The Beer and The People!

Recently my favourite craft beer bar, ‘The Pursuit of Hoppiness’ in Exeter closed permanently following the turbulence of COVID-19 and lockdown. The Facebook post announcing the closure was flooded with comments of tributes and support. One comment stood out, it summed up my love for craft beer and the beer and brewing community. That comment was posted by Stannary Brewery.

‘Craft Beer is about more than just the beer, it’s about the people too’

Stannary Brewery from Tavistock on the edge of Dartmoor in West Devon are a small brewery who put a big emphasis on community.

Founded in 2016 by business partners Mark, Chris and Garry, Stannary are based in a small industrial unit on the edge of the town centre. They operate a 6 barrel brewery with an on-site taproom.

The start of their journey wasn’t an easy one as problems with the initial installation of the brew kit meant that their dreams were almost shattered before they could blossom. Thankfully with some extra investment and shed loads of perseverance they were back up and running.

My first experience of Stannary came when I helped organise the first Exeter Craft Beer Festival in 2019, alongside Topsham Brewery. We were seeking to promote the amazing craft beer available within Devon, in addition to Topsham’s own beers, we invited Utopian, Roam, Powderkeg and Stannary to name just a few.

I remember being really impressed with the quality across the board, that included Stannary!

The next time our paths crossed was thanks to my friend Neal who is a self proclaimed Stannary fan boy. He invited Chris and Garry to the Pursuit of Hoppiness during one of our many bottle shares. We chatted over a few beers including ‘Fat Head’ Stannarys’ 7.4% Brown Ale, which at the time I thought looked like dish water but tasted like heaven! Never judge a book by it’s cover.

Stannary have a small but perfectly formed core range. Stannary Pale at 4.5 % ABV, the first beer they ever brewed which they describe as a great gateway from real ale to ‘craft’ beer. Next @ 4.2% ABV is ‘All that Jazz’ a sessionable pale ale and rounding off the range are two IPAs. ‘Reverse Camber’ a nod to the west coast and ‘Hare Trigger’ a fruity east coast juice bomb! In addition to the core range they also brew a number of specials and have just developed two fruited pales; ‘OPP’ an orange peel pale and ‘Slight of Hand’ a mango pale, both fermented on the respective fruits to give a fruit tang.

Community is clearly important to Stannary, this is shown by their recent collaboration with local coffee shop Black Sheep Brew. The result is ‘Black Sheep’ (not to be confused with the Yorkshire brewery), a 4.8% ABV Breakfast Stout with vanilla and lactose. I shared my bottle with my wife, she’s not a massive beer fan but she does love a coffee stout. I’m pleased to say she approved.

Stannary, like most microbreweries, initially focused primarily on the on trade, supplying Kegs and Cask to local pubs and bars. Before COVID 19 and the closure of pubs they were bottling a very small amount of their brews, much of which went to places like Hops and Craft in Exeter, Vessel in Plymouth and a couple select venues across Cornwall. However since the pandemic they started bottling regularly to the point that in has recently represented 60% of their sales, with growler fills from the taproom accounting for the other 40%. Zero cask and keg!

Thankfully the increase in bottling has helped Stannary stay afloat during what has been an extremely challenging time for the brewing industry. In addition to the increased small pack, Stannary have also been overwhelmed by the support from the local community, shorty after the lockdown they announced that they would continue growler fills from their taproom. Initially they weren’t sure how much trade they would get, after a few weeks it was clear that the community had embraced the brewery, with new faces returning regularly to get their local beer. Hopefully now with pubs reopening their sales of cask and keg will slowly begin to pick up again and these new found Stannary fans will continue to seek out the beer, whether at the Taproom or in another local venues.

I managed to visit the boys at the taproom at the beginning of July, just as pubs and bars were being allowed to reopen. Unfortunately due to the limited space it is not clear when they will be able to open, but one thing is clear, the passion and drive to deliver top quality beer is still strong. Both Chris and Garry were positive, especially as they had just released a collaboration with Cornish brewery, Firebrand. ‘Vertical Isolation’, an 8.5% DIPA, although brewed and canned in Cornwall the Stannary influence was clear. It was dank and resinous with masses of grapefruit and pine.

After meeting the guys in the Pursuit of Hoppiness all those months ago and then popping in to the taproom recently one thing that struck me is that the guys are passionate about their community, good beer and are focused on combing the two.

Like they said; Craft Beer, it’s about the people too.   

Doppelbock - A Thing of Beauty

Style in Focus – Doppelbock

After focusing on a brewery in my last post I thought it would be a good idea to focus on a specific beer style for my next.

But which one? IPA?, Stout?, what about Weiss bier? When you survey the list of styles and sub styles you can be forgiven for being utterly confused, overwhelmed and simply bewildered! I thought long and hard and decided to go with one of my favourites, one that is, in my opinion, under rated and misunderstood. The Dopplebock.

The first thing to get your head around is that a Doppelbock is a Lager. Not a pale, fizzy American light lager like Bud or a beautifully crisp Traditional Czech Pilsner like Pilsner Urquell but a lager all the same. If you want to understand more about lagers then check out my previous blog post or pick up a copy of ‘A Brief History of Lager’ by Mark Dredge, great reading.

The Dopplebock is a stronger, fuller bodied version of the German dunkel, it will be typically around 18 degrees Plato and be in the region of 7 or 8% Alcohol by volume (ABV). The BJCP 2015 describes a ‘strong, rich and very malty German lager that can have pale and dark variants’.

