THE GOOD STUFF

Orkney's Dark Island

2009-11-04T18:49:00.005Z

Just enough time for a quick midweek post before getting onto some Champion's League action. Last night I had the pleasure of a couple of pints of Orkney's Dark Island at The Victoria, Leeds (Who were playing Fleet Foxes and Neil Young all night- an excellent choice).

Smooth, with a tan head, Dark Island was just what was called for as the rain lashed against the pub windows. There's a slight smokiness in the body, along with some raisin notes and a briny, salty edge on the way out. Very moreish, and well balanced for its strength. Do try.

I've read that Orkney are expanding their brewing site. Given that I've yet to try one of their beers that wasn't top-notch, that's' music to my ears, for one. Bring it on.

For The Veggies....

2009-11-01T11:53:00.007Z

It's not often at all that I cook something entirely without meat; just call me old-fashioned. But I put this together last night literally using what I had in the fridge and cupboards, and it was awesome, full of flavour and warming on a Halloween night. A tasty happy accident, indeed.

Smoked Cheese & Herb Risotto (Serves 2)

Not much of a recipe, more of a method - simply throw about half a packet of risotto rice (Arborio) into a pan with a large knob of butter - very large. Melt the butter over a low heat and coat all the grains. Meanwhile, make up a pint of chicken or vegetable stock with a stock cube. When all the grains are coated are turning slightly translucent, add the stock slowly, stirring all the time. Leave the heat low, and keep adding stock when the rice soaks it up. When the rice has taken on a much stock as you like, stop adding it.

At this point, you basically season the rice. I added: A grind of black pepper, a large pinch of dried rosemary and a larger still pinch of dried sage.. I also tore up a few spinach leaves and chucked those in. Finally I added about 50gms of Smoked Cheddar, a grate of Parmesan and another small knob of butter to emulsify the whole thing. When the cheese has totally melted, serve.

I was hankering after something Belgian to go with all those herbs, and luckily had a bottle of Brugse Zot to hand. It's an ok beer, but sings a little better when served with food. Brugse Zot has quite a high level of carbonation, which cleanses the palate after the intense, thick risotto, and this also makes it a lighter choice. There's a ever-so-slight citrus on the finish, and the usual Bretty wet-grassiness on the nose. The Rosemary and Sage manage to be picked out by the beer.

Anyway, a simple - and very quick - recipe for darker nights. Give it a whirl.

Copper Dragon's Trueman Ale

2009-10-28T09:27:00.006Z

Copper Dragon, those stalwarts of the Yorkshire Beer scene, have announced a new, one-off brew to celebrate the birthday of Fred Trueman OBE, who was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame this year.

Although not a cricket fan, I'm eagerly awaiting this new brew - CD don't veer from their standard range often, if at all, and Golden Pippin will hold a special place in my heart - as I'm sure a lot of Yorkshiremen will agree with - and their Challenger IPA is a firm favourite, too

The first 200 bottles of the ale will be individually signed and numbered by Head Brewer, Gordon Wilkinson and made exclusively available to guests attending a Gala Dinner in aid of the Freddie Trueman statue appeal, created and supported by train operator Northern Rail. Beer and cricket lovers will join stars from sport and showbusiness in the celebrations at The Queens Hotel, Leeds on Wednesday 17 March 2010. So it's not available quite yet, but keep your eyes peeled.

Steve Taylor, MD of Copper Dragon (pictured, along with Gordon Wilkinson and Veronica Trueman), describes the new beer as 'A Golden Ale that brings memories of Cricket Summers' ,and it will be available in Cask as well as bottled via the usual outlets.

Why Bother?

2009-10-25T18:11:00.008Z

The universe moves in funny ways. Recently, I was asked no less than three times in one week, by three different people in three different pubs, why I write about beer. Given that I’d read a couple of articles in the blogosphere recently along the same lines, I thought I would put together an answer - at least for myself. Why do this?
For me, it’s simple philanthropy. When I enthuse about something, I simply want other people to enjoy it too. Whether it be beer, films, music or books, I simply have to tell people I know about what’s good out there – hence one reason for the name of the blog.

Alongside this, I have somewhat of a social conscience. Our family trade was Butchery, and I grew up valuing ‘the smaller guys’ in terms of food retail. I never shopped for meat or veg in supermarkets until I had to (ie moved out of home, to somewhere with no Butchers, or Grocer’s). This saddened me - and at the same time that I was learning to fend for myself, food-wise. I’ve always been into food and travel, and getting into beer was just an extension of that. I started TGS as a food site, with recipes and supplier profiles, but as the ‘Farmer’s Market’ explosion happened a couple of years ago, so did the number of sites that did what I did, only much better. Then, over a pint, I realised that my twin obsession – Beer – needed the love.

These breweries that I loved were not getting airtime. As simple as that. So I switched focus, and the site remains that today. I wrote my first post proper, and haven’t looked back since.
The only way I know how to do this is to write. I’ve always written in my spare time – mostly short fiction, with a couple of published stories under my belt. But whereas writing fiction is essentially a narcissistic and insular thing to do, blogging about beer and ‘shouting out for the smaller guys’ fills another need; giving me that philanthropic glow.

