Put simply it’s the colour of straw and the embodiment of light, refreshing, authentic lager. It’s so pale you might even miss the barely toasted malt in this one.

It’s pale, delicate fizz, infused with the scent of stalks and greenery, ensures it’s fresh and natural in body and soul with a congenital bitterness screaming of the vernacular style.

E.g. it’s hoppy, it’s bitter, it’s Pilsner.

Served in a 330ml bottle means you don’t get a lot for your money (they’d laugh at a such a measure in both Germany and Czech Republic I’m sure). Sure enough you do get a most elegant and well turned out bottle to show off whilst you drink. If that’s your thing.

Meantime Pilsner perhaps lacks the subtle lemon balm slap that (according to my taste buds) separates the most interesting, intense variations of this famous style from those more monotonous attempts.

But let’s be clear – this is no marketing ploy by Meantime to make a simple lager sound more premium, nor is it a poor copycat of the tall, translucent pilsners that changed the world.

It’s a sophisticated, if slightly subdued celebration of grassy, gassy, sparkling straw-coloured beer.

Meantime Pilsner: perfect for the garden

Beer information:
Beer: Meantime Pilsner
Brewery: Meantime
Style: Bavarian Pilsner
ABV: 4.7% (bottle)
From: Greenwich, London

When I first had this at the 2009 Beer Writers dinner I wasn’t fussed about it, I felt it’s bitter finish stopped it from being instinctively refreshing even if it did cut through the creamy seafood chowder it was paired with that night. Perhaps it was too understated, maybe even dull; but subsequent glasses (mostly enjoyed in the garden, in a relaxed state of mind on a warm lazy day) suggest that’s a bit like saying that Mad Men is slow to start.
And strangely, I can see this being an elegant hit on the warm afternoons of Long Island’s shores when the advertising men evacuate the sweaty city. Perhaps there’s a marketing ploy in there after all…

If you don’t fancy the great outdoors then no worries, the lingering smoky presence hangs around for a long time in your mouth and may invoke daydreams of sitting under the stars and gazing at the heavens.

It’s packed with malt variety: you can settle for adoring it’s remarkably sweet Cadbury’s flavours, or close your eyes and take in the notes of liquorice, coffee and molasses that may or may not be hiding under the covers of darkness.

For best results wait for a cold, wet October night when the light recedes before you’ve even left work. Use as a slow burning nightcap, and crack open in place of a steaming mug of fluffy hot chocolate. Nestle deep into the sofa, dip into your gastronomic vice of choice and have a bit of mid-week you-time.

London Porter brewed by Meantime for M&S

So just a few words on the event we all went down for, and what was a great celebration of beer, food and the writing that so much passion goes into…

I’d been looking forward to the dinner it for some time, mostly to put faces to the names and people I’ve met via blogging over the last 6 months.

Mark Dredge - you couldn't keep the smile off this chaps face all night...or the next day!

The night started by meeting Mark Dredge and Pete Brissenden at The Rake near Borough Market, a pub I’d heard spoken of only in circles of people who know what they’re talking about.

To call the Rake comfy is kind – it was crammed and the bar run was a veritable sardine scuffle, but it served fine, fine ale and had the atmosphere of a place assured of its place in the world.

We sipped a half of Racer 55, a 7% US IPA and a 1/3 pint of the lambic joy that is Cantillon before hopping over to the Hilton Tower Bridge where the awards were been hosted. White Shield greeted us, and was followed by a chilled Budvar Dark to refresh us a little before we sat down.

I was sat slap bang in the middle of the hall, snuggly between Marston’s and Hall & Woodhouse and next to Mark Dredge and Zak Avery.

The first course was soup (technically chowder) dressed with fancy titbits that I questioned the edibility of. It was and the course was delicious. Paired with a Meantime Pilsner, which is nice but not mind blowing, the soup - clam and mussels I believe – complemented each other really well.

Following was venison wrapped around goat’s cheese, which for me is a cardinal sin. I have a palette which cannot abide goat’s cheese – I only tried it 2 or 3 years ago and it still haunts me to this day! But Zak, who also is not exactly an advocate of the devil cheese decided to throw it straight in his gob so with such manly gusto I had no choice but to follow.

And it was ok, better even. It tasted a lot subtler than goat’s cheese I’d had before, more like Italian soft cheese at first. It was only as it hit the back of my mouth and I felt the awful tang of goat’s cheese hit me, so I quickly swigged a mouthful of the sweet/sour Duchesse de Bourgogne, a beer I have a particular fancy for. The combination was liberating and I can safely say I will try goat’s cheeseagain.

And to the main course, rabbit on a flat mushroom, served with some sort of wonderful sauce and a bottle of Old Thumper (and as the organisers joked, they did pick it for the pairing rather than the name!). I wish they hadn’t though, I found the beer, in all honestly, just not that nice. It had have rich malt flavours, and I can see how it complemented the dish, but it didn’t tickle my taste buds as the previous two combinations had.

The rabbit however was stunning, the softest rabbit I’ve ever had – I just wish there’d been more mushroom!

