Brewery: Potbelly
Location: Kettering, England
Style: Golden Ale
ABV: 4.5%
Version: Um… draught?
Source: The Waterside Arts Centre, Sale

First off: full marks to UK folk legends Bellowhead for commissioning Kettering ale brewer Potbelly to come up with an ale to accompany the band’s new album, Hedonism and letting the venues on the current tour know about it so they could order some in for the gigs.

Slightly fewer marks to the Waterside Arts Centre, who decided that the best way to cope with the inevitable rush would be to draw off a couple of pints of a time (gravity style) from the cask into plastic jugs and then pour from those into plastic pint pots. Which wasn’t actually all that much quicker a means of getting the beer out and resulted in varying degrees of lack-of-head, depending on how far down the jug they were when you ordered yours (guys, next time, just have two people drawing off a pint at a time from the casks and lining them up for someone else to hand out to the punters?).

But you know what? Despite the slightly dodgy method-of-dispense, Hedonism Ale was still a very tasty beer indeed. Pale but packed with malt, with a thirst-quenching hop-bite on the after-taste, this was exactly what I needed to get me through an hour and a half of jumping around like a madman to a fantastic set from one of the best live bands in the country. So it was a bit of a shame that the Waterside had only ordered two casks and they ran out about twenty minutes into the set. They’ll know better next time, I’m sure.

In other, more sedate, circumstances – a summer’s afternoon at a country pub, a hand-pump, a sparkler and a pint glass, for instance – I reckon Hedonism Ale would make for an excellent session beer. If you’re curious about trying this one, you can order a case of the bottled version from www.beerathome.biz, otherwise you’ll just have to get yourself down to one of the few remaining gigs on the current Bellowhead tour and hope the venue has bought some in.

Brewery: Hook Norton [Hook Norton Hooky Gold these past few weeks. Partly, I’ll confess, because it’s been included in Sainsbury’s 2-for-£3 bottled ale offer for the past two or three rotations. But mainly because it’s one of the most drinkable bottled session beers I’ve encountered to-date.

Hook Norton Hooky Gold pours… well, yes, a deep molten gold, with a decent stab at a clean, white head. Not much on the aroma, but taste-wise it manages to deliver the crisp, citrus sharpness of a really good hoppy pale ale, with an underlying malt base that gives it a rather superb balance and makes for an extremely drinkable, refreshing drop. At a sedate 4.1% ABV, it’s a great session starter; a perfect palate-primer that will set you up quite wonderfully for a couple of big American IPAs (if you wan to head off in one direction) or a switch to something darker and sweeter (if you prefer the other). Or you could, y’know, just drink Hooky Gold throughout, without too much risk of getting bored; there’s plenty of depth-of-flavour to keep things interesting.

One day I hope to find Hooky Gold on draught and when that day comes, I expect I’ll happily stay with it until last orders has been and gone. Until then, I’ll be keeping a few bottles in on a fairly permanent basis.

Jo and I spent a long weekend in the South Lake District this weekend just gone, so in the next few posts I’ll be mentioning some of the pubs we visited, the beers we tried and the souvenirs (mostly beer-bottle shaped) that we brought back with us.

The aim of said long weekend was two-fold:

1. Relax the hell out and enjoy the stunning scenery of the Lake District in Autumn (if the forecast heavy rain ever let up…) whilst mooching around a few historical sites and market towns into the bargain.
2. Road-test the review copy of the 2011 Good Pub Guide that Ebury Press very kindly sent me a couple of weeks back (with our trusty 2010 Good Pub Guide along for back-up).

We headed up to the Lakes late Friday morning. We were staying at a place called Pine Lake, just north of Carnforth – so en-route, we stopped off in Lancaster for lunch. Referring to the 2011 Good Pub Guide we headed for The Borough; a former mayor’s house and Victorian / Edwardian working mens’ club with a definite retro-elegant feel to the furnishings (excuse the poor quality of the following phone-snap, couldn’t get the lighting right…)

Food options were at the good end of the pub-food spectrum, prices were middling. We opted for one of the 2-course ‘school dinner’ options: ham, egg & chips (bloody good chips they were, too) followed by a pud (jelly and ice cream for me) for £7.95, which didn’t seem too bad. The beer selection was decent, with six handpumps carrying beers from Dent, Hawkshead, John Smiths (Cask) and Black Sheep (Ale).

We both went for the Dent Porter, which looked exactly like a pint of Guinness, weighed in at a genteel 3.8% ABV and packed plenty of chocolate malt flavour, with a hint of liquorice and just enough smokiness to make it interesting. Very nice drop indeed, but I just had the one seeing as I was driving.

