The BeerCast

Suffolk behemoths Greene King are primarily known for their IPA, ubiquitous in the south of England but rarely seen up here. But they have plenty of other beers in their portfolio, many obtained via aggressive takeovers of rival brewers. Because of this they are now the largest solely British-owned producer in the UK. To my knowledge (and correct me if I’m wrong), they don’t currently produce a lager - but when Lagerboy was wandering around his local bottle shop he spied what looked very much like one - Greene King St Edmund’s Ale.

There’s also a (potentially) interesting subplot to this particular beer when drunk in pubs - the buyer can choose how to have it poured. At 6-7°C, the ‘unique beer engine reflects regional tastes. Drinkers can opt for a ‘northern head’ – tight and creamy or a ‘southern head’ – a crowning glory of loose bubbles.’ The MD of Greene King described the thinking behind it - “St Edmund’s has the flavour and provenance of a cask beer and the dispense kit offers the theatre and choice you get from a brand like Guinness.” Theatre and choice.

Anyhow, the one Lagerboy had was in a bottle, and although technically a ‘blonde ale specially brewed to be served cooler’, it sounds pretty much like a lager to me - the bottle is certainly adorned with a rather lagery-looking label. At 4.2% the tasting note thereon describes it as a ‘golden beer with a fresh crisp finish’. Well, without the flash dispenser the bottled variation had no head whatsoever, with streamers of rising bubbles making the whole thing look like a pint of Strongbow. A very green, gassy taste, it smells like lager and tastes like one of those pinchingly bitter lagers where you have sweetness and battery acid at the same time.

In our recent preview of the 2008 Scottish Real Ale Festival I wrote that we were all looking forward to trying some new things, as it’s really the main reason for going along. Last year’s festival (the review of which is here) was something of an eye-opener to the BeerCast - we’d only just started out on the real ale path - so practically everything we tried was new. I remember the first beer I sampled then (picked totally at random) was Fyne Ales’s Pipers Gold, which I described as “like drinking an entire flowerbed”. It seems my baffling beer descriptions haven’t improved over the last twelve months.

Fast forward a year, and we turned up at the Assembly Rooms on Friday and it was suddenly all so familiar. The brewers, the brands, the styles of beer, the boozy queasinesses - we seemed like old hands striding around with our pint glasses at the ready. But of course the beauty of a beer festival is that even those who try and learn as much about local beer as they can will still be able to find something they’ve yet to experience. So here’s what I managed to pack into a few short hours on Friday afternoon…

1. Orkney IPA (4.8%)
Highland Brewery, Birsay, Orkney.
‘A refreshing well-hopped pale ale’ said the tasting notes in the festival guide, and what better way to start an afternoon’s research? I’ve long wanted to try this given the reputation of the Highland Brewery (reigning Champion Beer of Scotland winners for Dark Munro), but not yet seen it during our beery travels. As an IPA it’s characteristically hoppy, more in the aftertaste than up front, but a really good session ale.

2. Gold Rush (3.9%)
Harviestoun Brewery, Alva, Clackmannanshire.
Next I made a bee-line for the Harviestoun section, as their little-seen seasonal Gold Rush was pretty much the first thing that caught my eye when wandering around. If it’s even half as good as Bitter and Twisted or Schiehallion then it’d be a winner. As it was, it was just as good - zingy and packed full of hops, it reminded me a bit of Stewart’s Edinburgh Gold - which is probably my favourite beer. Great stuff.

3. Peden’s Cove (3.5%)
Windie Goat Brewery, Failford, South Aryshire.
‘Pale Bitter named after the area where Alexander Peden preached from’, apparently. After a quick Google, Peden was a 17th Century Covenanter repeatedly jailed for preaching about his Presbyterianism. As for the beer, the classic musty Fuggles hop smell really comes out of this very pale session bitter. It’s pretty good stuff, and makes me want to try more from this relatively new producer (they started in 2006).

4. Midnight Sun (5.6%)
Williams Brothers, Alloa, Clackmannanshire.
Residents of the Wee County are really spoiled when it comes to brewers - just down the road from Harviestoun are the Williams Brothers, another big favourite of the BeerCast. They also had one of their seasonals at the festival, Midnight Sun - a hoppy porter with added ginger. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but it was ab-so-lutely fantastic. Smooth, dark tastes with the edge given by ginger (which was just in the very background), and pretty hefty at 5.6%abv, it was just great. My beer of the festival, and a real find.

