I'd been looking forward to this one since it arrived a week and a half ago: Sole Bay Celebratory Beer, a special edition, 10% ABV, sparkling, Belgian-style ale brewed by Adnams to celebrate the 350th anniversary of their Sole Bay brewery.

Following a spot of helpful advice from Baron Orm I put the bottle in the fridge last weekend and then, chilled right down and glistening with perspiration, popped the cork on it last night. (The occasion I'd decided to celebrate? As suggested by @pintsandpubs: Friday. Also, as it turned out, a 4-0 England win over Bulgaria, which was a handy bonus.)

Here's how the Sole Bay Celebratory looked after I'd poured the first measure into a tulip glass (the closest thing you'll find to a champagne flute in our house):

Isn't that a beautiful colour? Like sunset over the sea...

The aroma was gently sweet and faintly floral, nothing too intense. Carbonation was good: a steady flood of tiny, tonsil-tickling bubbles. And the flavour? A huge hit of instantly recognisable Belgian-styling, with honeyed malt, crisp shortbread biscuit, luxurious caramel, just a faint touch of hazelnuts or almonds, a splash of soft sherry and a nip of Irish whiskey. All those sweet, sweet flavours were then chased down by a lingering dryness on the after-taste which, coupled with the chilled-down carbonation, kept the overall profile in excellent balance and made for a sense of intense refreshment.

As the beer warmed a little - over the course of measure two and the half-glass that was left for measure three - that crisp, refreshing edge diminished slightly, but a those sugary flavours intensified and became more pronounced; by now I was getting sticky toffee-pudding and more fruit: ripe honeydew melon in particular. At one point I had a swig after nibbling a square of Green & Black's fruit & nut milk chocolate and the result was an explosion of marzipan (and I'm a big fan of marzipan, so I repeated that little experiment a couple more times, just to be sure I had it right.)

In conclusion, then: a rather lovely, rather wonderful beer that would be a worthy accompaniment to any celebration. I reckon I'll be ordering another couple of bottles of this one from Adnams in the very near future. One to keep until Yueltide / New Year, and one to store for a fair bit longer. I rather suspect that Sole Bay Celebratory will turn out to be a beer with great potential for alchemical magic, given a few years to let those sugars calm down a bit.

Huge thanks to the good folks at Adnams for their generosity in sending this one along for me to sample. And please don't sell the rest before I can find my credit card...

Related posts:

1. New Arrival: from out of the Sole Bay Blue
2. Tasting Notes: Adnams Tally-Ho
3. Tasting Notes: Adnams Spindrift

My personal highlights this time around:

• Black Sheep Golden Sheep Ale
• Fuller's Bengal Lancer [TN]
• Badger Blandford Fly
• Badger Poacher's Choice [TN]
• Wells Bombardier
• Wells Bombardier Burning Gold [TN]
• Young's Special London Ale

Mind you, I didn't actually pick any of those up this time around. Because my eye leapt instantly to a particularly tempting 3 for £5 on the bottom shelf:

• Brakspear Triple

One of my very favourite strong ales on special offer, y'say? Half a dozen of those? Don't mind if I do. And this time, I really must post some tasting notes, dammit.

Related posts:

1. Bargainwatch: new selection of 2 for £3 ales at Sainsburys
2. Tasting Notes: Bombardier Burning Gold
3. Bargainwatch: new selection of 3 for £5 ales at Sainsburys

The first likely victim to be named was the Crown and Cushion. I have to admit that when I heard about this I was annoyed - in a general purpose, anti-pub-closure kinda way - but as I've never been in the place (purely because it's a Holt's pub and Holt's pubs almost never have guest beers on alongside their own, and I've got three or four Holt's pubs within walking distance of my house if I actually fancy a pint of something by Holt's) I wasn't actually upset, per se.

Then I read PoM's follow-up post: two more pubs possibly under threat? One being the Ducie Bridge (and I have to admit, this didn't worry me much as again I've never been in there and don't have any plans to - fronting a hugely busy road junction and largely off the beaten track, it's got to be one of the most uninviting pub locations in the city centre) but when I spotted that The Angel might also be at risk, I started taking a lot more notice. I've had a couple of good meals and some very good pints indeed in that establishment since the new owners took over a year or so back and they're making a real effort to raise their game across the board, so if The Angel was to close, that really would be a shame.

Time for a spot of investigative blogging...

First port of call, the Co-Operative's own micro-site about the development at http://www.co-operative.coop. Here we find a map of the planned development:

I've marked the location of the three pubs in question:

1. The Crown & Cushion
2. The Ducie Bridge
3. The Angel

Judging by the plan, I'd say that the Ducie Bridge and The Angel should both be safe, as only the Crown & Cushion is contained within the yellow-shaded area that presumably represents the development's immediate footprint.

But PoM also mentioned a promo video / walk-through of the development, which PoM thinks "renders the redeveloped area without a Crown & Cushion, and presumably the Ducie Bridge and New Century Hall is also marked for demolition?"

It's difficult to tell. Here's a still from the crucial section of the video:

Again, I've marked the location of the three pubs, in the same order. There still seems to be a building shown at the location of the Crown & Cushion, although the surrounding buildings seem to have been altered, so maybe that area is due to be redeveloped, in which case that C&C could still be at risk (and indeed, judging by the comments on PoM's campaign post, closure has been confirmed). And there's an ominous gap where the Ducie Bridge should be, although that all depends on whether those darker-shaded grey areas represent open space of some sort (in which case the pub will have been demolished, clearly) or simply the footfall of buildings that will still be standing, but have been omitted form the video to allow for a clearer view of the new building. In which case it might not be a problem.

The good news is that, again, The Angel appears to be untouched. And of course, given their recent move in the direction of fine dining and great ales, then the presence of a brand new corporate HQ right over the road might actually give them a major boost, especially if the current renovations continue apace, or they stick an extension on the side, where there's been an empty plot for as long as most folks can probably remember. Not to mention the potential surge in lunchtime trade from thousands of construction workers in the interim... could be a real opportunity for them, and other pubs in the area (The Marble Arch, the Crown & Kettle, the Smithfield Hotel to name but a few more).

But anyway, all of the above is pure speculation, of course. Only one way to clear this up: according to the latest Co-Op press release on the subject, the project's lead developers are BAM construct UK. According to the release: "Director of BAM in the North West, Steve Byrne said :'The Co-operative Group's new home and the ambitious programme to deliver it is a great showcase for how BAM builds. The project will bring long term economic, social and environmental benefits to the community around it.'"

I've dropped them a line to ask whether any of the three pubs mentioned are due to be demolished or whether they're actually in line to reap some of those economic benefits. We'll see what they have to say on the subject if and when they get back to me.

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Holt’s 1849

Top Notch Bank Holiday Weekend beer #2 was a delicious pint of Villain from the Hornbeam Brewery in nearby Denton. This one was on tap at The Angel when Jo and I headed up there on Saturday evening and as I was lining up the first of the night I thought I'd give it a go.

I was very glad indeed that I did. A light, golden colour with a creamy white head, Hornbeam Villain was hugely refreshing, with a zingy, slightly floral, hop-fuelled citrus hit up front and a long, long dry finish. Best of all though was the fantastic, silky mouth-feel, which helped it down a treat, and at 3.8% it's a great session strength.Jo was impressed as well, as was a couple from Blackburn a couple of tables away who'd been out on a session since lunchtime and happily declared this the best pint of the day.

Come to think of it, Villain reminded me quite strongly of Boddington's bitter; specifically the cask version of Boddington's that I'd occasionally encounter back when I was a student (so we're going back 18+ years now) and a particularly good batch made it up the road from Strangeways Brewery (dead and gone) to The Griffin (likewise long since demolished) on Lower Broughton Road. Happy memories.

Anyhow, there's no mention of this one on the Hornbeam website yet, so I have no idea if it's a seasonal or a permanent addition to the range, but I'll happily have another one if it's on again next time I'm in The Angel. Or anywhere else.

(Excellent Bank Holiday Beer #3, if anyone is actually keeping count, was firm favourite Howard Town Dark Peak, which I decided to move on to a bit later in the evening, it being a 6.4% dark rum porter and all...)

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Cairngorm Nessie’s Monster Mash
2. Tasting Notes: Thornbridge Ashford
3. Tasting Notes: Wye Valley Butty Bach & Wye Valley Bitter

Here's the rest of the press release:

"Phase 1 has been to produce 3 cask ales - ‘Classic’ a 3.8% refreshing golden ale, ‘Legend’ a 4.3% copper-coloured fruity beer and ‘Platinum Blonde’ a 5% full flavoured hoppy ale.

"Phase 2 will take a little longer - a refurb of The Rose to include a small brewery (1.5 - 2 barrel) to indulge in some 'extreme brewing' - small batches of unusual, individual and distinctive beers to be mainly bottled - guest brewers and enthusiastic amateurs are welcome to become involved!

"Both pubs will become 'Beer Emporiums' and will exclusively sell these beers plus bottled beers from Belgium, Germany, USA and anywhere else offering exciting and different brews. Phase 2 is expected to be completed later this year.

"'Classic' and 'Legend' are on sale now at The Ketts Tavern and The Rose."

I don't know about you, but I like the sound of that extreme brewing project.

A further email from Dawn, just in today, adds that "Norwich Bear Brewing Co's Platinum Blonde (5%, full flavoured and hoppy) is available now for the first time, ever, anywhere in the whole great big wide world, at The Rose".

Norwich is quite a trek from Manchester, so it's unlikely that I will be able to sample Norwich Bear's beers any time soon, alas. But it's always great to see a new brewery starting up and I'd like to wish Kevin, Dawn and Carlos every success with their venture!

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Port Brewing Santa’s Little Helper 2008
2. Where’s the Innovation in the UK Brewing Industry?

From the drinker's perspective: at entry level, there's a simple search that enables you to check for pubs in a particular region and see what they're serving, or check for a specific beer and see which pubs or beer festivals in a particular region might be able to see you right. Then, if you sign up for free membership, you can add your favourite beers to your profile and opt to receive alerts - the website promises to send you a text or email note when a pub within a specified distance of your postcode announces that they have one of your favourites available.

Terry tells me that they've successfully trialled the site in Cheltenham, but it's still very much early days in terms of a national roll-out; they've been concentrating on encouraging breweries to sign up and supply up-to-date data - this sort of real-time offering is always going to be dependent on the goodwill of its data-suppliers for its overall effectiveness - and 710 of them have come on board so far. They're now working on the next phase: signing up as many pubs as possible and persuading them to update the site with their ale (and cider) selections.

