Dark December Part 2

It has been another week of dark delights for me with a good selection of bottled stouts and porters mixed in with a couple of excellent dark beers down the pub.  The week began with a CAMRA meeting at my local, The Maypole, where there was only a single dark beer available.  Darkside (5.0% ABV) from Bartrams Brewery is one I have never come across and the ratings on Untappd were suprisingly low but I loved it.  Brewed near Bury St Edmunds it is considerably better than anything else that comes from what is predominantly GK territory.  This is actually a dark wheat beer which surprised me too as it was beautifully smooth with lots of chocolate and raisin flavours throughout.  All of the meeting attendees without exception enjoyed this beer too so it was unanimously a hit.

Thursday was my birthday and a trip to my favourite pub, The Brooksteed Alehouse in Worthing, gave me some delightfully hoppy IPAs so nothing dark there to enjoy.  On Friday however I had to go in to Bognor Regis where I popped into the local 'Spoons as I was sure they would have one or two darks to enjoy.  I wasn't wrong and I tried a Turners Porter (4.9% ABV).  Turners is a micro from the eastern half of Sussex and I particularly love their Ruby Mild.  This was my first taste of their porter.  The aroma was quite fruity but the taste was smoky, dry and bitter.  The dry bitterness took some getting used to but a little dark fruit came through in the finish towards the end to balance it out a little.        

Porters were the mainstay of my drinking at home this past week.  The first two were both from London.  The Street Porter (6.5% ABV), which for simplicity I will call Janet, from Hackney based Pressure Drop Brewing Company was a rich smoky affair with a good balance between sweet chocolate and bitter roasted coffee notes with a handful of rich dark fruit thrown in for good measure too.  The finish was smooth and bittersweet and this was definitely my favourite of the three described here.    

   

Redemption Fellowship (5.1% ABV) is a little different to the rich Janet above.  Redemption is a brewery I visited last year (read the review here) and they brew some fabulous beers especially the ones which require heaps of hops.  This particular beer I found a little on the thin side and didn't have much life to it either but the flavours were spot on.  Initially there were strong sweet chocolate notes and liquorice and raisin joined in along the way.  In the finish there was a little bitterness to complete the picture.  My wife thought it was very nice but understood what I said about the condition.  It is only 5.1% ABV of course compared to the stronger Janet so perhaps I was expecting too much.        

For my final porter I headed to Yorkshire and the home of Compo, Foggy and Clegg.  Summer Wine Teleporter (5.0% ABV) is brewed with ten different malts no less and this one is more smoky and bitter than the others.  There are touches of coffee, vanilla and burnt toffee in this one and it has more body than the Fellowship.  Another hit with the wife this one too (as they have all been to be honest).

To complete my week we have a couple of stouts.  Firstly I head up to Cumbria where Hardknott always come up with some interesting beers which rarely disappoint.  Dark Energy (4.9% ABV) is a lovely looking stout and the name comes from the term used by physicists to explain away bits of the universe they don't really understand because there doesn't seem to be enough energy in our great cosmos.  It's many years since I studied astrophysics and quite frankly I never understood it much anyway but this beer is also quite complex.  I found it a little sour initially with strong fruity notes, particularly blackcurrant, and there was a spicy edge too in the finish.  My wife hated it and I found it a bit of a challenge but it improved throughout with the sourness being balanced out by some burnt caramel and coffee notes.      

The final beer was one I had to fight for because my wife wanted all of it.  Welsh brewer Tiny Rebel is one I always look out for and Dirty Stop Out (5.0% ABV) is described as a smoked oat stout.  I may have to buy more of this for my wife because it was a huge favourite with her.  The aroma was quite smoky but the beer itself was rich and full bodied with plenty of dark fruit flavours and there was even some aromatic notes in the finish.  More coffee than chocolate in the main and the overall beer was simply lush.  Definitely the best beer of the week methinks.  I still hate getting beers like this in 330ml bottles though.  It's NOT enough!!     

This week I have a trip to Dorchester so I hope to find some dark beers down there that I haven't tried before.  There will also be more bottled beers to report on too of course.  It's certainly been a wonderfully dark month so far! 

Cheers.  

