Tr-ale-ing new things

"How do you know that you don't like it if you don't try it?" I used to hear this a lot as I was growing up when it came to food. I have always had problems with certain flavours and textures which made me feel 'weird', particularly when I went to other people's houses for dinner. As I grew up I tried to overcome these fears and began to start tasting new things. Now the list of foods I will eat is longer than that of foods I won't touch which feels like a personal feat for me. What I didn't anticipate was how much of a psychological problem this was for me. This also stretches into my choices of beers. 

When confronted with a large choice of beers on the bar I find at first it can be quite overwhelming. I feel a sense of panic as the bar tender looks at me waiting for my order. I find myself always choosing something I have had before, I know I like it and it means I won't be a cause of delay at the bar. When looking at a shelf of beers in a shop I will always look for my favourite styles: sours, fruity, pales. The problem with this is that some styles of beers I wouldn't usually choose may have qualities from the types I normally enjoy. One of the best examples of this is with IPAs. 

When I first started drinking beers I tried quite a few IPAs and the recurring problem I kept finding was that they all tasted to me like a bar of soap. This then gave me a fear of anything labelled as hoppy and so I avoided IPA beers as a result. My opinion changed as I was recently encouraged to try Hypnotist by Magic Rock and I was pleasantly surprised by how fruity and juicy it was, not even remotely soapy! Since then I have been more open to IPA styles and have even chosen them for myself over my usual favourites. 

This fear has also stopped me from drinking traditional real ales. I have always been a craft beer sort of person and so have never really found any cask beers that I've really enjoyed. On a trip to Cardiff my boyfriend said I needed to try a Brains SA. Admittedly a trip to Cardiff would not be complete without trying their famous beer but I had my reservations. "Can I have just a half?" I said, not knowing what to expect. "No, you have to have a pint, it's the only way to have this beer" he replies. Next thing I know I am looking at a pint of the amber coloured ale and I'm committed. After the first sip I was hit with the sweet malty caramel flavours associated with this beer. I found myself really enjoying it and before I knew it the pint was gone. Since then I have been more open to having a go at some traditional cask ales.

So it looks like my list of beer styles I will drink is longer than those I won't! 

Brewing Nostalgia

Nothing is better than a beer on a late, warm afternoon which is exactly how I ended up at the Mawson Arms next to Fullers Griffin Brewery. As I sat down with my half of Sticky Wicket I couldn't help but find myself people watching around the room. What struck me was that I noticed almost half the people at the bar wore the Fullers Brewery logo. I then noticed that more people entering the pub were also bearing the brewery’s emblem, and it got me thinking…

When did we stop enjoying the simpler things in life? Most of us spend long hours at desks, in front of computers, and when we ‘clock off’ we’re rushing home to cook dinner or to pick up the kids from school to name a few examples. These Fullers employees were finishing their shifts and coming in to their local to socialise together over a pint of beer they have helped to brew before heading off home. I felt like I really had stepped back in time to when this was the norm. It has inspired me to stop worrying about all the things I need to do when I get home. I don't need to rush off the gym everyday after work. I should call some friends and meet them in the pub garden or local bar for a catch up. I might even get home before it gets dark! 

DEYA Tasting Fringe Event

One of the fringe events that I attended whilst in Leeds for the Hop City festival was a tasting evening with DEYA Brewery at The Turks Head. Ironically Leeds is a long way to travel for a tasting evening with a brewery that is fairly local to me but it was a great way to get ready for the festival. Having only had one of DEYA's beers, Steady Rolling Man, I was interested to see what else they brewed. 

The tasting session was run by DEYA's founder and brewer Theo. Don't be fooled by his youth as he is very knowledgable about beer and very passionate about what he produces. He explained to us that he wanted to create hoppy beers, particularly IPAs, that don't have an overbearing flavour. Something that I can relate too as I find very hoppy beers can sometimes end up tasting like a bar of of soap! Steady Rolling Man is Theo's flagship beer, of which he is very proud of and one I've blogged about before. You can see why it's so good when you taste it and so the first beer of our tasting went down a treat!

