The BeerCast

We hope everybody in the beer blogosphere had a great Christmas, and managed to partake of some winter warmers in the ale department where possible. We’re all off on an extended BeerCast new year break in sunny Sweden, so have a great NYE and we will return very soon into 2009 with our 27th podcast - the much awaited BeerCast Beer of the Year Show. Stay tuned, and until we post again have a great break. As you can see from the photo, we’re already packed for our Swedish trip…

Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas from all at the BeerCast! To celebrate what is traditionally a time for hefty drinking we have put together a seasonal podcast - and following on from last year’s spectacular we have ramped up the festive factor. This time we try no less than SIX Christmas and Winter Ales, the drinking order chosen at random by panellists MrB and Grooben. First beer in front of the fearsome foursome is BOCQ Christmas (8.1%) from the Brasserie du Bocq in central Belgium. Following our strongest beer of the night (which had to come out first) we move back to the UK and BeerCast favourite Hop Back, for their seasonal offering Pickled Santa (6.0%). The next beer in front of the panel is one we were all looking forward to - Anchor’s Special Ale 2008 (5.5%), bearing in mind their 2006 Ale is our reigning Beer of the Year. It’s a tough act to follow, but the fourth beer that gamely tries is Shepherd Neame’s Christmas Ale (7.0%) from Kent. Next on the mammoth podcast lineup is a seasonal porter from Burton Bridge in Staffordshire (4.5%). Eventually we bring the Christmas special to a close with the festively titled Rudolph’s Revenge (4.6%) from the Cropton Brewery in Yorkshire. Also on the panel with drink selectors MrB and Grooben were Shovels and Richard. Alongside our usual scoring system, we also judged each beer critically on the Christmassy nature of the label - we’re nothing if not getting into the spirit…

1. BOCQ Christmas (8.1%abv)
La Brasserie du Bocq, Purnode, Wallonia, Belgium
330ml glass bottle

In 1858 Belgian landowner Martin Berlot decided his farmhands needed some gainful employment during the long winter months, so he put together a brewery - the Brasserie du Bocq. Starting locally, they expanded after the end of World War I with the help of a strong brown ale called La Gauloise. In 1967 they produced their first Christmas beer - called simply BOCQ Christmas. A typically strong Belgian festive ale, it’s the strongest of the night for the panel - but the random beer selector throws it up first…

What They Say - “BOCQ Christmas is dark in colour and has a rich flair with a scent of coriander and liquorice. It is full mouthed and heady, with a pleasant aroma. A typical beer for the end of the year to taste together with family or friends.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Shovels - Strong, full in the mouth, tastes of pontefract cake 7
Richard - Classic standard brown beer with Christmas sweetness 5
Grooben - Hides the alcohol well, but is cloyingly sweet 4
MrB - It’s too sweet and it tastes of bum 3

Label Christmas Rating - 9

2. Hop Back Pickled Santa (6.0%abv)
Hop Back Brewery, Salisbury, Wiltshire
500ml glass bottle

Wiltshire’s Hop Back Brewery began life in 1986 in the basement of the Wyndham Arms pub on the outskirts of Salisbury, and have risen to become one of the UK’s most-awarded producers. Currently their tremendous Summer Lightning tops the BeerCast rankings - so possibly another gong awaits. We’re sure they’ll be clearing a space on the label just in case. Pickled Santa is their seasonal offering proving they offer more than just hoppy session beers.

What They Say - “Chestnut in colour, strong in flavour, hints of cinnamon, coriander and nutmeg.” [Label Tasting Notes] “In the mouth it is initially malty, but the spices soon take over. A syrupy sweetness is offset by some hop bitterness, and there is a little caramel and treacle, especially towards the finish. It leaves a strange aftertaste of peppery malt, with lingering cinnamon and nutmeg.” [Oxford Bottled Beer Database]

What We Say…
Shovels - Unlike most Christmas beers I’d order this in a pub 7½
Richard - Tastes like the nutmeg from on top of custard tarts 7
MrB - Smells Christmassy, the more I drink of it the less I like it 5
Grooben - It’s intriguing, you can’t really taste the alcohol 5

Label Christmas Rating - 7

3. Anchor Special Ale 2008 (5.5%abv)
Anchor Brewery, San Francisco, CA
355ml glass bottle

San Francisco’s Anchor are one of the giants of the American craft brewing industry, and have a wide range of beers in their armory. Every November they put out a festive beer for the season, and every year it’s different. Since 1975 their head brewers have been constructing subtly different offerings for the lucky public - their 2006 Special Ale is our current BeerCast Beer of the Year, for example. Their 2007 Special Ale also went down well during the same BOTY edition - but what will the 2008 vintage bring?

