The BeerCast

The GBBF is Britain’s largest beer festival, and as soon as you step through into the main hall at Earl’s Court you can see why. As mentioned in our previews last week, it’s the sheer scale that makes this a step up from any other festival – hundreds of beers, dozens of bars, thousands of silly hats. It’s very tough to know where to start – so as with other beer festivals a random pick is always good, something to drink while concentrating on the epic programme to pick what to have next.

1. Funfair Dive Bomber (4.6%) Derbyshire

Always a good idea to start with a golden ale, to appreciate the delicate hop aromas and flavours before the stronger things take over. Dive Bomber is certainly golden and subtle – maybe too subtle for me, there’s not much zing there. It’s certainly refreshing for a hot day, which it was outside. A light one to start with.

2. Cains IPA (3.5%) Merseyside

Liverpool’s Cains Brewery were one of the many larger producers who had their own bar at the festival. I’m a fan of their other beers, but had not tried their IPA until I wandered past and decided to give it a go. For a start, it’s copper-coloured, and is very creamy. Very little – if any – hops come through at all. It tastes like a canned bitter rather than an IPA.

3. Salopian Shropshire Gold (3.8%) Shropshire

Salopian are a Shropshire brewery that are new to me, so I decided to go for another light golden ale when I passed the ‘Mid-West England’ bar. The printed tasting notes describe an ’unusual blend of body and dryness’ – and they are right. There was a very dry spicy elderflower taste to it, with a subtle but noticeable finish of ginger. Very nice, and very refreshing.

4. Cricket Hill Colonel Blides ESB (5.5%) New Jersey

After the excitement of writing the International beer list preview, the American bar was something of a disappointment. Only half a dozen beers on tap, with a big queue for a fridge of bottles. Not to worry, I went for one of the kegged ales in the form of an ESB from the Cricket Hill Brewery in Fairfield, New Jersey. It was totally flat, but tasted good – plenty of malt and a little hop to back it up, nothing really overpowering (to be expected at a restrained 5.5%), although having said that the mild flavours didn’t give away much alcohol. Could be dangerous on a session, this one.

5. Marble Lagonda IPA (5.0%) Manchester

Time for another IPA – and I managed to find one I had been looking for since the beer list was published on CAMRA’s website. Manchester’s Marble Brewery put a quadruple addition of hops into Lagonda IPA, and you can certainly tell. Dark, strong golden colours and a similarly strong taste, almost hints of Camembert cheeseyness at the end. Very good indeed, the hops really sing from this.

6. St Austell Black Prince (4.0%) Cornwall

To finish, a darker offering – Cornwall’s St Austell brewery put out some great beers indeed, so an unknown dark mahogany bitter sounded good. It was really well balanced, as you’d expect from St Austell, some molasses sweetness and roasty malt. It was pretty hoppy, too – and I was searching for ages what the aftertaste reminded me of, until I came up with it – sugared tea.

On that note, maybe it was time to finish. Beer of the day – Marble’s Lagonda IPA. T-Shirt of the day – Beauty is in the eye of the beer-holder. We’ll be back at Earl’s Court for more GBBF fun tomorrow. Tune into our Twitter feed (@thebeercast) for live updates, and check back here later for a report.

The BeerCast’s 12th podcast is a trip close to home for panellist Richard, as we explore more beers from the North West of England. We’ve sampled beers from the region before, during episode three, which uncovered two of the four eventual Beer of the Year candidates for 2007 (Daleside IPA and Coniston Bluebird) – so we all had high hopes for the next batch. The first one tasted this time is Tirril’s Academy Ale (4.2%), from Westmorland in Cumbria (so not strictly a red rose beer). Then we move on into Lancashire for Joseph Holt’s Thunder Holt (5.0%) – a drink brewed in celebration of Manchester’s predictably damp weather. A short distance away is Blackburn, home to the Thwaites empire. Producing beer for two hundred years in the same family, they recently launched a celebration ale called Double Century (5.2%), which is our third beer. Finally, we try a brown ale from Liverpool’s Cains Brewery – Dragon Heart (5.0%). On the panel today – Richard, MrB, and BeerCast first-timer Stuart…

1. Academy Ale (4.2%abv)
Tirril Brewery, Appleby, Cumbria.
500ml glass bottle

The Tirril Brewery began life in a pub – the Queen’s Head Inn in the Westmorland village on the River Eamont. Tirril was famed throughout the country for it’s nearby academy, which in the early 19th Century was said to be on a par with Oxford or Cambridge for the teaching of mathematics. In celebration of this history, Academy Ale is a three-hopped malty beer produced by Tirril – who now inhabit slightly larger surroundings in Appleby than their original pub. In between, they operated from a stately home which was previously used by a WWII tank regiment. During the army days, the notable door knockers of Brougham Hall were taken down for safekeeping – and it’s a picture of one of the giant clangers that gives Tirril their brewery logo.