People may scoff at the odd food/beer matching article. But I really don’t care – the amount of friends and colleagues I have nefariously weaned off cheap lager by serving them great meals alongside a great beer more than justifies it as a going concern. Without it, they would not have made the leap, and that’s what it’s all about.
It’s the same for highlighting the smaller, independent breweries. I know full well that the majority of you who read TGS regularly (ie, my trusted buddies who I link to) are in the same boat, so in some respects I’m preaching to the converted. But for everyone of my fellow beer geeks, there are one or two ‘interested unknowns’ who drop by. And if they go up to a bar and pass over a pint of ‘Italian’ or ‘Danish’ lager brewed in the UK, for an independently produced beer – and enjoy it – then that’s the bullseye. That’s one more customer for the craft guys.

The Micros and Crafts that we all love don’t get into supermarkets; they don’t have publicity budgets or sponsorship deals with Champions’ League football teams. So I will do it for them. For free. Why? Because I want them to do well and not disappear because if they did, I would have one less great beer to drink.

Don’t get me wrong - It’s not all good. For every great beer I drink, I’ll drink two that are dull, plain, boring, or just bad. But I don’t blog about those – because it’s not the point. The blogs’ called The Good Stuff. Plus, taste is subjective, and what I consider pisswater could be another man’s nectar. I will always try to be constructive. As a rule of thumb, if the beer moves me to write, then it’s good. The rest of them – well, if they want to get mentioned on here, they must simply try harder.

TGS is not primarily a beer news site – again, there are tons of sites out there that do that better than I do. I will not wade into arguments about Beer ties, PubCo’s, or Binge drinking. It’s not my place. I may comment on other sites simply to throw my hat into the ring. I’d much rather debate the ‘bigger issues’ over a pint, in person. And, as those who know me will testify, I do, often.

Speaking of ‘in person’, another way that blogging has brightened my life is by bringing me into contact with some genuinely great people, and to some great pubs, breweries and bars. We all have beer in common and I’ve yet to meet a fellow beer blogger or beer professional who had turned out to be a complete twat. We all have a common goal, and I think we do pretty well, between us, of championing the right beers, breweries, and issues at the right time – in a much more honest way than the mainstream press. We are the ones at the pumps, buying the stuff. I’m not a journalist; I work full-time, so I do what I can do. I have no ‘party line’ to tow, or editorial bias worries. This is all a hobby and I try to treat is as such.

So there it is. A long post, so thanks for reading, if you did. Here’s to more great beers coming our way. And If I had one piece of advice to give to people who love beer it’s this: Brew your own all-grain beer. You’ll learn more about beer brewing it than any amount of reading or tasting. Not only that, but you become the first rung of a ladder that ultimately provides great-tasting and unique beer to the masses. This is the spirit of truly Independent Brewing.

Nogne - O pt 2: Brown Ale

2009-10-21T18:49:00.006+01:00

Ok, I’m continuing my NO love-in with their Brown Ale (Bottle-Conditioned, 4.5%abv). Remember last time - I said that I thought that their tastes lie more US that UK – well, Brown Ale confounded that one. Smooth in the body, dark ruby in colour, and with a gentle, spicy hoppiness rather than a massive kick to the face, this is one subdued, elegant Brown, rather than the steroid-pumped, chest beating US Brown that I expected.
There’s a slight creaminess to the body, and a residual sweetness that makes this one very smooth, drinkable beer, with a whisper of smoke at the end of the sip. This is one beer I would love to try on tap and can imagine many a cold night in Norway was soothed along with such a wholesome beer as this. Again, it’s Brown Ale, but a new version, and I quite enjoyed it. Not as much as the IPA though!
All in all, NO push all the right buttons for me - passionate about beer enough to make a life out of it, and stamping their own mark on styles as they go along. Here’s the second part of Greg Koch's NO video for you to get the full experience; showing off their wonderful looking brewhouse and larder. I’m off to go order some more; from their site, I can see there’s plenty more out there for me to try. Do check the site out, it's full of info for any NO nerd. Recommendations are welcome, guys.

'Spanish' Pasties

2009-10-18T12:04:00.008+01:00

Now that Autumn is well and truly here, may I suggest this warming little spanish treat. Loosely based on the Spanish or Portuguese Empanada, these are a typically Yorkshire version; bigger, and with more of everything. They also taste good cold, so bake some up, and take them along to your bonfires next month. I also totally advocate using frozen pastry; the quality is excellent these days - although feel free to make your own, if you like! As usual with me, all measures are approximate - so put more or less in of whatever you like. But here's what I did.

1. Firstly, take one large potato and chop into chunks. Par-boil the pieces until soft enough to put a skewer through. Drain and set aside to cool.

2. Now, make the filling. In a large frying pan or wok, heat up a large glug of olive oil, and add: your potato chunks, 200g of diced turkey thigh, 100g of Chorizo, chopped into small cubes, one large, diced red onion, and one 1 small diced pepper. Fry gently until the veg is soft and the meat browned. When done, add a little more oil, and about 4 tbspns of Tomato Puree. Mix and coat the mixture. Then add 3 chopped or minced cloves of garlic and two chopped chillies. Add a dash of Tabasco, too - it adds a little sweetness. Add a teaspoon of water, and season the filling mix with salt, pepper, and some dried Rosemary.

3. Leave the mix to cool - very important - and preheat your oven to 200c.

4. Roll out your Puff pastry, and re-knead if frozen (I find this just helps it get more pliable). Roll into sheets and, using a saucer, cut out four circles. You should be able to get two from each sheet.

5. When the mixture has cooled, divide it onto the sheets, and fold over and crimp to make pasties. If the mixture is not cool, your pastry Will fall apart, so don't jump the gun here.

