This Is Camden
"I'll explain how the process works as I prepare your order" shouts Ahrash over the buzz of the crowds and the whirrrrr of the industrial food mixers. And donning a thick gauntlet, and dropping plastic safety glasses, he turns to the cannister containing nitrogen oxide and casually turns the latch, releasing a gushing of colder-than-ice-cold steam into the pureed ice cream mixture. This is Camden. This is England. Eating nitro ice cream in the 2010's and drinking ...
Build A Rocket Boys! by Elbow & Robinsons
Elbow are the kings of soaring melancholy, masters of poetic northern introspection. Let Elbow's albums flow over you and you can be mesmerised by their beauty alone. Put in the time to listen, to soak up the poignancy, the humour, the extraordinary manifestations of the ordinary and their albums become life affirming tributes to the everyday. Conversely, it's quite easy to stick an Elbow album on and realise thirty lethargic minutes later that time - and ...
The humble pint
So the pint is done with we're told! Well what would they say in Prague, where refreshing pilsners stand proud in tall half litre glasses, quenching thirsts almost with their looks and frothy gusto alone. Tell the football fans sinking a pint of bitter before the well trodden march to the ground that their beer will be served in flutes or tulips or whisky tumblers. "Like hell" they cry! The ugliness of a nonik pint glass aside (does ...
York Tap
It's a drinking hole essentially, underneath it all. For all the domed skylights and stained glass, people come here to let off steam, to pass the time, to forget the day. To drink. But to say that is to do York Tap a disservice as it stands resplendent next to the revived station complex. Like its Sheffield counterpart it was born in an old resting room, and the 104 year old building suits its new life ...
Meantime Union Vienna Style Lager
Deep in a basement bar not far from Bohemia, the cerny pilsners of the brewery up the road changed my perception of lager. Sweet and rich but surprisingly light, they distributed refreshment and nutrition as if feeding me and five thousand other thirsty drinkers. Meantime Union shares a similar contradiction. Broody and brown, this is is no pale bodied pushover. Lagered it is, and a tad metallic to boot, coupled with a dark caramel composition and ...
Roosters Pumpkin Beer
Roosters Brewery, whose beers are the staple diet of many a Yorkshire pub, marked this Hallowe'en with a pumpkin beer. No ordinary pumpkin beer though, a pumpkin beer served in nothing less than a giant pumpkin. A really, really giant pumpkin. Pumpkin 5 Spice Ale was tapped at North Bar in Leeds, in front of Calendar news and a small selection of excitable beer lovers. Arguably a more delicate task than tapping a cask, the job ...
Killer jerk chicken with killer ginger beer
Jerk chicken isn't just tasty to eat, it's a joy to make. The honey and coriander marinade is messy and sticky, the chicken succulent with a crispy skin - lots of kitchen mess and fun. Juices of bird and salad mean this a meal best served sans cutlery but with plenty of, well, Plenty. For a ginger beer Robinson's Ginger (brewed for M&S) is a dark and syrupy affair, quite different from a can of Barr's ...
House of the Trembling Madness
The goofy moose head gazes down aloofly from his lofty perch below the rafters, and we sit cradling a kriek and a pilsner in a building that has almost a millenniums worth of years on us. House of the Trembling Madness sits above the cobbled shopping street of Stonegate, York. The city walls skirt their circular path near here, the famous minster is but a Viking throw away. Students from the continent order coffee and thirds of ...
North By North Orval
Orval is the sort of beer spoken about with reverence. I like to think the same goes for North Bar. It should have been me and my friend Tom sat there, dissecting Leeds United's yo-yoing fortunes, laughing at the Howson Is Now blog and deliberating the creaminess of the Orval cheese whilst sat on the classroom chairs and the well leaned on tables. But it's my brother partnering this trip due to Tom's tight schedule as a relatively ...
