Beer And Beer Drinking

[Slothrop]

I'm not doubting that it might taste good, but you wouldn't catch me dead drinking something called "Punk IPA: postmodern classic pale ale."

It makes a change from the traditional branding of nice british beer, though, which tends to focus on either imperial nostalgia (generally napoleonic, victorian or WWII era) or crap innuendo...

 

[scottdisco]

It makes a change from the traditional branding of nice british beer, though, which tends to focus on either imperial nostalgia (generally napoleonic, victorian or WWII era) or crap innuendo...

that's a very good point. i've lost count of the number of times i've been at music events and so on and the Hairy Bikers brigade turn up in their real ale tee-shirt; the Hobgoblin 'lager boy' shirt is like the New York Yankees cap of the ale tee world.

that said, i did see someone wearing quite a cool St Peter's (ie the Bungay people whose bottles and Clerkenwell pub we discussed up-thread) tee recently, and it wasn't from the Fighting Fantasy line-drawing school of design.

i know for their cannibalistic approach to smaller brewers Greene King are, rightly, politically unpopular, but their adverts about 'things get better given longer' for Abbot are definitely about the only real ale adverts you see with any regularity that don't make me think "what a pile of cack that is clearly strictly for Time Team researchers only".

i do wish Bombardier would dial down the patriotism a little bit, TBH.

 

[Mr. Tea]

It makes a change from the traditional branding of nice british beer, though, which tends to focus on either imperial nostalgia (generally napoleonic, victorian or WWII era) or crap innuendo...

Don't forget the vaguely New Age/Stonehenge-y/fantasy-inspired angle too - you know, beers called Hobbit's Bollock and all that. I guess Wychwood are the brewery that have really made this their own, though it's hardly their unique preserve.

Edit: Scott, well said on the Bombardier - on a related note SN's Spitfire campaign, although occasionally quite funny (the 'Victoria cross' one was good ), also tends to veer into Clarkson territory at times.

 

[scottdisco]

Bamberg

i know we've discussed the legendary smoke beer up-thread, but has anyone actually been here? (i haven't.)

a town of about 70,000 people with nine breweries, that's an astonishing ratio! per head it must beat even Munich or Portland, OR into a cocked hat i'd have thought?

i was reading an account of six British beer lovers going there in some magazine i picked up (not online) and it is mouth-watering stuff, the nearby Beck micro-brewery at Trabelsdorf (no relation to the massive lager company) has a 9.5% one called Affumicator Triple Rauchbier Bock which - "drawn straight from the lagering tank, sent us all into ecstasies"

 

[scottdisco]

really really really good

apparently the same brewery also do the hoppiest UK beer ever.

BrewDog's Hardcore IPA - the first 150 IBU+ double IPA ever brewed in the UK. Containing more International Bitterness Units (IBUs) than any other UK beer, it is a huge, insanely hopped West Coast IPA.

i've certainly drank enough hoppy American IPAs down the years and after a while it seems like a bit of a dead end to me.

not to diss American craft brew IPAs which are rightly lauded for being true to the original principles of historic IPAs etc, and i've had some amazing ones

 

[owengriffiths]

Don't forget the vaguely New Age/Stonehenge-y/fantasy-inspired angle too - you know, beers called Hobbit's Bollock and all that. I guess Wychwood are the brewery that have really made this their own, though it's hardly their unique preserve.

The logical conclusion to this is to create a beer that tastes better when chilled, and call it (colder than a) 'Witches Tit'. Would be interested to know where the fairytale names thing comes from

 

[Martin Dust]

The logical conclusion to this is to create a beer that tastes better when chilled, and call it (colder than a) 'Witches Tit'. Would be interested to know where the fairytale names thing comes from

If it was called Witches Tit (which is a great name) would it have to be served flat?

 

[scottdisco]

haha at Martin and Owen

in seriousness, the Burnley brewer Moorhouses already do

and

and

i'd hope they have the balls to put out a Witch's Tit!

 

[STN]

I had a pint of a beer called Black Pearl the other day down the Wetherspoons. It was really, really lovely.

 

[Mr. Tea]

If it was called Witches Tit (which is a great name) would it have to be served flat?

Yeah, it's "flatter than a witch's tit", which is not (as you might think) anything to do with the typical croney-ness of witches, but comes from the fact that some people are born with a third nipple and that this has traditionally been associated with witchcraft/the Devil/the mark of Cain, kinda thing.

Edit: there really is a beer called "Witch's Tit", can't remember who brews it though.

I had a pint of a beer called Black Pearl the other day down the Wetherspoons. It was really, really lovely.

If that's the Black Pearl I'm thinking of - from the Dwan brewery - it's gorgeous. They used to have it (might still do, I dunno) along with the St. Peter's beers and Warsteiner lager at the Jerusalem Tavern. I know there aren't many real ale breweres in the RoI, but most of the beers I've had from them have been top notch. Carlow and Biddy Early are two other Irish brewers worth checking out.

 

[STN]

If that's the Black Pearl I'm thinking of - from the Dwan brewery - it's gorgeous. They used to have it (might still do, I dunno) along with the St. Peter's beers and Warsteiner lager at the Jerusalem Tavern. I know there aren't many real ale breweres in the RoI, but most of the beers I've had from them have been top notch. Carlow and Biddy Early are two other Irish brewers worth checking out.

nice one. love the Jerusalem, but am not keen on St Peters, so good to have an excuse to go there...