6. Glaze with oil, butter, egg or milk and bake for about 20 minutes until crispy.

7. Crack one open, and enjoy.

You can make these as hot as you need, but do add the chilli - it makes them what they are. You could also experiment with the fillings, and add fish or pork, if you like. You'll notice I've used Turkey thigh meat rather than chicken or turkey breast - I find that the thigh is not only tastier, but remains moister much longer. These pasties can be frozen, too, as long as all of your meat is fresh the first time around.

To combat the heat, I washed these down with some of William Bull's Red Angus Pilsener. this chilled Australian offering had a little earthiness in the body, but was certainly crisp enough, and had masses of lemon and lime sherbertiness on the nose and the end of the sip. Very refreshing indeed, and stove off the chillies with no problem at all.

Overall, an interesting beer that I would drink again, if only to give a more serious appraisal. Still a pint of this on a hot day wouldn't go amiss at all.

Nogne O - pt 1

2009-10-14T19:04:00.003+01:00

I can honestly say I’ve never had a beer from Norway before. This, along with the fact that Nogne-O (‘Naked Isle’ in Norwegian) was started up by two enthusiastic homebrewers made me make a beeline for a couple of their bottles whilst perusing UTOBEER earlier in the summer. I had to pick them up there and then, because I hadn’t seen their wares further North at all.

Although I didn’t know what to expect, I’d seen some excellent videos featuring them on YouTube and had a feeling that their tastes would lie more American than English. I was right, at least in the case of the IPA (Bottle conditioned, 7.5% abv); Chinook and Cascade hops give us that US-Style grapefruit/citrus punch on the nose straight away. And, in my bottle, it was this huge aroma that impressed me the most. Aroma can be hard to maintain in bottled beer, so Kudos where it’s due.
Another really interesting aspect of the IPA was the colour – it’s really quite dark for its style; easily the darkest IPA I have seen. This complexity presumably comes from the addition of Munich malt to the grain bill alongside the classic combo of Maris Otter pale malt and Crystal/Caramel malt. This nice twist gave a biscuity, slightly wheaten undertow to the firstly sweet, then massively bitter taste. It’s also a thick, chewy mouthful, with tons of body. For me, a great beer – and this is what I really enjoy – ‘twists’ genre rather than overhauls. I want my beers to give me something new whilst staying recognisable, and they boys from Nogne-O have done that with their IPA.

Anyway, I’m tasting these beers this week, so I will let you know how I get on with Brown Ale, a style very close to my heart, in a few days. In the meantime, here’s some Nogne-O Vid-eo to enjoy; Greg Koch from Stone visited the guys in 2008 and made a diverting little doc whilst enjoying great food, beer and scenery. That guy has a great job.

Foley's Oktoberfest/Ciderfest

2009-10-11T09:50:00.008+01:00

A little news update - Foley's are hosting a little Oktoberfest of thier own throughout October, with additions to their bottled range of Jever Pils, Lowenbrau Oktoberfest, Paulaner & Flying Dog Dogtoberfest Marzen to name a few. In addition, they are doing thier bit for independent Cider makers (is that the right term?) by running a Cider Festival alongside - all ciders on tap, and rotating weekly, all month. Do go and check it out, if Cider's your thing.

Also, congratulations are in order for Williams Bros, who have had an excellent run at the recent International Beer Challenge. Midnight Sun won Gold, Alba picked up a Silver medal and the perennial stalwart Fraoch won a Bronze. Williams are a bit of a cult hit right now, with thier beers picking up consistently good reviews for both flavour, diversity and label design - this might sound a bit wooly, but this means a lot to me. So well done, lads. I can heartily recommend both the 7 Giraffes and Red Als. Interesting, forward-thinking brews.

You can check out Williams' new website here, and read the rest of the result of the IBC here.

A Weekend Jaunt to Edinburgh

2009-10-06T10:21:00.006+01:00

...Time for a long weekend, for sure. Work's been pretty stressful of late, and planning a wedding on top leaves much room for taking a weekend off every once in a while. So, for no real reason other than it seemed like a nice place, we took off to Edinburgh.

It is a nice place, with a new and old town - each offering a very different view of Edinburgh's rich history. Obviously, amongst all this sight-seeing and (as always) shopping, comes a few chances for that refreshing pint along the way. Firstly we lit upon The Abbotsford, situated in the heart of the New Town. Busy enough on a Friday lunchtime, the staff were friendly and the beer in good condition. We sat at the bar and ordered up a pint of Brewdog's 77 Lager. I'd never had this before, but a lager, or pilsner it ain't. Maybe the bottled version is. What it is, is a light copper-coloured, unremittingly dry (thanks to that Amarillo),bitter Pale Ale, with slight honeyed malt coming through on the body. I liked it, but am not sure if I could have managed another one - it was a 'big' beer indeed.

Later on, we ate in The Mussel Inn, a busy seafood restaurant not far from The Abbotsford. Busy & vibrant, this place is definitely one to go to again. The food was excellent value for money (half a kilo of mussels with fries for under a tenner) and the service snappy and friendly. An improved extraction system in the kitchen wouldn't go amiss, though...

We spent the next day largely sightseeing, but with Leeds playing Charlton, we both (honestly, Louise is as mad about Leeds United as I am) needed to find 'A bar with Sky Sports on, but not filled with twats' for lunch - which luckily we did in The Albanach, on The Royal Mile. Belhaven 80 Shilling and Best provided smooth, fruity and completely easy drinking post-lunch accompaniment (the game was a draw, if anyone cares).

