract portal of my dream-state. What seems to be a trend for me at the moment is thinking up tenuous film links with beer and for this I apologise, it’s probably just a phase I’ll grow out of.
Coincidentally, and not on his part I’m sure, I have been gifted with a bottle of beer homebrewed by a ghostly apparition and its human henchman, just in time for the Festival of the Dead. He’s thoughtful like that.
ReSpectre the labelling
For someone with no physical form and therefore a distinct disadvantage when it comes to the ability to hold anything, it’s hardly a surprise that the Ghost Drinker is systematically selecting human hosts to see his plans through to fruition. He is what you might call a cuckoo brewer… a dead cuckoo brewer. He calls this practice “collaboration“, whereas the living know this better as a haunting. But don’t worry, if he comes a’knocking he’s more Casper than Krueger. On this occasion he selected Matt Lovatt or @Braukerl if you Tweet. Nobody knows what happened to his last possession.
"They're here..."
At 6.66% abv this amber ale could not be called anything but a name like Poltergeist. It looks the genuine article and the artwork reminds of the lift doors at the Overlook Hotel, aka that spooky hotel in The Shining. What’s more, the bottle has been sealed with black wax which makes me wonder whether he is trying to keep something else other than the beer from getting out?
Upon opening the seal there is not so much a pfft as more of a presence in the room. There are immediate aromas of peach, mango and candy, along with what I imagine is the yeast profile, a fruity, earthiness that gives it real depth.
redrum
From the dark bottle and predominantly black and white exterior comes a vibrant red beer, it’s murky appearance hiding what lies beneath. It pours with a decent sized head which relaxes back to a thin covering before the first sip. The bitterness hits you immediately and spares no part of your tongue. The bitterness doesn’t really fade but there is just enough room for the fruits to come forward and balance things a little before the sweet malts come into play. As someone who has brewed a couple of beers, I can picture Ghosty and Matt tasting the sweet wort as it ran from the copper and knowing it was going to be a good one. As far as the bitterness goes, having taken a look a the hop bill and with an expected IBU of 77, I’m fairly sure they have achieved exactly what they set out to do. The mouth-feel is thick and syrupy and it feels to cling to your mouth with the bitterness refusing to let you go. It’s an extremely satisfying beer for those that like a hop kick! I took my time with this beer and really appreciated receiving the chance to try it, cheers guys, I hope to brew something half as tasty and share the wealth. On the basis of this beer and many others I’ve had the pleasure of trying of late, the homebrewing scene is alive and kicking out some quality, even when it’s brewed by the dead.
The write-up of their brewday and recipe is posted here.
You can also see Ghosty’s and Matt’s beer reviewed over on The Beer Prole and by CAMRGB.
Supermarket Sweep – Part 4
This is not just beer, this is...no wait this is just beer.
After a brief sit in the Asda Cafe while Tyler did my beer homework in Part 3, I have been back behind the trolley and sweeping my way through Marks & Spencer’s Pudsey, West Yorkshire store. I knew from previous trips that they sell a lovely London Porter brewed by the reliable Meantime Brewing Company, but haven’t paid much attention to the rest of the selection before now. The store is one of their bigger ones but with a very modest beer section, clinging onto the side of the wine aisle for dear life. However, the beer alienation appears to stop there. Bottom shelf beer includes some of the well known lagers, stouts and ciders, but the surprising thing was the four shelves above them. With no fewer than 19 beers brewed for Marks & Spencer by 14 breweries and for the first time on this research I was faced with having to make a choice on which beers to buy. Even with their beer offer of buy 5 for the price of 4, it was still a tough call. I went for beers by St Austell, Oakham, Thwaites and Adnams.
Marks & Spencer Bottle Conditioned Lancashire Dark Mild, 500ml, 3.7% abv, £2.29
The beer is bottle conditioned and brewed by Daniel Thwaites, a version of their cask mild perhaps? It’s described on the bottle as having “Roasted flavour with underlying nuttiness“ and best to serve cool, not chilled. I went along with this advice. M&S tell me this beer has a “Taste Intensity” of 5. More on this later. It opened with a good pfft and poured almost black in colour but with a red hue when held up to the light. It had a large tan head which lasted all the way down the glass. I’d say this is the first ‘supermarket’ beer that has achieved this, but likely to be due to it’s bottle conditioning? There is a very ‘mild’ malty aroma, and first tastes confirm what this beer is all about. Lovely caramel sweetness and rich malt mouth-feel. The sweetness gives way a little to some bitterness but you wouldn’t expect much more from the style. It’s then the after-taste that makes this beer so good, the bottle does describe a “nuttiness” but I would take this a little further and describe the flavour as similar to a buttery peanut brittle sweet. I’d buy this again if it wasn’t for the price. I just feel that even though this is M&S, £2.29 is a little steep.
