Camden Town Brewery Pale Ale

Visiting York yesterday with the Twissup gang gave me another chance to sink a couple of pints of Camden Town's Pale Ale (4.5%abv). I've been wanting to get my hands on more since my initial sip in London a few weeks back, refreshing the throat and reviving the soul after a three- hour train journey. It's just a great beer; straw-pale, light, packed with simple Grapefruit and Lemon flavour and aroma. A testament to the beautiful simplicity of a well-made pale with no airs and graces. I drank two of them - and sticking to one beer in Pivni is tough, as others will testify. I'm glad to see beers like this still being made, a beacon of simple pleasure in what can often become a high-concept, over-thought and overwrought beer landscape. Viva la Pale.

You can read up on Camden's excellent-looking setup over on Pencil & Spoon here.

My Beer Journey (Or The Birth of A Beer Geek)

In a break from the norm, this is a guest post from Adam Tuncay, a chap who I've met, along with many, many others, through Twitter and following this blog. He contacted me a few days back to ask if he could host a piece about the indroduction to Beer that he's had in recent months. Given that one of the reasons we write about Beer is to get more people to drink it, I was happy to oblige and interested to hear his views. Take it away, Adam....

My path to being a fully fledged beer geek isn’t unique by any means, we all have to start somewhere. Whether it is something you have grown up with, found yourself or - in my case - had introduced to you by friends.

Not so long ago a night in or out would consist of bottles of Italian or Indian lager. I would try the odd supermarket ale but nothing really enthused me enough to move away from what I already liked and was familiar with at the time.
That all changed on a Saturday afternoon in late August. I was encouraged by a friend to spend the day drinking in Sheffield and the surrounding area; and he was very keen on visiting a pub next to the train station. My experience of pubs at train stations had been somewhat tarnished over the years, mainly due to visiting many unimpressive establishments that offered poor quality beer and unwelcoming surroundings. So I didn’t have particularly high hopes when he suggested a visit to the Sheffield Tap, boy was I wrong. First up was a pint of Thornbridge Jaipur, one sip and I was blown away, the balance and depth of flavour was beyond anything I had experienced before. It was easily the best pint I had ever had, I knew then that I had to experience more beer like that. I could have stayed in there all day, but drawn by the promise of more Thornbridge beers we headed to the Coach and Horses in Dronfield, where we tried pretty much everything they had on.

That day changed my outlook on what good beer is and showed me that I shouldn’t be happy to accept average or worse beer. Since then my love for beer has taken on something of a snowball effect. I was initially obsessed with anything Thornbridge, but I quickly moved on to trying everything and spending a large amount of my disposable income on it.

Any visit to an unfamiliar pub is now accompanied a frantic scan of the bars' cask range in the hope that there is something I like or would like to try on offer. One of my favourite pubs and first place on the list for a good pint in Leeds is Mr. Foleys, however less than a year ago I didn’t even know it existed. I would probably have thought Brewdog, Summer Wine Brewery, Saltaire? Where is the proper beer like draft Becks Vier or Peroni!? Not that there is anything wrong with either of these, they are just no longer what I look for in a beer. I can still understand why some people would drink them or a similar mass produced option, if that’s what they like then fair enough but I would encourage any beer drinker to try something different, you never know you might like it, I did.

It's amazing how quickly my perspective has changed. I’m now trying to introduce friends to the great range of quality UK and US real ale, craft beer whatever you want to call it. I don’t want them to miss out like I did. My wife argues that this new found ‘hobby’ is a waste of money. I think her perspective comes from a view that beer is gone once you drink it unlike physical possessions and it’s hard for her to understand my sudden fascination. But is it a waste to spend money and get enjoyment out if something you truly love and are passionate about? I don’t think so. Beer is now a massive part of my life and one of the first things I talk about, think of and look forward to, spending too many hours reading the plethora of blogs on the web. My level of interest is such that I’m finding it easier writing this piece on my lunch than focusing on my job the rest of the day.I’m not quite at the stage where I can fully describe the aromas, flavours or underlying notes with any confidence, perhaps that will come with time, for now I’m just happy enjoying great beer and meeting new people that share the same passion. Through this new obsession I have been lucky to meet many likeminded people through Twitter who have been very welcoming to a relative beer geek newbie. I hope to meet many more of you and share a conversation over some great beer at Twissup in York on Saturday.

