Old Hooky and Fruitcake

I have always said that Old Hooky, probably my favourite beer, reminds me of the fruitcake that my Nan bakes. The dried fruit flavours are noted by Zak Avery in his notes for the recently published top 50 beers as listed by The Independent newspaper. I am not going to regurgitate Zak’s comments but rather identify a food pairing which I have been dying to try for some time now.

In addition to the fruit flavours, which are deep and rich rather than sharp and  citrusy, there is a mild spiciness that brings a little warmth to the back of your mouth when drinking. These are the reasons why it reminds me of the fruitcake that my Nan has been feeding me on Saturday afternoons for as long as I can remember.I have categorised this post under beer recipes because I think that this is a delicious beer/food pairing although I am not publishing the fruitcake recipe just now. Firstly because I need my Nan’s permission but also because it takes quite a bit of time to bake.

My recommendation would be to nip out to a good cake shop (there’s a great stand on Morley Market selling cakes and jams, presumably there’s one in Leeds City market too) and pick up a nice rich fruitcake. Buy a few bottles of Old Hooky and keep them somewhere cool but not cold (I leave my beers for the week ahead by our back door and they are always ready at the drop of a hat). You will then have a perfectly paired slice of cake and drop of ale to serve to any unexpected yuletide visitors.

I picked up two bottles of this 4.2% bottle conditioned offering from S H Jones Wine Merchants when back in Banbury a couple of months  ago. I was excited when I saw it because I am actually from Cropredy, growing up on a farm outside the small North Oxfordshire village in which the famous 1644 battle took place. As a primary school student I remember going around to Cropredy Village Church to see the bloodstain on the vestry floor said to be of the Roundhead messenger who fled the battlefield. With childhood memories like that floating around like the sediment in a recently disturbed bottle it is no wonder that I really, really wanted to like this beer.

Cropredy Bridge 1644 - the good bottle

You will understand then that I was completely wounded upon opening my first bottle of Cropredy Bridge 1644 to find that I had purchased a beer that tasted of…surely not…oh…it can’t be…yes…this beer tastes of STILTON!!!!! Fortunately I had got the two bottles and was able to find out that the Stilton vibe was purely the result of an unfortunately selected ‘off’ bottle.

The the second time of asking this Cherwell Valley Brewery ale was a huge amount more pleasing (well it didn’t taste of cheese so that was a plus right off the middle of the bat). I had it well rested but it was still a touch cloudy with what I would call a very real body. In fact I would say it is a very down to earth ale in all respects. It is not very hoppy but has the less aggressive flavour similar to local cask ales such as Hooky Bitter.

For the Real real alers out there this beer doesn’t have the hopiness or fruitiness to be turning any heads. Having said that, as a guy who  grew up in the village that insspired it, I can honestly say that this beer does conjure up the flavours of a place, of a summer afternoon outside the Brasenose Pub, of a Winter’s evening in Geoff Wheeler’s kitchen. For me this beer captures Cropredy, or maybe that’s just the opinion of someone living a long way from home.

One of the biggest sellers at this years Sainsbury’s Beer Competition, I’d heard lots about Hambleton Ales’ beers before I picked this up. The North Yorkshire brewery has won a smattering of awards in its short history but I don’t think it’s gained the visibility in pubs and stores.

Not endowed with huge aroma, Taylor’s Tipple poured with a frothy head which quickly subsided leaving a (very) delicate zesty scent. The first sip was subtly roasted and malty. Blink and you’ll miss ‘em hints of berries when it first hit my tongue were replaced with an autumnal feel, no doubt down to its lovely bitterness and it’s chestnut colour. I wonder if there’s a bit of caramel malt too that added a slightly sweet undercurrent to the proceedings?

Sainsbury’s claim this has a wonderful citrus aroma, but I just didn’t get it. Duff bottle perhaps but this ale’s strengths seemed to be it’s chestnut character and superbly drinkable texture.

I think I’ll need to give this another go because one bottle was a little indistinct. It is light and enjoyable, a beer that’s probably perfect for a day spent diving into piles of autumn leaves and drying off in front of a fire.

Bretwalda was one of the few beers in the Sainsbury’s Beer Competition that didn’t jump of the shelf at me. Packaging is vital to any beer, and whilst there’s nothing wrong per se with Greene King’s Bretwalda style, it simpy didn’t appeal to me when I saw it.

That affects my perception of the beer and I already don’t exactly hold Greene King in great regard – it’s nothing personal I’ve just never really enjoyed the beers hugely. And I’m firmly on the side of the fence that doesn’t rate their IPA.

So given that I’m starting from a slightly negaive point of view, I’m pleased that I can write about Bretwalda positively. My first impression is that it’s sweet and peppery – white pepper that is – with hints of spices and an almost chilli or ginger aftertaste. It’s fruity beyond the interesting pepperiness, like copice pears, and the fruity flavours are distincively English which must be the Greene King and Marston’s apple yeast I’ve read about.