But what does that really mean? Well that called for some market research. During my preparation for my Certified Beer Server exam last year I tried a beer called ‘Celebrator’ by Ayinger. Frankly, it rocked my world. Malty, fruity, sweet but also toasty. This was my introduction to the Doppelbock, and I haven’t looked back. Over the next few months I sort out some great examples of the style, including ‘Naughty and Nice’ from Lervig, ‘Bocktoberfest’ by Vocation and finally the brillant collaboration between North and Thornbridge, which so far is one of my favourite beers of 2020.

The history of the Doppelbock is an interesting one. The simple translation of Doppelbock in English is ‘Double Goat’, however, you’ll be pleased to hear that its origin has nothing to do with goats! So how did it get it’s name? It’s essentially a Doppel or ‘Double’ version of a Bock beer. The Bock beer itself finds it’s routes in Einbeck, Lower Saxony, Germany in the 14^th Century. The popularity of this strong Einbeck beer grew and it eventually found its way to Munich in Bavaria. Anchor Brewing explain in their article ‘It’s All About Bock’ that the accent of Bavaria quickly converted ‘Einbeck’ to ‘Einbock’ and this in turn was shortended to ‘Bock’….there you go. Nothing to do with goats!

The Doppelbock as were know it today originates from Munich around the 17^th Century when it was originally brewed by monks of the order of Francis of Paola as a stronger version of the ever popular Bock. The Doppelbock quickly became popular in monastic circles. ‘Salvator’, which is probably the most well known Doppelbock, was often drunk by monks during lent and became known as ‘liquid bread’ as it helped them through a long days fasting.

As a result of Salvators’ success other Barvian brewers started to brew Doppelbocks, in an attempt to harness the popularity of Paulaner’s Slavator they also used to ending -ator when naming their brews. As a result Celebrator (Ayinger), Animator (Hacker Pschorr), Maximator (Augustiner) and Triumphator (Lowenbrau) were born, and I could go on!

A Doppelbock is traditionally a malt forward beer often using Munich and Vienna malt plus a little dark malt to add colour. To add further colour many Doppelbocks will be docoction mashed, a traditional method which involves removing a small amount of the mash, boiling it and adding back into the main mash. This results in sweet malty, toffee, caramel and toasted flavours. A classic Doppelbock may also feature, raisin, date and figgy dried fruit flavours along with some subtle milk chocolate notes. Generally Doppelbocks will have almost no hop flavour or aroma and should be medium to full bodied, smooth and velvety.

After my first experience of Celebrator I managed to try a couple of German versions and one from Lervig. It wasn't until early 2020 when my love for the style was confirmed, not by a German classic, but by a collaboration between two British breweries. Better known for their IPAs and Stouts, North Brewing Co and Thornbridge brewed a 7% ABV Doppelbock which knocked my socks off. It was everything I wanted from a Doppelbock, sweet toasted caramel, milk chocolate, raisins and sticky dates all coming together in with a thick velvety mouthfeel. Not too sweet, yet clean, fruity and easy to drink.

After my experience with the North x Thornbridge collabation I decided to round this piece off by comparing the North x Thornbridge effort against 2 other Doppelbocks brewed outside of Germany. ‘Naughty and Nice’, the Lervig I had at Christmas and ‘Bocktoberfest’ a seasonal special from Vocation, both coming it at 8% ABV.

All three poured well with good carbonation and a dark brown with the Lervig being the lightest of the three with more of a ruby tinge. The aroma of all three was as I expected, malty, toasted caramel, milk chocolate and the classic dried fruit flavours of raisins, figs and dates. In addition to this the ‘Bocktoberfest’ also had strong ethanol/alcohol aroma which wasn’t the most pleasant and certainly not to style. Similar was true of the taste and mouthfeel. The North x Thornbridge was my favourite, thick, full of complex malty and fruity notes. Raisin, dates and smooth chocolate. This was closely followed by the Lervig, which had a similar complex flavour but sadly not the body to match. Once again the Vocation suffered from a little ethanol/alcohol on the aftertaste. The sweet raisin and date flavours did a little to mask this but it was not quite enough; it did have the velvety thick body similar to the North x Thornbridge collab.

3 very enjoyable beers. It shows that this classic style has an important place and relevance in today’s world of hazy juice bombs and pastry stouts. Long live lager.

Hill Farmstead - More Than Just Beer.

Brewery Focus – Hill Farmstead

When asked to name craft breweries from the USA, many people will initially name those brewers who started the craft revolution, such as Sierra Nevada or Goose Island. Alternatively they may name breweries like Other Half, Trillium and Monkish who are renowned for their big hazy IPA as well as their big adjunct filled stouts and sours. 

Few however are likely to mention a relatively small brewery from North East Vermont, known for producing amazing; IPAs, Porters and Saisons. Beers, which have resulted in them been named RateBeer.com ‘Best Brewery in the World’ in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 . 

 

Brief History

Hill Farmstead Brewery from Greensboro, in Rural Vermont was founded in 2010 by brewer Shaun Hill after he returned to his home town from Denmark where he had been brewing with Fano Bryghus and more recently Norrebro Bryghus. 

Shaun comes from a long line of the Hill family who have lived in Greensboro ever since the town was founded by Peleg Hill Sr and Peleg Hill Jr in 1788 . 

