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

Recently I was listening to an episode of the excellent Craft Beer Radio, where hosts Jeff and Greg were discussing a list that had been published on blogcritics.org regarding the top seven trends in craft brewing for 2010. They make interesting reading, particularly with our interpretation on how those trends are currently being reflected in the UK real ale industry. The article states that in the US, craft beer made up 7.2% of industry output and 4.3% of sales in 2009. Over here, the real ale share of the market was 13.5% in 2009, according to a CAMRA study authored by Pete Brown.

It’s always interesting to compare and contrast the brewing scenes on both sides of the Atlantic, and also the demands of the drinking public on respective sides of the pond. The higher percentage figure of ‘craft ale’ sales over here could well be down to this last point, as the historical importance of the pub would (and hopefully always will) boost the stats as a readily-found source of cask ale. In the US, although probably the 7.2% of the American beer industry would dwarf the UK scene, they are vastly outnumbered by the major brewing conglomerates, even if the Molson-Coors, AB-Inbev’s of the world are suddenly struggling.

1. Nano- and Micro-Breweries

The first trend for 2010 on the list relates to the shrinking in scale of producers, from local and regional brewers to those occupying a smaller space, or even producing only for their neighbourhoods. This has to be a result of several factors – the increasing availability of brewing equipment, the promotion of local producers in the food industry, and the increasing popularity of decent beer prompting more people to ‘have a go’. The aforementioned industry domination by a few behemoth names can only add to this trend.

These examples hold on either side of the Atlantic – over here, more and more individual bespoke breweries are appearing. In Scotland we have small-scale producers brewing for specific pubs (Plockton, Moulin, Ayr Brewing Co) who have started to creep outwards from their base, not to mention dedicated enthusiasts who rent time and space at established breweries to put out their products (Luckie Ales, Knops Beer Company). However, the unfortunate demise of Windie Goat in Failford shows how much of a knife-edge these tiny start-ups inhabit.

2. Sour Beers

This is one that the US currently seems to be going alone – the Belgian-ification of craft brewing. The list highlights a number of American producers who are embracing the sour flavours – The Bruery (San Diego), Russian River (San Francisco), Avery (Denver), New Belgium (Denver), and Cascade (Portland). It’s not difficult to imagine the appeal of sour styles to brewers – the chance to try something different and to pay homage to one of the great underused brewing styles of the world. The problem is that they just don’t appeal to enough beer drinkers to merit more than a seasonal or one-off approach.

This is a shame (and I speak as someone who really tried to like Cantillon Gueuze when in Brussels). The UK doesn’t seem to be willing to embrace the sour revolution first begun in Belgium and now catching on in America. This could be because by and large the US scene already comes up with unusual styles and flavours, whereas the British pub goer appreciates a more subtly balanced session beer. Likewise (but with a few notable exceptions) British brewers aren’t rushing to take risks with their product lines. Also the domination of the pub here means the growing trend there of pairing beer with food gives the American brewers a multitude of outlets for more interesting flavour combinations.

3. Locally Produced Beer in Restaurants

Carrying on with that theme, the US National Restaurant Association found that 79% of restaurants viewed local wine and beer as a hot trend in 2010, and 62% of these surveyed viewed micro-brewed and craft beer as a hot trend. I really can’t imagine what the corresponding figures would be over here – probably more than I would expect, but still nowhere near that level of experimentation. The most common foodstuff consumed with British real ale would be a packet of crisps – restaurants here still don’t get it, there’s just less of a mentality in the UK for pairing beer with food.

Of course there are exceptions, such as the excellent Eat17 restaurant in Walthamstow, which features its own signature beer brewed for them by Brodies of Leyton. Multi-award winning Meantime in Greenwich also pair plenty of food with their beers at the Old Brewery restaurant by the Thames (although of course they own both the restaurant and the brewery). In terms of pubs, CAMRA created the LocAle scheme in 2007 to encourage public houses to rely more on locally-produced cask ale, and this has been a great success, promoting smaller-scale brewers over national suppliers wherever possible.

