Sour Beers, well I do seem to like some of them!

There's been quite a bit written about 'sour' beers in the CAMRA press recently, an article in the August edition of What's Brewing discusses Belgian beers, reminding me of my visits to my brother over the 15 years he lived in Brussels, and our visits to Cantillon Brewery (website) in Anderlecht. Luc De Raedermaeker's article looks at the different styles in Belgium, and specific for this blog are the Lambics and Gueuzes, which are spontaneously fermented ales (with local wild yeasts) from around the Brussels area that he describes as complex, sour and acidic.

I was never a great lover of these sour beers beforehand, but our wandering around the brewery, and tasting beers in the brewery, changed my mind quite a bit. Indeed the Cantillon Vigneronne (6%) I found to be like a rather fine dry white wine, perfect with fish dishes or just supping as a refreshing ale. The Vigneronne is one of Cantillon's rarer ales (less than 5% of the brewery's total production), and is a blend of lambics aged 16-18 months old, with Italian Muscat grapes added. If you ever see it, and it comes in 750ml bottles, I'd recommend buying some!

Chorlton Mango Sour

In Britain now though, with the recent trendy move among many smaller brewers to brew crafty keg beers, they not only appear to have been influenced by the big hopped craft beers produced in the USA, but also by the Saisons, Lambics and Gueuzes brewed in Belgium. There's a very interesting article in CAMRA's Autumn 2018 Beer magazine, written by Adrian Tierney-Jones called 'Supping on a sour beer style' which explains the different ways of brewing 'sour' beers. These are either by adding lactobacillus (the bacteria found in yoghurt) to the wort in the kettle, or by using wild yeast and ageing in barrels after fermentation, just like the Belgian brewers. I've even seen brewers adding salt, though that shouldn't be great for drinkers with hypertension!

Anyway, now I have a craft beer shop around the corner, the Eel & Bear (blog) I have been sampling some of these sour beers brewed in Britain. The first that I appreciated was from Manchester brewer, Chorlton Brewing Company (website), and their Mango Sour (4.5%), brewed with pale malt, mango extract, and Bramling Cross hops, I believe. This was draught, and packed a big fruity mango aroma and flavour with a hint of biscuit from the malt. Slightly hazy with plenty of body and a dry tart finish, a bit like an alcoholic smoothie, and not bad at all!

Next I had a "Gooseberry Gose" (apparently Gose is a German sour beer style) from Huddersfield brewer, Magic Rock Brewing (website), their 4.1% Salty Kiss, which is brewed with lager malt as well as extra pale malt, Cascade hops, gooseberries, sea buckthorn, and, you've guessed, sea salt! I couldn't quite work out the aroma, I wrote "a bit strange & sea-like", the flavour was gooseberry fruity and salty, with a dry sour bitter finish, and it's oddly refreshing!

I've also enjoyed a bit more colourful sour beer from Aberdeen brewer, Fierce Beer (website) and their 4.5% Very Berry, a "Sour Berry Ale." These tend to include wheat malt in the mash, so wheat malt as well, plus Chinook hops. Cloudy, of course, with a deep red colour and a big fruity aroma and flavour, raspberry, blackberry and blackcurrant, and a dry tart finish, very nice!

I've left what I consider the best to last, a collaboration between Buxton Brewery (website) and Norwegian brewer Lervig Aktebryggeri (website), that is, Trolltunga! This 6.3% 'Gooseberry Sour IPA' is named after a jutting rock in Norway (guess the translation!), 700 metres over lake Ringedalsvatnet. Trolltunga is a pale golden colour and has a subtle aroma, tasty gooseberry in the flavour, and a nice sour bitter finish. Like the Cantillon Vigneronne mentioned above, I wrote "would go well with fish!" I certainly like it, and have gone back for more, more than once. The photograph below is the draught version, which looks cloudier than from the bottle, however, I did pour it carefully for the photograph above, and there was still lees in the bottom of the bottle.