The brewery was founded with the simple aim of brewing ‘succinct and elegant beers of distinction’  This was an ethos developed by Shaun, as he believed that this was what was lacking in most of beers being brewed at that time.  He wanted Hill Farmstead focus more on the quality of the beer than the dollar signs! By hand selecting hops and working closely with local fruits producers Hill Farmstead are able to keep the quality high whilst also being able to trace their beers from it’s beginning to bottle. Initially Shaun had to save and scrounge the first $100000 investment for the business, he even had a 10-barrel Mash Tun donated by nearby brewery ‘The Alchemist’   

Over the first 2 years of operations Shaun and his team expanded organically, starting with the construction of new brewery, packaging facility and barrel room on the families land at Greensboro. It was important that Hill Farmstead did not let the development effect the quality of end product, because of cause that’s what it was all about.

Once the fabric of the brewery was complete Shaun turned his attentions to developing his staff, the best people, using the best equipment and the best ingredients. By getting this right and the beer will speak for itself.  They began to explore new and differing beer styles and evolving the breweries expectations one step at a time. Shaun is once quoted as saying ‘A lot of brewers now go straight from home brewing into making a chili-chocolate-chipotle porter or whatever, and it’s like . . . well, just fucking make a good porter first, and understand what a porter is instead of trying to re-invent it’ .

Start with the basics, make them great and then develop them….simple.  

As the brewery grew so did the range of beer; Hill Farmsteads beers generally fall into one of 2 categories, the Ancestral series and the Philosophical series. 

The Ancestral series take their names from various members of the Hill family throughout the generations. It includes beers like ‘Arthur’, an IPA and arguably Hill Farmsteads most well-known beer, ‘Anna’, a Vermont Honey Ale (see below); ‘Mary’, a German Style Pilsner and ‘George’, an American Brown Ale, however that is just the tip of the iceberg! The Ancestral series has a beer to cover most styles and tastes, beers like Flora; their Barrel Aged Wheat Ale has several iterations. This depends on the fruit that particular each version has been aged on.   

 The Philosophical series is born from Shaun’s longstanding interest in philosophy which he developed whilst at college.   It features beers such as ‘Genealogy of Morals’, ‘Karma Emulsion’, ‘What is Enlightenment’, and the ‘Society and Solitude’ series. Again it covers a range of styles and demonstrates that Shaun’s passions run deeper than the liquid in the bottle. In addition to this Hill Farmstead have dabbled with small batch canning and a number of standalone single hop beers. Despite this fairly extensive range Hill Farmstead remains a small brewery, producing around 3000 barrels per year.   

When talking about the idea of becoming a ‘big’ brewery and moving to a large industrial park he said’ “I didn’t start this brewery so I could keep growing and move it away from here; that wasn’t the point,” he says. “It wouldn’t be fun anymore. It wouldn’t have purpose or meaning.” 

Clearly Hill Farmstead values quality over quantity

A Beer in Focus – ‘Anna’ 

As Hill Farmstead are such a renown brewery, producing relatively small amounts of high quality beer it is fairly uncommon to find them available for sale in the UK.  I was fortunate enough to buy a bottle on my birthday trip to the Brew Dog bar in Bristol in 2019.  The beer in question was a 750ml bottle of Hill Farmstead’s 'Anna' a Vermont Honey Ale brewed using Vermont flower honey.  Anna Hill (1902-1993) was Shaun’s great auntie, one of 13 children who grew up on the land now occupied by the brewery.  

I stashed it away for a rainy day, however it was actually a beautifully sunny day during the COVID-19 lockdown when I decided to open it. 

I was hoping for a light, refreshing yet complex beer....that's exactly what I got. 

The aroma was crisp, floral and funky, with notes of apples, lemon and honey. The taste was amazingly complex without being overpowering or overwhelming. 

Each sip started with a crisp honey and citrus taste followed by a malt driven crackery and peppery edge, rounded off by a floral, funky subtle bitterness. It was medium bodied and amazingly drinkable. 

I was hoping that I was going to be disappointed, I certainly wasn't, it was well crafted, brewed with quality ingredients, by skilled brewers using a lots of care. 

Hopefully you now have a brief insight into one of the world’s most interesting breweries.  By sticking to his values and initial vision Shaun Hill has managed to create a brewery than not only produces exceptional beer but also a brewery that puts care into every drop.  

References

  1https://www.ratebeer.com/ratebeerbest/2019/best-brewers-top-100

2https://hillfarmstead.com/our-story/

3https://www.robhopkins.net/2017/05/24/shaun-hill-of-hill-farmstead-on-brewing-beer-to-capture-the-imagination/

4https://www.robhopkins.net/2017/05/24/shaun-hill-of-hill-farmstead-on-brewing-beer-to-capture-the-imagination/

5  https://narratively.com/the-wonderbrewer-of-nowheresville/

6https://www.vanityfair.com/style/food/2013/04/shaun-hill-brewmaster-hill-farmstead

7https://www.robhopkins.net/2017/05/24/shaun-hill-of-hill-farmstead-on-brewing-beer-to-capture-the-imagination/

 8https://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/2015/03/24/shaun-hill-farmstead-brewery/

9https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/business/craft-beer-the-very-limited-edition.html

Breakfast Time......

New and Improved? My thoughts...

Recently Vocation Brewing announced that they had rebrewed their extremely popular Waffle and Blueberry, Breakfast Stout. 'Breakfast Club'

The original, brewed in collaboration with Yeastie Boys has been a very popular member of the Tesco craft beer range. The 2nd version 'Breakfast Club 2.0' sees Vocation go it alone, and in their words is, bigger, thicker and fruitier!
2.0 is very shortly set to replace the original on the shelves of Tesco.

