Summer of 2018 - The Year of the Lager

The Summer of 2018 will be remembered for many things. We cheered on the England football team in this year’s World Cup truly believing that it was “coming home”. We also had the Royal Wedding and to top it all off we had one of the hottest summers on record in the UK. But helping to celebrate all that there was one particular beer style that was on everybody’s lips, lager! I, like a lot of others this summer, have craved the light, clean and crisp taste of a cold pint of lager. In the Cask Report 2018, lager accounted for 65% of on-trade sales in the UK making it the most popular beer style in the country. This is mostly thanks to the macrobreweries but they have also given the style a bad reputation amongst beer lovers. Like many other people, macro lager was the very first style of beer I tried but back then I didn’t drink it to savour it. As I started trying different beer styles I admit that I did get put off from lager, finding it was a bit bland and overly carbonated. However this year I have discovered that more breweries are producing their own versions of lager to a much higher standard. One brewery who have led the resurgence of quality lager are Bristol based brewers Lost & Grounded, who since starting in 2016, have produced one of the most talked about lagers this year with their Keller Pils. When I tried this lager it completely changed the way that I perceived the style and has become a go to beer for me on numerous visits to their brewery as well as at home with their cans becoming a fridge staple. When I saw that BeerBods were doing The Lager Box 2018, championing some of the UKs best interpretations of the style, I knew I had to snap one up.  

Inside the BeerBods Lager Box there was a selection of 15 lager styles from a range of British breweries, some well known and others who were new to me. A few of my highlights I enjoyed included Vocation’s Yakima Pilsner and Stroud Brewery’s Light Organic Lager (LOL) both of which were really light, crisp and refreshing which is just want you want from this style of beer. One of the beers that surprised me was Summer from ShinDigger which was packed full of fruity watermelon flavour. This was really refreshing and very sessionable, perfect for lazy summer days or BBQs! There were also some great crowd pleasers in the box, most notably Magic Rock’s Dancing Bear, Thornbridge’s Lukas, Tiny Rebel’s Boho and the infamous Lost & Grounded Keller Pils, all of which would be my ‘go to’ lagers. Whilst working my way through the box I did find that one or two of the beers reminded me of macrobrewery versions however I felt that this has been a great display of British lager and can’t wait to try other brewery’s versions of this underrated style. 

To finish off my summer of lager I took a trip to Berlin with my boyfriend to drink the beer style close to its original source. Lager was first produced by the Germans in Bavaria in the early 19th century and the name is derived from ‘lagern’ (meaning to store). It didn’t take long walking around Berlin to find classic German lager. As well as going to bars and beer halls around the city you can also buy lager at street food stalls, which is where I found myself trying Berlin’s famous sausage dish - Currywurst. Whilst in Berlin I went into a couple of traditional beer halls (Hofbrӓu and Augustiner) who were serving a range of lagers as well as Märzen, a style traditionally brewed for Oktoberfest which can be read more about here. It was hard not to order a litre stein of lager especially when the weather was unexpectedly sunny with temperatures of 25℃ in October! There is no style of beer that you would think about ordering in litre measures except for lager. I thought that the larger measures would mean you wouldn’t have to order more beer too frequently, particularly in a busy beer hall! However I found that it is interesting to taste how the flavour changes as it warms up, much like how we serve lager in tall glasses in the UK and other parts of Europe.  

Lager is very accessible style of beer which is noticeable when you go out with a group of friends as the experience of drinking it can be shared. Quite often I find when I go out for a beer as a group we will all order something different and we treat the beers like Pokémon, trying to taste them all. But if we see L&G Keller Pils is on the menu we all order pints and drink it together. In my view this year has seen the revival of lager with more breweries tackling the style and making it their own. Lager has come a long way from the macro styles I used to drink as a teenager and it has definitely changed my perception of this beer. Now that autumn is upon us and the nights draw in we will look to darker beer styles for comfort, but we will always remember the summer of 2018 as the year of the lager! 

