Beer Alphabet Week 2 - B

It's grey and terribly wet outside. It's been a busy day at work and my belly is full of chip butties and disappointing meatballs; I think I'll drink some beer. Tonight's menu consists of Barbar Bok and Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout.

Contenders... ready!

 
 The Barbar Bok presents itself in a deep, dark brown pour with a smallish off-white bubbly head. Fresh, very Belgian sweet and spicy aromas of honey and dark fruits. Medium carbonation and medium mouthfeel present sugary fruits with a slight honey quality. The dryish finish doesn't leave much lingering, and the alcohol is barely present; however, this is a very nice drinking experience indeed.
 

The blend: awesome.

An appetising, thick black pour with a small mocha head is the first offering from the Black Chocolate Stout. Huge aroma of dark and milk chocolates, coffee, slight vanilla, caramel and burnt malts. No carbonation, silky mouthfeel with chocolate, treacle and dark malts. Not as much coffee as I expected actually. There's a slight alcohol bite on the swallow followed by lingering smokey bitterness. Delicious.

Then guess who suggested blending them?* The fresh sweetness of the bok actually overpowers the intense chocolate, surprisingly. It's very candyish, with a cushion-soft mouthfeel allowing fresh chocolate sweetness to force its way through. Very nice blend!

*Our resident apparition, of course.

Golden Pints 2011



Like football, but beer.

I've barely left the comfort of the womb as far as this blogging business goes, but I might as well chuck my tuppence in anyway. Here are my votes...

Best UK Draught (Cask or Keg) Beer
Winner: Thwaites Our Boys/Our Girls
Runner up: Hawkshead NZPA

Best UK Bottled or Canned Beer
Winner: Harveys Imperial Extra Double stout
Runner up: Williams Alba

Best Overseas Bottled or Canned Beer
Winner: Odell Myrcenary
Runner up: Mikkeller Black Hole

Best Overall Beer
Winner: Guinness Foreign Extra
Runner up: Thwaites Our Boys/Our Girls

Best Pumpclip or Label
Winner: Magic Rock (all)
Runner up: Thornbridge St. Petersburg

Best UK Brewery
Winner: The Kernel
Runner up: Williams

Best Overseas Brewery
Winner: Odell
Runner up: Mikkeller (if he counts as a brewery!)

Pub/Bar of the Year
Winner: Arcadia
Runner up: Veritas

Beer Festival of the Year
Sadly I couldn't attend, but I'll say Headingley Ale Festival because of all the hard work Ruth & Kev put in

Supermarket of the Year
Winner: Morrisons
Runner up: Asda

Independent Retailer of the Year
Winner: Beer Ritz
Runner up: Beer Ritz... I don't shop anywhere else!

Best Beer Book or Magazine
Winner: Michael Jackson's Beer Companion
Runner up: Man Walks into a Pub

Best Beer Blog or Website
Winner: Ghost Drinker
Runner up: Cooking Lager (RIP)

Best Beer Twitterer
Winner: Joint @broadfordbrewer & @BeersIveKnown
Runner up: @Tuff86

Best Online Brewery Presence
Winner: Hardknott
Runner up: Broadford!

In 2012 I'd Most Like To:
Drink a fuck load of really, really good beer.

Open Catagory
Most improved pub: The Fenton, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds. When I first started going it was a smelly, run-down pub with questionable beer. As a regular I have seen a HUGE improvement in the last few months; they now stock beer from Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout to Chimay Red, as well as having had Magic Rock, Kirkstall and BrewDog on cask and is a much nicer place to drink in general. Leodensians, I urge you to give it another go!

Beer Alphabet Week 1 - A

Here we are with the first instalment of the Beer Alphabet. Beginning, as is the norm, at the beginning, we land on the letter A. As I've been drinking a ridiculous amount of stouts and porters recently ('tis the season!) I thought I'd dabble in something quite different. So I'm revisiting two beers which I haven't had for a while, and that I thoroughly enjoyed in the past but didn't make any tasting notes…

Buxton's branding could be a bit better

Buxton Axe Edge

This is one of the beers that stand out to me as a representation of modern, American-influenced, hop-forward British brews that have come into their own in the last year or so. I've had it a couple of times before and was extremely impressed. 

