Christmas Westmalle 2025!

Trappist beers are traditionally brewed by Trappist monks within the walls of a Trappist monastery, Westmalle was founded in 1794, and became an abbey in 1836, their ales, brewed at the Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle (brewing since 1836 - website), are up there among the best beers of Belgium. Although the monks no longer brew the beers themselves, they remain in overall charge of the brewery, ensuring traditions are upkept, and pure ingredients used, water from their own source, 100% barley malt, hops, and yeast from their own culture.

This year's Christmas present from my brother was 4 bottles (top image) of my favourite regularly available Belgian ale (glass from last year, cheers Dan!), always bottle conditioned of course, the Westmalle Tripel, which I have written about many times before (eg blog). The Tripel is a 9.5% golden beer, with a subtle fruitiness and quite dry and bitter finish, quite frankly an excellent beer! There are a number of bars in Brussels where I would always drink this, the waiting staff in the magnificent Le Cirio in Brussels (website), by La Bourse, always taking care not to disturb the sediment, but leaving the bottle for people to add the sediment if they so wish. Indeed, the owner of the bar closest to where my brother used to live always called me "Monsieur Westmalle", but that bar, sadly, is no longer open, the owner having retired.

You will appreciate just how much I appreciated this Christmas present brought back from Belgium by my brother, he knows what I like, cheers Dan, Merry Christmas! 👍 

Happy Hoppy Christmas!

BEST WISHES TO ALL, CHEERS M'DEARS! 😁

So this is Christmas...

I saw the St Bernadus (website) Christmas Ale (10.0%) in the Jolly Fisherman in Hastings (blog) and there were only 2 bottles left, so I had to go in for one! I've talked about the brewery before, eg in my blog about St Bernard's Day back in August, so I shan't repeat myself here, but just write about the ale. As you can see it has a very dark deep red in colour and yes, it is a Christmas/Winter ale in style indeed! A fruity roasted malt aroma with a hint of chocolate too, and a big fruity taste, I noted damson plums in particular with a hint of cherry, plenty of body unsurprisingly, and with a dry finish and pretty damn good! A Belgian Christmas ale to add to the English one from Harvey's I recently imbibed (blog).

And my brother Dan has brought back beer from Belgium for me again for this year's Christmas present, he told me it's not the same as last year (blog), so I'll have to resist temptation and see what bottles there are, yes, I can tell it's 4 bottles from the shape, to come... 😁 

Met up with Leeds John yesterday at the Eel & Bear (blog), and drank this rather sumptuous Biscoff Chocolate Brownie, a 7.0% Pastry Stout from Somerset based Yonder Brewing (website). Again, does what it says on the label big time, biscuit, vanilla, caramel, coffee and chocolate in the aroma and taste, smooth and luxurious, sumptuous indeed, cheers! 👍

A Christmas Ale Story...

Yesterday I received my first Christmas Card, many thanks Neil and Sara, so I thought I'd open this bottle that Jackie had kindly donated to me, cheers m'dear! Indeed, I hadn't drunk Harvey's Christmas Ale (website) since we visited East Sussex Harvey's Brewery 6 years ago (blog), and it was a pleasure to return to drinking their, as they describe it, Barley Wine.

First brewed in 1972, Harvey's Christmas Ale, a mere 7.5% 😉 and I believe brewed with locally grown hops, Fuggle (hopslist) and East Kent Golding (hopslist). These hops, combined with the malts used, produce an ale with dark fruit flavours, notably damson/plum and a suggestion of port wine. A deep chestnut colour, a bit sweet to start off with, though a nice bitterness coming through at the finish. It's not quite as good as the cask version we drank back in 2019, but as I said before, it's a bit of a Christmas Pudding of a beer, I like it!

I'm not saying Harvey's nicked my calling it a "Christmas Pudding of a beer" and now include it in their blurb, they probably always have, but I came up with that description back then independently, but which came first, who cares? I guess we'll never know, cheers! 😁

December Whiskey of the Month!

My November Whiskey of the Month was so good I decided to go back to the same West Cork Distillers (website) for my December Whiskey of the Month! I wrote about this relatively recently set up distillery (22 years ago) in my November blog, if you haven't already read it, there's some background to West Cork Distillers and the 3 lads who set it up in that blog.  