Marks & Spencer Southwold Dark Ale, 330ml, 7.2% abv, £2.29
I was really looking forward to this one. Brewed by Adnams, and widely understood to be relabelled Tally-Ho. The bottle describes it as a barley wine style beer and as “rich and warming with a fruity aroma and sweet flavour” with a “Taste Intensity” of 7. At 7.2% I think it just about scrapes into barley wine territory, but it is the all important characteristics of the style that come through in this beer. It’s fruity, woody aroma and rich flavours, even if a little thin in the body, make this a very satisfying drop. It has pudding wine qualities with juicy muscat grapes and an overall sweet roundness. The aftertaste is delicate roasted malts and some milk chocolate. I loved this beer but it was let down by the fact that it resembled flat coca cola. No life to the appearance but nothing wrong with the taste! At £2.29 I’d say it’s a decent buy considering it’s a special christmasy brew and carries 7.2% abv.
Marks & Spencer Cambridgeshire Summer Ale, 500ml, 3.8% abv, £2.19
Having run out of summer just the other week, I cranked the heating up and put a few jumpers on to build a thirst. Afterall, this is a summer beer brewed by Oakham Ales, a “seasonal guest” and boasts “a clean cirtus aroma and bitter hoppy flavour” with a “Taste Intensity” of 3. Of the beers I selected this is the only one that shares some of the recipe, namely Challenger and Mount Hood hops with Maris Otter malt. It pours a lovely pale golden colour and has a small head, which due to the light carbonation disappears instantly. It does have a very pleasant hop aroma and tastes and feels syrupy in the mouth. The grassy Challenger hops then shine through and give way to a peppery, light bitterness in the finish and then back to the sweetness of the malt. Another enjoyable beer that I’d happily recommed and would be a fool not to given that this beer is based on their Jeffrey Hudson Bitter (Champion Bitter of Britain 2001, 1999). However, once again I feel that I wouldn’t go out of my way to shop for this beer when I can get a comparable beer for 30p cheaper down the road.
Marks & Spencer Bottle Conditioned Cornish IPA, 500ml, 5.0% abv, £2.29
This is another one of M&S’s bottle conditioned beers, brewed by St Austell Brewery and billed as a “Classic Indian Pale Ale brewed with Cornish spring water“. M&S labels are quite traditional in their look and have plenty of information for anyone caring to read it, but no tasting notes except for a “Taste Intensity” score of which this beer is a 4. I was a bit puzzled by the use of these scores to be honest. A few notes about the flavours would be more use and in my opinion intensity of flavour means different things to different people and certainly means different things for different beer styles. What is refreshing though, is that all of M&S’s beers are just part of the wider M&S range, clearly a shop that doesn’t feel the need to tell us that this product is better than some of the other products they sell, i.e. not an Extra Special, or Finest* branding in sight. Having said that, we all know that should M&S choose to advertise their beer, it would almost certainly depict a sensuous drink that oozes sophistication, regardless of the product they are selling.
It pours golden in colour and with good carbonation, the head quickly disappears to nothing. Aromas of citrus fruits, lemon-grass. The initial taste delivers a decent bitterness and flavour combination of grapefruit, lemon, toffee and a kind of iced-tea after taste, not unpleasant though and a flavour I happily associate with sipping a refreshing drink while relaxing in the shade. This is a Cornish IPA after all. For all of its flavour, this is an uncomplicated beer, summed up nicely by M&S who suggest it would go nicely with fish and chips. Anyone else picturing summers past and looking ahead to a trip to the South West next summer? It’s certainly not the best IPA I’ve ever tried, but I think I have been heavily influenced by the not so traditional take on the IPA, and the type of hopping that results in a huge tropical fruit hit. If I could separate the two in my ‘reviewing’ minds-eye, I would be more excited about this beer. Just to add that this beer won gold in the International Beer Challenge in 2009 and silver in the same competition in 2010, so take their word for it and not mine.
Overall, I was really impressed with the large selection of beers brewed for the Marks and Spencer brand. They have some excellent breweries working with them and offer a decent bottle-conditioned selection for those that require it. On the other hand, M&S don’t stock any other ales other than their own range and as I have laboured somewhat above, their beer selection is spoilt by the pricing, but this is M&S after all.
I fear my next trolley push will be my last in what has been an enthralling series of ‘big shop’ booze buying. I’m fairly sure that Morrisons don’t have a beer range of their own and the three bottle co-op range seems to be a bit of an after thought. If you do go looking for it, it’s usually found crammed on the end of an aisle next to the latest alco-pop deal. So, I’m going to put on my suit and mosey on down to Waitrose and try my hardest not to look like I’m just buying beer. God forbid! bloody beer drinkers.