The peppery taste adds real bite to what could otherwise be quite a flat bottled beer, and the caramel malty character makes it drinkable and slighly sweet. A real ‘real ale’ sourness comes through which makes me crave more refreshment.

Greene King's Bretwalda ale, a beer for a very English autumn day

This is a real autumn beer, in colour, taste and bottle design, you can almost taste the colder days and browning leaves.

This isn’t really my style. Whilst for me, beers like this are infinitely more interesing than the staple bitters found in Wetherspoons. I like the English complexion, texture and aftertaste, but it’s still a tad nondescript. That’s harsh, it’s just a little, underwhelming, for me. For those that favour bitters and autumnal ales this could be a real winner, with something interesting others beers might not have, but if you prefer continental or pale ale styles rich in hops than it might not be your winter cup of tea.

For me, I’ll give this another go, but only at this time of year. I’ll hazard a guess that it’s twice the beer drank in a real pub, under the orangey leaves of an English oak on a chilly Sunday afternoon in November.

Bays are very much an unknown to me, and this is the real beauty of the Sainsbury’s beer competition. Without, it would probably have taken a trip to Devon for me to have stumbled across this beer.

The brewery is a new one, set up in 2007 on the south Devon coast and has three flagship ales: Bays Best, Gold and Breaker. It’s the latter that made the cut in the Sainsbury’s Beer Competition this year and therefore found its way into my trolley a few weeks ago.

I should point out I drank this a little colder than it’s probably meant to be, a result of not very good fridge planning and me been very indecisive about which beers I wanted that night.

Bays Breaker is an interesting beer, it’s almost peppery, sweet and bitter all at the same time, an array of contradictory flavours that sit together better than you’d expect. The peppery aftertaste demands another sip, a sip that will start fruity and soft, and ends with a carbonised bitterness.

In big gulps the malt and fruit shines through and if you sip slower it the bitter flavours linger.

Without becoming a favourite Bays Breaker certainly makes for an interesting tipple and that could well have a couple of food partnerships out there waiting to be found (I reckon this to wash down fish and chips might just work!)

Bays Breaker: beer from Devon

Victorious Bitter from the Marston’s Pedigree range is the latest in a series of Ashes-related ales that have been appearing over the summer. This version, typically, is released to celebrate the success of the England team (and indeed Marton’s own triumphant sponsorship of the side, if reports are to be believed).

I very much enjoyed a couple of bottles of the Ashes Ale that was on sale throughout off licenses throughout the summer and indeed hoped that the beer would contain a sweet smell of success.

The warm golden colour hints at the approach of autumn; indeed the end of the victorious summer. The ale is lively in the glass, bubbling away like the celebratory champagne. The nose is equally warm, hinting at toffee, a malty aroma and for some reason reminds me of the cooler, dewy, bright mornings that have approached with the changing of the season.

The carbonisation is immediately felt on the tongue; as is the rather astringent taste. The body is virtually none existent as the bitterness washes away any hope of my tongue being used effectively.

The immediate aftertaste reminds me of Double Drop – a Marton’s beer I tried once and vowed never to touch again, such was the unpleasant, weak, acidic taste it left in my mouth. Victorious Bitter isn’t quite at those depths, and the glass is drinkable, but its not a bottle I will pick up in any hurry again.

Considering some of the genuinely victorious, prize-winning beers Marston has created over the years, it is a little disappointing that this particular bottle has been used to celebrate a terrific sporting achievement. Indeed, it would have been preferable for them to re-brand the very enjoyable Ashes ale, and allow us to enjoy it for that little bit longer – along with the afterglow of England’s success!

I have previously enjoyed one of Acorn Brewery’s seasonal ales Summer Pale in Leeds’ excellent drinking hole Victoria Commercial, so was keen to try one of their permanent offerings ‘Barnsley Bitter’.

Sam enjoys a pint of Acorn in Leeds' Victoria Hotel

The look of the pint oozes tradition, right from the off-white, fluffy head down to the dark ruby colour of the body. There is a strong coffee-esque aroma with a hint of Hazelnut noticable as well.

The taste follows the scent perfectly; a strong roasted coffee flavour leads on to a warm bitter aftertaste that defies it’s session ale ABV of 3.8%.

The sensation of the first drink reminds me much of the early-morning caffine rush, often required to get through that Monday morning feeling. It’s a great, satisfying feeling.

The remainder of the pint, unfortunately, never quite hits that high and whilst it remains a good, well-produced bitter with enough to make it stand out from some of the more run-of-the-mill offerings, there wasn’t quite enough to make me want a second pint amongst the competition available at the pump-rich bar at the Vic.

On reviewing Summer Pale, I commented that it was perfect for drinking in the season during which it sells. As we roll into autumn and winter, Acorn Brewery produce a bitter that is definitely a first pint to recommend to warm the cockles.