Dark December Part 1

I very nearly went ahead and purchased the Ales By Mail beery advent calendar this year.  The thing that stopped me was the reason why I avoid any sort of promotion that will send me a selection of beers each month.  I hate being surprised.  I do like a wide range of beer styles but some beers, especially at Christmas, are undrinkable as far as I'm concerned.  Herbs and spices are fine in Christmas cake and puddings but they can destroy a good beer.  I also didn't want to risk getting a beer that I had enjoyed or reviewed previously.  For those of you interested in reading an excellent review of the Ales By Mail calendar though should follow fellow beer blogger Justin Mason who is doing a superb effort at writing up a review of the beer each day complete with festive jokes.  Click here to read from the start.      

I then reverted to Plan B.  I would order 24 beers from Ales By Mail that I would choose myself and I would then use these as my own personal advent calendar.  Then I could write a review each day of each beer which would be personal to me.  I wanted a good selection of stouts and porters along with one or two seasonal beers that did not advertise the infiltration of cake ingredients and after a short time I had a basket of lovely sounding beers to enjoy at my leisure.      

By the time the beers had arrived however I had decided I could not bother with opening a bottle each day for the whole of December.  One reason for this is I like to visit pubs as much as I can up to Christmas and so some days I would not feel like drinking at home.  The second reason is that it would overlap with the Beer O'Clock Show 12 Beers of Xmas which I shall be taking part in.  This runs from December 20th and I will be opening and reviewing a bottle each day up to New Years Eve.  Anyone can take part in this.  Visit the Beer O'Clock Show website for details.             

So I have settled on Plan C.  Drink as many dark beers as I can between now and Christmas and let you know about the dark delights that I have enjoyed (or endured) each week.  I began on December 1st with a suitably festive Advent Ale from Surrey brewer Hog's Back.  This dark winter ale is rich, warming and malty.  There are liquorice and chocolate notes with a bit of treacle toffee on top of a little spiciness.  An excellent start to the month.          

My first pub visit of the month was a CAMRA social and it was a real bonanza of rich dark delights which included an old favourite.  From the local Goldmark Brewery I began with their 3.5% ABV Ebony Mild at the George in the village of Eartham.  I have enjoyed this beer a few times from what is a relatively new brewery just down the road from where I live.  It is quite a traditional black mild with a nice roast malt character.  If you like milds then this will definitely be a beer for you.  I am happy to say though that it is no longer my favourite Goldmark beer.  Later that evening I was delighted to sample their new Black Lion Porter (4.8% ABV) at the best pub in West Sussex, The Wilkes' Head.  They were finishing off the remains from a weekend winter ales festival and this new beer has just been launched and, as with the mild, it is quite traditional.  It is very smooth and rich and laced with chocolate and dark fruits with a slight coffee bitterness in the finish.  Beautiful. 

This dark evening was rounded off in spectacular fashion with a pint of Timothy Taylor Ram Tam (4.3% ABV).  This is one of the closest beers from up north that I have come across that resembles a traditional Sussex Old Ale and I have not found this in a pub down here for quite a few years.  It is mild with a warming fruity body to it and it was as good as I remembered it.                         

Back onto the bottled stuff my local Morrisons is now stocking one of my favourite bottled stouts and at an introductory price of £1.89 I could hardly say no.  Hop Back Entire Stout (4.5% ABV) is certainly worth getting hold of if you are into the black stuff.  I do prefer it in cask but it is beautifully rich and smooth with a good bitter roast malt flavour throughout.      

Who remembers Arundel Old Knucker?  This rich, strong winter ale has been renamed Sussex Dark and I paid a ridiculous £4.95 for a bottle of it last Friday with a meal at a restaurant.  It was absolutely divine though so I will say it was worth it.  The perfect accompaniment to my venison, beef and horseradish burger.  The name may have changed but the beer is still a rich 5.5% ABV winter classic (although it is available year round).  Plenty of the usual flavours I am describing here with rich dark fruits and chocolate and a lovely bittersweet finish.  This was probably my wife's favourite this past week and it is so easy to fall in love with.  