West Cork Distillers Glengarriff Series Bog Oak Charred Cask Single Malt Irish Whiskey (43.0%) being an Irish Whiskey, is triple distilled using locally grown grain; the distilling process is excellently explained in detail on their website. The Bog Oak Charred Cask Single Malt Whiskey is then matured in casks before bottling, adding colour, flavours and complexity. This one is first matured in sherry casks for at least 30 months, and then for a further 4-6 months in unique 'bog oak charred' casks; indeed, being an Irish whiskey it has to be matured for at least 3 years. The casks they use come from the USA, but they are charred on the inside, on the Irish side of the North Atlantic, using oak harvested from the local boglands of Glengarriff.

So, what was my second whiskey from West Cork Distillers like? Aroma-wise I got toffee and butterscotch, and a very subtle wood and spiciness, and an even more subtle smokiness. Indeed, I got little of the smokiness in aroma and taste apparently described in some other reviews, but we do all have very different palates! The flavour of this very smooth whiskey was sweet to start with, toffee, butterscotch, stoned fruits, pear and apple, and with a lovely dry warm finish.

Another pretty damn good Irish Whiskey, sláinte! 😁

Iron Pier Brewery

I've reviewed these beers before, but again given 2 cans of beers from Iron Pier Brewery in Kent (website) to review. I didn't take photographs individually in a glass, but just now took this photograph of the empty cans before they go into the recycling bag. The Cast Iron Stout (4.7%), is based on a Victorian recipe, brewed with 7 different malts, and Admiral (hopslist) and First Gold (hopslist) hops. The roasted malts produce hints of coffee and chocolate, and citrus fruits in the taste, slightly sweet to start with but with a dry bittering finish. The colour is very dark and to me this is what a stout should be like, plenty of body, smooth and warm, and very easy to drink; if you haven't already read it, see this blog explaining my thoughts on stouts and porters.👌

Their 4.2% Session IPA, is now brewed with a slightly different hop combination since my last taste (2 fewer types included), indeed, but still with Sultana aka Denali (Charles Faram), and Citra (hopslist) and Columbus (hopslist), and yes, still producing what I expected... A big fruity aroma with citrus, forest and stoned fruits in the flavour, another American style IPA, an APA, with a dry fruity finish too, and absolutely gorgeous, cheers m'dears! 😁

Sam Smith's Organic Pale Ale!

The ciders are having to be put on the back burner until later during the week coming, because I was surprised by how much I enjoyed drinking this! Consequently, why I only took this photograph after the 550mls was drunk, because I didn't think I would be writing about it.

Not my favourite brewery, but this bottle came into my possession because a friend, Jackie, gave it to me with another 2 bottles (different), that I may just save up for Christmas time. The brewery? The oldest brewery in Yorkshire, Samuel Smith of Tadcaster (website), famed for not allowing mobile phones to be used in their pubs, and for supplying everything under their own name, crisps, spirits, wines, everything, and of course, their own beers. They've been brewing from the same brewery since 1758, using the water pulled up from their well since then too!

To this beer, Samuel Smith's Organic Pale Ale (5.0%), no idea what hops are used, as Mr Smith shares very little information, but as it's a traditional English Pale Ale, has to be English hops, and drinking the beer supports that informed guess, hardly a guess really. 😉 It has a dark amber colour, a sort of cross between copper and chestnut, not too much aroma, slightly malty, but gentle maltiness in the flavour, slightly bitter, full bodied, and very well balanced, I wrote "refreshing" and meant it, probably my favourite Sam Smith's beer I've ever drunk!

Many thanks to Jackie, and to Mr Smith, cheers! 👍

November Whiskey of the Month

I was going to save this whiskey for Christmas, but following arduous negotiations with DHL, who were delivering it from The Single Malt Shop in Dublin (from whom I bought the bottle), after the first failed attempt to deliver, apparently it arrived too late at DHL locally to be put on the delivery van that day (fair enough), I arranged another date. However, following a failed attempt to deliver my bottle just after 4.00 pm on the agreed day, I was told they were sorry, but no-one was in! 😏 I'll explain why I was a wee bit peeved, well, it was because I had agreed the delivery to go to a friend's pub, with staffing 07.00-23.30, and I was there at the time of delivery, when they found no one in! So, I again rang DHL and the lad I talked to said he could see the delivery address was a pub and that he would make sure there was a note to the driver that the delivery address was a pub. Anyway, one week after it was first meant to be delivered the package arrived, and I couldn't resist opening the bottle and, as you can see from the image above, I started drinking this whiskey a wee bit earlier than intended, my apologies for this drawn out story!

