The BeerCast

The arrival of tailbacks on the roads and wasps in the parks can mean only one thing – Spring is here. After enduring months of snow, sleet, winds and haar (something we say every year, only this time it actually happened) the weather is taking a turn for the better. Here in Scotland that means average highs in the mid-teens Celsius. So while we all rush to reveal that pale flesh and stick another white pudding on the barbie, beer sales traditionally rocket.

So what to drink? Clearly, avoiding macrolager is the only decent option. But there are so many alternatives out there, it can be something of a muddle. That’s why we’ve compiled another BeerCast guide – to the best of the Spring/Summer seasonals. Just because it’s time to rush to the nearest beer garden/park/roadside verge, doesn’t mean there can’t be a good beer involved somewhere along the line. So put down that oak-aged imperial blackcurrant porter, and pick up a golden session ale. (Whisper it) – it’s not always about the abv…

Cask
If you manage to get yourself into that rarest of things – a sunny Scottish beer garden – then what should you select after wandering, blinking, into the pub (which will still have a roaring open fire)? Light, golden beer has a great tradition north of the border, stretching back to the days of Edinburgh Pale Ale and beyond. There are plenty of modern-day equivalents, such as the peerless Fyne Ales Avalanche. Hoppy, refreshing and unbelievably drinkable – it’s the perfect beer garden pint.

Along the same lines, Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted is another corker – one of only two beers from Scotland to win Champion Beer of Britain. A very rare sighting on cask, but Williams Brothers Ceilidh is tremendous when served this way, the slight spicy edge from the bottle mellowing really well on cask. Other great quenchers include Strathaven Summer Glow, Deeside Nechtan and Stewart Brewing Forth Mist – a really underrated wheat beer.

Bottle
The beauty of bottles is of course the fact that they are portable. Until Scotland truly embraces the canned beer revolution that (if you look very, very hard) is taking place, then the bottle is the best option. Alfresco drinking here usually involves either one of Scotland’s great exports to the world – Irn Bru – or one of the big imports – Buckfast. But if beer is on your wishlist, then dig out that opener and wander along to the nearest green space, with a clinking carrier bag of…

Cairngorm Trade Winds, which has a touch of elderflower to give it that distinctive summery flavour – in my humble opinion it’s one of the few beers that tastes just as good from a bottle as on cask. Inveralmond Ossian is another golden thirstbuster, as is Williams Brothers Harvest Sun. We adore Fyne Ales Jarl here on the BeerCast – but stablemate Hurricane Jack was also bottled for the first time recently, and is just as good. Finally, to rival Trade Winds – what about a bottle of Tryst Blathan? Another zesty elderflower beer that translates as ‘little blossom’ – what could be more Springlike?

Keg
Yikes. Keg beer. Well, the majority are pretty much made for good weather – easy drinking, crisp and refreshing, high carbonation. Obviously we’re not going to recommend drinking Fosters, but if something cold is on your radar then what about the two kings of Scottish kegged lager – Harviestoun Schiehallion and Black Isle Organic Blonde? Either would be much more preferable, surely.

Also on the cooler, fizzier side of things we have Stewart Brewing Edinburgh Gold, which has made recent appearances in the capital on keg. Heading along the M8, WEST Hefeweizen is a clovey, banana delight – particularly when drunk outside the Templeton brewery watching the ‘goings on’ in Glasgow Green. Finally, keg fans would be foaming (artificially) at the mouth if we didn’t mention BrewDog – their re-styled, reduced but much improved Punk IPA would make any sunny afternoon much the better.

So what are your ideal summer thirst quenchers? As we move into Easter long weekends and Royal Wedding holidays, what will you be reaching for? South of the border there are many great golden-esque ales that fit the bill – Pictish Brewer’s Gold, York Guzzler, Thornbridge Kipling, Purity Pure Gold, St Peter’s Golden Ale, Ossett Pale Gold etc etc

So many beers…so little sunshine. Drink up!