Durham White Magic IPA

I've always been a fan of Durham's beers, and White Magic IPA does nothing to dissuade me from that view. Magic (or White Magic, as the website and small print on the label says) weighs in at a respectable 7%abv and certainly drinks it; the golden - hued body is robust, well-rounded and sweet. However, this bulk is offset by a really well-balanced bitterness; clean, green and rising, and pleasantly assertive.

There's not much going on in the nose to suggest anything other than a decently hopped strong golden ale, but don't let that put you off if you're a self-confessed US-Style Hophead. This IPA may be hopped with unfashionable Goldings (no US C-Hops here!), but there's loads of them and balance in abundance. The beer was in excellent condition, with a lasting, thick head, and it's not only one of the best beers I've tried from Durham, it's one I'm going to go back out and buy more of.

Rotherham Real Ale & Music Festival 2011

I just thought I'd give a shout to some very worthy causes being promoted by Rotherham's Real Ale & Music Festival this year (2nd-5th March). The festival is in aid of The Rotherham Hospice, Weston Park Cancer Charity, Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice and Safe at Last . Not only is the festival being held in very good cause, Magna have donated their facilities for this year's fest.

So, good causes and a unique venue. What about the beer? Judging from the beer list, you've got an excellent display of Northern Brewing, with my personal pick being the range from Crown and the new Nerotype Brew 1 from SummerWine.

Adnam's Kolner

...I'm a bit late getting round to this one; Adnams released Kolner last Autumn as part of thier 'Handcrafted' range. I didn't manage to get any on cask, but did manage to get a couple to enjoy at home, and Kolner was the one I kept (The Stout was swapped in The Grove; I think Fletch might have ended up with it?). Adnams are a big favourite of mine - for me they manage to achieve a perfect balance for a big-selling core range and satisfying the more curious of us by often branching out into seasonals and one-off's - so I had high hopes.

I wasn't disappointed. Despite expecting something like a Koelsch, Kolner (4.8%) comes off a lot spicier, with a rangy, wild, fruity aspect running through it. There's plenty of Peach, Lemon and a touch of Honey on the nose, and this is complimented on the sip with a hint of Coriander. I guess a near-match would be a Witbier in terms of flavour; but all those delicate notes are wrapped up a robust Golden Ale. An interesting beer for sure; and one I certainly recommend.

BrewDog Single Hop IPA Launch

BrewDog will be launching their new Single-Hopped IPA range Wednesday (16th Feb) at North. The new range is esentially the same base beer with four single hopped versions available: Citra, Bramling Cross, Nelson Sauvin or Sorachi Ace. North will be presenting them with thier hops for comparison and I'm sure they will go do down a treat with hop-heads (with the beers weighing in a 75b IBU's each) and BrewDog fans alike.

Feta Burritos and Kelham Island Blonde

It's not often that I cook 100% vegetarian dishes - or indeed crave them -but a recent night out in Covent Garden which culminated in a fantastic (and incredibly reasonably-priced) meal at Wahaca ended with me declaring that my eating-buddy's meal was nicer than mine, Veggie or not. So a few weeks ago I caved and set about recreating something like it; and this is what I ended up with; Makes two large Burritos.

Pre-heat your oven to 175c. Firstly, you need to make your rice filling. Cook some rice according to packet instructions, drain, and set aside. In a large pan, soften one large white Onion in Olive oil and a knob of butter. Add some chopped Chestnut mushrooms, and one sliced Courgette. When the Courgette is soft, one clove of chopped Garlic. Add your rice and blend together. Season with freshly-ground black pepper as well as generous shakes of Smoked Paprika and finish off with mild Chili powder to your liking.