As soon as I opened the bottle I was grateful I had, but more of that in the following paragraphs. This Irish Whiskey is from an independent distillery in Skibbereen in County Cork that was set up over 20 years ago in 2003 by 3 pals since childhood. Originally they distilled in a room in one of their homes in 2 small stills they had bought from a Swiss schnapps producer, but since then they set up a much larger distilling kit in Skibbereen in 2014 and their business has expanded exponentially; this is now West Cork Distillers (website). 

Their 7-Year-Old Single Malt Whiskey (46.0%) is made using locally grown grain, which is mashed in to release the sugars, and then fermented by added yeast to the mash; a process very similar to brewing ales, and explained in much more detail on their website. The main difference with ale, of course, is then the distilling process begins, and this being an Irish Whiskey, it is triple distilled, as most are. West Cork's 7-Year-Old is then matured before bottling, adding colour, flavours and complexity; first aged for 4 years in Bodega Olorosso Sherry casks, and then for a further 3 years in first fill Bourbon casks.

So, what is this whiskey like? Aroma-wise I got an immediate sweetness in the nose like Bakewell Tart, and the taste was also sweet to start with, almonds and fruits, and an almost butterscotch caramel flavour, certainly very much the cherries and marzipan that was hinted at in the aroma. But don't be fooled by this incredibly smooth and easy to drink whiskey, because the 46.0% strength alcohol makes itself very obvious as it goes down with a lovely warming finish.

Pretty damn good, sláinte! 😁

My Beers on International Stout Day, AND Cider to Come!

I did suggest I would imbibe more dark beers for this day (blog), so I visited the nearby Eel & Bear (blog) and drank this beer whilst there (above), and took a couple of beers home with me. From The Kernel Brewery in London (website), their Export India Porter (5.6%), and I shan't go on about the difference/similarities between Stouts and Porters here, as my opinion has been shared before, eg blog; if I had tasted this 'blind' though I would have called it a stout! 😉

The Export India Porter recipe is "inspired by mid-19th century recipes from Barclay Perkins and Whitbread" beers that were transported to British service personnel stationed in India, but brewed with a 21st century touch. Each batch is different, as they use different hops in each brew, mostly fruity hops from the USA, but now and then English hops, such as Bramling Cross (hopslist), which wouldn't surprise me if used in the bottle I drank from, who knows?!? But I got fruity and roasted flavours, hint of coffee and chocolate, nice one to start the day with. 👍

I did say I would drink the Hercule from Belgium again, which I did, but shan't repeat what I've already shared in my very recent blog. At risk of repeating myself, nice one! 👍

And the second stout at home was from Dundee in Scotland, Holy Goat Brewing (website) Foehammer Imperial Stout (11.2%), "based on an 18th century recipe for Courage Russian Imperial Stout." Because it is based on a traditional recipe I'm guessing English hops are used, but the brewery doesn't share that information, and the malts dominate the flavour anyway.

The reason for 'Russian Imperial Stouts' is that Peter the Great fell in love with London stouts when he visited England in 1698, and had some sent to his court back in Russia, where it became very popular. Indeed, Empress Catherine the Great, who had married Peter's grandson and overthrew him in 1762, loved Imperial Stouts too, and this recipe is based on an Imperial Stout supplied by Courage to her. 🍺

So, what's it like? There's a hint of liquorice and chocolate in the aroma and taste, but surprisingly very gentle in the aroma. Less sweet than I thought it would be after all the chocolate stouts and porters I've been drinking recently (blog). Very dark with plenty of body, and a dry slightly bitter finish, a much more subtle stout than I thought it would be, pretty damn good, cheers! 😁

And now for cider! Hastings Old Town Cider Festival 2025 begins today (7-15 November), at 7 venues in Hastings Old Town (Hastings Sussex website):

• The Albion, 33 George Street TN34 3EA;
• The Crown, 64-66 All Saints Street TN34 3BN;
• Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock a Nore Road TN34 3DW;
• East Hastings Sea Angling Association, The Stade TN34 3FJ;
• First In Last Out, 14-15 High Street TN34 3EY;
• Jenny Lind, 69 High Street TN34 3EW;
• Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street TN34 3AR.

Have fun folks, cheers! 👍

Happy International Stout Day 2025!

