Beer And Beer Drinking

[Mr. Tea]

This is interesting - How to Identify Yeast Flavors in Beer: Wild Yeast and Bacteria

Great link, I had a read when you posted it the other day, thanks. I had no idea bacteria were ever used deliberately to flavour beer, I thought they only ever spoiled it.

I'm sure I heard once about certain lambics or similar (presumably organic) beers being slightly 'trippy' due to LSD-like chemicals caused by ergot or related moulds, but I dunno if these were meant to be present on the barley before brewing or a contaminant during the brewing process. It's probably bollocks because enough ergot alkaloids to make you trip would also make you very ill.

 

[viktorvaughn]

Brussels was pretty ace for beer drinking, managed to try 14 different one.

Had 3 gueuze (Mort Subite, Tilquin and Belle Vue) and am definitely sold on them, very refreshing in the face of the strong and strong tasting dubbels and the dark ones. It was also nice to have beers around 5% as it's possible to have a couple at lunchtime without feeling knocked out! Didn't see any branded as just lambic (i understand gueuze is blended new and old lambics).

I had a couple of dark strong beers (Delirium Nocturnum and Rochefort 10) which were really not to my taste - so thick and syrupy tasting and the Rochefort was 11.3%! Good to know what to avoid in the future anyhow.

I also had a few familiar ones like Hoegaarden, Duvel and Ciney Blond. One of the best others was Orval, a trappist one with some sour/dry notes almost like the gueuzes.

I did try to ask for a Flemish red but the guy said that red beer to him meant fruit beer so didn't get anywhere with that one.

It's great how even a little local bar has a selection of 5 or 6 beers.

 

[Slothrop]

Cool!

The Flemish red thing confirms something I've been told before - that although "flemish red" is the accurate name for them, they're universally known as "Rodenbach style" to the point that a lot of people don't know what a "flemish red" actually is.

Had some nice beer this weekend: friday we stayerd in with some bottles - mostly Wild Beer Co things which were good but were trumped by a bottle of Hardknott Infra Red - a Red IPA (yeah, I know) with a really nice rich undertone. Saturday we went out and had various stuff but particularly liked Oakham 3K (typical Oakham stuff, but specially brewed for the 3000th beer sold in that pub), Farmers "A Drop of Nelson's Blood" (nice rich bitter), and Newby Wyke Black Squall, which was sort of what you'd expect.

 

[baboon2004]

It's expensive, but the Dovetail in Farringdon has about 100 beers or so, mostly Belgian, if I remember correctly. Obviously I left barely being able to walk, so memory may be clouded...

 

[Ransbeeck]

The Flemish red thing confirms something I've been told before - that although "flemish red" is the accurate name for them, they're universally known as "Rodenbach style" to the point that a lot of people don't know what a "flemish red" actually is.

Rodenbach is probably my favourite every day beer and I didn't know it was called a "flemish red". As Viktorvaughn experienced, I would also think of Kriek or another fruit beer.

Has anyone here tried the Austrian Trappist, Gregorius? I've had all other 7 so I'd like to try the 'new' one.

 

[viktorvaughn]

It's expensive, but the Dovetail in Farringdon has about 100 beers or so, mostly Belgian, if I remember correctly. Obviously I left barely being able to walk, so memory may be clouded...

Had a look online and it's the sister pub of the Dove on Broadway market. They both seem to have pretty serious beer lists with 4 or 5 gueuzes and faros and a load of other stuff..shit loads of trappist beers etc.

Will check it out, cheers.

 

[viktorvaughn]

Rodenbach is probably my favourite every day beer and I didn't know it was called a "flemish red". As Viktorvaughn experienced, I would also think of Kriek or another fruit beer.

Interesting, sounds like I should have asked for a Rodenbach, will do next time.

 

[viktorvaughn]

The whole sour beer thing is very interesting to me. I think of them of the sourdoughs of the beer world. Some articles here.

Sour Beer Is Risky Business

Pucker Up, Buttercup

 

[viktorvaughn]

Cool!

The Flemish red thing confirms something I've been told before - that although "flemish red" is the accurate name for them, they're universally known as "Rodenbach style" to the point that a lot of people don't know what a "flemish red" actually is.

Had some nice beer this weekend: friday we stayerd in with some bottles - mostly Wild Beer Co things which were good but were trumped by a bottle of Hardknott Infra Red - a Red IPA (yeah, I know) with a really nice rich undertone. Saturday we went out and had various stuff but particularly liked Oakham 3K (typical Oakham stuff, but specially brewed for the 3000th beer sold in that pub), Farmers "A Drop of Nelson's Blood" (nice rich bitter), and Newby Wyke Black Squall, which was sort of what you'd expect.

Sounds like a good lot, what's a Red IPA?

