Session Notes: Port Street Beer House, Manchester, 28.01.12
Another weekend (albeit a couple ago now) another session at Manchester’s Port Street Beer House. This time around, Jo and I met up with a chap called John Medd – blogger, baker, beer drinker and occasional commenter here on Folk & Ale – as well as cat-fanatic and ale-lover Jenny (John’s missus), psych-prog/folk musician James (John’s lad) and Professional Web-Geek Gemma (James’s girlfriend).
In between enjoyably rambling conversations about everything and anything that came to mind (mostly drinking beer, baking bread, listening to great music, where to get a decent curry at 10 o’clock in Manchester City Centre and the contrary nature of cats) I also supped a few very fine beers indeed, which went a little like this…
Marble Ginger Stout
One of the definite pinnacles of Marble’s brewing output to-date, absolutely had to be done before it disappeared (and as it happens, Jo and I managed to nab close to the last pint and a half in the cask). As I’ve said before, this is an absolutely fantastic beer, “the bastard offspring of a dark chocolate brownie and a ginger nut biscuit, in a glass” to quote… well, me. Well worth trying if you see it anywhere and, I think I’m right in saying, available in bottles if you can’t find the draught version.
Dark Star Critical Mass
I’ll rarely pass up a chance to sample a Dark Star beer I’ve not seen before, and Critical Mass was a new one on me. It was 7.4% ABV so I erred on the side of a half and spent the next 20 minutes sipping what turned out to be a dark, strong ale with a sweet, nutty, sherry-wine flavour. Very good indeed. Can’t tell you much more than that as there’s nothing about it on the Dark Star website. Wonder if I jotted down the wrong brewery? (I was enjoying the conversation too much to keep tabs on my notes).
Maui Old Chinwig
With a 6.5% stout and a 7.4% dark ale under my belt already, it was obviously going to be one of those sessions. So, in for a penny… I decided to try a half of this 8.0% ABV US import (all the way from Hawaii). The pump-clip declared it to have been brewed as an old ale (again the brewery website is devoid of useful information so that’s all I’ve got to go on). Flavours were on the sweet side: cherry dark chocolate, coconut and caramel. The mouth-feel was as silky as a stout and sticky sweet and the whole thing was quite delicious (sweet tooth assumed).
Marble / Dark Star Saison Special
Next: a half of the above 9%-er, or it would have been if the keg didn’t run dry half-way through the pour. I ordered something else instead (a half of Thornbridge Halcyon, which is always too damn good to pass up on if you get the chance) but then cheekily asked the bar-chap if I could try a sip of the Saison to see what I was missing and he very generously said I could help myself to what was there, no charge. I bit his hand off and although this was clearly an end-of-barrel measure and so possibly not at its best, it was still a very good drop indeed. Fresh despite its strength, with a good dollop of citrus hops, it was very palatable and bodes well for the 750ml bottle that I’ve got stashed in the beer cupboard.
All in all, it was a great night. Jo and I met some new people who we seemed to get on with like the proverbial home-conflagration (lovely people all, it was a very definite pleasure to meet them), we enjoyed a selection of rather excellent beers (as is the case nine times out of ten at the PSBH) and we’re looking forward to the next time John, Jenny, James and Gemma are in town and fancy a sociable pint (hopefully we’ll be able to get together for a few jars again before too long).
And, just for John, if I had to sum the evening up, I think I’d have to say:
A. Good Times
B. Great Beer
C. New Friends
D. Port Street Beer House, 28.01.12