What They Say – “A dark, full bodied, very traditional rich and malty ale flavoured with three varieties of English hops.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Richard – Nice malty ale, although the hops are drowned out 7
MrB – Not much of a smell, tastes slightly caramelly 6
Stuart – It’s quite fizzy, I don’t mind this at all 6

2. Thunder Holt (5.0%abv)
Joseph Holt’s Derby Brewery, Manchester.
500ml glass bottle

Manchester is renowned for it’s terrible weather – but Joseph Holt have the perfect solution. Thunder Holt is their longest standing seasonal beer, and it chooses to celebrate the rain and showers rather than hide from them. Founded in 1849 in Oak Street in the centre of the city, Holt’s has been in the same family for four generations. They overcame the American Civil War – which you wouldn’t think would harm a northern English brewery – but the sudden lack of new world cotton to feed Manchester’s mills plunged the city into recession. They are now tied to 127 pubs, all of which are within 25 miles of their home city.

What They Say – “First produced over five years ago, Thunder Holt is a delicious red russet traditional premium ale with the light citrus flavours of challenger cone hops and dark crystal malt.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Stuart – There’s a nice kick to this, I can’t stop drinking it 9
Richard – Has an almost aniseedy aftertaste 8
MrB – This has a great back of the mouth taste, it’s fantastic 8

3. Thwaites Double Century (5.2%abv)
Thwaites, Blackburn, Lancashire.
500ml glass bottle

Another local family brewery are Thwaites, founded in the east Lancs milltown of Blackburn in 1807. In 1843 the original founder Daniel died, leaving the brewery to three of his twelve children. One of whom was also called Daniel, and under his stewardship the operations flourished. He eventually became MP for Blackburn, and the Thwaites concern today is one of the UK’s top ten breweries by volume. They also own over 400 pubs in the north of England. To celebrate their 200th birthday, last year they launched a celebration ale in a fancy embossed bottle, called Double Century. Will we be joining in the celebrations?

What They Say – “This refreshing amber coloured premium ale is well balanced with a malty character. Double hopped using English golding and fuggles with the late addition of Bramling Cross, it has a bitter orange finish.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Stuart – This has a wow factor from the first taste 9
MrB – Warm alcohol feel to it, that’s the absolute business 9
Richard – Tremendous, light and moreish with that orange finish 8

4. Cains Dragon Heart (5.0%abv)
Cains Brewery, Liverpool.
500ml glass bottle

In our last North Western edition we ended on a seasonal beer from Liverpool’s Cains brewery, and we do likewise for episode twelve. The Dusanj brothers have breathed so much life into the formerly ailing outfit, that they turn out a special ale every month of the year. January sees them release Dragon Heart Brown Ale, and with this particular variety of beer endemic to the north of England it’s a must-taste. Others include a strong bock, a dark lager, a wheatbier, and the raisin beer we sampled back in podcast three. But will our panel take to the Dragon Heart – particularly BeerCast debutant Stuart – a self-confessed fan of the brown ale genre.

What They Say – “This strong brown ale is brewed to a 19th Century recipe and fermented in traditional open vats. A blend of premium ale malts and the finest of English hops combine to produce a fruity and complex character.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Richard – Got some treacle in there, it’s nice but not amazing 6½
Stuart – This is slightly too sweet for me 6
MrB – Tastes like a northern bitter, a bit stouty 6

BeerCast panel verdict

Thwaites Double Century – 26/30
Joseph Holt’s Thunder Holt – 25/30
Tirril Academy Ale – 19/30
Cains Dragon Heart – 18½/30

Panellists – (from top left) MrB, Stuart, Richard

• Listen to the episode here: BeerCast #12 – Red Rose Beers
• Subscribe to the podcasts in iTunes or our site feed

We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with an organic beer special, and another debutant BeerCaster joins the panel. Stay tuned for details…and please leave us comments on the blog or iTunes, or emails. Cheers!

