Nogne O - pt 1

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

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

...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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

..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

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

...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.

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

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...

...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...

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....

Genius, as always, from Toothpaste For Dinner

Grattis, Brewdog.

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?

Home-Made Fishcakes

Although you need a little bit of forward planning, home-made fishcakes are super-easy to make, and are actually a great little beer snack. Surprisingly, tinned fish makes better fishcakes than fresh, I find. To be honest, you can use any fish you like, I reckon - but here's my version. Be sure to use fresh herbs though - it really does make a difference in the end.

Fishcakes (makes 6-8)
You Will Need:
One tin of Red Salmon
One small tin of Mackerel
150g of potatoes - Rooster's or King Edwards will do fine
2 tbspns Mayonanaise
2 Hardboiled eggs, cooled and chopped
2 pickled gherkins
A small amount of chopped anchovies - about four
Salt & Pepper to season
A pinch of Cayenne pepper
Chopped, fresh parsley and dill - a good fistful of each
A squeeze of Lemon
A dash of tomato puree

1. Boil your potatoes, and mash. Then, in a large bowl, add the mayonnaise a mash some more. Use a fork to then 'whip' it up so it's creamy.
2. From here, all you need to do is add your fish, gherkins, egg, and various seasonings to the potato and fork again - enough to mix but don't obliterate it.
3. Cover, and chill for three hours. This is really important - if your mix is not chilled, it will dissolve in the pan.

Get a couple of plates out and in a bowl crack two eggs and whisk. Place some plain flour on one plate, and some ready-made breadcrumbs on the last one.
In a chip-pan, heat up enough oil to shallow fry the cakes.

When the oil is hot, shape the mix into cakes, then dip into the egg, drain, then into the flour and then roll in the crumbs. Then place the cakes carefully in the hot oil. They'll only take a couple of minutes each side. When cooked, drain on some kitchen paper and serve with a big dollop of tomato or tartare sauce.

Easy enough, but takes a bit of planning for the mix to chill. As for the fish, use what you like. I washed this down with a cold pint of Timothy Taylor Landlord Pale Ale. I chose this great beer because despite being pale, it's got a really bitter edge and a really juicy maltiness that stands up to the oily fish without overpowering it. Lovely.

North's US BeerFest

My drinking has had a distinctly American feel to it this week with North Bar bringing over baskets of US Beers for us to taste. And taste we did.
First up, Flying Dog's In Heat Wheat. This must be one of the few Flying Dog Ales I've not yet tried, to so get hold of it on draught was a great opportunity. Pleasantly refreshing without being cloying, it had a smooth, banana taste at first that soon mellowed even further, leaving a little bit of Marzipan behind. Very tasty, and very moreish. Next up, the much-lauded Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA - or 'Johnny Cask', as it's more commonly known (Click here to find out more about the Johnny Cask System). I really enjoyed this - yes, it was a blend of the 65 and 90 Minute IPA's so you kind of know what to expect - but still managed to become something different. Smooth, with only a little alcohol warmth at the end, and a balanced (although very fresh) hoppiness running through it. There's a real malty sweetness to it too, but it remains citrussy and not too cloying.

Victory Prima Pils next - although I have to be honest and say I didn't really think it was too Pils-y. It was decent though - lots of earthiness on the nose, and a high, astringent hop bite at the end of a long sip. Again, quite a fresh taste, although quite sweet. Interesting, and something I think I would try again; although I personally thought it had more in common with a Kolsch on steroids.
Sierra Nevada's Smoked Porter finished my week-long tasting, with a subtle smokiness and chocolate to coat the tongue. With a bottle of Rogue Dead Guy Ale waiting for me at home, I will continue my US-Centric drinking well into next week, I reckon.

Honey Chicken, Honey Beer

...Put your chicken pieces onto a baking tray and put in a preheated oven at about 200c. As they cook, blend three large spoons of honey, two teaspoons of Wholegrain Mustard, one teaspoon of dijon mustard and some parsley, if you have it.

After about ten minutes, give the chicken a coat of this sweet gunk, and put back in. Give it another ten, the repeat. Then another ten, and repeat. Keep coating, and you'll end up with great glazed chicken. It's like continual hopping that Dogfish Head do, but with food.

Serve with corn on the cob, and a cool pint of Cropton's Honey Gold for a quick and tasty midweek TV supper. Now, where's that Charlie Brooker programme I Sky+'d from last night...

Festival Time

It's the season for beer festivals, without a doubt. Here's a quick roundup of the ones that stand out for me. If you're near any of these you should check them out - there's nothing like a good fest to try something rare, hard-to-find or new.

The wonderful beer-hall at Hawkshead hosts their annual beer festival, 23rd & 24th of July. Hawkshead are, in my opinion, a great brewer, and their beer-hall will provide an excellent backdrop to beers from Palmer's & Arkell's to name a couple.

Breweries from the Kent area get centre-stage at the Kent Beer Festival (16-16 July), with Hopdaemon and Ramsgate among the treats. For Yorkshire treats, North's American Beer Fest and the highly-rated Harlequin are good starters for ten. The Harlequin's a great spot in Sheffield, and although I can't find a beer list (help, anyone?), I'm sure it'll be worth a visit. The Ship and Mitre are holding a Belgian Beer Festival on the 29th July, and the Reading Real Ale & Jazz Festival sounds like a decent weekend, too - with beers from Oakham's, Elgoods and Hopback on for your delectation. Beer and Jazz. Love it. And for steam enthusiasts, there's the Poppy Line Beer Festival at Sheringham Station (17th-19th July), featuring beers from the East Anglia area, food and entertainment.

Oh, and there's something called the GBBF going on too.

The Week So Far in Beer

With the weather being so damn humid, the pull of the quick beer after work has seemed stronger this week. What better way then to let the rush hour pass sipping a decent pint, so that you can enjoy a much less stressed journey home?

First up, Shepherd Neame's Whitstable Bay Organic Ale. A beer I've tried in the past in bottled form, and been fairly unimpressed. The draught version is a little creamier, but still doesn't have a lot of body. Some would say perfect for this kind of weather! It's got a great colour, though, and a really peppery hop nose.

Next up, St Austell IPA. Again, I expected a little more from this in the way of hops. However, it does have a nice, biscuity body and a refreshing, sweet aftertaste. I could probably drink a lot more of this, and I don't see it often in Leeds.

Sleeman's IPA on the other hand, is a different beast. Since being permanently installed at Foley's Cask Ale House, I've been drinking a lot of it. Sweet, but with a bitter hop bite, it's a wonderful, frosty friend in these climes. My personal nadir of Sleeman's IPA worship was taking three colleagues to Foley's post-meeting, all self-confessed Lagerheads, and convincing them all to try one. They did, and declared it 'Fucking nice, that, man'. And my work here is done, as they say.

Red Squirell's Conservation Bitter is another solid, sweet, easy-drinking beer that further enhances my respect for them, and Cairngorm's ludicrously named Nessie's Monster Mash kept up the standards too, although this ruby-coloured leviathan was a little heavy for the weather.

All in all, a good week so far. Bring on the weekend!

These fine beers were sampled in The Palace, Mr Foley's Cask Ale House, and The Scarbrough Taps.