  

Over the weekend I was able to break into my recent Ales By Mail selection in a big way with a couple of stouts to begin proceedings.  The first of these was astounding.  Hoxton Stout from newish London micro Redchurch.  It smells both fruity and smoky and the first taste is quite intoxicating living up to the strength of 6.0% ABV.  Rich sweet fruits give way to a coffee bitter finish but there are hints of vanilla and chocolate in there too.  For me this is a perfect stout and probably the best I have tasted for a long time.  My only complaint is that it came in such a very small bottle!!  

     

On the same evening I followed up this amazing stout with a Double Stout from Westerham Brewery in Kent.  At 5.5% ABV this was slightly less than the Hoxton Stout but pretty good nonetheless.  It was fruitier and more chocolatey than the Hoxton.  It is very smooth with not too much bitterness.  It did not reach the heights of the Hoxton but it still acheived a 9/10 on my scoring chart and it came in a 500ml bottle (hurray).

         

Last night I moved on to a couple of porters.  I had started the evening with a wheat beer which turned out to be very disappointing from By The Horns (Bobby On The Wheat).  I followed this up with a Discovery Rich Cornish Porter (with blackcurrant and molasses) from the Altantic Brewery in Cornwall.  It didn't look particularly good - not very clear and no head whatsoever.  The smell it gave off was not much better and the average rating on Untappd of 2.26 sent alarm bells ringing.  I was quite happy to let my wife try it first and it quickly came back.  Her comment was whoever thought of putting blackcurrant and molasses together got it wrong.  Absolutely disgusting was her overall veridct.  I did surprise her by drinking all of it (it was only a small bottle thank the lord) but the combination of sour blackcurrant and everything else was truly awful.  This is one beer that will not darken my door ever again.             

The plan last night was to just have a couple of beers.  Unfortunately ~I needed something that could make up for the awfulness of the first two.  Five Points Railway Porter (4.8% ABV) was chosen because this brewery has never let me down and this beer soon brought a smile to my face.  This was gorgeous with plenty of chocolate and coffee notes with a nice bittersweet character throughout.  

This was an excellent end to week one of my dark journey throughout the month of December.  With only one really duff dark it was a superb week and I'm looking for more of the same in week two.  

Cheers.

Pubs - The Place For Real Ale

I was a bit shocked today to see a feed on Facebook via the Official CAMRA page advertising the 'There's A Beer For That' Beer Club.  The idea of this 'club' is that you can log on to Twitter at 7.00.pm every Wednesday and learn about a different beer style each week from an expert.  Yes that is such a great way to learn about beer!  Frankly I think it is utterly ridiculous.  

If the big brewers want to spend stupid amounts of money to promote beer then let them but CAMRA is an organisation to promote real ale.  I know that they approve certain bottled beers as 'real' but, let's be honest, real ale is always best when consumed in a pub and to promote real ale you have to promote pubs.  They should not be giving any kind of promotion to such anti-social social media activities that will only encourage people to stay at home and drink in isolation.  

Cheers.

Trust Me, It's Off

This time of year is always interesting as we use the CAMRA socials to visit pubs that we have put on the long list for the next Good Beer Guide.  Some pubs rise to the occasion but that certainly wasn't the case this week.  

We visited a certain pub in Chichester (which shall remain nameless) and one of our group who had arrived first warned us off from ordering the Anchor Springs Neptune.  He offered us a sip of his half and although Anchor Springs is beer we would all avoid normally this was definitely off.  The faint taste of vinegar was unmistakeable.  That left us with a choice of Milestone Rich Ruby and Dark Star Hophead.  I had a pint of each.  The first was far from being good and the second was the worst pint of Hophead I've had this year.  This is a pub that reopened at the start of this year and which I reviewed here.  Oops I said it would remain nameless.  Never mind.

   

I can forgive pubs for selling beer that is not always on top form.  It happens.  The two pints I had were OKish.  The first was just not to my personal taste I think.  I do love Hophead though and when it is in top condition it is a session beer that is hard to beat.  It is a regular beer at this pub too so they must get through it at a decent rate, especially when the two guest beer choices are dire. What I cannot forgive is the attitude of the pub when a beer is off.  Everyone in our group agreed it should be returned but they refused to take it back and swap it for something else.  The barman spoke to the manager and was told it was fresh on so it couldn't be off.  An absolutely awful attitude.  