And the rest:
| Beer |
Price |
Brewery |
| Leicester bitter 5L |
£9.99 |
Everards |
| Southwold Winter IPA |
£2.29 |
Adnams |
| Wiltshire Rum Beer |
£1.99 |
Wadworth |
| Southwold Summer IPA |
£1.99 |
Adnams |
| German Pilsner lager |
£1.99 |
|
| Ginger Ale |
£2.09 |
Robinsons |
| Lincolnshire bitter |
£2.09 |
Marstons |
| Staffordshire IPA |
£2.09 |
Marstons |
| Cheshire Brown Ale |
£2.09 |
Robinsons |
| Cambridgeshire Summer Ale |
£2.19 |
Oakham Ales |
| Belgian wheat beer |
£2.19 |
Robinsons |
| Southwold Dark Ale |
£2.29 |
Adnams |
| Cheshire choc porter |
£2.29 |
Robinsons |
| Belgian cherry wheat beer |
£2.29 |
Robinsons |
| London Porter |
£2.29 |
Meantime |
| Irish Stout |
£2.29 |
Robinsons |
| Hospital Porter |
£10.00 |
Meantime |
| Lancashire Dark Mild |
£2.29 |
Daniel Thwaites |
| Bottle Conditioned Scottish Ale |
£2.29 |
Hepworth |
| Bottle conditioned Cornish IPA |
£2.29 |
St Austell |
| Bottle conditioned Norfolk Bitter |
£2.29 |
Hepworth |
| Bottle conditioned Sussex Golden Ale |
£2.29 |
Hepworth |
| Bottle Conditioned Welsh Honey |
£2.29 |
Conwy |
| Bottle Conditioned Lancashire Dark Mild |
£2.29 |
Daniel Thwaites |
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Supermarket Sweep – Part 3
The Flag for the BRC
There are some journeys in life that you have to take, while there are others that you will gladly wriggle out of at the first opportunity. Taking the decision to review ‘supermarket beer’ seemed like an inoffensive thing to do at the time, but in doing so it has made me realise that not all beer research is fun research. Let’s just say that I have a new-found respect for the guys and gals that do this gig on a regular basis and provide us all with the information we sometimes rely on to find the gems and avoid the polished turds.
With this in mind it will come as no surprise that I took ‘that’ opportunity to shirk my responsibilities and bring in the hired help. Negativity aside, it has come as a pleasant surprise that a few people have been interested in the outcome of the supermarket reviews to date, (Tesco and Sainsbury’s), and one chap was even enthusiastic/interested/supportive enough to offer to drink-along with me. Seeing this as a gift from the gods I quickly recruited him to do my dirty work. The gun for hire is none other than Tyler Kiley, chef to the not so rich and infamous (at Mr Foleys), opinionated statesider, beer enthusiast, blogger and all round top chap. He found himself in Asda one evening and with my bleatings ringing in his ears and in the spirit of the moment he bought Asda’s Extra Special Ale. So rather than mess with his words, over to Tyler:
He's dynamite with a beer or a burger
I have been asked to attempt to come up with a bunch of tasting notes and my opinions on Asda’s Extra Special range of premium ales. These beers are made by Britain’s Oldest Brewery Sheperd Neame. I don’t know much about this brewery because I’ve only ever tried one of their regular ales and I wasn’t all that impressed by it. They seem to be doing a lot of beers for the nationally known grocery stores. They also produce one of the Sainsbury’s ‘Taste the Difference’ range which you can read about in David’s second ode to supermarket beer. You can pick these up in a gift pack that Asda do for a reasonable price of £5.49 or just pick up the individual ales on their 3 for 4 bargain (prices correct at 12/10/11). The gift pack includes: 2 bottles of the Whitechapel Porter, 1 of the Gentleman Jack Dark Ruby Ale and 1 of the Golden Ale. I decided to try these in order of ABV lowest to highest, so that means Golden Ale first.
Asda’s Extra Special Golden Ale, 4.5% abv, 500ml, £1.70 (ea)
At first glance it is what it says it is, it pours golden with a thin white foamy head, smells of floral hops and tastes like you would expect a typical golden ale would do. Not too hoppy but with a slight bitter taste. In my honest opinion I am somewhat surprised by this beer, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be, but that doesn’t make it good. Golden Ale is drinkable but not something I can see myself picking up in the near future, or ever again in this beers case. The neck of the bottle says ”A well-balanced fusion of malt & floral hop, with a clean and dry citrus finish”. I can concur with this statement but again doesn’t make me want to buy this again. I can’t say there is anything wrong with it per se, but it’s one of those beers you would buy if you just can’t make up your mind while on the beer aisle at Asda. Safe, simple and boring.
Asda’s Extra Special Gentleman Jack, 5.0% abv, 500ml, £1.70 (ea)
Next up is the Gentleman Jack a dark ruby ale. This is not to be confused with the fantastic bourbon of the same name coming from the Jack Daniels distillery in the States. Onto the beer, it’s a ruby ale with a thinnish tan head, aroma is of roasted malt and toffee. At first taste it’s quite sweet and in this guy’s opinion, easily drinkable. I wasn’t expecting much after the lovely time I had with the Golden Ale but it has a pleasant aftertaste and would be a good pick-up if you’re stuck or just starting out with Real Ale. As you get through the pint, and as it warms to room temp the bitterness comes through quite a bit and the nuttiness of the ale comes through in full. I would buy this beer again if I was stuck and wanted something that wasn’t offensive to my taste buds, it would be a beer that would hit the bottom of my trolley one more time. The neck of the bottle says “A nut-brown premium ale with a fruity hoop aroma & bitter flavour notes“. Again, I wont argue with this seeing that the brewery probably knows more than I do, but I still pick up toffee on the nose and on the tongue.
