80 Brussels Boozers (and what to drink)

My title doesn't have quite the same ring to it as that chosen for the book that this post is about. The 80 beer series has returned to where it began with the release of the second eidition of around Brussels in 80 beers. I caught up with author Joe Stange to find out what he's been getting up to:

BIK: How did you get involved with 80 beers?

JS: I was living in Brussels and writing a book on the best places to drink the best beer in Brussels. Then I heard that Tim Webb wanted to publish one akin to Podge and Siobhan's Around Bruges in 80 Beers. And I thought, "Oh, shit. I'd rather not compete with that." So I called Tim. I explained that I was a journalist who was already working on such a book, and might he need someone to write it? So he put me together with Yvan De Baets, and we co-researched and wrote the first edition. My background was news reporting, plus two years of living in Brussels and filling a notebook with beer and pub notes.

BIK: How did you find the time to check out so many pubs & bars? I assume there must have been plenty that didn't make the cut too!

JS: At this point many years of research have gone into it. I have a working list of nearly 200 cafés, but there are many hundreds more in Brussels. I can't get to them all. I lived in Brussels for four years until 2010, and I've managed to get back two or three times per year since then. Most of that time I spend just walking and tramming around the city, following leads and occasionally finding something new. I follow local Brussels media too, because they occasionally write about new cafés or restaurants. Still, I'm sure there are a few good ones out there that I haven't found. If so, let me know!

BIK: Are you impressed with how much the bar scene in Brussels has moved on in the last 6 years?

JS: Yes and no. There are more bars, cafés and shops run by people who are selective about Belgian beer and know what they're doing. So that's great. It was harder to narrow my list down than it was in 2009 for the first edition.

On the other hand there are also an absurd number of ridiculous trendy "concept" bars that either don't care about beer or are content to relay mainly on the products of one large beer company. Meanwhile Brussels hotel bars are stuck in the 1980s.

Also, Belgian bars are starting to play with international craft beer, which is fine, but unfortunately they come at international craft prices. As in other well established beer countries, the Belgians generally refuse to pay much for beer. I'm cheap and old-fashioned so I like it that way.

The Corbeau (Raven)

BIK: What are your thoughts on how Belgian beer as a whole, moving to more modern interpretations of styles whilst some breweries still preserving traditional styles

JS: Our cultural borders were always liminal, never hard and fast. What we once learned were "Belgian" beers were also heavily influenced by British ale, German lager and French wine -- and influence has many vectors. But Belgian beer does have a certain identity and common characteristics -- light body, sturdy foam, lively carbonation, expressive yeast, bottle conditioned -- and I get annoyed when lazy brewers chuck all that away in a doomed attempt to imitate a California IPA, for example. 

BIK: A topic i think will come up in conference: brewers without breweries (commissioners, gypsy or otherwise). What are your views on these type of breweries and are they overall a good, bad or indifferent thing for Belgium?

JS: The chief problem is not hiring a brewery -- it can be a sensible arrangement -- but lack of honesty. People want to know where their food and drink is made. The label should tell them the place of manufacture. Also I have little patience for misuse of the words "brewer" and "brewery." I want to protect the language there. A brewer is someone who physically brews beer. A brewery is a building that houses functioning brewing equipment. If you are not those things, do not use those words. There is no shame in being an excellent marketeer or successful entrepreneur who is sensible enough to hire skilled technicians to make a product. Own it, instead of pretending to be something you're not. It's disrespectful to the people who do the production work.

BIK If you had time for just a single place in Brussels, which would it be?

JS: The Brocante, on Place du Jeu de Balle. Great list of lambics, lots of odd local snacks, interesting bric-a-brac, and a cat or two.

BIK: If there was one bar you'd suggest people visit to get an authentic taste of Brussels history and beer, which would it be?

JS: Lots of choices here but I'd single out the Bon Vieux Temps. Dark, ancient and unchanging, a wonderful place to sip a Trappist and talk quietly or admire furnishings.

BIK: If pressed for your favourite Belgian beer, what would you name?

JS: Saison Dupont.

A man of good taste obviously, recommending one of my favourite Belgian beers! Joe kindly arranged to get the book posted to me in time for our trip to Brussels to give it a proper road test. Its certainly had that and now appears a few years old, replete with beer stains and foxed cover! We've been to around ten of the eighty outlets so far and found something great to drink at all of them. Joe's writing style is both conversational and observational with plenty of details on the history of the place, some great photos and each page is rounded out with a beer suggestion and some pithy tasting notes.