Next up was the Sunset Dreaming 6% Pale. A little hazier in appearance to Steady Rolling but just as easy to drink. I really enjoyed it's well balanced citrus fruit flavours from the hops to create something that is still quite session-able. Can easily imagine drinking this on a warm sunny day!

Then in quick succession came Into The Haze 6.6% and The Very Hoppy Caterpillar 7.1%. Both these IPAs gave a hoppier punch to the palette with the softer tropical fruit notes bringing up the rear. I found that Into The Haze was so juicy it could have been like a fruit juice drink. The Very Hoppy Caterpillar had a bit more mouthfeel which I'd expect from something stronger and like the others was so drinkable!

We finished on something a little different for the brewery, an oatmeal porter called Hokum Stomp 5.5%. By Theo's own admission, DEYA brew a family of beers with similar characteristics so this one was brewed to stand out amongst the others. Slightly thinner mouthfeel to what expected after reading the tasting notes but the charred roasted coffee flavours were definitely there. Oaty and malty, this beer reminded me of sitting in a cafe at breakfast. This porter definitely brings something different to the DEYA portfolio.

This was such a good night and a great experience to be able to meet the brewer of these amazing beers. I really felt that these beers all bear similarities of each other which maintain strong branding, except the oatmeal porter as this was designed to be different. I also feel that they have some subtle differences that make them great to drink on their own. For my personal taste I really enjoy the styles of these beers and it's great to find a brewery that wants to do good flavourful IPAs without the overbearing soapy taste. I look forward to seeing what else DEYA has to produce!

Hop City Leeds 2017

Opening night on Northern Monk's first beer festival, Hop City Leeds, and anticipation was hot throughout Leeds and neighbouring towns. Held at their brewery, the festival last night was sold out with the queue lining the streets. Spread out over three floors of an old Flax storage building, the festival brought together some big named breweries as well as some lesser known ones who all served up some hoppy beers from their collections. Northern Monk's Brewery itself was decorated with tons of hops so the tasting experience was heightened.

My first stop was to try a beer that Northern Monk had released for the festival, Northern Tropics Pineapple & Grapefruit IPA. This beer was sweet and citrusy with big emphasis on the grapefruit flavour. A great palette cleanser for what was about to come. Down on ground floor, amongst the brewing kit, there was a lot of hype as people queued for beers from The Alchemist. Brought in from America, these beers were limited to one can per person so were highly sought after at the festival. I managed to get hold of Focal Banger and Heady Topper and these did pack a hoppy punch.

I noticed on the beer list that Magic Rock had brought their experimental brew Psychokinesis and I had to give it a try. Having popped along to Huddersfield two days before to Magic Rock's Tap House I could see that this was fermenting in their brewery. I knew it was going to be fresh and it was highly drinkable. I'd never had a beer from Verdant so I decided to give their Putty a try. This beer was so juicy I could have happy drank this for the rest of the night.

The food court at Hop City had a really great selection of street foods. Burgers, Chinese style and Indian foods that definitely helped sort out the munchies halfway through the night. I had the Chinese style salt 'n pepper ribs and chips which were just what I needed after having all these hoppy beers!

To round off the night another beer from The Alchemist, this time the imperial stout Luscious. This was a great beer to finish on as it helped slow things down and give me time to appreciate the flavours of the coffee and bitter chocolate.

Looking around and the party was still in full swing as I left last night. I was really impressed with how well run Hop City was considering it's a new festival. I think Northern Monk have made best of the space they have and I feel it's an interesting setting for this type of event. I hope the rest of the sessions are just as successful this weekend!

