The BeerCast

Mid-strength American IPA’s are becoming increasingly common here in the UK, from the initial colonists such as Goose Island India Pale Ale, through the second wave of beers such as Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA, to recent arrivals such as Green Flash West Coast IPA (seen arriving in our local Edinburgh-area bottle shops only the other week). Rarer beauties such as the peerless Stone IPA are available with effort, but even those kind of seldom-travelled brews are now starting to sneak onto shelves and into fridges. This can only be a good thing for the British consumer (average drinker and committed hop-head alike), as more will surely follow, and it means fewer of us have to resort to Britain’s mass-produced IPA’s like Greene King.

The other week, a green face appeared in one of our city’s bottle shops, grinning from the label of Victory HopDevil (6.7%). Hailing from Downington in southeastern Pennsylvania, Victory Brewing began in 1996 in an old bakery – but have up-scaled several times and are now one of the more prolific brewers in the Keystone State, shipping their products to many States…and now overseas. HopDevil is highly bottle-conditioned, it’s totally hazy even before opening. Pouring with a large inch-high pillowy head, it’s a dark amber colour with reddish hints. The aroma is all hop – pine and citrus backbone – with some alcohol, but not as much as other strong IPA’s. On the palate, it’s highly carbonated with a healthy hop front and a lovely bitter pine aftertaste – like sucking a mouthful of pine needles, the acids really come out of this one. However, there’s a faint touch of sweetness that stops the whole thing descending into a bitter bomb, and brings the taste together nicely – very nicely, in fact.

Victory Brewing Co

London’s Borough Market has long been a popular attraction for food-loving locals and tourists alike, with plenty of stalls offering choice items from around the world. It can also be a worthy destination for the beer lover, with three fantastic – and very different – drinking experiences within thirty seconds of each other. Inside the market itself is another – Utobeer (pictured above), a beer stall with an outstanding selection of bottled beers – including a regular selection of rare US craft brews. For example, I picked up a bottle of Stone’s fantastic Supremely Self-Righteous Ale (8.7%) – not cheap at £8.20 for 22oz, but absolutely worth it.

Anyway, to begin this mini pub crawl, stand where this photo was taken from – and instead of looking into Utobeer, turn right and the Market Porter will be right in front of you.

Market Porter 9 Stoney Street, London SE1 9AA
Open: 6am-8:30am, 11am-11pm (Mon-Fri); 12pm-11pm (Sat);
12pm-10:30pm (Sun)
Link: Official Website

The first thing that strikes you about the Market Porter is that it looks like a proper pub. Green wooden frontage, colourful hanging baskets, a crowd of drinkers spilled out onto the pavement. There must have been about fifty people outside, getting a quick lunchtime drink in the sun. Inside, every conceivable space on the wall and ceiling is adorned with old pump clips, and the bar serves around ten cask ales. They always have at least one beer on from Harvey’s (when I was there it was their 4.0% flagship Sussex Best). The pub is named after the workers from the wholesale market (which opens from 2am to 8am every weekday), and to cater for the end of their shifts it opens in the early morning – 6am to 9am (last orders at 8:30am).

Beer choice – when I was there I wanted something summery and that I had never heard of before, ending up with a Summer Sizzler (4.2%) from the Coach House Brewery in Warrington, Cheshire. It had a dark gold colour with a thin head, but unfortunately for me was too thick and sweet, with an aftertaste of honey that rode over the session strength to make it pretty unappealing.

The Brew Wharf 14-16 Stoney Street, London SE1 9AD
Open: 11:30am-11pm (Mon-Sat)
Link: Official Website

A short stroll along Stoney Street brings you to the entrance of Brew Wharf, with the iron sign spanning the entrance, set back from the street. As the name suggests, it’s a functioning micro-brewery – but one with an emphasis on food rather than just beer. As a result, it’s probably not for the cask lovers – but they have an incredible range of beers from all over the world. When I was there, on tap were such delights as Straffe Hendrik’s Brugse zot Blonde (6.0%), Meantime Pale Ale (4.7%), and De Koninck (5.0%). The range of bottles was even better, with Mikkeller GIPA (6.6%), Kernel IPA C.S.C (7.1%), Founders Centennial IPA (7.2%), and Green Flash Hop Head Red Ale (6.4%). Admittedly, Brew Wharf isn’t cheap – the latter will set you back £7.50, and a pint of Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted is £4.50 – but there’s a great choice of beer there, and they brew their own after all.

