The BeerCast

Last week, this article by Ben McFarland in the Guardian raised a thunderous outpouring of torrentious bile. Ben, the current BGBW Beer Writer of the Year, suggested – in an article I’m guessing was more than slightly tongue in cheek – that it was time to maybe, possibly, get rid of the nonic pint glass from British pubs. As of today, 553 comments later, presumably Ben’s face is up behind every pub counter in the land (or on the dartboard). As much as the shining lights of the blogeratti like to push the ‘snifter of DIPA, and keep the change from the fiver’ attitude, it seems comments like these show the ‘craft’ message is still very much in the minority. Just think if this article had appeared in the Daily Mail…

“Stick to your little bottles and leave the men to it, son”

Unsurprisingly, the spector of manliness pervaded much of the commentary. This person clearly has never chewed his way through a 22floz bottle of Stone Arrogant Bastard. In fact, they would probably never even consider drinking something served in fluid ounces.

“I’m sick to death of identikit pubs with a ‘wide range’ of over-hopped, yellow, ‘craft ales’ made by micro-breweries run by ex-bankers”

Ahh, the other c-word. Whether or not something is craft is something that will run and run, as long as we have no rigid definition on this side of the Atlantic. Also, the longer the financial crisis lasts, the more unemployed bankers will be out there – so this scenario could be eerily prophetic.

“Now everybody including men has to drink from what used to be called “a lady’s glass”? Another sign of the progressive feminization of British society led by London NW1 trendies and health fascists”

Where to begin with this one? Under what circumstances was a “lady’s glass” used? By the wives in their unheated side room, away from the men in the snug? Clearly, someone here fears for their masculinity. They probably also live in London.

“I can’t stand these new Beer Connoisseurs. They are such a collection of bores. They tried to do the same to tea back in the 1990s. It worked for a while before everyone realised a tea bag in a cup is all they wanted. Give me a pint of cheap beer in a pub in an old fashioned pint glass, end of story. Why are people ashamed of it?”

It’s not really the beer Ben was questioning, more the serving vessel. True story – a friend of mine once tried to make a cup of tea in a pint glass (and a nonic pint glass at that), only to have the whole thing crack in half when he poured the boiling water in. Lessons were learned that day.

“I have to say I hate those fancy wine glasses you get with lagers these days and routinely ask for the plain nonik style tankard. Some of them are over a foot long and prone to falling over. Its like drinking beer from a vase”

I actually agree with this – having once seen three Erdinger bulbed pint glasses topple from a bar. The mess was horrendous. Much better for putting flowers in (if you live in London NW1).

“Your assertion that pints are unappealing is ridiculous, clearly many people (including myself) find them extrememely appealing. A pint is too much? Man up! You’re an adult right? Act like one”

Man up! Great phrase. Particularly when slapping the face of a comatose drinker outside the Dog and Duck at midnight.

“While we are at it why don’t we call WWII a draw and ask the 1966 World Cup squad to hand back their winners medals?”

Ah. Maybe it was the Daily Mail after all…

This week sees the beginning of one of the more keenly anticipated ten-day periods in Edinburgh – the start of the Bow Bar’s annual winter beer festival. From Thursday the 26th the famed Aitken tall founts will be dispensing (via air-pressure) a range of specially invited cask ales, with several kegged beers also appearing. With very probably only a single barrel of each arriving, be sure to keep an eye out for the Bow’s (twitter feed) as new beers come on.

For the uninitiated, the Bow Bar is one of Scotland’s best pubs – a classic, one-room, mirror-lined drinking house. No music or other distractions (unless the rugby’s on), and with literally several hundred whiskies to go for if a nip towards oblivion is required – it’s simply a must-visit if you find yourself in the city. Even if you’re normally a fan of lively pubs with plenty going on, the Bow is all about the drink – and everyone can agree on that, surely?

So what to sample? Looking at the beer list, fans of the hair-curlingly strong stuff (i.e. BeerCasters) will be delighted – in no particular order there should be Highland Old Norway (9.0%), Brodies Superior London Porter (7.3%) and Hoxton IPA (6.6%), Magic Rock Cannonball (7.4%), Fyne Ales Sublime Stout (6.8%), Orkney Skull Splitter (8.5%), Williams Profanity Stout (7.0%) and Thornbridge Yule (7.4%). There’s an afternoon to savour.

Some rare Scottish beers that will certainly be interesting include Stewart Brewing’s Chilli Reekie (6.2%), Broughton Winter Fire (4.2%), and Cairngorm’s German-style rye beer Roggen (4.3%) – all are certainly worth a punt. Cairngorm’s new neighbours Loch Ness Brewing have three ales down on the list, so look out for those. Also it’s heartening to see that Demon Brew at the Prestongrange Gothenburg have resumed production after the tragic death of Roddy Beveridge, with their classic Porter.