Spoon your filling onto the middle of a wheat Tortilla, and then add crumbled Feta Cheese on top of this. Roll, seal, and then roll inside another tortilla. Lay on a baking tray and repeat until your Burritos are made.

Cook in the oven for about ten minutes - you want the tops just crispy, and warmed through enough for the cheese to melt or soften.

Serve with a dollop of Sour Cream on top, and a fresh Mexican salad; Tomato, red onion and fresh coriander, doused in Lime Juice. If you wanted to 'meat this up', you could add chicken or Chorizo to the rice - even left over chili if you have it. To make things hotter, add chopped chillis (jalapenos would be nice and zippy) to the rice. I kept things simple, as for me, this dish is actually more about the melty, oozy cheese mixing with the rice.

I washed this down with a 'Island' from Kelham Island. This 4.0%abv Blonde doesn't look like much on the outside, but this deep Golden ale has a lovely, honey-sweet nose and body, but rounds things off nicely with a flinty, dry finish more reminiscent of a Pilsner than a Golden Ale. It's a lovely quaffing beer and chills down really well if you want something refreshing but with flavour to douse Mexican heat.

Do go to Wahaca; the food's lovely.

SIBA's Keg Beer Competition

....Sort of in line with recent conversations about Beer Dispense, SIBA are holding a Keg Beer Competition tomorrow onwards, at The Canal House in Nottingham, as Ed reported a while back. Castle Rock appear to be sponsoring it, and you can find the beer list over at Ed's site, and although small, it'd probably be worth going to just to see what's going on. Brewdog, Coniston, Freedom and Harviestoun amongst others all have offerings on show - if anyone goes will you let us know how it was? I can't remember seeing an all-keg festival before. It appears to be the first day of a wider beer festival.

*Update* - Here's what ATJ thought of proceedings.

Sharp's Monsieur Rock

Like many beer nerd, I have a 'Wants' list. It stretches as far as the eye can see most of the time, but since late last year, one beer has been firmly at the top; Sharp's Monsieur Rock (5.2abv). Luckily, those nice lads at Beer-Ritz recently nabbed a haul, and I managed to fight my way through the scrum and secure myself a couple.

MR was hyped by us Beer Bloggers upon release, and I'm now proud to say rightly so, in my opinion. It's quite unlike anything I've drunk before but in subtle ways; yes, it's lagered, but it's so much more than lager. There's a complex nose, which I'm sure I haven't really nailed yet, but I'm getting Peach, Pear drops and Orange pithyness all wafting upward. It's quite possibly the palest beer I've drunk (you were right, Ghostie) and - this is something I don't say often - perfectly lively; the bubbles are light and champagne-esque, lifting all that summery, light, complexity out of the glass, onto your tongue and up your nose.

There's a little malt-biscuit backbone to hold things up, and it drinks with a little more Lemon poking through than on the nose. It's 100% hopped with Saaz, and that grassiness is evident in the final part of the sip - the cleanest lagered ale I've drunk, without a doubt. There's almost zero aftertaste.

Aplogies - I know this has been a somewhat hyperbolic post from me, but I really can't get across how much I enjoyed this beer enough. Grab some whilst you can. Stuart Howe's blog can be found here, and he details how he made MR with Orval's Jean-Marie Rock. Do read. It's one of the best blogs out there.

I'll also take this opportunity to wish Stuart and all at Sharp's best of luck for the future, whatever that might hold.

Cask vs Keg vs Bottle vs Can

The Session: It's like a Royal Rumble of dispense.

This argument has been rumbling on for a while, and I doubt that I'm going to add anything meaningful to it apart from my own point of view. However, seeing as though one of my favourite blogs, Reluctant Scooper is hosting the session, I thought I'd wade in. Hey, that's what the blog's for, so here goes.