‘Beers of the World’ magazine is one of the industry glossies that sings the praises of the planet’s favourite beverage. I’ve not read one, but apparently they have the usual brewing news and tasting notes on a series of beers. They sponsor annual gongs – the World Beer Awards – the latest winners of which were announced last Friday. Several BeerCast favourites were amongst those collecting trophies, so time for a quick run down of the brews highlighted by Roger Protz (the man gets around) and the panel.

World’s Best Ale
Bitter & Twisted, Harviestoun Brewery, Alva (Sco) 4.2%
Roughly 30 miles from BeerCast HQ in Edinburgh, Harviestoun are one of Scotland’s best brewers. Bitter & Twisted is possibly my favourite beer, so to see it given the coveted ‘best ale’ award was fantastic (it came through the tough pale ale category). By some co-incidence, the night of the announcement half of the BeerCasters were in Kays polishing off a large amount of Harviestoun’s other cracker, Schiehallion, which is simply wonderful on cask.

World’s Best Lager
Budvar Dark, Budweiser Brewery (Cze) 4.7%
Original and best, the Czech Budweiser brewery came out on top in the lager category with their dark beer. Our panellist MrB assures us that it’s seriously good stuff, and rest assured Lagerboy will be looking out for it soon to review. If it’s anything like their lighter coloured Budvar, it’s going to be tremendous.

World’s Best Stout/Porter
Obsidian Stout, Deschutes Brewery, Oregon (USA) 6.4%
American porters are highly rated, and the brewery in Bend, Oregon, now has the world’s best example. Named after the planet’s largest expanse of the shiny black rock, which conveniently occurs just near the town, Obsidian Stout is a ‘satisfying beer with underlying espresso and chocolate flavours’. We’d love to try one, if only we could find it over here. However, the runner up was Fuller’s London Porter, which we’ll be sampling in an upcoming podcast.

World’s Best Wheat Beer
Grolsch Weizen, Grolsch Brewery (NL) 5.3%
I have to say that Grolsch lager is truly awful stuff, so surprising that their wheat beer is deemed worthy of an award by the panel – particularly with the quality of wheat beers from Germany or Belgium. Still, the panel of experts clearly know what they are doing, so hats off to Grolsch. Or should that be ‘strange bottle tops’ off to Grolsch?

In the minor categories – i.e. the beers that didn’t quite get through to snare one of the top four prizes, notables for us have to be the Meantime brewery in Greenwich collecting an impressive haul – their best in show chocolate stout is currently in my cupboard ready for our upcoming London BeerCast. Edinburgh’s Caledonian Golden Promise won the award for ‘Best Experimental beer’ – we sampled that local beauty in BeerCast Episode 1 (thankfully for us we gave it the highest score). Also the award for ‘Best Fruit Beer’ went to Cain’s Raisin Beer from Liverpool (BeerCast Episode 3). Not bad for prune juice, eh Shovels?

2007 Beers of World winners

For the next stage of the global beer adventure, it seems reasonable to move the short distance over the southern uplands into England. English beer is all about tradition – even if the specific brewery is young, the methods used or the types of ales produced will probably have echoes of a far older time. With that in mind our third BeerCast takes in some classic varieties of English brews – Bitter, Golden Ale, India Pale Ale, and…er…a raisin beer…

1. Bluebird Bitter (4.2%abv)
The Coniston Brewery, Cumbria.
500ml glass bottle

Opened in 1995 behind a picturesque Lakeland pub, the Coniston brewery have already won numerous awards. Part of the secret might be the water they use, which comes from the surrounding Cumbrian fells. Located in the Furness region of the mountainous county, Coniston gained an unfortunate notoriety in 1967 when the intrepid Donald Campbell died on the nearby lake attempting to break his own world waterspeed record. The name of his ill-fated ship was the Bluebird, and it seems fitting the local brewery would take the name for it’s most prized beer. Bluebird Bitter was the Supreme Champion beer of Britain in 1998, as voted at the CAMRA British Beer Festival of that year (co-incidentally the 2007 festival is due to take place this week). The Coniston Brewery will probably be there, aiming for glory once more.

What They Say – “Supreme Champion Beer of Britain 1998, a good session ale with a golden colour and a light, clean, quality taste” [Coniston Brewery]. “It has a massive orange fruit aroma from the challenger hops, balanced by biscuity malt. The tangy fruit lingers on the back of the tongue until it develops a hint of orange liqueur. It is, quite simply, a wonderful beer.” [Roger Protz, esteemed beer writer, CAMRA big-cheese and compiler of the Good Beer Guide].