Asda’s Extra Special Whitechapel Porter, 5.2% abv, 500ml, £1.70 (ea)
Last but by no means least is the Whitechapel Porter. It pours dark and with a thick brownish head, aromas of chocolate and slight chili. Taste is pleasant enough, has a hint of dark bitter chocolate and a bitter spiciness towards the back of the tongue. Now this is probably the best of the “premium ales” because it’s at the very least drinkable, to the point where you feel that you’re enjoying it more than the rest! It is your standard Porter, though drinking it makes you feel warm inside and to be quite honest with the dark days of winter coming you could do worse than picking this beer up. The spiciness stays with this beer throughout which isn’t a bad thing, it’s quite an improvement on the other two Asda beers which is probably why they include two of the Porter in the pack and only one of each of the others. It does get better when it gets warmer even though the bottle says “serve slightly chilled“, I think room temp would be a better temp for this beer so that all the flavours can be noticed. The neck of this bottle says “A dark ruby traditional porter combining underlying roasted malt flavour with spicy hop notes.” So this is the best of the bunch and would recommend this beer more than the rest. So next time you’re on the beer aisle, this is a good, robust porter and can be a must buy if you haven’t already tried it.
So there you have it. Based on Tyler’s appraisal I would summarise the Asda’s Extra Special range as underwhelming, but with the Porter being the pick if you do want to try one. As with the other supermarkets I do think that there are delusions of grandeur in their branding, a grandeur that builds the customers expectations and ultimately determines the ruthlessness of their potential reviewing. Afterall, at £1.70 per bottle when bought individually, or £1.37 per bottle if bought in the gift pack, price is hardly a selling point, given that they are on the shelf next to some great beers for only £1.89.
Thanks again to Tyler and his true grit and steely determination to see this review through. While he TUI’d (Typed Under the Influence) into the small hours last night, I was resting up and preparing for Round 4 – Marks & Spencer.
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Boon Mariage Parfait Kriek – #7point5
Boon Mariage Parfait Kriek – #7point5.
Read Beersay’s review of Boon Mariage Parfait Kriek. It is the first of a series of reviews showcasing the world of beers available to consumers in England, at the moment.
Read more at #7point5 ‘What on earth is that all about?’
If you fancy reviewing a beer or two which boast an abv above 7.5% then get involved by blogging it, or by getting in touch with Beersay (or myself) if you want us to post on your behalf.
Thanks.
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Supermarket Sweep – Part 2
This is the second part in my series of posts on beers brewed for supermarkets but branded and sold as the shops range of ‘in-house’ beer. In my last post I visited Tesco and found beer from Harviestoun, Brewdog, Huyghe and Brasserie Du Bocq in their Finest* range. Moving onto Sainsbury’s and upon visiting one of their medium sized stores in nearby Greengates I found their Taste the Difference range. I can’t find the information to back this up, but I think beer is a new line in their range? (Prices correct as at 03/10/11 & all prices were introductory offers).
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Yorkshire Bitter, 500ml bottle, 5% abv, £1.41
First up and purposefully chosen as the representative of my native region. Brewed by the Black Sheep Brewery in its traditional Yorkshire Square fermenting vessels. It is brewed using Maris Otter malt, demerara sugar and hopped with Fuggles and Goldings. The York Press reported as recently as 26th September 2011 that the beer was hitting the shelves at 375 stores and Black Sheep are quoted as being pretty pleased with this, and rightly so.
The bottle opened with a promising fizz and pours a light amber colour and has perfect clarity, no head forms despite the lively carbonation. Its initial smell is quite metallic but with some flowery notes coming through. My first taste confirms the metallic qualities and it’s on the thin side too but it does have a solid bitterness and pleasant malty finish with the demerara adding a pleasant toffee flavour. The bottle notes tell me that it should have a demerara sweetness with full malt body and citrus overtones, balanced with a long, dry refreshing Yorkshire Bitter finish. I like that they suggest to pair it with food and they recommend a ploughman’s lunch and who is going to argue that drinking any beer with cheese, pickle, meat and bread is a bad move? I would hazard a guess that this beer is based on their Yorkshire Square Ale. I like this beer and I wouldn’t be disappointed if I ordered it in a pub of a Sunday afternoon.
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference IPA, 500ml bottle, 5.9% abv, £1.26
Next up is an India Pale Ale brewed by Marston’s Plc. It sells as a “classic” IPA brewed with Fuggles, Goldings and Cascade hops and of course the legendary Burton liquor. Read Marston’s Old Empire, but in my opinion this is a very different beer. It pours a light straw colour with light carbonation and head that disappears from the off. It smells quite malty and fresh but no real stand out aroma. It tastes nothing like its 5.9% abv and is quite delicate for an IPA but the flavour does build in the after-taste with bitter grapefruit and if you weren’t careful you could convince yourself you could drink this a session beer. The bottles notes describe a delicate fresh nose with floral and citrus aromas, a traditional brew with clean, bitter hop flavour. As with the Yorkshire Bitter they give a food pairing suggestion which in this case is spicy food and Indian dishes, quite a bold statement but I imagine you wouldn’t go far wrong taking this along to your local Indian restaurant, providing there was no corkage to pay! All in all nothing to write home about but for £1.26 I’m not going to grumble.