What They Say - Anchor never reveal the exact ingredients of their Special Ales, but speculation on the RateBeer forum is that the 2008 contains hints of citrus and circus peanuts (whatever they are), but also that it’s one of their nicest and is similar to the 2007, but not the 2006.

What We Say…
Shovels - Not as full-bodied as the 2006 but still bloody tasty 8½
MrB - They may all pale into comparison with the 2006 7½
Grooben - Made specially for Christmas which sets it apart 7½
Richard - Sweeter than the 06/07, not as good as either 7

Label Christmas Rating - 6

4. Shepherd Neame Christmas Ale (7.0%abv)
Shepherd Neame Brewery, Faversham, Kent
500ml glass bottle

If there’s anyone who should know about producing warming hoppy liquids it will be Shepherd Neame - their oft-repeated claim is that they are Britain’s oldest brewery. There may be some debate as to whether or not they actually started in 1698, but they certainly have a long and varied production history. We’ve featured their wares on the BeerCast before - Bishop’s Finger made a decent impression back in BeerCast #4. But their 7% Christmas Ale is another story, and has yet to pass the panel’s attention.

What They Say - “Our Christmas Ale is a glowing amber winter ale with a beady, fruity nose. Crystallised winter fruits combine with festive spicy hops on a platform of smooth warming alcoholic notes, leaving a refreshing cleansing hop finish.” [Label Tasting Notes]

What We Say…
MrB - It’s lager and lime only with ale, has a warming finish 7
Grooben - The beer tastes normal, the label screams Christmas 7
Richard - Smells like lime cordial, tastes only reasonable 6½
Shovels - For me it’s just not Christmassy enough 5

Label Christmas Rating - 9

5. Burton Festive Porter (4.5%abv)
Burton Bridge Brewery, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire
500ml glass bottle

If you stop to think about brewing in the UK, the small town of Burton has to feature. The inhabitants of the monastery of Saint Mowden and Burton Abbey laid the beery foundations, only for later generations to discover a local water source high in gypsum salts. As a result, more hops could be added to Burton-area beer and they could be stored and transported for longer, and by the 1880’s there were thirty breweries there. An astonishing one quarter of all beer drunk in Britain came from this small Staffordshire town. Burton currently has five producers - one of them being the Burton Bridge Brewery which was established in 1982 in the Fox and Goose pub. By 1990 it had won Brewpub of the Year according to the Good Pub Guide.

What They Say - “Very dark brown fruity porter with a distinctive bitter after palate. Target and Challenger hops combine with pale, crystal and chocolate malts.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Shovels - Swill it round and all you taste is stewed apples 4
Grooben - Smells very yeasty and really tastes of nothing 3
Richard - It’s not Christmassy and it’s not a porter 3
MrB - Even the Santa on the label isn’t drinking it 3

Label Christmas Rating - 9

6. Rudolph’s Revenge Winter Ale (4.6%abv)
Cropton Brewery, Cropton, N Yorkshire
500ml glass bottle

Happen we ‘ad to ‘ave a Yorkshire beer in t’podcast - and Cropton’s Rudolph’s Revenge comes in a particularly festive bottle. Established in the cellars of the New Inn, the Cropton brewery began in 1984 solely to supply the pub. But when their debut Two Pints Bitter was so well-received, they started to supply other outlets. In 1996 a 100 barrel per week facility was opened in the grounds of the Inn and production increased rapidly. Their festive offering is Rudolph’s Revenge, a bottle-conditioned bitter…but is it festive enough?