Trolltunga

Whichever, draught or from the bottle, with little lees or very hazy, I enjoyed the Trolltunga very much, and I will carry on drinking it every now and then, no doubt, cheers!

Evolution of Hastings Micropub!

The Jolly Fisherman (facebook page) is at 3 East Beach Street, Hastings TN34 3AR (tel: 01424 428811), and is now a micropub as well as a B&B. Opening hours (usual, but can be a little flexible) are Wednesday/Thursday 12 noon to 10pm; Friday/Saturday 12 noon to 11pm; Sunday 12 noon to 10.30pm; closed Mondays and Tuesdays (and for a one off, also closed just for this Wednesday 15th August 2018). Previously, it had been a cafe bar, as well as a B&B...

The current owners, Oliver and Becky, took over the premises a couple of years ago, converting it from a Pie & Mash shop/cafe/restaurant and B&B, into the Cafe Bar and B&B, and which is now a Micropub and B&B; and can be found on the Micropub Association micropub finder.

Foyles Pie N Mash

In its earlier life, The Jolly Fisherman was a public house for the 125 years from 1834, when James Mann became the first licencee there, until 1959, when the landlord was Brian Hone. Brian had held the licence from 1954, and Hastings Winkle Club (see fraternal blog) was based at The Jolly Fisherman between 1954 and 1959, with Brian as the Winkle Club Treasurer during those 5 years. Please note, I have found this information in David Russell's informative book The Pubs of Hastings & St Leonards 1800-2000 (2014, pub: Lynda Russell, pp171-174). It is great to see the building returned to an earlier use, more of below...

Walking into The Jolly Fisherman I was rewarded with a friendly greeting from Oliver, as I was bombarded with information above, in front, and to the side of me! First there is an impressive list of Belgian beers available here; memories of 15 years of regular visits to my brother when he lived in Brussels came to mind. Immediately above the bar (photograph below) are details of the 3 ciders/perries, 2 crafty keg beers, and 3 cask-conditioned ales (all local) on offer, though only 2 real ales were available this day because of the extra day closed this week.

Real ales available were Pig & Porter (website) Black Pale (4.2%) and Brighton Bier (website) Batting Practice - Three C's Pale (3.5%), a refreshing seasonal pale bitter, very easy to drink, and with tropical and citrus in the flavour, obviously the result of the 3 C's hops from the USA used late in the brewing process, and dry hopped too. Also, me loving ales from the not-so close brewery, I had to have a pint of the Tiny Rebel perry (website) Peariscope (4.8%), which did what it should, nice balance of bitter and sweet, and very nice too, thank you very much!

What of the B&B and food then? Well, there are 3 large bedrooms upstairs, one family room and two doubles, one of which can take a further camp bed if required, so a maximum of 9 people at a time, and there is just about enough room to seat them all for breakfast in the bar area. Food on offer is a Tapas style menu at lunch, and in the evening; as can be seen to your right as you enter The Jolly Fisherman (photograph above); a very interesting selection indeed!

Well, I shall be returning soon, cheers Oliver and Becky! 😉

Recent Excellent Paler Ales!

From the many very drinkable paler ales I have experenced recently, I have to start close to home with the ever-excellent Franklins Brewery of East Sussex (website) and their Citra IPA (5.5%). Very hard to beat, this gorgeous pale golden bitter, single hopped, ie Citra, has a big citrus fruity aroma, plenty of body, with a bitter orange, but mostly grapefruit, taste, dry and very bitter finish, I love it! But Franklins also brew other great paler bitters (and more!), including their 5-hopped session ale English Garden (3.8%), Resurrection Pale (4.4%) with Amarillo, Galaxy, Centennial and Citra hops, and North Shore IPA (5.5%) with its New Zealand hopped Rakau!

I'm getting thirsty just writing about them! 

