Small Batch Series #1 Waen at the Broadfield

Now then. Is beer science or art? We offer, no assert, the latter because, although colloidal stability and whatnot might well be fascinating banter in the labs, in the real world it is certainly not. Dull, dull, dull.

Beer should be music in the mouth. Collaborations were de rigueur in music-land and then, sure enough, in ale they were in abundance. `Limited editions` are a muchly-collected musical thing and now breweries produce `small batch brews`. With me? And so blogs...

Twobeergeeks shall henceforth and forthwith produce the occasional blog bit but with less wordage. Think All Day IPA; kind nice really just a taste of what you would normally read, I mean drink. Idea for this can be blamed (or credited?) / apportioned upon Magic Rock (fantastic small batch brews) not upon the fact that we have little time what with jobs, kids `n` that making writing oft muy difficile. Honest.

Small batch, big taste

Anyhow, Test brew really. Writing this in the Broady; great pub but not been in for a bit (see above excuses / reasons) and, this time last week, I was drinking a can of Guinness at Laycock`s at a 5th birthday party. Yay. The Waen Brewery 54 46 is good though. Low-ish ABV, drinkable with a nice calm body. Their beers seem to hit the spot better from cask than bottle I`ve found and the Pamplemousse from their Llanidloes taphouse takes some topping. 54 46 keeps its head well, clear and fresh. Hoppy enough to retain interest (summit and others, I think). Other folk seem to say `Way-en` but I say `wine`. Correct answer from head honcho Sue Hayward hopefully. Or Plaid Cymru. Cheers.

Beaut

DIPA Battle of 3 Counties - Cloudwater DIPA v3, Magic Rock Human Cannonball & Buxton Kingmaker

Straight up head-to-head here. The Double IPA seems to be de rigueur at the moment, or is it now a little passé? No (unhuman) triples allowed today. Anyhows, big breweries represented with Cloudwater from Manc-side, Magic Rock from the Hudd of West Yorkshire and also the Buxton boys from the heights of Derbyshire. All three are lauded and awarded and respected but which one knocks out the best DIPA for the Spring season 2016? Beer is so damn fashionable, eh?!

3 likely suspects

First up the much hyped Cloudwater DIPA v3. Big smell of peach on the nose showcasing superbly the aroma hops here which are comet, mosaic, chinook and, of course, citra. A healthy haze appearance with fantastically fruity taste and daftly drinkable at 9%.  Wow. £4.25 from Beer Stop, Dronfield. No wonder these Cloudwater chaps shift their product so swiftly; It`s not all hype.
I`m going 8/10

 Kingmaker by Buxton Brewery next. Smelling strong no disguise really for the 10.5% brew. Alcohol hits the nose but a tad musty, rustic. A much grittier taste than the previous brew and also doesn`t nail the bitter sweet aspects that can be so captivating in DIPAs. Still tasty mind but less drinkable. Unfiltered but clear as a bell instantly which surprised me with a thin boozy head. Tasting more rounded as it warms a touch from fridge. Nice and hefty.  Preferred this to barrel-aged Double Axe but not Buxton`s best. Noteworthy name, `Kingmaker`, with cool labelling and a battle cry quote, probably off of Shakespeare. Or Game of Thrones. Cost unsure but from Hop Hideout, probably.
I`ll go 7/10

 Finally it`s Human Cannonball by Magic Rock Brewing. Instantly more citrus aroma here. Very powerful and spring-like. Embodies the beautiful haze that I want. Fresh as with a bitter sweet balance to die for. Lingering bitter taste with bit of booze, slowly warming on the aftertaste. Drinkable, almost swiggable and 9.2%. Costing £3.95 in a craty can from Beer Stop, Dronfield. Last certainly was not least tonight!
Winner. 9/10

 

Cheers. Stay safe out there.

Ale Tales from the Seven Hills #6 - Awards Exposed

Ok, belated ponderances regarding the Exposed magazine awards; This is the self-styled 'Sheffield's Ultimate Entertainment Guide'. A few residents of our Steel City were a tad upset / bemused / obfuscated by some of the choices, voted for by the, err, man on the street....

