BeerCast #32 – The Unrecorded

The London office has opened it’s doors again for a second podcast, this time welcoming BeerCast newbies Andrew Hayes and Nick Fraenkel to the bar to share their thoughts. Nick and Andrew play with Jess (of Andy & Jess) in an electro-band called The Unrecorded and so it was a pretty cosy and raucus affair. So much so in fact that we’ve had to add the explicit tag to this one!

Unusually for The BeerCast we didn’t have a theme for this episode, instead we asked Nick and Andrew to bring along a couple of beers of their choosing to sample, and we added a couple of random ones into the mix.

We sipped and slurped our way through five beers on the night, not always staying on the beer theme – the conversation meandered into the sedimentary pork geology of Melton Mowbray, summertime wee, blackcurrant Vitamin C tablets, egg filters and famous metallic air of Bath. It was a very spirited and slightly surreal episode and we look forward to having Nick and Andrew back soon.

Enjoy!

1. Melton Red (4.3%abv)
Belvoir Brewery, Old Dalby, Leicestershire.
500ml glass bottle

The lengthily titled Belvoir Brewery, Sample Cellar, Exhibition and Visitor Centre lies in the centre of England, near the border between Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. Pronounced ‘Bee-vor’, it was established in 1995 by Colin Brown, who learned his trade at the now defunct Shipstones Brewery in Nottingham. They specialise in malty bitters, with two of their staples being Star Bitter and Beaver Bitter – the former winning a Bronze in the Best Bitter category at the 2005 GBBF. The latter is known as Beaver Bitter when on cask, but Melton Red when bottled – unless it’s the bottle-conditioned form, in which case it’s Beaver Bitter. I think.

What They Say – “A premium full flavoured and well balanced smooth malt beer with a subtle blend of hops leading to a pleasant rounded finish.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Andy – Not as exciting to drink as it is to smell, a bit chalky 5
Andrew – Good, but not exciting me 5
Jess – It’s a little bit like herbal tea 4
Nick – Tastes like soluble blackcurrant Vitamin C 4

2. Kew Gold (4.8%abv)
Wells&Young’s Brewery, Bedford.
500ml glass bottle

The Ram Brewery in Wandsworth started commercial brewing in 1581 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and produced ale for the local hostelry called the Ram’s Inn. The brewery distributed by horse and cart to the local area until 1803 when the world’s first public railway opened from Wandsworth to Croydon enabling transport by rail. In 2004 Young’s (as they had become) announced a “review of brewing operations” and two years later on the 25th September 2006 closed their Wandsworth concern and moved outside the city to Bedford. Here they merged with Charles Wells’s Eagle brewery and renamed the operation Wells & Young’s Company. Kew Gold is ‘inspired’ by hops grown at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew.

What They Say – “Rather lively and fizzy, making the mouthfeel more harsh than it could be. Flavours are soft pale malt notes with a little hop bitterness and a hint of citrus. Finish is dry, but with an underlying syrupy touch.” [bottledbeer.co.uk]

What We Say…
Andy – Quite dry, quite fresh but not exceptional 6
Andrew – There’s a little bit of wee in there, but in a good way 6
Nick – Grassy fresh taste 5
Jess – Yeah, not too bad 5

3. Hopping Mad (4.7%abv)
Wood’s Brewery, Winstanstow, Shropshire.
500ml glass bottle

The Wood Brewery in Winstanstow is very much a family affair – it was founded in 1980 by brothers Anthony and Edward, together with their father Basil. Like many small English rural breweries, it began with the conversion of outbuildings near a country pub – in this case the abandoned stables next to the Plough Inn. They seem to be firm supporters of worthy causes, historically brewing ‘Hedgehog Bitter’ for the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, they have now released ‘Air Ambulance Ale’ to benefit the local flying doctors. They also rescued the Sam Powell brewery, and brew for the Welsh concern that folded in 1991.

What They Say – “Hopping Mad uses just one single hop variety, Progress, to achieve its appealing aroma, its pleasingly bitter taste and its delightful sparkle. We believe the result is uniquely enjoyable. So did the judges at the Beauty of Hops Awards, who awarded it a Silver Medal.” [Official Website]

What We Say…

Andrew – I can taste the lemon in there 6½
Nick – Tastes a little bit like a swimming pool 6
Andy – You’d struggle with more than a pint of this 5
Jess – It’s like being in a room for too long 4½

4. Organic Best Ale (5.0%abv)
Samuel Smith’s, Tadcaster.
500ml glass bottle

Tadcaster in North Yorkshire is home to independent brewer Samuel Smith, and the much larger Scottish & Newcastle owned John Smith’s. This is no co-incidence – they were also started by the same family. In 1847 Samuel Smith (a Leeds butcher) funded his son John in a brewery takeover of the Hartley Brewery, originally opened in 1758 (and the oldest in Yorkshire). John moved his business to new premises, so his cousin – also called Samuel – re-opened the vacated original buildings and started brewing in direct competition with John, under his own name.

What They Say – “a delicately flavoured golden ale in which the subtle fruity esters from the old Samuel Smith yeast strain interact with a background of maltiness and fresh hops.” [beersofeurope.co.uk]

What We Say…
Nick – The smell of a nice bath 7
Andrew – Orangey biscuity, chocolatey notes 6½
Andy – Very floral, citrusy but there’s something in it i’m not keen on 5
Jess – Hey there! tastes a bit like Soreen, too sweet though 4

5. Tom Paine Ale (5.5%abv)
Harveys Brewery, Lewes, East Sussex.
500ml glass bottle

Georgian wine merchant Jon Harvey produced his first batch of ale in 1790 on the banks of the River Ouse in Lewes, East Sussex. In 1838 he built a new eight quarter brewhouse on a site at Bridge Wharf which he had purchased for £3,707, going into business with his three sons. It was Henry Harvey who took over the brewing – he was producing stout, ale and porter in the mid 19th century. Today their beers are incredibly popular on the south coast – there’s currently a two-year waiting list for their brewery tour – and Harvey’s Best is a two-time GBBF winner in the bitter category. Tom Paine Ale is named after the radical writer and philosopher who lived in Lewes, but went on to become one of the founding fathers of the United States, co-draughting the Declaration of Independence.

What They Say – “Hazy golden ale with a small, creamy, off-white head. Good retention. Sherry-like nose with additional notes of caramel and red apple. The flavor is malty with esters of honey and toffee. Hopped just enough to prevent cloying sweetness. Medium-bodied with a creamy mouthfeel and soft carbonation. Lengthy, creamy finish.” [ratebeer.com]

What We Say…
Jess – Quite metallic and bitter, but well balanced 7
Andy – Best beer of the night 7
Nick – It becomes more bitter & less complex the more I drink 7
Andrew – It’s metallic but not like drinking a ship 7

BeerCast panel verdict
Tom Paine Ale (28/40)
Samuel Smiths Organic Best Ale (22½/40)
Young’s Kew Gold (22/40)
Hopping Mad (22/40)
Melton Red (18/40)

Panellists – (from top left) Andy & Jess, Andrew, Nick

• Listen to the episode here: BeerCast #32 – The Unrecorded
• Subscribe to the podcasts in iTunes or our site feed

We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with our next podcast. As always please leave us comments on the website or iTunes, or emails, Twitter or any other method of communication you fancy.

Cheers!