Today, being the first Thursday in November, is International Stout Day 2025 (National Day Calendar website), unsurprisingly created to be a day on which to celebrate Stouts. Stouts appear to have developed from Porters (originally a blend of ales), a darker beer favoured by London market porters 300 years ago, before brewers started brewing Porters specifically. 'Stout' tended to be a term to describe stronger beers. Stout, as in Stout Porter, was a stronger dark brew that London's brewers developed, and what we think of today as a typical Stout style.

Technically, nowadays, Porters are brewed using dark malts, and are usually a very deep, very dark red in colour if you put your glass up to the light, whereas Stouts are brewed using Roasted Barley in the mash too, and are black or very dark brown, notably brown in the colour of the head. Of course, I've drunk different brewers' Stouts, Porters, and strong Dark Milds, that taste as you would expect one of the other styles to taste, but, for me, I would define the Stout from the roasted barley taste, though no doubt many would argue with me. 😉

Whatever, enjoy a stout beer today; indeed, I'll be off soon to enjoy a Hercule (see blog for other dark beers I've recently drunk), cheers m'dears! 🍺

Image thanks to vecteezy.com, cheers! 👍

Eight Dark Beers Imbibed During October, Plus One!

First I must apologise for the quality of a few of these photographs, the lighting wasn't perfect, that's the reason, not an excuse. I should have used more lighting, so my fault, but the time of the day some were taken was when I was winding down, so this is what you get. 😉

I'm starting with the Hercule as I want that image to head this blog, then I'm going from the weakest to the strongest of the others, then... Anyway, brewed by Brasserie des Legendes (originally Brasserie des Ellezelleloise, changing its name when it merged with Brasserie des Geants in 2006, when they became one Brasserie des Legendes) in Irchonwelz in Belgium (website), their 9.0% Hercule Stout, named after the fictional detective Hercule Poirot. Hercule is brewed with locally grown barley in the grist, the brewery gives no hint of the hops used, unless the name of the beer provides a clue, and the beer came out of the bottle incredibly lively, hence the large head. It is a very deep dark reddish brown in colour, with hints of liquorice, coffee and chocolate in the aroma. To taste, slightly sweet at first, I got more dark fruits in the taste than others I have spoken to, but with a dry slightly bitter, maybe tart, finish, nice one! 

The next ale was brewed in Southwold, East Suffolk, for Marks & Spencer, by Adnams Brewery (website), their 4.2% Winter Ale, and I believe this is brewed specifically for M&S, so an original beer and not a re-badge. Brewed with First Gold hops (hopslist); I saw someone suggest orange and lemon peel in the recipe, but the fruitiness is more likely from the malt and hops. Indeed, a very fruity beer, deep dark red, they suggest on the label "fruit cake and prunes" in the taste, and tasty indeed. Not bad at all, I may just get a couple of bottles for over the Christmas hols.

Now I come to an interesting collaboration between Yorkshire breweries Northern Monk (website) and Timothy Taylor's (website), Northern Rising, a 4.4% 'Draught Unity Stout' brewed to compete with nitro keg beers like Guinness, but also brewed for cask at Timothy Taylor's. The hops used are traditional English hops Fuggle (hopslist) and East Kent Golding (hopslist). From the can, very smooth and creamy, sweet to start off with, very dark chocolate dominating the taste, but with a dry finish, and another not bad at all beer.

Another brewed for M&S, from Siren Craft Brew of Wokingham near Reading (website), comes a 5.1% Chocolate Porter, brewed with cacao nibs and vanilla pods added; no sharing of the hops used by the brewery though. This is a bit more subtle, aroma and taste, than many of these chocolate stouts and porters, very dark colour and subtle chocolate taste, sweet at first (lactose added methinks), but dries out with a gentle bitter finish, pretty good!

Next, from Buxton in Derbyshire, comes Silent Brew (facebook) Game's Gone, and a draught beer this time! I've seen this described as a "pastry stout" and as a "chocolate brownie stout" 😕 and another brewery not divulging the hops used. Whatever, it is a very good 'stout' tasting of chocolate with a hint of vanilla and a dry finish, my notes say "lovely!" 👍

More local for me, from East Sussex, the Long Man (website) Panettone Chocolate Stout (6.4%), which does what it says on the can, it is "rich and indulgent" indeed. 👍 Another that adds cacao nibs and vanilla pods to the brew, and that the brewer doesn't divulge hope used. I've already said what it's like, it does what it says on the can, very drinkable indeed!

