|
Post by rogerjonesisgod on May 3, 2017 20:05:00 GMT
That looks like an absolute belter
|
|
|
Post by albertcamel on May 3, 2017 20:24:28 GMT
That looks like an absolute belter It was. Highly recommend to anyone with a taste for dark strong beer. Got a St Bernardus Abt 12 Trappist Beer waiting to be sampled. Another Belgium Quad. Will have to wait for another night unfortunately. www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/259/1708/
|
|
|
Post by okeydokeystokie2 on May 4, 2017 8:22:34 GMT
I find some of the heavier Belgian beers are an acquired taste that I've never managed to acquire. Maybe I'm more of a quaffer than a sipper, and they're just too strong.
I'm OK with some of the more commercial continental style lager beers - I drank the Vedett on draft in the Belgian bar in Eccleshall - but stuff like Leffe I find a bit chewy.
Must try harder - I'll open my mind as well as my gob and give the Belgian brews another go.
|
|
|
Post by rogerjonesisgod on May 4, 2017 8:43:27 GMT
I find some of the heavier Belgian beers are an acquired taste that I've never managed to acquire. Maybe I'm more of a quaffer than a sipper, and they're just too strong. I'm OK with some of the more commercial continental style lager beers - I drank the Vedett on draft in the Belgian bar in Eccleshall - but stuff like Leffe I find a bit chewy. Must try harder - I'll open my mind as well as my gob and give the Belgian brews another go. I absolutely loved Leffe Brune when I was in the South of France.
|
|
|
Post by okeydokeystokie2 on May 4, 2017 9:45:05 GMT
Just had a quick Google Rog and it sounds like another brooding dark heavyweight.
Morrisons online appear to be selling big 750ml bottles for £2.80 if you're interested. They refer to them as "sharing" bottles...
Reminded me of The Likely Lads. Bob finds Terry fishing on the docks, and Terry comes out with the classic line "I'd offer you a beer but I've only got 7 left..."
|
|
|
Post by rogerjonesisgod on May 4, 2017 10:03:11 GMT
Just had a quick Google Rog and it sounds like another brooding dark heavyweight. Morrisons online appear to be selling big 750ml bottles for £2.80 if you're interested. They refer to them as "sharing" bottles... Reminded me of The Likely Lads. Bob finds Terry fishing on the docks, and Terry comes out with the classic line "I'd offer you a beer but I've only got 7 left..." I think calling them "sharing" bottles makes it OK for alcoholics like me to buy them reasonably guilt free I'm going to share with myself. I've had to resist indulging with the Leffe Brune in the UK as I fear there'll be no coming back. I was lucky to have a couple of genuine cafe brasserie's near me in France where coffee and pastis in the morning, moules frites and rose wine for lunch and duck confit and burgundy was a normal day for the locals! They also had some hand pulls one being Leffe Brune. Heaven.
|
|
|
Post by okeydokeystokie2 on May 4, 2017 10:10:35 GMT
I've heard they like their Rose down in Provence, often at Breakfast with a croissant. Seems very civilised to me - virtually fruit juice and probably one of your 5 a day!
|
|
|
Post by albertcamel on May 9, 2017 19:23:51 GMT
I find some of the heavier Belgian beers are an acquired taste that I've never managed to acquire. Maybe I'm more of a quaffer than a sipper, and they're just too strong. I'm OK with some of the more commercial continental style lager beers - I drank the Vedett on draft in the Belgian bar in Eccleshall - but stuff like Leffe I find a bit chewy. Must try harder - I'll open my mind as well as my gob and give the Belgian brews another go. I always go for a traditional English real ale when out drinking in the pub but do enjoy an occasional bottle of Belgium beer at home. I order a selection of beers direct from a Belgium on-line wholesaler. The variety of Belgium beers is huge and a number of breweries have started to offer a hoppy IPA style. The attached website offers a good introduction to anyone interested in Belgium beers www.belgiansmaak.com/belgian-beers/
|
|
|
Post by albertcamel on May 9, 2017 19:41:40 GMT
Popped into the London Road Ale House after the West Ham game. Really good selection of cask beers. Surprised more Stokies weren't in.
The Bakers Arms is a new real ale pub in just opened in Cheadle. Looks promising with a changing selection of brews including beers from Salopian Brewery and Wincle Beer Company.