Firstly - Bottle vs Can. Along with the true identity of Jack the Ripper, or why people ever rated Rafa Benitez, one of the true mysteries of life is why brewers put beer in clear glass bottles. It simply makes for a badly-kept beer, and one that tastes, no matter what beer it is, like all other beers in clear glass. Skunky. Harsh. Oxidised. Yuck. In the grand scheme of things, putting beer into cans holds no great pain for me; I've tried a few average US Pale Ales in cans and enjoyed not only the novelty, but the taste of the beer too. Some purists argue that the can taints the beer; let's get glass right first, eh? Bring on Canning, I say. My view will stay that way until I drink a beer that's genuinely been ruined by canning - the process, that is.

As for Keg...well, I have to agree with what Zak says in so much as that I'd like to think it's horses for courses; some beers suit being Keg-Dispensed, some not so. The turning point for me was when I took a trip to Edinburgh in 2009 and enjoyed a pint of BrewDog 77 Lager on cask at The Abbotsford. Lovely it was; but at the time - for the first time, I might add - that flash of 'might be better served in Keg' came across my mind. Since then, there have been many beers that I've enjoyed on Keg, and those that I wish I had enjoyed on Keg - such as SummerWine's Project 6 IPA series. I know Andy and James are pro-Keg, but I really believe this. Powerful, aromatic beers that do well slightly colder are great on Keg, as are excellent lagers such as all-time-fave Moravka and, more recently, Thornbridge Italia. Foley's Brewdog tap and North's constant Keg presence means we are sorted in Leeds, and The Grove (Huddersfield) unashamedly flaunts Keg as a dispense system for their US range; and that's not even mentioning BrewDog Aberdeen's all-Keg lineup. It's popular, and that's just here. When I open the West Coast Good Beer Guide, and am flicking the pages, gazing upon row upon row of Keg taps, I'm slightly romanced by it. It's not a fad, and there's no need to be scared of it. It's just another option.

Old Peculier from the wood? Stouts, lush, velvety Porters, fruity Ales and Brown Ales? Give me cask. Summer Ales, Weiss, Wits and Pales at a Summer Barbecue? Chill those bottles. The best dispense system for any beer is surely the one that suits it the most.

...By the way, if you've got the Good Beer US West Coast, flick to Page 97 and check out the Maiden Publick House. That's what I dream of: a bar in woods, with neon signs in the window and a shitload of great beer. If I win the lottery, that's what I'm buying. You're all invited.

Thwaites' OBJ

I've been meaning to get my hands on some of Thwaites's new Signature Range since seeing them advertised at last month's Winter Ale Festival. OBJ (6.5%abv) landed at Veritas this week, so I loped off for a pint.

OBJ (Oh Be Joyful) is a copper-hued Winter ale - the fairly sizeable abv comes through in the thick mouthfeel, but it remains a smooth pint. Tan of head, there's not a great deal going on in the nose except for Toffee and Caramel, and this continues through into the sip. Underneath all that toffee-apple sweetness there's a touch of Dundee cake spiciness, and a subdued bitter finish. It's a difficult beer to place at times, because it's strong enough to not really be sessionable, yet smooth and balanced enough to fit that bill. There's hints of a Barley Wine in there, but again drunk in a pint that seems at odds with OBJ's image. Maybe bottled - so it can be sipped over an evening - OBJ might find a little niche.

OBJ's altogether an intruiging and enjoyable beer. I'm a fan of seasonals, one-off's and specials, and I commend Thwaites on stretching thier muscles and giving us something new to look forward to in 2011. You can see the whole range here. If you want more Thwaites action, you can read Fletch's recent encounter with perennial favourite Nutty Black here.