4. Creative Labelling

The trends list mentions wine producers seeking labels that stand out and that are also easy to remember – and that this is increasingly also true of the craft beer industry in America. It makes good marketing sense to create a niche for your products (provided there’s room to manoeuvre), particularly if there are others trying to share that space. In the UK, it’s more of an issue with wine as anyone who’s wandered around Sainsbury’s trying to pick a bottle can attest to – but beer certainly can follow in the same footsteps.

The traditional saucy cartoon-style pumpclip or label isn’t to everyone’s taste however. The older trend in the UK of wacky beer names really only appeals to the stereotypical bearded real ale drinker CAMRA are trying to move away from. But you could argue that these cheesy examples played their part in making cask ale stand out – even if the price paid was prospective drinkers having to squint at a small oval of cardboard to try and work out whether they really wanted a pint of Owd Jockstrap after all.

British beer labelling today is full of creative efforts that really stand out – the insert photos on this post are details from some of the best current examples. (From top to bottom they are…Humpty Dumpty Reedcutter, York Brewery Yorkshire Terrier, Meantime Chocolate Stout, BrewDog Atlantic IPA, Hopdaemon Skrimshander IPA, Williams Bros Fraoch, Tirril Brewery Academy Ale)

5. Extreme Beer

Surely this is one of the trends that the UK is currently blazing a trail with – and all down to the L’enfant terrible of British beer, BrewDog. The article mentions them straight off, highlighting their 32% and 41% beers (Tactical Nuclear Penguin and Sink the Bismarck! respectively). Of course since then The End of History (55%) has been released, firmly pushing the Fraserburgh duo up into first place in the extreme beer wars. Over the pond, Sam Adams Utopia tops out at 27% - and there are plenty of people who think the record stops with them, as Utopia isn’t freeze ‘distilled’ like BrewDog’s or Schorschbräu’s (whenceforth the argument usually descends into semantics and brewing tech-speak).

The overall trend is that American beer drinkers prefer stronger beers to their UK counterparts. This, again, is down to the role of the pub and the desire for a night’s drinking rather than a bang-for-your-buck mentality. That’s not to say American drinkers are alcohol-primed loners eschewing company over their 12% imperial IPA’s. It’s just that due to the history of relatively weaker beers over here, you could argue that the British ale drinker has a higher appreciation for the subtleties of beer, whereas his or her American counterpart revels in unusual, palate-challenging combinations (which by the competitive nature of craft breweries will contain unusual ingredients).

6. Hybrid Styles

That inherent (if admittedly stereotypical) difference between the wants of an American and UK ale drinker reflects in the sixth trend on the list of seven – the rise of hybrid styles. It gives some fantastic examples of experimental added ingredients utilised by US craft brewers – peanut butter, chillies, spices, tea leaves – most of which I can’t imagine taking off over here. Of course, we do have some examples – Bruce and Scott Williams started off brewing the heather ale Fraoch in 1988, and now have a core range of traditional beers alongside their Williams Bros beers. East Anglia’s Fox Brewery put out Nelson’s Blood, a bitter mixed with spiced rum – and of course BrewDog use plenty of fantastic ingredients in their stronger brews.

Americans generally aren’t interested in 4% session beers, and the rise of ranking websites such as RateBeer (on which you can now find me – BeerCast_Rich) mean that the desire to pigeonhole ales into specific categories inevitably means the addition of a few extra adjuncts will make classification more difficult. The growth areas of the innovative American craft brewers – wood aged beers, souring agents, combining unexpected ingredients – are slowly making their way over here (aged beers being the frontrunner at the moment) – but surely there are plenty of British real ale brewers who have the desire to experiment, and the skill to pull it off.

7. Collaboration Beers

Publicity drives any business, and the rewards for teaming up with another producer can be very tempting. Creating a collectable, limited-edition brand – not to mention the pooling of ideas, experience and equipment are all good reasons to tempt brewers along this path – irrespective of their location. Currently the trend for collaboration beers is strongest in the US, and the list gives such examples as DogFish Head and Sierra Nevada’s Life & Limb series – but over here too there are examples. BrewDog are fairly popular bedfellows, with their excellent Devine Rebel in collaboration with Danish producer Mikkeller, and their Stone brew Bashah also winning praise.