Then, across into Kent and Angels & Demons (website) and their Goldilocks is Dead (5.3%), indeed, enjoyed yesterday! This isn't the only ale of their's I've been drinking recently, but it is a very good beer from them (I won't use the phrase in my notes!). You've got it by now, pale golden dry and very bitter, big citrus aroma and taste, notably grapefruit, what more could I ask for?!?

Up to Buckinghamshire and XT Brewing Company (website), who also brew limited edition ales as Animal Brewing Company, from which I recently loved this 'American Pale' ale, Alligator (4.6%). Brewed with Azacca hops, a very pale and very dry and bitter ale, with exotic fruit flavours, citrus, peach and mango, "lovely!!" I noted. 

I won't insult anyone's intelligence and say where North Yorkshire Brewery is based (facebook - their website is a work in progress it appears), and I deleted my photograph of the pumpclip, so thank you to Google and North Yorkshire for this image! Anyway, North Yorkshire White Lady (4.7%) is apparently brewed with lager malt and German hops (Huel Melon, which gives a melon and apricot aftertaste), effectively a real ale lager! Although it tastes pretty much like a pale bitter to me, indeed, it is very refreshing to drink, much enjoyed.

Whilst talking about great ales from Yorkshire, recently I also drank one brewed by Bad Seed Brewery (website), ie their 5.5% Free Fall, an "American Pale Ale" that is "unfined and unfiltered." Indeed, a pale golden ale and, although not fined, surprisingly quite clear, which shows that finings aren't always necessary to ensure a clear beer! Hops used are Azacca, Ekuanot, Simcoe and Chinook, producing a tropical fruity aroma, although a more subtle fruity taste. Plenty of body and nice and dry and bitter, great stuff!

Also, of course, I've been drinking other more regular pale hoppy ales, with many thanks to the Tower and the Dolphin inns in Hastings, where all the above were enjoyed too. Notably, the excellent Burning Sky (website) Aurora (5.6%), a "Strong Pale Ale" brewed using hops from the USA. A pale golden ale with plenty of body, tropical and citrus flavours, and a dry and bitter finish, too easy to drink! Plus the ever excellent Hophead (3.8%) and American Pale Ale (APA 4.7%) from Dark Star (website), now owned by Fullers, who appear to be letting them get on with their brewing, having problems it seems, trying to brew Hophead at Chiswick.

And not to forget Dark Star Revelation (5.7%), with its massive use of Warrior, Cascade, Columbus, Crystal and Chinook hops, indeed, a revelation of an ale... and congratulations must go to the brewers as it has won the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) 2018 Gold Award in the category of "Strong Bitter." Quality, cheers!

Now I've Tasted Britain's First Trappist Beer!

I've written about this new addition to the wealth of beers available in Britain very recently (labelled as an "English Trappist Ale" though I know of no other trappist beer brewed anywhere else in Britain - see blog), and now I've tasted it. As you can see from the photograph I poured out a bottle at home. Brewed by Cistercian monks at Mount Saint Bernard Abbey in Leicestershire (website), Tynt Meadow is a mighty 7.4% trappist ale...

A deep dark ruby red/mahogany colour and big gorgeous fruity aroma and flavour means that this isn't my typical tipple, but I swiftly went back to buy more, to 'lay down' and to share with friends, it's that good. Not the citrus fruits I normally enjoy, but rich darker fruits, with a touch of chocolate and malt in the taste, plenty of body and smooth to drink, though a wee bit sweet, my notes say "good stuff!" Interestingly, Tynt Meadow is bottled conditioned, consequently it has a long shelf life, so store in a cool place, drink quite chilled, and be careful when pouring the ale out, unless you enjoy the addition of yeast particles from the lees, cheers!

I'll have a few of those, many thanks!

Where did I purchase my Tynt Meadow? Luckily for me, just around the corner is the Eel & Bear, 28 Waldegrave Street, Hastings TN34 1SJ (facebook), who brought some in, but it's available online, if you lack a similar craft beer seller in your area; Google lists a few suppliers.