I started out trying to drink the suggested beer in each venue, but as with all transient things a number of the venues no longer stock the suggested beer. No worries though as there are plenty of other belgian beers to choose from!

I'll probably do a full round up of all the places that we get to over the weekend, but in the meantime I'd recommend Neutnigenuf for great beer cuisine, moder lambic fontinas for beer choice and le Fleur en Papier doree for atmosphere. Don't forget cantillon and de la senne of course!

Barrel store at Cantillon

The book is very reasonably priced at £10.99 and can be brought on line from www.booksaboutbeer.com, on Amazon or in many branches of Waterstones/ other reputable bookstores. For those attending the conference there's a Waterstones opposite the Hotel Marivaux and Bier Tempel also holds copies. If you're around next weekend (4th-6th September) then Joe and publisher Tim are around for Brussels beer weekend and launching their book at Delices & Caprices on Saturday at 1pm.

Happy bar hunting!

Cheers to Joe for taking the time to answer my questions, if anyone wants to catch up with him, share suggestions, jokes or pictures drop him a line at BXL80beers AT gmail DOT com or on Facebook here.

*I always thought the name was "Strange" to the extent I was about to report a typo on the front cover...

Irish Beers (&Ciders) to Watch Out For 2014

Wow, what a whirlwind of a year we've had! Ireland has almost doubled the number of brewers in the past 12-18 months, to such an extent that many of my previous recommendations in September 2013 (whilst still good beers) just don't cut the mustard when compared to newer releases. I've also been busy sampling passing 100 Northern Irish (72%!) and 315 (50%) Irish beers & ciders total. Here are some I'd recommend (obviously these beers  fit my preferences, yours may vary! I've tried to include things you'd still have a chance of finding) In no particular order...

When Chris (Galway Bay) released his  of Foam and Fury it hit the market with much hype which certainly seems justified - its been compared to Pliny (the elder, Russian River) in some quarters. Its very much in the American vein, robustly bitter, tropical fruits and lots of pithy citrus. Also worth seeking out is Via Maris the table beer produced from the second runnings.

Kinsale Pale Ale especially when fresh this beer is a juicy balanced pith-bomb and probably the beer I've drunk most of from the island this year, look for it on keg or visit the brewery to get the super fresh stuff!

West Kerry Riasc Black my bottled beer of the year in Ireland, everything I expect froma porter nd then some: toasty, earthy, dark fruits, coffee all complemented by an addition of blackberries. A one off but the Carraig Dubh still stacks up well if you can't find it.

White Gypsy Scarlet was fresh at ICBCF this year lightly tart, balsamic strawberries and slight woody dry notes. heavier fruit and vanilla come through in finish. I'm hoping its not the last sour offering from White Gypsy. It certainly won't be the only brewery experimenting with souring in 2015 (Carlow and Galway Bay have also released intentionally sour beers and Boundary brewing have already announced plans!)

Eight Degrees Hurricane IPA has been rehashed and is now at a more sessionable (but not session beer) ABV of 5.8% Full of mangoes and passion fruit without the hop burn of the stronger version...juicy banger contender?

Sarah bravely put her N17 Oatmeal Stout on cask in front of thirsty bloggers (many of whom can get stouts on cask easily in the UK) and it went down a storm; dark ruby brown, rich leafy hops, chocolate, roast barley, medium bodied, good resinous bitterness. There should be no issues then getting buy in over here, just need more beer engines installed! The only new opening of 2014 making it on to this list!

Carlow's Leann Follain is already an excellent stout, but age it in Irish Whiskey casks and the magic really starts to happen. Slightly lactic, molasses, vanilla, full bodied, slight carbonation, rich, toasty, slight sourness, warming, prunes, long tongue numbing, dry finish.The perfect bottle to share and sip around a fire on these colder winter nights.

Dan Kelly's Fiona's Fancy is a great balanced cider in the Herefordshire vein (i.e. not enamel stripping tannic but not too sweet either). the apple is punchy and tastes as if its fresh off the tree despite having been pressed three years ago with a long fruity finish.