After a wander round Lancaster town centre (via an opportune visit to an off license that had a surprisingly decent beer selection, where I picked up a bottle of Robinson’s Ginger Tom and one of Marston’s Owd Rodger) we then made the short hop up the A6 to Carnforth, which only took 20 mins despite Lancaster rush hour’s best efforts to keep us around a bit longer. Upon arrival, we settled in to our bijou studio lodge, had a cup of tea and referred once more to the Good Pub Guide. There were two pubs within short driving distance: one officially Recommended and one ‘lucky dip’ option (which means the place has been referred to the Guide by a member of the public, but they haven’t sent their own people to check it out yet). Opting to save the Recommendation for Saturday night, we headed on out to find an early doors dinner at the lucky dip option.

This was The Longlands – a short (1.2 miles) trip up the A6 and then just off along the A6070 (iirc) to Tewitfield Locks. A large-ish country pub with a hotel block built on and an extended dining section around what presumably used to be two of the external walls, The Longlands had an excellent food menu. Jo enjoyed a warm pheasant salad followed by confit belly pork (which was a bit over-done, but tasty if you like a bit of barbecue flavour to your crackling) served with spinach, fondant potato & scallops whilst I had a warm venison salad (garnished with black pudding, fried potatoes and bacon, no less) followed by goosnargh duck breast (mine was perfectly cooked), served with garlic gratin potato, tempura green beans and a roast fig. It was lovely. Prices were middling (about £8 for starters and £15 for the main courses, but the ones we had were all off the specials menu) but well worth it for a bit of a treat.

Beer-wise, they were offering a choice of four: York Guzzler, Black Sheep (Bitter this time, I think), something local (couldn’t get close enough to the pump to spot the name, but it claimed to be the ‘taste of Westmoreland’) and the one we both opted for: Lancaster Amber. A light, golden ale that was big on crisp, citrusy freshness, it was very palatable and only 3.7% as well.

All in all, a rather superb start to the weekend.

Next post: Saturday in Kendal and Grange-Over-Sands.

Brewery: Hornbeam Brewery
Location: Denton, Manchester
Style: Golden Ale
ABV: 3.8%
Version: Draught
Source: The Angel, Manchester

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…)

Brewery: Fyne Ales
Location: Cairndow, Scotland
Style: Golden Ale
ABV: 4.5%
Version: Draught
Source: The Guildford Arms, Edinburgh / MyBreweryTap.com

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.

Brewery: Wye Valley Brewery
Location: Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire, England
Style: Golden Ale / Bitter
ABV: 4.5% / 3.7%
Version: Draught
Source: The Bull’s Head, Chelmarsh, nr. Bridgnorth, Shropshire

“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.

First up was Ascot Ales Alligator Ale, a golden ale brewed with single-varietal (US cascade) hops. I was expecting something light and refreshing, but this 4.6% ABV ended up punching well above its expected weight. It poured a slightly cloudy (although that may have been my fault, I might not have been as careful with the sediment as I should have been, distracted as I was by watching the World Cup draw) dark gold colour, with a very thin head. The first sip delivered a big hit of rich malt, which took on a chocolatey character as the beer warmed up. The hop finish was sneaky: it crept up and slugged my taste buds when I wasn’t looking, but hung around for ages afterwards in the lingering, dry finish. There was a hint of citrus sourness in there as well; a mix of bitter orange and acid drops. Very little in the way of sweetness, but with plenty of character and flavour, I definitely enjoyed my first Alligator encounter.

Second round: Dark Star Imperial Stout. I had a strong suspicion that I’d get on with this one very well indeed, Imperial Stout being pretty much my all-time favourite beer style, and I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. This 2008 vintage, 10.5% ABV roast-malt monster poured a lovely opaque black, with no head whatsoever. The first sip released a cascade of big, big flavours: rich, dark chocolate, sour cherries, port wine were the first three I scribbled down as tears of pure joy leaked from the corners of my eyes. After that I noted treacle, liquorice and then a definite vanilla, toasted almond, marzipan-esque semi-sweetness began to creep through. The sweeter flavours became more pronounced as I sipped my way down the glass, but at no point did they take over or become cloying; that bitter-sour note was ever-present, keeping the whole thing in quite wonderful balance. Delicious. Absolutely delicious. I’d happily drink a bottle of Dark Star Imperial Stout any day of the week.