The concept of seasonality is now one of the hallmarks of modern cooking, pushed to the general public by the ranks of TV chefs and foodie magazines. Everything has a ‘time of year’, whether it’s the British asparagus, salty samphire, or humble mackerel (as one BeerCaster asked for in a fancy Edinburgh fishmonger’s, only to be embarrassed in front of a queue of shoppers when told there were none in the sea at that time of year). But can this approach be transferred to beer? Hops are seasonal, certainly, but after the harvest they can be dried and used at any time. It’s down to the styles and types of beer that can be varied depending on what the calendar says.

Now that Autumn is on us, it’s time to change the attitude and go for something different. The long summer (or in our case, short summer) is over, so the time for light hoppy pale ales is over. No need for urgent, tingling refreshment on a hot day now the clocks have gone back (or forward, as I put mine by mistake). Autumn brings crunchy leaves, darker nights, cool windy afternoons – and should be celebrated by the glorious British bitter. There can’t be another brewing nation on earth that can put out a finer nutty, foaming brown ale than us Brits – and now’s the time to partake.

So until the winter arrives and we all move on to warming stouts and porters, and then Christmas beers with alcohol and spice (before celebrating the return of Spring with zesty golden ales), take time out for a fruity, toffee-ish best bitter. Let the rich mouthfeel and malt characteristics reward you after that long Autumnal walk, or spot of Christmas Shopping (it’s never to early – and most breweries have online stores). Here are five choice Scottish beers for the season – Bitters, Ruby Ales, ESB’s, Amber Ales – all styles are well suited to this time of year. As we head towards November – have a seasonal beer on us.

1. Maverick (4.2%abv)
Fyne Ales, Cairndow, Argyll.
Classic fruity mahogany ale from BeerCast favourites Fyne Ales.

2. Red Kite (4.2%abv)
Black Isle Brewery, Munlochy, Black Isle.
Technically an amber ale, organically brewed north of Inverness.

3. Red Squirrel (3.9%abv)
Arran Brewery, Brodick, Isle of Arran.
Nutty, malty beer that donates to Red Squirrel charities on Arran.

4. St Magnus Ale (4.5%abv)
Highland Brewing Company, Swannay, Orkney.
Another nutty one, but with more roast than the Red Squirrel.

5. Red MacGregor (4.0%abv)
Sinclair Orkney Brewery, Quoyloo, Orkney.
Fruity ruby ale, current silver medal Champion Beer of Scotland.

(looking slightly further afield, five English beers that would go down very well on an Autumn evening are Bath Ales Barnstormer, York’s Yorkshire Terrier, Bristol Beer Factory No.7, Fuller’s ESB, and Daleside Old Leg Over).

Organic foods are fast becoming big business, as choice conscious shoppers flock to farmer’s markets and upmarket shops for the fancier ingredients and the healthier foods grown naturally. Marketing is pushing organic products more than ever before, and beer is no exception. The Soil Association apply their sought-after logo to alcohol as well as fruit and veg – providing of course it’s comprised of only rigorously-grown malt, hops and barley. With that in mind, the BeerCast got hold of four very different organic beers to see if the environmentally kind production process transferred to the taste.

Firstly, we sample a self-styled ’boutique lager’ from West Sussex, apparently named after a 6th Century Persian King – Hakhamanesh Organic Lager (5.0%). Then we head into session ale territory with Brakspear’s Oxford Gold (4.6%), before returning to BeerCast roots north of the border in the form of Black Isle’s Organic Porter (4.5%). Our fourth and final beer is Duchy Originals Select Ale (6.2%), part-compiled with the help of Prince Charles’s Highgrove-grown organic barley. On the panel this week – Grooben, Richard, Shovels (back from Austria), and our second debutant in two editions – The Hopmeister, aka Tom, who grew up near Highgrove and shares his opinions of Prince Charles. And what opinions they are…

1. Hakhamanesh Organic Beer (5.0%abv)
Hepworth & Co, Horsham, West Sussex.
330ml glass bottle

Boutique beers don’t usually feature on the BeerCast – but an organic lager wrapped in paper, and apparently named after ancient Persian nobility was just too interesting to pass up. Sadly we never found out exactly why the beer was so-named, but the Sussex outfit of Hepworth & Co opened in 2000 after their brewers left the nearby Kings & Barnes concern to go solo. They brew a range of cask and bottled ales, and in 2004 started production on their fully certified organic lager, Hakhamanesh.