Moorhouse's Pendle Witches Brew
From Pendle Hill you've more chance of seeing Ian Holloway celebrating at Bloomfield Road than coming across any broomsticks or clandestine hurlyburly. And that's on a cloudy day. The sandstone plateau does have a slightly spooky aura about it though. Standing proud from the undulating hillside you can imagine a cackling coven of witches peering over the landscape and plotting the demise of their rivals. Especially if you visit during thunder and lightning... Moorhouse's Pendle Witches Brew is inherently ...
Sainsbury's Great British Beer Hunt 2011
Over the last few months the Sainsbury's Great British Beer Hunt has been taking place providing a welcome opportunity to try some different beers from the familiar supermarket shelves. And in October Bad King John from Ridgeside Brewing was crowned winner of a six month national listing in 300 Sainsbury's stores. Bad King John beat beers from around the UK to the throne via four regional heats (120 beers), a three week stint in Sainsbury's stores (16 ...
M&S London Porter
Smoky as hell to smell and like a burnt caramel bar to taste, M&S's London Porter is a sweet beer to devour with masses of chocolate or marshmallows over a camp fire. 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 ...
Lakeland IPA
Tuesday night, two bottled bitters sunk and the quenches for thirst and flavour continue to itch away unabated. Cue Lakeland IPA, a beer that for one moment in time justifies the beatification of hops single-handedly. The perfect hiss released as metal hits glass and twists plastic; an aroma eager to reach a nose and knock on the door of the senses. Soft-fleshed fruit says hello - mangoes might not be typical of Cumbria unless visiting a certain kitchenware ...
Moor JJJ IPA
This not, I repeat NOT, an IPA. Punchy, citrus hops? Nil. Alcohol? Deep, stewed and sweet beyond believe. Apple skins & fruit pudding? Yes, yes, YES! None of which gives Moor JJJ IPA much credence as an IPA. But then again this isn't an IPA nor a double IPA. It's only a bleedin' triple IPA(!!!). This couldn't be further from Green King's bland and monotonous flagship brand of ale and is similar in nothing but colour. By their own admission Moor didn't ...-
May 7th, 2012Desert Island BeersWelcome to the latest episode of Desert Island Beers which this week features Captain Cooker Manuka Beer, an Australian but now Chief Executive Officer at New Zealand Hops who as such is responsible for getting those wonderful kick ass hops, such as Nelson Sauvin, Riwaka and Rakau, to name just a few to these shores.
Doug says he has always had beer around him, growing up, beer was what his family drank, although usually only with meals and apart from the occasional bottle of fortified wine or a Christmas treat of whiskey or brandy, it was only ever beer in their house.
He can’t remember how old he was when he first tasted beer but as with many others, it was a sip of froth offered from his fathers’ glass at a fairly young age. What he does remember is that he was spontaneously intrigued and has remained so to this day. His work life started in kitchens and around food and after leaving a cooking apprenticeship he moved out of food and into beverage, starting as a cellar-man for Millers Hotels in Sydney after acquiring some basic cellar training at Resch’s brewery in Sydney.
With his brother Matt he started home brewing around the same time and then moved into pub and restaurant management amongst other things until 1986 when Matt convinced him they should tour the USA. Whilst not going there for the beer, that’s exactly what they found, and Doug says their lives were changed forever.
Doug hard at work
Devilishly good
Sniffing hops!
Tags: duvel, malt shovel, manuka, new zealand, paulaner, sierra nevada
Captain Cooker
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September 23rd, 2011Desert Island Beers
Martin Townshend started home brewing in the mid-nineties with two Swedes, a South African and another pom whilst saving hard during an apple picking season in New Zealand during 1995.
When returning to live in New Zealand permanently in 2001, a weekly slot to talk about beer in a local radio station arose that lasted over a year and a half. On the back of radio appearances a fortnightly beer column in the local newspaper led him to meet a fellow brewing enthusiast and Craftbrewers was born, a small marketing company dedicated to the (then) 5 breweries in the top of the South Island. A series of beer events followed, raising capital for Martin to seek further investment to purchase the Moutere Inn, New Zealand oldest pub. It now boasts 13 dedicated craft beer taps.