And so to round three: Harvey’s Imperial Extra Double Stout. Not just Imperial. Not even just Imperial Extra. No, this one’s Imperial Extra Double Stout… so I was expecting something that was going to be nothing less than absolutely incredible. Bottled in 2003, this beer had already been maturing for six years when I cracked it open on Friday evening. I have no idea what it tasted like when it was young, but aged for 60 months or so, it was… well… I started off with ‘smells like christmas cake’ (when it was still in the bottle) and moved on to ‘looks like used engine oil’, this second observation provided by Jo, after the pour. And it tasted like… rubber. And burnt coffee. And red wine vinegar. And… okay, you know how the phrase ‘a bit of a Marmite beer’ is usually used metaphorically? in the case of Harvey’s IEDS it’s quite literal, too. Individually, there’s not a flavour there that should have endeared me to Harvey’s ober-stout, but slam them all together and you get something that really works. In an oddly savoury, distinctly medicinal, weirdly masochistic way, it all just works. I managed to finish the bottle, anyhow (which surprised me almost as much as it did Jo) and, although I wouldn’t rush back to it, I’d still give it another go. I think. Tell you what, offer me another one and we’ll see what happens…

Huge, huge thanks to Beer Viking crew member Simon B for sending me this eclectic, interesting and extremely generous selection. Some genuinely remarkable (and surprising) flavours, there. I’m very happy indeed that I took part in the first round of the Beer Swap project, and I’ll be glad to volunteer for the next one.

Earlier this week, I finally got the long-awaited and much-chased email from Collect+ confirming that my Beer Swap package had arrived at the local store for collection. My Beer Swap buddy was Simon B, a loyal crew member on the good ship BeerViking.com and – judging by the selection of beers he chose to send my way – a man who definitely knows his brews.

The package from Simon contained the following:

      

Alligator Ale from Ascot Ales. A single-varietal (US Cascade) hop golden ale made in small batches of 4 barrels at a time.

Imperial Stout from Dark Star, 2008 vintage. A 10.5% ABV uber-stout in the Baltic export tradition. (I owe Simon a pint for sending me this one, definitely.)

Imperial Extra Double Stout from Harveys, 2003 vintage. 9% ABV and sanctioned by A. Le Coa and Tartu Brewery in Estonia. (If the last one earned Simon a pint, then for this one I probably owe him a hogshead…)

Now, anyone involved in the Beer Swap project will have spotted that I’ve only mentioned three bottles there, rather than the four that Beer Swap participants were asked to send. Simon did send a fourth – a bottle of Dark Star Sunburst – but alas, it didn’t survive the journey intact. So, whilst I’m truly impressed with Simon’s generosity and dedication to the Beer Swap cause, I can’t say the same for the efficiency of service or customer care demonstrated by Collect+. They were, frankly, a bit crap. Not only did they take ten days to ship the parcel from Marple (just South of Manchester) to Prestwich (just North of Manchester) – which is a journey of “19.2 mi – about 35 mins” according to Google Maps – but they also managed to break the bottle of Sunburst, despite the copious amount of newspaper packing that Simon had included in the box and the ‘Fragile’ tape he’d used to seal it up with.

So when I picked up the parcel I was greeted with one end of a box reduced to a mass of soggy cardboard and the pungent (yet still oddly enticing) whiff of stale beer, handed to me by an apologetic shopkeeper who assured me that this what it had looked like when he received it:

I mentioned the damaged parcel to Collect+ (pointing out that the broken bottle had been removed, so I couldn’t see whether it had been crushed in transit or had just cracked under its own pressure) and asked them to refund Simon his sending fee. They flatly refused. Instead, they apologised for the damage, but in the same email quoted chunks of their terms & conditions stating that they don’t carry liquids or glass except by prior arrangement.

Which, of course, they’re perfectly entitled to do. Fair’s fair, terms and conditions are agreed to in advance and all that. But to me, that sort of approach (“oh, sorry… not our problem though”) still smacks of an opportunity lost on their part; an opportunity to impress a first-time customer with their dedication to providing an above-and-beyond standard of service. Their loss: I won’t be using them again in future. Terms and conditions aside, Collect+ still managed to break a beer bottle that was perfectly well-packaged in a box clearly marked ‘fragile’, which suggests their drivers or depot staff are nowhere near as careful with other people’s property as they should be.

Anyhow, today is actually the last day for posting a Beer Swap write-up, according to the original schedule. Thanks to Collect+’s amazing ability to turn a 35 minute journey into a 10-day delay, I’m going to be cutting it fine if I’m going to make the deadline… Sunday seems like a much more likely prospect than this evening, but I’ll do my best. Depends on how much recorded TV we end up watching. Or rather, if I’m honest about it, how engrossed I get in Football Manager 2010… :)