The BeerCast

With the latest RateBeer tasting coming only a few days after the end of the GBBF at Earl’s Court, it always threatened to be a big one. So it proved, as a combination of guest bloggers and GBBF-engorged suitcases resulted in twenty-five beers being drunk over the course of six hours. 25! Thankfully it was a week-end, so the tasting became relatively consequence-free. I say relatively, of course. Many thanks, as ever to Craig for hosting and providing most of the beers, also several from Steve at Beers I’ve Known were really good indeed.

We began with one of those – Holgate The Empress (10%), hailing from a Victoria brewery that few around the table (Australians excepted) had heard of. What a way to start – a chocolatey imperial stout, with a sweetness that gave it a chocolate brownie flavour. That may get a touch sweet after a while, but on a sample it was tremendous. We followed that with another couple of dark ones – Sierra Nevada Fritz and Ken’s Stout (9.2%), and Deschutes The Abyss 2010 Reserve (11%). The latter was a touch bourbony for me, but the SN was lovely.

Into the specials next, with the raspberry juice flavours of Redoak Framboise Froment (5%), the lemon juice flavours of Pretty Things Jack D’Or Saison (6.4%), and the Demerara sugar flavours of Sierra Nevada Brewer’s Reserve Grand Cru (7.8%). Other highlights included the remarkable O’Hanlon’s Special Reserve 2010 (12.9%) – walloping booze mixed with sweet, woody caramel – and New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red (4%), which reminded me of the triangle of mulchy jam in a cherry Muller Fruit Corner.

Next up, 3 Fonteinen Oude Gueze 2007 (6%) – a violently fruity Belgian sour, which was more dry than puckering – and very lime cordial-esque. The darker beers then came back – we fired through Brooklyn Black Ops (10.7%), Struise Pannepeut 2006 (10%), SKA Nefarious Ten Pin (8%) and Avery Czar Imperial Stout (11.6%) in short order – the Brooklyn being the pick, extremely well-balanced throughout – unlike the Ten Pin, which didn’t really do it for me.

British beers came next, as we sampled Marble’s Manchester Tripel (9%) – very nice, quite zesty. Tasted like a strong IPA at first, but the Belgian flavours appeared on the aftertaste. Kernel Pale Ale Riwaka (4.9%) showcases a hop I’d not heard of until recently, but it was lovely. Refreshing citrus and grapefruit. However, Kernel’s Pale Ale Mount Hood was frighteningly bitter – so much so that it dominated every other component, and was overly sharp. I think that’s my seventeenth different Kernel beer, and finally I found one I don’t like.*

The next slab of dark American beers came and went – Full Sail Imperial Stout (7.5%) was a highlight, a classic roasty coffeeish boozefest. South Oregon Pinup Porter (5.5%) and Pelican The Perfect Storm 2009 didn’t quite match up – the Pinup because of the abv (although it would make a terrific session porter – we’re not alcohol whores here). The Pelican was a barrel-aged barley wine, a style I just can’t get along with – whisky, syrup and woody sweetness in spades.

That was about it – by now it was approaching 1am and the tasting notes were getting a little out of focus. I’d also sustained a minor shoulder injury after being shot by the cork from one of the Sierra Nevada reserves (ceiling ricochet – we all accept the risks in this business). We had time for an Imperial Rye Munich Ale – which is a new style in my book (Short’s Brew Ginger in the Rye), and a very nice big NZIPA from Epic (Mayhem at 6.2%). To be honest, ‘very nice’ is about all I can remember.

Thanks again to Craig for hosting – you can get a second opinion of the tasting at Steve’s blog here. Considering I’d put away 25 beers, I felt pretty chipper – a new record…!