Therefore I thought in the name of research I should taste them side by side and put Vocation's claims to the test.

The pour was similar, both were well carbonated with a slight purple tinge. The original appeared slightly thinner letting a little light bleed through. 2.0 was completely opaque.

The aroma of both was fruity, chocolatey and sweet. The original however had a distinctive spicy aroma which was missing from 2.0. I later realised this was due to the lack of cinnamon in 2.0. As I'm a fan of cinnamon this was slightly disappointing.

The taste of 2.0 certainly made up for the lack of cinnamon. Compared to the original it was thick, fruity and well balanced. Loads of tart berry character woven into a sweet doughy and chocolatey beer. The original was very chocolatey, but the fruit was actually muted slightly by the spicy cinnamon. The irony....proof that a great aroma does always equal a great taste!

2.0 had a much thicker body, probably due to the addition of Lactose in the latest version, sorry vegans. The original for a 6.9% ABV was a little on the light side.

In conclusion. 2.0 has done exactly what it promised. It was thicker and fruity. The lack of cinnamon and the addition of the lactose has resulted in a better balance and improved mouthfeel. Although I enjoyed the spicy character of the original I understand why the cinnamon is not present in 2.0

For those who love the original I'm sure you won't be disappointed by 2.0. Be sure to try it for yourself.

Milk Stouts - Blind Tasting

2 breweries, 2 beers, 1 style!

I love milk stouts, in fact the first can I bought from my local bottle shop Hops and Crafts in Exeter was a milk stout! Therefore I thought milk stouts would be the ideal place to start some blind tastings.

I picked two beers with similar ABVs, similar adjucts and from a similar part of the UK, hopefully so the water should be fairly similar! 

For me the choice was obvious. 'Deeper Water' a 5.1% ABV Milk Stout with Vanilla, Cacao adjuncts from Bristol's Left Handed Giant and 'Milk Shake' at 5.6% ABV also from Bristol but this time from Wiper and True.

I've had these beers before, enjoyed them both and honestly found it difficult to separate them. This said I've never had them side by side so this could be interesting!

To make sure it was truly blind I used 2 identical glasses and poured a similar amount into each. I immediately noticed one was much more carbonated than the other. 

Beer 1, initial thoughts on the aroma, Milk chocolate, latte coffee and some vanilla. After a short time, the vanilla definately came more prominent.

Beer 2, this aroma was more muted. Certainly not as strong as beer one. Milk chocolate and vanilla were still very noticeable. I let it warm up a little but apart for some subtle coffee nothing much else came across.

Taste.... Beer 1, roasted coffee, milk chocolate, vanilla latte. Nicely balanced, lovely depth of flavour. It finished with a lovely lingering milk chocolate flavour. Almost like letting milk chocolate melt on your tongue!

Beer 2, similar to beer 1, a lovely milk chocolate initial flavour, roasted coffee and some vanilla on the aftertaste. Beer 2 also had a smokey edge which worked surprisingly well with the sweet chocolate and vanilla.

Both beers had reasonable bodies. Beer 1 was the more carbonated but did feel a little thin. Beer 2 was thicker and as a result felt more satisfying on the palate.

Overall beer 1 was my favourite, it had a fuller aroma and more depth of flavour. The mouthfeel of beer 2 was far and away the best but unfortunately the more subtle flavours let it down.

Both beers tasted and Beer 1 crowned winner....but which was which??

The big reveal!

Beer 1 - Left Handed Giant 'Deeper Water'
Beer 2 - Wiper and True 'Milk Shake'

Supermarket beer, but not as you know it!

Bread, Milk, 9% Nitro Infused Vietnamese Coffee Stout....not your usual shopping list.

At the beginning of March the latest round of Brewdog beers launched into Tesco Personally the most exciting 'Roaster Coaster' a 9% ABV Nitro Infused Vietnamese Coffee Stout brewed in collaboration with the brilliant Eviltwin and canned in the USA.

I had seen various reviews online, so with excitement I cracked open the can with that satisfying crunch you get as the nitrogen is released into the beer to works it's magic.

The pour was a thing of beauty. As it settled I was left with a jet black beer and wonderful thick tan coloured head. The aroma was as I hope that great coffee, caramel, chocolate combination. In my opinion the backbone of any sweet coffee stout. If anything it did lack a little roasted malt quality that I normally expect.

On the palate the sweet creamy milk chocolate hit me first, this was followed by a bitter strong coffee flavour and was rounded off by an almost chocolate/caramel sweetness on the backend.

The mouthfeel was superb thanks to nitro can, creamy, smooth, like the lovechild of Guinness and Starbucks!

Personally I look at this beer two ways, you can compare it to other Imperial Coffee Stouts. In which case I felt it lacked depth and balance of flavour and was a little too sweet. Also I would say drink local, support independent bottle shops, breweries and craft beer venues. However you can choose to compare it with other beers available on the shelves of Tesco and in that case I'm putting one in my basket every trip.

I know Brew Dog have the ability to divide opinion in the beer world. For complete disclosure I wouldn't describe myself as a superfan, although I am an Equity Punk with my single lonely share in that massive and expanding Brew Dog world! That said this review, like all my reviews has been as impartial as possible and if this was a truly bad beer I would tell you!! 

Peanut Butter Beauty!

Something a little different from me today. A side by side comparison of two 'Peanut Butter Milk Stouts' both from USA breweries.