Later on, post-supper, we managed to squeeze into the Cafe Royal. Although Deuchars IPA is ubiquitous up here, it was nice to see most (men, anyway) people in here drinking Ale, rather than Tennent's. My pint of Kelburn Carte Blanche hit the spot - again, pale and fruity, but with a slowly appearing bitter hit at the end of the sip. I wonder how many people were drinking this, rather than Deuchars. Red Smiddy was also on, but not tried. Cafe Royal is worth checking out, although I'd like to go back when a little quieter - the decor is wonderful.

Finally, worth a mention is Royal Mile Whiskies - great staff, and enough Whisky to satisfy every taste - as well as a decent range of scottish ales (McWilliams, Brewdog, Orkney, Fyne). Thanks for the advice, guys.

Things I learned in Edinburgh: 1. Deuchars do loads of beers - not only IPA and 80 Shilling. Seasonals range from Blueberry infused creations to IPA's with US hops. Didn't see any of them, though. 2. There are a lot of Americans. 3. Despite bars and pubs having hundreds of Whiskies available, people still drink Bells and Jack Daniels. Sigh. 4. Next time I must leave enough time to visit the Bow Bar.

Meet The Brewer: Matt Brophy & Flying Dog

2009-09-29T12:49:00.008+01:00

I was lucky enough to be invited down to The Cross Keys last night for a rare chance to meet Matt Brophy of Flying Dog, their Senior VP and Head Brewer. Events like this can often go the way of Beer Festivals; when done right, they can be great chances to meet people you admire and sample beer in a great setting; when done wrong they can be horrid, soulless, corporate junkets. Luckily, this event was done right. Good Beer, Good Food, and Good People.

Firstly, Matt turned out to be a genial and knowledgeable host - positively dripping with enthusiasm, he guided us non-stop through pretty much most of FD's beers (details of which you can find on thier site rather than me list them all here), feeding us comments on origins, ingredients and other minutiae that beer nerds like us love, whilst we drank and nodded sagely. Matt discovered brewing through the writing of US homebrew legend Charlie Papazian, and decided that a life in barley and hops was for him. After some formal brewing education he made the trip from New Jersey to Colorado and, after a stint at Great Divide Brewing, ended up at Flying Dog.

After a small introduction to the brewery and the legend of George Stranahan, we moved onto the beers; in order, the Woody Creek Wit started us off, but in my opinion was shaded slightly by the arrival of In-Heat Wheat - tons of banana and phenols on the nose, and a wonderfully smooth, almost Almondy aftertaste makes this one of my favourite FD beers. Thier flagship Doggy Style Pale Ale gave us that benchmark US Craft brew taste right off the bat - boiled candy in the body and floral yet bitter Cascade hops dominating everything else. Old Scratch Amber Lager proved to be a sweeter variation on the same theme. Tire Biter Golden Ale was an interesting one; very pale for US standards and with a slightly belgian horseblanket aroma offset with peppery hops, it paired up very nicely indeed with the Seared Scallop that accompanied it.

I found the Garde Dog a little uninspiring, and Road Dog Porter, albeit very tasty and with smoke and chocolate in all the right places, seemed very pale indeed to what should constitute Porter in my mind. However, Kerberos Tripel soon revitalised my taste buds - what a great beer. Sweet, with a nice belgian malt complexity and earthy aroma, this was one beer that I didn't want to stop drinking. But I had to, as the Horn Dog Barley Wine and Double Dog IPA's arrived. Horn Dog, although very sweet indeed, proved to be a lot smoother and more restrained than I thought it would be, and the Double Dog IPA did what it said on the tin - this was one huge IPA. Dogtoberfest provided more of that smooth, easy drinking craft beer that FD do very well when not running off to the limits.

The beers just kept getting bigger. Gonzo Imperial Porter took me back to my first taste of FD all those years ago, and matched perfectly with the little slice of coffee ice-cream that accompanied it. As the night wore on, and the volume in the room increased, a couple of really special beers rounded off the night. Dog-Schwarz, a smoked double lager, was a revelation - I'm not a big fan of smoked beers at all but this was balanced so well, it's kind of made me think that I need to reappraise smoked beers. Wonderful stuff.

I asked Matt whether he was planning to commemorate the fifth Anniversary of Hunter S Thompson's death in February - he told us that although that wasn't decided yet, they did have their own milestone - a 20th Anniversary, marked by Raging Bitch (gotta love those names) - which, as if by magic, appeared at our hands. The lady sitting next to me exclaimed it to be a true 'Breakfast Beer' - and upon sipping, I could see why. Pure, pure grapefruit - on top of a massively sweet, almost cloudy body. I guess it's an IPA with a belgian twist - almost like loading Orval with a shot of IPA and masses of hops, if that makes sense - but if FD continue to produce this, then the world could be facing an Amarillo hop shortage pretty soon. The aroma was something else, and I've never come across anything so fruity in a beer without it being a fruit beer!

A great night, all in all. Tasting the majority of FD's beers in one go like this has given me more of a sense of who they are, and their identity - which is what these events should do, but so often fail to do. My drinking partner, relatively new to the world of beer, came away a firm fan, and that's one more guy buying good beer. Our thanks go to FD, North, The Cross Keys (particularly the waiting and kitchen staff who were, quite honestly, amazing) and James Clay for landing such a coup. Let's do it again sometime.