 

Perusing the April edition, beyond the Toddla T front cover, we start with two pages of adverts for `Drop Dead` (this is the 'uber cool' clothing outlet brought to you by Olly Sykes / Bring Me The Horizon, I believe). Read (or , let's be truthful, scan) a bit further on and, lo and behold, DD are up for awards in FOUR categories this year. Take it all with a pinch of salt! (Not a reference to the Piggy-obsessed at the Milestone # best out of town restaurant, honestly!).

 Having lived in Egypt prior to Sheffield, I could be forgiven for being a touch sceptical about voting procedures per se,  and so I'm sure that, in this multi-media age, no one need delve too deeply to find ways to ' influence' society's winners in the public eye. Not particularly IT- interested , I have four e-mail accounts and access to a couple of others, plus Twitter web and whatnot.

 

Anyhows,  of at least equal value to the aforementioned, we present --

 The ultimate twobeergeeks' random awards:-

 

Best toilets - This one goes to Henry's! Classic (Irish?) sinks and tiles aplenty. This bar has about loads of handpulls on offer of consistent quality and a toilet that is the envy of many. We had a big job choosing this one...

 

Best pub food - it's gotta be .... Shakespeare's! Yep, that ole 2BG favourite. Several sandwich stylings available at a mere 70 new English pence, about half the price of similar in a nearby reputedly reputable (multi award-winning) Tavern. 
*conscious note to self - do not mention Sheffield CAMRA's Top 20.

 

 

Most interesting wallpaper - voting tied here. Both the Cross Scythes  (Derbyshire Lane) and the Tap and Tankard take a bow. Feature wall coverage nonpareil. Well done.

 

Beer & wallpaper lie within

Best affordable house beer by a local brewer - Chris Bamford's Shakespeares stand up again for their ultra-reliable Deception. At just £2.40 per pint, this Abbeydale core range King is cheaper than tap water at the Wig and Pen. Maybe.

 

Like water but holy

Best tapas by a bar or pub - fighting off the Dog and Partridge, it's the new kids at great place .... The Beer Engine.

 Finally, it's the big one ; Best looking yet often uncomfortable furniture in a pub near to Kelham Island - Shakespeare's.

 

Comfort aided by beer

 

Sentinel Brewing Co.

`Sentinel` - a soldier or guard whose job is to stand and keep watch or, in this case, a new brewery for the steel city.

 

We visited Sentinel Brewery for a look and a sample or several as  the super-successful Sheffield Beer Week drew to a close at the new premises located at the city end of Shoreham Street. Brewing has so far happened at the Marble brewery across the Pennines (we believe?) but a shiny new kit will soon be in place. The space is good with plenty of room, inside and out, in an area of town that ought to be able to support a brewery tap plus there is talk of a café doing breakfasts and whatnot. The idea belongs to Alex Barlow who will be the boss here and the former carpet showroom will offer the chance to see the `theatre of the brewery`. Link ups with the University are also on the cards. The space inside could also work for small events we thought.  You can even buy a Sentinel t-shirt.

So to the beers; Early days sure enough but we enjoyed our drinks. The IPA was nicely drinkable at 6%+. Refreshing and crisp and utilising seasonal hops this will be a key beer in the range. The Orange Stout sounded interesting and was also quite quaffable although the citrus kick was very faint. We also had the American Red one which neither of us particularly favoured. There were also a couple of lagery types on offer too plus a best bitter.

Sentinel vs Steel City (`n` Arbor, `n` Hopcraft)

 

We reckon there are a lot of positives here and the Sentinel brewery should be a worthy addition to Sheffield`s beer experience. In terms of the beer, price will be key; with the IPA at £6 a pint on the day the beer has got to be great for Sheffield folk to sup it. Time will tell; stand and keep watch.