One from Nashville's Tailgate Brewery, purchased in Favourites of Cheltenham and the other from San Diego's Belching Beaver Brewery purchased in Barnstaple's Crafty Beer Shop.

I've had the Tailgate Milk Stout before, once in New Orleans and a couple of times in Pursuit of Hoppiness but I've never had the Belching Beaver before, that said I've only heard good things.

I love Peanut Butter, I love Milk Stouts and I love the USA. This should be good. I poured them both and got stuck in. 

Firstly the Belching coming in at 5.3% ABV.

It poured jet black with a small tan head which disappeared very quickly. The aroma hit me immediately, peanut butter and lots of it. As I continued to smell notes of milk chocolate and vanilla came through too. 

The Tailgate at a slight lower 5% ABV poured almost jet back with a little more light bleeding through than the Belching Beaver. It was well carbonated, with a small tan head which stuck around a little longer. The aroma was predominantly milk chocolate with some peanut butter coming through eventually. This was the complete reverse of the Belching Beaver Side by side the Belching Beaver appeared thicker, darker and fuller bodied, although only one thing was going to confirm this.

The first sip of the Belching Beaver was great, full bodied with loads of peanut butter and milk chocolate on the palate.

The taste of the Tailgate was equally creamy but with a slightly thinner body. The Tailgate however had more of a milk chocolate taste with peanut butter coming only coming across after a sip or two.

Overall both beers were enjoyable and easy to drink, not overly rich or sweet. Neither was completely balanced, the Belching Beaver was very peanut butter dominated and the Tailgate had a more chocolate focused taste like a regular milk stout with the peanut butter in a supporting role! 

Final thoughts? Well......I would happily drink both again, although if given the choice I would reach for the Belching Beaver first. I felt the stronger peanut butter flavour and the thicker body, resulted in the better peanut butter milk stout! The Tailgate was good, it just lacked that punchy peanut butter hit that I wanted and expected when I cracked open the can. 

Against the Grain, Duration Brewing

Against the grain.....

Whilst many breweries are seeking to brew bigger and crazier Pastry Stouts, Milkshake IPAs and TIPAs its refreshing to see guys like Bates and Miranda at Duration still commanding an important place on the UK beer scene by keeping it pure, classic and flavourful.

I've had beer from Duration before although this was whilst they were still contact brewing at various locations across the UK. I remember being struck by the quality of the beer and bold flavours which resulted from the simplicity of just water, malts, hops and yeast. Nothing more, nothing less.

Now they have their own brewery out in rural Norfolk, UK, it's clear to see that they've stuck to their morals and are produced beer which uses the four base ingredients to great effect.

'Warm Hugs' is a 6% ABV stout with a classic malt bill, centennial and cashmere hops and uses Duration's own house blend yeast.

Warm hugs describes this beer to a tee, I just wanted to pour it, curl up on the sofa and sip away. The aroma was bold with fruity, roasted coffee and bitter chocolate notes. This along with a similarly balanced taste of red fruits, roasted coffee and chocolate resulted in stout which was well balanced yet provided a complex depth of flavours. It was well rounded with a medium to full body and smooth, silky mouthfeel.

It was so refreshing to drink a beer that wasn't trying to be bigger and bolder than the competition, Warm Hugs just delivered deliciousness and left it at that. I really hope @duration go from strength to strength in their new brewery and I look forward to sampling more of their brews over the coming months and years.

Putty 2020. Hero or Zero?

My final can of Putty 2020 😥 canned exactly one ago, on 30/12/2019. So lets see how a month in the can has developed this beauty.

It has definitely changed, its mellowed! Tropical, earthy and dank. Still full of massive orange, mango and stewed fruits on the palate. The aftertaste was earthy with a lingering bitterness which was more reserved than the fresh can. Personally fresh is best, although it was still everything I wished for. 

In my opinion this a fantastic beer, it demonstrates everything that makes Verdant an amazing brewery and rivals some of the best beers in the world.

Whether you like it or not there has been so much hype around this release, in my opinion rightly so. Hype is created by 2 things, quality and availability. Personally I have no argument about the quality, both can and keg. Then by only releasing it once a year they have created something special. 

Is it the best Verdant beer? Well that's far too subjective for me to answer! All I know is roll on Putty 2021 🍺😁

Try or Dry? A thought for the New Year.

Try or Dry?

As we leave Christmas behind and head into 2020 many beer drinkers will face that annual decision....try or dry?


Dry January is the annual campaign to give up alcohol for the month of January, some will sight health reasons, some trying to re balance the Christmas binge. Others will take on the challenge to save a little money.

On the other hand, Tryanuary seeks to promote independent breweries, bottle shops and beers. It encourages drinkers to try something new, something they wouldn't normally drink.

The arguments for both are compelling; in theory the idea of detoxing your body after what may have been a slightly indulgent December is a good one. I'm aware there is conflicting medical studies as to the benefits of spending a month tee total.

I'm no Doctor and I am certainly not going to claim to be. However, that said I guess that allowing no alcohol to enter your body must have some positives. My question though; does stopping alcohol consumption for one month just to 'get back on it' come February 1st have any benefits? I'll let you ponder that one.

First founded in 2013 by Alcohol Concern, Dry January use to mean soft drinks, good old H2O or some frankly terrible non alcoholic beer. I remember for example the first time I tried Cobra Alcohol Free, it certainly didn't taste like beer!

