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.

Spooky Ales

I don't normally review too many beers that are freely available in supermarkets simply because I don't normally buy that many and those that I do buy often disappoint.  However, a recent walk around the delights of Morrisons highlighted to me the number of beers with names that are obviously aimed at the Halloween market so here is my recommendation for a spooky beer to celebrate this event if you so wish.  

Spooky Ale (4.7% ABV) - Shepherd Neame

This beer actually has the gall to describe itself as the official ghost brew for all hallows.  Shepherd Neame beers seem to have a very distinctive aroma and this one has that same spicy hoppy smell to it.  The flavour is much more malty which is quite biscuity with hints of caramel.  The finish is very short as the flavours quickly vanish and there is a little spicy bitterness in the aftertaste.  The blurb on the bottle says that the roasted malt flavours are balanced by a huge citrussy hoppy bitterness.  I must have missed that.  Then it goes on to say that the memory of this beer will haunt you forever.  Not wrong there.  It is not a rich beer, as is also mentioned, but it does have a spicy edge to it and there is some roasted malt character to it.  All in all a bit disappointing and I'll give it a 5/10.            

Black Wych (5.0% ABV) - Wychwood

Moving on from the 'official ghost brew' of Halloween to the company that produces the 'unofficial beer of Halloween'.  Wychwood came up with the idea that their dark ruby ale Hobgoblin should get this title and I guess it is more truthful than calling it the 'official' beer but I think Black Wych is more appropriate as it is a black beer and witches are much more apt for halloween than goblins will ever be.  This is actually a decent porter which I'd be happy to have again.  Not particularly smooth or rich but it does have good flavours and a nice bitter finish with coffee and dark chocolate notes.  Just about worth a score of 7/10.             

Dark Lord (4.7% ABV) - Batemans

The beer Dark Lord is actually named after 'Black Tom' who fought in the English Civil War at the Battle of Winceby in Lincolnshire rather than the evil dark lord from Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort he who must not be named. Whichever lord you want to think about while you drink it though it is a lovely beer for this time of year.  My first silent thoughts were liquorice allsorts and after my wife tried it her first word was liquorice so if you aren't into beers with liquorice notes I'd probably avoid it.  It is smooth and quite rich and sweet with a lovely spicy edge to it and a slightly nutty finish.  Definitely the best beer so far and a great one for Halloween.  This one scores 8/10.         

Pendle Witches Brew (5.1% ABV) - Moorhouses

The clear golden colour of this beer made it look very appealing especially to my wife who was convinced she would enjoy it.  I wasn't so sure as I had already struggled with the sweetness of the aroma.  She was ok with the flavour but she did say it disappeared quickly.  It is a very smooth beer with a soft mouth feel but flavour wise it is far too sweet for me with a struggle to find any bitterness to it at all.  This beer gets a 5/10 from me but it could have been a different story if I had found a bottle of their Black Cat mild which is a beer I particularly love. 

Ghost Ship (4.5% ABV) - Adnams

Of all the large regional brewers in the UK, Adnams is probably still my favourite.  Ghost Ship has a suitably spooky name for Halloween but it is actually a hoppy American pale ale.  It has a lovely golden colour with tropical fruit aromas.  The flavour has some sweet passion fruit notes along with a zingy burst of lemon and lime.  In the finish there is a dry citrussy bitterness which I love.  There is some rye in the malts used and the wonderful mix of fruity hoppy flavours comes from Citra and a blend of other american hops.  This is a superb beer and well worthy of a 9/10.         

In terms of the scores then Ghost Ship wins this particular hunt for a suitably spooky brew for Halloween but I think you do need a dark beer on this day although with the unseasonably warm weather we're getting today then perhaps not.  However, if I had to choose one for Halloween this year I would go for the Dark Lord.  A lovely rich dark beer with a spicy edge to it and my wife would probably agree with me too.  

Cheers.

     

Brewhouse & Kitchen

On our various travels to the US we have always enjoyed eating and drinking in the large number of brewpub/restaurants.  For that reason I was keen to check out the expanding Brewhouse & Kitchen theme over here as I had been told it was a similar concept.  The first one opened up in Portsmouth last year in the White Swan pub close to Portsmouth Guildhall.  My wife and I made a brief visit to this place for lunch earlier this month and we were both impressed and agreed it was similar to many of the US brewpub/restaurants we have experienced.  The beer I had that day (Island City Rye IPA) is not only brewed onsite but the 2.5bbl brewery is actually housed inside the pub rather than only being on view from behind a window as is often the case.  The food was excellent (me and my wife shared 3 starters for £10) and the beer is well priced.  First impressions were therefore highly favourable.    