Good selection of premium gins.
|
|
|
Post by Frogger Theft Auto on May 10, 2017 12:10:24 GMT
I was talking to a home brewer who reckons the US is where it's going off. They don't follow many 'rules' and are happy to brew experimentally on a commercial scale just in case they happen across a belter which produces many unique ales along the way. The whole craft beer revolution started over there because the only beer that they had was big brewery factory piss-water like Bud Light and Miller. American blokes will have been on holiday to Europe and had a Belgian quad, an English cask ale, a German wheat beer and a Czech lager (realising how lager should taste or what beer could be) and decided that they wanted to try some back home so started brewing it. Loads of American blokes were trying to brew European beer, sharing it with their pals and eventually opening little brewpubs and proper breweries, all the while experimenting in ways that brewers in Europe didn't - so trying things like Belgian quad yeast in an English IPA recipe but using American hops (which turned out to taste like citrus, instead of the conventional bittering hops from Europe). Then it went full circle, when British people wanted to try the weird beer that they'd had on holiday in America... so started brewing that themselves. I love the whole beer scene.
|
|
|
Post by Skankmonkey on May 10, 2017 12:57:33 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Frogger Theft Auto on May 10, 2017 13:16:42 GMT
If anybody is interested there's a good app to keep track of what beer you've drank or what beer is on at pubs called 'untappd'. untappd.comI drink loads of different ales so I like to check in what I'm drinking and give them a little rating to avoid revisiting shit beer or remembering what I've enjoyed. Loads of people use it over Stoke so there's a good little library of what beer is on where, and you'll end up discovering great pubs that you haven't been to before when somebody checks in to something that you like nearby. A handful of pubs in the area use it too (like the Hop Inn), so you know what beers they've got on before you go and what's lined up next.
|
|
|
Post by Skankmonkey on May 10, 2017 13:29:04 GMT
If anybody is interested there's a good app to keep track of what beer you've drank or what beer is on at pubs called 'untappd'. untappd.comI drink loads of different ales so I like to check in what I'm drinking and give them a little rating to avoid revisiting shit beer or remembering what I've enjoyed. Loads of people use it over Stoke so there's a good little library of what beer is on where, and you'll end up discovering great pubs that you haven't been to before when somebody checks in to something that you like nearby. A handful of pubs in the area use it too (like the Hop Inn), so you know what beers they've got on before you go and what's lined up next. I'll have to have a look at that. I had a couple of terrible beers down 'castle earlier in the year. I'd forgotten what they were when my brother asked me recently.
|
|
|
Post by cheeesfreeex on May 10, 2017 15:54:08 GMT
If anybody is interested there's a good app to keep track of what beer you've drank or what beer is on at pubs called 'untappd'. untappd.comI drink loads of different ales so I like to check in what I'm drinking and give them a little rating to avoid revisiting shit beer or remembering what I've enjoyed. Loads of people use it over Stoke so there's a good little library of what beer is on where, and you'll end up discovering great pubs that you haven't been to before when somebody checks in to something that you like nearby. A handful of pubs in the area use it too (like the Hop Inn), so you know what beers they've got on before you go and what's lined up next. What a great idea for an app. Cheeers.
|
|
|
Post by cheeesfreeex on May 20, 2017 18:02:26 GMT
Easy for a gentleman to succumb to being a bankrupt gin soaked boy these days. Rhubarb and Ginger Edinburgh is rather marvellous but heavy on th'wallet. I'm better off with a few bockles of McEwans' Champion.
Not a fan of the last couple of American brews I've sampled, Shedhead's like a bad can of Ansell's {from memory}, Shipyards like a pint of grapefruit juice. Breakfast beer.
Chin chin.
|
|
|
Post by cheeesfreeex on May 21, 2017 16:58:26 GMT
Had a pint of Slumbering Monk in the company of the Pope last neet. There is a joke in that somewhere I havn't figured out yet. He's not a fan of the Frangelico.
|
|
|
Post by rogerjonesisgod on May 21, 2017 17:16:53 GMT
Had a pint of Slumbering Monk in the company of the Pope last neet. There is a joke in that somewhere I havn't figured out yet. He's not a fan of the Frangelico. Tom in Burslem or The Doctor
|
|
|
Post by albertcamel on May 21, 2017 21:50:17 GMT
Just tried Jaipur IPA from Thornbridge Brewery near Bakewell. Very hoppy American style IPA with a bitter taste. Similar to the hipster favorite Brewdog Punk IPA.
Thornbridge look an interesting Brewery. Multi national and international awards.
Buxton Brewery also making a big name for itself particularly the stouts.
|
|
|
Post by okeydokeystokie2 on May 22, 2017 10:18:24 GMT
On my travels again over the weekend. Took in the Hand and Trumpet (another Brunning & Price house). Consistently good Salopian Oracle in there. Might be a bit of a girls drink for some of you - grapefruit and hops a plenty, but very pleasant on their deck in the sunshine. Also tried the more malty Station Master (? I think) - excellent with their Black Pudding.
Sunday lunchtime had a decent Joules's Blond in the foody Wayfarer, then called into the refurbished Fitzherbert Arms in Swynnerton. Now run by The Cheshire Cat Pub Co (Bulls Head and the Church in Mobberley among others). Excellent pint of Titanic's Swynnerton Stout. Black as the ace of spades and refreshingly bittersweet. Bit remote but worth a visit if you're in that neck of the woods.
