Situational Sups - #1 Summer

You know the deal. It was just the right time, right pint...etc. Might not even be the exact beer that you thought you wanted or hoped for but it just hit that spot (don`t panic, no lager herein). And here`s a couple that spring to mind for me. In Britain, it`s all about the beer garden. Maybe. Or the beer. Or a bit of both?!

Ok, so the wonky beer garden here wouldn`t get that bubble dead-on in the middle of any spirit level, but the Rising Sun (at the crossroads near Carsington just before Hopton above Matlock. Somewhere) is a lovely roadside pub with a child-friendly spot at the rear. This one was a Golden / Blonde Blue Monkey PG Sips (4%) and eminently suppable. The Nottingham brewers seem to be doing well and are at their best with light hoppy efforts like this one from their core range. Only been to the Rising Sun twice and staff were absolutely spot-on plus the bar homes 4 or 5 well-kept ales, mostly well-chosen LocAles. If you can find this boozer from my very vague description, you deserve a pint. Mebbe two.

My second suggestion for a seasonal Summery sup is also out of town in the quiet village of Holmesfield, adjacent and above (literally or metaphorically, you decide) of Dronfield, North Derbyshire.

Normally, I would associate this great little place with all things cosy. The Rutland Arms is that rare type of pub that does not seem to rely now on food or pub co to survive, where you would happily get trapped in by the wintery weather, (snow, rain, any meteorological excuse) for that extra pint or few. AND it has a nice beer garden, our Summer has revealed. A really ermm, green, grassy green patch with picnic table aplenty and space for (well-behaved) little ones to stretch their legs before sharing a bag of Walkers and a Fruit Shoot, (or other similar products). Again, the staff and atmosphere are very welcoming to visitors whilst pleasing their well-heeled regular punters. Beer choice is limited to 3 or 4 fairly local (and well-kept) brews but then that is a decent offering for a small but perfectly formed Derbyshire drinking hole.

Castle Rock, another Nottingham brewery coincidently, are not normally one I would specifically opt for but their Harvest Pale hits that situational spot. This is their marquee Pale ale that won awards at the GBBF a while back as the glass proudly attests. (And isn`t it good to get the proper glass for that particular beer!?).

Other nominations and suggestions are more than welcome, especially in this happy and sun-blessed holiday season, but you`ll probably find me in a well-maintained beer garden somewhere, with my well-behaved kids drinking a well-kept pale ale. Try The Rising Sun or The Rutland Arms for starters!

Limoncello IPA (9.1%) by Siren, Mikkeller & Hill Farmstead

My first trip to Brewdog Sheffield was just after having visited Fagan`s. A slight contrast perhaps.

Versus . .

Guinness or Moonshine versus a huge board of the weird and wonderful from BrewDog, and other international beery giants. Sometimes the choice on offer at the Division Street bar can bamboozle new punters but the staff are usually super-keen to help and to offer tasters. Both are welcome options as you don`t want to pay premium prices and procure a p-poor pint, or more likely a half or a third.

Slaughtering these lot over prices, keg-loving or the full-on, in your face, branding and marketing is easy, dull and pretty facile. `You get what you pay for` is increasingly true in the ale industry. The sexiest hops are more expensive and speciality brews require time and are labour intensive. It is easy to spend a pretty packet at BrewDog but I`m choosy and I`m rarely disappointed.

Limoncello IPA is a collaborative brew led by Berkshire boys Siren, who I had heard great things about as they started to appear recently around the Steel City. Danny had raved about Siren`s Breakfast Stout at The Ruttie and so I was daringly decisive in choosing this wonderfully weird IPA when I spotted it on the cinema-style beer board. We love a good IPA but we also enjoyed sours last Summer and this one encompasses both styles. It pours with quite a thin off-white head and a hazy amber orange body. Carbonation is medium and lifts the intriguing aromas.The hoppy, zesty citrus  bite is as crisp and refreshing as you would hope and the addition of lactose provides the sweet contrast in this tart beer. Lemon curd Danny reckoned and we both agreed it was certainly `special`.