A light orange/coppery pour conjured a large white head, which stayed nicely. Huge aromas of citrus fruits - grapefruit, orange and lime, got my mouth watering like Niagra Falls. These were backed up with a light caramel aroma, it's pretty much like sniffing a bag of sweets. It's intense and complex on the palate, but nicely balanced. There's light carbonation and an initial bitterness with a lovely fruitiness - I got grapefruit, manna, orange and some subtle sherbet lemon(?). Not as juicy as I had hoped, but the dryish finish made it quite insatiably moreish. In fact, this didn't last long at all, it was all gone before I knew it.

Not quite as intensely fruity as I'd remembered or hoped for, but a cracking drop nonetheless. The alcohol is masked nicely making it a real sinker. Interestingly, I put it down for a few minutes during conversation, and as it warmed up a bit it really brought the fruits out in the finish. Absolutely delicious beer.

Schneider Weisse Aventinus Tap 6
I remembered having this beer a while ago, just the once, and my memory isn't great… so what better excuse to try another? It's my day off, nearly ready for my lunch of Blackadder and soup, let's give it a go… 

Not for the faint-hearted

It pours a deep, appetising ruby, cloudy with a large white foamy head. Massive red wine-like aroma, with caramel, raspberry, and toffee apple culminating in a big sweetness. There is instant alcoholic sweetness on the tongue. A light carbonation with intense red grape and dark berries. I had hoped for a bigger body, but it is a German beer after all. There is a sourness in the dry, light bitter finish. The lingering alcohol tartness is reminiscent of a red wine, but much softer. Quite a pleasant drop, but not a light drinker as the Axe Edge was. If I were to have another, I think it would be with an evening meal rather than a mid-afternoon tipple!

Join Me!
So, beer bloggers all, do you have an 'A' beer to contribute? If you fancy collaborating in this glorious run down of the alphabet, email me your tasting notes at ben_corkhill@hotmail.co.uk and I'll be including your retrospective musings at the end of next week's blog. Cheers!

Turns out the Zebra did it.

This week will see the beginning of a new lease of life for this blog. I've been ashamedly quiet on the writing front of late, simply because I haven't had anything all that exciting to write about. I was planning on doing a big beer blowout post from tasting notes I've been collecting over the last month or so, but instead I had a moment of inspiration (i.e. totally nicked the idea off a customer) - to complete a beer alphabet! 

'B' is for...

So, starting now, for the next 26 weeks (week three, C, conveniently lands on Christmas…) I will be taking you through two or three beers a week according to the most beautiful human creation there is, the English alphabet. After all, who needs SatNav when you've got an A to Z of Beer?!

Sometimes, you just need a beer.

Mmm...

Some things today have made me think about beer, or alcohol in general, and the role it plays in our lives. Today was a sweltering day at the shop. Nowhere near as sunny as the weekend had been, but a close, humid, sticky heat that clung to me like the smell of dog turd on a shoe. So, after nine hours of waning endurance, it was a nice surprise when our resident friendly spectre GhostDrinker popped his head in the office door and asked me if I fancied a pint - to which my retort was "If you're paying!" (rather rude on reflection, but I'm skint).

A humble pint of Golden Pippin greeted me at the bar of Arcadia - but crikey did it serve its purpose. Pale and refreshing, this old favourite of mine really hit the spot and lifted me from my sticky, worn-out state into a relaxed euphoric frame of mind in which it was possible to get lost in conversation with friends and forget any ill thoughts the day had conjured. Coupled with a can of Caldera IPA I had prepared earlier for the walk home (as it conveniently resembles some sort of fizzy fruit juice), this made for a truly positive drinking experience and a good end to a long day.

One happy chap.

So, this got me thinking about how alcohol is viewed by those who really don't understand its relevance. I had also been reading about, and discussing, the increased tax on strong beers today, and conclude that the viewpoints of some people (especially some of those in power) border on insanity. I have had friends and family express concern about 'my drinking' before - nonsense! I enjoy a beer, I enjoy drinking and the benefits that come with it but never has it affected my life or health in a way that could even be considered close to negativity. The causes and effects of drinking are down to the end user, the consumer. If someone wants to get rat arced on 10 pints and cause trouble at the weekend, that's how alcohol serves a purpose to them. If someone wants to relax and enjoy one or two pints 5 days a week then that's how alcohol serves its purpose in their eyes. The quantity is the same, the context is very different. So, for us sensible drinkers, let's just enjoy beer; and as you sink that delicious nectar, let me recite the following lyrics from my favourite band:

Where I'm walking alone, thirst is my worst enemy
My measure of mead, treasure in need, up to the brim
One down on the heart can feel like the rain crying on dry desert sand
My story is sad, nothing to add, days have been dim…
Drink while you are able.