Thankfully in 2020, Dry January participants have a great and ever increasing selection of good quality and flavourful alcohol free options. Breweries such as Adnams, Brewdog and Thornbridge all offer alcohol free beers in addition to their core ranges. In addition to these are a number of breweries like Big Drop and Nirvana who focus on producing purely alcohol free and low ABV beer.
I first had Big Drop's Milk Stout about 12 months ago. I remember halfway through the bottle I had to remind myself I was drinking alcohol free beer. Apart from a slightly thin body the taste and aroma was exactly what I would expect for a regular milk stout.

Big Drop pride themselves on brewing recipes that produce low ABV beer rather than brewing conventional strength beer, then removing the alcohol via industrial processes which is how many alcohol free beers were originally produced. The last 12 months has seen their availability increased with main major supermarkets and high street health food shops stocking their products. This is evidence, if needed, that the quality of alcohol free beer is improving. Dry January no longer means missing out.

Tryanuary on the other hand is a more recent concept being founded in 2015 with the mission of championing local beer.

The idea is simple, encourage drinkers to support independent breweries, bars and bottle shops throughout January. Traditionally January was a challenging month for the brewing and beer industry. Partially due to people trying to save money post Christmas, but also as many people set new years resolutions, aiming to reduce their alcohol intake to improve their health. It can also be argued that although it's intent is honourable Dry January only made things harder.

During Tryanuary events are held up and down the country, tap takeovers, meet the brewers, bottle shares and tasting evenings. Each with the intention of promoting local and independent beer.

As an aspiring beer writer and reviewer you might think I would be dead against Dry January....well you'd be wrong. Also you might think Dry January and Tryanuary are not compatible; well, I believe you're also wrong.

If you're taking part in Dry January this year I wish you well and set you a second challenge, which I shall call 'Try and Dry'. Rather than opting to stay in, go out, visit your local bar, pub, or bottle shop. Try their alcohol free options, and if they haven't any, ask them why!

Personally, Dry January isn't for me, I shall start 2020 in the same way I have finished 2019. Enjoying great beer, both regular and alcohol free and doing all this as part of a healthy balanced lifestyle. I live by a simple mantra; ‘Drink Less, But Drink Better’.

Try or Dry? I can’t answer that, what I can say is, drink local, support the independent.

Sun, Sea, Sand and Craft Beer? How the beer landscape has changed on the Algarve!

Over the past 5 years my wife and I have enjoyed 4 brilliant holidays to Carvoeiro, a small resort 40 minutes east of Faro on Portugal’s Algarve.

We first visited in October 2014 and immediately fell in love with the place. We found that Carvoeiro had everything we wanted from a relaxing holiday destination. But could I get a good Beer?

Carvoeiro has developed from a small traditional Portuguese fishing village and is now a small but bustling holiday resort with a great selection of bars, restaurants, shops and hotels. It’s still small enough that it’s retained its traditional charm whilst still moving with the times, providing everything you would expect from a modern vibrant town.

Moving with the times has meant that even Carvoeiro has not escaped the ‘craft beer revolution’. When we first visited I was only just discovering craft beer myself, back in the UK the craft beer scene was still very much a work in progress. In Carvoeiro craft beer was non-existent. Going for a drink involved four choices, wine, beer, cider or cocktails. If you chose beer your choices were relatively restricted. The only beers available in nearly all establishments were ‘Superbock’ a 5.2% ABV pale lager from the Carlsberg group, ‘Sagres’ a 5% ABV pale lager ultimately owned by Heineken and of cause Guinness!

On our next visit the following year not much has changed. The only subtle difference was that ‘Superbock Stout’ had started to appear in a few select bars and restaurants, but on the whole its availability was very limited. In most venues I would be met with blank stares when I requested in at the bar, on more than one occasion when asking for a Superbock Stout I was proudly presented with a pint of Superbock lager!

‘Superbock Stout’ is a 5% ABV dark stout produced by Superbock who are part of the Carlsberg group. I was impressed by the smooth creamy mouthfeel which coupled with a milk chocolate, sweet vanilla and roasted coffee flavour resulting in an extremely drinkable and enjoyable stout. It wasn’t as heavy as Guinness and as it was sold in 330ml rather than pints, it was also much more sessionable; just what I wanted for a long afternoon in the sun!

 In 2017 we returned again, on the face of it nothing had changed. Superbock and Sagres were still the most popular and available beers while Guinness was still the go to dark beer. Superbock Stout was now available in a wider range of venues, most important of all being my hotel bar!

But once you scratched the surface subtle and important changes were beginning to appear. Firstly in many of the restaurants were now offering other European Lagers on draught, San Miguel, Stella Artois and Heineken were all available depending on the venue. Not exactly ‘craft beer’ but at least there were now more options.

On a slightly more exciting note, when I was in the town’s main bottle shop selecting a bottle of Port to take home for my parents I noticed 3 different brightly coloured 330ml bottles. On closer inspection I realised I was looking at 3 bottles from a Lisbon based brewery Cerveja Musa. I found to my delight an Oat Stout, an IPA and a Red Session IPA, all with a music, theme. ‘Twist and Stout, ‘Born in the IPA’ and ‘Red Zeppelin’…..see what they did there! Unfortunately all were sat on a warm shelf in direct sunlight, also being my last day of the holiday I decided to give them a miss. There will be a next time I thought!

Sadly I had to wait 2 years for the next time but when it came I certainly was not disappointed.

By this time it was May 2019. The craft beer scene in the UK was well established, Magic Rock had just found their way onto Tesco’s shelves and breweries like Cloudwater, Deya and Verdant were producing top quality beer that were giving the Americans a run for their money.