So what conclusions can we draw from this list? It seems at the moment that most of these US craft brewing trends for 2010 can be applied to the UK real ale brewing industry, albeit with several provisos revolving around the differences between their target audiences. As British drinkers learn to experiment more, and American craft breweries run out of ideas, the two will overlap to a greater extent – but are either of those things really likely? Time will tell, but in the meantime all of us are going to be able to choose between an increasingly interesting beer scene (wherever we live), which is surely good news for everybody.

This Year’s Top 7 Craft Beer Trends (Blogcritics)

We never thought that we’d make it all the way to fifty podcasts – and if you’ve listened to our first few then probably you didn’t either – but here we are. Three years and 181 beers later and we’re having a mini celebration in honour of our half century. We thought long and hard about what to do for a 50th show, eventually deciding on the popular ‘bring a beer’ theme, only with a more explosive feel to it. Podcast regulars Richard, MrB, Shovels and Grooben were tasked with sourcing an unusual, rare or liver-trembling beer to put to the panel, and the results were pretty spectacular.

We ended up with (literally) some real corkers, as we begin with Grooben’s offering – Neuzeller Anti-Aging Bier (4.8%) from Germany, containing specific ingredients to actually make you younger. Apparently. Next up was Richard’s choice – the limited edition BrewDog Abstrakt AB:01 (10.2%), a vanilla bean-infused Belgian-style quad from Fraserburgh’s finest. Third on the podcast was Sierra Nevada Estate 2009 (6.7%). Provided by Shovels, this wet-hopped ale is pretty rare this side of the Atlantic. Finally MrB rounds things off in enormous fashion, unveiling Brasserie d’Achouffe’s Big Chouffe Anno 2010 (8.0%), a magnum of their famed La Chouffe blond ale. Thanks to all for providing, and special thanks to everybody who has downloaded, listened to, or commented on one of our podcasts over the years. Here’s to fifty more!

1. Neuzeller Anti-Aging Bier (4.8%abv)
Klosterbrauerei Neuzelle GmbH, Neuzelle, Brandenburg, Germany. 500ml glass bottle

There are well-established health benefits of drinking good beer – the high levels of Vitamin B6 can protect against heart disease, for example – but the claims on a bottle of Neuzeller Anti-Aging Bier (4.8%) take things even further. Several bizarre-sounding adjuncts have been added, resulting in an elixir of youth – this beer actually claims to make you younger (although this may be as a result of the beer acting on the antioxidant Vitamin E in the body). Flavonoids are naturally found in hops, but by adding more in their beer Klosterbrauerei are really pushing the anti-carcinogen properties of the nation’s favourite drink. But just when you’re sold on the idea, discovering the beer has algae added as well sounds very strange, and when a quick check of their website reveals Klosterbrauerei also make a Badebier – ‘bath beer’ – ”for outside application as bath salts and for internal application as a beverage”, then the mind really boggles.

What They Say -
“We have now formulated an “anti-aging” beer. Having consulted with several universities and health institutes, our beer contains: Water from hotsprings, rich in minerals, flavonoids, beer (malt, water, hop, yeast), and spirulina (Algae).” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Shovels - I quite like that, it reminds me of Erdinger Dunkel 8
Grooben - I wanted to find something completely different! 7
Richard - Smells a bit portery but with that extra vegetable hint that must be the algae 6½
MrB - Presumably all other beer is pro-aging? 6

2. BrewDog Abstrakt AB:01 (10.2%abv)
BrewDog Ltd, Fraserburgh, Scotland. 750ml glass bottle

BrewDog are without doubt the most talked-about brewery in Scotland, with their charismatic press releases and wacky ideas. Not afraid to experiment, at times they produce some fantastic beers – and at others some pretty duff ones. But there’s no denying they always elicit strong opinions. What is often overlooked amidst all the hoo-hah over 41% beers and Portman Group-baiting is that they have only been going for just over three years. The first BrewDog brew rolled off the Kessock plant lines in April 2007 – which by a rather neat co-incidence was the exact month the BeerCast began as well. So with that in mind, and given the numerous BrewDog beers featured over the years on these pages and podcasts, it would be remiss of us not top try their newest (at time of press) offering – the limited edition Abstrakt AB:01, the first of a new concept brand from the Aberdeenshire duo.