From further afield, the new and unusual (which for me is always the best thing about beer festivals) include the Liverpool Craft Beer Co with their 3.8% pale ale Icon, Allendale’s Winter Dunkel (4.6%), and Box Steam’s Funnel Blower Vanilla Porter (4.5%). I’ll also be after Redemption’s kiwi hop-packed Big Chief (5.5%), and the style-bending Ossett Indian Winter Ale (5.0%).

Oh, and Highland brewing’s Bow-exclusive 3.9% citra beer – called simply Citra…

The Bow Bar’s winter festival runs from Thursday 26th January to Sunday 5th February 2012. Check their Twitter feed for up to date information, or their website for directions. We’ll be posting the best of the beers on offer after the festival ends (or maybe during, if there are that many)…

Edinburgh’s oldest pub – Duddingston’s Sheep Heid Inn – re-opened at the end of November following a re-branding and a change of management. Due to it’s location, the Sheep Heid was never really a beer destination – instead, it was very much the place to go for Sunday lunch or following an afternoon stroll through Holyrood Park. Four cask ales on offer were usually interesting enough to make the walk worthwhile, although when you got there you’d either love the decor or hate it.

Since the takeover by Mitchells & Butlers the inside of the pub looks very different – almost all of the clutter has been removed, and more tables have been added to the downstairs. Having been unchanged for so long, it probably did need updating – and the extra space created by moving the ladies toilets has certainly opened up the back (albeit at the expense of the stuffed albino otter). Taxidermy fans have plenty of ram heads to stare at, however.

You only need a few minutes to realise that the Sheep Heid has gone gastro. Slate grey walls, mismatched furniture, easy jazz over the sound system. It used to be that when you walked into the Sheep Heid – whether you liked the dark interior or not – you could appreciate that it was the oldest pub in Scotland. Now, it looks like pretty much any other food-first pub, only with stuffed sheep on the walls. It’s certainly far less relaxing to be in, with only a handful of tables to sit at by the bar.

Pubs that serve good food can – and do – work, however. Particularly if in the past the pub has been known as a place to go for long lunches. On our visit, the food was superb. Other people had been waiting for their meals for an hour and a half, however. Warned at the beginning that this would be the case – and not being in a hurry anyway – thankfully our food arrived much sooner than that. Giving tables with kids free crisps was a nice touch, but with so many tables – have they taken on more than they can handle?

Pubs change – it’s the nature of the business. But they should also play to their strengths. Whether the Sheep Heid dates from 1360 or not, it’s the oldest pub in the city – and the interior should reflect this. Following the M&B takeover, it now looks identical to the Salisbury Arms – another of their Edinburgh pubs. Whilst the old Sheep Heid may have been gloomy – it certainly had character. Now, it looks like any other Scottish country restaurant.

The Sheep Heid website

Landlord Steve (with arm in cast) outside the City Arms

Manchester has no shortage of decent places in which to get a few pints – the Marble Arch is becoming renowned far and wide for its microbrewery, and the Port Street Beer House has a selection that guarantees pretty much anybody will find something to drink. But if you head southwest of these two new institutions, through the small Chinatown and past the art gallery, there’s a classic, two-roomed public house called the City Arms.

Shoehorned in between two other pubs, it looks almost like the smallest brother being forced to line up for a photo. Are there any other places where three sit side-by-side on a quiet city backstreet? The Vine Inn and a large Wetherspoons don’t seem to take away any of the punters – on my visit people were queuing outside on a weekday ready for the noon opening* – and after the bolts were drawn back it got busy fairly quickly.

In part, this is due to the size. The City Arms has two rooms – the rear lounge is sunk down a couple of steps – and both are fairly snug in size. It’s clearly popular with the local office workers – another reason why it gets busy. The beer range is good too, although the pub is tied to Punch, landlord Steve Crook manages to mix and match to get a range of things on the eight handpulls.

Steve’s extremely amiable, and knows my old man well (as he drinks his bodyweight in bitter there every month or so). The three of us had a long chat about various Scottish beers he’s had on, and how they fared with the regulars. During our visit – which coincided with the SIBA Great Northern Beer Festival – Steve was taking an unforced break (if you’ll pardon the pun) from licensee duties, after trapping an arm between two casks in the cellar.

I liked the City Arms immediately – it’s extremely welcoming, the beer is good (I went for a couple of lunchtime-friendly 3.6% pints of Red Squirrel Red Tail) – and most importantly, it feels relaxed. With glass office buildings opposite, not to mention the two hulking neighbours, it would be easy to be crowded out – or worse, overlooked – but the City Arms is a great pub that does everything well, and makes you feel the better for it.

