That Perfect Session Beer Moment, Courtesy of Hawkshead

You know the Moment I mean. When you glance along the bar and, with fingers crossed, opt for something with a reasonable ABV – maybe a best bitter, maybe a golden ale – and the bar-person hands you a pint of liquid perfection. It doesn’t happen all the time, alas, unless you’re exceptionally lucky or your local landlord or landlady is extremely good at cellar-work; more often you’re handed a pint of uninspiringly flat, flabby brown beer. Which is why when you do have one of those Moments, it tends to be memorable.

My last such Perfect Session Beer Moment happened last week, at The Angel in Manchester. It was a Tuesday night, the place was fairly quiet and I was waiting for my mate Andy to turn up for one of our midweek sessions. I spotted the Hawkshead Lakeland Gold pump-clip, thought about it for a moment and decided that yes, I would give it a go to see if I could re-live a few fond memories of the hour or so Jo and I spent at the Hawkshead Brewery Tap last October.

Naturally, I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as on its home turf, so I was pleasantly surprised when it was actually even better. I was moved to tweet at the time that it was in excellent nick, but that didn’t really do it justice (Andy was glaring at me and muttering darkly about tweeting in public so I had to keep it short). It really was about the best stand-alone session pint I’d had in a long time. The pour must have been perfect (kudos to the lass behind the bar; relatively new to the job, so either a very quick learner or riding her beginner’s luck with aplomb) and watching the foaming head slowly settle to a thick, tight white cap was a joy. I would have taken a photo (hell, I would have shot a short video) if I thought the lads at the bar wouldn’t have booted me out for being some sort of geeky weirdo.

And the taste? Bitter nectar on the tongue, sharp dryness at the back of the throat, lingering malt tones balancing the fresh, grassy hops perfectly. Excuse me waxing all lyrical, but I’m getting misty-eyed just thinking back to it. Goes without saying we stopped for another before wandering off to see what the Port Street Beer House had left in their US Beer Festival line-up.

As I said, probably the best pint (or two) of bitter / golden ale I’ve had since my first drop of Fyne Avalanche last year and the best general session-strength pint since Wharfedale Aztec Dark, which I enjoyed back in April, also at The Angel. No coincidence, that: they really do keep their beers very well indeed. Well worth a visit next time you’re in Manchester.

Sunday in the Lake District: cold, crisp, clear; sun shining like it was feeling guilty for forgetting to do it all summer and felt it had a point to prove. In short: an absolutely amazing Autumn day.

Keen to make the most of the good weather, Jo and I headed out reasonably early (for us) in the direction of an amble around the grounds of Sizergh Castle. En-route we stopped off at Sizergh Lower Barn; a farm-shop cum deli that was packed to the rafters with local delicacies. We came away with pots of lemon cheese and damson paste (concentrated damson jam, without the stones – delicious!) as well as a few huge blocks of flapjack and a few bottles from their rather good local ale selection: two of Coniston brewery‘s Special Oatmeal Stout for Jo and one each of their Old Man Ale and Winter Warmer Blacksmith’s Ale for yours truly. Things were looking up already.

After a wander around the formal gardens, kitchen garden and orchard at the Castle (actually a stately home), we got back in the car and headed via the scenic route up to Bowness on the shores of Lake Windermere. Word to the wise: Bowness on a Sunday at the start of half-term is a definite candidate for Hell-on-Earth. Wonderful scenery across the Lake (if you could see any of it for all the bloody tourists) and quite a pleasant-looking town (if you could move around it for all the bloody tourists) but we were extremely glad we weren’t there in high summer. We trekked from the car park into town, becoming one with the throngs of bloody tourists in the process, then ducked into the first likely-looking pub for a spot of lunch.

We’d rather foolishly left the 2011 Good Pub Guide in the car, so we missed out on both the (Recommended) Hole in t’ Wall and the (Lucky Dip) Royal Oak, ending up in the Stags Head instead. This large, traditional, stone-walled pub offered a decent selection of pub food at reasonable prices, which turned out to be served in generous portions. Jo ordered the chicken roast and got half a bird with all the trimmings and I went for the 12ox Cumberland sausage and chips (very good chips they were, too).

