TheSession: my beer transition, or one man's quest for a decent drink in Southampton

The year was twenty-nought-six. I'd spent the last ten months drinking in some of the grottiest student establishments known to man. Although I had sampled the delights of real ale I was yet to be fully converted from the ease of drinking provided by Worthington creamflow and other related nitrogenated horrors. 

Summer came and we moved wholesale from our halls of residence (replete with handy subterranean passageway to the nearest hall of libations) and  in to a grotty 4-up 2-down terraced house we'd call home for the next two years. I opted to remain in Southampton over the summer to "get my money's worth" given we had to pay rent from July (ever the stingy bastard).

Finding myself at a loss for things to do I took it upon myself to explore the immediate environs. I had previously been in the Gordon Arms, where a shot of lurid flavoured gunk was usually the order of the day (the ales not being up to much) but I had never been in its opposite neighbour The Richmond Inn. This was a Greene King establishment but to me somewhere completely different to other pubs I'd thus far had the (mis)fortune to frequent.

For a start the average age of the assembled throng was a good forty years my senior. This was well and truly a pub for the locals and myself in a students hoody stuck out like a sore thumb. The well coiffured gentleman barman proffered me a glass of beer, which I accepted (Brains Reverend James) if I recall correctly and took to a comfortable bench to drink in my surroundings.

A local took it upon himself to strike up a conversation with me. We discussed many things that day but eventually the conversation shifted on to the topic of decent beer and the location whereof. It was then that I was to make the discovery that would throw me headlong into the world of beer (though of course I didn't know it at the time).

I was asked if I had ever heard tell of the Guide Dog, with  a sharp intake of breath echoing around the pub as if a hallowed secret was about to be divulged to one not worthy. I offered that I did not and the friendly old codger kindly described its whereabouts. With that I thanked him an bade him farewell, finished my pint and went about my merry way.

It was a good few weeks later that I decided to act upon his advice. Bouncing down the hill with a spring in my step and a twinkle in my eye I veer off to the right far too early and discover somewhere called the Honest Lawyer which I certainly wasn't about to venture into but finally stumble upon my final destination...

...Only to do a double take upon entering, finding myself (it appeared) in someone's living room. But yes, there was the name "the Guide Dog" over the door and a bar against one side of the room, which was filled with Saints supporters (being as this was a Tuesday eve and a home game to boot). I ordered a pint of something familiar (Fullers ESB perhaps) and the rest as they say is history.

Over the following years it became my local, helped no end by my the fact that my place of employ happened to be just around the corner. I fell in with the wrong crowd (a bunch of miscreants calling themselves CAMRA) and beer became an integral part of my life.

Years later when I return to whence I once abided I like to retrace my steps to that ale Mecca.The Dolphin would come first, South West Arms would usually follow, then the Junction & Guide Dog...zzzzzzzzzz

This post was brought to you courtesy of The Session, hosted this month by yours truly. For more apocryphal or otherwise beery tales look out for my Session round up post tomorrow!

More new NI brews!

The Beer Nut pointed out that Strangford Lough Brewing Co is no more; so Norn Iron were back down to 9 breweries...that is until Pokertree launched their first bottled offerings at Belfast Beer Festival a few weeks ago. 30 bottles of each and I snagged a pair for review purposes (volunteering for the festival does have its perks after all!)

I brought these back to the hotel room and daisy asked "what smells of lemons"? Turns out the wax seals are made from scented candles! The consistency isn't quite right but that's something to tweak for next time. So are these beers all style and no substance? Read on for the details.

Red Earl is different from your standard Irish Red...its much darker than most and there's some interesting sour cherrry in the aroma. However it does have a low hopping rate in common with many Irish reds and its a little too caramalt forward for my liking but its certainly better than most.

Ghrian Golden Ale is very different to your usual blonde beer...its actually a wit with lemon peel and corriander front and centre. It actually reminds me somewhat of Camden's Gentleman's Wit, with plenty of fresh lemon and some kiwifruit NZ hops that really make it zing...search out this one for sure.

Darren's first few ales have bucked the usual "holy trinity" trend and by the sounds of it the rest of the range also mixes things up a bit...ones to watch certainly.