*Ok, admittedly I was at the front of the queue

The City Arms
48 Kennedy Street, Manchester M2 4BQ
Tel: 0161 236 4610

A blogging version of Where’s Wally?

Beer bloggers tend to be a friendly bunch – and by and large get on well with each other (unless someone mentions sparklers, CAMRA, cask v keg, ‘black’ IPA’s, or the Oxford Companion to Beer). As such, each year a large group descend on a beery city and attempt to deplete it of every beer over 6% within a few hours. Last weekend, the latest Twitter-led pissup (Twissup) took place in Newcastle, and the BeerCast made the 90min journey southwards from Edinburgh for the day.

Being a 10am train connecting Scotland and Newcastle, everyone apart from the conductor and ourselves was already drinking – from the lads with the crate of Stella to the young girls downing pink champagne (“Totally – she was proper tonguing him!”). Saving ourselves for the beery delights, we prepped the moleskine notebook and waited for 11:30 – arriving at Bacchus on High Bridge. What an amazing place – forget about the ocean liner décor for a moment (see photo above) – the beer selection was astonishing.

What’s a good late-morning tipple? The 9% Highland Old Norway? 7% Nøgne Ø Porter? 7.4% Black Isle Black Stout? 6% Summer Wine Diablo? Clearly, the chaps at Bacchus knew we were coming. After a couple of warmup beers – including the bespoke house beer from Yorkshire Dales Brewery – Bacchus vs Zeus (3.7%), it was time to catch up with the fellow beer writers, brewers and lucky partners who had made it to the event.

That done, and a few names/faces sorted out, it was off to a brewery for a visit. Tyne Bank started production only six months ago, having been founded by ex-chemical industry worker Julia Austin. Along with head brewer Mark McGarry, they gave us an interesting talk on the formation of Tyne Bank, and their philosophy of production. We also got to try a number of their beers – such as the lovely 5.2% Cherry Oatmeal Stout – the oatmeal really brings the cherry in line nicely. The Monument Bitter was also excellent.

Tour complete, and Julia kindly pointed us in the direction of the Cumberland Arms “You have to go through a bit of a sketchy area, but it’s daylight so you’ll be fine”. What a fantastic place (the pub, not the neighbourhood). An end-row alehouse with the houses having been demolished, it’s like a real-ale island. Gravity dispense, wooden interior, huge range of beer and cider, and a tremendous spicy chicken ciabatta. Even outdoor seating (although it got extremely parky – even for visitors from Scotland).

From the Cumberland, we wandered off and ended up in another great pub – the Free Trade Inn. Firstly, the view along the Tyne was really something. The beers, too, were just as good. Highlights included two from Summer Wine – the marmaladey Covenant and deep roasty Cohort. The amiable Dave Bailey was floating about, so we got an impromptu ‘behind the beer’ story of Hardknott Vitesse Noir – a wonderful 11% vanilla and coffee infused imperial stout.

Also, a mention of Panda & Frog Pandazilla (7%) – produced at the Mordue Brewery as a side project by blogger and assistant brewer Rob. A Cascadian Dark Ale (although we didn’t know that at the time), it was creamy, with plenty of coffee and banana, and big walloping booze hit at the end. Love the pump clip, too. By this time, the Twissup had fragmented a bit, as others went to the Cumberland for food – so we hot-footed in back into town along the river.

Everyone in the UK knows the reputation of Newcastle for being a party town – high heels and coat-free hedonism, whatever the weather. Having never been on a night out there before, I can safely say this is a colossal understatement. I’ve never been anywhere on Earth with a higher concentration of pubs, bars and clubs. It seemed like the whole of England was there, tottering about in their best shoes, or shirts, or both. Drink is the currency in Newcastle. Drink.

A quick trip to the Newcastle Arms – found everyone about to leave again, for somewhere else (but we also found Thornbridge Crux – can they do no wrong?). So us hardy Scots ended up back in Bacchus, piling through the big hitters. At 8pm, beers that seem too much at 11am go down a treat – witness the Old Norway, and Nøgne Ø Porter. Cracking stuff. Home on a deserted train, rejuvenated by the warmth of a Burger King takeout, another Twissup complete. Nineteen new beers in the book, as well – although, clearly, I am not a ticker.

Many thanks to Andy and Mark for sorting out the twissup, not to mention the local bloggers for taking the group under their Geordie wings. Big thanks also to Julia and Mark at Tyne Bank, and to all of the pubs we ended up in during the day. Where next, for Twissup’12?