Sheffield Beer Week 2016 preview

 

 

An unexpected highlight from last year for us was the beer festival at The Bath Hotel as organised by Hop Hideout. Unfortunately that is not happening this year but similar events at Picture House Social seem to have superseded it and also 2016 sees a much bigger Sheffield Beer Week. Yes, every week in the Steel City could be claimed as a beer week but this one has lots to offer.

 

 

Organised by the brains trust at Hop Hideout together Chris B. of Shakespeares (Sheffield`s best pub), the events included span many fine pubs, many Sheffield breweries (and others from further afield) and also some off-piste ideas like Twitter hours and whatnot. Meanwhile, that Clare off of the famed feast and glory blog is also selflessly sorting a `hump day` pub tour.  Here are three Beer Week `ones to watch` in our expert (!) opinions:-

 

1) Tiny Rebel Tap Takeover at Bath Hotel, Wednesday 16th. Great pub meets the brewers of GBs best beer (red dream Cwtch), according to CAMRA. No brain winner. (And you could combine it with the Hump Day social pub crawl led by Clare for free).

 

2) Belgian Beer tasting with Chris at Shakespeare's, Wednesday 16th. In collaboration with Hop Hideout`s Jules, this event will surely provide tasty treats and info aplenty from two top Sheff beer boffins. (£10 only).

 

3) Blind beer tasting at The Three Tuns. Again Wednesday 16th , again great pub and an opportunity to stretch your palate by attempting to match beers to the relevant tasting notes. (£5)

 

Likely candidates...

So, it`s book a day off Thursday then!

 

Other highlights that are not on Wednesday :-

• Buxton Brewery (they`re not bad!) at Shakies on Friday 18th on keg AND cask!
• Crafty Devil - tap takeover at Thursday 19th Brewdog Sheffield. Quite a scoop on Div Street!
• Brass Castle MTB at The TramShed, Thursday. If you`ve not visited this cool bar why not?!

LOADS more to go at. Check the website for more details.

If those don't fit, don't fret because there is a lot more to stimulate even the pickiest of pint punters as detailed on the helpful web page and brag book too. Let us know what`s good out there. Jules tells us that the aim is to bring together all the good things that are happening out there in beery Sheffield and it cunningly culminates with the SIBA event later in the week. Stay safe out there.

Montgomeryshire CAMRA Mid Wales Tour

Around this time of year, ale enthusiasts under the badge of CAMRA will be diligently collating and cogitating with regards to their recommendations for the tome that is the Good Beer Guide. To be fair, this is oft a year-long process but now we're at the business end of the beer season.

I hopped on board the fun bus with 14 other fine folk from the Montgomeryshire branch of CAMRA. Now this lot are active, proactive even, in their promotion of proper pints in the beautiful heart of rural Wales but their task is a tough one. Entry to the GBG ought to be presented by Willy Wonka in these parts as pubs aplenty procure pints that are pretty close to perfection...

AREA PUB MAP

 I met my convivial host Jon at the branches' HQ, The Sportsman in Newtown and it was plain to see why this boozer is a no-brainer in terms of GBG entry locally. Most pubs in this town are fizz-full but this place is the shiny tap house for Monty's brewery and my MPA was van ideal starter at 11.33 am. Long day of research ahead!

There were too many pubs to write about, and do justice, to individually so here's a list for reference:-

1. The Sportsman, Newtown.
2. The Red Lion, Trefeglwys.
3. The Bluebell, Llangurig.
4. The Black Lion Hotel, Llangurig.
5. The Old Mill, Llanidloes.
6. The Stag Inn Llanidloes.
7. The Mount Inn, Llanidloes.
8. The Red Lion, Llanidloes.
9. The Crown and Anchor, Llanidloes.
10. The Royal Head, Llanidloes.
11. The Angel, Llanidloes.
12. The Railway, Newtown.

Numbers 2, 3 and 4 are quite isolated village boozers that were welcoming and warm whilst the weather whistled by, worsening the further west we went!

Llanidloes, it seemed, was the where the west was won as the task here was a tall one; this market town of less than 2000 people has a plethora of pubs, many being really well worth a visit for any beery visitor.