What They Say - “A dark bitter, using finest Cascade and Styrian Goldings hops and English malt, providing a unique hoppy beer with a fruity aftertaste.” [Label Tasting Notes]

What We Say…
MrB - It’s almost too fruity but is a tasty tasty beer 7
Shovels - This one goes hopsFRUIT!!! 7
Richard - This is hoppy like none of the others tonight 6
Grooben - Doesn’t taste Christmassy but crucially it tastes nice 6

Label Christmas Rating - 8

BeerCast panel verdict
Anchor Our Special Ale 2008 (30/40)
Rudolph’s Revenge Winter Ale (26/40)
Shepherd Neame Christmas Ale (25½/40)
Hop Back Pickled Santa (24½/40)
BOCQ Christmas (19/40)
Burton Festive Porter (13/40)

Panellists - (from top left) Shovles, MrB, Grooben, Richard

• Listen to the episode here: BeerCast #26 - Christmas Special 2008
• Subscribe to the podcasts in iTunes or our site feed

We’ll be back in the first week of 2009 with our biggest podcast of the year - our second annual BeerCast Beer of the Year episode. Join our greatly enlarged panel for a sampling of the four highest-scoring beers reviewed during 2008, as we gather together to pick a winner. See below for the contenders. Until the new year then, Merry Christmas from all at the BeerCast, and have a happy new year. As ever, please leave us comments on the blog or iTunes, or emails. Cheers!

BOTY finalists - Hop Back Summer Lightning, Thwaites Double Century, Theakston’s XB, BrewDog Hardcore IPA

St Mungo is the patron saint of various things - the bullied, people accused of infidelity, salmon (rather strangely), and the city of Glasgow - which he inadvertently founded by building a small church on the banks of the Clyde. Fast forward a few thousand years and he also becomes the patron of Scotland’s newest lager, produced by the WEST brewery in the city (their capitals, not mine). In fact, St. Mungo’s Lager (4.9%) was only launched at the end of October 2008, so it’s possibly Scotland’s newest beer of any kind, let alone the fizzy stuff Lagerboy reaches for in his local bottle shop.

WEST themselves opened in 2006 in a converted carpet factory, and have a glamorous-looking European brewhouse and restaurant inside the refurbished Templeton Building on Glasgow Green. Tennant’s brewery they are not, as they produce all of their beers in line with the fabled (and often mentioned on the BeerCast) Rheinheitsgebot purity laws covering their allowed ingredients. As you’d expect, their brews lean heavily towards the teutonic end of the spectrum - helles, dunkels, and even a festive weihnactsbier.

According to their website, St. Mungo’s is the only lager in the UK brewed in adherence with these regulations - “WEST has selected the finest German malt and most noble hops to create a deceptively easy drinking and refreshingly different bright, clear, golden lager.” Well, it’s certainly easy to drink as the taste is incredibly light and diminishes very quickly. There’s a slight hint of Becks up front, but no aftertaste whatsoever. It’s very fizzy and pours with a quickly dispersing frothy head, but the clean taste just isn’t that interesting. St. Mungo’s Lager is undoubtedly refreshing, but unfortunately a bit lacking.

WEST Brewery website

Our quarter-century BeerCast sees a return to one of the great brewing powerhouses of Europe - Germany. We’ve been there before, but this time we try three German beers of very different styles, all distinctive of that brew-loving country. Firstly we sample Küppers Kölsch (4.8%) from the Küppers Brauerei in Cologne, a fairly typical example of Köln-area light, hoppy beer. From there, we travel to the centre of the country and the state of Thuringia for Köstritzer Schwarzbier (4.8%abv), a bottom-fermented ‘black beer’ produced with characteristically dark malts. We finish the episode on a stronger note, with the BeerCast’s first wheat doppelbock - Aventinus’s Weizenstarkbier (8.2%abv) - ‘Bavaria from it’s strongest side’, apparently. On the three-man panel this week are Richard, Grooben and Shovels.

1. Küppers Kölsch (4.8%abv)
Küppers Kölsch GmbH, Köln
500ml glass bottle

Cologne – or Köln – is Germany’s fourth-largest city after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, and is renowned for it’s own distinctive style of beer - Kölsch. Fourteen breweries in and around the city produce it, and in true apellation contrôlée fashion to be called a Kölsch it must be brewed in the region - as determined by the serious but rather boozy-sounding Kölsch convention of 1986. Küppers are owned by the German national Brau und Brunnen, aka the Radeberger Gruppe, who also own many other beer labels (Berliner, DAB, Schloesser, Schöfferhofer), constituting 15% of the total German beer market. Küppers Kölsch might be a common find over there, but is it worth finding over here?