What They Say – “A truly elegant beer – Hakhamanesh Organic Beer is a lager brewed using traditional methods and only contains water, barley malt, hops, and yeast, with no additives and no preservatives.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Shovels – Too much faff for a beer, but it’s not bad 6
Richard – Somehow got an odd banana taste to it 5
Tom – Soapy and flat, reminds me of Miller 4
Grooben – A London Ooh La La boutique beer 4

2. Brakspear Oxford Gold (4.6%abv)
Wynchwood Brewery, Witney, Oxfordshire.
500ml glass bottle

Oxfordshire’s great old Brakspear brewery closed in 2002, after stretching back into the 18th Century. For a time, their beers were produced under licence by Burtonwood in Cheshire – but now they are again brewed in Oxfordshire by Wynchwood (of Hobgoblin fame). So the ‘Original taste of Oxfordshire’ (since 1779) is back in the correct county. The Witney site produces all kinds of brews for the various companies (and we’ll be coming back to it later), but they turn out an organic ale for Brakspear that goes out on cask and in bottles – Oxford Gold. The BeerCast team like a session ale or two, how would this one fare?

What They Say – “A multiple award-winning beer made with organic Target hops to give it a remarkable aroma. Late hopping with Goldings and fermentation by the Brakspear yeast creates a remarkably zesty aroma, a full fruity flavour and a golden colour.” [Official Website] “A copper ale with a rich orange and apricot aroma. The taste is fairly bitter with lots of fruity, tangy hops (more orange and apricot) and a spicy overlay. Dry, bitter, tangy hop finish.” [Good Bottled Beer Guide]

What We Say…
Richard – Almost a wheatbeer taste to it 7
Shovels – The taste disappears at the back of the mouth 6½
Grooben – Decent session beer, but a bit thin 6
Tom – If you got fired into four of these you’d be rocking 5

3. Black Isle Organic Porter (4.5%abv)
Black Isle Brewery, Munlochy, Ross-shire.
500ml glass bottle

The first organic beer ever sampled on the BeerCast was the excellent Caledonian Golden Promise, tasted in our debut podcast, way back in June 2007. But Scotland has some other organic beers – and taking the lead are the Black Isle brewery. Located just north of Inverness, they are totally organic, as all their beers and production methods meet Soil Association standards. Originally an award-winning cask ale called Wagtail, their Organic Porter has been winning fans up and down the country. We love a good porter here at BeerCast HQ – so what will we make of this one?

What They Say – “A dark ruby porter with a mellow, biscuity, coffee nose. The taste is creamy and coffeeish but bittersweet, with a restrained hoppy fruitiness behind and a bitter, roasted finish.” [The Good Bottled Beer Guide]

What We Say…
Tom – I quite like it, it’s licqouricey 7
Grooben – Got that coffee thing going, a good quality porter 7
Richard – Dark smoky taste – it’s very good indeed 7
Shovels – Tasty yet not as think as other porters 7

4. Duchy Originals Select Ale (6.2%abv)
Wynchwood Brewery, Witney, Oxfordshire.
500ml glass bottle

Back to Witney for our final ale – when not rescuing Brakspear (not to mention making their own beers) the busy people at the Wynchwood brewery also find time to produce organic beers for the Duchy Originals range, as championed by the Prince of Wales. Part of the recipe involves plumage archer barley, grown on the Prince’s Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire, and profits from the sale of this range of foods and drinks goes to his Charities Foundation – which to date has raised over £6m for rural good causes. Will the panel be in a charitable mood over his beer?