Another new brewer is Clearsky...currently contract brewing their first

release at Hilden - Fulcrum. I met brewer Steve (good name!) briefly at Belfast but haven't had a reply to my email yet. Fulcrum is a weiss beer and to me tastes like Hilden's Barney's Brew without the additional spices...which is no bad thing as its a perfectly decent wheat beer. I look forward to see more from these guys and hope they get a brew kit at their trading address as its a few miles from Beers I've Known HQ.

Finishing up the selection of new bottled beers are a couple of offerings from Inishmacsaint who until now only had a single release - Fermanagh Beer. 

This had a special edition release at the festival brewed with hops grown by Gordy's own fair hand on his farm...could this be the first commercial NI beer with local hops?! Its certainly an improvement on an early version I tasted with some herbal and blackcurrant hop notes complementing the full bodied wheat spiciness.

Also up for grabs was their new Brown Porter which I was less enamoured with. It started off well with  oaky brown malt and blackberry on the nose but it finished a bit thin...perhaps needing more speciality malts to make up the body but certainly great to see a dark beer differing from the typical  Irish dry stout and with a few tweaks this could be fantastic.

Whisky in high places: Arran tweet tasting

Time for some island whisky's again brought to me (and therefore you in words and pics) courtesy of Steve Rush at the Whisky Wire in the form of a Tweet Tasting. This time we get to spend some time with relative newcomer Arran distillery.* Four whisky's of varying ages and strengths, the free keyring and "Enjoy!" label were a nice touch & great size samples...if I'd been more organised I could have invited others around to join the tasting, still plenty left too! So without further ado...the thoughts.

The regular 10 year Old was up first. To me this felt slightly young or perhaps the wood used had an effect but there's fairly fresh woody aftershave up f forest glades, cobwebbed sheds musty apple lofts on the nose Its fairly fiery, sweet, peppery perhaps. A touch of water brings out spicy sandalwood. Fairly dry with woody spice. Not one I'll drink again soon.

Much more complex on the nose the 14 y/o (also 46%) Pearskin, vanilla, cardamom, freshly made paper. Finishing in sherry and bourbon brought a good range of flavours to the table. Its quite subtle - handled well it'd make a nuanced cocktail. Much gentler to taste than the 10 y/o, more rounded rich grape flavours, vanilla but still plenty of fire & oaky swwetness followed by fruity pear. Adding water brings out honey drenched egg custard tart with a subtle orange blossom water finish, nice. Available for a not unreasonable £40 at MoM (with free glass!).

The 12 y/o cask strength (53.9%) is completely different, robust earthy spices,meaty umami notes - could be the 100% sherry hogshead aging. Juniper berries & sea salt encrusted old tarpaulin appear on airing. A rich velvet mouthfeel, plenty of heat, some lemon pith, more of that meaty note from the nose. Rich sweet deep woodiness,leather as it opens up that apple strudel others got on the nose comes through, especially sultanas. Its complex but ultimately rewarding.£50.55 @MoM

The new millennium cask release 53.5% is fairly subtle on the nose, sweet crème caramel and white pepper. Pretty fiery adding water really opens up the nose...Turkish delight, rosewater and oak smoke. Perhaps slightly pricey at £70

 
A really interesting range of similar but different whiskys, the14 y/o pips 12/yo cask strength to the post for me,with millennium cask worth a taste but I was't keen on the 10 year old. Thanks as always to Steve for organising and Arran for the freebies!

But that's not the end of the post. Whilst we're in an Arran frame of mind its time I opened my Brewdog Arran aged Paradox. Its a bruiser of a beer at 15%. Dark ebony brown with Orange tan head. Sweet caramel, vanilla and booze on the nose which I recognise from the whisky. Sweet vanilla, umami, full bodied, medium carbonation. Quite alcoholic but well done.A good digestif!

*Arran being thought to mean "high place"...hence the post title

London(ish): Sirens blaring

Siren opened to a bit of a buzz at the end of 2012 and understandably so as brewer Ryan Witter-Merithew has had a good upbringing through various superstar breweries. Naturally I was keen to find out what all the fuss was about, doubly so after having sampled two of the core range Half Mast (a "quarter IPA") and Broken dream (a breakfast stout). 
First thing deserving mention is the great artwork. Standing out and suitably mythical it fits in well with the Sirenous theme:

Up first is a collaboration hoppy wheat beer or hopfenweizen  if you will. Ryan collaborated with omnipollo and homebrewer Rick Gordon Lindqvist to produce the fantastic 6.4% beer that is Näcken. It pours hazy dark blonde with towering white head collapsing to a few mm. Very estery nose of banana and bandaid followed by rich gooseberry and tangerine hops. Really fruity NS hops, sharp, full bodied, creamy wheat spice, gooseberry and watermelon, light carbonation and mouthwatering moreish finish. If you're quick you may be able to pick this up at  alesela or ales by mail.