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Kentish Ale, 500ml bottle, 4.5% abv, £1.26
I moved on to try the Traditional Kentish Ale, brewed by Shepherd Neame. It is bottled in their trademark embossed clear glass bottle “Britain’s Oldest Brewer – 1698″. I’m not a fan of beer in clear glass bottles for the well documented reasons of retaining the quality and flavours intended by the Head Brewer, however Shepherd Neame seem to do more than alright with their range so I’ll move on. Well almost, if it’s Taste the Difference, then nobody needs to shop with their eyes do they? put it in a brown bottle as the god of hops intended. This is a pale, golden beer which is well carbonated and keeps its head for the first third of the pint, it has aromas of resinous hops and pine and has balanced hop and biscuit malt flavours with some honey coming through at the end. As with the others the standard format bottles notes tell you what you should expect, which in this case is floral and citrusy aromas with rounded hoppy notes, smooth and fruity with crisp refreshing flavours. The food pairing suggestion is grilled chicken, ham and mild cheeses. It’s certainly covering a few bases but as I’m drinking it with a slightly stale pack of ready salted Hula-Hoops then I’m hardly in a position to judge. The bottle also mentions that this beer is single hopped with Earlybird, which didn’t make any sense to me, but with a quick browse of the brewery website I now understand this to be referring to a variety of the East Kent Goldings hop usually harvested and used between March & May. I can’t really comment on how they manage to produce this all year around (or whether they will?), but I think I am basing this on the assumption that this beer is a version of their EarlyBird Spring Hop Ale. I bought this bottle in September. As with the others, this beer isn’t exciting me but it’s perfectly drinkable and each to their own.
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Craft Brewed Lager, 500ml bottle, 4.1% abv, £1.41
Last, but as it turns out not least in the four-region range is the Scottish Craft Brewed Lager brewed by the Harviestoun Brewery. This beer might well have the most annoying label, wearing the ‘craft brewed’ badge proudly on it’s sleave for all to see, however it smells and tastes like a beer I would happily stock in my fridge for a party. If you want to know what I mean by this outburst, then read Ghost Drinker’s post on Harviestoun Schiehallion and a certain label change – I agree with his sentiments. Back to the beer. My palate tends to let me down at important moments like this when I want to recommend a beer to someone and I tend to blurt out “it’s hoppy” or “it’s malty” and I don’t get the chance to redeem myself before the conversation is steered away to discussing the weather or how that bloke with the quiff is doing on the X-Factor. This beer pours light, like a lager, but in terms of other lagers on offer in Sainsbury’s that’s where the similarities end. This lager smells fruity, of freshly peeled oranges, and has a sweet malty flavour and hop balance that makes it moorish and very drinkable. It’s brewed with Celia and Cascade hops and is a combination that works well. It’s only been in stores since 19th September 2011 so I recommend you try a bottle and don’t miss out on the opportunity to see this supplied to Sainsbury’s going forward. In case you are interested, the standard bottle information is as follows: clean and crisp with fresh citrus notes, a dry refreshing hand-crafted lager. Sainsbury’s recommend you enjoy this with shellfish (cooked, not a social relationship), especially lobster and mussels. I’m not going to disagree, but I think on its own or with a pizza would do just fine.
As I was reviewing four beers in one sitting and hoping to write about them in the same evening I decided to pour half-a-pint to taste and review and then only pour the second half if I enjoyed it. I only drank the whole bottle of one of these beers and that was the pick of the bunch – Harviestoun’s Scottish Craft Brewed Lager.
I’ll keep some thoughts back for now as I hope to write a comparative post once I have tried the offerings from each of the supermarkets, but in summary I think that Sainsbury’s are doing a great job in recognising beer as up and coming and with this range they are offering a regional selection of what I would consider as ‘entry level’ beer to their customers. They are clearly labelled, if a little boring, but do give lots of information to anyone who likes to read about the product much the same as if you were buying their Taste the Difference lasagne or creme brule.
Having said all that, I probably wouldn’t buy any of these again in the near future, with the exception of the lager, as is the case with many beers that I buy in bottles at the moment. I just like to move on and try something new.
(Sainsbury’s also sell a Westmoreland Ale by Jennings and a Suffolk Blonde Ale – Greene King?, neither of which were in the store I visited).
Onwards to Marks and Spencer for round 3!
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Heineken Shmeineken
I’m always on the prowl for a good reason to blog my splene and sometimes it is easy to see the worst in a situation, event or even a product. In the dawning of a new age for beer in the UK and the enlightnement of the masses, we tend to focus on the underdog. We champion their cause with good intention until we are hoarse, but in the same breath we often feel the need to have a quick pop at those who stand for a perceived opposition (sometimes with justification of course). Only three days ago I spotted a Twitter hash-tag and quickly learnt that as part of the monthly Brookston Beer Bulletin’s ‘The Session’, or maybe better known as Beer Blogging Friday, bloggers are invited to write and share their thoughts on a dedicated topic. Octobers host is Reuben Gray (The Tale of the Ale) and his theme for week 56 is “Thanks to the Big Boys“, which asks us to “… acknowledge the positive aspects of the big, multinational brewers that we so often admonish and criticize“.
As my ever so subtle post title proclaims, I have chosen Heineken N.V. (including their many subsiduaries) for my brewing ‘Big Boy’. Without being sidetracked, as I often am when writing, my earliest memory of Heineken the brand, was about 18 years ago when my dad would buy some tinnies in for christmas, a special treat if you will. It was the old style can and ring pull of course and we enjoyed sharing the beer while watching Raiders of the Lost Ark or whatever was on the box. At that point in time I thought that Heineken was just one beer. Since that time I have had no reason to look any further into their brand. They have continued to grow to become the global force they represent today and have absorbed many breweries and brewery groups during thei steady progression. However, it is not the well-known beverage in the green can and bottle as the reason for chosing Heineken as my brewing big boy, but more for a couple of its portfolio offerings.
