The BeerCast

The second annual Sainsbury’s Beer Competition has just concluded, with the winners announced at the end of last week. After 115 different entries were received for this year’s judging, 100 of them were whittled away during the process leaving the final shortlisted fifteen vying for the two prizes. Bath Ales Golden Hare (4.4%) and Hambleton’s Taylor’s Tipple (4.5%) came out on top, and will be released nationwide in over 250 Sainsbury’s stores, joining last year’s winners O’Kells IPA and another from Bath Ales - Barnstormer.

I’ve managed to sample Taylor’s Tipple, and was very pleasantly surprised – it’s a supremely drinkable nutty bitter in the traditional English style. Check back later for a full review – but the shortlist threw up a number of other fascinating beers, many of them from here in Scotland. Taking up a quarter of the spaces in the final were Alloa’s Williams Brothers, and Fraserburgh’s BrewDog had three shortlisted beers of their own. Despite not getting the prizes, to take up almost half of the final places was a tremendous achievement for the two producers. It’s a pity that neither managed to claim one of the winner’s spots.

We’re unabashed fans of Williams Bros ales here at the BeerCast, having reviewed Williams Gold and Red, and we really need to feature Joker at some point - their previous IPA. Their newer range have been well received too – Good Times and Midnight Sun made the final shortlist in 2008, and their newer golden ale Birds & Bees was in this year’s final fifteen. Also in the select group for 2009 were their 80/-, which is good to see for a brewery who started off producing traditional ales, and another new one, Ceilidh lager.

Williams IPA though has a blend of Bramley X and Amarillo hops to give “real alpha bite”. I’ve tried it before, having been given a sneaky sample by Scott Williams at an Edinburgh foodie fair when it was still in the production stages. At the time I likened it to something more at home from a producer such as Sierra Nevada – it seems the headier North American style IPA is what they were attempting to emulate. Of course, there are other Scottish producers working along those lines too, most notably the aforementioned BrewDog, and also Windie Goat with their fantastic Gutter Slab.

Anyway, Williams IPA pours a rich yellow colour with a slight opaque haziness – not really the ‘bright gold’ mentioned on the label. The aroma is mildly hoppy, and the head on mine dispersed within seconds. Taste-wise though, it’s really very good – bitterly astringent with a strong, but not overpowering, hop taste. It comes out stronger in flavour than most 5% IPA’s, but it’s not as punishing as those that weigh in at over 6%. It tastes very much like a North American session IPA, with it’s dry finish and crisp, biting hop taste. I love bitter IPA’s, and in particular the ones you can keep at without crumbling. Williams IPA is a real corker, and although it didn’t come out on top, hopefully it will be made readily available in beer retailers across the country.

Sainsbury’s Beer Competition website
The final shortlist of fifteen

Our latest BeerCast podcast sees the second part of our Quebecois beer extravaganza, thanks to the return of outposted panellist CraigAS. Recently relocated to Yorkshire from Montreal, he supplied us with some attention-grabbing brews from Canada. This second part sees our panel sample four beers, many from the same breweries as our first edition. We begin with Joliette microbrewery L’Alchimiste’s L’Écossaise Scottish Ale (5.0%), an interesting prospect for our Edinburgh-based tasters. We then try another Unibroue beer - Raftman (5.5%), brewed to honour the hardy woodsmen of Canadian history. Next we go for a new addition, McAuslan’s St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout (5.0%), before ending the episode with a bang, and the challenging Dieu du Ciel! Péché Mortel (9.5%). This isn’t a peach beer, but a coffee-infused Imperial Stout, and demands serious attention. As with our first Quebec episode, the panel consists of CraigAS, Grooben, Richard and Shovels.

1. L’Écossaise (5.0%abv)
L’Alchimiste, Joliette, Quebec.
341ml glass bottle

L’Alchimiste are a fine example of the flourishing microbrewing scene in Quebec, having sprung up in the city of Joliette, 50km northeast of Montreal. Founded by Carl Dufour in 2001, they produce a decent number of regular beers, two of which we were brought over by Craig. Last time we sampled their 6.1% bock – this time we drink their 5.0% Scottish style ale. L’Alchimiste are fairly typical in Quebecois brewing, in that they style beers by colours, with a Blonde, Brune and Ambrée. Their Scotch Ale is the brune of these, with that characteristic heavy dark colour and sweet, malty flavour.