When we arrived in Carvoeiro I was pleased to discover things has also improved there too. At my first opportunity I walked down the very same bottle shop that I had spotted the Cerveja Musa 2 years previous. As I walked in I immediately spotted a large fridge full of all types of alcohol, wine, port, cava and most importantly 1 shelf dedicated to Cerveja Musas’ four beers and four other craft beers from another Portuguese craft brewer +351.

An Oat Stout, Black IPA, 2 different IPAs, Red Session IPA, Pale Ale and a Vienna Lager, truly spoiled for choice. The fact that they were now refrigerated also showed that retailers were taking more care over the beer they were selling, ensuring quality form brewery to glass!

Things had also improved in the hotel, the bar which on the previous occasion had Superbock lager on draught and Superbock Stout in bottles now had a 6 pump keg system with Superbocks’ ‘1927’ craft beer series available. This included a Munich Dunkel, Bengal IPA and Weiss Bier as well as Superbock Stout on draught.

Over the next couple of days I made it my goal to try all of the Cerveja Musa and +351 330ml bottles. My first choice was Cerveja Musas’ ‘Red Zeppelin’, a red session IPA. I paid for it and made my way down the beach before cracking it open. It was delightful, dried fruits and malty caramel on the nose which complemented a refreshing toffee, fig, raisin and subtle citrus taste

Later that day we visited one of our favourite bars, located in the cliffs with stunning views over the Atlantic Ocean, to my surprise I spotted some more Cerveja Musa in the fridge there……result!

This time a thought I’d try the Oat Stout, again it was fantastic. Full of flavour, an espresso coffee and milk chocolate aroma with similar taste, it was certainly as good as stouts from the likes of Bristol Beer Factory and Left Handed Giant.

The +351 beers were equally as impressive with the Black IPA being a particular highlight. It’s hoppy, smokey, roasted coffee and cacao flavour proved to be very refreshing.

The icing on the cakes was the discovery of Dos Santos, a small craft brewery located on a golf resort just outside the town. They appeared to be relevantly new, focused on light fruity beers following the principles of the Reinheitsgebot. During the first few days of the holiday I had noticed a few bars had their beers on keg but despite checking most shops in the village I couldn’t find any of their bottles for sale. Therefore on the third day of the holiday we decided to take a trip up to the brewery and taproom so we could sample then for ourselves.

After a short taxi ride we arrived at the Dos Santos brewery and taproom in a beautiful location overlooking a vineyard and the hills behind. The brewery had a lovely modern feel, including a bright shiny stainless steel brewing kit, a fully mechanised bottling line and a light vibrant taproom and terrace area which made the most of the views. We were greeted by the friendly staff who sat us down on a large table in the window so we could really enjoy the views.

We ordered our first beers, they offered a core range which include a Pilsner, Lager, Pale and Amber Ale. They also offered a seasonale beer, which on this occasion was a Watermelon pale.

I opted for the Amber, whilst my wife chose the Watermelon Pale.

The Amber arrived and was extremely fresh and chilled with just the right level of carbonation. It had beautifully fresh citrus and dried fruits aroma with a crisp orange, sweet toffee and fig taste.

After enjoying the Amber I swiftly moved on to try the pale ale and the pilsner, both were equally as crisp and refreshing with lovely malt driven flavours.

The taproom had a simple menu which offered an interesting selection of fresh tapas. My wife and I went for a sharing plate, including local olives, breads, meat and cheeses which complemented the beers excellently. As I sat there sipping the pilsner looking out over the vineyards it suddenly dawned on me how far the Portuguese craft beer scene had developed over the relatively short time I had been visiting. Fresh local beer and fresh local food, this was a far cry from our first visit when the beer never complemented the food, and was nothing more than mass produced and flavourless! Craft beer had defiantly arrived!

In my view an important part of taking a holiday is relaxing and enjoying the finer things in life, sadly the first time I visited Carvoeiro everything was excellent apart from the beer. Now however even on this small part of The Algarve a public demand and an industry passion has resulted in change. Now quality and choice are now in charge. If this is the story in just one small part of Portugal in sure the cases is very similar right along the Atlantic. The future looks promising!

Lager, the Reformed Character?

Lager, the Reformed Character? 

For many years Lager has had a negative stereotype in the UK and has often been misunderstood and overlooked by many a seasoned ale drinker. During the 1980’s and 90’s Lager was something more associated with football violence and rowdy brits abroad than something you would pair with a spicy curry or a beautiful fish dish. The term ‘Lager Lout’ certainly didn’t do anything to boost this image. It could be argued that poor publicity and a lack of education was responsible for this, fortunately the tide appears to have turned.

What is Lager?

Lager is often wrongly labelled as a style of beer, in fact lager is not a style, but a whole subsection. Lagers can be pale, amber or even dark, ranging the light coloured Pilsner right up to the stout like Schwarzbierⁱ.

The term ‘lager’ comes from the German, Lagern ‘to store’ⁱⁱ, and ‘lagering’ aka ‘maturation’ essentially means to store in cold temperatures, generally around 1 or 2C. Unlike ales which are top fermented in warm conditions, lagers are bottom fermented at cooler temperatures. Due to this Lagers require a slightly different strain of yeast although ale and lager yeasts are both closely related.