Beer choice – as tempting as those beers above were, I had to go for something produced on site. The day before I’d visited the Kernel Brewery (stay tuned for a Kernel BeerCast special as a future podcast), and Evin had recommended Brew Wharf’s Military Intelligence Black IPA (6.8%). I’m glad he did, it was outstanding – an aroma of sweet malt with a trace of hops, totally black pour with a thin coating of bubbles on top. The taste was some hop and then all roasty malt – it doesn’t taste 6.8% at all, until halfway down when the punch hits. Very drinkable stuff – I had no idea the name was a pun (even though Evin hinted at it) – military intelligence, otherwise known as Black Ops. Black hops. It’s easy when you know…

The Rake 14a Winchester Walk, London SE1 9AG
Open: 12pm-11pm (Tue-Fri), 9am-11pm (Sat), 12pm-10:30pm (Sun)
Link: Utobeer (who own The Rake)

If you leave Brew Wharf and turn left, a few seconds meander will put you at the junction of Winchester Walk (where Brew Wharf morphs into Vinopolis). A small blueish building on the right is one of the smallest pubs in London – the Rake. This tiny room (I judged it to be about 15ft x 10ft) has a small bar at the back, with a couple of large fridges, and a patio outside underneath a jumbrella – which pretty much doubles the size of the establishment. The staff are really friendly, and the right-hand wall is emblazoned with signatures of the many brewers who have stopped by over the years. Being owned by the same people as Utobeer certainly means a fair number of beers (around 120) find their way into the fridges, with a decent selection on tap as well. I can imagine the Rake would get incredibly busy (i.e. if there were more than ten people there), but a trip to Borough Market isn’t complete without trying to squeeze in.

Beer choice – I’d been to Utobeer earlier and had bought a bottle of the BrewDog/Mikkeller collaboration I Hardcore You (9.5%), being the first time I’d seen it on sale. As it happened, the second time was when I entered the Rake and found it on tap – so had to order one (I’ve kept the bottle for a rainy day). A blend of Brewdog’s Hardcore IPA and Mikkeller’s I Beat You, and at £2.60 for a half – it was too much to pass up. Outside under the jumbrella, thick, dark amber with no head to speak of. There’s a massive hop aroma, and a dark, sweet hop flavour with a resinous bitterness. Rich, punchy mouthfeel and that US craft-esque long piney aftertaste, I Hardcore You is outstanding. It reminded me a little of Stone’s Ruination IPA – and you can see how highly we think of that from our BeerCast rankings. A great way to finish London’s shortest pub crawl.

BeerCast panellist MrB was lucky enough to visit southern Belgium and Alsace in July, and returned to the UK with almost fifty beers (not to mention a case of wine). He also managed to squeeze a few podcast-worthy beers in, before inching his groaning car onto the ferry back to Blighty. All of his chosen beers hail from Brasseries – the first being a duo from the Brasserie la Saint-Pierre in the Alsace town of the same name:- La Blonde de l’Oncle Hansi (5.6%), and La Saint Pierre Brune (5.6%). Following those we go to Belgium for La Médiévale Ambrée (6.0%) from the eponymous Brasserie in the Wallonian town of Bouillon. Our third beer this episode is the Queen of trappist ales – Orval (6.2%) – from the brasserie inside the Cisctercian monastery near the French border. Our final beer is the hop-smacking Houblon Chouffe (9.0%) from Brasserie d’Achouffe. We end the show with a bonus – the traditional northern French aperitif Picon (18.0%), the orange-based syrup traditionally added to local lager – which means an unexpected debut BeerCast appearance for Kronenbourg 1664 (5.0%).

1. La Blonde de l’Oncle Hansi (5.6%abv)
2. La Saint Pierre Brune (5.6%abv)
Brasserie la Saint-Pierre, Saint Pierre, 67140, Alsace, France.
330ml glass bottles

Jean-Jacques Waltz was born in German-occupied Alsace in February 1873, where he eventually became an artist and then satirical cartoonist under the pseudonym ’Hansi’. Charged with treason in 1914 he escaped to France and joined the army as a translator – by this point he had become a national hero. When war again broke in 1939 he fled again, this time to Vichy France where he was attacked and badly wounded by the occupying Germans, eventually dying from his injuries in Switzerland in 1951. Thirty miles from Hansi’s birthplace of Colmar is Saint-Pierre, home to the Brasserie la Saint-Pierre who produce a range of local beers named in honour of this famous Alsace artist. MrB and Grooben sampled their blonde, while Richard and Shovels got to try their brune.