 

[Martin Dust]

Talking of daft names. I was once in some real ale pub with the lads and got one of them a cider, "what's this called then" he asked. "Scrumpy Ball Bag" I said without laughing.

Next round he goes to the bar and orders 4 pints and a pint of Scrumpy Ball Bag please. The barmen say to the other barmen, which tap for the Scrumpy Ball Bag? and then gives it, Are you sure it was Scrumpy Ball Bag sir? It's not on our list (but he did have to look), I nearly wet myself.

 

[Mr. Tea]

There's clearly some positive correlation between being called 'Martin' and being a highly accomplished piss-taker.

 

[scottdisco]

ooh Matron

from the - design wise - pretty unimaginative Wychwood stable (eg my lager boy moan upthread) it's no real surprise to see this pretty poor clip for an autumn seasonal of theirs (the sub-head reads A REAL HANDFUL)

incidentally, Wychwood/Brakspear now taken over by Marston's - when did that happen, anyone?

speaking of Marston's one of my locals was a Hydes house (Hydes the character-filled Mancunian family independent, w some top-notch seasonals, great milds, fine pale ales, the notorious winter time XXXX, and some classic hoppy, dry, typically northwestern bitters) but has been taken over by Marston's.

i did have a decent half of Jennings Cumberland w my lunch there yday to be fair

incidentally, all Irish cooking lager Harp is brewed under contract by Hydes in Moss Side - i think this applies to every last drop of competently mediocre Harp anywhere on earth. quite a negative claim to fame if you ask me

 

[Mr. Tea]

Oooh, Jennings...their Snecklifter is a perennial favourite of mine. One of the best bottle beers going at the moment, I reckon.

Funny thing about Marston's is that yonks ago they did a great strong pale number called Imperial Ale or something - basically an IPA - that was AMAZING, one of the best bottled beers I've ever had and it wasn't even bottle conditioned. Not seen it for years, though. All their other beers, though perfactly passable in the scheme of things, are a bit disappointing by comparison. Their 'single malt' beer is actually pretty good, having said that.

 

[matt b]

Oooh, Jennings...their Snecklifter is a perennial favourite of mine. One of the best bottle beers going at the moment, I reckon.

Funny thing about Marston's is that yonks ago they did a great strong pale number called Imperial Ale or something - basically an IPA - that was AMAZING, one of the best bottled beers I've ever had and it wasn't even bottle conditioned. Not seen it for years, though. All their other beers, though perfactly passable in the scheme of things, are a bit disappointing by comparison. Their 'single malt' beer is actually pretty good, having said that.

You had Landlord from the bottle?

LUSH.

 

[wonk_vitesse]

This Augustiner stuff from Munich is excellent. I doubt I'll ever find in London though. Propa bottled German beer doesn't seem to get exported to the UK much apart from the odd Erdinger / Paulaner.

 

[scottdisco]

Funny thing about Marston's is that yonks ago they did a great strong pale number called Imperial Ale or something - basically an IPA - that was AMAZING, one of the best bottled beers I've ever had and it wasn't even bottle conditioned. Not seen it for years, though. All their other beers, though perfactly passable in the scheme of things, are a bit disappointing by comparison. Their 'single malt' beer is actually pretty good, having said that.

was that like those strong old-style IPAs the likes of Burton Bridge do and Worthington White Shield and all that?
Marston's Old Empire is alright IIRC, 5.7% too.

This Augustiner stuff from Munich is excellent. I doubt I'll ever find in London though. Propa bottled German beer doesn't seem to get exported to the UK much apart from the odd Erdinger / Paulaner.

drools at this and Matt's bottled Landlord.

Wonk, do you know the British Guide to German Bottled Beer website? i'm sure it isn't exhaustive but aims to provide a "guide to finding German Beer in Britain, in pubs, bars, restaurants or specialist off licences"

i only saw it one time but this Marston's was OK

 

[scottdisco]

just found a splendid website

Stockport Pub Guide

Few, if any, towns or cities within the UK can offer a selection of pubs to compare with Stockport. It has an unbeatable combination of traditional locals, classic heritage pubs, notable free houses and quality cask ales from a variety of independent brewers, including all four of Greater Manchester's established family brewers, together with up-and-coming micros such as Pennine and Beartown. While mainly an urban area, there's also a small but impressive selection of country and village pubs to the south and east of the Metropolitan Borough area. The welcome is warm, prices are reasonable and the attitude towards closing times is generally relaxed.

quite.

 

[scottdisco]

procrastination through beer

as Hucks and Matt would tell us, Norfolk and Yorkshire are the capital of British brewing! (certainly in terms of raw numbers of breweries anyway.)

using science (the Quaffale website, that is), you go to the page where it lists currently active breweries by county and crunch the numbers. they say it was last updated 5 Feb '09.

British & Northern Irish ceremonial counties w the most current, active breweries

W Yorks - 37
Norfolk - 31
Devon - 28
Derbyshire - 27
N Yorks - 27
Cumbria - 26
Gtr Mcr - 23
Somerset - 21
Staffordshire - 21
Cornwall - 21
Lincolnshire - 19
Essex - 17
Lancashire - 16
Gloucestershire - 16
Shropshire - 16
W Midlands - 16

those are the biggest numbers