So whilst it's still a bit hit and miss at the moment, results-wise, the system shows a lot of early promise. And with an iPhone App version of the site available via the Apple App Store, Terry is clearly hoping that YourRound.co.uk will become a useful mobile ale-location tool as well. One to keep an eye on, definitely.

Related posts:

1. Axe the Beer Tax! Save the Pub!

The first of three rather excellent beers that I enjoyed this Bank Holiday weekend, The Backyard Brewhouse's East India ("Authentic Old English IPA") was also the second-to-last bottle left in the beer cupboard from the MyBreweryTap Spring 2010 Mixed Case that I invested in a couple of months ago.

East India poured a beautifully clear gold with a thick, tight white head. The initial flavour-burst offered deep, rich caramel malt, quickly cut through with a refreshing, sharply-contrasting hop-bite. Over the course of the bottle I also got hints of sweet honey, fiery ginger and zingy citrus, all wrapped up in a long, lingering dry finish. A wonderfully balanced beer. Deeply satisfying, deeply delicious. I'd definitely be happy to stock up on this one if I saw it again, although judging by the Backyard Brewhouse website, it's only an occasional brew, so that could be tricky.

Oh, and I almost had to nick Mark Dredge's FABPOW concept for this post as I supped my bottle of East India whilst tucking into a particularly tasty home-made pork burger (minced pork, grated apple, fresh sage, mint, rosemary, lots of black pepper, oats to bind it all into patties, then grilled to perfection and topped with melted red leicester) but I was just too busy tucking in to take a pic. But you can take my word for it: extremely good combination.

Related posts:

1. New Arrivals: MyBreweryTap.com Spring 2010 Mixed Brewery Case
2. Tasting Notes: Adnams East Green
3. Tasting Notes: Meantime India Pale Ale

The folks at Strangford Lough Brewing Company very kindly sent me a four-pack of their beers to sample back in June - apologies to them for my tardiness in posting the Tasting Notes - which contained bottles of St Patrick's Best session bitter and one each of their Barelegs Brew red-golden ale and Legbiter golden ale.

I tried all three varieties in one evening, the better to compare and contrast. Here's what I found:

Strangford Lough St Peter's Best Bitter, 3.8% ABV

Golden-amber coloured with a sweet, malty aroma, although that turned out to be slightly deceptive as the malt didn't quite carry through to the flavour for some reason. Instead there was a pleasantly gentle hop-bite with a tangy, green-apple sourness and apricot tartness lingering in the background. A bit of grassiness as well, which presumably comes through from the shamrocks used in the brewing process. All in all: a pleasant quaffing ale, although after a couple of these I think I would probably fancy something a little sweeter and richer...

Strangford Lough Barelegs Brew, 4.5% ABV

...which is where Barelegs Brew comes in, offering more in the way of biscuity caramel flavours, with just a hint of chocolate - very similar to those Tunnocks caramel wafer bars, in fact - with a drier after-taste. Richer, sweeter and quite warming; a very drinkable brew and probably my favorite of the three...

Strangford Lough Legbiter, 4.8% ABV

...because Legbiter, whilst on paper the most promising, actually turned out to be the least impressive on the night. Slightly maltier than St Patrick's Best, slightly hoppier than Barelegs brew and blending elements of both (including the Shamrock again, I think), Legbiter seemed to firmly occupy the middle-ground between the two, without really asserting its individuality, despite its slightly higher ABV. Which was a bit of a shame; high hopes not fully realised and all that.

To summarise: I enjoyed all three beers - to a greater or lesser degree - and would be happy to drink them again (in fact, I'd already tried a couple of them about a year or so earlier, on a trip to stay with friends who live a couple of miles to the south of Strangford Lough). And maybe the bottle of Legbiter I had just wasn't at its best. Or maybe it's just one of those beers that's best enjoyed on draft. Although I'm not entirely sure it's available on draft; as stated on their website, Strangford Lough Brewing Company is very firmly focused on the ex-pat Irish / US export market, much more so than the local Irish and UK markets, so I think theirs might be a bottle-only operation.

Thank you very much indeed to the good folks at SLBC from sending these over for me to try!

Related posts:

1. New Arrivals: four-packs from Namibia and Northern Ireland
2. Tasting Notes: Marble Brew 1734
3. Tasting Notes: Marble Beer 57 & Marble Brew 1691 Mild

A new Marble brew on the bar at the Marble Arch? Had to be done. Brew 1734 is (as I understand things) part of an ongoing series of experimental try-outs which have included the rather excellent Marble Brew 1691 strong ruby mild that I enjoyed so much a few months back.

Brew 1734 poured a deep red-brown with ruby highlights and delivered plenty of rich chocolate malt flavours, with hints of red wine & whisky and a slightly sour bitter-orange after-taste. It all started out rather nicely balanced and pleasantly drinkable, but I have to admit that by the end of the pint it had started to get a bit too sticky and cloying for my taste. So whilst I enjoyed most of my first pint of Brew 1734, I didn't rush back for another, switching to a palate-cleansing pint of Marble Pint for my next one.

Maybe this one rolled out of the lab just a few months too soon? Because if they cranked up the ABV to something like 7% and stuck a bit of cinnamon or nutmeg in as well, I reckon Marble would have a cracking Xmas brew on their hands; a proper, spicy winter-warmer that would sit alongside the likes of Gouden Carlous Christmas without being at all abashed. What do you reckon to "Marble Cracker"? Quite a nice ring to it, I reckon.

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Marble Beer 57 & Marble Brew 1691 Mild
2. Tasting Notes: Marble Pint, Marble Dobber, Marble Summer
3. Another Rather Excellent Evening at the Marble Arch, Manchester

Which is why when Richard Burhouse of MyBreweryTap (@MyBreweryTap) announced the launch of the US 52 Week Beer Club yesterday, it didn't take me long to decide to sign up.

I did the sums first of course: with the initial delivery charge taking the price to £125.98, it works out at around £2.42 a bottle over the year. Which is slightly more that you would expect to pay for the two or three US imports currently on offer in Tesco, but perhaps slightly less than the independent retailers tend to charge, especially for some of the more interesting brews on their shelves.

And the first quarter's selection looks pretty darn interesting to me:

• Anchor - Liberty Ale ABV 5.9%
• Brooklyn - East India IPA ABV 6.8%
• Flying Dog - Raging Bitch ABV 8.0%
• Flying Dog - Old Scratch Lager ABV 5.3% [TN]
• Odell - St Lupulin ABV 7.0%
• Odell - Cutthroat Porter ABV 4.8%
• Sierra Nevada - Torpedo IPA ABV 7.2%
• Goose Island - IPA ABV 5.9%
• Goose Island - 312 Urban Wheat ABV 4.2%
• Dogfish Head - 90min IPA ABV 9.0%
• Dogfish Head - India Brown Ale ABV 7.2%
• Victory - Hop Wallop ABV 8.5%
• Victory / Dogfish Head / Stone - Saison Du Buff ABV 6.8%

There's only one on that list I've sampled before, and just the two that I've already got in the Beer Cupboard already. A few candidates for cellaring and maturing, but most of those look like they can be enjoyed young, so I'm definitely looking forward to getting stuck in when that first consignment arrives.

If you want to join the US 52 Week Beer Club you'll have to be quick: MyBreweryTap are limiting the club to 50 subscriptions in order to guarantee supplies of the more interesting and/or limited brews and I know for a fact that there's a maximum of 49 available as of 20 minutes ago...

Related posts:

1. New Arrivals: the haul from London and York
2. New Arrivals: MyBreweryTap.com Spring 2010 Mixed Brewery Case
3. National Winter Ales Festival in Manchester this week

Highlights of the current selection include:

• Bath Ales Barnstormer [TN]
• Bath Ales Golden Hare
• Marston's Old Empire
• Black Sheep Ale [TN]
• Timothy Taylor's Landlord
• Theakston's XB

I also noticed a few new ales on the shelves last time I was in Tesco, two or three weeks back. They weren't actually on offer, but it's good to see Tesco rotating their range, which they seem to do a bit more often than Sainsbury's.

The new offerings I spotted were:

• Ridley's Old Bob
• Greene King Very Special IPA
• Daleside Old Leg Over
• Robinson's Unicorn
• Tolly Cobbold Phoenix
• Jenning's Sneck Lifter
• Hawkshead Lakeland Gold
• Fuller's ESB

The only one of those I picked up at the time was the Greene King Very Speical IPA. More on that later. The Old Bob and the Phoenix are Greene King beers as well, by the way.

Related posts:

1. Bargainwatch: new selection of 3 for £5 ales at Sainsburys
2. Bargainwatch: Flying Dog, BrewDog, Grimbergen and more at Tesco
3. Bargainwatch: new selection of 2 for £3 ales at Sainsburys

Handsome devil it is, too, with it's elegant livery and classy presentation tin:

Mind you, now I'm torn. The polite thing to do would be to sample it and post the Tasting Notes, tout-de-suite. But from the sounds of things, this one could be a bit on the sweet side and maybe a few months' cellaring might help tone it down a bit? So maybe I should save it for a suitably celebratory occasion instead?

Only one thing to do, I reckon: sample it as soon as decently possible, then decide whether it's the sort of beer that's good to glug young or would definitely improve with age and (frankly, in either case) grab a couple more bottles from the Adnams webstore before the limited edition bottling runs out. Sounds like a plan to me.

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Adnams Sole Bay Celebratory Beer
2. Tasting Notes: Adnams East Green
3. Tasting Notes: Adnams Lighthouse

Well, nothing that is except the fact that six months ago Jo and I picked a random weekend in October to go up to the Lake District, in order to use up this year's allocation of holiday club points (it's a semi-timeshare thing we joined ten years ago) and decided to pick the weekend of October 23rd. Which is, of course, now officially designated Manchester / Huddersfield Twissup weekend...

Long story short: can't change the Lake District booking. Can't attend the Manc / Hudd Twissup.

In the immortal words of Edmund Blackadder: I think the phrase rhymes with "clucking bell".

No related posts.

I'd been picking up beerblogosphere-wide hints and rumours about just how good a beer Fyne Avalanche is for quite a while, so when I saw it on draught at the Guildford Arms (during our Edinburgh trip a couple of months ago) I was in there like a shot.

A golden blonde ale (the pump-clip proclaimed that it was named the Best Golden Ale in the World not so long ago) Fyne Avalanche weighs in at a very pleasant session strength 4.5% ABV but still manages to pack a wallop in the flavour-department. There's a tonne of tasty malt in play, neatly cut through with a razor-sharp hoppy after-bite and a very citrusy freshness that makes this one quite delightully delicious, extremely easy to drink and incredibly more-ish. It really is one of those beers you could happily sup all night, without worrying that you'd missed out on something better a little further along the bar.