Following on from this visit I was down in Dorchester earlier this week to visit my best friend, Martin, who lives just across the railway line from the redevelopment of the old Eldridge Pope brewery.  This redevelopment consists of the usual chain restaurants, Odeon cinema, Premier Inn, etc and on the fringe there was a pub called the Station Masters which Brewhouse & Kitchen acquired and have converted into their second brewpub to bring back brewing to this quiet Dorset town under the watchful gaze of the old brewery building.  It opened back in May of this year and this was my first opportunity to visit and fully assess the brand in terms of both the quality of their beer and food.  

The old pub has been expanded and there are plenty of different types of seating areas to suit everyone.  It is larger than the White Swan in Portsmouth but the decor is similar and by bringing the brewhouse into the building it does feel like you are sitting in a converted brewhouse.  Glass tables with compartments of hops and malts visible beneath are common and although food plays a large part in their offering you are not presented with tables formally laid out for dining and drinkers and diners are both welcomed equally.  Lots of other beery stuff is visible all around and I was particularly taken with the beermat chandelier.

The Brewhouse

The first thing you realise when you enter is how proud they are of their beers.  Knowledgeable bar staff is key and they were happy to tell me what beers were available along with the respective styles and strengths.  For me, after tweeting I was visiting, I was even given some recommendations before I arrived thanks to a response from their tweetperson.  Not one to turn down a recommendation I began with the Mayor of Casterbridge Porter (4.8% ABV).  This was a perfect porter with liquorice notes and plenty of roasted malt giving chocolate and milky coffee flavours.  

They had six or seven beers available including one from local brewer Gyle 59.  Between us I think we managed to try most of them.  Whilst I was enjoying the quite superb porter my friend had the Nurdle Ho, a 4.0% ABV nutty brown ale with strong toffee notes.  We finished off by trying a three third of a pint sampler priced at just £3.  We tried the Sexton, a 4.0% golden ale, Crumbleholme, a 4.3% ABV stout and the Durnovaria Dark, a 4.7% ABV black IPA.  The stout was the best.  Very smooth and quite rich with liquorice notes and a bittersweet finish.  The Durnovaria Dark was not as hoppy as I expected in terms of the aroma but it did have a nice dry bitter finish and I think a pint of this next time would be welcome.                  

In addition to the beers they brew themselves they also have one or two guest locales and an extensive range of international bottled beers including Brewdog, Anchor, Bellerose, Brooklyn, Fordham and Westmalle.  The only anomaly I spotted was the Shepherd Neame Whitstable Bay in keg.  This beer is dreadful in bottles and a 3.9% keg beer at £4.50 per pint seems mental when you are surrounded by such a quality range of ales.  As I said though, something for everyone!   

Kitchen

The food menu at B&K has something for everyone too.  The brewhouse classics include steak and ale pie, bangers and mash, thai green curry and beer battered fish and chips.  The brewhouse special is a whole chicken roasted in beer with suitable accompaniments and is ideal for sharing and at £17.95 is very good value.  Steaks and burgers are also available and on Tuesday evening all burgers are £6 so we both chose the brewhouse classic burger.  This was excellent value and being a fan of real prime beef burgers this one is definitely one of the better ones.  The menu helps you too with your choice of beer by offering suggestions as to what to pair with your chosen dish from their vast range of beer types that they brew.                

There is no doubt that the Brewhouse & Kitchen concept is modelled on the brewpub/restaurants you see all over the US.  A third one has recently opened in Islington, North London and I am sure there will be more opening over time.  Good value quality ales and food combine with good service in a relaxing environment.  I am very much a fan.  The brand is further enhanced by offering customers the opportunity to try being a brewer for a day.  You can try their brewing experience and brew with them for just £75.  This price is excellent value as it includes 5 litres of the beer you brew which is available once the beer is ready the following week.  Beer can also be taken away in larger quantities (8 pt, 36 pt or 72 pts) which is perfect for parties and family gatherings.  With further gift ideas and hampers also available they are pushing the brand in many ways.  So if you are ever in Portsmouth, Dorchester or North London, then make your way to your local Brewhouse & Kitchen and go with an empty stomach and a raging thirst.  I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Cheers.