   

I am quick to praise pubs when they get things right.  I also try to be positive and give the benefit of the doubt at times.  Some pubs though get it so wrong.  I find it hard to believe that a pub has nobody there that can taste a beer and know it is off and remove it from sale.  This beer will probably still be on sale today and people will think the Anchor Springs beer is even worse than it usually is.  Pub owners and managers everywhere.  If you are in the business of selling beer then I suggest you find out about beer even if you do not usually drink it and know what an off beer tastes like.  You may then get more repeat customers.  Chichester now has a decent choice of pubs selling good real ale with a number of them listed as possible new GBG entries for next year.  We can however cross this one off our list now.

Cheers.

 

A Fair Deal For Pubs?

Following a government review into improving protection for tenants of 'tied' pubs, the government had rejected the 'market rent only' option.  Yesterday, parliament rejected this in favour of the 'market rent' option amendment put forward by Lib Dem MP Greg Mulholland, chairman of the all-party parliamentary Save The Pub group.  It is crazy that a government would go against a group that was set up to save the British pub and quite rightly this resulted in the government losing this vote.

As I understand it, the 'market rent' option will allow the publican to opt for exchanging their tenancy for an independently-assessed market rent free of tie.  In layman terms that means the tenant will no longer have to buy the beers, spirits, soft drinks, legal and accountancy services, etc, through the pub company that owns their building as they often have to do currently.  The prices they pay for such goods and services is often way over the market rate and therefore makes it much harder for them to run a viable business.  This is also bad for the consumer of course as these increased costs are often passed on to the customer through higher prices.

The pubcos have obviously come out and said this will be bad for pubs but what it really means is that it will be bad for their business.  It is no surprise that their share prices are falling substantially today.  Simon Townsend, the CEO of Enterprise Inns, predicts pub closures and job losses.  Well guess what.  We have plenty of those already.  The British Beer and Pub Association says the outcome will be 'hugely damaging'.  The argument they put forward is that it effectively breaks the pub tie that has served the pub industry well for 400 years.  Has it really?  Now you would think that the BBPA would be a body that supports beer and pubs but what it does seem to represent are the large brewers and the pub companies.  

It will be interesting to see how the pub companies now react to this game changer.  Will we see a massive increase in the number of 'free of tie' pubs selling beer from the ever increasing number of UK micro brewers and less of those national brands from the big brewers?  Will we see the pub companies putting pubs up for sale to reduce their massive debts now that they know they cannot get the returns that they once did from these pubs?  It is all very well giving power to tenants but at the end of the day the pub companies own the bricks and mortar and they have huge debts.  What CAMRA now needs to do is continue the fight to make it harder for pubs to be sold off and converted into other uses because I think it is inevitable that pub companies will continue to try and reduce their debt pile.

As with any legislation I'm sure this vote will not fix all the problems within the pub industry and the true test will be a year or two years or more down the line when we see whether it has reduced the current number of pub closures and whether we see an increase in the living standards of our much loved publicans.  What I do know is that the current system was unsustainable and I do not like to see people who work so hard to make a decent living get ripped off by the very people who are supposed to be helping and encouraging them.  Nothing is black and white and I'm sure there are both good and bad pubcos but I do not see why the good ones should fear this legislation.   

Finally, whatever the outcome down the line, and I think more good than harm will come from this legislation for both tenants and consumers, let's all raise a glass and offer congratulations to all those publicans who worked their butts off to campaign for this along with all those MPs who voted against the government and particularly to Greg Mulholland.  A job well done!

Cheers.              

The Dark Side

Yes it is that time of year again.  Autumn begins to wave goodbye as winter approaches with the promise of cold dark nights.  For me it usually means swapping my love of hoppy pales for beers from the dark side.  Porters, stouts and old ales will be on the menu for the next few months and I have already been enjoying them in the past couple of weeks.

The first sign that winter is approaching is the arrival of Harveys Old Ale.  The Swan in Midhurst is a perfect pub in which to enjoy this lovely beer.  Now with new tenants who are looking like they will make a great success of the pub we enjoyed an evening of Old Ale there a couple of weeks ago.  It is never the same from year to year and I found it to be a bit fruitier this time around with notes of dark fruit and raisin prominent.  A lovely pint and at only 4.3% ABV you can have a good session with it (and I did!!).