For me, this was the best beer of the year so far. Hats off to Siren, and friends! I also purchased a bottle of it to takeaway (a rare event) and that was just over a fiver with a take-out discount and it drank well, pretty close to the keg version (which cost £4.00 for a half). Make sure the bottle is cool enough and served properly and it won`t disappoint. If it does, go back to Fagan`s.

Top of the League Scores from Division Street

 

Danny - 9 /10

Mike - 9 /10

Steel City Brewing - Triumphant triumvirate?

A year or so ago, bottled Steel City offerings were hen`s teeth. Since the move to Toolmakers, we have been lucky enough to have a pretty steady flow of bottled gems from Sheffield`s most creative ale smith, and local enough for twobeergeeks as they were purchased at the outstanding Hop Hideout down on Abbeydale Road.

Less haste more speed. Or is it more speed less haste? Whatever, I erred. Opening Grim Overlords straight away after they had been kindly picked up by my OH was folly, flying in the face of bottle-conditioned protocol, particularly if you know what her driving is like......This 4.9% collaboration ale with the fantastic Great Heck of err, Great Heck, was not at its best. Double doh.

The union of two of our very favourite producers ought to be a nailed-on winner but this wasn`t and I`ll take the blame. (No score given!)

Black IPAs are an oxymoron. A contradiction in terms. The quintessential dichotomy. Protz`s Pleasure was spot-on though and I`m sure that would rankle with the most fabled of British beer writers. Co-conspirer North Riding have produced some excellent beers recently and Shakespeares regularly have their latest offerings. PP arrives at a respectable 5.3% and has a surprisingly creamy head from the bottle. The malt balances well with sexy hops, which include Simcoe and Mosaic, culminating in a chewy and lingering bitter finish. 

 

 

Whilst the Black IPA is not one of my favourite styles of beer, this is certainly a very good example of it. Believe! Black IPAs do exist! (Score - 8 / 10)

 

I had tried the Phantom of the Hopera at the Gibraltar Street mecca but this extra / special, a Steel City reunion effort (Dave + Gazza), was what I really wanted to unmask:

 

 

 

Phantom Extra was lively to say the least, jumping eagerly out of the bottle! With this 6.7% IPA you get a big grapefruit hit, a foamy aromatic head and a hazy peachy appearance. The wheat malt is quite prominent and the sorachi ace, citra and mosaic hops are spectacularly showcased in a bitter fruity finish. Wow! Not subtle (which is not a Steel City-related adjective tbh) but very tasty indeed. Winner!

(Score - 8.5 /10)

 





Rural pub tour with Montgomeryshire CAMRA

Pubs the length and breadth of Britain have been under a constant attack over the past decade. It`s Wetherspoons` fault, Tesco are to blame, it`s down to money-grabbing pub co`s, whatever you choose to believe, public houses everywhere have had to adapt and evolve. Or close. Nowhere is that challenge greater than in rural communities where pubs have to be all things to all people. Or close.

Montgomeryshire CAMRA are doing their bit. Every couple of months they organise a bus trip visiting some ale outposts in the Mid Wales and Shropshire area.

The first stop for me was in a wet and wild Welshpool where I visited the unassuming Bistro Seven which had been recommended to me as the best place in this market-town for a decent pint. This welcoming hive of culinary industry provided me with a well-kept starter in the form of Purple Moose`s elderflower ale, the name of which escapes me. Not my usual type of tipple but cracking to be honest. Although it was barely midday, this place was already filling up with couples and families dining, struggling to select from the inviting menu, and a couple of other drinkers at the bar.

I then boarded the late-running fun bus after a swift half of better than expected and nicely balanced Lion`s Roar (3.8% Banks) at The Smithfield Bell. This is an imposing Marstons 2-for-1, carpet and climbing frame, joint opposite a sprawling Tesco which dominates Welshpool and appears to be the cause of a crazy one-way system where all roads seem to lead to the supermarket. Maybe they are to blame for absolutely everything, after all!? Maybe this is the future of small town pubs?