What's more, I've had the bottled version since (via the MyBreweryTap.com Spring 2010 Mixed Case) and for a change it just about holds up in comparison to its cask-based cousin, managing to pack in more flavour than most bottled ales could ever hope to.

What else can I say? The rumours are true: Fyne Avalanche is a fantastic golden ale. If you see it, try it.

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Fyne Highlander
2. Pub Notes: The Guildford Arms, Edinburgh
3. Tasting Notes: BrewDog The Physics

I've sampled local brewery Outstanding's Standing Out twice in the past few weeks; once at The Robert Peel up in Bury town centre and again on a trip down to The Magnet in Stockport, just last Friday.

Each time I was suitably impressed: a well-kept pint with good body, rich mouth-feel and that deeply satisfying flavour-burst that you get from a really good mid-strength pale ale. Not as dry or astringent as a big IPA, not as sweet or caramel-luxurious as a Belgian Dubbel (or Outstanding's own Pushing Out), but definitely a pint with a lot more to say for itself than your average session pale.

Think: Marble Dobber, Flying Dog Classic, Little Creatures Pale Ale, that sort of ball-park. Well worth trying if you see it on draught.

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Outstanding Pushing Out
2. Tasting Notes: Outstanding Stout
3. Tasting Notes: Outstanding OSB

Picked these three up at Utobeer in Borough Market. I'm a big fan of Flying Dog, having enjoyed pretty much everything of theirs I've managed to get my hands on to-date, so a chance to grab these three was just too good to miss.

• Flying Dog Double Dog - A Double Pale Ale, "dry hopped with an insane amount of Cascade and Columbus hops".
• Flying Dog Wild Dog - A 355ml version of the barrel-aged Gonzo Imperial Porter release.
• Flying Dog Raging Bitch - their 20th Anniversary brew, an 8.3% Belgian IPA.

Three more from Utobeer and then a bottle of the good stuff as a souvenir of our evening at The Porterhouse:

• Sierra Nevada Bigfoot - the 2010 / 35th anniversary release of Sierra Nevada's famous barleywine style ale.
• Hardknott Infra Red - the third release from Dave's brew house, a big, red, 6.5% IPA.
• Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale - one of a few legendary US brews I've been keeping an eye out for.
• Porterhouse Brain Blasta - a bottle of 7% thrice-hopped ale for the road.

These four all came from The Bottle in York. More big, bad American brews...

• Victory Golden Monkey - I was tempted by the Hop Devil next to it, but couldn't resist the Monkey's Belgian allure.
• Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA - 60 hop-additions over a 60-minute brew for a 6% ABV IPA with 60 IBUs.
• Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre - "A deep, mahogany Belgian-style brown ale brewed with beet sugar, raisins, and Belgian-style yeast." Had to be done.
• Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA - 90 hop-additions over a 90-minute brew for a 9%ABV IPA with 90 IBUs.

Some pretty special bottled ales there, I reckon. With what's in there already, my beer cupboard is nothing less than a treasure trove these days. Mind you, I think I really do have to start drinking some of it though, this hoarding habit of mine is getting a bit ridiculous...

Related posts:

1. All Hail the US of Ale, 52 Week Beer Club Style
2. New Arrivals: BrewDogs and Daas Organics
3. More New Arrivals… New Arrivals Galore

Jo and I have been to York a few times in the past couple of years but always on a weekend - so the historical sites we've actually wanted to visit have usually been closed to the public due to weddings. To get around this problem we nipped over on the train last Thursday. Arriving round about lunchtime, we headed in search of sustenance at the one York Brewery pub that we hadn't visited on previous occasions: the Three Legged Mare.

I was Jonesing for a pint of light, hoppy Terrier and a baked spud (or something like that), but alas the only food on offer was sandwiches (not much good to us wheat-intolerant types) so plan A fell at the first hurdle. Turning around, I spotted a Marston's pub - the Hole in the Wall - just down the road. Worth a gamble?

As it turned out: yes, it was well worth a visit. Inside it was a case of low ceilings, exposed beams, plaques on the wall proclaiming its historical associations with the nearby Minster and four hand-pumps on the bar. The Hobgoblin must have finished a the precise moment we walked in the door, so we opted for Mansfield Bitter, which turned out to be well-balanced hop/malt combo and an ideal lunchtime pint at a genteel 3.9% ABV. We also ate heartily: a well-portioned plate of pork steaks and black pudding served on a big dollop of creamy mashed spud with apple gravy (recommended!) for me and an equally generous helping of pan-fried white fish in a crayfish sauce with new potatoes. If that's standard Marston's fayre then I might seek them out more often...

Nicely refuelled by our dinner-sized lunch we then headed off to do some tourist-stuff - namely have a shufty around Barley Hall, a medieval residence just off Stonegate - and then Jo very kindly let me wander back around the corner to The Bottle, a specialist beer retailer that just had to be done. After perusing the US imports section (once again: more on the results of that in a future New Arrivals post) we chatted to the owner, who mentioned that he'd opened a bar upstairs earlier in the year. We reckoned it was probably about time for a pit-stop and frankly it would have been rude not to, so Jo and I climbed the stairs to The House of Trembling Madness, a former tea-room that also happens to be the oldest medieval hall in York and looks a little like this:

We opted for draught Anchor Steam Beer, which was served well-chilled but was still very flavourful, with a big malty base and a pleasantly sharp, hoppy after-bite. The rest of HoTM's draught beer selection was interesting - Kwak, La Trappe Dubbel and Timmermans Kriek - and the fridge was stocked with a good selection of bottles from downstairs. About the only thing missing was a session bitter, but then there are plenty of other session-bitter filled public houses in town after all. A bit of a hidden gem that's worth seeking out, the House of Trembling Madness has a lot to offer if you're feeling slightly more adventurous.

Time was ticking on and we'd missed the chance to spend a decent amount of it looking round the Merchant Venturer's Hall (which sounded very much like a good excuse for another trip to York at a later date) so we set off to stroll around the city walls and enjoy the sunshine for a while instead. That done, we then wandered back through the city centre and headed south of the river towards The Old Siam; a rather good Thai restaurant on Mickelgate that we've eaten at three or four times in the past. And as we were a little early even for early-doors, we stopped off at The Ackhorne on the way.

The Ackhorne is a proper drinking pub. Situated a couple of hundred yards up narrow, cobbled St Martin's Lane, it's far enough off the main Mickelgate drag to be out of sight to passing gangs of revellers, which means you've got a decent chance of enjoying a quiet pint. Mind you, The Ackhorne really does seem to specialise in session bitter - the selection last Thursday comprised London Pride, Greene King IPA, Marston's Pedigree and Deuchars IPA, with a tempting-looking Rooster's Yankee tucked in between them. Good choice: a 4.3% golden ale with a a big hit of malt and tangy, caramelised orange flavours, it was very drinkable indeed.

After a very tasty Thai meal Jo and I decided we had time (and room) for one more pint before heading back to the station, so we nipped three doors down to one of our favourite York pubs, Brigantes. It's part of the Market Town Taverns mini-chain of 10 pubs (all in Yorkshire) but manages to maintain a Free House feel with a range of eight to ten real ales on tap, a couple of real ciders and a good bottled beer list.

The friendly barlass explained that the three Kelham Island pumps were left over from the 'meet the brewer' event they'd hosted the night before. Jo and I thought we'd help them reduce their surplus stock; I fancied something big and flavourful to end the evening on so I went for a pint of Pale Rider. This 5.2% pale ale was rich and hoppy and, because it was poured via sparkler, I do have to say much better presented, with a much better mouthfeel than the sparkler-free pint of the same that I'd had at The Gunmakers earlier in the week (memo to self: remember to ask them to stick a sparkler on the pump next time you're in The Gunmakers, I'm sure they wouldn't mind).

Jo opted for a pint of American Stars and Bars, a 4.5% US-inspired pale ale brewed using a trio of American hops. Once again, it was light, fresh, hoppy and very tasty.

We'd ideally have liked to stay for a couple more before staggering off to a guest house, possibly via the York Brewery Tap around the corner (can you believe it - a whole day in York and not a single York Brewery ale passed my lips, never mind a Rudgate brew or two... something of a missed opportunity there, surely?) but the timetable suggested we should make our way to the station if we were to be home at a decent hour. Passing through both Dewsbury and Huddersfield on the way back to Manchester meant that we were forced to resist further temptation as well. Maybe next time we should factor in an overnight stay and a couple of stopovers on the way back, eh? Now there's a thought.

Related posts:

1. York Brewery announces expansion plans
2. York Brewery acquired by Mitchell’s Inns
3. New Arrivals: the haul from London and York

Saturday

Morning: Virgin Pendolino from Manchester Piccadilly, tube across town to base-camp: Fuller's Mad Hatter, Blackfriars.

Afternoon: Quick stroll down to Borough Market. Alas, The Rake was hammered, hadn't read Mark Dredge's review of Brew Wharf yet, so passed that one by. Dodged a rain shower by nipping into The Wheatsheaf, situated in the cellars of the old Hop Exchange. Perfectly pleasant pint of Phoenix Arizona (I know, all the way to London to drink beer from up the road in Rochdale, eh? You can take us Northerners out of the North...)

Also wandered into Utobeer, brilliant little place (about the same size as Beer Ritz), cracking selection of fantastic beers (more on that in next New Arrivals post). They should open a branch in Manchester, definitely.

Evening: Train out to Bromley, visiting good friends Sam and Chris. Takeaway from Tamasha - ordered something that turned out to be rabbit in creamy, lightly-spiced sauce - accompanied by a couple of bottles of Westerham's Little Scotney Pale Ale - red-brown, deliciously malty - then a more-than generous measure of Laphroig Quarter Cask (cheers, Chris!) Got back about midnight, extremely full and happy but too late for the hotel bar. Never mind.

Sunday

Morning / Afternoon: Weekend Tourist Destination #1: Hampton Court Palace. Good few hours mooching through medieval / baroque palaces; peering into display cases, suitably impressed by the architecture, generally soaking up the culture. Almost tempted by King's Table Ale at lunch' but £3.50 for 4% bottled session bitter helped decide against (bit early in the day and hot weather to boot). Had ice-cream instead. Two scoops. Also almost temped by leather tankard; which smelled great, looked pretty nifty. Flipped the thing over, saw £40.00 price tag (£5 cheaper online, apparently). Sanity quickly restored.