5. Skullsplitter (8.5%)
Sinclair Orkney Brewery, Quoyloo, Orkney.
Recently named Scotland’s best Barleywine for 2008, Skullsplitter is a mighty concoction. We bought a collective half to sample (it was 4 o’clock in the afternoon) to see what the fuss was about. There’s certainly a distinctive ‘prunes soaked in vodka’ smell to it, although I didn’t pick up any of the suggested apple and/or plum. Very spicy taste, and surprisingly subtle, but to be honest one to sip in different surroundings than at a beer festival.

6. Dark Moor (4.5%)
Kelburn Brewery, Barrhead, East Renfrewshire.
Last year I went for a total random selection and ended up with Sulwath’s Solway Mist, a cloudy wheat beer I noted tasted like “lemonade mixed with antiseptic”. But I thought I’d give the idea another go, and plumped for Dark Moor, a ruby bitter from Kelburn. It was eminently more preferable - fruity and a lovely shade of red, a really nice session bitter.

And that was that, as we wandered out into the commuter-packed streets and went to a pub to draw breath*. Some really great finds at the 2008 Scottish Real Ale Festival (to give it the proper name), even given the high percentage of beers on offer we’re familiar with. Look out for other posts by BeerCasters who were there, and keep an eye out for future posts (and maybe podcasts) involving some of these new discoveries.

* I’m not ashamed to admit I had a pint of Kirin Ichiban, being totally real-ale’d out

After the excitement of our London recording last time out, for the 17th BeerCast podcast we return to our roots - almost literally for one of the panellists. Back in our glittering Edinburgh studio we sample four beers from North Yorkshire, acquired during our Easter time-ish break to York. We begin with Copper Dragon Challenger IPA (4.8%) from Skipton, before moving to the small town of Masham (with a silent H) and try a beer from each of the major brewers there - Theakston XB (4.5%), followed by Black Sheep Ale (4.4%). Finally we end on Suddaby’s Auld Bob (6.0%), which Shovels - North Yorkshire born and bred - knows very well. Joining him and Richard on the panel is the welcome return of the Hopmeister, aka Tom.

1. Copper Dragon Challenger IPA (4.8%abv)
Copper Dragon Brewery, Skipton.
500ml glass bottle

Copper Dragon were originally known as the Skipton Brewery, and first opened in 1816 near the towpath of the Leeds and Liverpool canal. Initially powered by a water wheel, the brewery continued until the start of the 20th Century, when it was taken over by Bentleys of Woodlesford and closed. But in 2002 Steve Taylor and Ruth Bennett reopened the concern after a two-year feasibility study. They renamed it the Copper Dragon Brewery and now own ten pubs, whilst producing 250 barrels a week.

What They Say - “A truly traditional premium ale brewed to revive flavours enjoyed by our Victorian ancestors. Full bodied and fruity with subtle overtones.” [Official Website]; “Amber coloured, this is a best bitter in the traditional style. Initial maltiness gives way to fruit, hops, and a growing bitter, dry finish.” [Good Beer Guide]

What We Say…
Richard - A bit malty for an IPA but nice and drinkable 7
Shovels - More bittery than the usual IPA tastes 7
Tom - There’s a hint of ashtray towards the end 6

2. Theakston XB (4.5%abv)
Theakstons Brewery, Masham.
500ml glass bottle

Theakston’s are one of Britain’s real success stories when it comes to breweries. ‘T&R Theakston Ltd’ was founded in 1827 at the Black Bull Pub in Masham. In 1919 they acquired and closed the town’s other brewery, Lighfoot’s, and concentrated production. Always a family business, eventually operations were conducted by four of the Theakston brothers, but sadly in 1987 financial constraints led to a takeover by Scottish & Newcastle. Happily, however, in 2004 the four Theakstons bought the business back from corporate S&N and it is now in family hands once again.

What They Say - “A premium strength, ruby coloured ale with a rich flavour and full body. The balance between bitterness and fruitiness from the Bramling Cross and Fuggle hops used to give XB the distinctively complex aroma, making it the beer to savour.” [Official Website] “There are more flavours in the beers brewed by Theakston in Masham than there are from an entire wine growing region in France.” [Roger Protz]

What We Say…
Tom - I could get fired into that of an evening, my favourite beer I’ve had on the BeerCast 9
Shovels - Subtle and enjoyable aley caramel flavours 8½
Richard - It’s just as good as beers from the NorthWest 8

3. Black Sheep Ale (4.4%abv)
Black Sheep Brewery, Masham.
500ml glass bottle

After S&N acquired Theakston’s in 1987, one of the family became so dispirited that he decided to do something drastic. Paul Theakston left the business to start his own brewery, setting up in the old Lightfoot’s premises over the road. However, S&N had trademarked the name so he had to come up with another name. Apparently it was his wife that suggested the name ‘Black Sheep’. So once again Masham supported two large brewers (the town has a population of about 1300), with Black Sheep concentrating on cask ale (70% of their production). Their familiar ram’s head logo is a common sight over the Yorkshire Dales.