What They Say -
“Une bière franche et typée au nez épicé, ronde et persistante en bouche, à la mousse veloutée, abondante et fine. Une amertume agréable et une belle couleur d’or soutenu.” (Blonde) [Official Website]

What We Say…
Grooben – Some cloudy business, more fruity than I thought 6½
MrB – Very tasty, close to a wheat beer, refreshing 6
Richard – Hints of bitter choc and liquorice, not too sweet 8
Shovels – Not bad but I wouldn’t drink it again 4½

3. La Médiévale Ambrée (6.0%abv)
Brasserie de Bouillon, Grand Rue 22 Bouillon, Belgium 6830.
330ml glass bottle

In October 1994 a foodie couple called Nathalie Louis and Jacques Pougin decided to open a local foods market in their hometown of Bouillon, in the far south of Belgium. ‘Marketplace Nathalie’ initially focused on fruit and veg, but then added a healthy number of Belgian trappist ales – targeted to the nearby French. These sold so well that Jacques decided to learn how to brew, with an eye on stocking his own beers. This is pretty much what happened – in February 1998 they installed brewing equipment into the market, establishing the Brasserie de Bouillon. By 2004 demand had soared to maximum capacity of 620hl, and the company had to secure extra backing from Luxembourg to move to larger premises.

What They Say -
“La Médiévale Ambrée is the second brand marketed by Brasserie de Bouillon. With its rustic character and brassy, it bears its name perfectly. The character on the label is actually a caricature of Jacques’ father, long gone too soon. This is a very nice way to perpetuate his memory. La Médiévale Ambrée is 6% alc vol, and is a pure malt beer, unfiltered and fermented in the bottle.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Shovels – On holiday in France in the sun you’d drink it 5
Grooben – Close to a lager, but with a slightly sour undertone 5
MrB – Mine’s very fizzy, smack bang in the middle 5
Richard – Tastes 3%, not 6% – how can it have so little flavour? 5

4. Orval Trappist Ale (6.2%abv)
Brasserie d’Orval, Villiers-devant-Orval, Belgium 6823.
330ml glass bottle

The Gaume region of southern Belgium borders France and Luxembourg, and is about as far south as you can get in Wallonia. Nestling amidst the Belgian Ardennes is the small town of Villiers-devant-Orval – home to a Cistercian Abbey founded in 1132, and Belgium’s most distinctive trappist ale. Orval (6.2%) has been produced inside the Abbaye Notre-Dame d’Orval since 1931, alongside the lesser Petite Orval (3.5%) for the monks. The distinctive skittle-shaped bottles are found in beer shops all over the world, with the fish symbol depicting the legend of the abbey’s founding – a helpful trout plucking the lost wedding ring of Mathilda of Tuscany from a frothing spring (the grateful Lady exclaiming “truly this place is a Val d’Or!” before supplying sufficient funds for a monastery). Orval ale is dry hopped with Hallertau, Styrian Golding and Strisselspalt., and then at bottling wild Brettanomyces yeasts are added to give a tarter flavour than other trappist ales.

What They Say -
“Young Orval is characterised by a bouquet of fresh hops, with a fruity note and pronounced bitterness, light on the palate and a less firm collar than a beer of six months. The latter will feature a bouquet consisting of a blend of fragrances of yeast and old-fashioned hop. The bitterness is more diffuse and the taste has moved to a slight touch of acidity accompanying yeast and caramel flavours.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
MrB – Outstanding, I love everything about this beer 9
Richard – Very different from other Trappists with the tart sourness – the most sessionable 6.2% beer you will ever find 8½
Grooben – Sour lambic thing but not too overpowering 8
Shovels – I just can’t get with Belgian beers 5½

5. La Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel (9.0%abv)
Brasserie d’Achouffe, Achouffe, Houffalize, Wallonia, Belgium.
750ml glass bottle

This podcast sees our second La Chouffe beer in a row, following the appearance of their mighty magnum Big Chouffe (8.0%) in BeerCast #50. For this podcast, we have their IPA tripel Houblon Chouffe (9.0%) – which is only found in 750ml bottles and 20litre kegs. Houblon is French for Hops, and as you’d expect the Brasserie d’Achouffe have packed plenty inside their creation, giving a very different taste to their flagship blonde ale. The first is Tomahawk, then Saaz hops are added late for aroma, before the whole thing is dry-hopped with Amarillo.