 

 Another special next,  Aussie soundwave (5.6%) is an antipodean hopped variation on sound wave, one of their regulars (review below). Pouring a murky tan brown its a bit off putting but that is countered by a rich peaches and passion fruit nose. Fairly pithy dry bitterness, kumquat and passion fruit peel with a quinine like bitter finish. This shows off what those oz hops can bring to a beer and (Appearance aside) is pretty tasty.

Undercurrent is part of the core range and at 4.5% would be a sessionable pale ale. Its hazy dark amber with fluffy off white head, rich citrus aroma and red berries. Full bodied bright citrus, creamy oats, sharp red berries, slightly chalky bitterness and long red berry fruit finish

Siren's regular Soundwave also 5.6% looks completely different to the aussie version, pouring much darker. Citrus takes the lead in the aroma here resin and orange oils. Fairly light bodied but full flavoured,hop led but malt balanced.

 

Next up is another collab beer Siren / Cigar City / Grassroots Neither (8.3%) Its a very hazy dark chestnut brown with fluffy offwhite head with rich peaches and raspberries on the nose. Light carbonation and full bodied, fairly sweet at first then long citrus pith and red berries plus something else I can’t quite put my finger on. Really well balanced, belies its strength, superb

 

Liquid Mistress (5.8%) Deep garnet with pillowy caramel head and rich Seville orange and sticky toffee pudding nose. Full bodied, rich caramalt and digestive biscuit well balanced by pithy orange hops and dry finish.

 Rainbow Red (7.9%) is perhaps the most "normal" of the bunch (as much as a 7.9% beer can be normal at least...). Its a hazy dark amber fluffy offwhite head collapsing to a lacing. Fruity yeast esters and sharp citrus hops. Medium body and carbonation pithy citrus, chalky dry bitterness, not particularly red but certainly tasty.

   
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Ecclesiastical Spirit

Another week, another Tweet Tasting and today we're treated to a selection of Abbey Whisky's wares. They arrived lovingly packaged in straw and wax dipped, certainly some of the most pampered samples I've received to date. We tasted these on 20th November. Review after the obligatory group shot...

Range of colours, producers and ages.

Up first is Caperdonich's 17 year old whisky. Caperdonich 17 Year Old Refill Bourbon – Vintage: 1995 – Bottled: 2012 57.8%

Pale blonde in the glass with spicey woody notes, caramel and some alcohol in behind. Fairly fiery, grainy, sweet. Oils shimmer across the surface on adding a drop or two of water. Still fairly hot with lip drying finish. Little change to aroma too. Its a bit one dimensional and wasn't really a fan tbh.

Bunnahabhain 23 year old up next and noticeably
less alcoholic on the nose. No peat smoke here so probably one of its unsmoked variants. Vanilla and butterscotch bourbon wood character. Slightly vegetal, chartreuse like with bonfire ashes and a meaty finish. water in this one really dulls the nose but really sweetens the palate. goats cheese too? This would work well as an accompaniment to hearty game dishes, with just enough complexity to cut through the rich meat flavours. Ginger comes through in the finish, certainly one that delights long after the glass is drained even if unassuming up front.

Ben Nevis 16 y/o is 55% and noticeably darker on the pour an attractive chestnut brown from its time spent in an Oloroso Sherry Hogshead. Vintage: 1997 – Bottled: 2013.  Pledge and an underlying musty cellar with perhaps a hint of cider vinegar. Fairly boisterous on the palate with copper sulphate and plenty of warmth. Dry coffee roast notes in the finish. water rounds out the nose allowing caramel and orange flower water to the party but the alcohol still singes the nostrils. it makes the body fuller but also highlights the eggy sulphur notes. After that dissipates there's some lemon peel and plasticky notes, the nose opens up on standing and palate calms a bit too but its still a bruiser of a whisky. Blackcurrant ribena notes appear right in the finish.