Finally, picked up a bottle of Fuller's Pride in Waitrose Leek for £1.43. Decent grog at a tasty price.
|
|
|
Post by Frogger Theft Auto on May 23, 2017 22:15:38 GMT
Just tried Jaipur IPA from Thornbridge Brewery near Bakewell. Very hoppy American style IPA with a bitter taste. Similar to the hipster favorite Brewdog Punk IPA. Thornbridge look an interesting Brewery. Multi national and international awards. Buxton Brewery also making a big name for itself particularly the stouts. The long-standing top rated British beer (on various beer ranking sites) is a Buxton imperial stout. It's called Yellow Belly Sundae. A 12% beast of a stout that's aged in bourbon barrels and tastes like boozy peanut butter and chocolate. A bucket-list beer for beer nerds all over the world and it just happens to be on draught at the moment at the Buxton Tap House in Buxton. It's not around for long or very often.
|
|
|
Post by cheeesfreeex on May 23, 2017 23:50:11 GMT
Just tried Jaipur IPA from Thornbridge Brewery near Bakewell. Very hoppy American style IPA with a bitter taste. Similar to the hipster favorite Brewdog Punk IPA. Thornbridge look an interesting Brewery. Multi national and international awards. Buxton Brewery also making a big name for itself particularly the stouts. The long-standing top rated British beer (on various beer ranking sites) is a Buxton imperial stout. It's called Yellow Belly Sundae. A 12% beast of a stout that's aged in bourbon barrels and tastes like boozy peanut butter and chocolate. A bucket-list beer for beer nerds all over the world and it just happens to be on draught at the moment at the Buxton Tap House in Buxton. It's not around for long or very often. I'm feeling incredibly drawn towards it. Might walk. Taxi back or hopefully just crash.
|
|
|
Post by Skankmonkey on Jun 1, 2017 15:18:38 GMT
Circumstances conspired against us making much of the real/craft ale options in Madrid and Barcelona.
However, we did find these tasty treats in the Lidl just north of Aranjuez.
The Preta on the left is a tidy enough black chocolatey beer somewhere at the stout end of the dark mild/stout continuum - and very drinkable with it! The Tostada is a more complex beast, somewhere between a brown and a bitter but with more body than a mild - probably the more interesting of the two.
Both excellent choices if you see them in Spain, and far FAR better at room temperature than Estrella and the like if you have no access to refrigeration.
|
|
|
Post by rogerjonesisgod on Jun 2, 2017 13:40:48 GMT
So, who fancies a Titanic pub crawl? Just noticed via an email. Sat 1st July, leaving from Bulls Head, Boslem and taking in 8 Titanic pubs. The only info I was told from the pub is meet at Bulls head and start in the brewery taster room, then "head off in a clockwise circle" I think they've got pubs in Stone, Stafford, Castle, Stoke, Boslem Leek and Buxton so I've no idea how it works but the bloke said they starting and finishing at the Bulls Yed. About £20 a head for the mini bus/bus then what ever you want to imbibe is up to you.
|
|
|
Post by cheeesfreeex on Jun 3, 2017 19:56:49 GMT
So, who fancies a Titanic pub crawl? Just noticed via an email. Sat 1st July, leaving from Bulls Head, Boslem and taking in 8 Titanic pubs. The only info I was told from the pub is meet at Bulls head and start in the brewery taster room, then "head off in a clockwise circle" I think they've got pubs in Stone, Stafford, Castle, Stoke, Boslem Leek and Buxton so I've no idea how it works but the bloke said they starting and finishing at the Bulls Yed. About £20 a head for the mini bus/bus then what ever you want to imbibe is up to you. Great idea and I'm certainly up for an extra curricula Oatcake pint. I'm ruling myself out of a gallon of Titanic Ales and a 50 mile round trip on a bus though boss. Cheeers. I'd have to stick to Fruit Porters and Captain Smith's Stout {and/or spirits} It'd get messy. Photos or it didn't happen. Not that I'll be joining in, but what time are you setting off? Mainly concentrating on McEwans {feeling} 'Champion' and cheap Merlot with meat balls.
|
|
|
Post by cheeesfreeex on Jun 13, 2017 20:28:58 GMT
Guinness West Indies Porter {bottle} 6% is an interesting quoff. Pours well and holds the head well in the glass. Almost salty cocoa powder on the palate. Packs the prescribed punch.
|
|
|
Post by okeydokeystokie2 on Jun 14, 2017 9:17:47 GMT
I had a large bottle of Guinness's Hop House 13 lager the other day.
Not bad. A yeasty, malty darker lager, more like a Czech brew. Wouldn't rush back, but worth a sip for academic research purposes if you haven't tried it.
