Saturday 30 August 2014

Beeryness is next to Godliness

I missed @lighthousewines beer club again, this was specially hard to take give it was Stone Brewing Night! However, given it was my anniversary, and my daughter's birthday, chances of getting out were slim to begin with. Had a lovely dinner at Uluru in Armagh to make up for it (they even have a few local beers on the list but i was driving so on good behaviour). Managed to pick up the left over bottles (see below), any favourites from the night I should look forward to in particular?


My last post covered this years Hilden Beer Fest, which was a great night sampling beers. I managed to follow this up with another night beer tasting with a beer loving friend - even ticking a few more off the list. Now I did take notes, but I seem to have misplaced my geeky little beer book... so the below is going to be based on my memory (which is bad at the best of times) and untapped logins!
  
229. Brouwerij Van Eecke Poperings HommelBier
Style: Belgian Pale Ale. ABV: 7.5% From: The Vineyard.
Description: Hazy, golden, with a decent little white head. Belgian yeast on the nose, with a bit of spice and some unripe banana and clove esters. Nice herbal bitterness, a little floral and a little grain. Well balanced stuff this. Quite light, hiding the ABV far too well... 
Thoughts: Lovely little beer this, light, delicate but packing in plenty of interesting subtle flavours. Pleased it came in quite a small bottle as I'm guessing this is dangerous in larger quantities. Worth looking out for, I'll buy again.
Score: 7.5

230. Brouwerij Bosteels Deus (Brut de Flanders) 2012
Style: Biere De Champagne. ABV: 11.5% From: The Vineyard.
Description: Poured a bright yellow, with a very light cloudlyness and a tiny white head. Lots of very obvious carbonisation. Given the obvious links with champagne production referenced on the bottle I'm not sure how much of this is the power of suggestion... but there is a real vinous and soft fruit quality to the smell. The taste also has some of that peachy soft fruit and some light oak, although there is definitely more graininess than you'd get in champers. As it warmed it got slightly sweeter, but still pleasant - though I did follow the serving instructions pretty closely. Light bodied, slightly thicker and oiler as it warmed up. 11.5%? Where?
Thoughts: Saved this for an occasion and for another beer geek to share it with. I really enjoyed it, interesting, and lots of flavour. My wife wasn't so keen, feeling it was neither a proper beer nor winey enough, so be warned. Glad I bought it, at the price I'm not sure I'd buy again but if anyone one wants to donate a bottle... 
Score: 8.5 (may be a 9)

Of the other's we tried I'd say To Øl's Dangerously Close To Stupid (Imperial IPA, 9.3%, The Vineyard but also at Lighthouse Wines) was the best - lots of citrus, pineapple, and grapefruit (especially in the aroma) I was a bit worried it would be an over-bitter hop bomb but the flavour was nicely balanced, very drinkable, and something I need to be buying again for a proper taste! 

Cheers

Saturday 23 August 2014

Hilden Beer and Music Festival 2014

Right, I'm squeezing in this quick post as there are other things I should really be doing. I think those things involve watching footy, my wife think they involve painting the front room... Anyway the haste may mean there are a few typos etc ("What, more than usual?" I hear you cry) so apologies in advance!

Last night was my second Hilden Beer and Music Festival, in what looks sets to become an annual event for me and my trusty beery side kick. Have to say I think overall the set up was much better than last year. Switching the stage and the bar around at the main site lead to more room, and what seemed like a bigger bar. I'm also sure there were more staff and getting served was a much easier experience. The move from cash at the bar to a token system also helped a lot; as did having a dedicated food area.

It was also nice to have a choice of glasses on the way in. Given that I already have a Hilden pint glass, and the fact I was there to sample, I went for the half pint glass. It's a nice wee tulip glass and much more in keeping with my beer geek hipster aesthetic (disclaimer - I'm not a hipster and I'm pretty sure I have no aesthetic what so ever). Pro tip - if you want to maximise beer volume/value for money go for the pint glass and order half pints, I'd say the people doing this were probably getting close to 2/3rds of a pint for their token!

On to the beer, there probably not much to excite "beer heads" but I thought the choice was decent with options from here, the south, Scotland and England.  I didn't really take notes so these are all quick run throughs...
White Gypsy's Honey Gold was probably the best beer I had, lightly sticky, mid bodied, the rye came through well as did a touch of honey. Reminded me of Licher, in a good way. St Austell's Tribute was very well kept and showed plenty of its biscuity goodness. Hilden's own Twisted Hop was also on good form with a light juicy pithy bitterness that went down well on a sunny Friday evening. The only beer I wouldn't recommend was the Porterhouse Dublin Pale Ale, which was elegantly described by my compatriot as tasting like "a beer you poured yesterday but are only drinking today". 

A nice surprise on the list was Pokertree's Dark Nirvana. Labelled a Black/Cascadian IPA to me it came across more of a porter with a very light hopping. There is a hint of citrus in the aroma but it really didn't cross into the flavour which was espresso and dark chocolate. There was a light resinous finish in the mouthfeel. Not a bad effort but too me, as a Black IPA, it fell into the "needs more hops" category. 

The music was also good - enjoyed the covers band whose music ranged from Eminem to Stevie Wonder (via lots of rock). 