What We Say…
Richard – Very nice – light, hoppy, orangey – it tastes fantastic 8
Shovels – This is a very tasty session bitter with a nice colour 8

2. Daleside IPA (4.5%abv)
The Daleside Brewery, Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
500ml glass bottle

Despite the name, India Pale Ale is the quintessential English beer. First produced in London and the brewing mega-hub of Burton-on-Trent for the colonial market, the high alcohol and hop count aided preservation on the long voyage to India and beyond. Traditionally they have high bitter and malty tastes, with plenty of sharp citrus fruits cutting through. This particular IPA is produced specially for a small Lancashire supermarket chain – but the Daleside brewery, founded in the genteel North Yorkshire spa town of Harrogate, produce three draft and seven bottled beers. Another relatively recent company, they moved to their current premises in 1992, and pride themselves on the variety of hops they use – 18 to be exact.

What They Say – “This IPA has a fruity malty finish, with aromas of flowers and toast, and plenty of hops.” [RateBeer.com].

What We Say…
Richard – This is a nice summery outdoorsy IPA 8
Shovels – More character than the Bluebird, but it’s just as good 8

3. Lakeland Gold (4.4%abv)
The Hawkshead Brewery, Hawkshead & Staveley, Cumbria.
500ml glass bottle

Moving on to beer three, which is an example of another English staple – the Golden Ale. Hawkshead Lakeland Gold is a less malty, more hoppy number from a Cumbrian company started by a BCC journalist who decided on a change of career. Begun in a listed barn near the village of Hawkshead by Esthwaite Water, they have now begun operations in a 20 barrel plant at the larger town of Staveley. Also on that site is a Beer Hall, containing the brewery tap, a sampling room, visitor centre and a beer shop selling all varieties of local ale. With noble organisation, their official website has a list of every pub in the Lakes that serves their beers – handy for fans of their brews. But what will the two-man panel make of it?

What They Say – “A Golden Ale. Hoppy and uncompromisingly bitter with complex fruit flavours from the blending of a modern English hop, First Gold, with an American, Cascade.” [Hawkshead Brewery]. “A hoppy, bitter golden ale with complex fruit flavours. Champion Best Bitter at the 2005 SIBA National Awards.” [Good Beer Guide].

What We Say…
Richard – Not easy to knock back, you have to work for it 7
Shovels – Too bitter and no all-round satisfying taste 4

4. Cain’s Fine Raisin Beer (5%abv)
Cain’s Brewery, Liverpool.
500ml glass bottle

The traditional English beer theme ends here, with our fourth teaser from the skilled people at Liverpool’s largest brewery, Cain’s. Finest Raisin Ale is very simple – a choice light-coloured hoppy beer, with a great big pile of Californian raisins added. This gives a fascinating fruity beer with a deep purple colour. An idea of the current owners, the Dusanj brothers – who rescured the brewery from closure in 2002, and became the first Indian-born owners of a British beer company. Cain’s really is a Liverpool landmark, having been opened by Irish immigrant Robert Cain in 1858. Today, their latest expat owners sit proudly behind a producer that rolls out 120 million pints a year. Each month they release a speciality ale – and every November it’s the Raisin Beer. It’s very popular – winning the Tesco Autumn Beer Challenge in 2003, and the honour of being the ‘Official Beer of Liverpool 2008 – European City of Culture’.

What They Say – “A rich, fruity amber ale infused with succulent Californian raisins. Choicest hops give depth, density and complexity.” [Cain's official website].

What We Say…
Richard – Fruity raisins and the oaty/malty tastes – it’s like muesli 7
Shovels – Reminds me of prune juice – which is not a good thing 5

BeerCast panel verdict

Coniston Bluebird – 16/20
Daleside IPA – 16/20
Cain’s Fine Raisin Beer – 12/20
Hawkshead Lakeland Gold – 11/20

Panellists – (from left) Shovels, Richard

• Listen to the episode here: BeerCast #3 – Northern Charms
• Subscribe to the podcasts in iTunes or our site feed

We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with Episode 4 – four beers from the South of England, tested by a panel of six BeerCasters. Stay tuned for details…and please leave us comments on the blog or iTunes, or emails. Cheers!