Ein Prosit to Oktoberfest!

This year my boyfriend and I decided to book a trip to Berlin for our annual holiday. “Is it a good idea for us to be booking a trip to Germany in October?” I asked as we were booking the flights. I, like probably a lot of other people, believed that Oktoberfest is celebrated in October to coincide with the end of the harvest. It wasn’t until I did some research into Oktoberfest that I discovered the true history of the Bavarian festival. I purchased a box from Beer Hawk of official Oktoberfest beers brewed by Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbrӓu, Lӧwenbrӓu, Paulaner and Spӓten (unfortunately I was unable to get hold of a bottle from Augustiner), to get a taste of this traditional German festival. I also bought a range of ‘Crafty Oktoberfest’ style beers by breweries from the rest of the world: Erdinger, Tempest Brewing Co., Goose Island, Thornbridge and Blue Point, to try their interpretations. 

The first Oktoberfest event took place in Munich on the 12^th October 1810 to celebrate the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The citizens of Munich were invited to a fairground on the fields at the city’s gates for the festivities and a parade was held in honour of the marriage. The fields were later called ‘Theresienwiese’ which translates as ‘Theresa’s Meadow’ after the Princess. Today, the locals shorten Oktoberfest to ‘Wiesen’ after the original fairground fields. The wedding celebrations went down so well that it was decided Munich would continue to hold an annual festival and in 1811 a horse racing event began. Over the next few years more activities were added to the festival including carnival booths, swings, bowling alleys as well as other attractions. 

Over the years there have been historic events which have affected the running of Oktoberfest. An outbreak of cholera and war, in particular World Wars 1 and 2, lead to the festival being cancelled. Despite this Oktoberfest has only missed out on 24 events since it began in 1810. At the end of the 19^th Century Oktoberfest was re-organised and beer halls (bierkellers) with live music were introduced to the festival. The first Bratwursts were sold in 1881 and in 1892 beer was first served in glass steins/mugs (bierkrugs). 

Oktoberfest as we know it today began in 1950 and is held from Mid-September until the first weekend in October. The festival is opened in the same traditional way in Munich starting with a 12 gun salute before the first keg of Oktoberfest beer is tapped by the Mayor at 12:00pm who shouts ‘O’zapft is!’ (It’s tapped!). The first litre of beer is gifted to the Minister-President of the state of Bavaria and then the festival begins! 

Each year Munich’s ‘Big Six’ breweries; Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbrӓu, Lӧwenbrӓu, Paulaner and Spӓten, are the only ones permitted to produce a special Oktoberfest lager for the occasion. To be an Oktoberfest beer it must have been brewed within Munich’s city walls and must conform to Reinheitsgebot. Reinheitsgebot, which is sometimes referred as the ‘German Beer Purity Law’ in English, is a regulation limiting the number of ingredients used in the production of German beer. Large quantities of beer is usually consumed at Oktoberfest, as you can imagine, and in 2013 it was reported that 7.7 million litres was served! 

After all this research I couldn’t wait to start trying the Oktoberfest beers so I started off with the traditional styles followed by the ‘crafty’ box. As expected the traditional Oktoberfest beers have similar flavours due to the purity law but there were one or two differences that helped make them stand out. Out of all the traditional beers I tried my favourites were from Hacker-Pschorr and Paulener. The Hacker-Pschorr Oktberfest Marzen was really sweet with toffee and nutty flavours. The Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier was not as sweet but was really crisp and more lager-like in flavour. It reminded me of a Keller Pils and was very drinkable. I found that the ‘crafty’ Oktoberfest beers were more hoppy in flavour. This was especially apparent with Tempest’s A Touch of Prost where the hops gave a real citrusy flavour. However my favourite of the ‘crafty’ Oktoberfest beers was Thornbridge’s Feallen as I felt it was the truest to the traditional style with it’s sweeter, caramel flavours. 