If you plan on heading up, leave the car and take the train. If you get there before 4pm on Sat & Sun, showing your train ticket gets you £2 off entry!

I'm missing Lighthouse Wines' Stone beer tasting event this Thursday, so I'm hoping there'll be some left over for us plebs afterwards! Right, I'm off to paint the front room while watching football at the same time (see its all about comprise) - as a reward I'm hoping to have the little number on the right tonight, can't wait. 

Cheers  

Sunday 17 August 2014

Honeydew is the Moneydew

So this lot arrived (pictured below), should keep we going for awhile and another good few ticks from the list to come too!

It’s also almost time for the Hilden Beer and Music Festival 2014, line up looks good and I really enjoyed it last year – despite the weather. I hope to get up on the Friday night but might have to see how it goes. Anyone else heading up to Lisburn?

Right on to the beers…

228. Fuller’s Honeydew
Style: Golden Ale. ABV: 5%. From: Drinkstore.ie (though my local Tesco has it as well at the minute).
Description: Poured a vibrant yellow and perfectly clear, there was a thin white head for about 2 seconds until it faded off into history, no real lacing either. Pretty looking pint when the head was on it. Not much aroma, vaguely grainy and beery (I know that’s not a really helpful description but hey – it smells like beer!) with a hint of sweetness and golden syrup. Again I get a hint of grain in the taste, almost slightly lager like, a light bitterness, not too much in the way of hops here. It then finishes on a sweeter note (again to me more syrup than honey) and some very light spices. Light bodied and slightly sticky.
Thoughts: This did a perfectly acceptable 5pm on a Friday job, refreshing and easy drinking. I wouldn’t rush back, slightly on the sweet side for me, but would drink again if options were limited.
Score: 5

I also managed a couple of beers not from “1001 Beers…”. First up was Sierra Nevada Summerfest 2014 (Style: Pilsner. ABV: 5%. From: The Vineyard) – straw coloured and clear with a small white head. Again not much aroma – a faint grassy graininess. Flavour follows that, this is clean and crisp with that grain and light grass again. A decent little bitterness on the finish. This is another light easy drinking summer beer – prefect for after mowing the lawn. Score: 6. Finally we have Beavertown Gamma Ray(Style: Pale Ale. ABV: 5.4%. From: Drinkstore.ie), amber and hazy, this poured with a huge fluffy white head – a really gusher. Aroma is fantastic, lilt like tropical aromas: pineapple, grapefruit, and a touch of bubblegum. Taste is tropical too, mango is added to the lilt, as is a resinous caramel malt backbone. Though I found this quite bitter and astringent. While this was grand, the taste just didn’t live up to the smell and I found the bitterness just a bit too much, over balancing the beer. Score: 6.


Right, hope to see you at Hilden.


Cheers

Tuesday 5 August 2014

Wishing Well

The old beer cupboard is becoming a bit low again so another order has been put into Drinkstore.ie to replenish supplies and get more ticks from the list. In the meantime, I see that Lighthouse Wines have now added a webstore that you might wish to check out. Finally it’s August Beer Club Belfast Thursday 7th (7pm at the Hudson, £10 in) featuring beers from To L – the dates have screwed me again so if you get along let me know how great it is…

Right, two more beers have been ticked off from “1001 Beers…”

 226. Traquair Jacobite Ale
Style: Scotch Ale. ABV: 8%. From: Drinkstore.ie
Description: Poured a translucent rolla-cola brown with a thin tan head that last about 2 seconds. Aroma of dried sticky fruits, spice, a little molasses/brown sugar, and boozy rum. The flavours match that: figs, prunes, cinnamon/aniseed, light chocolate, and treacle. Mid-bodied, relatively low carbonisation, and slightly sticky. The booze provides a warming rumminess throughout.
Thoughts: Definitely a beer more for Halloween that August. Still lovely though, but I have to admit I expected a wee bit more as it warmed up. A sipper that’s worth seeking out.
Score: 7.5

227. Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux

Style: Saison (or a tripel depending on your taste). ABV: 9.5%. From: Drinkstore.ie
Description: This one was lovely peach colour, hazy (this may have been more to do with my bad pouring/settling than the beer itself) with a big fluffy white head. The aroma is unripe banana esters and a yeasty doughy funk. The first taste to hit is that banana, followed up by some pepper, then a lingering grassiness and lemon rind, and finally a rustic spiciness. Jesus this thing is 9.5%... unlike the Jacobite Ale you’d never guess the strength. Light but a fair amount of carbonisation.
Thoughts: Another clinker, great summer drinker but at 9.5% one to be wary of – definitely for sharing in the big bottle form. Overall I think the DuPont Saison is a easier drinking beer beer, but certainly would advise anyone to give this a whirl.
Score: 8

I didn't take any notes, but Mark & Spencer’s (well Oakham Ale's really) Citra is great value for money in their current 3 for £6 deal – great flavour for the price. The Dirty Duck also now has Schneider Tap 1 in bottles on sale as well as their rotating list of cask ales (I say rotating but mainly it’s a mix of Shepherd’s Neame and Hilden stuff – though their ale festival later this month is likely to bring a few more options forward and I hope to get down to check it out).


Cheers