From outside Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire comes Vocation Brewery (website) and their 8.0% Caramel Cookie Chocolate Stout, "naughty and nice" they say. Well, another brewer apparently unhappy to share which hops are used, but that's OK, as the main ingredients for flavour in these beers described today are the malts used, and the odd added ingredients. Similarly, does what it says on the tin, big chocolate aroma, and in the taste definitely chocolate aplenty, a hint of caramel and biscuit, rich and luxurious, another nice one.

My penultimate beer reviewed in this blog is from London, the capital city of England (and Britain) and Gravity Well Brewing (website) and their 11.0% Makkuro Imperial Stout. Well, the brewers emphasise the flavours coming purely from the malts used, with no added ingredients, other than the usual malt, water, yeast and hops (don't ask!), although the brewery apparently owns up to usually adding stuff to their brews, cacao nibs or whatever, but NOT for this brew, so the 4 beer ingredients only. And why would anyone expect anymore needed to be added? Chocolate is big in the taste, not so much in the aroma, and I wrote "very easy to drink and luxurious!!" Indeed, I added two exclamation marks to my notes, I was that impressed, cheers! 😁

 

Finally, had with my lunch today, and this is the "plus" 😁 a 6.2% "stellar stout" brewed in the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, by Vault City Brewing (website), MINI M*RS, "paying homage to the mighty m*rs bar." And my, with a hint of caramel, this is packed full of chocolate coming from the malts used and the "mountains of cacao nibs" added to the brew! Very dark brown colour, virtually black, almost too sweet, but not quite, rich and plenty of body. No idea of the hops used (not shared by the brewer), but a luxurious beer indeed. 👍

Plus plus, together with Neon Raptor of Nottingham (website) they have brewed a stronger version in the past, a 15.5% DDF M*RS BAR Imperial Stout (Vault City), one for the future if it ever makes a return, maybe!?! 😲 Cheers m'dears!!

Beermeister Abroad: in the USA!

 

This blog includes information and photographs shared with me by my brother (he doesn't want his face included so you'll just see bits of him in this blog 😉) and by his wife Shirin, many thanks to them as I haven't crossed the Atlantic for many years! The image above with Beermeister cap was taken earlier in the year on the opposite side of the U.S.A. to where the rest of the photographs were taken (except that immediately below) with Tom's Restaurant (website) in the background, used as the outside of the fictional Monk's Cafe in the television comedy series Seinfeld (youtube). Also the inspiration for Suzanne Vega's song Tom's Diner (youtube).

The first cap is an older model, I no longer have that domain, but the latest Beermeister cap is in the image immediately above, crossing over to Gibraltar from Africa, they do get around! 😉

So, to Dan and Shirin's more recent visit to the U.S.A. where they started off in California and drove up the West Coast and back. I'm not sure of the route they took exactly, but I'm recreating it as from North to South when dealing with the breweries, beers and bars below. The photograph above includes Mount Shasta, California, in the background (website).

Bar-wise (and brewery-wise) I'm starting with Fort George Brewery (and Pub), 1483 Duane Street, Astoria, Oregon 97103 (website), excuse the lighting in these images, they arrived quite late in the day I believe, and consequently were hungry, see next image! 😁 

And so a hearty meal was enjoyed, plus a glass or two of Fort George 3-Way IPA (7.0%); more of further down, as 4 cans were brought back as part of their gift for me, cheers! 👍

Whilst in Astoria they also visited the, very close by, Astoria Brewing Company, 144 11th Street, Astoria, Oregon 97103 (facebook); either earlier in the day, or on another day (as it's brighter in this photograph). Here, whilst overlooking the Columbia River, Dan drank the Astoria IPA (6.8%), brewed with Citra (hopslist) and El Dorado (hopslist) hops, consequently packed with citrus and tropical fruit flavours, and enjoyed immensely I'm told! 👌

The next 4 photographs were taken back in California at Kern River Brewing Company, 13415 Sierra Way, Kernville CA 93238 (website), including the 2 colourful hanging tin advertising signs shown above (Isabella Blonde) and below (IPA).