The Kernel: The Darks

...So let's wrap up my long weekend of unabashed Kernel-worship with a jaunt through their darker beers. First up, London Porter, weighing in at a moderate 5.5%abv. It's a super-amiable, easy drinking porter, which is surprisingly complex. There's digestive biscuit on the nose, finished off with a hint of woodsmoke - and the full mouthfeel turns out sweeter than you'd expect, with loads more biscuit and a drying seam of coffee towards the end. It's wonderful stuff, and I fear I drained my glass rather quicker than I really wanted to. This beer would be awesome with some smokey ribs or sausages.

Getting a little stronger at 7.8% abv, Export Stout (London 1890) is an absolute riot of Stouty goodness. Through the thick, tan-hued head peeps a nicely Phenolic nose, layered with even more smokiness than the porter. The tongue-coating mouthfeel only adds to the richness of the beer, which explodes with a vine-fruit profile rather than being the dryer taste you might have been expecting. The finish is all about bitter, black chocolate - drying at the end, only slightly creamy at the start.

I'm not the biggest fan of Black IPA's - simply because I've yet to find one that blows me away - but Kernel's (6.8%abv) comes damn close. Easily the best example of the style I've tasted, beneath the jet-black exterior lies tropical fruitiness; Lychee and a slightly peppery note on the nose, and a drying sip that leaves you wanting more. Balanced subtly, it's a big, fruity beer that comes wrapped in a smooth, smoky disguise. This beauty was joint-brewed by Evin and our favourite degenerate Bar Manager, Rakebar Glyn.

Finally, Imperial Stout (12.5%abv). Wow. This is a massive beer all right, as you'd expect. Rather than being Export Stout on steriods, there's a much more Dundee-cake, Raisin/Sultana note to this rich brew, with bitter chocolate and a hint of Vanilla coming in at the end. It's sweet, but ultimately smooth with it, and the hallmark of Kernel's beers is here in abundance; flavoursome, complex beers that remain drinkable. I mean really drinkable; I'm pleased to report that this beer saw in the New Year with a few others, and rather than tip me over the edge, it warmed the belly and gave me no headache the day after. If that's not a sign of quality then I don't know what is.

Tell you what, it's been an absolute plasure drinking these Kernels. Best of luck to Evin, and long may The Kernel prosper.

The Kernel: The Pales

...So let's get onto the beer itself. First up, is the simple Nelson Sauvin (4.7% abv) - does what it says on the tin. Amber in colour, it's a refreshing, zesty thirst-quencher with sherbert lemons and gooseberry on the nose, a sweet, honeyed body and then a high, long, grapefruit-led bitterness at the end of the sip. The sweetness in the body levels all the pithy bitterness out, and manages to be both a no-frills example of a single-hopped pale and a wonderfully balanced beer all at once.

A little more complex is the Centennial-Chinook (5.5%abv). It's darker in colour - my notes say 'Marmalade shade' in this respect - with slightly more biscuit flavours in the body, but still manages to achieve the green, clean bitterness that one wants from a hoppy beer. The nose is ever-so-slightly more herbal, and it's more bitter, even more pithy than the Nelson Sauvin. Although billed as a pale, there's more than enough here to satisfy hop-heads.

S.C.A.Ns (7.7%abv) is a wonderful concept; simply lump Simcoe, Cascade, Amarillo and Nelson Sauvin togethet and watch magic happen. The vibrancy I alluded to in the introduction really applied here; slightly less sweet than the previous pales, the aroma is the ace in the pack here. Lychee, Grapefruit, Orange Peel, Lime, Pineapple all jockey for position with an underlying, slightly catty undertone that reminds you it's a hoppy beer, not a tropical fruit salad. With all those high Alpha-acid hops in there you'd think it would be unbalanced, but no - the bitterness is only rising, and refreshing rather than rasping. It drinks nowhere near it's abv, which seems to be another hallmark of Evin O'Riordan's beers. Another version of this is available now with added Columbus hops.

The beer that rounds everything off was the Citra IPA (6.2%abv). Smooth. Really smooth; sweet, but not cloying, you can guess what a hop called 'Citra' is going to be like before smelling it; lemon/limey, with emphasis on the lemon, but slightly cleaner and purer almost than other other high AA hops. That cattiness is there again, with a hint of Lychee too. The bitterness is light and manageable, and you get another highly drinkable, incredibly tasty beer.