Not sure a bottled Guinness brew counts as Real Ale... but 2 x 660ml bottles for £4 in the Co-Op.
|
|
|
Post by rogerjonesisgod on Jun 14, 2017 9:51:08 GMT
I had a large bottle of Guinness's Hop House 13 lager the other day. Not bad. A yeasty, malty darker lager, more like a Czech brew. Wouldn't rush back, but worth a sip for academic research purposes if you haven't tried it. Not sure a bottled Guinness brew counts as Real Ale... but 2 x 660ml bottles for £4 in the Co-Op. Interesting you mention bottles being or not being real ale. Nev at RAN Ales had just taken delivery of a bottling machine last time I passed by. A little basic but half a dozen bottles per pull as fast as you can fill 'em and with 6 feeds was pretty quick. There's so many bottle shops and micro pubs opening up that flirting out a few bottles as testers is a lot easier than taking up a guest pump until it's found some customers. The surprising thing for me is the rise of ..... wait for it......... real ale in cans Cheaper to produce than a glass bottle, lighter to transport, takes up less space, and supposedly the ring-pull is a more reliable seal than the odd dodgy metal cap. Some say it's the future I haven't opened one yet.
|
|
|
Post by okeydokeystokie2 on Jun 14, 2017 11:40:48 GMT
I had a large bottle of Guinness's Hop House 13 lager the other day. Not bad. A yeasty, malty darker lager, more like a Czech brew. Wouldn't rush back, but worth a sip for academic research purposes if you haven't tried it. Not sure a bottled Guinness brew counts as Real Ale... but 2 x 660ml bottles for £4 in the Co-Op. Interesting you mention bottles being or not being real ale. Nev at RAN Ales had just taken delivery of a bottling machine last time I passed by. A little basic but half a dozen bottles per pull as fast as you can fill 'em and with 6 feeds was pretty quick. There's so many bottle shops and micro pubs opening up that flirting out a few bottles as testers is a lot easier than taking up a guest pump until it's found some customers. The surprising thing for me is the rise of ..... wait for it......... real ale in cans Cheaper to produce than a glass bottle, lighter to transport, takes up less space, and supposedly the ring-pull is a more reliable seal than the odd dodgy metal cap. Some say it's the future I haven't opened one yet. For me, it's not necessarily the bottle Rog. I've had some great bottled beer and the bottle fermentation thing puts another slant on it.
I was more concerned about the fact that Hop House 13 is a lager from a mass market brewing conglomerate. Neither real ale nor craft ale somehow. In fact, not an ale at all. I've also recently drank Freedom lager on draft, brewed by a craft brewery that re-located to Staffordshire. That tasted more like a traditionally light, English style "lager" to me.
The lines are blurring, and get away from the huge mass produced brands and licences, and there is some interesting lagers out there. Isn't the word "lager" technically used to describe the way those beers are brewed?
|
|
|
Post by rogerjonesisgod on Jun 14, 2017 11:48:39 GMT
Interesting you mention bottles being or not being real ale. Nev at RAN Ales had just taken delivery of a bottling machine last time I passed by. A little basic but half a dozen bottles per pull as fast as you can fill 'em and with 6 feeds was pretty quick. There's so many bottle shops and micro pubs opening up that flirting out a few bottles as testers is a lot easier than taking up a guest pump until it's found some customers. The surprising thing for me is the rise of ..... wait for it......... real ale in cans Cheaper to produce than a glass bottle, lighter to transport, takes up less space, and supposedly the ring-pull is a more reliable seal than the odd dodgy metal cap. Some say it's the future I haven't opened one yet. For me, it's not necessarily the bottle Rog. I've had some great bottled beer and the bottle fermentation thing puts another slant on it.
I was more concerned about the fact that Hop House 13 is a lager from a mass market brewing conglomerate. Neither real ale nor craft ale somehow. In fact, not an ale at all. I've also recently drank Freedom lager on draft, brewed by a craft brewery that re-located to Staffordshire. That tasted more like a traditionally light, English style "lager" to me.
The lines are blurring, and get away from the huge mass produced brands and licences, and there is some interesting lagers out there. Isn't the word "lager" technically used to describe the way those beers are brewed?
Yes. Certain yeast and temperature are differences I believe. Joules does a triple brewed lager or some such. 13 Monkeys it's called. Not tried one but I'm going to have to now!
|
|
|
Post by cheeesfreeex on Jun 24, 2017 14:27:51 GMT
Mission accomplished, put a homebrew on this morning. An all-malt Woodforde's Werry bitter kit with some local enhancements. The last of the Elderflowers from the garden Endon well water And some Stockton Brook honey.
Forty pints of Wellwisher ale. Three week turnaround fingers crossed. Chin chin.
|
|