The BeerCast

Sticky commuters in London have recently had another piece of advertising added to torment them, as the Fuller’s Brewery in Chiswick are pushing their organic Honey Dew to the capital. Posters have appeared to try and maximise the effect of the hot spell by promoting their 5%abv honey-tinged beer on the travelling public. Made with full compliance of the Soil Association’s organic requirements, Honey Dew is (according to Fuller’s, at least) one of the fastest growing beer brands in the UK, with sales up 35% year on year. They are releasing it in a new four-pack of 330ml bottles – a sure sign of the attempt to jump into the mass market.

But is it any good? We sampled Honey Dew way back in September 2007 as part of our South-East special. One of the key target groups for the beer are female drinkers – a market that real ale brewers have been pursing for years, with mixed levels of success. Our panel that day contained both Ali and Jess, along with Andy – who despite being 100% male would also fit with the target audience as he’s a self-confessed fan of lighter, fruitier beers. Fuller’s are also advertising Honey Dew in magazines such as Heat, OK and Hello – only time will tell as to the effectiveness of the campaign.

From the BeerCast archives – September 16th, 2007…

2. Fuller’s Organic Honeydew (5%abv)
Fuller’s Brewery, Chiswick, London.
500ml glass bottle

The Griffin Brewery has been sited in a leafy corner of Chiswick for over 350yrs. Popular with rowers and boating clubs, the Hounslow location by the Thames is on the site of a late-medieval cheese fair (from which the name Chiswick derives). Fullers – full name ‘Fuller Smith and Turner plc’ are one of London’s success stories, having won the coveted CAMRA Champion beer of Britain award five times in it’s 25 year history. Their flagship brand is London Pride, which is available pretty much everywhere in the south of England. But as part of their range they also produce a summery honey ale, made with full compliance of the Soil Association’s organic requirements. Has all that hard work by the bees paid off…?

What They Say – “A light golden beer, it is a naturally palatable brew, approved by the Soil Association as 100% organic. Served chilled, it is light and refreshing, and has an appeal that reaches out to people who perhaps wouldn’t usually drink beer. It is brewed with English malt and hops and laced with the finest organic honey”. [Fuller's website]

What We Say…
Andy – It’s light, refreshing, and easy on the tongue 8
Richard – I can’t taste the honey, this is middling 5
Shovels – Doesn’t really taste of much 4
Alison – You get a rather sickly aftertaste 4
Jess – It would make me feel sick if I drank a whole pint of this 4
MrB – I don’t like honey, so I really loathe this one 1

Fuller’s Official Website

Our fourteenth podcast features beers from London, and was recorded in December 2007. At the time our Christmas and Beer of the Year specials had to take priority, but now it’s time to delve into the archives, as the ales we sampled deserved recognition – for once on the BeerCast, all four seem to meet with our approval. Panellists Richard, Shovels and Grooben tackle Young’s Special London Ale (6.4%) – which is now no longer brewed in London – before moving on to Fuller’s London Porter (5.4%). The third item on the beery menu is Meantime’s award-winning Chocolate Stout (6.5%), before we finish on a fruity note with Fuller’s Jack Frost (4.5%). Not really one for early April – but in December, far more apt…

1. Young’s Special London Ale (6.4%abv)
Wells & Youngs, Bedford.
500ml glass bottle

The Ram Brewery in Wandsworth started commercial brewing in 1581 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and produced ale for the local hostelry called the Ram’s Inn. The brewery distributed by horse and cart to the local area until 1803 when the world’s first public railway opened from Wandsworth to Croydon enabling transport by rail. In 2004 Young’s (as they had become) announced a “review of brewing operations” and two years later on the 25th September 2006 closed their Wandsworth concern and moved outside the city to Bedford. Here they merged with Charles Wells’s Eagle brewery and renamed the operation Wells & Young’s Company. So sadly Young’s Special London Ale is no longer brewed in London – but it has been CAMRA’s Champion Bottled Beer of Britain three times (1999, 2004, 2005).

What They Say – “Special London Ale is an absolute classic, a winner of many awards. Why? Despite its strength it’s sublimely drinkable. The malty richness is countered by huge amounts of hops to create a perfectly balanced, wonderfully aromatic, dry, fruity flavour.” [Label tasting notes]

What We Say…
Shovels – I quite like it, this would creep up on you 7½
Richard – Dark and strong with the higher alcohol tastes 7
Grooben – Malty and nice, with a definite fruitiness 7

2. Fuller’s London Porter (5.4%abv)
Fuller’s Brewery, Chiswick, London.
500ml glass bottle

The Griffin Brewery has been sited in a leafy corner of Chiswick for over 350yrs. Popular with rowers and boating clubs, the Hounslow location by the Thames is on the site of a late-medieval cheese fair (from which the name Chiswick derives). Fullers – full name ‘Fuller Smith and Turner plc’ are one of London’s success stories, having won the coveted CAMRA Champion beer of Britain award five times in it’s 25 year history. Their flagship brand is London Pride, which is available pretty much everywhere in the south of England. They also produce a honey beer which we sampled in episode four (although the panel didn’t really take to it), and a London Porter, which we are trying in this episode.