What They Say - “Typically for the style, it is a delicate golden colour with a lovely white head, and fairly lively. The palate is already dry and citric-fruity at first taste, with a delicate honeyed hoppiness, slightly salty with lime-like hints and maltiness far back, then a gradually further drying, firm finish: it is certainly a dry beer, but at the same time has an appealing mildness that adds to its drinkability” [beer writer Des de Moor]

What We Say…
Shovels - Initial wheatbeer taste but sweetens as it warms up 6
Richard - Very pale, not unpleasant but not that exciting 5
Grooben - It’s like a flat lager - I pity the people of Cologne 5

2. Köstritzer Schwarzbier (4.8%abv)
Köstritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei GmbH & Co Bad Kostritz, Thuringia
500ml glass bottle

The central German state of Thuringia is perhaps more famous for it’s sausages than beer, but the lengthily-titled Köstritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei churns out an extremely popular brew. Schwarzbier - “black beer” - is a bottom-fermented dark lager which is hugely popular in Germany, and Köstritzer’s is the market leader and most popular brand. They have some similarities with porters, but are milder in taste and less bitter. The Köstritzer brewery also happens to be one of the world’s oldest, tracing production back to 1543 (although their current Schwarzbier dates from a more modest 1993).

What They Say - “Brewed according to the German purity law of 1516, the original is convincing by it’s light and sparkling character. Barley malts subjected to special processes give it it’s distinctive, delicate aroma and extraordinary colouration. Well-rounded by a mild hop flavour it is really a great enjoyment.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Shovels - Skips the front of the tongue, goes right to the back 7½
Richard - Sugary molasses taste, takes a while to get used to it 7
Grooben - For such a dark beer it’s really light on the palate 7

3. Aventinus Weizenstarkbier (8.2%abv)
Private Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn GmbH Kelheim, Bavaria
500ml glass bottle

Georg I. Schneider acquired the rights to boil wheat beer from King Ludwig II in 1872, and the saviour of wheat beer (which was apparently dying out) continued a dynasty which had been brewing uninterrupted since 1607. Unsurprisingly the oldest wheat beer brewery in Bavaria have added a few strings to their bow in the last 400yrs. In 1907 then brewery head Mathilde Schneider developed a wheat-doppelbock which she named ‘Aventinus Weizenstarkbier’. Apparently from the very beginning it ‘claimed a very good position in the strong beer category’. Will it claim a similar position on the BeerCast leaderboard?

What They Say - “This is a very intense wheat doppelbock with a complex spicy chocolate-like aroma with a hint of banana and raisins. On the palate, you experience a soft touch and on the tongue it is very rich and complex, though fresh with a hint of caramel. It finishes in a rich soft and lightly bitter impression.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Grooben - Got that banana wheatbeer taste, it’s a struggle 6
Shovels - Hides the alcohol well but overpoweringly sweet 5
Richard - Lots going on, challenges the palate but in a bad way 5

BeerCast panel verdict
Köstritzer Schwarzbier (21½/30)
Küppers Kölsch (16/30)
Aventinus Weizenstarkbier (16/30)

Panellists - (from bottom right) Grooben, Richard, Shovels

• Listen to the episode here: BeerCast #25 - German styles
• Subscribe to the podcasts in iTunes or our site feed

We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with our festive spectacular Christmas edition, where we’ll be sampling six beers made for the season. Stay tuned for details…and please leave us comments on the blog or iTunes, or emails. Cheers!

The Halfway House 24 Fleshmarket Close (off Market St) Map
Open: 11am-12am (1am Fri-Sat); 12.30pm-12am (Sun)
Link: Official Website
Good Beer Guide entry: Yes
The Halfway House is the littlest pub in Edinburgh, and probably one of the smallest in the UK. Hidden near the bottom of a flight of steps that lead from Cockburn Street down to Market Street, it’s about a minute from Waverley Station - so is a great place to wait for a train (if you can find it). There are railway prints on the walls and old pump clips behind the bar, but of course it’s the beer that brings the punters in. Four guest ales change regularly, and often all four are from the same brewery. Each week in August they showcase a different Scottish brewer - we climbed their steps to sample Orcadian ales back in September.

Bert’s Bar 29-31 William Street, West End Map
Open: 11am-11pm (1am Thu-Sat); 12.30pm-12am (Sun)
Link: bestpubs.co.uk
Good Beer Guide entry: No
William Street is tucked away in Edinburgh’s West End, and is one of the many quiet cobbled streets over there with a strange mix of shops. Bert’s Bar sits at the end, with a sign on the outside advertising the ‘Best Mince Pies in Town’ (being in Scotland we’re talking the meat variety, not the Christmas treats). Bert’s is renowned for two things - pies and rugby, as the shirts on the walls testify. It’s a good, honest Scottish boozer, with plenty of room and some decent beers on cask. What more do you want?