(Also, I spotted this fella in the courtyard, perched on top of so-called "wine fountain"... but I reckon I know a happy ale-drinker when I see one:)

Evening: Train back to town, quick tube ride up to Covent Garden. Dropped in on The Porterhouse for steak dinner (served with mountain of straw chips and rather pleasant bernaise sauce). Few pints of probably the best stouts to be found in London (well, outside of Greenwich, that being Meantime territory, obviously). Jo went for Plain Porter, I sampled Oyster Stout, switched to the Wrasslers XXXX for number two, stuck with that for the duration. Thought about Brain Blasta (strong ale, 7% ABV or so), decided to remain coherent instead.

(Incidentally, the Porterhouse has the best interior decor in the world. If you've been there, you'll know exactly what I mean: floor-to-ceiling cabinets filled with the most fascinating selection of bottled beers you're likely to see in your life. Here's a quick snapshot, which I hope I've been able to capture okay, given the suitable atmospheric conditions:

Love the place. Absolutely love it. They should also open a branch in Manchester, most definitely.)

Back to Mad Hatter for quick night-cap. Choice of several Fuller's ales, went for London Pride (I fancied something with more bite than Seafarer's Ale looked like it might deliver and I'd been disappointed by Chiswick bitter on a couple of occasions. The Pride was okay, but nothing special - honestly it really could've done with a sparkler to liven it up a bit, it was flat as the proverbial witch's what-not - but perhaps I should have gone for the ESB. I'll know better next time.)

Monday

Morning / Afternoon: Dropped suddenly-rather-heavy bags (again: next New Arrivals piece...) at Euston Left Luggage. Wandered round to Euston Square, jumped back on tube, headed down to Weekend Tourist Destination #2: Tower of London. Before joining heaving throng of tourists, headed across London bridge to Butler's Wharf in search of food. Passed site of Anchor Brewhouse; original Courage brewery, converted to apartment block (inevitably). (There was a plaque on the wall, which I duly snapped; click for a larger, more readable version:)

Next: The Tower. Apparently 2,400,000 visitors a year. Most seemed to turned up on same day as us. Can't blame them, weather was lovely, but queue for Crown Jewels ("royal bling" as Yeoman Warder Tour Guide put it) was quite ridiculous, likewise queue for 'Torture in the Tower' exhibition. Skipped those; did the medieval bits, checked out display of Royal Arms and Armour (well worth a look if you're a bit of a medieval military buff, although the £17.00 Tower entry ticket might be understandably off-putting), stuck our heads around gift shop door, checked out tourist tat. Once again, King's Table Ale and leather tankard both called. Once again, their allure was easily resisted.

Evening: En-route back to Euston, Jo suggested stopping at that Gunmaker's place that I keep going on about (I was only too happy to oblige). Wandered in, eyes drawn magnetically to chalk-board menu. Curses! Food plans foiled: kitchen not open until 18.30 (apparently they allow their chef time to rest, the mad, compassionate fools). Have to get back to Euston for 20.00 train (reserved single tickets, no choice). Too close to risk it.

Consolatory pint of Woodforde's Wherry - pleasant enough golden session beer with light, hoppy profile - then, half-way through pint of Kelham Island Pale Rider - stronger, slightly darker, much more pronounced hop-bite - legendary landlord Jeff appears from upper rooms, proceeds to win uber-Landlord Award. (He did this by catching sight of us out of the corner of his eye, stopping in mid-stride with an impressive double-take and then proceeding to remember not only the last time he spoke to me - which was just over a year ago - but also my name - which, to a bear of very little brain and even less useful memory like me, is pretty darn impressive, I can tell you. I introduced Jo, we chatted for a bit and then Jeff headed off to entertain his regulars, leaving us feeling thoroughly welcome and absolutely determined to head on back there the next time we're in town. We'll make damn sure we're there when the kitchen is open, too.)

Definitely needed food before two-hour train journey home. Aforementioned regular helpfully suggested The Bree Louise. Bloody good idea. Back on the tube, off again at Euston Square, round corner to Bree Louise. Ordered 2x New Yorker chicken (fried breast fillet covered in bacon and cheese, pile of chips, just the ticket) washed down with utterly underwhelming pint of gravity-dispensed Nethergate Umbel Magna (I've had both gravity beers at the Bree Louise and Umbel Magna elsewhere and they've both been much better, but so it goes...) followed by pint of Rebellion Mild - smooth, nutty, dark, quite pleasant - for the road.

Train. Taxi. Home. Bed. Pretty much exhausted, but extremely happy.

(We're already planning our next London jaunt: Brew Wharf, The Rake, Utobeer again, definitely The Gunmaker's, definitely The Porterhouse, maybe a trip over to Greenwich... oh, and perhaps some more tourist stuff as well. But no leather tankards for me. Not at £40 bloody quid a pop...)

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Fuller’s London Porter
2. Tasting Notes: Fuller’s London Pride, Fuller’s ESB
3. Tasting Notes: Sambrook’s Wandle

Northern Ireland has a new bottled beer on the shelves, and it’s the second offering from Clanconnel. I covered their first one back in January 2009 so they’re not exactly flooding the market with new releases. Back then, while I wasn’t totally won over by Weaver’s Gold I did reckon the brewery showed promise so I was certainly keen to try this new one.

McGrath’s Irish Red is named after champion greyhound Master McGrath, of whom you can read a bit more here. Colour is a dark amber, with a reddish glow when held up to the light. The aroma is very pleasant, malty toffee underpinned with some dark fruit notes. On to the drinking and the first taste I got was of smooth caramel and biscuit, then a touch of fruity bitterness coming through and lingering to a slightly dry nutty finish. Personally I felt the two aspects didn’t quite gel, the bitterness on the finish being a bit at odds with the caramel smoothness. Holding back slightly on one or the other would improve the overall taste for me, but it’s still a decent enough beer and I’ll look forward to the next offering from the brewery. Hopefully it won’t be another 18 months until that one.

Elsewhere: the Beer Nut gives it the thumbs up

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Weavers Gold
2. Tasting Notes: Hilden Cathedral Quarter
3. Tasting Notes: MyBreweryTap Mixed Case part 3

I love it when random chance turns up something a bit special. I placed an order with BeerMerchants.com a few weeks ago, mainly to get hold of a few Moor beers, along with the first couple from Kernel and a couple of Viven brews. By the time I'd added all of those I ended up £1.80 short of making the order a round £50.00 (with p&p). Floreffe Blonde was priced at £1.80... had to be done.

A couple of weeks ago, one of my online chess buddies and I were chatting about Belgian beer, so I thought I'd crack this one open and give it a go. I was very glad I did.

Floreffe Blonde poured a clear gold, with a big, bubbly Belgian head. There was a doughy, bread-ish aroma that carries over into the initial flavour and although it quickly gives way to a smooth, honeyed sweetness, there's still a hint of baked goods hanging on in the background right the way through. It's extremely tasty, very drinkable and dangerously more-ish. Lovely stuff. Enjoyed this one immensely.

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Jenlain Blonde
2. Tasting Notes: Blanche De Bruxelles
3. New Arrivals: Kernel, Viven, Moor (and more) from Beermerchants.com

That's because as well as flogging his tankards, David has also posted a couple of interesting articles on Tankard history, and one rather useful piece of advice on how to clean a pewter tankard without completely ruining it. Handy if you've got a grotty old pewter pot hanging around than could do with a bit of care and attention (I thought I had one myself, but I've just flipped the thing over and it says 'stainless steel' on the bottom, so that's going in the dishwasher after all...)

So there you go: a good example of how to use a blog to sell your products without just yelling "buy this!" at every opportunity and hoping for the best.

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He persuaded 171 people to part with £500 or more each in return for a 3% dividend paid from the rent on the pub, which was enough to buy the property outright and it reopened in June this year. The George and Dragon is now "once again the focus of village life and its new owner is planning to introduce a shop, internet access, a library and allotments".

Worth a thought if your local boozer is in danger of closing down, eh?

(I'd be happy to link back to the Sunday Times article, but of course it's behind their bloody stupid pay-wall. So I'll point you in the direction of plenty of other free-to-read pieces instead, via this handy Google search.)

Related posts:

1. Caley Brewery to satirise local news in Deuchars campaign
2. Axe the Beer Tax! Save the Pub!

Brewed back in 1996 by George Gale & Co (who were acquired by Fuller's back in 2005), this 7.1% ale was brewed with Maris Otter barley and Fuggles, Goldings and Challenger hops.

I'm guessing it's an IPA-style golden ale? Hard to tell through the brown glass, of course. I can't find any information on the CAMRA website and Google isn't turning up anything either.

I'm pretty sure this came into my possession by accident a few years back. I think it was courtesy of Jo's Nan, who had decided to clear out her own drinks cabinet and had found this bottle lurking behind the sweet sherry, Bells whisky and Canada Dry. I said "thank you very much" and brought it home, at which point it disappeared into our drinks cabinet and was forgotten about until a few weeks ago.

The best-before date is given as April 2000, but with its 7.1% ABV and - from the sounds of the label - plenty in the way of hop-content, I suppose there's a chance it might still be drinkable..?

What do the beer congnoscenti among you reckon? Best keep the cap firmly on? Possibly rank, but worth risking? Entirely safe to drink and most likely delicious? Or even, worth saving for CAMRA's 50th anniversary in 2021? I'd love to know what the experts out there think.

Here's a close-up of the label. Click for a larger version if you'd like to see it in a bit more detail:

Related posts:

1. From the Back of the Beer Cupboard #1 – Orcs Black Ale
2. The beer cupboard runneth o’er…
3. Supreme CAMRA Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2009

I picked this up back in 1998 at the first of the British Fantasy Society's annual Fantasycon events that Jo and I had both gone along to. One of the Fantasycon traditions is to hold a banquet (or, as it's come to be known by attendees in recent years, the "rip-off chicken dinner") before the announcing of the British Fantasy Awards.

The banquet that year was sponsored by Millennium Books (who are no longer around as they later merged with Gollancz). Millennium had just published the first book in Stan Nicholls' Orcs series - a fantasy saga about a squad of Orc warriors - so everything at the table was Orc-themed. Instead of going for the more obvious "elf-blood wine" they put complimentary bottles of "Orcs Black Ale" out on the tables and, being a compulsive souvenir-collector, I grabbed one to take home with me. I stuck it away at the back of the drinks cabinet (at the time all we had was a much smaller, much less beer-oriented storage compartment) and it's been there ever since.

I think it's pretty obvious from the bottle-neck which factory-produced, widely exported Irish "black ale" they re-labelled for the occasion. That, plus the lack of best-by date means that there's a racing certainty that this one will remain unopened and unsampled for a great many years to come...