The other style that sounds interesting is Saisons, the farmhouse beers that are like our traditional scrumpys is suppose. The Cock Tavern did a whole saison themed night with versions from loads of different breweries but I missed it unfortunately. However Beavertown Brewery in Haggerston have done a saison in their 'experimental' alpha range which I have got a bottle of so will report back..

 

[Immryr]

the standard rodenbach is ok, but the grand cru one is 5 million times better. so nice.

 

[Slothrop]

Sounds like a good lot, what's a Red IPA?

The other style that sounds interesting is Saisons, the farmhouse beers that are like our traditional scrumpys is suppose. The Cock Tavern did a whole saison themed night with versions from loads of different breweries but I missed it unfortunately. However Beavertown Brewery in Haggerston have done a saison in their 'experimental' alpha range which I have got a bottle of so will report back..

It's like an IPA, but less pale!

One of the Wild Beer Co ones we had was their Epic Saison, which was quite nice.

 

[Ransbeeck]

the standard rodenbach is ok, but the grand cru one is 5 million times better. so nice.

Have you had standard Rodenbach from the tap? Thousand times better than from a bottle. Don't know any other beer where the difference is so big.

 

[Immryr]

unfortunately not

 

[Mr. Tea]

Have you had standard Rodenbach from the tap? Thousand times better than from a bottle.

At the risk of sounding like a stuck record about Pilsner Urquell, much the same can be said about that beer.

 

[IdleRich]

Maybe this is already mentioned but the fairly basic Irish pub the Cock by Hackney Town Hall has re-opened as a wood panelled real ale pub with its own microbrewery in the back (it stinks) and loads of ales and ciders - and lagers for that matter - on tap.

 

[viktorvaughn]

I also got these nice gueuze glasses in Brussels which are just like wine glasses.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/f7sl44pqmgjb3g2/2013-03-26 20.55.38.jpg

 

[Mr. Tea]

Anyone else getting just a tiny bit tired of the apparently unstoppable rise and rise of ultra-hoppy/citrusy pale ales? I mean, they're great and everything, nothing better on a hot summer's afternoon, but I'm increasingly finding that pubs are stocking them to the exclusion of all else, and also unseasonably (e.g. when it's March and freezing cold, with snow settling). I just wish more pubs would stock porter/stout on tap (and while I'm not a huge mild fan I know Scott for one loves his milds - maybe they're still more common in the Midlands, I dunno).

 

[comelately]

Anyone else getting just a tiny bit tired of the apparently unstoppable rise and rise of ultra-hoppy/citrusy pale ales? I mean, they're great and everything, nothing better on a hot summer's afternoon, but I'm increasingly finding that pubs are stocking them to the exclusion of all else, and also unseasonably (e.g. when it's March and freezing cold, with snow settling). I just wish more pubs would stock porter/stout on tap (and while I'm not a huge mild fan I know Scott for one loves his milds - maybe they're still more common in the Midlands, I dunno).

Generally in craft-dominated pubs (I favour the Evening Star in Brighton) they have had a pretty decent selection of porters and stouts during the winter - they tend to be on the heavy side though and are not particularly session-friendly, so I am not shocked that pubs who are laying on one or two craft beers are going with the Ultra-hopped IPAs. It's hardly a terrible time to be a Porter drinker, you'd have struggled to find a bottle of it outside a Sam Smiths 5 years ago. And to be honest, even in December I'd prefer a pint of Citra (or the Brodie's Cranberry IPA I had yesterday) over a pint of Guinness.

And there are also Brown and Black IPAs of course

Another fan of the Wild Beer Company - Wildebeest is amazing, and the 'Put In Your Pipe' I had off keg recently was lush.

 

[Mr. Tea]

Yeah, Dark Star do a great range of beers, I love their Espresso Stout. But I often drink in the otherwise excellent Royal Oak in Oxford, where you'd have thought they might find room for one beer on their four hand pumps that isn't at the light/pale/hoppy/citrusy end of the spectrum. I just don't see the point in having four pumps if you're going to use them to serve four virtually indistinguishable (albeit nice) beers.

And what the cock is a brown/black "IPA"? Sounds like some Yanqui aberration. :-/

 

[comelately]

*shrug* Black lagers have been around for a while and can be very tasty, a Black IPA is a modern idea and does come from America - but that's where 75% of the inspiration for the UK Craft Beer 'scene' comes from. I used to occasionally read of Americans enjoying their Rum-cask stouts and whatnot with pangs of jealousy - now I get to enjoy similar beers, it's a good thing.

I have had a Coffee IPA too at King William IV in Leyton. Fun pub, in its way.

Dark Star Porter has been excellent but is a 'Jan-March' and will be finishing very soon They are doing a 6% 'Ruby Mild' in June. They're not calling their Espresso beer a Stout anymore for some reason.