The Cambridge Bar&Grill 20 Young Street, West End Map
Open: 12pm-11pm; (12am Thu); (1am Fri-Sat)
Link: Official Website
Good Beer Guide entry: No
The Cambridge doesn’t do pies - recently renamed the Cambridge Bar&Grill it specialises in colossal burgers. Don’t let that put you off, it’s a small decent pub with a couple of cask ales on (one of which is always Deuchars IPA) that’s just as good without the food. Having said that, a couple of pints and a chilliburger are a pretty good way to spend an afternoon. The Cambridge’s management only have five tables bookable for eating, so although it gets busy you can usually squeeze in and get a beer or two. As their website says - “The bar oozes character in comparison to to many of the anonymous style bars in the New Town”. This means you, George Street!

The Guildford Arms 1 West Register Street, East End Map
Open: 11am-11pm (12am Fri-Sat); 12.30pm-11pm (Sun)
Link: Official Website
Good Beer Guide entry: No
If it’s character you’re after, the 19th Century Guildford Arms is accessed through a revolving door and has seven arched windows with etched glass. Directly behind is the staggeringly ornate Cafe Royal - but although impressive it only has two cask ales on offer. The Guildford Arms has at least twelve at any one time - it really is a beer haven. Every time we’re been in almost all of them have been different, apart from their regular offerings from the Caley brewery, and two of my favourite beers of all time - Orkney Dark Island, and Stewart Pentland IPA. Oh, and they also do BOGOF deals on pints.

Bennets Bar 8 Leven Street, Tollcross Map
Open: 11am-12:30am (1am Thu-Sat); 12pm-11:30pm (Sun)
Link: bestpubs.co.uk
Good Beer Guide entry: No
Another grand Scottish interior awaits inside the apostrophe-less Bennets Bar (not to be confused with Bennet’s Bar in Morningside). This historical boozer sits just between Tollcross and Bruntsfield, next door to the King’s Theatre. It’s another great surprise on the eye, as through the dark entrance is a stunning Victorian drinking room with mirrors and windows celebrating Edinburgh’s brewing history. The Taylor McLeod mirror is apparently the last trace of that producer, who used to brew on the site of the theatre next door. There’s a back room if the front gets too busy, but it pales by comparison.

Malt & Hops 45 The Shore, Leith Map
Open: 12pm-11pm (12am Wed-Thu); (1am Fri-Sat)
Link: Beer in the Evening
Good Beer Guide entry: Yes
Not strictly in Edinburgh, but there are some great pubs on the Shore in Leith - one of them being the Malt & Hops. Handy for public transport as the number 22 stops exactly outside, there are a couple of tables on the pavement to soak up the Leith rays. The M&H dates from 1749, and is a great example of a traditional Scottish one-roomed bar. There are six guest pumps on offer with a regularly changing selection of producers - this is the kind of place where even BeerCasters get to drink things they’ve never heard of.

Dalriada 77 Promenade, Portobello/Joppa Map
Open: 12pm-11pm (12am Fri-Sat); closed Mon (Jan-Feb)
Link: The List
Good Beer Guide entry: Yes
It may look more like a haunted house, but the Dalriada is CAMRA’s 2008 Edinburgh pub of the year runner-up, and is even better for soaking up sunshine as it’s on the seaside. Found at the far end of Portobello promenade, there are three bar rooms inside with live music on weekends and a very good pub menu. They have three cask ales on offer, all of which are usually worth trying - BeerCast favourites the Stewart Brewery are usually represented. It can be a bit cold, but there can’t be many real-ale pubs where you can sit and watch seals frolic in the water out the front (not that I’ve ever seen any in Portobello, mind).

Other BeerCast Pub Guides

The BeerCast’s Pub Guide to Edinburgh, Part 1
The Baillie
The Blue Blazer
The Bow Bar
Cask and Barrel
The Cumberland
Kays Bar

The BeerCast’s Pub Guide to York
The Maltings
Koko’s
The Blue Bell
The Swan Inn
The Last Drop
The York Brewery
Suddaby’s Crown Hotel

(although my Dad was recently shouted at by the landlord of the Maltings, so consider it removed from our guide)