What They Say – “Fuller’s London Porter is smooth, rich, and strong (5.4% a.b.v.), and is brewed from a blend of brown, crystal and chocolate malts for a creamy delivery balanced by traditional Fuggles hops.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Richard – Dark and strong but really nice right from the off 8
Grooben – Classic burnt chocolate and coffee flavours 8
Shovels – Flavourful without being overpowering – a fine porter 7

3. Meantime Chocolate Stout (6.5%abv)
Meantime Brewery, Greenwich.
330ml glass bottle

Founded in 1999 by a group of friends in London, production at the Meantime brewery first started in April 2000. It was the only British brewery to win medals at the 2004 World Beer Cup (for it’s Viennese lager), and repeated the feat in 2006. They went considerably better in 2007, collecting five ‘world’s best’ at the World Beer Awards, then having four of their range included in the International Beer Challenge’s 50 best beers in the world. One of the heralded varieties is their Chocolate Stout, which was one of the five to win at the aforementioned World Beer Awards. Will our panel think it’s a world beater?

What They Say – “A silky-smooth suppertime beer, created using dark malts and chocolate. Pronounced vanilla notes fuse the chocolate and malts together to give a rich, warming, flavour that also works well as a complement to fruity desserts, summer puddings and autumn berries.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Grooben – Not to be glugged at but I’m pleasantly surprised 8
Richard – Chocolatey bitterness in the aftertaste, it’s really nice 7
Shovels – Cold drinking chocolate, I preferred the Fuller’s 6½

4. Fuller’s Jack Frost (4.5%abv)
Fuller’s Brewery, Chiswick, London.
500ml glass bottle

Our final beer is another from the Griffin Brewery, London’s most successful independent producer. But moving past London Pride, ESB, or any of their regular beers (which are all pretty good – ESB in particular), the BeerCast tackle one of their seasonals – Jack Frost. An impressively dark reddish beer with added Blackberries (or Brambles, if you’re from north of the border). We’re unsure if this counts as a bona fide fruit beer, or is just a beer with fruit in. We’re not even sure if there’s a difference – but are we sure about Jack Frost?

What They Say – “Full flavoured, deep red in colour and exceptionally moreish, Jack Frost is the perfect accompaniment to many a cold winter’s day. Brewed with crystal malt and a dash of blackberries, Jack Frost delivers a fruity, robust yet refreshing flavour that lingers long on the palate.” [Label Tasting Notes]

What We Say…
Shovels – Clean, refreshing, all year round this would sell well 7
Grooben – Not really that blackberryish, doesn’t justify itself 6½
Richard – No warmth, nothing to draw you in 6

BeerCast panel verdict

Fuller’s London Porter – 23/30
Young’s Special London Ale – 21½/30
Meantime Chocolate Stout – 21½/30
Fuller’s Jack Frost – 19½/30

Panellists – (from bottom right) Grooben, Richard, Shovels

• Listen to the episode here: BeerCast #14 – London Beers
• Subscribe to the podcasts in iTunes or our site feed

We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with episode 15 – a romp around the world of Scottish IPA’s. Stay tuned for details…and please leave us comments on the blog or iTunes, or emails. Cheers!

The south of England – historically some of the world’s oldest breweries are found here. The second half of the BeerCast’s English two-parter ventures beyond the Midlands and into the home counties. Three of the region’s giant beer producers make it into the show this time – Greene King, Shepherd Neame, and Fuller’s. Between them, they own several thousand pubs, have many city shareholders, and have been known to absorb the odd smaller brewery here and there. Even in the distant north of Scotland, it’s possible to find many of their beers (bottled if not on draught), so the BeerCast panel sampled three of their flagship brands, respectively – Abbot Ale, Bishop’s Finger, and Organic Honeydew. For this episode – one of the first we recorded – our Edinburgh tasters are joined via the magic of the internet by London-based reporters Andy and Jess. Somehow it managed to work out, as both groups discuss the beers, despite being 331.98 miles apart (give or take).