Citra IPA was probably the beer that caused the most stir at the back end of 2010. It appeared in many 'best of' lists and undoubtedly made Citra the hop du jour, a breath of fresh air for hop-heads all over.

To give this beer its due, it's worth bearing in mind that this runs against the style of the year being 'Black IPA's' - or whatever you want to call them. In the face of a worldwide trend, The Kernel's Citra IPA - a simple, single hopped, well made, well balanced India Pale Ale - reclaimed the IPA as the domain of the pale.

Next up: The Darks.

The Kernel-A-Thon Starts Here

Trends can often spread like wildfire amongst Beer Bloggers; the way we communicate with each other constantly and our eagerness to share new finds with each other means simply that if your beer is good, it will be known across the land in a very short space of time.

Brewery of the moment is undoubtedly The Kernel. Although 'Trend' might be the wrong word to use, please don't think I'm attaching negative connotations to the term; The Kernel have produced the most exciting beer over the past year - simple as that.

What makes their beer so damn good? If I had to coin one word, it would be freshness. Or maybe vitality. Their beers are so uniformly vibrant in flavour (something Evin touches upon further down), and the flavours so clean, well balanced, that I seriously can't think of a brewer with a stronger portfolio right now. Even the branding works; simple to the point of unassuming, modern and yet all-purpose. When lining them up to take pictures for this feature, the design - geek in me was very pleased indeed.

Over the next few days I'll be letting you know what I thought of their beers, but I did manage to pin Evin down for a little intro.

Despite being quite possibly one of the nicest blokes I've ever spoken to, he spent years selling cheese and trying to write a phD on Samuel Beckett. However, homebrewing soon took over (as it does), and The Kernel was born. When I asked him what inspires him to brew, he said: 'Flavour. Does that mean anything? The fact that there is this world of flavour to explore, and share. To get people to taste things, and to learn to trust their own tastebuds. To experience flavour'.

He's spot on of course; brewers - like chefs, cooks, piemakers, butchers, chocolatiers - are sensualists at heart. It's nice to hear that sort of statement coming from a brewer; surprisingly it doesn't happen that often. He doesn't believe in an all-time-greatest beer either, simply stating: 'The world is too full of wonder and beauty to limit yourself to favourites.'

The Kernel are busy; according to their site there's a collaboration with Redemption which which will be bottled for Kernel and Casked for Redemption. In fact, looking down their news section reads for a collaboration overload; Square Mile Coffee, ZeroDegrees, Glyn from The Rake, Saints & Sinners, Phil Lowry, and Dark Star have all had the pleasure of a day's brewing with Evin.

Anyway - this is just an intro. If you've not tried any of their beers (and there can't be that many of us now, surely) then consider it a beginner's guide. For more behind -the-scenes action, you can check out fellow Leodensian Ghost Drinker's excellent post here.

Ilkley Beer Festival 2011 Beer List

....Here's the Beer list for the 2011 Ilkley Beer Festival. There's certainly plenty of interest jammed throughout the Northern-centric list; such as Leeds new boys Ridgeside and Burley St Brewing, who are based at the Fox & Newt. Perennial TGS favourites Purple Moose and Marble have a couple of beers loitering around, and the (as featured on TV) Waen Brewery make a rare appearance this year. Other breweries to look out for - in my humble opinion, of course - are Allendale, RCH, and Yorkshire Dales. Jump over to the main site for location and times of sessions. Have fun!

Guest Blogging @ The Culture Vulture

....I've done a bit of moonlighting on the excellent Northern culture site, The Culture Vulture. Those of you who might want to read my love-letter to the art of conversation in pubs can do so here. I'm saying nothing new, but if I can get a few more people in Leeds into pubs and out of their living rooms then it's job done.