Beer-wise, there was an advertised choice of eight; from the likes of Thwaites, Moorhouse’s, Theakston’s and John Smiths (cask). Only two pumps were on (Sunday afternoon leftovers after a busy Saturday night, I’m guessing) but luckily the beer I fancied was one of the two: Stags Head Imperial Bitter, brewed by Moorhouse’s and clearly the House ale. A 4.2% ABV, light golden bitter with plenty of malt flavour and a citrusy hop-bite to chase it down. Quite a pleasant easy-drinker and a very good accompaniment to my sausage and chips.

Feeling pleasantly full – and even a little better-disposed towards all the bloody tourists – we wandered around Bowness for a bit before heading back to the car and on to the definite beery-highlight of the weekend…

If you take the main road out of Bowness (the A591), through Windermere and on towards Kendal, after a few miles you reach the village of Staveley. Not much to it on first impression, apart from a couple of pubs, a fine art showroom… but then, tucked away off the main street, you’ll find a former mill complex, part of which now houses the Hawkshead Brewery. It would have been unforgivably rude not to drop in to The Brew House – the Hawkshead brewery tap – while we were in the area and as Jo had very kindly offered to do the driving for the rest of the day, that meant I was free to sup a couple of pints of Hawkshead’s finest.

I started with a drop of Lakeland Gold. Fellow beer blogger Baron Orm had raved about and personally recommended Lakeland Gold, but I have to admit that when I tried a bottle a few weeks ago, I wasn’t as fond of it as I’d hoped I would be; it just cam across as a little too drily ascerbic for my preference. So here was a golden opportunity to re-sample and re-assess, if ever there was going to be one.

The draught version was – as you’d expect – much, much nicer. The dryness was still there in force, but the fuller body of the draught pint gave the beer’s other characteristics a chance to shine through: subtle yet complex malt flavours and a richness of mouth-feel that the bottled version just didn’t manage to convey. All in all, it reminded me quite strongly of Marble Pint, which is one of my all-time favourite session beers. And to be fair, I’ve not had a bottled Pint, but I’d imagine there would be a similar disparity between that and the draught version as well.

At that point, seeing as I was still riding on Jo’s generosity and not yet pushing my luck, I went back to the bar for a second. A revived liking for Lakeland Gold aside, my eye had been caught by Hawkshead’s stronger, darker offering: Brodie’s Prime. Beautiful, it was. Dark, rich and complex; a bitter-sweet, almost porter-like roast malt flavour, but shot through with dark damson and black cherry, smoky liquorice and toffee sugars. I’m a big fan of dark, fruit-cake-sweet beers (something I may have mentioned a time or two before today) and this was the darkest, cake-iest beer I’d had all weekend. A lovely, lovely drop.

Now, unbeknown to us, the Beer Hall hosts an open mic session every Sunday afternoon and evening and the place rapidly filled up with folks carrying guitar cases. The session was hosted by a lady from round our way (odd factoid: we chatted to three or four random strangers over the course of the weekend and they all seemed to come from Prestwich, Whitefield or Middleton…) who tried to persuade us to stay the duration. If we’d been lodged closer-by we’d definitely have been up for it, but Jo wasn’t drinking and there was a rather enticing Organic Oatmeal Stout on the bar; depriving her of that was starting to feel like mental cruelty. So we waited until the first change of musicians and then guiltily sloped off out the exit, clutching a Hawkshead Brewery carrier bag full of bottles of the aforementioned stout and Brodie’s Prime.

We’ll be back, though. Another trip to the Lakes, another Sunday afternoon, with a room at the pub up the road: we’ll be back…

That evening we got back in the car and headed out for food at another local Good Pub Guide Recommended hostelry: the Wheatsheaf at Beetham. The food was of a good standard, with a varied menu, prices middling to slightly steep (£13 – £16 for a main course, side dishes extra). Jo had sea bass, which she said was very tasty, and I had belly pork, which was good but not quite as crispy as I usually like it.