Who should be in the GBG? Discussion at The Mount

The Stag was fun with an amenable jukebox taken over by top bloke Beeker and some 'mood music' whilst find of the day for me was the Old Mill. Located in the building of the former United Sevices Club, this place is great. It's a cosy, cobbled-together drinking den that is recycled and completely left field. Warm and welcoming, you would never find this artisan gem without a guide and I pushed hard for it to be strongly considered.

Beer scoring cogitation

 Other pubs in Llani tend to be more traditional in terms of layout and beer choice. Welsh ale is often that bit sweeter than that found elsewhere but pleasingly the pints were clearly well kept and mostly locAle. Three Tuns brewery were spotted several times but I preferred the Purple Moose and, best of all, was the Pamplemousse at the Old Mill, one of the beers by Llani's very own Waen Brewery. Crisp, clean, citrussy and moreish, Sue Hayward is rightly receiving acclaim from far afield aswell as having the best pint about when I visited.

The Mount and The Crown are also definitely worth a visit for anyone with an interest in the heritage and historical contribution of our pubs. The latter is fondly known as 'Ruby's' locally and has been lovingly run by the same landlady for 50 years! Half a dozen pubs here all within stumbling distance of one another and all offering very good ale, I'm pleased to report.

 I bobbed back to the Old Mill for another Pamplemousse before boarding the bus back East. A tactical snooze and a final pint of Tiny Rebel's Cwtch back in Newtown were in order along with chairman Ian 'Oz' Austin and co contemplating the day's findings. The Montgomeryshire branch have a tough job, but someone's gotta do it. When's the next trip!?

Thanks to all the pubs we visited and to all the fine people that I chatted with. You are doing a tremendous job supporting and promoting pubs and that is clearly appreciated.

Ale Tales from the Seven Hills #5 - Bars vs. Pubs

Q. When is a pub not a pub? A. When it's a bar.

What is the difference between a pub and a bar? A while back, I put the question out there on Twitter and got some candid responses. I thought I knew the answer , if there really is one but apparently I didn't.

A couple of quips along the lines of " about two quid a pint" were probably quite apt but personally, I thought it was maybe to do with music; bars tend to have music, don't they!? However, that one in that there Cheers with Frasier didn't have tunes did it. And hotel bars just have background music, don't they, or do I sit too close to the elevators....

The original idea was from an article I read listing Sheffield's best bars. Virtually all of them were in a small area of Division Street and West Street; How convenient. You'd probably guess most of them. Anyhows, referring to the list we can deduce that our favourite 'bars' are the Old House and The Forum. The Wick and the Great Gatsby are decent too mind. All these usually have some acceptable cask ale on too, disapproving the assertion that bars equal bottles as one Twitterer offered. This fab four are also thankfully a metaphoric world away from the likes of Vodka Revolution BAR.

The layout is possibly a big factor too. Bars are usually kind of open plan, aren't they? So are some pubs though. Bars surely don't have snugs though.

Sheff`s smallest snug? @Fagan`s

The best suggestion was that pubs are 'community living rooms'. Spot on and we must never forget that. It's not about the layout, loudness or the lager, it's about people. Pubs are assets of community value in the materialistic and historical sense but also in the social sense.

The article, who ever wrote it concluded that Sheffield's best bar was...... Picture House Social. To be fair, bearing in mind our pontificating regarding criteria, we agree. Nice place. Pizza and ping pong. Cocktails. Open plan. Snazzy sofas and soft lighting. Bottles. And ale, real ale. Usually there are three cask offerings and excellent bottles supplied by near neighbours Hop Hideout. Recently though we`ve also been impressed by noobs at The Tramshed, definitely a bar but already feels like a part of the Heeley / Meersbrook community and we only recently sampled the bar in Hop Hideout, bottled beauties plus keg gems.

 That #dryanuary nonsense ought to be well and truly done and dusted now so, get out there and support your local pub, or bar!

Previous review of Picture House Social HERE.