What They Say - “Our most famous bottled beer, Black Sheep Ale is fermented in the unusual Yorkshire Square system to produce a distinctive robust taste. Brewed with many generous handfuls of choice Golding hops, it is a full flavoured premium ale with a rich fruity aroma and an uncompromising long, dry and bitter finish.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Richard - Very different to XB, tastes like a standard bitter 6½
Shovels - Slightly disappointing, I much prefer it on draught 6½
Tom - Very different to the draught ale, far too dry for me 5

4. Suddaby’s Auld Bob (6%abv)
Suddaby’s Brewery, Malton.
500ml glass bottle

The Suddaby family name has gone hand in hand with the North Yorkshire market town of Malton for over a century. Suddabys has once again been voted “Rural Pub of the Year” by Scarborough CAMRA - this is the eighth time in nine consecutive years that the pub has scooped the award. The Suddbay beers, however, are produced under license by the Brown Cow Brewery in Selby, as there are no production facilities in Malton.

What They Say - “Suddaby’s award winning Auld Bob is a rich dark full-bodied ale brewed with a combination of two dark hops and the finest English malt to produce a full flavoured and unique ale.” [Official Website] “Deep ruby strong ale with a rich velvet finish.” [Good Beer Guide]

What We Say…
Shovels - We used to need Coca Cola chasers to stomach this 5
Richard - I want to like it but I’m struggling 4
Tom - It’s every bad drink you had as a kid that made you sick 2

BeerCast panel verdict

Theakston XB - 25½/30
Copper Dragon Challenger IPA - 20/30
Black Sheep Ale - 18/30
Suddaby’s Auld Bob - 11/30

Panellists - (from bottom left) Richard, Shovels, The Hopmeister

• Listen to the episode here: BeerCast #17 - North Yorkshire
• Subscribe to the podcasts in iTunes or our site feed

We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with episode 18 - our second BeerCast Japanese Beer special. Stay tuned for details…and please leave us comments on the blog or iTunes, or emails. Cheers!

Summer’s here, and the boozy festival season is upon us once again. We like a beer festival or two here at the BeerCast - recently CraigAS partook of some fascinating tipples at the 2008 Montreal Mondial de la biere, including a revelatory experience with a black IPA. You can also read his report on the 2007 equivalent here. Closer to home, in March Andy and myself paid a visit to the London Drinker Festival, and a few weeks after that our Edinburgh panellists sampled a few treats at the Wetherspoon’s Beer Festival. But the biggie for us is without doubt our local - the Scottish Beer Festival, held every summer at the Assembly Rooms just up the road. We went last year, and we’ll be there this time - from Thursday this week when it opens.

The lineup was announced this weekend - and features around 25 brewers from Scotland, many of them favourites to the BeerCast (although sadly the Arran Brewery will not be there). Ales in the lineup we’ve sampled during our podcasts include Belhaven St Andrews Ale (which scored 50%), Sinclair Orkney Dark Island (70%), Valhalla White Wife (63%), Caledonian Deuchars IPA (64%), Highland Orkney Blast (58%), and Traditional Scottish Ales’s William Wallace (err…). But there are plenty of beers we’ve never tried, and some we’ve never heard of - which is the primary reason for going to beer festivals (aside from the beard spotting).

Amongst the potential highlights are the ranges of beers supplied by BrewDog, who have six of theirs on offer (including The Physics and RipTide, both of which won gongs at the 2007 World Beer Awards), Cairngorm - who include the sublime Trade Winds in their nine-strong entrants, and local BeerCast faves Stewarts, with their balanced range of beers from Edinburgh Gold to Copper Cascade. Also onboard are quality outfits like Sulwath, Houston, and the Skye brewery. If you like a golden session ale or two, then there will be plenty on offer - Inveralmond’s Ossian, Black Isle’s Yellowhammer, Kelburn’s Goldihops and Atlas’s Nimbus are four to savour.