Dent Brewery

2009-09-25T14:03:00.006+01:00

It's been ages since I'd tried a beer from Dent - so when one caught my eye recently I grabbed an armful and settled in for a reappraisal.

I'm glad I did; all three beers I tasted where not only much better then I remembered them, but consistently good too. This consistency is the sign of a good brewer and can be surprisingly hard to find. First up was Kamikaze (5% abv). A golden ale with more than a hint of Summer Lightning about it, Kamikaze is very quaffable despite the abv. On the nose there's a little grassiness and only a slight green hop aroma. Dry, with a slight biscuity taste in the body, the emphasis here is on refreshment - there's a lively, lemony tang to the aftertaste.

Going up in complexity is Aviator (4% abv). Vibrant amber in colour, this has got much more about it - marmalade and boiled sweets coming through in the body, with a decent floral nose with that slight citrus aroma that the Kamikaze had. This is a juicy, full-flavoured beer that I could happily drink a lot of; an English Amber Ale. Fans of Fuller's Special London Ale should check this out.

Last up - and my favourite of the bunch - was the wonderful T'owd Tup (6% abv). Wonderfully smooth for its strength, T'owd Tup is a warming, dark chestnut ale with masses of body - my notes read 'Christmas Cake, Plums, Jam, Dark Chocolate with Coffee at the end' which about sums it up. With so much flavour and complexity it'd be easy to mess this up, but T'owd Tup is a resounding success. My initial impressions were of that other famous Sheep-related Strong Dark Ale, Black Sheep's Riggwelter, but where Riggwelter wears its strength on its sleeve, T'owd Tup manages to be supremely drinkable as well. This is going to be one beer my cellar is going to be stocking as those nights draw in.

York Beer Festival 2009 / Pivo

2009-09-20T17:18:00.006+01:00

We dropped in on York's 2009 Beer Festival yesterday, to start what turned out to be lovely afternoon's drinking. This was the first time the festival had been held at Kanvesmire, near the race course, and it was a suitably pleasant setting, with large, airy marquees set up, and a plenty of outdoor setaing. The Hog Roast guys (I'm not sure If i could do a beer festival without these guys now!) were doing a roaring trade, and we settled in with handfuls of fresh pork scratchings to some serious sampling. Brass Monkey's Brass Monkey Bitter proved to be as solid as you'd expect, with a pleasant roastiness to it, and Summer Wine's Helios more than held up on the pale and hoppy front. Leeds' Monsoon IPA was good too - lots of trademark Leeds Grapefruitiness up front, slowly fading to reveal a biscuity body; Stewart's Copper Cascade proved to be a decent, malty Scottish red but was a little lacking in hop character for me. However, the beer of the festival turned out to be American - Stone's Levitation Ale, which - quite honestly -blew the majority of the English brews we tried out of the water - with it's sheer depth of flavour. A sweet, dark beer, with masses of coffee/toffee notes in the body and a tight, creamy head, Levitation really is a wonderful beer - and a sensible abv, too. I know I should be singing the praises of English beers, but in this case, I just can't. Taste rules.
With that epiphany ringing in our ears, we headed off into York to check out Pivo, a bar that I've had on the list since ...A swift one recommended it a while back. It's hidden away in the smallest building in York (or so it seems), but what it may lack in sitting space it makes up for in choice - again, Stone's Levitation was on offer (must be a York thing) as well as York's Wicked Wheat (heavy on the spices), SNPA and Meantime's Elderflower Maibock. Pivo stocks a decent range of beer and looks like a decent addition to York's more traditional Pubs and Alehouses. Check it out.
Pivo, 6 Patrick Pool,
York,
YO1 8BB
01904 635464

Morrisey Fox Brunette

2009-09-16T07:15:00.005+01:00

Or rather 'I shouldn't like it, but I do'. Why not? Why are most people who are 'serious about beer' so seemingly averse to Morrissey Fox? I suffer from it, too, but I can't pinpoint why. It would seem that in some circles, admitting you like a MF beer is akin to admitting you watch Market Kitchen (which I don't).

Anyway, despite being completely underwhelmed by their Blonde, I picked up a bottle of Brunette to accompany a night of Champion's League football, and also to raise a little toast to Keith Floyd, whose passing genuinely saddened me. He was a trailblazer in the culinary world and I do hope he gets the credit he deserves in the upcoming weeks. He'd have preferred Red Wine, I know, but he'll appreciate the sentiment, I'm sure.

I cracked open the bottle, snickering at the label and the sheer laddishness of everything (...tee-hee, it's called Brunette, how FHM...), only to find, upon my first sip, that this was a really good beer. Really. Its got a lovely deep, bonfire toffee aroma, which carries through to the body before being joined by raisins and a little more caramel sweetness. There's a little earthy, hoppy tang at the end, which finishes surprisingly dry for a sweet beer.

I personally couldn't fault it, and would happily drink it again. I had an inkling I would, however, seeing as though their 'Proud Of Pubs' bitter is also one that I've enjoyed recently; the two seem very similar. Anyway, onwards and upwards. Next week, I'll be tasting Carling whilst reviewing Market Kitchen.

Ps. It's Orval Day at North Bar today, If you fancy it.