You wait a while for a decent BIPA then three come along at once. Along with last year's highlight (Kinsale Black) this year Trouble Brewing released the roasty, lots of pine and simcoe orange then burnt toast, full body and bitter Oh Yeah and Kinnegar created a dark version of their Rustbucket with Black Bucket Rye IPA. Look out for all three!

Tempted XL (barrel aged) is a festival special; so you'll need to come to one (try Belfast or ICBCF in 2015) if you'd like to try it. You'll be rewarded with a rich molasses nose and fruity rum married fantastically with dry apple pulp and caramel notes. Drinks like water; dangerous at 8%!

Cockagee Keeved Cider is something a bit different, keeving is an historic method of cider production which leaves a residual sweetness and removes the proteins to give a clear cider full of complexity; fruity, rich, sweet, smooth, complex apple flavours, dry and tannic yet sweet and fruity.

Andrew at Kilmegan impressed with his bone dry cider last year and new Irish Farmhouse cider takes it a step further. Slightly acetic dry tart apple with honey notes. Lightly sparkling fruity Cox apples, golden syrup, dry, slightly funky in finish, some vanilla. Look out for bottles in the North.

Farmageddon Gold was excellent on cask at Belfast this year, American hop freshness against a scant malt body allows all of the tropical fruit to shine through.

Brown Paper Bag Project's Gose was most unexpected beer this year but it doesn't surprise me it was those guys that made it. Was good fun guessing along on Twitter tart pineapple with some green apple notes on nose. Medium bodied, light carbonation, tart with citrus flavours with coriander and salt following in the finish as it warms. They've since gone on to make  a rye wine, Gratzer and fresh hopped IPA.

Pokertree Dark Nirvana is certainly the best beer Northern Ireland currently has to offer. A coffee black IPA it has Coffee (of course!), fruity dank hops, pithy citrus, herbal, full bodied. Low carbonation, dry, coffee, full of pine and hemp, delicious!

Whitewater's Festival Special bodes well for what may be upcoming from these guys, licorice blackcurrants on nose. Full bodied, slightly sticky toffee, some moderate resinous hops then plenty of burnt sugar, coffee and toast. Hopefully something makes it to bottle, which it is crying out for (bottle conditioned please!)

Another beer that went down well at ICBCF  was Hilden's Mill Street IPA. Chock full o' hops and plenty of citrus oozing out. This beer exists in different iterations but hopefully Owen will settle on the best and make a large batch in 2015. Fingers crossed!

Session #83 - Are some beers over-rated?

Yes, without a doubt.

Taking Ratebeer as an example, here is the current top 10:

Westvleteren 12 (XII)
Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout (Bourbon Barrel Aged)
Russian River Pliny the Younger
AleSmith Speedway Stout (Barrel Aged)
Toppling Goliath Kentucky Brunch
Bells Black Note Stout
Rochefort Trappistes 10
AleSmith Speedway Stout
Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout (Bourbon Vanilla Bean)
Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

It consists of 7 Imperial Stouts (2 of which are variations on a third), two "quads" and an imperial IPA. One only has 39 ratings...

Personally I don't like the top rated beer in the world (I much prefer the sint bernardus version) but then everyone is different...

There are the breweries that are the darlings of the craft beer world....hill farmstead, cigar city, lost abbey. Fanboys rating these beers can send them in to the top scores. The freshness of a beer impacts on its score, and as the freshest beer the majority of rate beer users can get is local to them, American beers are given a premium over beers from elsewhere.

When beers are limited more people want to try them for fear of missing out, and if they cost more pepole are perhaps more likely to view them through rose tinted specs (as they don't want to admit they've wasted money on a duff beer when they could have bought multiples of something decent for the same price).

The England list is a bit better - I've been lucky enough to try them all and generally agree, though the presence of Fullers and Sam smith's an only be attributed to the availability of these in America.Though even taking those out the beers are all strong, mostly dark and limited release.