The Wetherspoon pubs in my local area have improved tremendously in the past twelve months and are now always selling some excellent locales.  A trip to Southampton last week to see the magnificent Saints meant a few pre-match beers at the Giddy Bridge and this improvement is apparent here too as this GBG-listed 'Spoons was also displaying a great range of Hampshire ales.  There were a couple of porters available and I eagerly tried both.  Flack Manor Black Jack Porter (4.6% ABV) was quite fruity with a bit of a nutty finish whereas the Andwell Porter No.2 (4.9% ABV) was full of roasted malt character and delightfully smooth and with coffee and chocolate notes dominating.  These two porters were both excellent but the Andwells is the one I preferred.

 

My local in Yapton, the GBG listed Maypole Inn, has had some lovely dark beers available over the past few weeks and last week a lunchtime stroll led me to their door and a pint of Cheddar Ales Totty Pot (4.5% ABV) in front of a roaring fire.  This black porter didn't have such a smooth texture but it did have plenty of coffee bitterness and a satisfying bittersweet finish.  A lovely pint and well worth the short walk.       

Many new London brewers are cropping up and I picked out a couple of darks to try over the weekend from two that are now firmly established in that they began brewing way back in 2011!  The first of these was from London Fields of Hackney and their Black Path London Porter (4.2% ABV).  This beer had a nice frothy head with plenty of roasted malt character on the nose.  Once I had prised it away from my wife who was gulping down far too much of it I discovered a beautifully smooth beer with bitter coffee and chocolate notes before the sweetness of dark fruits came crashing through into the finish.    

From here I moved across to East London with the Quadrant Oatmeal Stout (5.8% ABV).  This is my first beer from the East London Brewing Company and I'm sure it won't be my last.  Once again my wife was enjoying it far too much but it is understandable.    This beer is actually a collaboration with the National Homebrew Competition champions Graeme Coates and Tom Dobson.  Much stronger than the London Fields porter but you wouldn't particularly notice as it is easily drinkable and not as rich as I was expecting.  The aroma is chocolate raisins and the taste is quite sweet with hints of raisins, plum and molasses with very little bitterness.  I think I preferred the London Fields porter but my wife preferred this one so I guess it's a draw.              

Finally, here are some of my favourite dark ales you should look out for this winter.  All of these are highly recommended.

Durham Brewery, Temptation (10.0% ABV) - only available in bottles I believe but this strong Russian stout is my favourite beer of this style.

Sadlers Ales, Mud City Stout (6.6% ABV) - when I was working in Warwickshire this was a regular at my local 'Spoons and I couldn't get enough of it.  Silky smooth and a perfect balance between bitter and sweet with hints of vanilla.

Arundel Sussex Dark (5.5% ABV) - formerly known as Old Knucker, this winter classic is brewed just down the road from where I live.  Rich, smooth and dark with sweet dark fruits and a malty coffee bitterness.    

Adnams, Old Ale (4.1% ABV) - as with the Harveys Old, this is a classic winter session beer.

Woodfordes Norfolk Nog (4.6% ABV) - not had this for a few years but it was always my favourite winter beer when I lived in Norwich and I would love to find it available locally this winter.

Fullers London Porter (5.4% ABV) - only had this lovely beer in bottled form so I really must find the cask version this winter in one of their pubs. 

Harviestoun Old Engine Oil (6.0% ABV) - this bottled beer is a classic full of roasted malt character with strong coffee and chocolate notes.

Thornbridge St Petersburg (7.4% ABV) - a perfect imperial stout full of chocolate and coffee bitterness.  Now out of stock on their website so may be hard to find.      

For me this list could actually be endless as there are many many others well worth finding and, as I have already discovered, there are also many new brewers coming up with very drinkable winter warmers for the first time.  Put your thick winter coat on and head for a local pub with a warm fire and dark beer.  A perfect combination.

Cheers.

    

Naked Beer Company Uncovered

When the Naked Beer Company put out a request for beer bloggers to review their product I naturally offered my services.  If somebody is going to sample beer then it may as well be me.  Despite their close proximity to me I had only come across their beer a couple of times and had only tried one of their regular beers, the Streaker IPA (4.0% ABV), at the new micropub Old Star Ale and Cider House in Shoreham.  New breweries are cropping up in Sussex most months it seems and Naked are one of the newer ones having begun brewing commercially at the start of this year.