Historically lagers originate from Northern Europe, in the areas of Germany, Czech Republic and Austriaⁱⁱⁱ, some of the most popular styles of Lager such as Pilsner, Helles and Vienna find their origins in this region. The city of Pilsen in Czech Republic is the location of the Pilsner Urquell Brewery, the birth place of the first pale lager, hence the name Pilsner.

The UK’s relationship with Lager

Some argue the UK’s love of Lager was borne from the increase in package holidays to continental Europe during the early 1970’s. Brits were returning having drunk lager on their holidays and began to demand something different to the traditional British cask ale. Also the crisp, citrus flavour of the Pilsner lager was seen as slightly more suited to the female palate^iv. Suddenly there was another option at the bar, the Brits loved it, the love affair continued and in 1989 lager outsold real ale for the first time.

However like most things, with popularity came controversy. Lager was relatively cheap and easy to drink; this made lagers and more correctly the Pilsner, the drink of choice for those that wanted to drink a lot in a relatively short space of time. This earned lager nicknames such as ‘Wife Beater’^v due to links between excessive drinking and domestic violence. During this time lager also often had a higher ABV than some of the more traditional British cask ales which didn’t help this stereotype.

Brands like Carlsberg, Stella Artois and Heineken became household names, with popularity also came mass production. To keep up with demand and the fierce competition for space on the supermarket shelves and bars, brewers had to resort to increased mechanisation and shorter maturation periods.

This had two key effects, a price war and a perceived reduction in quality and flavour. Both of these could be subjects for articles in their own right. Suffice to say lager became cheaper and consumption increased!

In addition the distinction between the various lager styles became blurred. The term ‘lager’ became a common place term when referring to a Pilsner, and as a result other styles of lager such as the Munich Helles, Vienna lager and classic Bock struggled to compete.

The Revolution Begins…

The ‘craft beer revolution’ was driven by a number of breweries in the USA and a small, but ever increasing number of new breweries in the UK. West Coast and New England IPAs were appearing in pubs and specialist bottle shops across the country. Initially lager did not play a large part in this, perhaps in part due to the image of lager created by the media and the perception by some that lager was a second class drink.

As the popularity of craft ales increased however, some of the new craft breweries as well as some of the more established American brewers started introducing lagers to the market. In 2010 Camden Brewery was established, and shortly after this they started to produce Camden Hells their signature lager which actually combines two different styles the Helles and the Pilsner. This was followed in 2012 when Samuel Adams struck an agreement with Kent based Shepard Neame to start brewing their flagship Boston Lager. Samuel Adams is a Vienna Lager, darker in colour than most in the UK were use too.

The fact that some of the first ‘craft lagers’ to hit the pubs and bottle shops of the UK were not Pilsners may have been the catalyst for change. Ordering a lager in Wetherspoons didn’t automatically mean ‘pilsner’. Those who would have traditionally reached for a malty, citrusy and frankly flavourless macro lager were being presented with the option of deeper more flavoursome beer.

This situation improved further when in 2016 Brooklyn Lager from New York began distributing their Lager in Europe.

Personally I first discovered craft beer around 2014, however the thought of drinking a lager just brought back memories of my teens, memories of drinking cheap, fizzy macro lager. This was until a friend returned from a trip to Dublin and informed me that Guinness had started to brew a lager. Initially I was sceptical, but he said ‘try it’ and that’s exactly what I did! The lager in question was ‘Hop House 13’, a 5% ABV dry hopped lager brewed using Galaxy, Topaz and Mosaic hops. I remember trying it for the first time. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised, I hadn’t realised that a lager could taste that flavoursome. Caramel, bready and slightly floral, maybe there was more to lager than I had released.

Like me, many others were being educated and converted to this new breed of lagers. Guinness and Camden were soon joined in this lager revival by the likes of Brewdog with ‘Kingpin’, Meantime with ‘London Lager’ and Beavertown with ‘Beavo’.

As the popularity of these new lagers increased so did the availability; they were now available in the supermarket aisles alongside the more established macro brands. These new lagers were also helping rebuild the image of lager, top chefs, beer writers and other columnists were now talking about lager in a different light.

Many craft brewers in the UK have experimented with lagers in some form, lots even have a lager as part of their core range.

In early 2019 I was introduced to two breweries who solely produce fresh British lagers. Cotswold Brew Co from Gloucestershire and Utopian Brewing from Devon both focus on using the best British malts to produce Germany and Czech inspired lagers. Cotswold have started experimenting with long maturated Helles and Pilsners’ in an attempt to deliver even more flavour from their brews, whilst Utopian have focused their brewing around sustainability and using 100% British Ingredients.

When I tried both the Cotswold and the Utopian I can honestly say how impressed I was by the depth of flavour they delivered. Proof that when you use quality ingredients and have a skilled and passionate brewer lager is much more than just a fizzy alternative to a cask ale.

Whilst it is still possible to go to your local supermarket and buy 18 cans of Stella for £15.00 it is also true that the UK consumer now has much more choice; not only in the quality of lager they buy but also the style. Pilsners, Helles, and Vienna lagers all sit side by side on bars and supermarket shelves across the country.

Education is the key, if the public become aware of the exciting flavours and super fresh lager alternatives available, maybe, just maybe they’ll think twice the next time they order their regular pint!

i https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lager

ii http://www.beerexpert.co.uk/lager.html

iii https://www.anchorbrewing.com/blog/a-history-of-lager

iv https://boakandbailey.com/2007/09/the-rise-of-lager-in-the-uk/

v https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/lobbying-company-tried-to-wipe-out-wife-beater-beer-references-6284622.html