Old Chimneys Good King Henry Special Reserve  
Thornbridge Bracia  
Fuller’s London Porter (Bottle/Keg)  
The Kernel India Pale Ale Double Citra  
The Kernel Imperial Brown Stout London 1856  
Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout  
Thornbridge Hall Courage Russian Imperial Stout  
Magic Rock Bourbon Barrel Bearded Lady  
The Kernel Export Stout London 1890  
Arbor / Moor Double Dark Alliance 

Outside of Ratebeer and in the general beer enthusiasts sphere, beers from he usual suspects can create a Twitter storm in advance of/ around the date of release meaning more people hear about the beer than otherwise would have. This is of course great for the breweries concerned, but I'm sure for every Kernel, Magic Rock and Thornbrideg there are other breweries in an area of low beer geek density (BGD) just quietly getting on with it producing beers which are just as good. Its our job as beer bloggers to seek out these brews and get the word out there!

So I'll finish by following my own philosophy and letting you know about Wiper & True based in Bristol. I've had 6 of theirs so far and not been disappointed by any. Fantastic fresh pale ales and IPAs packed full of hop flavour brewed in various locations around the South West. Yet to try their darker offerings but the consensus seems to say they're good too. Check them out. In fact just head to Bristol for a few days and see everything this great city has to offer!

This post was brought to you courtesy of TheSession, this month brought to you by Rebecca of the Bake and Brew. Cheers!

Drinking in Edinburgh: An #EBBC13 roundup

First beers of the weekend in the
Red Squirrel, which became a regular haunt

Last weekend was spent at the beer bloggers conference in Edinburgh. We had all manner of interesting sessions to attend and certainly no shortage of beer. (I tried 65 new beers over the three days!) But it wasn't just a chance to score free beer, there was also some serious ideas sharing going on too.A number of people have posted some of their thoughts, here are some of my own  

(and I'll try not to make it seem like a beer diary!*).

Robert and Craig consider which beer is best in the Bow Bar

One of the highlights of such an event for me is to be able to meet up with friends old and new and "talk shop". We're in a room where everyone understands the language of beer, to such an extent that we're no longer really aware that there is a fair amount of jargon used in beer writing. Susanne reminded us that we need to be mindful that our audience aren't all beer geeks like the rest of us and that we should reflect that in our writing. Perhaps one of the reasons wine has grown its market share so rapidly is that despite being a highly technical subject, none of that is put on the bottle, whereas therecan be a tendency for "craft beer to sound like a chemistry experiment" (Garret Oliver) with IBUs, EBCs, etc. 

Matt from Pilgrim and Progress and Beer Norway's Christer
discussing the finer points of beer rating at Stewart's

But at the same time, we shouldn't talk down to our audience. In all likelihood they know more than us, certainly their palate could be more experienced than ours. Try to find the similarities between beer and other beverages to give people a reference point. Never assume that a beer is "too much" for someone as we have "no idea what they can handle" (Garret Oliver outlining how he'll take whatever beers he fancies to a beer tasting because unless someone has a chance to try something, how do we know whether they like it or not?)

JohnMartin presents...The Shilling System

We also had a great session on the history of Scottish beer from John Martin (Scottish Brewing Archive Association), especially they fairly confusing shilling system and discussions in similarities between Scottish beer and continental brewing styles among other juicy tidbits. Who knew that the first lager brewer in the UK was John Muir in Scotland? Tax protests aren't a new thing either; long before the beer duty escalator the treaty of the union was delayed due to the English trying to impose a malt tax on the Scots and later 9 people died in the riots that ensued following a rise in malt duty.

The Shilling System Today

Designation	Name	Strength (ABV%)	Example
60/-	Light	<3.5	Belhaven
70/-	Heavy	3.5-4.0	Tinpot
80/-	Export	4.0-5.5	Stewart
90/-	Wee Heavy	>5.5	Luckie

Wouldn't mind a fireplace like this
at home - Edinburgh council chambers

Edinburgh has some fantastic buildings both old - from the vaulted ceilings of our conference venue, the Ghillie Dhu and the wood panelled interior of the old council chambers to the brand spanking new Stewart's brewery that we had a chance to visit on the Friday night. Our hosts Jo and Steve Stewart's enthusiasm really reflects their position in the vanguard in the newly emerging Scottish craft brewing sector. I see new breweries opening up on an almost weekly basis...now if only Northern Ireland could get a few new breweries open up...

Reuben enjoying a Brodies in Cask and Barrel Southside.

Pubs too are not in short supply. I'd been in a number during last year's Edinburgh Independents Beer Festival but the shabby chic of theHanging Bat and the old school polished wood and mirrors plus half island bar of the Cask and Barrel southside were particular highlights this year. See Robert's Beer Lens blog for some better (i.e. not taken on a phone!) examples.