First proper stop is The Royal Hill and is really remote. It is actually in Edgerley, Shropshire. Or Melverley. It is accessed by a lengthy lane, miles long and single-tracked including, I kid you not (only had a pint and a half by this point), crossing a narrow metal pontoon bridge that barely seemed wide enough to fit the bus over. For large chunks of the year, this place is inaccessible due to its location on the floodplains of the River Severn. This quaint multi-roomed pub has the lot. Two tidy ales on, a glorious aspect and an unflappable barmaid who worked in permanent fifth gear to provide service with a smile to the thirsty bus load. She can probably walk on water come flood season. Even the food sounded too good to be true - Sea Bass at £10! Little wonder the Hill was heaving with punters.

I enjoyed my Salopian Gold but the Three Tuns Pale was not for me. Too wheaty for my palate or maybe it was the super sweet malt that my tour guide informed me this brewer favours. Well-kept mind and, if you can ever find this gem of a boozer, stay a while. And bring a tent, as one day-tripper said he intended to do in the future!

Next up was food-orientated Hand and Diamond at Coedway. Another Salopian brew here, albeit a fair bit dearer, in the form of the hoppier Oracle. Nice it was too but, to the ire of several of our party, it didn`t really clear. Oracle tasted tidy though, citrusy but without the real zesty zing that this ale can deliver.

A little later, food was served at the cosy Fir Tree. Only one ale here but the Wye Valley Butty Bach (4.5%) is clearly a big local favourite. It is brewed in England but for a Welsh audience, my guide sagely points out but, despite possessing `dual heritage` this one has much too much malty sweetness for my palate. I have enjoyed their HPA in the past though. Or was it EPA?

The Admiral Rodney at Criggion was most folks` choice for pub of the day. At the foot of the 1194 feet of Breidden Hill with Rodney`s Pillar atop, this place embodies the struggle that rural pubs can face. The vista is fantastic but there is hardly a chimney pot in sight. Great beer with the Hop Twister, again from the tremendous Salopian Brewery, and this was clearly my favourite of the day.  I would happily still be sat there now! (The Joules` Slumbering Monk (4.5%) was rightly popular too).

Next up was The Punch Bowl, Llandrinio, which is apparently about to BECOME a free house after being bought from a pub co fighting off a change of use proposal with a 500+ signature petition! Buck that trend! One to watch but, for now, there was just Bass and Doom Bar on offer plus pool and fruit machines, as many of the rural boozers seem to possess. Apparently, the Punch Bowl really is a community hub with a huge array of teams based there.

The last 3 were the Horseshoe in Arddleen, the King`s Head in Guilsfield and finally The Oak also in Guilsfield. Butty Bach at The Oak was the group`s pick from these three that I had visited before. Great to see these places doing decent trade but possibly the beer could be (a bitter) better. Maybe they ought to give those Salopian chaps across the border a holla!

Top 3 ales as voted by those who went on this village trip were as follows...

1st - Admiral Rodney, Criggion - Salopian Hop Twister
2nd- Hand & Diamond, Coedway - Station Bitter
3rd- Oak, Guilsfield - Butty Bach

(Thanks to CAMRA Montgomeryshire for the photos of the Royal Hill and The Punchbowl)

Pale by Five Points (4.4%) + Centennial (4.2%) by On The Edge

It has taken a year or two, but we have finally found a fault in The Broadfield Ale House.

It certainly is not the beer. Centennial is a single hop special that weighs in at 4.2% and is produced by the (very) local brewers at On The (Nether) Edge. Although this hop isn`t a favourite of ours, this beer is very nice indeed, even my OH liked it! It pours as a golden-orangey colour with an off-white head. It has a hazy appearance like a school holiday Summer`s day coupled with a grassy and citrus aroma. This brew tastes very moreish and has a nice lingering bitter sweet kiss. On of the best that I have tried from On The Edge.

The Five Points Pale also has a fair old dose of Centennial in there but alongside some other complimentary citrus hops. FPP punches above its ABV / weight as it looks a classic strong IPA colour and tastes `big` too.

