The BeerCast

List-making is par for the course at this time of year – which explains our recent flurry of posts detailing our favourite new British beers. The trouble with compiling lists, however, is that you can’t add everything (unless it’s one of those Channel 4 shows like ‘the best 100 children’s breakfast cereals’). Listing our six – and I’m not sure why we decided on six – best new beers that were launched in 2011 left plenty out of the picture. But here they all are!

Well, we did actually mention Kernel IPA Double Black during our nomination of stablemate IPA 100 Centennial. It was almost a coin-flip decision on which of the two made it – they were both sublime. Other beers put out by brewers who made it into the top six were RedWillow Ageless, and Tempest Citra and Canyonero. Ageless in particular drew great praise in 2011.

Looking at Kelso’s Tempest Brewing – Canyonero was one of the more remarkable beers I’ve had for ages. On the face of it, a 5.9% bitter. But the Pacific Jade and Wai-iti hops produced all kinds of aromas and flavours – oak, vanilla, pepper, toffee, spices. Staying in Scotland, this year was a fine one for Black Isle – and their new Scotch Ale and Black Stout could make 2012 their best year yet. They could have made the list, easily.

One of the most blogged-about brewers of the year weren’t represented either – Huddersfield’s Magic Rock. Yorkshire pundits featured them heavily in their ‘best of’ lists – and with good reason. Human Cannonball, Dark Arts, High Wire – all superbly drinkable, and from a pretty much brand-new producer, Magic Rock have really hit the ground running.

Other great new beers that debuted in 2011 – Fyne Ales Sublime Stout, Meantime Yakima Red, Dark Star Carafa Jade and Thwaites Old Dan. Give me each of those on a night out, and I’d be a happy man indeed. The last twelve months have been a great vintage for British brewing – let’s hope the next twelve are even better…

If you have a standout new beer – then let us know in the comments section. Next up on the BeerCast, our annual Christmas Special podcast – our panel get to grips with six festive beers. After that, we preview our most important BeerCast of the year – our fifth annual Beer of the Year Show. Stay tuned…

We’ve had a bit of downtime on the BeerCast over the last week, as I’ve been in sunny London on a short break. Of course, while I was there I managed to fit in a spot of beery tourism alongside the more traditional kind – nowadays there’s no shortage of places to visit. The brewing scene in the other capital is enjoying something of a resurgence, as the likes of Redemption and the Kernel are gaining plaudits left right and centre. One of the more established players in the London market are Greenwich’s Meantime Brewery, having been established eleven years ago by master brewer Alistair Hook.

We’ve featured a few of their beers before – Meantime do a good job of getting their bottled beer into nationwide supermarkets – but finding their cask and/or keg beer in Scotland is usually much harder. The solution then, is to go to the source – which is what led me to the invitingly picturesque Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich on a barmy Spring afternoon. Located right on the Thames, Meantime moved here last year, re-opening the original 1836 brewery in the process.

I’ve often said that Edinburgh lacks beer gardens – which is understandable if you’ve ever felt a November wind here or seen the haar roll in off the Forth. London has seemingly hundreds – plus you can creep out from the pub and drink on the pavement (within reason). There can be few better things in life than lazing in a sunny beer garden for a couple of hours, watching the world go by (and then landing into Heathrow, if you’re in Greenwich).

The Old Brewery Bar and Restaurant is joined onto the interesting Discover Greenwich museum, which also opened last year. Through a set of large glass doors, and you’re into the Meantime brewhouse bar, which has a pretty impressive range of keg fonts, plus a couple of cask handpulls (including a guest – the brilliantly drinkable Darkstar Hophead on the day of my visit). But as so few of Meantime’s new or more unusual beers make it to Scotland, it was those I concentrated on.

First up was their relatively new Kellerbier (4.4%) – a Bavarian ‘cellar beer’, the historical style of unfiltered lager that was extremely popular in Franconia. Meantime produce a lot of lagers – their London Lager is an attempt to wrestle the market away from macro-producers. The Kellerbier is the same recipe (I believe), only unfiltered and unpasteurised. As a result I found it was more interesting (having had the London Lager previously), with a touch of malty sweetness and a slight spicy edge going on. It is only available from the Old Brewery, direct from the cellar, which adds to authenticity running though it.