As an aside, Edinburgh seems to be trying to compete for the most unusual toilet accessories. The Hanging Bat has half keg sinks and the urinals in the Ghillie Dhu... well see for yourself (right).

Mr Oliver enjoying a self-poured Pilsner

Some tips for reaching a wider audience include using Pinterest and Instagram as a lot of people are visually stimulated. We need to write for our audiences but first and foremost we should make ourselves happy. I'll leave you with another Garret Oliver quote "if you aren't making people happy you're doing everything wrong and for all the wrong reasons". Something to bear in mind whether a brewer or a blogger.

Massive thanks to everyone who presented sessions, donated beer, organised food or muled beer for me over the weekend, much appreciated. Fab work once again from the conference organisers, for another conference summary you could do worse than zephyr adventure's own thoughts on the weekend.

*I may post a roundup of the very enjoyable pre-conference pub crawl pub amble and evening activties if I feel like it, though I didn't really take many pictures, ratebeer tells of the many fantastic beers enjoyed anyway.

Hilden Beer Fest 2012

Its that time of year again, the August Bank Holiday weekend is fast approaching which means the Hilden Brewery are hosting their annual beer festival. Last year's was a great success and if the beer line-up is anything to go by, this years will be no different. * 

I can also reveal that Hilden will be previewing their new bottle range over the weekend. All of the beers have been seen as cask versions but this is the first time they've gone into bottle. Fantastic bold new branding and logo shows Hilden have really upped their game to compete with the newer brewers both here and over the water.

Without further ado; here are the brews, along with Hilden's own tasting notes. Please bear in mind this is not the finished list and is of course subject to change on delivery. There will also be ciders from Mac's and DJs for those of a more fruity bent.

Osset Hopmonster (5%)
Strong Hoppy Ale. A strong, heavily hopped and robust IPA. Moderate bitterness, but intense aroma from new-season New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops. This unique variety imparts a white wine fruitiness.

Penine Sunstone (4.4%)

Look: Straw in colour

Taste: Smooth, malty and sweet on the palate with a refreshing citrus kick and refined hop after taste.

Smell: Hoppy & malty

Partners Ghost (4.5%)

A pale, full bodied bitter with a fresh gentle nose, taken over by a smooth hop and citrus finish making this ale very drinkable.

Acorn Barnsley Gold (4.3% ABV)

  This award winning golden beer has good bitterness levels, with a fresh citrus and hop aroma.  A hoppy flavour throughout with a well hopped clean, dry finish.   A CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain Finalist in 2004. 

Titanic White Star (ABV 4.8%)

A light refreshing distinctively hoppy beer with a freshness that belies its strength, so easy to drink it will fool all but the crustiest of sea dogs.

Lymestone Stone Cutter (3.7%)

From the very first draught, this pale hoppy ale will slake your thirst. A fusion of Maris Otter malts and Pilot and Fuggles hops explode on the palate as biscuit and juicy fruit flavours give way to citrus and berry hops, good hop aroma and hoppy after taste. A superb summer beer

Allgates Brigantia (4.0% )

Golden Ale "A refreshing honey toned, golden ale" Originally brewed in summer 2009 as Summer Gold, it was subsequently selected by J.D. Wetherspoon’s to feature in their April 2010 Beer Festival when the name was changed to Brigantia. It is a honey toned, refreshing, hoppy, golden ale with gorgeous aromas of tropical fruit and grapefruit sharpness offset by hints of melon and pineapple; the result of large quantities of German, Brewers Gold hops.

Bank Top Flat Cap   (4%)

Our signature beer - a pale bitter with a citrus fruit aroma and hoppy citrus finish. 

Bank Top  Pavilion Pale (4.5%)

Created shortly after the brewery moved site to a tennis club pavilion, this pale ale has a big fruity flavour with a peppery hoppiness and a dry, bitter yet fruity finish. 

Hilden Barney's Brew (5%)

Hilden Brewery's take on a wheat beer brewed to commemorate the inventor of the 'Belfast Penny Bap', Bernard 'Barney' Hughes(1808-1878). Made from wheat and barley, cardamom, corriander and a dash of black pepper, this spicy tipple is delicious and wont 'stick to your belly like lead'

Hilden Belfast Blonde (4.3%)

A wholly natural blonde beer with a clean and refreshing character derived from the use of lager malt along with a small proportion of maize. This mixture of continental and native varieties of late and early addition hops pleases both the nasal senses and the taste buds.