Today we associate Oktoberfest with Lederhosen, Oompa music, German beer and fun! Last year Adidas produced a range of trainers designed to be beer/vomit repellent, poking fun at the boozy side of the festival and this year Munich football club released a 1860 Oktoberfest themed football kit especially for the event. Since the first Oktoberfest the festival has become a big tourist attraction in Germany but it is also widely celebrated around the world. In this country supermarkets such as Waitrose and mail order websites like Beer Hawk are selling more German beers, giving us more access to these styles. Perfect for if you want to celebrate Oktoberfest yourself without getting on a plane! So Ein Prosit (a toast) to Oktoberfest!

Cask Ale Week 2018

This week is Cask Ale week and it got me thinking about my New Beer Resolutions I wrote about back in January for #Tryanuary, one of which was a pledge to drink more cask beer. I wanted to drink more cask ales as usually I avoid them for more unusual flavoured beers and crazy kegs! I used to think that cask beers were all about best bitters but I felt like I needed to broaden my beer horizon and learn about more traditional styles.

To help meet this resolution I have consciously tried to attend more cask ale festivals and events this year. This summer I went to the Southampton Beer Festival as well as a local one in Devizes. I was surprised that at both of these events there was such a variety of beers on offer from both traditional as well as more modern breweries and I didn’t struggle to find something I’d like. In August I was also fortunate enough to be able to attend The Great British Beer Festival at The Olympia in London which I have previously written about here. Although I was unsure what I’d think of the GBBF I came away feeling that this festival really did change my perception of cask ale. I felt like I was a kid in a sweet shop, the variety of beer styles made it really hard to choose what to drink next. I particularly enjoyed the Thornbridge Brewery bar where I tried the Melba and Jessamine although it was hard not to have a pint of cask Jaipur!

I’ve also been drinking more cask beer when visiting pubs, the stand out has probably been my new love for Arbor Ales cask beer! When I saw on social media that a cask of Shangri-La came on at a local pub we just happened to be visiting that night I was genuinely excited to order my first pint, and it did not disappoint! Another cask ale I cant get enough of at the moment is Covert from Stealth Brew Co. who recently underwent a re-brand of the brewery which you can read about here. This summer Stealth has held open weekends and although they have some other brilliant beers on I just keep going back to the Covert. It has the perfect hoppy hit from the Citra that leaves you wanting more with exceptional drinkability. 

I feel like I’ve come quite far in just this year considering I didn’t think that cask ale would be for me. I’ve found some new favourite cask ales as well as discovering the breweries behind them. The beer festivals I’ve been too have also shown me that cask ale is much more than traditional bitter and I’m excited to keep discovering more favourites!

Collaboration Beer Projects

After five years the Rainbow Project is ending and going out with a bang with their limited boxes of barrel aged beers. Having followed the project for the last three years, I was a little gutted that it was over so soon. The project was first set up by Siren to promote collaboration and creativity of the beers brewed. It's been really great to see how breweries have thought outside the box with their colour themes to produce some really innovative beers, the most famous being Yellow Belly and Key Lime Tau. The best outcome from the Rainbow Project has to be the new friendships created from the collaborations. Perhaps this is why the project has met a natural conclusion. More breweries than ever are collaborating together to produce special editions as well as beers for events and festivals. Previously I’ve had to plan weekends to go and try the Rainbow Project beers as it seemed like a huge event but this year it seemed more readily available at venues and with mail order cases. There also doesn’t seem to be as much hype this year then it has done in previous years. I’ve always been very excited to hear about the releases as well as who’d paired with who but I didn’t really feel the buzz this year. I’ve seen people comment that they felt this last box was a little too heavy on sour beers. This didn’t bother me as I enjoy sour styles and saisons are good for barrel ageing. However the project could have been more diverse with beer styles and it would have been nice to see an impy stout or two. Despite this I still really enjoyed spending an afternoon with my Rainbow Project box with my highlights being the Rosa Rouge by Wild Beer & Side Project as well as Saison Green by Partizan & New Belgium.