As for trying new things, well, I’ll be looking out for the Williams Bros rare porter Midnight Sun, plus timely seasonals from superb producers such as Harviestoun (Gold Rush), Cairngorm (Blessed Thistle), and Fyne Ales (Sommerled) - not to mention Highland Dark Munro, the reigning Champion Beer of Scotland, having won the title last year. Also completely new treats from the likes of Ayrshire’s Windie Goat, who started production in 2006, and beers I’ve not had the pleasure of sampling yet - such as Belhaven’s Herok and Howell’s single malt 70/-, Tryst’s Zetland Wheat Beer, and Highland’s Orkney IPA. I wonder what colour it is?

…and they even have beers for Andy - Caledonian Lemon Ale???

The festival is at Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms on George Street, and opens Thursday 19th June (4pm-11pm), Friday 20th (12pm-11pm), and Saturday 21st (12pm-9pm). Entry is £4, or £3 for CAMRA members. If you see us there, come and say hello. We’ll be the group of men standing around drinking beer - you can’t miss us. Our review will be up sometime after the festival ends…

2008 Scottish Real Ale Festival Lineup in full

We don’t often bring you beer news here, primarily as there are plenty of other websites that do a far better job (such as Beer Today, Beer Pages, Stonch’s blog and of course CAMRA). But then there are plenty of others who do reviews of beer better - and that doesn’t stop us. After returning from an enjoyable but real ale-free trip to Spain (hola Cruzcampo!), we discovered with a shock that one of the BeerCast’s favourite Scottish brewers had gone into administration with debts of over £1 million.

The Arran Brewery featured in our very first BeerCast - before we started scoring beers, and before we recorded the episode that you could actually hear properly and which became our debut podcast. Pictured above, with Atlas’s Three Sisters ale and Black Isle’s Organic Wheat Beer (which unsurprisingly looking at the photo was over three months out of date), is Arran Blonde - the standout beer from the island producer. Also in their highly drinkable range are Arran Ale, Dark, Fireside and Sunset. I use the word is rather than the word was, but it’s not looking good.

Opened in 2000 and employing 11 people, rising costs of transportation, distribution and bottling have taken their toll. The plight of Scotland’s island breweries is one we’ve featured before on the BeerCast, with beers from producers on Colonsay, Unst (Valhalla), and Orkney (Sinclair); (Highland), being featured in various episodes. The changing economic climate must be seriously testing these producers, who by their nature are smaller than mainland breweries and are sited in areas with more expensive resources.

Hopefully a solution can be found to the situation in Arran. Their website currently has only a terse statement from the receivers about the change of ownership, and the closure of the online shop. Over the last few days I’ve tried to find some of their beers in Edinburgh for a special podcast edition, but without success. We can only hope to try Arran’s beers again, as they were really something - but the ‘closed’ sign hung on the door there doesn’t bode well. In the meantime, here’s the review of our sampling of Arran Blonde, recorded on the 3rd of May, 2007.

3. Arran Blonde Premium Beer (5%abv)
The Arran Brewery, Brodick.
500ml glass bottle

There are only 621 people in Brodick, but they are lucky to have a brewery right on their doorsteps. Arran (not to be confused with the sweater-loving Aran in Ireland) is Britain’s ninth largest island, an hour’s ferry ride from the mainland. Production started in early 2000, and now outputs 200 barrels a week, plus additional bottles for the busy supermarket trade. They have an amber ale, a malty dark, and a hoppy blonde in their range - the last one of these was sampled by the panel.

What They Say - “Arran Blonde has a floral hop and new mown grass aroma, the taste is well balanced with citric fruit and a good hop character. A clear tasting pale golden beer in a continental style.” [Arran Brewery]; “A hoppy beer with a substantial fruit balance, the finish is increasingly bitter. Aromatic, it drinks below it’s weight.” [The Good Beer Guide]

What We Say - “One of my favourite beers. Not as nice a smell as others, but easy to drink quite a lot of this in a night.” [Mr B]; “Hoppy, not malty. It looks like a lager and goes down much easier than the other two. It’s my favourite so far.” [Richard]; “This is quite tasty, despite the smell. It’s better than any lager out there.” [Shovels]

UPDATE - Happily the situation has now changed. Arran managed to find a buyer, and according to their (now functioning) website are going to begin production again very soon. Great news!

Still no takers for the Arran Brewery [The Arran Banner, 24th May]
D-Day for the Arran Brewery [The Publican, 19th May]