Naked are based in Lancing, West Sussex, close to Worthing and can be found on an industrial estate less than a mile from the sea.  When someone is giving you beer to drink the least you can do is go and collect it and this gave me an opportunity to see the operation for my myself.  Breweries are wonderful places to visit because you are always greeted by enthusiastic workers.  Dan introduced himself as well as introducing me to head brewer and co-founder Rob Thomas.  Rob began his brewing career at one of my favourite brewers, Bristol Beer Factory, before spending a short time at Ascot Ales.  Now he has the freedom to be creative with his own 5 bbl plant and creativity is at the core of Naked Beer Company.  Dan was busy filling casks with Ian (pictured) but he found time to speak very enthusiastically about the brand and their vision.               

Bristol Beer Factory is a great marker for any brewer to strive for and Naked have lofty ambitions to produce similarly innovative and acclaimed beer.  They currently brew three regular beers and I was given a couple of bottles of each to try.  If you look on Untappd you will also notice they have brewed some interesting specials too in their short time such as a Hefeweizen called Depeach Mode (with quite strong peach notes I have been told by those who have tried it) along with recent additions Ginger Streaker and Inter Gorse (a strong English IPA).  However, without a decent core range any brewery will struggle so it is time to let you know how Naked's core is tasting.              

Streaker (4.0% ABV)

Before I mention the beer a quick opinion on the transparent labelling.  I love it.  A distinctive common look throughout the range with a simple but effective logo.  I was warned that they had put extra yeast in the bottles and this beer did gush out and it did have a cloudy yeasty appearance after pouring.  This was the beer I had a pint of a few weeks back.  At the time I felt it was a decent session IPA.  I do not remember it tasting as powerfully as this bottled version though.  The aroma was citrussy and pleasant.  Both myself and my wife thought it drank much stronger than the 4.0% ABV stated and initial flavours were pineapple with both tropical and citrus fruit notes.  The finish was bittersweet with a dry bitterness mixed with hints of caramel.  The hops used are magnum and cascade with caragold malt.  The excessive yeast content was difficult to cope with but the flavours were superb.  My wife surprised me with this one by giving it a thumbs up too so not a bad start at all for this session beer.              

Indecent Exposure (4.5% ABV)

This second beer was an instant hit with both of us.  Indecent Exposure (the name of the brewery lends itself to some original beer names) is a classic porter.  Summit hops were mixed with magnum hops for this one and the balance between bitter and sweet was spot on.  Once again it drank stronger than the stated ABV suggested with very rich flavours.  There was a slight smokiness to it initially leading to notes of cherry, coffee, raisin and chocolate.  The finish was bittersweet and beautifully smooth.  I actually scored this beer a 10/10 and my wife was equally enamoured by it.  I must find a few pints of this to enjoy over the winter.        

Freudian Slip (6.5% ABV)

The story behind this beer is hidden in the name.  An attempt to brew a session strength best bitter when awry and the result was one of those happy (hoppy?) mistakes that you just hope you can recreate.  The resulting brew was such an instant hit with those who tried it that it has become part of their core range.  What we have here is a complex beer that is something of a cross between a Belgian dubbel and an English barley wine.  Again the beer was a little too yeasty, particularly the second bottle, but the thick rich nature of this beer was obvious.  I'd have guessed the strength to be nearer the 10% mark to be honest.  It was very dark in colour with a rich alcoholic aroma.  It is very boozy, sweet and cloying.  All sorts of flavours came through with this one.  Molasses, cherry, bonfire toffee and even hints of vanilla.  There is sweetness throughout and one to be sipped very slowly in front of a roaring fire.  This was my wife's favourite beer of  the three while I preferred the porter although this one did come a close second.      

 

Naked have got a good core range with these three beers and I am sure we will see many more interesting beers from them in the future.  They have a good brand which I'm sure they will develop further.  They have already got their beers on Brighton's Indigo pub list and I hope they will also make their way to the pubs in my part of Sussex.  I will look forward to following their progress over the next 18 months.     

Cheers.