Beer-wise, there were two or three real ales on the bar and I plumped for the one I’d not heard of: Queen Jean from the Tirril Brewery (based up in Long Marton), a village not far from Penrith. Alas, Queen Jean completed my hat-trick of thing, slightly sour-tasting session bitters. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it didn’t have a great deal going for it, flavour-wise. Fine if you want to sit and sup something inoffensive all evening, but otherwise unremarkable. But then, let’s face it, Brodie’s Prime at the Hawkshead Tap was always going to be an extremely hard act to follow.

So, there you go: a suitably beery three-day weekend up in the fabulous Lake District. Jo and I are already planning our next visit; maybe in the Spring. And maybe we might head a little further north. After all, I didn’t find a single Coniston beer on draught all weekend. That sounds like a good enough excuse for a second trip up there to me.

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…)

I know I’m nowhere near the first beer blogger to suggest this (not by a long chalk), but fantastic as it is to sip and savour a huge, dry-roasted imperial stout or a gob-smacking, palate-shrivelling double-IPA, sometimes there’s nothing like a few good session bitters to see you through a pleasant evening (or two) of pleasant company down the pub.

A couple of weekends ago I was lucky enough to enjoy not one but two classic cases. On the Friday night I went out for a few jars and a chin-wag with my mate Andy. We started off down the Knott Bar, where I sampled a Titanic Port & Starboard (a 4.2% deep red-coloured ale with a rich malty main-flavour and a hoppy after-taste), followed by an Acorn Barnsley Bitter (3.8%, light, dry and hoppy). After that we wandered off to the Rising Sun, where we had a Leeds Best Bitter (4.3%, perfectly pleasant if not hugely remarkable) and then we nipped in for one more at the City Arms, where I had a Batemans G.H.A. Pale (another 4.2% hoppy and drinkable if not exactly amazing beer).

End result: after a couple of hours of chat and four pints each, we decided to call it a night. Personally I was feeling fine and dandy and nowhere near the worse for wear in the morning despite the 8-unit-or-so (technical) binge drinking session I’d indulged in the night before. So on Saturday I had no problem whatsoever heading out with Jo for date night at The Angel. The place is under new management and they’ve recently opened an upstairs dining room, which is where we sat to enjoy a particularly fine meal (red grouse for me and baked gurnard for Jo, both of which were delicious and are highly recommendable), accompanied by a couple more session bitters.

First up was Williams Bros Fraoch Heather Ale, which I’d only encountered in bottles before (a few years ago) and which turned out to be very good indeed on draught. Quite malty and slightly sweet, with a pleasant, light bitterness on the after-taste, it went down very easily indeed. Jo liked it so much she stuck with it for the rest of the evening, but I’d spotted a couple of others I wanted to try, so I switched to Redemption Urban Dusk, from a relatively new addition to the London brewery scene. This one was a 3.8%ABV dark bitter with a strong burnt-sugar flavour and plenty of malt. A very tasty dark beer that I wouldn’t mind trying again some time.

After that, I decided I was in the mood for something a bit more experimental, so I opted for a half of Hornbeam Lemon Blossom, a 3.7% pale ale that promised lemony freshness and turned out to taste like mildly alcoholic lemon curd; there was lemon zest in there, definitely, but the whole thing was carried along on a slightly stilton tang. Not entirely unpleasant, but not one I’d rush back to, either. And then I’m afraid I fell off the session wagon, because I’d spotted the big, boozy (6.6% ABV) Wensleydale Porter on draught at the very start of the evening and I’d been itching to try it ever since. Delicious it was, too: a big whack of roasty malt flavours, shot through with blackcurrant and fruitcake, with a nicely dry finish by way of contrast. A pint and a half of that one (Jo had the other half, having been tempted herself) and we called it a damn good night.