Next up was another recent offering, Yakima Red (4.0%), Meantime’s seasonal for March. A fruity-looking reddish brown beer, on draught it was served slightly cold – but in the blazing London sunshine it soon warmed to let the flavours out. Designed to highlight the hops from Washington State’s Yakima Valley, this one is all about the aroma – which was wonderful. Big resinous hops, grass and a decent amount of malt, the flavours follow on from that really well indeed. British versions of the classic American Red aren’t that common – BrewDog 5am Saint springs to mind (Yakima was pretty similar, albeit with less hop bite). Hopefully this will become more than just a seasonal.

After tucking into an enormous plate of fish and chips I had wanted to finish on the big note of another beer only available at the Old Brewery – Hospital Porter (8.0%), but sadly it was off. I settled instead for London Stout (4.5%). I’m not sure we can mention dark London beers without a nod to the Kernel – but I think everyone involved would agree Meantime’s are brewed to be more mainstream. Their London Stout is a decent drinker, good roasty bitterness and some chocolate on the palate, which is quite thin but not so much that it holds the beer back. Sitting in the sun by the Thames, I certainly wasn’t complaining in any way…

Meantime Brewery
The Old Brewery, Greenwich

These days the primary style of European lager that reaches these shores is the all-conquering pilsner (either Bohemian or German). But back in the day there were others that came from the Continent – Muncheners and Viennese lagers that were popular before the light-coloured beer from Pilsen took over. Slightly darker and less hoppy, these styles faded before the Bohemian wave of Saaz-filled treasures from the east. But they do still exist – and recently Lagerboy managed to find an award-winning Vienna style lager from the banks of the Thames – Meantime Union (4.9%). Founded in 1999, Meantime produce a consistently good range of beers, many of which (including Union) having been voted best in class at various year’s World Beer Awards.

The first thing you notice is that Union is extremely fizzy – it pours highly carbonated, with a swiftly dispersing head that leaves a regular rising stream of bubbles. The second thing of note is the colour – a clear coppery brown from the dark lager malts. There’s little hops on the aroma – as you’d expect, Vienna’s being more subtle than pilsners. In fact, the whole flavour is subdued, very dry and with some hops coupled with the malt, making it a smooth, easy drinker. There’s a slight caramel sweetness on the aftertaste that peters out pretty quickly, leaving the whole thing thin and uninspiring. It’s an excellent approximation of the style, but not a great style at that. Gentle, unassuming beers can be great – like Union – it’s just sometimes they leave you wanting more.

Meantime Brewing

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!

Happy Christmas from all at the BeerCast! Hopefully you’re all eager to indulge in the trappings of the season – and time spent with the family sitting in front of Morecambe and Wise repeats is great beer drinking time. So with that in mind, the BeerCast panel sample four festive beers that you might come across in your local tinsel-decked bottle shop. Firstly we sample Meantime Winter Time (5.4%), from Greenwich in south London. Then we journey to the scene of our last podcast and taste Erdinger’s Schneewiesse Winterbier (5.6%), to see how it differs from their usual wheatbeer fare. Our third tempter is Anchor’s Special Christmas Ale (2006) (5.5%), surprisingly the first ever American beer drunk on the BeerCast. But as the scores show, one that was certainly worth the wait. Finally, the panel drink a Belgian Christmas tipple with a fantastically OTT label – Gordon’s Xmas (8.8%). Find out how we get on, and if any bring some festive cheer to wintry Edinburgh…

1. Meantime Winter Time (5.4%abv)
Meantime Brewery, Greenwich (UK).
500ml 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. They have a large and adventurous range, from coffee and chocolate beers (the latter of which was recently voted the world’s best), to a porter, IPA, wheat beer and raspberry beer. But today the BeerCast sample their seasonal Winter Time…

What They Say – “To best enjoy Meantime Winter Time wrap up warm, go outside and kick up leaves in the street until the end of your nose goes red. Then step back into the warmth, open a bottle and let the soft aromas of roast coffee, chocolate and vanilla beckon. Savour the richness of dark, smokey malts supporting a palate of roast chestnuts, caramel and molasses whilst you wiggle the warmth back in your toes. English fuggles hops, dark malts and smoked malt provide a fireside warming brew.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Shovels – Some burnt flavours in there, it’s a tasty brew 7½
Richard – Dark, smokey maltiness, really nice stuff 7
MrB – Definately a warmer, it’s like a nice smokey mulled wine 7
Grooben – Smells heady, it tastes a bit like a stout 6½

2. Erdinger Schneewiesse Winterbier (5.6%abv)
Brauerei Erdinger, Erding (Ger).
500ml glass bottle

Our second visit to the Bavrian wheatbeer behemoths in two podcasts, as last time out we sampled their extremely tasty Dunkel Weissbier. For this seasonal edition, we got hold of their Schneewiesse Winterbier, or ‘Snow White’. Almost opaque when held up to the light, Erdinger describe it as a ‘special’ winter beer, which they first produced in December 1997. It is matured longer from the summer malt harvest until mid-October, apparently to make the flavours more pronounced. It’s only available from November to February, so is this one-off one to savour, or one to avoid?