What They Say - “Bière ronde et moelleuse dégageant au nez comme en bouche une note de pain d’épice. Son amertume très faible en fait une brune facile pour les néophytes de la bière. On découvre en finale des arômes subtils de caramel, mariés à la douce chaleur de son alcool.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Craig - Very fizzy and quite sweet with a slight sourness to it 8
Richard - It’s very sweet and molasses-y but I like it 7½
Shovels - It tastes a bit like a watered-down Old Peculier 6
Grooben - More in common with beers from the North of England 6

2. Raftman (5.5%abv)
Unibroue, Chambly, Quebec.
750ml glass bottle

Unibroue’s motto is ‘Drink Less…Drink Better’, which seems to imply they like adding unusual ingredients to their beers and ramping up the alcohol. This is true in part, as they specialise in Belgian-style ales - their most notable (and best-selling) being La Fin du Monde, a 9% tripel first brewed in 1994. However the ’Drink Less’ part is offset by the hefty 750ml corked bottles used for their bottle conditioned beers – but we’re not complaining. Last episode we tried their witbier Blanche de Chambly, and this time we sampled Raftman, brewed in honour of the brave men who tamed the Canadian wilderness in the name of expansion and settlement.

What They Say - “Launched in March 1995, Raftman is a beer with a coral sheen that is slightly robust. It combines the character of whisky malt with the smooth flavours of choice yeast. It has a subtle and exceptional bouquet that creates a persistent smooth feel.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Craig - The first time I didn’t like it, but it grows on you 7
Grooben - Don’t like it much, the extra whisky flavour is horrible 5
Richard - Tastes like a tart witbier with whisky malt added to it 5
Shovels - It’s very sharp and tastes mostly of vinegar 4½

3. St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout (5.0%abv)
McAuslan Brewery, Montreal, Quebec.
341ml glass bottle

McAuslan opened their operations at the start of 1989 in the St-Henri borough of Montreal. They took their location as name for a range of beers, being sited on Rue St Ambroise. After debuting with St Ambroise Pale Ale a month after they opened, they have steadily added more to their portfolio, including in December 1991 St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout. They were founded by Peter McAuslan – yet another who followed the career path from enthusiastic homebrewer in the 1970’s to brewery owner in the 1980’s. Today they employ over forty people and have won many international brewing medals.

What They Say - “Brewed from 40 percent dark malts and roasted barley, this intensely black ale carries strong hints of espresso and chocolate. Oatmeal contributes body and a long-lasting mocha-coloured head to this well-hopped beer.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Craig - It’s not messing around – it’s pretty smoky 6½
Grooben - That’s the stoutiest stout that ever stouted 6
Shovels - It’s a beer for the evening – the whole evening 5
Richard - Too strong and one-dimensional for me, I like the subtle nuances of a stout 4

4. Péché Mortel (9.5%abv)
Dieu du Ciel!, Montrel, Quebec.
341ml glass bottle

Dieu du Ciel! are an apostrophe-friendly brewery who have micro-brasserie bases in St-Jérôme and Montreal. Their downtown brewpub is apparently unassuming on the outside, but showcases an astonishing range and variety - their online beer list has almost ninety entries. They concoct everything from old-world style saisons and IPA’s to truly fascinating brews containing ingredients such as Morel mushrooms, Hibiscus flowers, Absinthe, and Hemp (not all in the same one). Thinking outside of the brewing box seems to be par for the course as Dieu du Ciel! - who else could come up with Premiere Neige, an aniseed and nutmeg whit? After loving their rye beer infused with peppercorns (Route des épices), we now move on to the awesome Péché Mortel, a viscous Imperial Stout infused with coffee.

What They Say - “The Péché Mortel is an intensely black and dense beer with very pronounced roasted flavours. Fair-trade coffee is infused during the brewing process, helping to intensify the bitterness of the beer and giving it a powerful coffee taste. Brewed to be savoured, we invite you to drink it with moderation.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Craig - First taste is burnt coffee, the next is paint stripper 2½
Grooben - It’s a bold experiment that has backfired completely 2
Shovels - Like eating coffee beans with a tequila on the side 1
Richard - It’s about as unpleasant a beer as I’ve ever had 0

Panellists - (from top left) Shovels, CraigAS, Grooben, Richard

BeerCast panel verdict
L’Alchimiste L’Écossaise (27½/40)
Unibroue Raftman (21½/40)
McAuslan St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout (21½/40)
Dieu du Ciel! Péché Mortel (5½/40)

Recently on the BeerCast we quoted BrewDog co-founder James Watt’s opinion that British brewers had lost the sense of tradition when it comes to India Pale Ales. Modern mass-marketed IPA’s from this side of the Atlantic do tend to be session strength and lacking the hop bite of the old-fashioned versions of the past. The reasons for this could be many and varied, but the suggestion that the drinking public seek less challenging IPA’s is countered by the huge array of strong dark IPA’s that are generated in North America. Drinkers there certainly seem to demand India Pale Ale that packs a punch, and the BeerCast are also unashamedly in that camp. While not quite reaching the 8.5% magnitude of BrewDog’s Atlantic IPA, popular American IPA’s such as Anchor’s Liberty Ale and Goose Island IPA are still stronger and give more hop bite than the likes of Greene King IPA or Deuchars IPA.