Shirin drank the Kern River Lovely Kettle Sour (4.7%). I cannot find out what hops are used in the brew, but it appears it's flavoured with raspberries. Shirin described it as "quite light, tart and fruity, and delicious" - she obviously enjoyed it, cheers Shirin! 🍷

Dan drank the Kern River Lhazy River IPA (7.0%), brewed with Mosaic (hopslist), Citra (hopslist), and Amarillo (hopslist), hops. Look at those hops! Consequently very fruity, including orange and mango, 'hazy' as described in the title, and a 'New England' style of IPA. Dan told me he enjoyed it, as people will be aware I'm not a hazy beer drinker, but hey ho! 😏

The next beer was imbibed outside a bar at Venice Beach, Los Angeles, they didn't tell me the name of the bar when sending the photograph, oh well, never mind, but I do know the beer and its origin! It was from Old Stump Brewing Co of Pomona, California (website), and their 5.8% slightly hazy Mosey Cat IPA, brewed with Mosaic hops (hopslist), after which it is named. Another 'New England' style of IPA and, unsurprisingly, knowing that hop, very fruity.

Finally, I reach the beer I have actually imbibed, and alluded to above, Fort George (website) 3-Way IPA (7.0%), a collaboration with 2 other breweries, apparently each year they collaborate with 2 different breweries and uses different recipes. 2025 is a collaboration with Mirage Beer of Seattle (website) and Sunriver Brewing of Oregon (website).

The 2025 3-Way IPA is brewed with Krush aka HBC 586 (Yakima Chief Hops), Waimea (hopslist), and Nelson Sauvin (hopslist) hops; the website also suggests hops including Columbus (hopslist) and Strata (Indie Hops) are used too. Another 'New England' style IPA, but I carefully poured the beer out of the can, so it wasn't as hazy for me; if you enjoy hazier beers I suggest shaking the can when there's just a wee bit of beer left in it for full lumpiness 😉Anyway, it was packed full of citrus and tropical fruitiness, with a nice slightly bitter dry finish, I liked it! 

You should have noticed that I drank the 3-Way IPA out of another pressie from Dan and Shirin, a Kern River glass, many thanks once again bro and sis, cheers m'dears! 🍻

And A Couple More...

That is, a couple more cans 😉beginning with one from Brewdog (website), and their 4.3% Wingman, "The Eagle has Landed" Session IPA, brewed with Ahtanum (hopslist), Chinook (hopslist), Citra (hopslist), Mosaic (hopslist), Simcoe (hopslist), and HBC 692 (Yakima Chief) hops. With those hops you would expect plenty of flavour, and you would be right. 👍 Pale golden, with a big fruity aroma, notably pineapple and grapefruit, and tasting of tropical and citrus fruits, in particular peach and grapefruit, light and dry, with a bitter finish, not bad at all. 😁

AND, another AF beer in a tin, this one from Beavertown (website), their 0.3% Lazer Crush Alcohol Free IPA, brewed with Amarillo (hopslist), Azacca (hopslist), and Citra (hopslist) hops. Similarly, you would expect plenty of flavour with those hops, despite the lack of strength, and potentially lack of body, but I was quite surprised! It comes out of the can slightly cloudy, is very pale, and has a big fruity aroma, and grapefruit/lemon citrus taste, with a dry refreshing crisp finish. I wrote "not bad actually" and the best alcohol free IPA/APA I've had, cheers folks! 👍

Lakedown Brewing Co

The first of these 4 beers was imbibed at the Jenny Lind, 69 High Street, Hastings TN34 3EW (see blog which includes more information about the Jenny Lind etc). That is, from Lakedown Brewing Co (website), their 4.2% Wits' End, which, as I can find nothing about it anywhere, I am guessing was their Kicking Donkey rebadged for the Hastings Comedy Festival earlier this year. Whatever, Wits' End, which I'm not quite at yet, 😉 is a Best Bitter, and my notes suggest it does what it says on the label, it is a traditional, slightly malty, best bitter. If it is Kicking Donkey, the hops used were Pioneer, Cascade and Jester and all grown in England, Kent presumably, but it wasn't particularly hoppy, but then, reviews for Kicking Donkey suggest similar too, and I wouldn't bet against it being any different. Probably! 😏

The first of the 3 cans from Lakedown was their 5.7% Harmonium India Pale Ale, brewed with Cascade (hopslist), Centennial (hopslist), Chinook (hopslist) and Citra hops (hopslist), and finished off with Amarillo hops added at the end of the brew (hopslist). These hops make it an APA style essentially, but it's a bit darker than a typical APA, indeed, a deep copper colour, much more like a traditional IPA! Sorry, I'm trying not to get confused, despite the styles being confused, like 'fusion' brewing! Hints of tropical and citrus fruits, quite light and easy to drink, with a slightly dry bitter finish, with those hops and strength you'd expect a bit more to it, but deceptively easy to knock back, not bad at all, I'd love to try a cask version. 👌

Next I go to something much darker, their 4.8% Marquee, an American Stout From their subtitle I'll take an informed guess that hops from the USA were used when brewing this ale, but Lakedown appear to be shy about sharing the hops used! 😕 Whatever, because it is dark, as you can see in the image above, and rich and smooth, you catch the flavours from the malts used rather than from hops unsurprisingly. It has a quite subtle dark chocolate and coffee aroma, with roasted malt and dark chocolate more prominent in the taste, not bad...