This year I have also tried a few of other limited edition beer boxes, the Northern Powerhouse 2018, Fullers and Friends and the North Sea Bridges. The Northern Powerhouse series, the brain child of Wylam Brewery, was created as a celebration of the North of England. The box championed the region’s independent brewers with the can designs reflecting the landmarks of the towns and cities the beers were produced in. There was a huge buzz when these beers were released and the full boxes were limited to only 6,600 cases so you had to be quick to get your hands on one. Fullers and Friends, on the other hand, were much more available as they were produced on a larger scale at the Griffin Brewery. What made these beers different was seeing one of Britain’s oldest breweries team up with six that are up and coming. The result was a mixture of traditional and modern brewing techniques creating six unique and very drinkable beers. 

This year was the launch of the North Sea Bridges Project which was born from the historic trade relations of Scotland and Scandinavia. Dubbed as the next Rainbow Project, this collaboration saw six Scottish and Scandi breweries randomly paired together to learn from each other, forge friendships and produce fun beers. This year the brewing has been done in Scotland and next year will be Scandinavia’s turn to host. I really enjoyed drinking my way through this box and if I had to choose a favourite then I’d go for the Cowberry Heart. It was fruity with a tart finish from the Lingonberries but all the beers from the project tasted amazing so its hard to just pick one!

Although the end of the Rainbow Project is sad I am glad that there are other special limited edition ranges being created. Each of these boxes are a bit like a music album. They are bodies of work where the singles compliment each other to tell a story. These boxes have brought breweries together to from near and far corners of the world as well as help encourage growth of knowledge amongst the brewers. I feel that these collaborative projects are a great platform for lesser known breweries stand out as well as fuelling peoples urges to travel to try new beers. The Rainbow Project was one of the first annual beer events I got excited about and I’m glad it wont be my last. 

**UPDATE** 29/09/2018

Yesterday Siren announced that the Rainbow Project isn't ending. In their latest blog they explain that although they will not be continuing to host the project they have decided to pass the torch onto Left Handed Giant. LHG will be continuing the Rainbow Project with other young breweries (3 years old or less) with a view to create a platform for a new generation. This is really exciting news as I have really enjoyed following the Rainbow Project over the years. I first tried the Rainbow Project at Small Bar Bristol and have continued to follow it since by attending other launch parties as well as buying boxes to drink at home. I look forward to seeing the new Class of 2019!  

The Great British Beer Festival 2018

On Tuesday I had the opportunity to go along to the Trade Session of The Great British Beer Festival 2018 at the Olympia in London. This year marks the 41st GBBF for CAMRA and was set to be the biggest yet. To be honest I’ve not really rushed to attend this festival as I didn’t feel it was for me. However this year I pledged to drink more cask ale as part of my New Beer Resolutions so I thought I’d give it a try. 

The first thing that struck me was the sheer size of the event’s venue. The Olympia was so much bigger than I was expecting, as well as light and airy under the domed roof. Then I found myself quite overwhelmed by the number of beers available. The festival boasted featuring over 400 breweries pouring more than 1000 beers, ciders and perries. It felt like being in a sweet shop and I had no idea where I was going to start. I always thought that at this type of festival there would be a lot of perhaps 'old fashioned' traditional ales but I was wrong. There were the styles you’d expect to see like mild, golden ales and porters but as I went along the bars I found there were a few more modern takes on traditional brews. One that stood out was Melba by Thornbridge Brewery which surprised me with how peachy it tasted. The International Bar also didn't disappoint as it showcased some top breweries from Europe and America. Unfortunately the American beers were not available for the Trade Session but there was plenty of other great international beers to try!