Slow Rosted BBQ Pork Belly & St Peter's Honey Porter

2009-09-09T18:32:00.008+01:00

Since the weather's been getting a little warmer (at least here in Yorkshire), I thought I would have a little taste of summer? I got this recipe years ago from one of the best food blogs out there, An Endless Banquet. Over the years it’s become slightly modified, depending on taste at the time. Although easy to prepare, you do need to slow cook the belly pork to get the texture you need.
As with most barbecue, the recipe is a two stage process. Firstly, rub the pork with: 1 tbsp Salt, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp brown (or muscovado) sugar, a good grind of black pepper, 1 tbsp chilli powder, 4 tsp Paprika (smoked would be good) and 2 tbsp ground Cumin. Cover the meat and leave to marinate for an hour.

Preheat the oven to about 50c – very low. Pop the meat in there and leave well alone for at least three hours. After three hours, turn up the heat to around 175c and baste the meat with the following baste: 2 tbsp honey, a good dollop of Heinz Ketchup, a dash of tomato puree, a grind of black pepper, two squirts of Tabasco (or more, if you like) and three crushed, chopped and mashed garlic cloves. Baste the meat three or four times under the increased heat, and give them at least another 30-40 minutes like this. If actually barbecueing, this is where you would move the meat to the hotter part and really get some charred edges on it.

As you can see, it's a simple process that only follows the basics of Barbecue - controlling heat, sweet and spicy flavours, and underused cuts of meat like the majestic Pork Belly. Wha I like about this particular Barbecue marinade is the combination of sweetness with the black pepper and cumin, just under the baste. It makes for a slightly more interesting taste.

I plumped for St Peter's Honey Porter to wash this down with; it's a thick, smooth porter, and in my opinion is a little cloying on its own due to it having such a huge Honey aroma. But that just makes it perfect for pairing with sweet, faintly smoky meats like this. Lovers of sweet honey beers should give this a try.

Barbecue's a great food to drink beer with full stop, and almost any beer finds some partner in it. However, I can also reccommend Anchor Steam Beer and Holt's Maple Moon for recipes like this.

The Greatest Beer in The World?

2009-09-06T14:01:00.004+01:00

Ladies & Germs, I give you Magnum, P.A. I'm not quite sure what a 'Hawaiian Pale Ale' is but I'm sure its awesome. It would seem that Selleck has a bit of a beer following; Chuck's been struggling with his ordering of Tom Selleck's Mustache this week, too.

This was spotted in Foley's in Leeds, and I will make sure not to miss it again. One would have to assume it's a single-varietal pale using Magnum hops.

Dark Horse Hetton Pale Ale

2009-09-01T18:36:00.005+01:00

I read with interest Chris's recent post about The Bull, not just because of how wonderful the food sounded (Rabbit Faggots, anyone?) but mainly because of Dark Horse's Hetton Pale Ale, a beer I've had on 'the list' for some time.

So when a bank holiday 'quick bite for lunch' turned us out onto The Bull (My mum lives nearby), I made a beeline for it. And I'm glad I did - well kept, and a pleasure to drink. Crisp, amber in colour and with a firm, biscuity-almond body, it was a really decent pint. I'm not surprised its won a few awards and seems sought after. One to recommend, definitely.

We did eat whilst visiting, and although Chris' post goes into more detail, I can say the food was very nice indeed. The Bull makes no apologies for being a 'gastropub' - which in some ways is shame because it really does have a decent, regional ale range (Taylor's, Thwaites, Copper Dragon), but you'd be hard pressed to find 'drinking only' room.

The food, however, is worth the trip, and The Bull certainly does its bit for sourcing local produce - the cheese on my burger came from Shepherd's Purse (a wickedly tangy Wensleydale- a cheese with balls, for a change), and the rich, tasty Dexter beef from Easingwold. The menu is littered with guides to provenance, and although this makes the food pricey, I feel that you really do get value for money.. There's nothing on the menu that wasn't sourced locally, and it simply tastes great without being fussy. One last word - try the home-made ice cream. Fudge and Oats - awesome.

The Owl and The Barge Beer & Music Festival 2009

2009-08-28T18:28:00.003+01:00

..Is this weekend. I checked it out last year - very pleasant it was too. Beers from Local faves Leeds, Saltaire, Naylor's and Elland to mention a few. So if you've got nothing on, have a wander on down and sip a beer by the canal.

Another upcoming festival that has caught my eye is The Bull's (Horton Kirby, Kent) Pictish Festival. I really like the idea of a festival dedicated to one brewer, as perverse as that may sound. Pictish are a good lot and don't shy away from making single-varietal beers, something which I admire greatly in a brewer. The festival takes place 03/09/09 and you can read about it here.

Orkney Brewery

2009-08-23T10:34:00.004+01:00

Scotland seems to be the place to be at the moment when it comes to beer. Personally, what I like about Scottish brews is that they seem to be able to maintain a certain identity; there's not mistaking a Scottish ale these days, from the innovation of Williams Bros Brewing Co to the ever-popular Harviestoun, to the regal air of Traquair. It's that locality that any region that wants to hold its own in brewing needs to latch onto and keep.

The most impressed I've been of late was with a couple of bottles of Orkney's beers. One was brought back from a Scottish visit at the start of the year, when these beers were somewhat rare in my neck of the woods. Last week I topped it up with another, and was struck by how easy to get Scottish craft beers are now.

I have a predilection for beers that included with word 'Red' in the title - for me, it conjures up heat, roasted malt, depth of flavour and a little sweetness - which is essentially true of the superb Red McGregor. It pours deep, ruby red, and there's a real bitter hop-hit towards the end of the sip, and a floral nose, but there's a huge heart of malt in this beer. A friend of mine remarked that he thought it tasted a little of Anchor Steam - and in respect of the sweetness, I can see his point. I'd like to think that on cask the hoppiness may be toned down a little, but I wouldn't even know where to start with finding this.