Thanks!

The Euston Tap and National Winter Ales Festival

Christ, it's been a busy two weeks. Anyone else suffer from all-the-work-comes-at-once syndrome? After a relatively quiet Christmas, the New Year's been nuts, but the upside of this has been the opportunity to break up a couple of days in London on business with a visit to The Euston Tap.

It's been the #1 venue on my list since reading Adrian's great review back in November. So, what other venue to meet an old friend and catch up over a beer or three. Despite the initial confusion over where the taps are (they're behind the bar, sticking out of the wall, US-style), we then spent the next five minutes deciding what to have. This sounds like a chore-but in reality it's refreshing; it's been a while since I've been stumped by choice. Opting for a Thornbridge Wild Swan and a refreshing, grapefruity Camden Pale (followed by some Bernard in excellent nick), we caught up, whilst every once in a while commenting on the friendliness of the staff, individuality of the space (did it used to be a public toilet, anyone?), the prices (excellent for London) and the sheer range, both on tap and in the monolithically-sized fridges that flank the bar. It's going to be really hard to be in London and not visit, now my cherry has been popped. Visit it. I was so lost in the beer, conversation and the moment, I didn't even take any pictures. That doesn't happen often. Also, if you visit the website and watch the slideshow, you'll see a certain Mr Avery propping up the bar - and if it's good enough for Zak, it's good enough for you. Visit their website for further info.

Back to the North, and I pleaded and fought to take a day off on Thursday to attend the National Winter Ales Festival in Manchester. It's always a pleasure; well run, well organised, a great -and truly seasonal - beer list, and a nice, airy venue. Inital thirst adequately sated by an Okell's Alt - all toffee, caramel, and bready, malt led sweetness - I began on my beer list for the day. Stand out beers? SummerWine's Diablo IPA had all the trademark, golden sweetness for an SWB beer, and, to my mind, delivered a much more aggressive, spicy hoppiness than thier P6 Range. Wonderful stuff, and I'm glad I saved it until last, such is the hop attack. Hardknott's Infra-Red proved too much of a temptation from the bottled bar; and it refreshed the palate following a day of darker beers. One beer I'd had my eye on last time but missed was Robinson's Chocolate Tom. Surprisingly, I got practically no chocolate apart from a mild, milky chocolate hint at the end of the sip. It was, however, a good beer - plummy, red-fruit dominating the palate, with a hint of spice and the aforementioned chocolate-creaminess wrapping the whole package up. Sweet, but not cloyingly so, it was Christmas cake in a glass. Goacher's Fine Light perked things back up with mellow, unmistakable EKG hop notes before I made my big discovery of the day.

This was Hopstar's Smokey Joe Black Beer. I have never - and I really mean this - come across such a well-balanced chocolate beer. Layer upon layer of Dark and Milk Chocolate, a slight hazelnut/almond nuttiness providing a little sharpness, and light as a feather. An absolute diamond of a beer, and at 4.0 abv and not too cloying, I actually went back and had another half. It's not often that happens at a beer festival, either. It won Silver in the Stout category - and rightly so.

My usual drinking buddy, Chris, had never visited The Marble Arch, so obviously the route home was circumvented by a visit. Over post-festival halves of Utility Special, we opted to try the small cheeseboard and a share a bottle of Stouter Port Stout - what a beer! Damsons, Plum, Raisin, Sultana all peeking out from rich smokiness and a surprisingly light finish for a stout. Again, the environment, beer, excellent cheeseboard (and it really was - we opted for 'chef's choice' but really wish I'd have made a note of what we ate) and conversation prevented me from taking too many pictures, but good pubs have a way of doing that.

National Winter Ales Festival, Burns Night and Alfred

...This week's main event is the National Winter Ales Festival at the Sheridan Suite in Manchester. You can read all the details and beer list here, but if it's as good as it was last year then you're in for a treat. The fest has a trade session on Wednesday evening and then opens to the public from Thursday through to Saturday. The guys at CAMRA do a great job organising this and other events, and there's no better place to find a new, untried brewery or five. I'll be going along on Thursday and no doubt will be reporting my findings later in the week.