I have to be admit that I am conflicted about writing this post, but in the spirit of this blogging theme I’ll try my very best to see the positives. You may already be aware but Heineken N.V. and the Bayerische BrauHolding AG (BBH) signed an agreement and set up a joint venture company. Through this partnership Heineken acquired a minority stake in two German groups of breweries and undertook the exportation of Paulaner Weiss beer worldwide. The venture group hold 50% of Paulaner Brauerei. It is for this reason, the export of the beer and not the shareholding, that I am grateful to this corporation. On the one hand I could round on Heineken and say “why not leave breweries like Paulaner be”, but on the other, had they left Paulaner alone then it is likely that I would be unable to nip down to my local off-licence and buy a bottle to enjoy at home. Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier is a firm favourite of mine.
While researching this post and reading into Heineken’s global reach, I was also more than a little suprised to learn that they also provide me with a French favourite of mine in Pelforth Brune. It turns out Heineken International bought Français de Brasserie in 1988, the brewery that produces the Pelforth brand. I have enjoyed this beer while on holiday in France and more recently being able to find it in a couple of the great beer shops in the UK (see my links page). Thanks to Leigh at ‘The Good Stuff’ for the photo, see his review and food pairing here.
Heineken N.V. claim to be a global business with a sensitivity for harnessing local produce and retaining their culture and integrity. Well, as a consumer of at least two great beers that I loved before I learnt of their bed-partner, I have had time to reflect and concluded that the beer is good and their branding certainly remains true, despite it reaching my hand via a beast of the brewing world.
I must say I have enjoyed being part of The Session (cheers Reuben) and I look forward to next months with great anticipation. Thanks for reading.
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Point Break – Duty on High Strength Beers
#7point5
Updated 14/10/11
Please sign this petition – ‘Drop the October Beer Tax’.
N.B. Please enjoy this post responsibly. The UK Chief Blogging Officers (CBOs) recommend that men should not regularly read more than 3–4 blog posts a day and women should not regularly read more than 2–3 blog posts a day. ‘Regularly’ means reading every day or most days of the week. You should also take a break for 48 hours after a heavy session to let your body recover.
The High Strength Beer Duty (HSBD) was introduced on 1st October 2011 (i.e. beer exceeding 7.5% abv (alcohol by volume) which is either produced in or exported into the UK), has got most of us that have an interest in beer and the welfare of the brewing industry riled. I’m no exception. It’s not a blogging line when I say I was chatting to a friend about this in the pub the other day. It was a conversation which touched on many of the negative connotations associated with beer and beer drinkers. No, not the connotations we see banded about to draw social divides between beer drinkers but the general bad press and overarching opinion of the government down, that drinking is fundamentally flawed (except from the tax revenue of course!). You may have seen the blogs which focus on the brewers perspective, those working in independent retailers, and from a largely unified blogging fraternity including a Twitter ‘hash-tag’ collective (#7point5) over on Beersay and a piece for The Independent written by Will Hawkes. Before getting on with life after 7.5, I wanted to add something hopefully a little different and from the heart of someone who can’t quite believe they have been taxed yet again. If you feel the same, then write it down. If you don’t like reading someone else’s rantings, then this probably isn’t for you.
It would be remiss of me to write what I’m about to write without acknowledging the valid points made by health professionals, social commentators and most importantly family members and circles of friends who are devastated by the undeniable effects of drinking alcohol too frequently and ultimately becoming dependent. It can and does destroy lives. However, it is so often the case that alcohol is only one of the contributing factors to the situation a ‘problem drinker’ may find themselves in. Life is complex. Furthermore, a problem drinker can mean so many different things. Parts of the mass media and politicians, in general, would have us believe that our streets are lost and we are gripped by anti-social behaviour stemming from the consumption of cheap booze. We see the footage on any given satellite, cable or free-view channel through one of the many extreme A&E/police/ambulance documentaries, and while there is no doubt in my mind that alcohol is a direct cause of the human and financial cost which burdens the tax payer, it is also my opinion that the governments reduction of the argument to the most simplistic form will reap simplistic returns. Quite simply, trying to disrupt the supply i.e. the ability to buy, and availability of, a product to meet the needs of a ‘problem drinker’ is far from understanding the issue. There are many ways by which people who are dependent on any given substance will meet their needs. See the governments full rationale for new duty measures here. However, in summary and from the same document.
“Policy objective:
The purpose of the measure is to tackle problem drinking by encouraging the industry to produce, and drinkers to consume, lower strength beers.
The new high strength beer duty is intended to impact on those “super strength” lagers associated with problem drinking. The reduced rate for lower strength beer will help to give responsible drinkers a wider choice of products.”