On the opposite end of the scale, Northern Light (sounds like a whole new style, doesn't it) is a super-easy drinking Pale Ale, although I thought it was more in line with a Golden Ale. Again, there's a bitter, citrus hoppiness that fades surprisingly fast, and the aroma is that wet grass/hay that you get with beers like this. The body is a little thinner that its darker brother, but overall this was a perfect summer quaffing pale. Fans of Harviestoun's Bitter & Twisted, Goose Eye's Wonkey Donkey and Hopback's Summer Lighting should head here.

I bought the Northern Light from Simpson's - an unashamedly posh deli near The Adelphi and Pin. They've overhauled thier beer range and now have a decent stock including Leeds Brewery's Pale and Midnight Bell. Do have a look.

A Quick London Hop

2009-08-17T17:20:00.004+01:00

...And so it was a mini-session around London that was in order this weekend, seeing as though I was spending some time visiting a friend.
Bellies full of Bratwurst from the (having as usual) Borough Market, we duly joined the ranks amassed outside The Market Porter. Ever dependable, our pints of Bay's Best started lunchtime off very nicely, and although I had never even heard of Bay's, they certainly make a tasty, malty-sweet best.

At the opposite end of the scale, Meantime's London Pale was the catalyst to a major breakthrough - my good mate Rich, who prefers maltier beers and is the only beer-drinker I know who baulks at 'Over-Grapefruity hops' in beer, declared his MLP as 'actually rather nice'. Huzzah.
After a early -afternoon raid on Utobeer and a quick shower later, we emerged into a lovely sunny afternoon. After a couple of beers along the way, we finally got to The Lamb & Flag, where a decent pint of Young's Special hit the spot after a hot tube journey. I really do like this sweet but fruity beer, and it was nice to find some.
Food-wise, La Perla, (A mexican cantina in Covent Garden that I've blogged about before) was as good as it was in 2007. Street Tacos - Soft flour tortillas with pulled Pork and Prawn meat with lashings of chilli salsa and sour cream managed to be sweet, hot, sour, salty and sweet all in one mouthful. A couple of Dos Equis washed them down. Good Food, Good Prices, Good Staff.
Full of Mexican food, we sauntered to The Harp to finish the night on Darkstar Hophead and Original (A beer that I have neglected in the past but am developing a serious jones for) before giving into familiarity and ordering some Taylor's Golden Best.
Overall an entirely pleasurable Saturday night.

Kudos of the Weekend go to whoever parked their black VW Polo outside the Market Porter on Saturday lunchtime - with two Leeds United Badges in the back window and a dangly Leeds Badge on the rearview mirror, you certainly drew a salute. Nice to see, in the middle of London!

Yorkshire Dales Brewing Co.

2009-08-09T17:58:00.005+01:00

If that's not an evocative name for a brewery, then I don't know what is. Rolling hills, glowering skies and no-nonsense brewing. That's what I think of when I think of 'Yorkshire' and in a lot of ways that's what the two beers I've just enjoyed from the Yorkshire Dales Brewing Co are.

First up is Great Shunner (4.2% abv). A dark amber-hued beer, the aroma is mostly cola, with a sweet malt and a hint of biscuit. Quite dark for a 'session bitter'. it turns out to be fairly thin in body but with a nice, late, bitterness. The head stays around for a while, and its an easy pint to drink.

Much more complex, but strangely lighter in alcohol, is the Darrowby Dark (3.7%abv). The first thing you notice is the smoky aroma, which does carry through to the taste. Hopped milder, this beer is firmly pitched at the Dark Mild clan, and does a respectable job. There's a slight hint of bitter chocolate in the body, aloing with a late cherry/red fruit hit, but the lively carbonation again renders the mouthfeel a little thin - when in this case it could be more strong.

Both beers are decent enough, and I would certainly make a beeline for their cask counterparts - there's a lot going on in these beers, flavour-wise, but the bottle-conditioning gives them both a lively feel that doesn't quite do them justice. YDBC have a decent array of bottle-conditioned brews, and I'll buy more in the future.

The Station Inn, Whitby/ The Vic, Leeds

2009-08-05T18:38:00.006+01:00

It's been ages since I reviewed a pub - simply for the reason that no new ones (or ones worth writing about) had popped up recently. That all changed at the weekend when I was pleasantly surprised by The Station Inn in Whitby.

Now, I like Whitby. Really; I like the beach, the Fish & Chips (although getting pricier each visit) and the uneasy alliance formed between the Goths and Chavs that make up about 80% of Whitby's tourist population at any one time. One thing that Whitby does not have, however, is decent pubs. Sorry - my opinion - but I really can't say any appeal to me. Except The Station.

Situated, well, opposite the train station, it's a small, three-roomed pub with an excellent array of beers on offer. I counted Timmy Taylor's Best, Sharp's Doom Bar, Copper Dragon Challenger IPA, Daleside Blonde, Black Dog's Whitby Abbey Ale, Adnam's Bitter and Courage Directors. Not changing the world, admittedly, but a fine lineup. Being a nice day, I plumped for the Daleside Blonde and Black Dog's Whitby Abbey Ale - the latter being a lovely, moreish tawny best that warranted a second pint. The beer was in excellent condition, too. I'll be visiting again, for sure.