Finally their 0.5% 'Alcohol Free' Sound AF, described as 'American' and a 'Juicy Pale' so presumably hops from the USA are used, but again, they're shy of sharing which hops! It pours a bit cloudy, but does have a big fruity aroma, and a subtle fruity taste, but it thins out as the glass goes down, with a dry finish. However, not bad though, for an AF beer. 😏

My guess is that the hops used aren't shared for the AF and the American Stout because they change a bit, just a thought, anyway, have fun folks, cheers! 😁

London Beer Flood 1814

As I usually report annually, the London Beer Flood was a tragic event that happened close to what is now the Dominion Theatre in Tottenham Court Road, in London's West End, occurring on the 17th of October 1814; some reports record this tragedy to have happened the day before, but evidence supporting the 17th as the anniversary looks stronger (HistoryUK).

In those days, London's beer drinkers were supplied by dozens of competing breweries, and some breweries built enormous vats in which to ferment and condition their ales. Indeed, the enormous porter vat of Meux & Company had a capacity of over a million pints! At about 6pm, on the 17th of October 1814, one of the steel restraining bands that encircled that gigantic vat broke and released its contents. Together with the million plus pints of porter released from this vat, other vessels in the brewery were also damaged, consequently releasing even more beer into the flood. The resulting deluge damaged the brewery and a nearby pub, the Tavistock Arms and, sadly, flooded the basements of nearby homes...

Depending on which reports you read, between 7 and 9 people died as a direct result of the flood over 200 years ago, most of them drowning in their own basements, and many more were seriously injured, including some of those who came to help rescue survivors... 

R.I.P. to those who sadly died in their own homes. 😢

I can't find the original sources for the photographs, apologies to them for not referencing. 

October Whisky of the Month

Another Scottish whisky this month, Chivas Regal 12 (40% - website), and another whisky I'd often bought for my grandad as a present, which I mentioned earlier this year (blog), a blend of malt and grain Speyside whiskies, and at a good valued price! Among Scottish single malts, I mostly prefer Speyside whiskies, so they already have smoother whiskies to start off with, and then the blend has been matured in a combination of casks for 12 years, consequently, why the Chivas Regal 12 is so easy to drink!

This has an aroma combining honey, vanilla, herbs, cinnamon, pears and toffee, and tastes of butterscotch with a hint of tropical fruits, oak, and hazel and walnuts, from the ageing process in casks presumably, and very rich and smooth with a slightly spicy finish. Best served over a cube of ice, or with a few drops of water, which helps bring out the flavours. I really like this, and so glad I was buying a quality whisky for Grandad, who appreciated it too, sláinte!

Hastings Tap Takeover On NOW!

Indeed, Hastings Tap Takeover 2025 is on this weekend, see the image above for participating venues and the breweries taking over their taps (facebook), cheers folks!

I've already visited the Crown and Jolly Fisherman. 😁

London Circular Walk: Tower & London Bridges

You could start this circular pub walk at either of the bridges, but I've started this blog at Tower Bridge because my favourite drink of the day was imbibed here, twice. 😉 So, behind Tower Bridge Road in a small back street is The Dean Swift, 10 Gainsford Street SE1 2NE (website), open from 12.00 noon every day of the week, until 23.00, excepting Sundays, when it closes at 22.30. The pub was built in the 1850s, and was originally called The Bricklayer's Arms, but was renamed for the Irish satirical writer and cleric, Jonathan Swift, who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin in 1713, hence Dean Swift, although I can find no connection to Swift locally or to the pub. And I've still not been able to finish reading Gulliver's Travels, ever!