The final dram is a mystery, the darkest of the lot an enticing copper red. turkish delight, apple cinnamon doughnuts and madeira sweetness, certainly the most interesting nose thus far!warm and spicey, orange marmalade, full bodied, oily finish. really enjoayble even without water. definitely saved the best for last! Turns out it was a 1993 Glen Dronach  again aged in Oloroso Sherry Butt, 20 years old. At £89.95 worth the money if you can spare it!

For me the GlenDronach was the standout star, with the bunnahabhain also enjoyable. I could take or leave the Ben Nevis and wasn't a fan of Caperdonich at all...goes to show that all whiskys are different and reinforces the statement "if you don't like whisky you just haven't tried enough yet!"

Cheers to Steve as always for organising the tasting and Abbey Whisky for sending out such interesting samples. Call by again next week for my summary of Monday's Arran tweet tasting.

82nd #TheSession Announcement: Beery Yarns

I last hosted communal beer blogging event #TheSession back in November 2011. 24 Sessions on and I've volunteered again. I can reveal the topic now that Nitch is done with hers, cheers for hosting! Date for your diaries is Friday 6th December (though expect plenty of reminders nearer the time!). That's two weeks guys and gals.

Image from Kent Online's article on real ale and real fires

The nights are drawing in, there may even be snow, what better way to enjoy a beer than in front of a log fire. Turn that TV off and talk to your drinking compatriots. Maybe you're just at home with some friends or maybe in a decent local boozer chatting to complete strangers. This month I'm going to give you plenty of scope for originality by setting a wide-open theme. I want to hear your beery tall tales, yarns, recollections (in a Grandpa Simpson stylee) or otherwise, delivered in the manner that you befits sitting around a log fire, favourite beer in hand. Only proviso is that it has to involve beer in some way, whether that be a particular beer jogging your memory of a previous event or beer taking a bigger role in the recollected tale. Its up to you. Interjections, corrections, addendums can all be contributed the assembled masses in your comments section.

A suitable December topic I think (though of course there are some bloggers for whom it is now summer; so imagine that you're sharing beers on the beach around a camp-fire.)

As per usual, please let me know when you've done a post, either by leaving a link in the box below or tweeting me @beersiveknown. Or both if you're that way inclined. And if you don't have a blog of your own but still wish to contribute then fear not; I can post your thoughts for you, just drop me an email beersiveknown AT gmail DOT com. I'll post a round up the week following.

I look forward to reading everyone's tall tales!

Ivory Festival (BBF 2013)

The 14th Belfast Beer Festival is almost upon us starting next Thursday (21st) and running until Saturday (23rd). In fact, as you read this a tireless band of volunteers are getting the stillages erected in preparation for the casks arriving over the next few days.

 As usual plenty of beers from Northern Ireland and the UK but this year we also have three breweries from the south, Dungarvan, Metalman and White Gypsy with a handful of beers in cask between them.

The festival also sees the launch of three new local breweries and a handful of new beers from other Norn Iron brewers. There's free tasters of some of these from 1pm-4pm on Thursday with the brewers on hand to ask any questions.

Innishmacsaint have been quiet for a while and they return with their Lough Erne Porter.

New brewer Clearsky have their fulcrum wheat ale

People from Nicholson's will be handing out tasters of Nicholsons Pale (brewed by St Austell).

Other Northern Ireland beers to look out for are Hilden number 4 which was well received at the spring Wetherspoon beer festival, Innishmacsaint's dry-hopped special with home-grown hops (bramling x, fuggle, east kent goldings and northern brewer) and a number of interesting things from Ards.

Some other interesting UK beers I'm looking forward to trying are Mordue's Imperial  raspberry stout, Dark Star's Art of Darkness and a new Imperial IPA from Outstanding. 

For those who prefer fruit to grain there are 20 ciders and perries from across the UK, including new releases from Macs, Tempted and Toby's.

There's still spaces left on the tutored tastings at an excellent value of £10 for 5-6 beers, book via the websiteI'll be there from about 6pm on Thursday through until Saturday evening. Hope to see you there!

Follow @BelfastBeerFest on Twitter for more details!.