What They Say – “Duchy Originals Select Ale is slowly brewed in the traditional way, using a blend of the finest UK organic hops, rye, oats, and Plumage Archer barley which is harvested from organic farms including the Home Farm at Highgrove. This exclusive recipe produces a full-bodied ruby ale with dried fruit and toffee flavours balanced with the refreshing bitter citrus notes of the specially selected English hops.” [Label Tasting Notes]

What We Say…
Richard – Not as exciting as it should be given the abv 6
Shovels – Tastes slightly strong, slightly fruity 6
Grooben – It’s quite nice, got a toffee aftertaste 6
Tom – Nice on the first gulp but becomes wishy-washy 4

BeerCast panel verdict

Black Isle Porter – 28/40
Brakspear Oxford Gold – 24½/40
Duchy Originals Select Ale – 22/40
Hakhamanesh Lager – 19/40

Panellists – (from top left) Shovels, The Hopmeister, Grooben, Richard

• Listen to the episode here: BeerCast #13 – Organic Special
• Subscribe to the podcasts in iTunes or our site feed

We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with another episode. Stay tuned for details…and please leave us comments on the blog or iTunes, or emails. Cheers!

Old Engine Oil not pictured

As soon as we decided to divide our beery adventures into country-specific chunks, we could only really start in one place. With over eighty years of cumulative ale drinking between us, Scotland had to be the first stop. The four beers chosen for the debut edition are from some of the most respected brewers to be found here. But they have some standards to live up to – their predecessors have been producing beer for over 5,000 years. Before the hop era dawned, they were using heather and herbs as main ingredients. Afterwards, the industry prospered – in 1509 Aberdeen had over 150 brewers, all of them women (the original Alewives). When joined to England in the 1707 ‘Act of Union’, taxes on Scottish beer were reduced dramatically, and taxes on Malt removed completely. Brewing flourished, and Scottish beer drinkers still enjoy the results today.

1. Three Sisters Scottish Ale (4.2%abv)
The Atlas Brewery, Kinlochleven.
500ml glass bottle

The Atlas Brewery sits on the site of an old aluminium smelter in the town of Kinlochleven, a few miles south of the Highland town of Fort WIlliam. The brewery was founded on the site after it ended its 75 years of production, in 2002. Using local water with five varieties of imported hops, they have several seasonal beers and three favourites – Latitude, Nimbus, and Three Sisters Ale. The latter is named after a mountain range in nearby Glencoe. You can contract Atlas to brew a personal beer for you, which they will produce to your specifications and either bottle or put in kegs before delivering it to your door.

What They Say – “A lightly malted beer with a short, hoppy, bitter finish.” [The Good Beer Guide]; “A dark, fruity, refreshing ale with chocolate and crystal malts to give it a dark ruby colour, and a characteristic toasty and liquorice flavour.” [Atlas Brewery]

What We Say – “It’s bitter but flavoursome, smells malty, tastes malty. It gets better the warmer it gets.” [Shovels]; “First off it smells of whisky, but it tastes darker than it looks. It’s a grower, not a pub beer as it’s got a strong taste – but it’s nice.” [Mr B]; “It tastes of chocolate, but is very bitter – and it doesn’t keep it’s head. It’s an acquired taste, not immediately drinkable. Not really sure I like it.” [Richard]

2. Old Engine Oil Dark Beer (6%abv)
Harviestoun Brewery, Alva.
330ml glass bottle

Originially sited in a 200yr old stone barn, Harviestoun now produce their wares in a modern site on an Industrial Estate in central Scotland. They have been lavished with awards, the undoubted pundit’s favourite being Schiehallion, which has won seven CAMRA British champion medals in the nine years it has been produced. They won the Champion Beer of Britain in 2003 for Bitter and Twisted. Their brewery is sited in Alva, a small town of 5000 in the foot of the Ochil Mountains, near Stirling. It was founded by Ken Brooker, a former worker at Ford’s Dagenham motor plant – hence the name given to their darkest product.