I had the privilege of meeting some of the guys from Siren Craft Brew and congratulated them on winning Champion Beer of Britain with their Broken Dream Breakfast Stout. This was well deserved as Siren have produced so many great beers, a couple of my highlights include Limoncello IPA and more recently their collaboration beer with DEYA Brewing Company, The Sky Was Pink. I asked them what they’ll do now they’ve won CAMRA’s highest accolade and they said they will probably brew more crazy beers! 

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed The Great British Beer Festival. I was concerned that it would be a bit old fashioned for me but I was impressed by the range of more modern takes on traditional ales. I wasn’t stuck for things to try and I felt that although there might have been too much choice, there were enough beer styles to suit everyone’s tastes. I think that the experience has definitely made me think differently about cask ales and I feel that it has given me more confidence to try a few more!

Under the Spotlight: Stealth Brew Co.

The market town of Melksham in Wiltshire is home to the Stealth Brew Co. Formally known as the Kennet & Avon, the brewery has been given a new guise so it stands out within a traditional market. In a county where there are many large and well established traditional breweries, Stealth Brew Co. have stepped out from the shadow with new branding as well as some more experimental and exciting beers. The brewery have produced some more modern, hop forward brews and have added some keg beers to their existing portfolio of cask ales. I have been familiar with Stealth Brew Co. since visiting their micro pub, The Vaults, in Devizes four years ago and have since come to know the team. I caught up with one of the brewery’s partners, Malcolm, to ask him a bit more about the change in identity.  

The process for the new branding started in September 2017 with the final decision made in April 2018. The team felt that the old brand, Kennet & Avon, localised the products too much and felt that they were always having to explain the concept to anyone outside of the South West.  “We felt it’s important to have a brand name that doesn’t need any explanation or point to the area it is made, the brand lets the beer do the talking” says Malcolm. With the local area flooded with traditionally brewed styles, Stealth made it their mission to differentiate themselves. One way I feel that they are achieving this is by their decision not to use finings in their brews and producing naturally hazy beers. This was really important to the team at Stealth as they found a huge difference in flavour between fined and unfined beers on testing. It was then they decided to choose quality of flavour over clarity which has been well received by the regulars. Malcolm explains that they have clearly marked the beers as hazy and that this has not deterred consumers. 

Stealth Brew Co. also champion gluten free ales after a friend of Malcolm’s explained she was unable to drink beer like everyone else due to her gluten intolerance. This is a growing concern in the food and drink industry with 1 in 100 people suffering from coeliac disease so after investigating various brewing techniques Stealth launched their first gluten free stout in 2015 with more styles brewed since then. Many of the beer styles produced by the brewery are favourites of the team as well as by customers. “We are now brewing modern beers that we love to drink ourselves, by doing that it is a lot easier to sell it because you’re passionate about it.” says Malcolm. When I asked which was his favourite beer from the range Malcolm said, “That would have to be Camouflage”, which is Stealth’s stout/pale ale hybrid with a sessionable ABV of 4.7%. Malcolm also goes on to say that on a hot day he loves the citrusy flavours of Covert and I have to agree. This has got to be my favourites from the range however I’m looking forward to trying their new double IPA Surreptitious on keg!

Future plans for the brewery include canning their range of beers to open up a wider market as well as working towards opening another micro pub by the end of the year. Stealth Brew Co. would also like to develop the Tap Room and Backyard so that they can open it more on a weekly basis. Over this summer Stealth are hosting Pop Up Beer Garden Open Weekends to show off the new beer range with more dates lined up for August and September. 

So with Stealth Brew Co. lifting the veil, I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the future!

Northern Powerhouse Brew Series 2018

The Northern Powerhouse Brew Series 2018 saw eight independent breweries from the North of England collaborate to produce eight limited edition beers. Lead by Wylam Brewery, this was in aid of celebrating the Great Exhibition of the North which is an event championing art, design and innovation from the north of the country. The beers were limited to 6,600 cases so I felt quite honoured to be able to get hold of a box. The cans have been designed to represent each brewery using symbols and famous landmarks from the cities/towns they are based in. I couldn’t wait to crack open the beers so here are my thoughts on the box. 