I am a man of 33 years and consider myself to be ‘doing ok’ and therefore a useful commodity to any government in power. There are many like me. Oh and I am a beer enthusiast. Yet, despite my attempts to lead a “responible” life, my choice to buy alcohol of varying abv is being compromised by what appears to be a naive policy decision which is generally thought to be levelled at park bench or ‘shopping precinct’ drinkers. Well guess what, these guys don’t drink every type or brand of alcoholic drink available in todays diverse market. Shocked? I’m not. We have good reason to believe that these people are only buying mass-produced, cheap, high abv, low quality drinks from supermarkets, off-licences and some public houses. They certainly do not find themselves enjoying a 330ml bottle of Russian Imperial Stout priced at £5, a bumper 750ml bottle of India Pale Ale costing £8.99 or indeed a 500ml bottle of Barley Wine retailing at £10.99. They might like to, but they cannot afford it, so they choose what the market has to offer them. What is the governments solution to the problem drinker who has loopy-juice on tap? It is to sanction them along with the people who are so far removed from this chaotic world that you would need to recommission NASA’s ‘Endeavour’ to have any chance of reaching them. While we are all potentially only one pay check away from falling on hard times, it does not seem reasonable or logical to take a comedy sized brush and paint every Tom, Dick and Harry with tar and start a pillow fight.
I know that my knowledge on this subject is limited and that there are far reaching socio-political and economic factors which I can’t possibly know about to be able to comment on, but from where I’m standing, the tax hike on beer (yes just beer) that is brewed to an abv equal to, or above 7.5% is ludicrous. There appears to be some monumental legislative skimming-across both the route cause of, and the solutions to, the problems associated with alcohol misuse. Maybe, even in the cash-strapped times our country finds itself in, we and our government should be more interested in addressing this ethically rather than apathetically. For the government to dress this up as positive action on alcohol misuse while they basically ‘look the other way’ is double-standards. You cannot help a ‘problem drinker’ by limiting the availability of one contributing factor to their problems. Real solutions may be expensive and extremely complicated, but this is purely a dismal attempt by the government to appear to be putting a ‘democratic’ foot down in response to this hot topic!
And breathe… and to lighten things up with yet another tenuous film link (a habit of mine).. . for Johnny Utah read: ‘Craft Brewer’ or ‘Craft Drinker’ and I’ll let you use your imagination for the rest:
“Johnny Utah: Okay. I get it. This is where you tell me that ‘locals rule’, and that Yuppie insects like me shouldn’t be surfing the break, right?
Bunker Weiss: [smiling] Nope.
Surf Gang: That would be a waste of time…
Lupton “Warchild” Pittman: We’re just gonna f@ck you up!”
P.s. to those at the HM Treasury and anyone else who contributed to this legislation. It may come as a shock to you that I can also buy enough ‘low’ or ‘mid-strength’ beer with the same budget and still be a problem drinker, or If I was to be a tad more cynical about this, then what’s stopping me buying any number of cheap alternatives to alcohol to help me forget my troubled life?
P.p.s. I’m not clever enough or close enough to the industry to understand what this change in duty really means to breweries in general, and specifically those breweries who have grafted for a piece of the market based on innovation and in creating beers that excite enthusiasts as well as enticing new ‘real ale’, ‘craft beer’ drinkers. As far as I can see this change in duty is a clear message that beer brewers can still be creative, but with both hands tied behind their back. Oh and us ‘responsible-drinkers’, and I use the term loosely, I guess we should just politely look at the floor and be grateful. In part, I do believe that the governments intention is to use high strength beer duty to impact on those “super strength” lagers associated with problem drinking. However, once again, the government seem to have turned up with their wrecking-ball to pick-the-lock.
Joking aside and in absolute seriousness: Drink Aware.
I’m not the only person talking about this, check these out too:
Beersay – #7point5
Hardknott – Low abv, low duty, low IQ
Magic Rock Brew Co – New tax on high strength beers
Ghost Drinker – 1 week till judgement day
Beer Merchants – Today my job changed
Beersay – 7point5
Will Hawkes (The Independent) – Beer, the bitter taste of bad legislation
The Beer Boy (Zak Avery) – Higher strength beer duty, my view
The Beercast – Big beer month
Pdtnc – An open letter to my MP/MEPS on beer tax
It’s Just the Beer Talking (Jeff Pickthall) – Clutching at straws for a silver lining
Real Ale Reviews – High Strength Beer Idiotry
Moor Beer – You can make a difference
Moor Beer – The rudest 4 letters hsbd
Gadds Beer Shop – Brewing betrayed
James Clay – High abv
Buntingford Brewery - http://blog.buntingfordbrewery.co.uk/?p=202
Wort ‘n’ All (The BlackIsle Boy) – High Strength Beer Rant
Taste Sensations (Dave Lozman) – Octoberfest? Octobertax Hike More Like It!
Supermarket Sweep – Part 1
Having mentioned in my last post about the odyssey that is, searching for your next beer(s) and realising that not all beer has to be limited edition, hard-to-find or expensive to be in with a chance of finding a top drop. With this in mind, this post will be the first of a short series of posts where I will buy, drink and review the offerings from supermarkets. Not just any of the bottles on sale, just those that are brewed and sold as the supermarkets line of ‘in-house’ beers. Dale would be proud….proud and very orange….and camp. I digress.