This former Truman's pub, now a freehouse, has 20 'craft' beers available, including 2 cask ales and a variety of crafty keg styles. The cask ales were from Sussex brewery Burning Sky and their Plateau (3.5%), an excellent pale ale with hops from New Zealand and the USA (website), and the ale I drank 2 pints of (2 visits, first and fourth), from East London brewery Five Points Brewing (website), their 4.0% XPA, an American Pale Ale style, brewed with Citra (hopslist), Galaxy (hopslist) and Sabro (Hop Breeding Co) hops. This produces a pale beer with plenty of citrus and forest fruits, particularly grapefruit, bitter with a refreshing dry finish, excellent!

This was actually our last pub before heading across London from London Bridge tube station, thus why I drank the cider, as I wasn't sure the 3 ales available would be able to compete with the XPA I'd just drunk, and I had had an extra pint than Paul, so just a half for me. 😏 So, The Raven (website), 218 Tower Bridge Road SE1 4PR (The Dean Swift is virtually around the back of it), which was built on the ramp leading up to Tower Bridge around 1900, and was previously an Adnams pub called The Bridge House, changing its name to The Raven in honour of the Ravens of the Tower of London in 2019, and there's a stuffed raven at one end of the bar! 

And indeed, I had a half pint of a cider from the award winning Sandford Orchards in Devon (website), from their 'Vintage' cider collection they've been developing since 2017, and launched in 2021, the 8.4% The General, named after Sandford's Ten Thousand Gallon Oak Vat built in the 19th century, and now used for ageing their ciders! A little sweet to start, juicy with nectarine and apple flavours, but slight tannin and sourness to the finish, pretty good!

Simon The Tanner, 231 Long Lane SE1 4PR (website), named after a biblical character, Simon of Joppa, and situated in an area where tanning leather used to be prolific (Southwark News), note nearby Tanner Street too; opens at 16.00 Monday to Thursday, and at 12.00 noon Friday to Sunday. The pub dates back to the 18th century, in 1780 being called Simon of Joppa the Tanner, and it has even been a Shepheard Neame pub since, but it is now now a freehouse.

The only cask ale they had was from Reading brewery Siren Craft Brew (website), their 3.8% Memento, brewed with English hops, not divulged, and dry-hopped with U.S. Cascade hops (hopslist), presumably what makes it a 'modern best bitter.' I have to admit that I didn't really notice the Cascade in the taste, I just thought that it was a pretty basic 'best bitter.'

First and last pub, maybe, and if you've read this all the way through you should get the gist. The Shipwrights Arms, 88 Tooley Street SE1 2TF (website), is a Victorian pub with a wonderful exterior and interior, inside there is a classic central island bar and a tiled mural of shipwrights at work among its features. There was an older pub on the site previously by 1792, the Ship Wright Arms, and it was re-built in 1884, slightly changing the name. They have the handpumps for up to 6 cask ales, but only had 4 different ales when we met up there. 

We both drank the Cornish brewers Sharp's (website) Solar Wave, a 4.6% 'Hazy IPA' brewed with hops from the USA, but the hops are not specified (the pumpclip was askew, by the way, the image is not because of me). Hazy, as they say, not too thick though, and with plenty of tropical fruit flavours, not bad. Sadly for me, what I was interested in drinking was the 4.0% Southwark London Pale Ale, but it was only put on just as we were leaving, life, eh?!? 😒

I admit that my record here looks weird as I arrived in London early, and checked on the pubs and took photographs as I had an hour to spare before meeting up, hence the extra pint too. 🍺 But the order here is a circular rout, wherever you start, and The Shipwrights Arms is just along from London Bridge Station entrance, so the best place to start and/or finish, I suggest.

Of course, we passed other pubs too, but time was short, and we wanted to stay sober!

My favourite of the pubs we visited was The Dean Swift, mostly because the 2 ales available were much more to my taste, and on my first visit I chatted with the manager, who is very knowledgeable about his beers, the locale and its pubs. I was a wee bit disappointed with Simon The Tanner, which was the only one of these pubs I'd visited before, and written about a couple of times, on my previous visits it was a little bit rougher around the edges with interesting stuff on the walls, see my older blog, it's a bit more polished now, and sadly there was only 1 ale available this time. The Raven was a bit noisy for me, but they were setting up for karaoke later in the evening, pleasant enough though, and all the pubs had friendly bar staff. As I pointed out, The Shipwright's Arms is closest to the station, very friendly bar staff, but take note that you are provided plastic 'glasses' to drink from if sitting outside, we stayed by the bar and were served in eccentric glass glasses. 😁 Anyway folks, cheers for now, and until the next time! 🍺