What They Say – “A near black brew with a silky-smooth rummy aroma, a coffee-ish palate, and a suggestion of the darkest chocolate.” [Beer Hunter]; “The palate is full and malty, with dark burnt fruits and the promised liquorice and chocolate in abundance, with a slightly wine-gum-like quality offset by a bracing coffeeish hop bitterness.” [Oxford Bottled Beer Database]; “Strong and dark but wickedly, wickedly smooth. Chocolate dominates the flavour, which is nicely balanced by the bitterness of the hops. A delicious “after dinner” beer which leaves a bittersweet aftertaste to savour.” [Harviestoun Brewery]

What We Say – “Not fruity at all, there’s all kinds of things going on. Jet black – there’s no light coming through it. Big coffee/liquorice flavour.” [Richard]; “It really looks like oil, it’s blacker than Guinness. Very syrupy – it’s stronger than the last one.” [Shovels]; “It doesn’t smell of anything much, but there’s a bit hit on the back of the tongue. I get some rummyness and coffee – it’s nice.” [Mr B]

3. Arran Blonde Premium Beer (5%abv)
The Arran Brewery, Brodick.
500ml glass bottle

There are only 621 people in Brodick, but they are lucky to have a brewery right on their doorsteps. Arran (not to be confused with the sweater-loving Aran in Ireland) is Britain’s ninth largest island, an hour’s ferry ride from the mainland. Production started in early 2000, and now outputs 200 barrels a week, plus additional bottles for the busy supermarket trade. They have an amber ale, a malty dark, and a hoppy blonde in their range – the last one of these was sampled by the panel.

What They Say – “Arran Blonde has a floral hop and new mown grass aroma, the taste is well balanced with citric fruit and a good hop character. A clear tasting pale golden beer in a continental style.” [Arran Brewery]; “A hoppy beer with a substantial fruit balance, the finish is increasingly bitter. Aromatic, it drinks below it’s weight.” [The Good Beer Guide]

What We Say – “One of my favourite beers. Not as nice a smell as others, but easy to drink quite a lot of this in a night.” [Mr B]; “Hoppy, not malty. It looks like a lager and goes down much easier than the other two. It’s my favourite so far.” [Richard]; “This is quite tasty, despite the smell. It’s better than any lager out there.” [Shovels]

4. Black Isle Organic B.C. Wheat Beer (4.5%abv)
Black Isle Organic Brewery, Munlochy
500ml glass bottle

Whilst Arran is an island (and two islands if you count Irish Aran), the Black Isle isn’t. Surrounded on three sides by water (the Moray, Cromarty and Beauly Firths), the other side is a river. North of the highland capital Inverness, the Black Isle Organic Brewing Corporation started in 1998, and are based in an 18th Century building. They only use locally malted organic barley and wheat, and four of their six regular beers are bottle conditioned – live yeast ferments for a second time after production, resulting in a thicker brew with some sediment, but also more taste.

What They Say – “A semi-cloudy Belgian-style wheat beer brewed with orange and coriander. Delicious served with mussels and crusty bread.” [Black Isle Brewery]

What We Say – “It smells like a root vegetable, tingles the top of the mouth.” [Shovels]; “There’s a cooked garden pea/cabbagey smell to it – but it’s very refreshing. If you get the dregs it’s a bit chunky.” [Mr B]; “This smells quite bad, and it looks like bathwater. But it’s really good.” [Richard] *

* We found during tasting that we were actually drinking a bottle almost three months out of date. This possibly made it taste better, but smell worse…

So based on the three-member panel, it would seem Arran Blonde came out a clear favourite. Join us next time for the other five Scottish beers in the second half of Episode 1 – a similar range from lighter ales to darker stouts. Stay tuned for the debut BeerCast podcast, reaching the airwaves as soon as it’s been edited and compressed into something worth listening to (hopefully). Also, coming very shortly – our special post on the first BeerSnack tested. Tried along with the Black Isle Wheat Beer, as promised in the previous post it’s the most famous British beer snack ever. It is, of course, the humble pork scratching. Deserving of it’s own entry here, find out what they are, how they are made, and whether we liked them. (I’ll give you a hint – all the panellists totally agreed on that last aspect).

Until then, enjoy your beer.

Panellists – Mr B, Shovels, Richard