What They Say -
“The Houblon Chouffe was brewed for the first time in 2006. It is an ‘Indian Pale ale’ type of beer, with a harmonious balance between a marked bitterness (three types of hops are used to make it) and a pleasant fruitiness.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
MrB – I love highly hopped things but this doesn’t compete, as it’s almost a different style 8½
Richard – So floral, like drinking shampoo – doesn’t taste 9% 7½
Grooben – With the extra addition of hops this is really good 7½
Shovels – A nice beer until one point when it goes “I’m Belgian” 6

6. Sirop de Picon (18.0%abv)
Distributed by Diageo Ltd.
Drunk as an addition to Kronenbourg 1664 (5.0%)

Picon was invented in 1839 by Frenchman Gaétan Picon – who had served with the French army in Algeria. Prior to joining up he had completed an apprenticeship at a distillery in Aix-en-Provence, and the north African flavours he had experienced prompted Gaétan to invent his sirop – which he first called ’African Bitters’. In 1872 he returned to his homeland and established the first Picon distillery in Marseilles (which is still operational today). At that time it had a healthy 39%abv kick, but these days it reaches only 18%. Designed to be added to local beer as an aperitif, the dark, orangey syrup is most popular in northern France, which accounts for 70% of sales.

What They Say -
“Picon is made from a base of fresh oranges which are dried and mixed with a solution of alcohol which is distilled. Picon also contains gentian and quinquina in equal measures. Sugar, syrup and caramel are added last.” [Wikipedia]

What We Say…
Richard – There’s a dark blood orange taste to it
Shovels – Alternates between orange and burnt orange
Grooben – Later on the burnt orange really lingers
MrB – One of the best things about going to Alsace was discovering Picon

Panellists – (clockwise from top left) Grooben, MrB, Shovels, Richard

BeerCast panel verdict
Brasserie d’Orval Orval Trappist Ale (31/40)
Brasserie d’Achouffe Houblon Chouffe (29½/40)
Brasserie la Saint-Pierre Brune (12½/20)
Brasserie la Saint-Pierre Blonde de l’Oncle Hansi (12½/20)
Brasserie Bouillon La Médiévale Ambrée (20/40)

Our next BeerCast podcast will be episode #52 – involving a selection of dark beers Grooben managed to source from the excellent Utobeer stall at London’s Borough Market…

There was a great bit of local news this week as Loanhead’s Stewart Brewing picked up a gong in the 2010 World Beer Awards. Hollyrood (5.0%) was named world’s best Blonde/Golden in the Pale Ale category, announced at the end of July by a selection of beer writers chaired by Roger Protz and Jeff Evans (news taking a while to filter through up here). It’s a great reward for Steve, Jo and the team, and is particularly impressive given that Hollyrood has only been bottled for around a year (originally being a tweaked version of their cask Pentland IPA recipe). Hopefully this will spur Stewart Brewing on to more awards in the future. Other Scottish winners were Arran’s Blonde (Europe’s best grain-only wheat beer), Innis & Gunn’s Innis & Gunn Original (Europe’s best speciality Pale Ale) – more good news for Edinburgh, and two awards for Harviestoun; Ola Dubh Special 40 Reserve winning World’s best dark speciality ale, and Old Engine Oil taking Europe’s best porter.

Stewart Brewing
2010 World Beer Awards winners

Freshness really sells when it comes to foodstuffs – hence all the adverts for flash frozen seafood and just-picked vegetables. But what about beer? The prime variable in ale – the hops – are most often added dried as they are easier to store and transport following their Autumn harvest. But if you want fresh beer, Harvest Ales are definitely the style to seek out. Green hops are added following their Autumn picking, before they have a chance to be dried. Arguably started by Sierra Nevada with their 6.7% Southern Hemisphere Harvest (which I sampled at the 2009 GBBF at Earl’s Court), these beers have tremendous aromas and flavours from the natural oils maintained in the fresh hops.

But it’s not just the North Americans who have a go at these beers – us Brits are having a stab too. Derbyshire’s Thornbridge Brewery produce some fascinating ales, their Jaipur (check back for our review soon) recently won Gold at the 2010 GBBF, taking their haul of Champion Beer of Britain medals to five in five years. They have recently put out a collaboration with Doug Odell – Colorado Red (5.9%) – and also have the reigning UK Brewer of the Year in Stefano Cossi. So when their harvest ale (7.7% Halcyon 2009) wins best in category at the 2009 World Beer Awards, they must be on to something.

Hopped with freshly picked Herefordshire Target, the 2009 vintage pours a dark yellow with a lazy rising carbonation and a rapidly reducing head. As you’d expect, the primary aroma is hops, with some grass and green vegetables in the background – very much an American-style IPA hop-forward aroma. The taste is wonderful, the high hop bitterness balances with the healthy alcohol really well. As a result, I don’t think a blind tasting would yield a 7.7% answer if I had to guess the abv – it’s incredibly smooth and drinkable. On a par with the best American IPA’s – and certainly on the same level with Southern Hemisphere Harvest, Thornbridge Halcyon pushes close to Sierra Nevada’s other jaw-dropper, their peerless Estate series.