1. Abbot Ale (5%abv)
Greene King, Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk.
500ml glass bottle

East Anglian brewing giants Greene King have been producing beer in Suffolk since 1799. They are now the largest British owned brewery in the UK, and as one of the UK’s largest companies Greene King PLC are a member of the FTSE 250 share index. They own more than 2000 pubs across the South-East, and have an aggressive history of takeovers – Morlands, Ruddles and Ridleys have all been acquired and subsequently closed, and in Scotland Greene King also own Dunbar-based BeerCast favourite Belhaven. Abbot Ale is their flagship beer, and it takes it’s name because the Domesday Book of 1086 recorded the town’s brewers as being in service of the Abbot of the Abbey of St Edmundsbury. Good enough for the clergy – but is is good enough for the panel…?

What They Say – “A full-bodied distinctive beer with a bittersweet aftertaste.” [Good Beer Guide]. “It has masses of ripe fruit character, a malty richness and superb hop balance, followed by an intense bittersweet finish”. [Abbot Ale official website].

What We Say…
Shovels – It’s a fine tipple 8
MrB – I’d be happy drinking this in a pub 7
Richard – It’s a grower 7
Jess – Lovely bitter aftertaste 7
Alison – Once you get past the smell, it’s alright 5
Andy – Smells like an old man’s pub 2

2. Fuller’s Organic Honeydew (5%abv)
Fuller’s Brewery, Chiswick, London.
500ml glass bottle

The Griffin Brewery has been sited in a leafy corner of Chiswick for over 350yrs. Popular with rowers and boating clubs, the Hounslow location by the Thames is on the site of a late-medieval cheese fair (from which the name Chiswick derives). Fullers – full name ‘Fuller Smith and Turner plc’ are one of London’s success stories, having won the coveted CAMRA Champion beer of Britain award five times in it’s 25 year history. Their flagship brand is London Pride, which is available pretty much everywhere in the south of England. But as part of their range they also produce a summery honey ale, made with full compliance of the Soil Association’s organic requirements. Has all that hard work by the bees paid off…?

What They Say – “A light golden beer, it is a naturally palatable brew, approved by the Soil Association as 100% organic. Served chilled, it is light and refreshing, and has an appeal that reaches out to people who perhaps wouldn’t usually drink beer. It is brewed with English malt and hops and laced with the finest organic honey”. [Fuller's website]

What We Say…
Andy – It’s light, refreshing, and easy on the tongue 8
Richard – I can’t taste the honey, this is middling 5
Shovels – Doesn’t really taste of much 4
Alison – You get a rather sickly aftertaste 4
Jess – It would make me feel sick if I drank a whole pint of this 4
MrB – I don’t like honey, so I really loathe this one 1

3. Bishop’s Finger (5.4%abv)
Shepherd Neame Brewery, Faversham, Kent.
500ml glass bottle

Located in Faversham, five miles west of Canterbury, Shepherd Neame claims to be Britain’s oldest brewer, starting operations in 1698. They still use the same water source today, along with giant Russian teak mash tuns that date from 1914. Bishop’s Finger is brewed only on Fridays by the head brewer, and was awarded ‘Protective Geographic Indicator Status’ by the EU, meaning it’s the only beer in the world that can be called a ‘Kentish strong ale’ – all ingredients used come from within a few miles of the brewery. It takes it’s name from the distinctive signposts that used to point the way to Canterbury for weary pilgrims. When first produced in 1958, Bishop’s Finger was sold for 7.5p a pint. Is it worth the money…?

What They Say – “This ember-warm Kentish ale takes the dense, rich fruit notes of gently roasted malts and mixes them with a profusion of locally grown Kent hops to give a satisfyingly clean, dry, lingering Seville-orange finish” [Andrew Jefford, BBC Radio 4 Food Programme]. “It is Britain’s most distinctive premium ale, with an intense taste that is more challenging than other brands.” [Bishop's Finger official website].

What We Say…
MrB – I do like this, it’s very hoppy 7
Richard – It’s a decent generic aley beer 7
Alison – Quite pleasant but I’m not blown away by it 6
Shovels – Starts alright tastewise, but lingers a little too long 5
Jess – I had this once some time ago, from what I can remember 5
Andy – I’ve never tried it 4

BeerCast panel verdict

Greene King’s Abbot Ale – 36/60
Shepherd Neame’s Bishop’s Finger – 34/60
Fuller’s Organic Honeydew – 26/60

Panellists – (from top left) MrB, Ali, Shovels, Jess, Andy, Richard

• Listen to the episode here: BeerCast #4 – Southern Delights
• Subscribe to the podcasts in iTunes or our site feed

We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with Episode 5 – our first foray outside the UK. Which country will it be? Our panel of four BeerCasters will reveal all….soon. Stay tuned for details…and please leave us comments on the blog or iTunes, or emails. Cheers!