What They Say -
“Abstrakt will only ever brew and release a beer once. BrewDog’s Abstrakt is about exciting, progressive and conceptual beers, beers which not only push the boundaries but smash them up completely.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
MrB - The first taste was lovely, it’s like a Belgian tripel 8½
Richard - Sweet full mouthfeel but the alcohol balances it out 8½
Shovels - Subtle for BrewDog, not much aftertaste apart from alcohol 8½
Grooben - It’s got sweetness but I wouldn’t have guessed vanilla 7

3. Sierra Nevada Estate (2009) (6.7%abv)
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, Chico, California, USA.
710ml glass bottle (24oz US)

Sierra Nevada are one of the cornerstones of American craft brewing, and as a result have almost unrivalled access to types and strains of hops. Hailing from California, their mighty reach spreads all the way to the hopgrounds of Washington State, where they conduct research into new strains and varieties. They also like to experiment, and a few years ago came up with the idea of brewing a seasonal ale using only freshly-picked hops, rather than waiting for dried or using a combination of dried and fresh. This ‘wet hop’ ale is produced every Autumn, and as you’d expect has a pretty hefty hop whack about it. We sampled the 2009 Estate vintage, purchased from the excellent UtoBeer stall in London’s Borough Market, which only contains ingredients sourced from the Sierra Nevada estate in Chico.

What They Say -
“This Estate Ale is rich with the flavors of the valley—featuring hops with earthy, grapefruit-like flavors and layered spicy aromas and barley with mild sweetness and smooth, toasted flavors. Together, these crops grow alongside the brewery to make a truly unique brew.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Richard - It’s wonderful, there’s a little bit of a spicy edge to it 9
Shovels - More IPA than double IPA, really hoppy but not overpowering 9
MrB - Has extra bitterness compared to sweeter Torpedo IPA 9
Grooben - There’s no way I’m not going to like this 9

4. La Chouffe Big Chouffe (8.0%abv)
Brasserie d’Achouffe, Achouffe, Houffalize, Wallonia, Belgium.
1500ml glass bottle (magnum)

Grape lovers will possibly know the fact that a magnum is 2 standard bottles of wine, or 1½ litres for the metric types amongst us. In Belgium – as pretty much every grain lover knows – they do things just a little bit bigger and better, so why not have a magnum of beer? Brasserie d’Achouffe’s bending gnome (‘Chouffe’ in Walloon dialect) grins out from beer fridges and bottle-shop shelves throughout the beery world. Their flagship 8% blond ale La Chouffe is released every year in a hefty magnum, which is branded Big Chouffe, and has a customised alternate label drawn by a famous comic artist. The 2010 vintage collected by MrB (from the Brasserie itself, in person, no less) was illustrated by Johan de Moor, son of legendary Belgian cartoonist Bob de Moor.

What They Say -
“La Chouffe is an unfiltered blonde beer, which is refermented in the bottle as well as the keg. It is pleasantly fruity, spiced with coriander, and with a light hop taste.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
MrB - Had it on draught and liked it, it’s just as good in the bottle 8
Richard - I can taste the coriander and cloves in there 7½
Grooben - Doesn’t taste 8%, I give it an extra point for the bottle 7
Shovels - I usually have a problem with Belgian beers because of the alcohol strength, but it’s drinkable for a wheat beer 7

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

BeerCast panel verdict
Sierra Nevada Estate 2009 (36/40)
BrewDog Abstrakt AB:01 (32½/40)
Brasserie d’Achouffe Big Chouffe (29½/40)
Neuzeller Anti-Aging Bier (27½/40)

Stay tuned for our next podcast, as we get back into the more regular swing of things with BeerCast #51, an episode revolving around some of the other things MrB brought back from his trip to Alsace and Belgium ….

As we rapidly approach our 50th podcast, we’ve decided to throw number 49 over to that homebrewing raconteur MrB – he was briefed to find four or five (he found five) beers that would get us talking. He’s certainly come back with an interesting selection, and we begin the MrBCast with a small-scale Scottish producer and end with an American giant. Our first beer is Ale of Atholl (4.5%) from the Moulin Inn Brewery in Pitlochry, one of the first microbreweries in Scotland. We then sample another from our home country, Larbert’s Tryst Brewery Raj IPA (5.5%), located a couple of miles from MrB’s birthplace. Our third beer is the start of the American ales – Odell’s Cutthroat Porter (4.8%), named after the state fish of Colorado. Next it’s the first canned beer to be sampled on the BeerCast - Caldera IPA (6.1%) from Ashland, Oregon. We end the podcast with a bang; Dogfish Head’s wood-aged brown ale Palo Santo Marron (12.0%). Joining MrB are Richard, Shovels and Grooben, and as Grooben says - expect “the most hoptastic, hoppiest hopcast that ever hopped”.