As Zak jumped up on stage to start dishing out the coveted silver tankards, dessert appeared in the form of Camembert and Fuller’s Vintage 2005. A fantastic pairing of rich, barley wine like ale and a smooth yet thick runny cheese. Breadsticks were the only companion needed, although the fruity addition that accompanied it (which were some sort of plums or over sized raisins perhaps – can any help?) made the cheese even more delicious and bring out the fruitier elements of the beer.

And what could round it all off? A tower of chocolate, that looked like a mousse, felt like brick to cut into with your spoon, and melted in your mouth when eaten. Washed down with Flying Dog’s Gonzo stout the chocolate afters was brilliant (I’m by no means a chocolate person). My head couldn’t get round the paradoxical texture of the scrumptious dish, the whole bowled me over.

There was still half eaten chocolate towers left (purely through their grand size rather than them not being nice) as the awards came to a close and the winners congregated around the tables, sipping the remains of the beers and tastes of Woolpack Dave’s home brews.

Pete Brown acccepts his Golden Tankard from Zak Avery at the British Guild of Beer Writers awards

It was a great night and a celebration of beer tasting and food pairing. Lots of discussion arose from the beer and food, the consensus being from my chats with people, that it’s all so subjective anyway. One man’s death row meal is another’s meal from hell, whilst another’s favourite tipple is yet another’s worst nightmare.  Given the variety of tastes and styles I think a big cheers should go to the Guild for making a very interesting and ultimately satisfying night of beer and food.

And a huge well done to all the winners, particularly Mark Dredge for his new media tankard, Woolpack Dave for the recognition of his great blog, Jeff Evans for his trade writing, and of course Pete Brown for a deserved Golden Tankard for keeping us all entertained with not only Hops & Glory but his blogging rants too. And to all the other winners who I didn’t get to meet, a big cheers!

I’ve written the menu details (well all of it) purely from memory so if there’s any beer induced inaccuracies then please let me know!)

www.meantimebrewing.com

Located less than 5 minutes walk away from Cutty Sark Station on the DLR this pub is really easy to get to but is located up a quaint side street. The exterior makes it appear as one of those dark traditional pubs. Opening the door you see a strange collision of modern and traditional as the large, light interior contrasts with the atmosphere projected from the street.

We arrived at 3.00pm on a Saturday afternoon and the place was full, we got one of only two or three free tables in the garden and all of the tables inside were occupied. The reason for the full tables soon became apparent as the food being served looked and smelt fantastic. The burgers were massive and were priced at under a tenner.

The round I bought was two pints of London Pale Ale (reviewed on here), a diet coke and two bags of nuts which came to £8.80 altogether. This is cheap enough in the middle of London I thought.

The range of beers on tap were as follows…

Adnams Bitter

Meantime LPA

Meantime Kolner

Meantime Helles

Meantime Wheat

Meantime  High Saison

Meantime London Stout

Aspall Suffolk Cider

As well as this they had a wide range of bottled ales and lagers that any respectable ale house would be proud to boast. For anyone who was unable to decide there were free samples offered and the staff were pleasant and approachable and I’m sure that they will have been happy to offer a helping word. In addition to this I note that the menus offered tasting notes on all of the drinks, dedicating 5 pages to beers and only 2 to food!!!

I certainly recommend this watering hole to anyone in London. Meantime make some cracking beers and they have hit the perfect mix of old and new, traditional and modern, in order to create the perfect environment to drink them in.

This is quite a clear pale ale and immedately I could tell that it was well kept which was no surprise given that there was at least one pint on every table. I would imagine that thry fire through hundreds of pints of this a day.

To be honest I was quite worried about getting back on the ale today given that last night was a bit of a blockbuster but, as I sat in the pub garden taking my furst si, this was certainly no chore. The beer was quite flat, I think more so than the bottled version that I have had before, which give it a smoothness that meant it went down really well.

In terms of flavour this beer is tangy, with a citrus bitterness that is far from overpowering. This modest flavour, coupled with the smooth texture, make this what I would call a real session ale.

Landlord....get me another......

Being a huge IPA/pale ale fan along the lines of East Coast US pale ales, I often find myself disappointed with our own competition here in the UK.

Meantime have certainly bucked the trend with their London Pale Ale, a fantastic ale that matches any American pale ale for depth of character, whilst being distinctively British on the palette.

I can inadequately describe this as a best of both worlds (a phrase that doesn’t by any means do this beer justice) for those who love both modern IPAs and also more traditional British ales. And for those who, like me, rarely stray from the extravagant US pale bottles, Meantime’s London Pale Ale has enough character to tempt your tastebuds back across the Atlantic.

Cynics might call this ‘middle of the road’ but that couldn’t be further from the truth. This is a pale ale that doesn’t shirk from the challenge that younger, modern breweries are posing to the beer world, but rather embraces both the needs of a 21st century marketplace and the tradition of long established brewing techniques.

Served cold this is a thoroughly enjoyable beer with the heart of pale ale and the soul of British brewing.

Meantime London Pale Ale