Related posts:

1. From the Back of the Beer Cupboard #2 – CAMRA 25th Anniversary Ale
2. The beer cupboard runneth o’er…
3. You Show Me Yours… (or: The Beer Cupboard, redux)

• 3 for £4 on various beers including Grimbergen Blonde, Grimbergen Dubbel and Innis & Gunn Original Oak Aged Ale [TN].
• 4 for £5 on BrewDog Punk IPA [TN] and a whole raft of Badger ales (England's Gold, Golden Champion, three or four others), plus a few more from other breweries.
• 20% or so off Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter [TN] (£2.58 down to £2.06) and Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale [TN] (£1.76 down to £1.40)
• Leffe Brun 750ml (wine-bottle sized) for £2.00

They were also loading up the shelf with Young's Special London Ale at 94p a bottle. Baron, you want to get yourself on the motorway down to Tesco in Prestwich, mate... :)

Edit from Ed - The two Flying Dog offerings have been further reduced to half price, so I just emptied the shelf of my local of the Classic Pale Ale. At 88p each it would have been just wrong to leave them there.

Related posts:

1. New Flying Dog, Morrissey Fox and more at Tesco
2. Tasting Notes: Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale
3. Tasting Notes: Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter

There's nothing about the beer on the Potbelly website and only a brief mention on the Bellowhead website news page, but via @Bellowhead on Twitter I found out that Hedonism is a 4.5% golden summer ale.

I'm just hoping they haven't run out by the time Jo and I get to see them at the Waterside Arts Centre in November. Or (even better) that they've come up with a strong, dark, Winter version of Hedonism for those chilly November nights...

Here are a couple of Bellowhead videos to give you a taste of the sheer unbridled joy and manic energy they bring to their live shows:

Plenty more where those came from. And check the tour dates on www.bellowhead.co.uk for a gig near you.

No related posts.

So, if your favourite boozer has been tarted up recently, or you've found a new pub that's a sight for sore eyes and a pure pleasure to drink in, why not give the landlord/lady a nudge in the direction of the online entry form? I'll bet if they win they'll be only too happy to show their beer-flavoured appreciation, eh?

Related posts:

1. CAMRA announces Pub Design Awards 2008
2. Supreme CAMRA Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2009
3. Wetherspoons / CAMRA new members’ offer

Justin told us: "We'd love to make this a kind of 'Virtual Snug'. A place where lovers of real ale and great pubs can celebrate the Great British pub and great conversations." After a quick email exchange, he confirmed that they have plans to organise giveaways and competitions as well as, y'know, plugging Courage ales.

Parent company Wells and Youngs also has Facebook pages for their Wells Bombardier and Youngs Beers brands (if beer-flavoured Facebook updates are your sort of thing...)

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Bombardier Burning Gold

A Parcelforce delivery driver turned up out on my doorstep a few weeks ago, bearing a package that turned out to contain a complimentary bottle of Daas Ambré. This was a nice surprise and made a pleasant change from people trying to sell me gas and electricity (gas and electricity salespeople take note: try handing out free beer instead, you'll win many more friends that way).

I'd already sampled Daas Witte and Dass Blonde last October and enjoyed them both (Blonde more more than Witte) so I was happy to give the Ambré a go. And happily this one turned out to be the best of the three.

Pouring a rich amber-red-brown with a thin head, Daas Ambré delivers a warming, malty flavour with a noticeable alcohol hit, although nothing too over-powering. Orangey citrus flavours abound, along with a dollop of caramel and just a hint of whisky. Smooth, richly-flavoured, gently carbonated, all in all a very satisfying and drinkable Belgian with just enough oomph to be interesting. It's also certified organic; this is generally considered a Good Thing and I concur. Okay, I'm not convinced it makes a massive difference to the overall beer drinking experience, but it's reassuring to know I'm not imbibing too many unnecessary chemicals as part of the process.

This one was sent courtesy of Steve at Daas. Or possibly Steve at UK importer Fabulously Green. Anyway, he's the fella who replied to the 'thank you' email I sent, so: cheers Steve! The Witte and Blonde were complimentary bottles as well, which means I haven't actually bought a Daas beer yet. I'll be rectifying that as soon as I see Daas Ambré on sale.

Daas Ambre around the Beerblogosphere:

• Zak Avery was suitably impressed: thebeerboy.blogspot.com
• Andy Mogg likewise: www.beerreviews.co.uk

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Daas Organic Witte & Organic Blond
2. New Arrivals: BrewDogs and Daas Organics
3. Tasting Notes: Brasserie Lefebvre Floreffe Blonde

This, we're told, is "Frucool" - a term coined by Gillespie (a director of London and New York based sustainability communications agency Futerra) to promote / explain / encapsulate the concept of achieving coolness through personal frugality.

In short: it's a piece about the core principles behind CAMRA's LocAle campaign. Albeit one that doesn't once mention LocAle, or CAMRA. But still, it's always good to see someone with a national media platform advocating buying beer from local breweries rather than multinational megacorps.

Thanks to Mark Newton for the heads-up.

Related posts:

1. On Reluctant Scooper’s Wishlist Thinking
2. CAMRA announces Pub Design Awards 2008
3. The Greater Manchester 25: mission control

First up:

• Kernel Porter and Pale Ale
• Viven Porter and Ale

The Kernel beers were one of the main reasons for putting the order in, and I'd heard good buzz about the Vivens as well.

Next:

• Moor Old Freddie Walker, JJJ IPA, Peat Porter and Fusion

The other main reason for ordering... heard nothing but great things about these beers, looking forward to trying them.

And finally, to make up the 12-case, a few miscellaneous Belgians:

• Het Anker Gouden Carolus
• De Dolle Special Extra Export Stout
• Van Steenbergen Gulden Draak
• Brasserie Lefebvre Floreffe Blonde

Tasting notes to follow on all of the above in due course!

*Okay, okay, I confess. I hunted around for a bottle priced at £1.80 to make up the round number. Mild numerical OCD strikes again.

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Arabier
2. New Arrivals: via our First Ever Trip to Beer Ritz
3. More New Arrivals… New Arrivals Galore

"Goddamn, this stuff's good." Two mouthfuls into my first pint of the Wye Valley Butty Bach and I was already firmly convinced. Jo and I were staying at the Bull's Head in Chelmarsh (just outside the picturesque market town of Bridgnorth in the middle of green-and-leafy Shropshire) and seeing as they've always had a good selection of ales on the bar, it would have been rude not to stop off for one before we set off down the road to the in-laws' place.

Not too strong at 4.5% and boasting a rich, malty body with a delightfully crisp, sharp, hoppy after-bite, Butty Bach was incredibly refreshing and deeply satisfying; a classic English session bitter. That first pint was far from the last of the weekend, either. We were back down the pub again that evening after dinner (no point in turning in too long before last orders; it's an old building and not exactly well sound-proofed) and I didn't see much point in trying anything else.

The next day was Mum-in-Law's 60th birthday and after a slap-up carvery-style binge at the Punchbowl (accompanied by a couple of pints of entirely acceptable Hobson's Town Crier) Mum-in-law declared that she'd like nothing better than to pop up the road to the pub for the evening. Refuse the birthday girl's request? That would have been unforgivably rude.

There was just one snag, though: the Butty Bach had run out (bloody afternoon wedding party). I tried a pint of something else that turned out to be thin, sour and best-forgotten and was contemplating turning to the ample charms of Dorothy Goodbody's Golden Ale, but they put on a fresh cask of Wye Valley Bitter. It was only 3.7% and we were settling in for the evening, so I thought I'd give it a go.

I was very glad I did. Wye Valley Bitter tastes almost exactly the same as Butty Bach; a little lighter, a little less rich in the mouth-feel department, but otherwise: Butty Bach lite and quite lovely with it. Result.

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Wye Valley Summer Stinger
2. Tasting Notes: Beers of Shropshire #1
3. Tasting Notes: Golden Valley

I tried The Physics on draught in Edinburgh's Guildford Arms a few weeks ago. At the time I tweeted that I thought it was "...interesting" and despite having sampled the bottled version since then, I have to admit I'm still on the fence.

On paper everything sounds straight-forwardly tasty. There's a pleasant start - a red-brown bitter ale with hints of bitter chocolate - and a nicely hoppy middle section. But then it all ends on a slightly odd note - a sour-sweet grapefruit (or something tropical and fruity at any rate) tang - on the after-taste. The net effect was to leave me wondering whether I'd enjoyed it or not, which isn't usually something I have trouble deciding. I'm trying to imagine someone offering me a pint of the stuff and my mental reaction - a momentary pause, a glance along the imaginary bar to see what else is on, a slightly uncertain "yeah, go on then" - probably sums things up. An unsettling pint of ale? Wouldn't put it past BrewDog to come up with something like that quite deliberately, just for the hell of it.

@BeerReviewsAndy tweeted a response to my message on the night: "I couldn't make my mind up on physics draught so had to have a few pints". Maybe that's the answer to the riddle of the Physics - try, try and try again, because familiarity breeds contentment? Mind you, Andy didn't say whether those few pints managed to convince him or not... I suggest you carry out your own investigations. Feel free to report back with preliminary findings in the comments.

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: BrewDog The Physics
2. Tasting Notes: Fyne Avalanche
3. Pub Notes: The Guildford Arms, Edinburgh

The Hirt Brewery in Austria has been around in some form since 1270, and insists in making a pure product with no additives or pasteurisation, using untreated water from the local mountain spring, and claim their beer will never be canned. I’ve no idea what a Privat Pils is, or if the notation means anything at all (enlightenment in the comments at the end will be gratefully received).

At £4 for a 500ml bottle (it’s also available in 330ml size) this was a bit of an extravagance. I’m not a huge pilsner fan, and while I’d happily pay that, and more, for other beers I did have to think twice about doing so on this.

First impressions were good. It’s darker than most pilsners I’ve had, not a washed out straw in sight, more a glowing mid gold. Even the aroma was quite good, light and fruity with a hint of malt in the background, nothing outstanding but definitely noticeable. I even liked the taste, oranges and lemon, very smooth texture, almost no fizz but a bit of zest without any bitterness. More depth than the average pilsner, with a lingering moreish finish, it is indeed a very pleasant brew.

Was it worth it? Mmm, not really. I’m glad I sampled it, but I honestly wouldn’t buy it again unless I saw it much cheaper. There’s just as good to be had elsewhere for a lot less.

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Meantime Pilsner
2. Tasting Notes: Atlas Nimbus
3. Tasting Notes: Atlas Latitude

They've sold out already, so if you didn't get a bottle yet you'll need to start calling those specialist beer retailers, see if anyone has a spare.

