Humulus Hit

Northern Ireland's newest beer comes courtesy of the biggest brewers  -Whitewater. Originally brewed for the Belfast beer festival last November it proved such a success there (being crowned Champion Beer of the festival) that they have made it a semi-regular brew. I managed to try it at my now favourite local haunt, The Brewer's House.

It certainly looks the part pouring slightly hazy dark gold with fresh tangerine and noble hop herbal aroma. This has hops! Dry hop bitterness with simcoe? oranginess and dry finish. It reminds me a lot of Fullers Wild River. 

Very moreish, easy to drink too for its 6% ABV...very dangerous!

Its also available in bottles; so look out for it in various supermarkets around the province. I'll certainly be looking out for it, more like this please Irish brewers!

Last of the Summer Wine

No need to worry, this is a post about beer, not an ancient TV programme!

Summer Wine was a brewery that had been on my radar for a while, but not being able to ship to Northern Ireland stymied my prospects of getting to try it somewhat. That was until Diabolo and Barrista were available at Belfast Beer Fest (I wonder who sugegsted them from the Flying Firkin list...) I loved both so knew it was time to shell out on a mixed case for Christmas, a bottle of each going to my dad for his present (he loves hoppy beers too; so will hopefully enjoy) and half a present to myself.

I love the simple but recognisable label designs with a bold name
and a simple short description of what to expect from the beer

I decided to kick things off with Hermes, the pale ale. A lovely clear golden number with fluffy white head. Lemon and biscuit on the nose Smooth drinking with subtle lemon that grows down the glass with a very bitter finish. A refreshing beer, yes but not quite to my tastes.

Barista is a beer I've enjoyed before, specifically on draught at Belfast Beer Festival as a breakfast beer. I love coffee in beers and am looking forward to the KopiKat imperial stout released later this year. Pours a reddish black with thin tan head. Its an alcoholic iced coffee with a good bitter finish and one I could drink plenty of.

I love porters and this is one I'd been looking forward to trying for a while. It made an ideal pairing for Boxing Day lunch of cheese and piotato pie and quiche. I enjoyed it so much I forgot to make any notes! Dark brown beer with subtle chocolate nose but its all going on in the body. Chocolate, roast barley, coffee, very full mouthfeel and very moreish.

Covenant was a wedding beer brewed by/for Nick Beer Prole and his lovely lady wife at the back end of summer. I've had it on keg at Twissup and its just as enjoyable in bottle. My fellow traveller also enjoyed this beer on our train ride to York. Hazy amber with plenty of tropical fruits on the nose, mango, lychee and lemon. In the mouth similarly fruity with balanced bitterness and mal. Its very easy going and subsequently the glass is empty pretty sharpish! Going for a "beer and book pairing" I chose my new copy of Martyn Cornell's Amber, Black and Gold, which I have learned a lot from and I'm but two chapters in so far!

Diablo is another deceptively easy drinker and one of my favourite UK IPAs. Hazy amber with a big fresh grapefruit nose, citrus zing and sprightly carbonation.I wish I'd ordered more of it.

I finished the bunch with the cohort. Its a black IPA with rye, a grain I've not tasted much of in beers but it seems to have been the "in thing" with British brewers this year. Pours a dark brown with fizzy tan head that collapses to a thin lacing. The rye imparts a spicy nose, big bitter and full mouthfeel. One I'd like to revisit soon.

All in all a tasty bunch of beers, which has confirmed my suspicions that summer wine are one of the breweries at the forefront of the UK brewing scene at the moment and I hope to try more of their beers in 2012.

Summer Wine have a good website and blog. You can find the brewer James and MD Andy on Twitter, where they're great at replying to any questions you may ask of them.

What's your favoured flavour?

Like most beer drinkers, if pressed to name my favourite beer I wouldn’t be able to. There’s a whole host of mitigating factors, time of day, time of year, weather, drinking company, drinking venue...the list goes on. However there are beers that if I'm lucky enough to find them on the bar I will make them my first pint. They’re beers that I’d happily drink 2 or 3 of in a row without feeling a pressing need to try something new. They’re beers that I would leave one pub for if I knew they were available somewhere else. I call these my benchmark beers. I find myself judging all other beers in the style against these stalwarts of my beer portfolio

I think the first bar that I realised had reached this benchmark status was Butcombe Bitter. A perfectly balanced classic English beer, mid amber in colour and well balanced bitterness and sweetness. I was surprised to find that Bristol airport serves cask ale and was excited to find it was Butcombe. Is it affected by the fact it was the first ale I tried? Perhaps. It could equally be that the proximity of the brewery to my home town and a loyalism to my county. Pete Brown has his Acorn Barnsley Bitter and I have Butcombe Bitter.

Yours Truly drinking Butcombe Bitter in Bristol.

Greene King XX mild is another beer I’ve left a pub to get a pint of elsewhere. Very few GK pubs sell this any more; so if you are lucky enough to find it then get a pint or three. My preferred dispense point is The Junction Inn in Southampton, hop off the train at St Denys and there are three pubs in close vicinity but The Junction does food and invariably it'll be GK mild that does the job.

Some of my favourite beers have been lost in recent years. Pride of Romsey IPA was lost when the Hampshire brewery went under in 2007. Here’s hoping someone resurrects it. The IPA benchmark spot currently remains empty though there are some serious contenders.

My benchmark stout is Hopback Entire Stout, an opinion it seems I am not alone in holding as it won Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2011. My benchmark porter is Ringwood XXXX, when I can find it!

Of course like all good beer geeks I’m keen to try as many different beers as possible but I always get the butterflies in stomach excitement of finding a benchmark beer on the bar and the anticipation of that favoured flavour passing my lips whilst waiting for the pour.

I’m sure I’m not alone in this tendency so tell me your benchmark beers!