Last week, at the presentation to Foley's of the CAMRA Pub of the Year award, we got talking about The Victoria & Commercial Hotel in Leeds - a pub that I had visited in ages. It's still a quiet oasis from the screaming bars of millenium square, with all the ornate windows and woodwork that I remembered. The huge main room is a wonderful place to sit and have a drink. Situated just behind the town hall, Nicholson's have done their usual efficient preservation job and the result is a lovely, unfussy yet grand pub. The beer is good too - when I visited, Tetley's Dark Mild, Acorn's Barnsley Bitter, Cairngorm's Nessie, Sharp's IPA and Morrissey-Fox's (or whoever brews it this week) Proud of Pubs Best Bitter. Out of curiosity I ordered a pint of Mo-Fo (please shoot me if I ever use that phrase again) and nearly fell over; for it was actually rather good. A thick, creamy head gave way to a huge, malty best with a massive sweetness at the end. A slight smokiness lingered - fans of Milds and Dark Milds should hunt this one out.

So far a week of pleasant surprises, all in all.

The Station Inn, New Quay Road, Whitby, YO21 1DH - Tel: 08721 077 077

The Victoria & Commercial Inn, Great George Street, Leeds: Tel - 0113 2451386

BrewDog Tokyo - tasted...

2009-08-01T17:38:00.005+01:00

...Well, I've spent the last couple of hours tasting the most talked about beer this week - BrewDog Tokyo. At a massive 18.2% abv, the alcohol content of this stout has gained most of the press, but we've had very little on taste so far. I've never had anything this strong before, so it really was a first.

Once the incredibly lively, orange head dies down, you're left with a stout as dark as a Newcastle supporter's mood. It really is black. The nose is where you get the first hint of how strong this stuff actually is - there's a brininess to it that, for me, was a little meaty. Before you drink it you know it's going to be hot, but the once the initial warming alcohol fades, you get a surprisingly round, raisiny fruitiness with only a whiff of smoke - just before the final bitter tang and another hit of alcohol to warm the throat. It's certainly not as dry as I thought it would be, being an imperial stout. It is dry-hopped,but for me the malts and oak chips dominate the flavour profile.

Of course, It is ludicrously strong; you can't get away from that. In fact, one bottle is a struggle - furtive sipping is the way to go with this one. However, I found it surprisingly well-balanced, and quite unlike anything I've managed to get my mitts on yet. And that's the point of beer-hunting isn't it?

Now, I'm feeling a little sleepy...

GBBF List Now Available...

2009-07-29T18:29:00.005+01:00

CAMRA have begun emailing out the beer lists for the GBBF – although I’m not attending due to other, non-beer-related commitments, there are a few beers on here that I would have made a bee-line for, and will be worth checking out.
Fuller’s 2009 Vintage Ale will be available on cask – so that’s stop number one right there. Bartram’s Cherry Stout, Hawkshead’s Organic Oatmeal Stout and Dark Star’s Espresso all satisfy my penchant for the dark. From further afield – and this is what the GBBF is about, for me - 32 Vei Dei Birrai’s Oppale, Grado Plato’s Amber Lager Strad San Felice head up the impressive Italian Beer section, with Allagash’s Odyssey, Tuckerman’s Alt & Widmer Brother’s Drifter Pale Ale all being on my list for some time now. Ditto Galway Hooker.
From these shores, Bristol Beer Factories’ Milk Stout should be on, and beers from Triple fff, Loddon, White Shield, Salopian, Highland, White Water all coming recommended. But that’s just me - there’s loads to choose from, as you’d expect.
A shame I won’t get to try, but I’ll live. I’ll enjoy reading the myriad of posts from my fellow bloggers afterwards. Let me know how you get on.

Beer Before Chess....

2009-07-26T10:09:00.002+01:00

Genius, as always, from Toothpaste For Dinner

Grattis, Brewdog.

2009-07-21T18:41:00.004+01:00

Although recently it's seemed that its in every beer blogger's job description to include at least one article about BrewDog, it was with genuine pleasure that I read that BrewDog have had a very successful first half of the year - and have just wrapped up a deal to become Britain's #1 imported beer brand in Sweden.
So what - it's Sweden! you may snort into your freshly poured 77 - but, despite proving that the Swedes clearly have decent taste - for me, this news sets the bar a little for what Independent Brewers can achieve.
Not only have BD managed to get the financials spot on and become a very sound business (a side often overlooked in Brewing), they've done it by not being safe. This, let's not forget, is why we (generally) love them in the first place. Remember your first sip of Trashy Blonde and Punk IPA? That search to land a bottle of Tokyo and the simple genius of the Paradox series? The whole Zeitgeist-art-gallery-orgy -then-buying-crates-of-the-stuff-for-knockdown-prices thing? It was as if the US 'Spirit of Adventure TM' had drifted off course and ended up in Fraserburgh. And don't even mention the Portman Group debacle (and the priceless marketing that achieved). Hunter S Thompson would be proud.
Yep, what lifts my glass is that BD have managed great growth but stayed true to what they do best. Imagine if thier next beer was 'BrewDog Bitter', a lank, trad, been done a thousand times beer. Unthinkable. Yet it happens all the time; other breweries roll out a thousand variations on one theme. Not BD - whack on top of this the fact that you've got green credentials in plans for a new eco-friendly brewhouse, and BD fast become a real success story with a good heart, too. Awww.
So, here's to it, lads. Congrats, or rather, Grattis. Just don't change, eh?