*Not that I was looking, of course. 16/17 is a pretty outstanding strike rate

Another week, another BeerCast fieldtrip – although it’s pretty tough to compare Birmingham and Tokyo. After all, one of them is a glittering, fast-paced neon metropolis packed with exuberance and incredible food – and the other is the capital of Japan (you must have seen that one coming). On a recent visit to the far East I was determined to track down some local beer – stay tuned for two special Ji-Biru BeerCast podcasts in the near future. Thanks to local guide Tim Eustace, I attended a tasting session in central Tokyo. Tim runs regular workshops on different types and styles of ale, with discussions and sampling – educational and fun. The few days I was in town, an IPA tasting evening had been scheduled. Here’s what was on the menu…

1. Shiga Kogen IPA (6%abv)
Tamamura-honten, Nagano
Two Japanese IPA’s to start with, the first of them from Tamamura-honten, a sake brewery founded in 1805. They have since developed into a range of beers, and produce a blondes, porters and a couple of IPA’s. The 6%er we tried had little hops about it, but a nice bitterness and a lingering taste.

2. Ise Kadoya IPA (7%abv)
Kadoya Honten, Mie
From the Mie prefecture south of Tokyo comes another Japanese IPA. Ise Kadoya IPA is really quite fantastic – dry, fruity and hoppy, and very moreish. At 7%abv it packs a punch too.

3. ACME IPA (6.5%abv)
North Coast Brewing, Fort Bragg CA
The rest of the tasting event switched to American IPA’s – some of which I was seriously eager to try, others I had never heard of. North Coast’s Californian IPA was one of the latter, but with mouthfuls of citrusy grapefruit was a very pleasant surprise.

4. Full Sail IPA (6%abv)
Full Sail Brewing, Hood River OR
American IPA’s aren’t known for being subtle, but Full Sail IPA is just that. Delicate and zesty, despite the 6%abv – which is high in relation to UK IPA’s, but relatively middling for those from over the pond. I’d certainly drink this again, if I could find it.

5. Stone IPA (6.9%abv)
Stone Brewery, San Diego CA
Bang! This is one beer that needs to be noticed. Over the months we’ve been writing and talking about beer, other (overwhelmingly American-based) websites and podcasts I’ve looked at continually sing the praises of Stone’s beers such as Ruination IPA and Arrogant Bastard, held up as being classics of their type. Their ‘basic’ IPA has everything, citrus, hops, crispness, bitterness, aroma, It’s fantastic. We need to hunt this down in the UK and get it on the BeerCast.

6. Hair of the Dog Blue Dot Imperial IPA (6%abv)
Hair of the Dog Brewery, Portland OR
There are normal beers, and there are Imperial beers – essentially this means everything involved is ramped up a level. In this instance, the %abv is still relatively low (given the direction we were heading), but the taste was certainly not. Frothy and lingering, it was amusing watching Tim trying to explain the meaning of ‘Hair of the Dog’ to the Japanese tasters.

7. Dogfish Head 90min IPA (9%abv)
Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton DE
One from the Eastern seaboard, and another standout American brewery – Dogfish Head. This is what Imperial IPA’s are all about. At 9%abv it’s seriously strong and robust, with a long finish. It goes well with cheese, something I never considered from a beer. But then I’ve never had a 9% IPA before.

8. Hopsickle Triple IPA (9.2%abv)
Moylan’s Brewery and Restaurant, Novato CA
Back west to California and Moylan’s Hopsickle IPA, a triple-hopped Imperial IPA. Tomahawk, Centennial and Cascade hops scream for attention. It’s dark and unbelievably strong. Pouring the last inch out didn’t help, as clumps of yeast added to the mix. The suggested food pairing for this one is blue cheese, which gives you an idea of the taste. It’s really too much.

9. Green Flash Imperial IPA (9%abv)
Green Flash Brewery, Vista CA
The ninth and final beer of the night (and it’s not often I say that) is Green Flash IPA – “It’s all about the hops!” trills the website, but it tastes a bit line a pine air freshner. Having said that, it’s actually pretty good, and a welcome way to end the tasting.

With that, I staggered out into the Tokyo night feeling pretty good. IPA’s are my favourite beers, and I discovered a few crackers. Top three would certainly be those from Stone, Ise Kadoya, and Full Sail. I just need to track them down in the BeerCast’s backyard.

Thanks again to Tim for the organisation, and you can catch up with some more Japanese brews here soon – in a change to the advertised schedule (as they say), BeerCast number 7 will be a four panellist, four beer spectacular from that very country. Check back next week for the podcast…