Closer to home, the ever-expanding North continue thier quest for world domination (or at least North Leeds) with the opening of Alfred in Meanwood on the 28th. There's not a great deal of info on thier site about what the finished Alfred will look like, so you've no choice but to go visit. I'm sure with North at the helm we'll get decent music, a smart bar and plenty of beer choice. Again, one to visit once open, and another welcome addition to Leeds's drinking scene. You can follow them on Twitter here.

Keeping with North, The Cross Keys are hosting a Burns Night event on the 25th. Beer, Food Whiskey and verse are all on offer, so visit the website for tickets. It could already be sold out, but have a try anyway.

Beer-Braised Sausages

This is a recipe from Nigel Slater, master of slow-cooked richness. It was in the Sunday papers over Christmas and when it occurred to me that I had never beer-braised sausages, it was time to try - and one to share with those of you that may have missed it. It’s one of those dishes that just takes a little preparation, but once it’s in the oven it sits there happily whilst you finish off the beer. As usual, the results depend on the quality of the sausages that you buy so choose wisely (and locally, if possible)! And of course, who can resist dumplings on top to mop up all that beery gravy?

1. Heat your oven to 175c
2. In a pan, brown the sausages on all sides and then set aside.
3. In the meantime, chop a handful of Mushrooms and two Red Onions. Sweat these down in a little olive oil and a generous knob of butter, either in a pan or the casserole dish if it goes on the hob. If the mushrooms soak up the butter, add some more.
4. Sprinkle a little flour on the mushrooms and red onions, coat, and then add a tin of peeled plum tomatoes – not chopped. Stir and simmer, then add half a pint of beer. Stir and season with plenty of black pepper, a little sage and a little salt.
5. Pour this into your casserole pot, stick the sausages in, pop the lid on and place in the oven.
6. Make your dumplings according to packet instructions and then plop on top of the casserole for the final 30 minutes. For the last five, take the lid off and let them brown on top. I actually cheat and switch to ‘Grill’ mode at this point!

Ok – cooking times. Well, it’s up to you. The casserole will be ok as long as there is gravy in the pot, I would say one hour minimum; but you could probably double that – your sauce will get richer. Just try it out and see how long suits you.Beer-wise you need to be going for darker beers; I personally used London Porter brewed for M&S by Meantime (5.5%abv) on this occasion, but I’ve since had good results with Cain’s Dragon Heart. I think that the darker malts add sweetness and a decent alcoholic edge to proceedings; there's no point using beer unless you want to retain the nuances of it in the finished dish.

Roosters Oxymoronic Black IPA

...So we're finishing off this little Roosters week with Oxymoronic Black IPA, weighing in at 6.5% abv. With this brew, Rooster’s have chosen to go 100% with Simcoe hops, both in the kettle and in the dry-hopping. Looking black in the glass but turning deep red when held to the light, there’s a woody note in the nose alongside a bitter-orange pithiness. That might sound odd, but it’s actually quite pleasant after the aroma-riots of the last two beers.

It’s still smooth, but the slight roasted-malt note running through the body does distract me a little, personally. There’s a drying, coffee-led note just lingering on the back there, which is not what I expect from an IPA. I did warm to it as the bottle emptied, but the initial reaction to this was a little ‘well....that’s interesting’. And I think that’s my overall feeling about Oxymoronic. Interesting. Not a bad beer – far from it – just not what I expected, and I'm not completely sold on it.

Overall, I’ve been really impressed with this new threesome from Rooster’s. If these were bottled more often I’m sure they would sell, and I’d love to see the APA in particular available widely - a fantastic beer and my pick of the bunch. I also commend the (moderately) low abv’s on these beers. They are meant for sharing, savouring and enjoying. I did all that.