In no particular order, other than that determined by my random mothbeergeek abilities, I will kick things off with Tesco. It’s safe to say that every supermarket store is slightly different from the next, but I have, and will be, trying to shop in the larger of the respective stores (prices correct as at 30/09/11).
Tesco Finest* Traditional Porter, 330ml bottle, 6% abv, £1.49
Brewed at the Harviestoun Brewery, this porter is widely understood to be their popular dark beer, ‘Old Engine Oil’. I can’t say whether this is the exact same recipe, but it is definitely relabelled and is now part of Tescos finery and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. As you open the bottle the rich coffee aroma is hard to miss. It pours dark, no surprise there and its large coffee tinged head makes it difficult to pour in one go. This dissappears very quickly, so no spoon needed or moustache correction required. First taste is of sweet chocolate, which gives way to an impressive bitterness which sticks around for the duration. Coffee is the dominant flavour from all of that roasted barley goodness. All in all I liked this beer and will buy it again for a very reasonable £1.49. However, I didn’t agree fully with the tasting notes which describe a “wickedly viscous…dark ale”. If anything it is a little thin, but this is only a bone of contention because the bottle tells me something which the beer doesn’t deliver.
My only other grumble is a general one with the well known ‘Finest*’ branding. Surely the finest thing to do would be to stock Harviestoun Old Engine Oil? but my underdeveloped corporate brain is happy not to understand this. Also, when I see an asterisk, I’m looking for a footnote or some sort of disclaimer? Is there one, or is Mr Tesco just messing with us?
Tesco Finest* American Double IPA, 330ml bottle, 9.2% abv, £1.99
In danger of reinventing the beer reviewers wheel here, and as with the Traditional Porter this isn’t a new product on the shelves. This is the Tesco branded Hardcore India Pale Ale (IPA) brewed by Brewdog. I’ve read recently that one discerning beer drinker and Hardcore IPA lover tipped their bottle of this down the sink as they couldn’t abide it. This could be an indication of a poor imitation or maybe just a bad bottle/batch, but I needed to try it for myself. I really should have done a side by side review here, but as this is more about the supermarket branded beers on offer I decided against it, but it is difficult not to draw comparisons. From memory the real-deal is much more orangey in colour whereas this was a darker caramel coloured beer. It smelt fine too with the tropical fruits you’d expect from this brewery. First taste tells me straight away that this is much much sweeter than the original and the alcohol is not hiding! My opinion on this is that the hop profile is dumbed down or that the bottle has been sat around for too long and the hops have lost their power. Hops certainly aren’t there to cover either the sweetness or the alcohol in a beer, but as I’m expecting to taste Hardcore IPA I know that the hops should be there to balance it out. As a beer in its own right I actually thought it was fine as I liked the warming alcohol and the spice, but any fruity hoppy goodness that I’d expect from a double IPA was absent. Don’t get me wrong, there was bitterness in abundance but I have to say this is rather more a Beechams Lemsip bitterness, which as the beer warms up can be a little unpleasant. While I don’t recommend drinking strong beer quickly to anyone else, in my opinion this 9.2% beer is best drunk while it’s still cold!
Tesco Finest* Belgian Wheat Beer, 750ml bottle, 4.9% abv, £2.99
Having missed the good weather at the weekend this was never likely to be that inspiring on a dark cold evening in October, but in the name of research I opened it anyway. This is another Finest* product and the label tells me that it is traditionally brewed by the renowned Huyghe Brewery in the city of Melle, East Flanders (of Delirium Tremens fame). It is an unfiltered beer brewed with orange peel and coriander. It pours straw coloured and cloudy and has a slight fruity aroma. Decent carbonation but the head doesn’t last. It tastes sweet like the foam penny- sweet bananas and I guess a little orange coming through, quite pleasant and a smooth drink. There is some spice but that and the other flavours fade away very quickly leaving what I found to be a minty after taste – a little weird. It’s certainly not the best wheat beer I’ve ever tried, but you wouldn’t grumble if you were given a few glasses while sat in the sun. I actually think that if it was 1% stronger it would be much improved, just to give it some attitude, but hey we should all be tempering our taste for strong beer because the nanny state say so!
Tesco also do a Finest* Abbey Beer, 750ml bottle, 6.5% abv £2.99 (brewed by the Brasserie Du Bocq, Belgium). This was £2.99 too far me on this occasion.
Overall I’ve been fairly impressed with the beers on offer by the breweries on behalf of Tesco. They are well priced, they actually look ok on the shelf, although the Porter and the IPA have the edge over the boring Wheat label. I was also pleasantly surprised to find the likes of Harviestoun and Brewdog behind the Tesco fascade. As for Finest*? well you can be the judge of that as my personal opinion is that any product in a range touted as Fine, should be. If you call your whole range Finest* then I think it dilutes the brand somewhat. Of the three I would buy the Porter again. The IPA is only 6p cheaper than the real deal if you were to cross the road to Sainsburys, well at least it is for now (read here, here and here if you want to understand why it will soon be much more expensive). Next up in the enthralling Broadford Supermarket Sweep Series will be Sainsburys, I bet you can’t bloody wait!
“Hey, the next time you’re at the checkout counter and you hear the beep [beep, beep], think of all the fun you can have on SUPERMARKET SWEEP!”
Would someone please pass me a beer…
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