Unlike Abstrakt:01 I'm not planning to sample this one in its young state - I have a feeling that those hops will need some time to calm down a bit - so I'll be following the recommended cellaring instructions and leaving this one until at least December. But East Lodnon Drinker and Billy Booze Blog have posted notes from the launch at Cask in London if you'd like a preview.

Related posts:

1. New Arrivals: BrewDog Abstrakt:01
2. Tasting Notes: BrewDog Abstrakt:01
3. New Arrivals: BrewDogs and Daas Organics

With the South African World Cup kicking off, Diageo obviously decided the time was right to introduce the Southern African lager in their portfolio to the drinkers of the UK. Hence the four-pack of Windhoek lager that arrived a few weeks ago.

Windhoek is a pils-style light lager, brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot standard - apparently a German Beer Purity Law dating from 1516 that allows only water, hops and barley to be used in the production process (surely there's some yeast in there as well?) and it pours a light golden colour with a thin, frothy head:

Taste-wise - served cold from the fridge (as recommended) or at room temperature; I tried a couple of each as I worked my way through the four-pack - it's light, refreshing and easy-drinking. There's a slight vegetative quality to begin with - the hops asserting themselves up-front, I'd guess - which gives way to a slightly maltier after-taste. It's not too highly carbonated - which I think is the main problem that puts me off the majority of factory lagers - and is generally well-balanced.

In other words: a perfectly pleasant, easy-drinking bottled lager. I wouldn't necessarily pick it as one of my all-time favourite lagers - Hop Dameon Green Daemon, BrewDog 77 Lager and the recently-sampled Meantime Helles are the ones I'd probably go for, or any of the Czech-style black lagers I've had to-date - but if someone offered me a bottle then I'd definitely be happy to drink it to toast their good health.

I haven't seen Windhoek lager in the local supermarkets just yet, but I was up in Bury the other week and passed an enterprising café that was offering a 'South Africa Special': two bottles of Windhoek and biltong pizza for £9.99, so it's definitely over in the UK if you're intrigued enough to seek it out.

Many thanks to Emma for sending along the samples!

Around the BeerBlogosphere:

• The Beer Justice went to the UK launch in London and then posted a collection of Windheok's entertainingly surreal and vaguely sinister TV adverts...

Related posts:

1. New Arrivals: four-packs from Namibia and Northern Ireland
2. Tasting Notes: Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager
3. Tasting Notes: Xingu Black Lager

I've learned a lot in the almost-two-years that I've been expanding my beer horizons and two of the most emphatically driven-home lessons have been:

1) Imperial Stout is my absolute favourite beer style.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good, hoppy IPA, I'm steadily growing partial to a range of interesting Belgian beers and I've even learned to appreciate a good Helles lager. But give me a choice of something to sip and savour and love, then I'll pick a rich-nosed, full-bodied, black-as-the-inside-of-a-cat Imperial Stout any day of the week.

2) Thornbridge brew bloody good beer.

No, scratch that. Thornbridge brew bloody excellent beer. Every one of their brews that I've sampled to-date have genuinely impressed me.

So, combine 1) and 2) in the form of Thornbridge St Petersburg Imperial Russian Stout and it's pretty much a no-brainer.

I've had Thornbridge St Petersburg before, on draught at the Marble Arch, and it was superb. And the bottled version - whilst not quite hitting the same dizzy heights - was still very good indeed. Big hits of chocolate and coffee accompanied by faint vanilla notes; a slight sweetness up-front, with a long, smooth, dry, roast-malty finish to follow. Lovely.

If I'm being perfectly honest I've had bottled Imperial Stouts that I've enjoyed more - Dark Star Imperial Stout and BrewDog Tokyo* spring to mind, as well as BrewDog Paradox - but it's definitely up there with the likes of Acorn Gorlovka and Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout; one of those big, bold, flavourful beers that I'll happily come back to time after time.

Another very big thank you to Richard at MyBreweryTap.com for adding this one to my recent order!

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Thornbridge Halycon 2009
2. Another Rather Excellent Evening at the Marble Arch, Manchester
3. Tasting Notes: Thornbridge Halcyon 2008

Halcyon 2008 was my first Thornbridge beer and it was magnificent. Halcyon 2009 turned up as a bonus item in my recent order from MyBreweryTap.com and it was...

Well, Mark Dredge summed it up quite succinctly (and has linked to a few other folks who pretty much concur). And I know I'm a bit late to the party, so I'm just going to chuck my 4p-worth into the hat with a quick gist of what I got from this incredible beer:

A nose-burst of fresh, grassy hops, cut through with lemon and lime, developing to newly-peeled clementines after the pour; the sticky tang of resinous pine honey, a steadily mellowing sweetness slowly rounding out to vanilla caramel; a light, balance-preserving, hop-bitterness on the after-taste that keeps the sugars nicely in check; above all: half an hour of purest beer-drinking pleasure from another truly memorable Thornbridge brew.

MyBreweryTap.com is offering a 12-case of Halcyon 2009 and Jaipur (the new, bottle-conditioned version) for £37.50 or a 12-pack of Halcyon 2009, Jaipur and St Petersburg Imperial Stout for £38.00 (plus p&p in both cases). Or if you're in the vicinity of a specialist beer retailer then they might have singles bottles available. But however you source it, you really, really should make the effort to track this one down. Very highly recommended indeed. Huge thanks to Richard for sending this one along.

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Thornbridge Halcyon 2008
2. Tasting Notes: Thornbridge St Petersburg
3. Tasting Notes: Thornbridge Ashford

I've sampled this extensively and thoroughly (all four bottles) and will be posting the Tasting Notes shortly.

Package II was another four-pack, this time courtesy of the Strangford Lough Brewing Co in Northern Ireland's County Down - a lovely part of the world, Jo and I have visited friends over there a number of times - which contained one each of their Barelegs Brew red-golden ale and Legbiter golden ale, plus a couple of bottles of St Patrick's Best session bitter:

I expect I shall be cracking at least a couple of those open on Friday evening, as England take on Algeria. Tasting Notes to follow over the weekend, with any luck.

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Strangford Lough St Peter’s Best, Barelegs Brew & Legbiter
2. BrewDog comes to Ireland
3. Tasting Notes: Windhoek Lager

The outside might not be much to look at just now - the whole building is covered in scaffolding - but inside it's a haven of ornate Victorian / Edwardian splendour. High ceilings, big windows and huge mirrors give the long, narrow saloon bar area a light, airy feel that compliments and off-sets the classic polished brass, stained glass windows and dark wood of a proper drinking establishment.

Jo and I visited the Guildford Arms a couple of times the weekend before last during a trip up to Edinburgh for a wedding, but the place was busy both times, so I didn't feel like getting my phone out to take a snap. There are a couple of pics at www.guildfordarms.com though, with plenty to find on Flickr; well worth taking a quick look.

There's a small restaurant upstairs that serves good quality, reasonably-priced pub food (the grilled haddock was particularly tasty). The ale selection in the downstairs bar is superbly Scottish. When we were there they were offering Fyne Avalanche, Orkney Dark Island, BrewDog The Physics (tasting notes on those three to follow), Stewart Pentland IPA, Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted and three or four other session-strength ales; all from independent Scottish breweries. They also have bottles of Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Ale, if you prefer something stronger.

Highly recommended if you're staying in Edinburgh city-centre overnight, or even if you just have an hour to kill while you wait for a train.

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Fyne Avalanche
2. Tasting Notes: BrewDog The Physics

• Bath Ales Barnstormer [Tasting Notes]
• Bath Ales Golden Hare
• Fuller's Bengal Lancer [Tasting Notes]
• Adnams Broadside
• Young's Special London Ale
• St Austell Tribute
• Erdinger Weißbräu

You can also get a quid off a 750ml bottle of either Leffe Brun or Leffe Blonde (making them £2.69 apiece in our local) and they've got promotional four-packs of Old Speckled Hen for £4 a go.

Just in time for the World Cup kicking off tonight...

Related posts:

1. Bargainwatch: new selection of 2 for £3 ales at Sainsburys
2. Bargainwatch: New 2 for £3 at Sainsbury’s. Plus: New Ales at Tesco
3. Bargainwatch: Marstons Old Empire, Fuller’s ESB & more at Sainsbury’s

Here's what turned up just a couple of days later:

Namely (from L to R):

• Box Steam Brewery Cog
• White Brewing Co Heart of Rother
• Green Room Ales Icon
• Country Life Brewery Old Appledore
• Fyne Ales Avalanche
• Bitter End Brewing Co Lakeland IPA

Those being (L to R again):

• Crown Brewery Unpronounceable IPA
• Ole Slewfoot Brewing Co Fox on the Run
• Wincle Beer Co Undertaker
• Grainstore Brewery Rutland Panther
• Williams Bros Ginger
• The Backyard Brewhouse East India Old Authentic IPA
• Thornbridge Jaipur

I've only supped the Jaipur so far (couldn't resist... and even though this non-bottle-conditioned version is a pale imitation of the utterly superb draught pint, it's still a very, very tasty beer indeed) and the other dozen bottles are resting up in the Beer Cupboard. I reckon I'm most looking forward to the Bitter End, Crown and Backyard Brewhouse beers. Could be another IPA Night on the cards before too long.

A very big thank you to Richard from MBT who included a bottle each of Thornbridge Halcyon 2009 and Thornbridge St Petersburg Imperial Stout from his sample stock. I drank those very soon after arrival and the posting notes will be following shortly...

And a quick plug: the next Mixed Brewery Case is on the website and available to order (I think I read on Twitter that it'll be shipping this weekend if you're a 52 Week Beer Club member) and it looks like Richard has put together another rather interesting selection...

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: MyBreweryTap Mixed Case part 1
2. Tasting Notes: MyBreweryTap Mixed Case part 4
3. Tasting Notes: MyBreweryTap Mixed Case part 2

Ed and I both scored ourselves a couple of bottles of BrewDog's Abstrakt:01, the first[*] in their new range of Concept Beers. I ordered mine from the Abstrakt website on its day of release, Ed picked his up from the (rather excellent) Gap Wines in Belfast.

This is what Abstrakt:01 looked like when I poured it:

And here are our joint tasting notes:

Ed Said:

The bottle I sampled was number 1747 of 3200. I don't know if that really means anything, or is any indicator of quality.

Not the easiest bottle to open, that cork was well pushed in. But once I got there I took a whiff from the open bottle and wondered where the aroma had gone, it was almost undetectable. A bit more comes through on pouring but it's still very subtle, hints of vanilla and mango, with a touch of spice.