1. Ale of Atholl (4.5%abv)
Moulin Inn Brewery, Pitlochry, Perth and Kinross. 500ml glass bottle

The Moulin Inn dates from 1695 and was originally a coach house for services between Pitlochry and Kirkmichael. The brewery was established in 1995 and were therefore one of the first microbreweries in Scotland. Their first beers were called simply A and B, and were priced at 50p a pint in the pub. Holding a competition for more inspiring names, a local won a bottle of whisky for suggesting Ale of Atholl, a Geographic pun on the Inn’s location.

** Unfortunately the Moulin Inn’s offering may have been off – there were strange aromas and tastes coming from the bottle that didn’t really seem intentional. We carried on reviewing and scoring it, but may have to get another bottle of Ale of Atholl to get a true reflection on it’s taste. **

What They Say -
“The name of this full-bodied, mellow, red-coloured ale is a pun on the Vale of Atholl, which lies close to Moulin Village.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Grooben - It doesn’t taste quite right to me 4
Richard – May be a good beer under there, too much tartness 3
MrB - This isn’t their best beer by a long shot 3
Shovels - There’s a hint of raspberries and vinegar about it 2

2. Raj IPA (5.5%abv)
Tryst Brewery, Larbert, Stirlingshire. 500ml glass bottle

Falkirk’s Tryst Brewery grew from the ashes of another producer, as the closure of Manchester’s Berkley Brewery saw their gear bought by enthusiastic homebrewer John McGarva and relocated to Scotland. He’d taken a chance when the twin co-incidences of prospective downsizing at work and part-time work in a brewpub gave him serious thoughts of a career change. Tryst began life on an industrial estate in Larbert in 2004, initially concentrating on cask ales, they now put out a range of bottle-conditioned beers.

What They Say -
“This India Pale Ale marks a slight change in direction of Tryst Ales, away from low alcohol session ales to rather more substantial and serious Real Ale. This IPA is hopped with three popular British hops to produce a deep lingering taste, complementing the underlying malts for a memorable pint.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Richard - Got a fantastic tropical fruit/mango aroma 8½
Grooben - Fruity but it packs a real bitterness though 8
MrB - It’s fruity rather than floral for an IPA 8
Shovels - Smells golden, tastes really very good indeed 8

3. Cutthroat Porter (4.8%abv)
Odell Brewing Co, Fort Collins, Colorado. 355ml glass bottle

In 1989 Doug Odell decided to take his passion for home brewing into something more commercial (like John McGarva a few years later). Together with his wife Wynne they left Seattle (where Doug had been brewing in his kitchen) and moved to Colorado to be nearer to his sister Corkie and start a brewery together. This they did in that same year, producing beer for the thirsty college town. In 1996 they acquired the facility to bottle their output, and shipped across the United States. They have a large range of English-style classics and seasonals, with a special oak-aged series running from 2007 thanks to the arrival of some Kentucky oak barrels.

What They Say -
“Not quite a stout but definitely no lightweight, Cutthroat Porter is smooth and robust. Inspired by the classic London porters, we use dark roasted malts to create a deep, rich color and flavor [sic] that hint at chocolate and coffee.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Richard - A little bit roasty, not much coffee, it’s good to see an American brewery showing some restraint 7½
MrB - A great session porter with no Lactose sweetness 7½
Shovels - In a porter podcast this would be right up there 7
Grooben - I’m not sold on it, it doesn’t punish the mouth, it doesn’t excite me enough 6

4. Caldera IPA (6.1%abv)
Caldera Brewing, Ashland, Oregon. 355ml aluminium can

Caldera produced their first brew on the 4th of July 1997, after having been incorporated as a company in March the previous year. For their first eight years they concentrated on draught beers until June 2005 when the question of distribution arose. Unlike Odell, Tryst and Moulin they decided to go for cans – reasons why include portability, cost, refrigeration, and the elimination of oxidation. Caldera like to use plenty of hops in their products (which is presumably what attracted MrB), taking advantage of the ideal growing conditions in the Pacific Northwest.