A Steady Drinking Roller Man

On the first warm and sunny day of spring there is nothing better than having a beer. On opening the fridge I found a Deya Steady Rolling Man 5.2% which had been brought home straight from the brewery - well even the can says to drink it fresh! Following the three Us, unfiltered, unpasteurised, unfined, this beer pours out a light straw colour with a soft haze. Yes it's pretty, but it's the taste that is incredible. Inspired by the blues this pale ale infused with American hops boasts citrusy tropical fruits. It does not disappoint as it is so juicy and fruity you forget that it's an alcoholic drink!  It has tasting notes of sweet mango and peach with very little bitterness cutting through. This all adds to the tropical juice likeness. Like blues music this beer is so laid back and such an easy drinker. I could happily drink this on a hot summers day either in a beer garden or a sandy beach.

If you could only choose one beer to drink for the rest of your life this one has to be up the top of the list!

Stormy Tropic Thunder

Since my last blog post on Waitrose and Thornbridge’s Home Brew of 2016 I discovered that Tesco had also collaborated with a large brewery to run a similar competition. BrewDog founders, James and Martin first made success by entering a competition run by Tesco in 2008. It seemed only fitting that they would collaborate to run the HomeBrewDog Competition which awarded the 2016 title to Tropic Thunder by Tom Doyle. 

This 7% stout boasts that it has orange peel added to the final boil to give it a tropical flavour and on the first pour I was struck by the sweet smell of orange which instantly made me want to taste it. This beer certainly delivers on the orange peel as the first tasting notes are that of the tangy citrus fruit. Quickly the coffee and bitter dark chocolate flavours come in that are typical of a good stout and the hint of malty toffee helps smooth out the finish. The tasting notes on the label mention hints of liquorice however I couldn't really detect it as I think that the other flavours are so powerful that it perhaps gets a little lost. For my personal taste I would have liked the orange to last a bit longer, particularly as it is headlined on the front of the bottle.

This is quite a light and easy drinking stout of all the types I have tried before. Being a fan of a milk stout which can be quite decadent it was nice to try something with a thinner mouthfeel that still delivers on flavour. I could see this stout being a nice after dinner drink without worrying about it feeling too heavy on the stomach. 

After trying the Thornbridge/Waitrose winner Raindrops on Roses and HomeBrewDog’s Tropic Thunder I noticed how very contrasting the styles are. Raindrops on Roses was very quirky and had quite a complex flavour profile. Tropic Thunder feels like it has taken a much more traditional approach to the flavours used and because of this they compliment each other well. I think its great that large breweries are offering opportunities for budding home brewers and will continue to support them by buying their beers!

A few of my favourite things ...

This year for Valentines Day I was treated by my other half to a single red rose and a bottle of Raindrops on Roses from Thornbridge Brewery. Awarded winner of The Great British Homebrew 2016 by Phil Sisson, this was a lovely romantic gesture for a beer geek. 

The bottle itself states that it has tasting notes of rose, lemon, chamomile and coriander. With a list like this I did wonder if it might taste like Turkish Delight. On taking my first sip I was pleasantly surprised that the flavour was more savoury than expected. I found that the rose and the coriander were the most dominant flavours for the first few mouthfuls but as my tongue grew used to the taste I noticed that the lemon and chamomile helped keep everything well balanced. The beer poured out in a light golden haze that you’d expect from a home-brew with delicate lacing on the glass. To me the mouthfeel was quite smooth with a slight creaminess which was offset by the tartness of lemon. I found that the chamomile has a soothing quality that coated my tongue which worked really well whilst I was eating spicy food.
As I settled in with this beer next to my other half I was sure that I recognised the flavours but couldn't put my finger on where I’d had them before. It was then that I realised that the savoury and floral notes reminded me of being in the Greek Islands and the ingredients used in some of my favourite dishes. With every sip I was transported back to the sun, sand and souvlaki!This evocative beer is so complex in flavour and I can see why it has been awarded the best home-brew of 2016. I recommend that you try it next time you are passing a Waitrose. I would very happily drink this again and will be adding it to the list of my favourite things.