And the tasting was... actually quite disappointing. Very underwhelming, considering the price. Some subtle fruit flavours of mango and peach at the start, and a dollop of spiciness coming through shortly after, but I didn't notice much sign of the vanilla. Despite the strength I thought the alcohol was well controlled, not impinging on the flavour too much, and the overall texture was very smooth. And it was far too easy to drink - I was hoping it would last me a while, but it was all gone in under 40 minutes. Maybe I've just come to expect more from BrewDog, but this is too tame, not exciting or challenging enough.

Or maybe it's just too young and needs more time to mature and develop complexity. Which is what I plan to find out with the second bottle, number 1743; I'm following Darren's suggestion and have stuffed it at the back of the cupboard for the next year.

As for me, I'm in pretty broad agreement. I picked up a hint of toasted coconut along with the vanilla on the aroma. I thought the mouth-feel was a particular highlight: honey-rich and smooth. And I noted down a stream-of-consciousness list of flavours that occurred to me as I sipped and ended up with: caramel, jam, honey, coconut, almond and overripe banana. It reminded me very strongly indeed of another beer, but for the life of me I couldn't remember exactly which one... something Belgian, probably.

No surprise then that my overall impression was of a beer that's rather too sweet at this (very young) stage of its development. To be fair to BrewDog, they do say (although only on the Abstrakt website, not on the bottle itself) that: "This beer is ideally suited to ageing and we recommend cellaring for 12-24 months."

So that's what I'll be doing with bottles #2 and #3. I'll have a word with Ed and see if we can coordinate another sampling and post up a fresh impression in twelve months' time or so. I hope the sugars will have calmed down by then and more complex flavours developed. If its improvement-with-age is anything like BrewDog / Stone Bashah's then I reckon we'll be in for a treat.

And I'll be in for a bottle or three of Abstrakt:02 as well, with any luck. Triple Dry Hopped Imperial Red Ale, y'say? Sounds intriguing...

Around the Beerblogosphere

• Reluctant Scooper waxes lyrical

Related posts:

1. New Arrivals: BrewDog Abstrakt:01
2. New Arrivals: BrewDog Abstrakt:02
3. Tasting Notes: BrewDog Rake Raspberry Imperial Stout

It's always a pleasure to walk up to the bar at the Marble Arch (actually, I could stop this sentence right there) and find they've come up with a new draught ale. So it was double the joy on Saturday evening when I spotted not one but two new brews to sample. It was the start of the evening though, so first things first: a couple of pints of Marble Pint, please. It's one of those quintessentially British beers that manages to pack a flavour-punch despite weighing in at only 3.9% ABV, so it makes for an ideal session starter. And - ah, what the heck- a sample-sized half each of Beer 57 and Brew 1691 Mild.

Marble Beer 57 turned out to be a strong (5.7% ABV), full-flavoured pale ale. Not as dry and hoppy as the Pint and slightly darker in colour, it's much closer to Marble Dobber in character, just slightly sweeter. Very pleasant, very palatable, very drinkable. Goes great with food as well (the pan-roast chicken was especially good on Saturday). I'm just not sure how likely it is to become a Marble regular, given that it is so Dobber-like, so if you're interested in sampling this one, it might be worth seeking out now, in case it's not around for long.

Now then, Marble Brew 1691 Mild. A strong (6t.0% ABV) ruby beer that you really should try if you get the chance. Jo and I were both completely blown away. It's a quite lovely shade of burnt umber (my pic was taken at the end of the night so probably doesn't do it justice) with a spicy-sweet aroma. Jo hit the nail on the head when she said it's like eating a tiramisu from the top-down: the first flavour that hits you is a rich, creamy chocolatey digestive-biscuit, with a light dryness to follow, finally giving way to a lingering after-taste of sweetish sherry or semisecco marsala wine. Absolutely gorgeous stuff; definitely one of the tastiest beers I've sampled all year. If strong, sweet beers are to your taste then you should definitely seek it out.

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Marble Brew 1734
2. Tasting Notes: Marble Pint, Marble Dobber, Marble Summer
3. Another Rather Excellent Evening at the Marble Arch, Manchester

Highlights include a few strong 'uns (Marstons Old Empire, Brakspear Triple, Young's Special London), one or two trusty session ales (Wychwood Hobgoblin, Black Sheep Ale) and Fuller's Organic Honey Dew, if you fancy something summery and sweet.

The hardcore Hobgoblin fans in the house might be interested to know that they're also offering two four packs of that one for £8. Quid a bottle? Can't be bad.

(I was in Tesco at the weekend, but their 3 for £4 range wasn't as interesting. All the usual suspects, nothing new. Although I did pick up two bottles of Adnams Broadside for £3, which wasn't too shabby).

Related posts:

1. Bargainwatch: new selection of 3 for £5 ales at Sainsburys
2. Bargainwatch: New 2 for £3 at Sainsbury’s. Plus: New Ales at Tesco
3. Bargainwatch: New 2 for £3 selection at Sainsbury’s

I bought half a dozen bottles of Bashah - a collaborative project between Brewdog and Stone Brewing - back in October last year. I've been drinking them at roughly monthly intervals - I've polished off five so far - and have been hugely impressed with how much Bashah has improved in just half a year.

Some things never change: Bashah is inky-black - dark as the inside of a gargoyle - and pours with a big, frothy white head. The essential flavours, too, remained the same: coffee and treacle, with a hint of charcoal smoke.

But there are noticeable differences as well. Bashah #1 was quite dry with a very strong hop-profile (the IPA side of its heritage predominant) and just a hint of sweetness cutting through (from my notebook: "Odd balance. Needs to mature?").

After six month in the bottle the profile has flipped right over. Bashah #5's dominant flavour turned out to be one of liquorice sweetness, with the smokiness all-but faded and the hop profile much more muted. The mouth-feel had become noticeably richer and smoother as well; a progression I'd noticed on Bashahs #2 through #4 but which really got into its stride on #5.

Beer evolution in action: Bashah #1 was definitely a big-hopped IPA, although obviously much darker than you'd usually expect. Bashah #5 was closer to an imperial stout or strong porter. Pour a Bashah alongside a BrewDog Riptide and I honestly think you might be hard-pushed to spot the difference. It's a lot more Belgian than it was to begin with as well, with the sort of depth and richness of flavour that's associated with the trappist style.

Bashah #1 I wasn't completely sold on. Bashah #5 I absolutely loved. Bashah #6 is going to sit at the back of the beer cupboard and won't be seeing the light of day for another six months, minimum. Longer, if can manage to resist its dusky allure.

My advice: if you see a bottle of Bashah on the shelf, you should grab it, age it, savour it. You certainly won't regret it.

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: BrewDog Abstrakt:01
2. BrewDog got me again (again)
3. Tasting Notes: BrewDog Atlantic IPA

The thing that struck me about Adnams Spindrift - a blonde ale designed to appeal to lager drinkers and a recent addition to the Adnams bottled beer range - is that it's an incredibly elegant beer.

Elegant packaging: bottle-glass a gorgeous shade of deep ocean blue with silver lettering and the artful curl of a breaking wave on the neck. Elegant appearance: a clear copper body with a pure white head and a slight effervescence; just enough to add sparkle, not enough to cross the line into fizz. Elegant aroma: fresh, green hops, bursting out of the bottle. Elegant flavour: crisp, hoppy and refreshing, with a bite full of lemon zest, apple peel, peach, green herbs and fresh grass and very well-balanced by a lingering, dry-biscuit finish (all-butter shortbread, of course). Even the ABV is an elegant 5%; just strong enough to make it interesting, not too strong that you couldn't down a few 330ml bottles of an evening without feeling too much the worse for wear.

All in all: Adnams Spindrift is a rather lovely drop of pure Spring in a glass. All that needs to happen now is for it to appear on the shelves at my local supermarket and I'll be a very happy chap.

Thank you very much indeed to Sean at Adnams for sending this one along!

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Adnams East Green
2. Tasting Notes: Adnams Sole Bay Celebratory Beer
3. Tasting Notes: Adnams Explorer Chilled

Red berries and black cherries explode out of the bottle as the cap pops off and carry on through to the flavour. A big, malty, nutty sweetness dominates, with just a faintly hoppy after-taste waving to get your attention, but generally it's jam and marzipan and fruitcake and more jam all the way.

If only I had a few oatcakes and a nutty, crumbly cheshire cheese in the fridge, this would be a slow-sipping marriage made in... well, Sainsbury's, as it happens. The stuff was in a £3 for 4 deal, so I thought I'd give it a go. Thing is, there aren't many Greene King beers that I've been impressed with to-date - they've generally been a bit too factory-bland to be remarkable - but Old Speckled Hen's bigger sibling makes the grade.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Greene King Sun Dance
2. Quick catch-up #1: 2008 Holiday Beers
3. Another visit to The Olde Trip to Jerusalem

"...collectively, our online beer conversation [seems] to have settled into a complacent rut. It's not any one person, but taken as a whole we all seem to be writing about what awesome beers we've had recently, how extreme they are, how rare they are, how hoppy or how aged they are. Beer blogs have become an online beer geek diary, a hi-tec glorified form of ticking. I brewed this beer. I bought this beer. I drank this beer. In this pub."

My reaction to that was: "Ow!" No, sorry: "Fuck, OW!"

Okay, like the man said, the complaint wasn't aimed at a particular blogger or blog, but when you know that 95% of your posts are Tasting Notes (with the occasional Pub Notes piece thrown in for good measure) then it's hard not to take that sort of thing personally, y'know?

As it happens, albeit purely coincidentally, I've been wrestling with questions like "what's the point?" and "why bother?" and have been on the verge of quitting this blog (and, most likely, blogging in general) several times during the past few months. Reading a post like that - one written by someone whose blog I follow avidly and whose writing I enjoy immensely - was almost the final straw.

But then I re-read Pete's piece and pushed on past the "your blog's shit, mate" moment, focusing instead on his Call to Action:

"Write something that scares you. Write something very personal. Write something you don't think any other beer blogger would or could write."

And then I read Impy Malting's 'Why We Blog' piece and Pete's own follow-up post. And then I started thinking about my own reasons for plodding on with blogobeer.com.

You want to see something personal, Mr Brown? Fine. Here goes (with a quick aside, quoting from Impy, if I may: "This is not a plea for inclusion or encouragement, but a searching aloud.")

I've been a blogger, on a variety of subjects, for about 10 years. It's something I just seem to have to do: a habit that's so deeply ingrained that seriously contemplating not blogging threatens to drop me into a deep blue funk. I've also worked in online marketing (currently for one of the largest print publishing houses in the UK) for even longer than I've been blogging. I've read every one of Seth Godin's books and the majority of his blog posts, as well as countless other articles on the dark art and weird science of blogging and being a blogger. All of which means I know quite a lot about the power and benefits of the medium. I have a good idea what makes a good blog tick. I can do blogging. Blogging is what I do...