Mikkeller Black Hole

The enigmatic branding works well

Only my second post of this month - apologies for the absence, but I've had a pretty busy schedule recently. Plenty of work but, somehow, no money to buy beer with! Well, that's a lie… I've bought loads of beer, just nothing tremendously exciting that you may not have tried before. Until now. I say now, I actually drank this beer over a week ago on the 16th and have only just found the time to write about it. But here we are - Mikkeller Black Hole Imperial Stout. Like many of our lesser-spotted imports at Beer Ritz, the Mikkeller bottles we got in were gone before any of us could blink. Amidst the excitement, however, I managed to grab myself one of these bad boys, and it had come on the highest recommendation…

The pour was black, with medium carbonation and a small brown head that disappeared pretty quickly. Surprisingly, the very first whiff presented an aroma akin to an American amber. However a little swirl revealed dark chocolate, liquorice, treacle and woody alcohol presence. On the palate, the initial impact was not as huge as expected. In fact, it glided quite effortlessly across the tongue, leaving me thinking for a brief second 'what have I just spent several quid on?!' But then it came; only on the swallow did the flavours rear their heads. A massive chocolatey alcohol bite accompanied the swallow. Lots of chocolates thereafter, with caramel, brown sugar, toffee and vanilla. There were some hints of coffee, but not much considering the size and complexity of the flavours. This was actually more to my taste than other stouts I've tried, although a little too mouth-suckingly sweet in places; despite this, it was extremely manageable and well balanced. Overall, a lovely beer and well worth a go should you ever come across it.

Something I've noticed about my personal taste recently: stouts are gradually becoming top dog...

The Kernel - Amarillo Cascade & Centennial 100

Excellent branding too!

Everyone loves The Kernel. It's undeniable that they are producing some of the best, most exciting and most talked-about brews in the industry today, and their reputation has been built on nothing but great beer - no clever marketing or gimmicks, just awesome products and word of mouth. So tonight I thought I'd try a couple of new additions to our Kernel range at Beer Ritz (and new to me, too) - Amarillo Cascade 50cl, and the brewery's 100th beer, Centennial 100 33cl.

Appetizing...

First up was the Amarillo Cascade. It poured a lovely clear golden/orange with a large white head that dissipated quickly. A hoppy aroma of apricot, melon, orange and citrus hints worked up my appetite for this beer. On first thoughts, it was much lighter on the palate than expected. With a soft carbonation, subtle lemon and grapefruit flavours presented themselves with a dry bitterness on the tongue. To my disappointment, the swallow didn't leave much presence in the throat, with a crisp bitterness remaining. While lovely and refreshing, this beer wasn't as full-on as I had hoped, but at the relatively low (for cutting-edge brews these days) abv of 5.8% this was forgivable. It reminded me of the Mallinsons Hopped, albeit a far, far superior version. It was interesting to note that the aftertaste was more fruity and lingered for longer as the beer warmed up (I had initially put it in the fridge for a short while before drinking) - further proof that in my personal opinion, ales should not be refrigerated!

Milestone 100th brew

Next up, the big boy beer in a baby bottle. Coming in at 10.1%, the Centennial 100 promised to be a much bigger animal. A coppery orange pour with a medium head which was thicker than that of the first beer. The aroma, unsurprisingly, had a lot more hop and malt presence. Fruity, but more 'green' fruits as I call them - grapefruit, melon, also caramel and a woody grassiness. There was almost a sourness to the aroma, reminiscent of a Belgian style. On the tongue, it's very smooth and quite floral. Soft to medium carbonation works well for this beer, reserving some of its aggression. There is earthiness and notable pine flavour. A big alcohol bite on the swallow resolves in a dry bittersweet finish with a lingering boozy aftertaste. This is good stuff! As the beer develops and warms up a bit, there is a noticeable syrup/caramel quality coming through.

Overall, another resounding success story for The Kernel to put on their CV. I was expecting a little more from the Amarillo Cascade, but that's not to say it wasn't a good beer - I'd happily buy another were it not for the fact that I need to progress through their range before they disappear again! The Centennial 100 was a great way to mark the milestone of one hundred brews, and although very different to my expectations of it, was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Well done, Kernel! Keep up the good work.