Whilst this was all going on, Townshend Brewery was established, dedicated to cask real ale. Growing steadily and as demand increased for the beer, the brewery’s output became a full time job. Since selling his shares in the Moutere Inn, the brewery has gone from strength to strength, winning the odd award on the way.
Tags: Abbot Ale, Fullers London Pride, new zealand, pilsner urquell, townshend brewery
Martin Townshend, Townshend Brewing, New Zealand
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August 27th, 2011Desert Island Beers
Stu McKinlay is the brewing brains behind Yeastie Boys – a multiple award-winning New Zealand brewery. He formed Yeastie Boys with friend and fellow beerhunter Sam Possenniskie, in 2008, and they’ve been bucking trends ever since. They burst onto the scene with their style-bending debut ale Pot Kettle Black (still the only beer to have won two BrewNZ trophies in a single year), and this month were awarded the BrewNZ ‘Morton Coutts Trophy for Innovation’ for their heavily-peated single malt golden ale Rex Attitude.
Tags: Desert Island Beers, new zealand, Yeastie Boys -
November 8th, 2010Comment
In a list of New Zealand’s exports you can pick from lamb, kiwis, exciting rugby union, Bret and Jermaine, Nelson Sauvin hops and even non-league football and World Cup legend Shane Smeltz, who helped guide his national side to become the only unbeaten team in the 2010 tournament in South Africa (unfortunately he didn’t help Halifax Town too much although I have seen him play at the Shay a few times).
But you beer lovers might just want to pop Kelly Ryan, brewer extraordinare at Thornbridge Brewery, to the top of that list. Kelly leaves the UK this week to head back to his homeland but his legacy will live on with a number of beers that are achieving cult status in the UK – Jaipur India Pale Ale, green hopped Halcyon, Saint Petersburg Imperial Stout and the rare and enigmatic Bracia stout. Kelly’s influence goes beyond simply brewing though, but through hosting tasting events, becoming a resident and local at The Coach and Horses in Dronfield and generally being a positive ambassador for beer.
So as a brewer whose helped change real ale for the better and someone we’re honoured to call an acquaintance, to Kelly and Catherine, all the best in New Zealand and we hope to see you again (hopefully for a twissup style curry!).
Kelly Ryan: better at brewing than Shane Smeltz is at football
Shane Smeltz: has scored more World Cup goals than Kelly Ryan
Tags: halifax town, kelly ryan, new zealand, shane smeltz, thornbridgeKelly& Cat, thanks for the great beers, the inspiring chats and the twissup adventures. All the best in New Zealand, we’ll be having a Mac’s Gold and selected Thornbridge beers in your honour this weekend! PS. Did you and Shane learn those faces at school or something?!
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July 28th, 2010Beer Reviews, Lagers
Mac’s Gold All Malt Lager would simply fly off the shelves if you stuck it in UK supermarkets.
It’s the perfect barbecue beer: it’s lager, it’s sweet golden nectar with just a hint of pilsner influence from the brewer.
It’s gimmicky ring pull gives it points simply for the lack of dependence on those pesky bottle openers that inevitably go missing mid-way through the evening, lost in decorative stones or knocked off a low brick wall into a thicket of patio plants. It happens, you know it does.
The distinctive bottle and ringpull of Mac's Gold
Mac’s doesn’t distinguish itself by being different, bold or arrogant. It’s simply good lager – a sweet not-a-million-miles-from-honey twang.
Hops don’t dominate, in fact hey barely offer any bitterness to counter the sweetness infused by the malt.
This is probably the endearing factor that might make Mac’s Gold suitable to beer lovers from all walks of life, even hop head vampires whose blood runs thick with DIPA. I believe they have a predisposition to chilled wholesome lager anyway. Even BrewDog James.
Tell me I’ve been done by the fact it looks different to the others.
Tell me actually its not better than San Miguel, Sam Adams or even Sam Smith’s Alpine.
I’ll say ‘whatever’ – whether it’s branding or body copy, Mac’s should be brewed on license over here, because it’s a winner through and through.
Tags: BBQ, macs gold, new zealand
Macs Gold from New Zealand: Perfect for bbqs
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