So why have I been tempted to quit this blog? In short: I've been trying to work out what I can usefully offer the beerblogosphere. What sort of content can I provide that people will want to read? What can I produce that's worth taking the time to write in the first place? Because time is the key for me: I really don't have much to spare. For reasons that are too personal to discuss here (even at Pete B's urging to write about something scary) because they're not just personal to me, I just don't have a lot of free time. Maybe an hour or so a day, a couple more at weekends, tops. I'm not complaining, it's just the way it is and I'm sure anyone who, for example, is a parent to young children will find themselves is a similar boat. But it does mean that if I'm going to dedicate a regular chunk of that precious free time to blogging, I have to know it's a worthwhile exercise.

In which case, why have I chosen to write about a subject that, whilst it's certainly one that I find deeply interesting, I actually know relatively little about? Especially when everything I've read on the subject of successful blogging calls for the blogger to write from a position of expertise? What do I have to offer that the beerblogosphere wants? What can I say that's interesting, valuable, remarkable, unique?

On the face of it, maybe not a lot...

I'm not running a major brewery, nor am I starting out on a new brewing enterprise. I'm not the manager of a beer emporium or an online beer retailer. I'm hardly likely to become the New Media Beer Writer of the Year, never mind the ultimate Beer Writer of the Year, and I certainly won't achieve Legendary Beer Writer status any time soon. I'm not a particularly dedicated drinker, well-travelled pub connoisseur or a local CAMRA champion. Nor do I have a particular axe to grind. I don't have a fascination for facts and figure or an in-depth knowledge of the history of beer and brewing. I'm don't have the time to regularly socialise with fellow beer-bloggers, and I've never organised a special beer night (a great idea, but likely to go on a bit too late to be practical).

If all of the above is an example what I'm not, what does that leave? In beer-blogging terms, what am I?

My conclusion? I'm just a bloke who enjoys great ale. I'm an average, ordinary, beer-drinking, Northern bloke who, a couple of years back, invited a couple of mates to join him in writing a beer blog, to give us all somewhere to swap beer recommendations and chat about real ale. So now I'm an everyman beer-blogger; one of the rank and file, nothing particularly special to say. But I've learned a hell of a lot about the subject in the past couple of years and I'm learning more all the time. And I also (as it turns out) still have a burning desire to share that knowledge and share the joy of great ale and beer with anyone who wants to join in.

That's what I have to offer: an ordinary punter's enthusiasm and passion for great ale, with a side-order of friendly conversation (available on request).

In fact, that's pretty much all I ever set out to achieve with Blogobeer.com. I didn't want to generate Intense Debate on the State of Beer (because intense debate on anything takes reading-time and comments... lots and lots of comments). I didn't want to become any sort of leader or figure-head in the beer-blogging community (luckily there's very little danger of that happening). I didn't even want to produce particularly great writing (although I do thoroughly enjoyed the great writing that other beer bloggers produce on a regular basis). And the one thing I definitely didn't want was for the blog to become a chore, a task, a nagging pain in the arse ("Update me! Update me! It's been days! I'm neglected!").

All I really wanted to do was talk about real ale with my mates. Old mates, new mates. Anyone who stands on the common ground that is the love of great ale. Or great beer. Or great triple-green-hopped Double-Imperial IPAs. Whatever.

So I've decided to stick to my guns and just blog about whatever the hell I want to blog about. Life's too short to make myself miserable worrying over what other beer bloggers might or might not think of my posts. Even if no-one else reads anything I write, then at least I'll have a record of the ales and beers that I've enjoyed; my memory's not what it was and I have a hard time recalling one particular session bitter from among all the other session bitters, so an online record will help me keep the better ones in mind for future reference. If that makes me a techno-ticker, so be it.

Then again, there isn't much point in writing regularly if you don't at least try to improve along the way, so I am going to attempt to make my Tasting Notes a bit more interesting in future. More descriptive, maybe. Pithier, perhaps. Shorter, definitely (why write one long post when you can break it up into a few and cut down on all that "must-post!" angst?) and more to the point. More photography, too; a picture speaks a thousand words and I do have a pretty good camera (even if my snapping skills show definite room for improvement, but that gives me something else to work on, eh?)

I'm also going to try to participate a little more. At the end of last year, Tandleman mused on the state of the beerblogosphere and made the point that:

Comments are needed to encourage bloggers. No comments = no point in a lot of ways. Surely there are enough things on blogs worthy of comment?"

So that's something I'm going to try to do more often as well. If I see that another beer-blogger has posted their own write-up of a beer that I've tried myself, then I'm going to let them know that I agree with them (or not). I'm going to try to engage more of my fellow beer-bloggers in conversation and not just on Twitter (although hey, if that's where the conversation is, then why the hell not?) And I'm going to try to remember to link in to other beer-bloggers' posts a bit more often (that should help them with those seemingly all-important Wikio rankings...)

Tandleman also made the point that beer-bloggers should spend less time showing off their rare bottle collections and get off their keyboards, support their local pubs, that sort of thing:

"Some too, need to get out and about a bit more, particularly to the pub; they need to raise their heads up and look around them"

It's a good point, and although I'll still be doing most of my drinking at home - because I am always going to be subject to those free-time limitations - I do have a plan that might help. I'm lucky enough to work for a company that offers a perk called 'summer hours'. From June through August we all work half an hour longer Monday to Thursday in exchange for Friday afternoons off. As a result, Jo and I are planning a few Summer Pub Expeditions (to places like Sheffield, Leeds, Huddersfield, Stalybridge and Buxton, or maybe just Salford, Manchester and Bury) which will hopefully provide me with a fresh perspective and some fresh inspiration.

I doubt that any of the resulting blog posts will be award-winning, Pulitzer prize material (sorry, Scooper) but I do hope to discover and talk about some great new beers and some great new pubs. (New to me, anyway. If you've discovered them all already and talking about them just bores you, that's fine. It's a big Internet, plenty more to see and read and do. Help yourself.)

And, come to think of it, there's something else I could do. Something that maybe not many other beer-bloggers can do as well as, if not better than, me.

As I said at the top of this piece, I've worked in online marketing for over ten years. I'm an everyman in that field as well; I'm primarily a general website content manager for a wide range of websites, which means that I've learned enough to get by about a wide range of subjects related to online publishing, blogging and online promotion. I'm not an expert in a particular field, but I can just about hold my own when it comes to the essentials: HTML, CSS, RSS, WordPress, Blogger, search engine optimisation, website Analytics, keyword advertising, Twitter, Facebook, Google and the general ideas, concepts and principles of good marketing and effective blogging.

I'm always happy to share what I know, especially if I learn something new in the process. So I could post a few pieces about the areas and subjects I've just mentioned - either in broad, general terms, or how they apply to the beerblogosphere, or to a specific blog (at that blogger's request). Again though, I'll only be able to spend time putting those posts together if there's going to be some interest out there. So, how about this: if anyone has anything they'd specifically like to know, put it in a comment below, or drop me a line and ask me. I'll see if it's a question I can usefully answer and if it is then I'll rattle off a quick post.

In the meantime (mmmm: Meantime...) I'll be the bloke in the corner with the laptop, sipping an imperial stout, trying to decipher the scribbles in my notebook and typing up my Tasting Notes (with the occasional Pub Notes piece thrown in for good measure).

Related posts:

1. Great Beer, Terrible Journalism
2. Beer news & views via RSS at Alltop.com
3. Around the Beerblogosphere #1

I had originally intended to post a round up of the Belgian beers to be found in the major UK supermarket chains but then I popped into Belfast’s fine beer stockist The Vineyard and found another couple of Grimbergens. So instead I decided to compare the four of those I now had – Blonde, Dubbel, Triple and Optimo Bruno.

The abbey at Grimbergen was founded in 1128 by Saint Norbert and became well known over the years for its hospitality to visitors, including offering home-made beer. Destroyed several times by fire and rebuilt, the abbey adopted the phoenix as its emblem, and this prominently adorns the bottle labels. The abbey also has a beer museum. (Source – Google translation of the dedicated French website, also available in Dutch).

So, on with the tastings, and the first two should be readily available in most Tesco stores. The Blonde is a mid gold colour, with a light hoppy, herby aroma and 6.7% alcohol. Taste is quite restrained and tame, in comparison to others of the style I’ve had – fruity hops, bit zesty with an underlying dryness, hint of orange and herbs, but still quite smooth and easy drinking, with a lingering light hoppy finish. It’s just a bit too light for any lasting appeal to me, but it would probably serve as a fine starting point for those just beginning to dip their taste buds in the abbey beer world.

The 6.5% Dubbel is a red tinted dark brown, and gives off a dried fruit aroma, with warm, malty notes. There’s more malt in the flavour, which is still quite restrained, with elements of treacle, dark chocolate and raisins, and a touch of bitterness in the finish. Not up there with the best dubbels, it’s still reasonable, and like the blonde I reckon it would serve as a decent enough intro for newcomers to the style.

Next up, the Triple. Dark gold with an amber glow, there’s loads of bubbles, with an aroma dominated by oranges and sugar, and some floral notes. It tastes like a citrus fruit punch with some bananas, and a load of sugar dumped in, but oddly I didn’t think it was overly sweet, managing to stay on the acceptable side, just about. Considering the 9% strength it’s quite easy going, laid-back but not lazy, but still demands not to be rushed. Much better than the blonde for those, like me, who find that one just a bit too tame.

And so on to the Optimo Bruno, a dark brown 10% monster that means business from the start. Crack open the bottle and first impressions are…not much. Other than cola there’s very little to the aroma, until it’s poured and left to settle. Then I got caramel, dried fruit, plums and cherries. From the first sip it’s clear this is a strong one, with a rush of sugary sweetness quickly followed by spiciness. I got toffee, plums, raisins and liquorice in there as well, before my taste buds were overwhelmed by the syrupy, cloying sweetness. Less of that last bit would make this more to my taste.

So overall, of these four the one I’d most likely go back to is the Triple, which is an unusual choice for me, as based on what I’ve had before it should really be the Dubbel. I can see me getting the occasional Dubbel as it’s so easy to find, and sometimes I just want to be able to shove a few decent beers in the trolley along with the rest of the groceries without the need for a trip to a specialist off-licence. But to be honest, none of them are likely to be regular purchases, there are much better abbey/trappist beers out there.

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: Maredsous 6 Blonde & 8 Dubbel
2. Bargainwatch: Flying Dog, BrewDog, Grimbergen and more at Tesco
3. Tasting Notes: Maredsous 10 Tripel