It is very hoppy and we both preferred this to the red beer that we had sampled on an early visit. Five Points hale from Hackney (darn that there London) and look like they will enjoy an extended stay at The Broady succeeding Wild in a role as regular guests. This beer suggests that they might just manage to live up to that stellar standard. A contender!

The Points for Five Points

Danny - 8 / 10

Mike  - 8.5 / 10

 

Oh, and the fault with this brilliant Boozer? Well we have never spotted a beer list with the prices on. Is there one? Maybe it`s hidden in one of the super-cool suitcases. Anyway, the prices are as eye-watering as a super stateside sour brew but, whilst the quality remains, the Broady will continue to thrive!

A barrel of fun at Barrow Hill Rail Ale Festival 2014

A local beer festival, albeit across t`border, on sun-baked Friday night, straight from work. What`s not to like? Well, let`s start with the first beer I sampled........!

Now then, lemongrass and ginger are damn fine ingredients, so long as they appear in a spicy tom yung goong soup or pickled atop a fresh sushi sashimi but not in my beer! Thankfully, this one was not one I`d bought (with the efficient card system) but just a taster given my a colleague who was enjoying the Leatherbritches brew. Ginger in beer just does not do it for me and this fact had been proven twice in a week after trying Thornbridge`s Lilith (5%) the previous weekend.

Familiarity was found by starting on many hop head`s favourite Citra by Oakham, before moving onto well, err, Hop Head by Dark Star which proved popular all round. These two are ideal session ales that certainly do not disappoint in flavour and they are well-approachable in ABV (4.2% and 3.8% respectively). Solid, safe starters for sure.

My excuse is that I thought Puja was 5.7% but this Thornbridge Jasmine IPA is actually a whopping 6.7%, and was one of the very heftiest fuels on offer in the Roundhouse. Other excuses include bad light, small print and the absence of this special over the past year or two making the palate grow fonder. Tonight though, being served on gravity and probably a fair bit too warm, it was not to be Puja`s night.

Thornbridge appeared on a hefty sized bar was dedicated to displaying Derbyshire`s breweries that seem to be growing in number day-by-day. Landlocked of Ripley were a new one to us but we were pleasantly surprised by their Chapel Hill ale which was really tasty and refreshing. One to watch and a contender on the night. By contrast, I really struggled to get through a half of Fuggle Bunny`s Amber. FB are yet another new brewery from Sheffield, along with very recent additions Stancil and Toolmakers but then quality and quantity are seldom cell-mates.

By now courage was well and truly plucked up though and Oakham`s Green Devil IPA was a sweet and fruity 6% solution. These Peterborough ale producers are rightly respected the length and breadth of Great Beer-itain (see what I did there!). Yum.

Great Heck are ever dependable and a personal favourite. The Yakima was even stronger than Puja so I opted for the superb  (and safer) Citra only to manfully swap it with a drinking companion who was finding Voodoo Mild to be too wild a child, even in a half pint measure. That said, I was more than happy with my trade with its chocolate and roast coffee hints. Voodoo Mild is a contender at Barrow Hill and an apt one as it is Mild May, after all!

Similarly reliable at Rail Ale were the Raw brews, especially the hoppier hits. By this point, the music was getting louder, the shed (sorry, Roundhouse) was getting fuller, the locomotive was rotating more quickly and err, the light was fading but I am sure that both beers were from their Ghost series. I`m also pretty sure that one was cask and the other I had from keg. I`m also sure that I did not need or like the Castle Rock beer that I finished the night with.

The Barrow Hill Rail Ale Festival is rightly popular and 2014 was certainly a success. There was a very decent array of ale on show with an appropriate focus on Derbyshire. Other ales on offer were an interesting mix of newcomers and the established. There was a small keg bar that seemed popular too and outside the selection of food was commendable too. To top off a tremendous night, my train was on time too. All hail the rail!

 

 Barrow Hill`s Best - Our Choices

 

Mike -  Great Heck`s Voodoo Mild or Oakham`s Green Devil IPA (Attractive opposites. Can`t split).