Hilden Cathedral Quarter (5.3%)

A rich warming premium beer. A classic red Irish ale with a full bodied flavour.

Hilden Halt (6.1%)

A premium traditional Irish red ale with a malty, mild hop flavour. This special reserve derives its name from the train line that used to service the local linen mill.

Hilden Twisted Hop (4.7%)
An Irish pale ale. It has a medium-bodied character and good bitterness, complementing the full hop flavour which lingers on the palate and in the aroma.

College Green (Hilden) Headless Dog (4.2%)
A bright amber ale from our College Green range of beers, with an initially smooth taste followed by a hint of Munich malt coming through from the grist. This is complimented by the stronger refreshing taste from this well hopped beer, named after the unusual mural opposite the front door of the brewery.

Hilden Scullion'sIrish (4.6%)
A bright amber ale, smooth initially with a slight taste of honey which is balanced by a long dry after taste which lingers on the palate

Metalman Pale Ale (4.3%)
American style pale ale, dark gold in colour with a delicate white head. Citrus and floral aromas lead into hop flavours characterised by grapefruit and mandarin produced by American hops. A dry bitter finish makes this an eminently enjoyable and refreshing beer.

Metalman Chameleon Ginger (4.5%)
A light summer ale with a ginger twist! A lightly hopped beer, this is an easy drinking summer thirst quencher with subtle ginger flavours and a dry finish. Perfect for a warm sunny day (if we were lucky enough to get such a thing).

Franciscan Well – Rebel Red

ABV 4.3%

A malt driven Irish style red ale balance by the hop varieties Fuggles and East Kent Goulding

Bath Ales – Summer Hare

ABV 3.9%

This is a brilliant light and hoppy seasonal beer, carefully brewed using the transatlantic pairing of the UK’s Brambling Cross and Washington State’s own Chinook hops.

Black Sheep -Black Sheep Best Bitter

ABV 3.8%

Peppery hop in the mouth with a long, bitter finish. A classic well-hopped and beautifully balanced beer with a deeply satisfying and refreshing taste that is followed by a distinctively dry and long bitter finish. Best enjoyed in true Black Sheep style, through a rich, creamy head.

West Berkshire Brewery - Mr Chubb’s Lunchtime Bitter

ABV 3.7%

A traditional English bitter with the addition of single varietal hops to give a robust bitterness and a strong hop finish.

Whitewater – BelfastBlack

ABV 4.2%

Roasted barley, rolled oats, chocolate & black malts combine to produce our Traditional Irish Stout brimming with flavour. The gentle coffee aroma is balanced wonderfully by rich hop flavours.

Pheonix Brewery – StrugglingMonkey

ABV 4.5%

Seasonal. Pale coloured, well balanced beer using English and Polish hops.

Harvistoun Brewery – Bitter andTwisted

ABV 4.2%

This is a very well built beer that starts with a delicate hoppy and fresh floral aroma. The flavour is fruity, first you notice the grapefruit and then a good dash of lemon comes through. At the end there is a rounded taste of bitter hops. Easy drinking and very moreish.

Oakham Brewery – JHB

ABV 3.8%

A golden beer whose aroma is dominated by hops that give characteristic citrus notes. Hops and fruit on the palate are balanced by malt and a bitter base. Dry hoppy finish with soft fruit flavours.

Porterhouse TSB

ABV 3.7%

New Zealand hops deliver fragrant aromatic floral notes counterpointed with a mouth of subtle bitterness. Turner would marvel in its composition!

White Gypsy –Pilsner

ABV 5%

Straw coloured beer, hoppy aroma with a hint of grainyness. The finish is clean and refreshing.

Rat - Dirty Rat (3.5%)
A velvetty dark brown mild. Low bitterness with a sweet malty finish from a blend of three malt. The delicate hop aroma is not overpowering.

*Alright, there's nothing with the WOW factor perhaps but plenty of new brews to try. With additional beers the list is now looking pretty decent.

EDIT: Renamed beers (see comments) and more beers added 21/8/12.

26/8/12 Updated with actual beers available.