001 Imperial Stout - Wylam X Buxton

This is a big beer and not just because it has a ABV of 10.5%. This smells and tastes like a black forest gateaux with dark fruits and chocolate flavours. The mouthfeel is thinner than I was expecting particularly as this feels like an after dinner beer. It does, however, have some creaminess but not quite like the range of ice cream style beers that Buxton have been releasing recently. I have enjoyed drinking this beer but I am glad I have not stuck strictly to the numerical order of the cans with this one!

002 Strong Brown Ale - Wylam X Cloudwater 

I don’t normally go for this style of beer so this a new one on me. The appearance of this ale is quite dark for this style but I was pleasantly surprised by how sweet it tasted. I could taste quite a lot of malty sweetness with lots of caramel and chocolate flavours. There is also some coffee notes coming through which offsets the sweetness and reminds me of a Tiramisu. I was really impressed with how smooth and well balanced these flavours were. I think this is a good example of a traditional style of beer and is one I would definitely have again.

003 Mixed Fermentation Farmhouse - Wylam X Black Lodge Brewing 

For me this is an attractive beer. Beautifully hazy and looks like a mango fruit juice. The taste is very drinkable with flavours of mango, apricot and peach but it is too easy to forget the 7.5% ABV. However I could happily drink another can as this was gone in just a few mouthfuls! I also really enjoyed the earthy straw-like notes typical of this style as it still reminded me I was drinking a beer. Definitely one of my favourites from the range - just wish I could have another!

004 Pale Wheat Ale - Wylam X Thornbridge 

This is a delicate wheat ale flavoured with floral jasmine notes which are boosted by the clove-like characteristics typical of this style of beer. I got a little bit of the orange peel but this wasn’t the most dominant flavour. It’s more like the gentle ‘twisting’ of the orange peel to release the perfume much like you see in cocktail making. If your a fan of rose or elderflower drinks then I think you would enjoy this beer. 

005 Forest Fruit Kettle Sour - Wylam X Magic Rock 

You can tell by the colour in the pour that this will be a lip puckering sour beer and it does not disappoint. This beer is packed with berry flavours, mostly blackberry and raspberry for me. I love a sour beer so I am trying not to be biased but this has got to be one of my favourites from the box!

006 DDH Pale Ale - Wylam X Hawkshead Brewery

This DDH pale ale does exactly what it says on the can! This beer looks just like a fruit juice and my first taste is bursting with tropical mango flavour. Then you get the punchy hoppiness you’d expect from a double dry hopped beer that finishes with more sweet mango. The flavour and appearance of this beer seem more like the characteristics you’d associate with an IPA than a Pale Ale. I really enjoyed this beer but it is far too easy to drink!

007 India Pale Ale - Wylam X Northern Monk 

Although there is some grapefruit flavour there wasn’t much bitterness to this IPA as I was expecting. In my opinion this tasted a bit soapy and reminded me of some of the earlier IPAs I tried when I first started drinking beer. This beer unfortunately wasn’t one of my favourites. 

008 DIPA - Wylam X Box Social 

This beer has quite a harsh flavour that reminds me of neat spirits and left a burning aftertaste. The appearance made me think this beer would be juicy but I was surprised how much bitterness there was. This beer wasn’t for me but I expect it suits some other peoples palates.

Overall I think this box definitely champions beer from the North and exhibits a great mixture of modern and traditional styles. It is really hard to pick a favourite as all eight beers are so different and there has been some styles that I wouldn’t normally choose for myself. I do think though that this series is a perfect example of how diverse beers can be within the UK and that it is a great way to celebrate The North. I can’t wait to see if there will be a Northern Powerhouse Brew Series 2019 next year!