What They Say - “An American-style India Pale Ale brewed with plenty of body and an assertive hop profile. Malts: Premium Two Row, Munich, Crystal. Hops: Crystal, Galena, Centennial.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
MrB - One of the primary reasons this is so good for me is it’s 6% and almost sessiony, you could really drink a few of these 10
Shovels - On taste I prefer Ruination IPA, on drinkability I prefer this 9
Grooben - Really good, it’s got expertly balanced IPA flavours 9
Richard - Flowery and smooth with a pine aftertaste, any way you cut it this is a great beer 9

5. Pablo Santo Marron (12.0%abv)
Dogfish Head, Milton, Delaware. 355ml glass bottle

One of the pillars of the American craft brewing scene, Dogfish Head were founded by Sam Calagione in 1995 in the Delaware town of Milton. They revel in the unpredictable, producing beers with unusual ingredients – one of which was a green beer called Verdi Verdi Good - naturally coloured by blue-green algae Spirulina. Their signature line are their IPA’s – 60, 90 and 120 minute IPA, referring to the length of time hops are added to the wort. They also have a rare 75 minute IPA, which is a mix of 60 and 90 with maple syrup. We reviewed their astonishing 90min IPA here – today we’re sampling their wood-aged monster brown ale Pablo Santo Marron.

What They Say - “Big Brown Ale aged on palo santo wood from Paraguay. This beer is a 12% abv, highly roasty, and malty brown ale aged on the wood of the Palo Santo tree from Paraguay. Palo Santo means “holy tree” and it’s wood has been used in South American wine-making communities. We were lucky enough to get our hands on 20 blocks of the super-dense wood and the wood was added to the ageing tank after fermentation.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
MrB - It’s like a fortified beer for sipping and appreciating 7
Richard - Sweetness is more confectionary than caramel 6½
Grooben - Got a sherry thing going on, I got a slam of alcohol at the end, but it’s just too sweet for my personal tastes 5
Shovels - I have a sweet tooth and that’s too sweet for me 4

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

BeerCast panel verdict
Caldera IPA (37/40)
Tryst Raj IPA (32½/40)
Odell Cutthroat Porter (28/40)
Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron (22½/40)
Moulin Ale of Atholl (12/40)

Next up is a true milestone as we reach BeerCast #50. Not many of us expected to still be recording beer podcasts three years after we started, but we have reached our half century. We’ll be doing something special, with some one-off celebration beers. Stay tuned, and thanks to everyone who has downloaded or followed us over the years…

In 1990 a small brewpub opened in the Rocky Mountain town of Aspen, home to plenty of thirsty outdoor enthusiasts. The first such establishment in Aspen for over 100 years, Flying Dog were named after the subject of a painting seen on the wall of a hotel in Pakistan. Apparently George Stranahan and Richard McIntyre had seen this picture when on a poorly-planned mountaineering trip to the Himalayas. Loving the ‘can-do’ attitude of a dog attempting to fly, they set up the brewpub several years later - and it also took off in spectacular fashion. Today they are based in Denver but all production takes place in Maryland, where their distinctive Ralph Steadman labelled bottles roll off a 50,000 barrel plant.

Flying Dog Double Dog is a Double Pale Ale ‘double hopped with insane amounts of Columbus, Warrior and Cascade hops’. At 11.5% and 85IBU’s it’s going to be full-on, without any doubt. It pours with a very fast dispersing head to leave only a thin lacing around the very edges of the glass. The colour is really something, a deep hazy raspberry red, with plenty of sediment slowly swirling around. The aroma - as you’d expect - is very heavy alcohol, spices, almost a touch of cloves, alongside the hops. The taste is extremely strong alcohol, roast fruit, prunes - almost a barley wine, although it’s not quite as chewy. The high alcohol combines with the massive overpowering hops to make it extremely bitter indeed, with a long astringency that reminded me of dark chocolate (although without the chocolate flavours, of course). It’s challenging to drink, without doubt. Rewarding? Maybe. It’s a taste I’ll need to acquire in order to go back, I think.