Brewery: Sambrook’s
Location: London, England
ABV: 3.8%
Version: Draught
Source: The Bree Louise, London

I was in London on Tuesday for one of my regular visits to my employers’ mother-ship and on the way back via Euston station I got the opportunity to follow up on a couple of recent blog-leads that I’d made note of. A couple of weeks ago Boak and Bailey talked about the Bree Louise, by the sounds of things a half-decent real ale pub in the immediate vicinity of Euston, so I thought I’d swing by for a swift one. And when I got there, they had Sambrook’s Wandle on at the bar, a beer from a new London-based brewery championed by Jeff Evans and The Beer Justice, among others.

I ordered a pint (taking advantage of the 50p CAMRA discount it was only £2.50, which is almost Up-North prices) and wandered off to find somewhere to stand (even at 6.00 p.m. on a Tuesday the place was very busy indeed) and sup. Sambrook’s Wandle is a very pale golden ale with a light, hoppy aroma. There’s an initial malt-burst carried along on a creamy mouth-feel, with a lingering hoppy freshness and a dry finish that creeps up on you after a couple of seconds. All in all, a very nice drop indeed, an excellent palate-refresher before a two-hour train ride and one I wouldn’t hesitate to try again.

Sambrook’s describe it as “a well balanced thirst quenching session ale” and I think they’ve pretty much hit the nail on the head there; this really is one of those beers you could happily drink all night; there’s definitely enough flavour there to keep it interesting, but with none of the astringent harshness that some beers of a similar strength think will make up for a lack of character. (If you’re interested in this sort of thing, there’s been a bit of a discussion about session beers and ‘ordinary’, smoothflow bitters, over at Tandleman’s blog in the last day or so).

As for the Bree Louise itself, I thought it was a cracking little boozer. Great selection of ales (although I didn’t spot anything I would have been desperate to try, aside from being keen to give the Wandle a go, and perhaps it’s bigger sibling Junction as well) and I’ll definitely be swinging by again as and when I have time to kill on the way back to the train. Only slightly spoiled by the faint whiff of disinfectant from the loos, which are right off the main room, but I’m sure that’s something I’ll get used to after a few visits, eh?

I’ve been rather lazy on the beer blogging front since getting back from Tenerife at the end of October, I know. That goes double for beerblogosphere link-harvesting, but I’ve finally pulled my finger out and pulled the latest batch of links-of-interest together. But this first post-holiday round-up of beer-related blog-posts is going to be a bit of a monster so why not crack open a bottle of your favourite ale while you settle in for a skim-read?

Oh, incidentally, the big buzz while I was away was obviously all around the launch of Brewdog’s Equity For Punks share scheme, but I’m hoping to round that one up in a separate post as there’s a tonne of material to digest and I think it rather deserves a stand-alone.

Right then, without further ado…

(more…)

Brewery: Williams Bros
Location: Alloa, Scotland
ABV: 4.2%
Version: Bottled
Source: Sainsbury’s

One of the 15 finalists in this year’s Sainsbury’s beer competition, Williams Bros 80/- (confused? It means ’80 shilling’, an explanation for which can be found on Wikipedia) poured a lovely dark ruby colour with a frothy head. It tasted sweet and spicy, with flavours of red cherries and plums. There were whisky and port wine notes swirling through the rich malt as well, and just a hint of pepper on the after-taste. And the mouth-feel, which the Williams Bros website describes as “toffee-ish”, was certainly very pleasantly chewy.

All in all: a rich, flavourful, quite delicious brew; definitely the sort of session beer I’d be delighted to find on draught. I picked up a couple more bottles from Sainsbury’s yesterday evening (our local branch still has some competition stock left) to keep me going in the meantime. Highly recommended.

Williams Bros 80/- around the Beerblogosphere

• Zak Avery (@zakavery) encountered woodsmoke, chocolate orange and strawberries.
• Barry M (@BarMas) was reminded of apples and digestive biscuits.
• The Reluctant Scooper (@reluctantscoop) found hedgerow fruitiness and bonfire toffee.