Martin - Leatherbritches - Lemongrass & Ginger (Friday night Oriental food craving?! ;-))

Colette - Great Heck Citra (Top swap)

Nic - Raw`s Silver Ghost or Oakham`s Green Devil (Owt scary!)

Crafty Sheffield?

Well CAMRA don`t like it up `em. [Evil keg.] But, then again, CAMRA `like` Wetherspoons and all we `discerning, socially conscious` ale suppers know that JDW are bad, right? Even if you get that decent pint and still have change left from a two quid coin….er. Yeah, yeah, probably.

Starting at The `spoons Woodseats Palace (where we only popped in just to shelter from the rain / wait for the best bus), me and my OH opted for `Craft` in a can. Wetherspoons now offer Sixpoint ales in a cute 330ml tin and it tastes… OK. And the price is right. Sixpoint was a decent starting, um, point and probably the best choice even though our conscience possibly suggested the (ok, fine) local option of Chantry or the house (Bradfield) beer. Bengali Tiger (6.4%) does a decent and drinkable job of the bitter-sweet IPA kick although we could have burped our way over the Brooklyn bridge after this one. Dang that pesky carbonation!

My only cask beer of this mini night out was a (forgettable but fine) Milton effort from The Wick at Both Ends. By day this bar is a city cool drinking hole, at least on my own (very subjective) rating continuum. By night it IS West Street after all. It IS noisy with a (trollied by ten past eight) West Steet clientele. West Street? The best bit is that ….it is parallel to Division Street! The Wick seemed like a good idea. And the cocktails are great, allegedly.

The Bowery looked busy (fancy that on a Freeday neet!) so we ambled on. Forum, no, still too trendy, so we followed the beards into theBrewdog bar to sample an anarchistic ale at a premium price. CAMRA wouldn`t like it, but I bet they`ve sneaked in, in cognito….

I tried a super strong Mikkeller special called IPA 10, the like of which we seldom see in Sheff and it was very nice. Hoppy with a deep and complex profile. Cost a pretty penny but a pretty (tasty half) pint it wor. The OH had a dark dunkel type thing that she enjoyed but I`d happily keep a bargepole betwixt it and me. Div St B-Dog: Deconstructed? Anarchist? Highland corporate avengers? Or just crappily clichéd? Whatever, but go and `ave a gander! Brewdog is worth a visit even if you think it is a load of old fuggle.

Feeling all brave, possibly anarchistic, we then schlepped / waddled down to former destination pub / recent crap pub THE Devonshire Cat, with the aim of seeing if it wor any better now what with being under the calming wing of Abbeydale. Surely, with a better range of cask and the same spacey, big tabled lay-out this place could not be far wrong. And, lo and behold, they too have some keg craftage!

 

 “Pint of High Wire, please. It`s one of my favourite beers!” “OK.” “Err, it`s off”. And so I went for the sexy continental standout beer, just landed on the bar – Founders` All Day IPA. This one is a `session ale` allegedly. Well if that means `so little taste that you can drink it all day`, then OK. Theoretically, it is great to see this Stateside standout ale in a big city centre pub but, although it looks good on paper, it just does not really give the array of aftertaste that you hope for in an (expensive, ouch!) IPA. Rather it`s just another belch closer to Brooklyn. For the sake of LocAle craftiness, we also sampled the Abbeydale keg #2 but it was pretty bland as craft goes. Cloudy with a bit of a kick, this one was drinkable but I`m sure that dependable Abbeydale will produce better.

 

Many of our local pubs now offer at least one ale on keg. They last longer and thus make economic sense in this age of austerity. Even my local drinkers` pubs like The Sheaf View and The Ale House have recently opened up a line for a crafty keg offering whilst city types like The Rutland and Sheffield Tap pretty much split their fare 50/50 between keg and cask. The way forward....!? Sheffield, capital of all that is ale, suggests that it might be.

Cask is still king in our book but keg is taking over. At least you`ll hear it coming; BURP!!!