What They Say – “With a slightly darker colour and a slightly higher alcohol content than the classic Erdinger Weissbier, Schneewieße offers a really pleasant change at the coldest time of year, a time when we like to treat ourselves to something special. It’s amber colour and spicy taste is an ideal compliment to hearty foods such as those round the Christmas table. The taste of winter just got better!” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Shovels – Just tastes of wheat beer, not great but not bad 6
MrB – There’s something slightly different that detracts from it 6
Grooben – Some honeycomb going on, I’m not sold on it 6
Richard – If I had it with a turkey dinner it would be nicer 5

3. Anchor Our Special Ale 2006 (5.5%abv)
Anchor Brewery, San Francisco (USA).
350ml glass bottle

The Anchor Brewing Company is a well-known feature of San Francisco, and started life in 1896 under the resourcefulness of two German immigrant brewers Ernst Baruth and Otto Schinkel, who acquired the Pacific Brewery started by another ex-pat, and renamed it Anchor. After overcoming several tragedies, and the prohibition era, the landmark company were saved from closure in 1965 by Fritz Maytag, and have since gone from strength to strength. They are renowned for their annual special Christmas beer – which remarkably is brewed to a different recipe every year. Sadly the 2007 vintage has yet to reach us, but we more than made do with the 2006 version. BeerCaster Shovels used to live in San Francisco, and is a devoted fan of Anchor – but will he take to the Special Ale?

What They Say – “Every year since 1975 the brewers at Anchor have brewed a distinctive and unique Christmas Ale, which is available from early November to mid-January. The Ale’s recipe is different every year—as is the tree on the label—but the intent with which we offer it remains the same.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
MrB – Mulled red wine, cloves, it’s the most fantastic beer ever 9½
Shovels – This tastes of Christmas, it’s spicy and just wonderful 9
Richard – What a great mix of spices, sugar and Christmas taste 8
Grooben – Great berry fruitiness, for the season it’s exceptional 8

4. Gordon Xmas (8.8%abv)
Brasserie John Martin, Genval (Bel).
350ml glass bottle

John Martin is part of the Anthony Martin conglomerate that dominates Belgian brewing. They also own Timmerman’s, whose Peach Lambic we were distinctly unmoved by in BeerCast 5. A municipality in Walloonian Brabant, along with nearby Rosieres, Genval is home to a large lake and fancy hotels used by Brussels weekenders. The Gordon Xmas beer comes in the most Christmassy bottle any of us has ever seen, and when you’re scouring shelves for potential seasonal ales, this one shouts at you to choose it. But should you?

What They Say – “A top fermented dark ruby Scotch ale. The real beer for Father Christmas. Created in the 30’s, Gordon Xmas initiated the tradition of Christmas brews. To accompany your festive evenings, Gordon Xmas is all dressed up in it’s party clothes. Don’t forget to ask for some in your letter to Santa…” [Official Website]

What We Say…
MrB – This is port-like after-dinner cheese & biscuits drink 8
Richard – Warming and it lingers, this is really drinkable 7½
Grooben – Sweet and rich, with a thick taste not for everyone 6
Shovels – Sweet sherryness, the more I have the less I like 5½

BeerCast panel verdict

Anchor Our Special Ale (2006) – 34½/40
Meantime Winter Time – 28/40
Gordon Xmas – 27/40
Erdinger Schneeweisse – 23/40

Panellists – (from top left) Shovels, Grooben, MrB, Richard

• Listen to the episode here: BeerCast #9 – Christmas Special
• Subscribe to the podcasts in iTunes or our site feed

We’ll be back in early January with our 10th episode, our first annual BeerCast Beer of the Year 2007 show. Stay tuned for details…and please leave us comments on the blog or iTunes, or emails. Cheers!