BeerCast #60 – Purity Showcase
Warwickshire’s Purity Brewing began production in December 2005, based in the attractive surroundings of Upper Spernall Farm near the village of Great Alne. Somewhat unusually these days, they only release three beers – Pure Gold, Mad Goose and Pure UBU. Apart from a one-off in 2008 to celebrate the centenary of the National Farmer’s Union, they concentrate solely on those three brands. Forgoing seasonals is quite a refreshing approach – as is their commitment to the local environment. Purity have created a series of wetlands to recycle the liquid brewing waste, which after nine processes is released into a local river as pure water. On the podcast this week – Richard, Grooben and Shovels. We also include a bonus fourth beer from London’s Kernel Brewery, their mighty Imperial Stout (12.5%). Many thanks to Kirsten at Purity for sending the beers through.
1. Pure Gold (4.3%abv)
Purity Brewing, Great Alne, Warwickshire.
500ml glass bottle
What They Say…
“Pure Gold is a refreshing Golden Ale. Made with English Maris Otter Malt and East Kent and Styrian Golding Hops, creating a surprisingly smooth, easy drinking beer with subtle citrus flavours.” [Official Website]
What We Say…
Shovels – Biscuity strawness with a bit of orange 8
Grooben – Better than I was expecting, it’s good 7½
Richard – Some hop bitterness, a classic session beer 7
2. Mad Goose (4.2%abv)
Purity Brewing, Great Alne, Warwickshire.
330ml glass bottle
What They Say…
“Brewed with Maris Otter, Caragold and Wheat Malt with Hallertau bittering hops and Cascade and Willamette aroma hops. Light copper in colour with a great hop character and citrus overtones.” [Official Website]
What We Say…
Grooben – Sharp and quite bitter but I’d happily drink it 6
Shovels – For a Pale Ale I expect a bit more citrus 6
Richard – Hop bitterness but no sweetness to punch through 5½
3. Pure UBU (4.5%abv)
Purity Brewing, Great Alne, Warwickshire.
500ml glass bottle
What They Say…
“Pure UBU – pronounced OO-BOO – named after our faithful canine friend and protector of our secrets. UBU 4.5% ABV is a distinctive premium amber coloured beer. Made from English Maris Otter, Crystal & Black Malts with Challenger and Cascade hops, creating a balanced full flavoured beer that is a pleasure to drink.” [Official Website]
What We Say…
Shovels – Malty but in a very nicely balanced way 7½
Richard – Tastes like a Northern bitter, really good 7
Grooben – All these beers have been really quaffable 6½
4. Kernel Imperial Stout (12.5%abv)
The Kernel Brewery, Bermondsey, London.
330ml glass bottle
We finish the showcase with a bonus beer – the strongest beer on the books of London’s Kernel Brewery. Any regular BeerCast reader will know how keen we are on Evin O’Riordain’s beers – he really is brewing some of the most exciting beers in the country at the moment. We got hold of his monstrous Imperial Stout and decided to throw it into the mix – our bonus Kernel beer is becoming a bit of a theme (IPA S.C.A.NS. sneaked into BeerCast #54, and IPA Citra into BeerCast #59).
What They Say…
“Simple recipe – massive taste. Dark, dark black. Oily texture. Loads of rich dried fruit and alcohol warmth, rum and raisin.” [Official Website]
What We Say…
Richard – So much going on, rich dark fruit coats the tongue 7
Grooben – Oh my, it’s making my chest hurt – too much for me 4
Shovels – Too much alcohol at the finish, it doesn’t sit right in my mouth 4
Panellists – (clockwise from top left) Grooben, MrB, Shovels, Richard
BeerCast panel verdict
Purity Pure Gold (22½/30)
Purity Pure UBU (21/30)
Purity Mad Goose (17½/30)
Kernel Imperial Stout (15/30)
Massive thanks to Kirsten at Purity Brewing for sending the beers through. Stay tuned for our 61st BeerCast, as we assemble a crack team to tackle four Ancient Beer Styles. Big beers, old beers, and strange beers feature in our next podcast, which will be out at the end of the month…