Another American craft brewer with the desire to mix things up at every opportunity are California’s Stone Brewery. As you can see from our lengthy beer ratings column, they are currently topping our table with their peerless Ruination IPA. But aside from this double IPA they also produce a standard American west-coast IPA (if anything Stone do can be considered standard). Brewed at 6.9%, Stone IPA pours a golden lager colour with a pale long-lasting half inch head. The nose is beautifully flowery and hoppy, perfectly weighted towards each, and this continues in the taste. As you’d expect there are hops immediately up front, but surprisingly not much initial alcohol – however as the taste develops the alcohol comes through and warms, but without being overpowering. It’s more refreshing than Ruination IPA, and is a shrinking violet when compared to their other beers such as Arrogant Bastard. Gently numbing but not overwhelming, the Magnum and Centennial hops give Stone IPA a tremendous flavour – it’s quite wonderful. Forget Greene King IPA or Deuchars IPA. While you’re at it, forget Anchor Liberty Ale and Goose Island IPA. This is better.

Lagerboy has stated on these pages previously that he enjoys tackling something seen as ‘The beer of…’, just to get a full sense of what the locals sit down to (or stand up for, or whatever) on a night out in their local bars. So it was with Estrella Damm, Zagorka and Lapin Kulta - and so it is too with Coral (5.3%) – or Coral Branca Lager to give it the full title – the Beer of Madeira.

Madeira is a small rocky archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic owned by Portugal. First and foremost it’s known for wine, as the healthy temperatures and year-round climate make the two inhabited islands (Madeira and Porto Santo) ideal terroir. But it’s good to see some grain amongst the grape, as Empresa de Cervejas da Madeira began brewing on the island in 1969. Apart from the lager they produce a 5.1% stout (Coral Tónica), and non-alcoholic versions of both.

The first impressions are good – a long-lasting deep head and a little carbonation. The colour is a golden pale, similar to other slightly strong lagers (as Coral nudges over the 5% mark). Sadly, that’s the peak though, as the nose is straw and nothing but. The taste is thin and watery with more straw and very little hops. A glance at the ingredients reveals… Malt, Grain, Hops, Antioxidant (E300), Stabiliser (E405). Oh dear. Basic to say the least, it’s another to file under ‘like Miller Genuine Draft only weaker’ category and to leave well alone.

There are some wonderful pubs in London, many with histories stretching back several hundred years. One of these is Ye Olde Mitre, which was built in 1546 - during the reign of Henry VIII. There’s supposedly a more direct regal connection, as a youthful Queen Elizabeth I is said to have danced around the cherry tree growing by the side of the bar (one too many Bulmers maybe). In a city full of fake tourist tat, Ye Olde Mitre is a genuine article - hidden away down a narrow backstreet off Hatton Gardens, just by the roundabout of Holborn Circus.

As you approach down the short narrow alley, there’s an oasis of hanging baskets above the shady entrance, with large barrels for the alfresco drinkers to rest against. A small lounge at the front is complemented by a larger bar at the rear, with a couple of outdoor drinking corridors for the overspill. The afternoon I was there, quiet London chatter was the only sound filtering through the central serving area. As soon as you peer through the door it feels like a proper pub - the layout is similar to the West Riding style of some older Yorkshire alehouses. Wood panels and brass fittings are throughout, with old sepia photos of Holborn on the walls.

As for the beer, Ye Olde Mitre was the ‘Cask Beer Pub of the Year’ at the 2008 British Pub Awards, so you know there’s going to be a good pint or two to be had. As fate would have it, the day I was there they were in the midst of their (5th annual) Scottish beer festival - on cask they had Caley’s Deuchars IPA, Houston’s Warlock Stout, and the recently-crowned Champion Beer of Scotland for 2009, Sinclair Orkney Raven Ale. Coming down from Edinburgh, it was nice to see these beers served elsewhere, but I settled for a more local pint of Fullers Discovery. A hoppy golden ale, it’s one of the most refreshing Fullers’ beers. Served chilled (to compete with the lagers), it was a perfect choice for a hot afternoon wandering around the capital - as was Ye Olde Mitre.

Ye Olde Mitre, 1 Ely Court, London EC1N 6SJ
Tel. 0207 405 4751
Monday - Friday 11am - 11pm
Saturday & Sunday - closed (one of the only downsides)