The BeerCast

One of Scotland’s classic beers could be in a whole lot of trouble. The Sinclair Orkney Brewery’s standout barleywine Skull Splitter (8.5%abv) has fallen foul of drinks industry watchdogs the Portman Group over it’s “aggressive” theme. The London based organisation have a strict (and rigidly enforced) code of practice on the naming and promotion of alcoholic drinks, to protect us members of the public from all kinds of potential evils:-

“The Code prohibits the marketing of alcoholic drinks to under-18s; the alcohol content of a drink must be made absolutely clear; its alcoholic strength should not be dominant; it must not encourage rapid or down-in-one drinking; there must be no association with illegal drugs, bravado, aggression or anti-social behaviour and any suggestion that the drink will lead to sexual success or increased popularity is also banned…”

Just recently a management consultancy (PIPC) produced a report for the Portman Group and highlighted Skull Splitter because “it’s name implies violence and also the impact the strength may have on the drinker”. If found to be in breach of the code (the Portman Group will meet later in the year to consider the PIPC report), Skull Splitter could be removed from sale. An idle threat? A quick look at their website reveals ‘Cider Drinks taken off shelves’ (Blackout Cider was deemed to carry “strong connotations of alcohol-induced unconsciousness”, and Mega White Cider was pulled up because the label described it’s ‘mega strength’).

It should be stressed that the group are made up of members of the drinks industry themselves, and any complaints made to them are heard by an independent panel currently chaired by former Director General of the Prison Service, Sir Richard Tilt. They switched to marketing regulation in the mid-1990′s alcopop boom, and no doubt saved many schoolkids hangovers as a result. They are also behind the established Drinkaware campaign.

But Skull Splitter is no Mega White Cider – it’s one of Scotland’s best barleywines, and massively popular (particularly in North America, where they know a thing or two about 8-12%’ers). It’s not sold in supermarkets or off licences, has won numerous awards, and the suggested food pairing on the label is pâté, for crying out loud! If the name Skull Splitter is aggressive, it’s because it’s named after Thorfinn Hausakluif, the Seventh Viking Earl of Orkney – who clearly had a firm way of settling arguments.

And as for the ‘implication that the strength will have on the drinker’ – how are breweries supposed to market strong ales? The first one specifically labelled as a barley wine was the turn of the century Bass No.1 Ale – no implication there. But all you have to do is Google for that style of drink, and what names do you get? Headcracker, Blithering Idiot, Old Horizontal, Buzzard’s Breath, and the quite brilliant Baz’s Bonce Blower. Are the Portman Group going after all of these as well?

The bottom line is Skull Splitter is a serious product, not cheap pissup fuel. The Portman Group have a serious responsibility, and removing the likes of Blackout Cider from our shelves can’t be that much of a bad thing (and that particular complaint was lodged from within the industry, by the National Association of Cider Makers) – but honestly, let’s hope common sense prevails and the Sinclair Orkney Brewery retain their strong ale and can continue to market it to lovers of strong beer everywhere…

…incidentally, we tried the beer in question when the BeerCast visited the Scottish Beer Festival in June. For the record, this is what we thought. We’ll keep you posted on the findings of the complaints panel when they meet later in the year.

5. Skull Splitter (8.5%)
Sinclair Orkney Brewery, Quoyloo, Orkney.
Recently named Scotland’s best Barleywine for 2008, Skull Splitter is a mighty concoction. We bought a collective half to sample (it was 4 o’clock in the afternoon) to see what the fuss was about. There’s certainly a distinctive ‘prunes soaked in vodka’ smell to it, although I didn’t pick up any of the suggested apple and/or plum. Very spicy taste, and surprisingly subtle, but to be honest one to sip in different surroundings than at a beer festival.

Brewery’s Skull Splitter Headache [BBC]
Sinclair Breweries

In our recent preview of the 2008 Scottish Real Ale Festival I wrote that we were all looking forward to trying some new things, as it’s really the main reason for going along. Last year’s festival (the review of which is here) was something of an eye-opener to the BeerCast – we’d only just started out on the real ale path – so practically everything we tried was new. I remember the first beer I sampled then (picked totally at random) was Fyne Ales’s Pipers Gold, which I described as “like drinking an entire flowerbed”. It seems my baffling beer descriptions haven’t improved over the last twelve months.

Fast forward a year, and we turned up at the Assembly Rooms on Friday and it was suddenly all so familiar. The brewers, the brands, the styles of beer, the boozy queasinesses – we seemed like old hands striding around with our pint glasses at the ready. But of course the beauty of a beer festival is that even those who try and learn as much about local beer as they can will still be able to find something they’ve yet to experience. So here’s what I managed to pack into a few short hours on Friday afternoon…

1. Orkney IPA (4.8%)
Highland Brewery, Birsay, Orkney.
‘A refreshing well-hopped pale ale’ said the tasting notes in the festival guide, and what better way to start an afternoon’s research? I’ve long wanted to try this given the reputation of the Highland Brewery (reigning Champion Beer of Scotland winners for Dark Munro), but not yet seen it during our beery travels. As an IPA it’s characteristically hoppy, more in the aftertaste than up front, but a really good session ale.

2. Gold Rush (3.9%)
Harviestoun Brewery, Alva, Clackmannanshire.
Next I made a bee-line for the Harviestoun section, as their little-seen seasonal Gold Rush was pretty much the first thing that caught my eye when wandering around. If it’s even half as good as Bitter and Twisted or Schiehallion then it’d be a winner. As it was, it was just as good – zingy and packed full of hops, it reminded me a bit of Stewart’s Edinburgh Gold – which is probably my favourite beer. Great stuff.

3. Peden’s Cove (3.5%)
Windie Goat Brewery, Failford, South Aryshire.
‘Pale Bitter named after the area where Alexander Peden preached from’, apparently. After a quick Google, Peden was a 17th Century Covenanter repeatedly jailed for preaching about his Presbyterianism. As for the beer, the classic musty Fuggles hop smell really comes out of this very pale session bitter. It’s pretty good stuff, and makes me want to try more from this relatively new producer (they started in 2006).

4. Midnight Sun (5.6%)
Williams Brothers, Alloa, Clackmannanshire.
Residents of the Wee County are really spoiled when it comes to brewers – just down the road from Harviestoun are the Williams Brothers, another big favourite of the BeerCast. They also had one of their seasonals at the festival, Midnight Sun – a hoppy porter with added ginger. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but it was ab-so-lutely fantastic. Smooth, dark tastes with the edge given by ginger (which was just in the very background), and pretty hefty at 5.6%abv, it was just great. My beer of the festival, and a real find.

5. Skullsplitter (8.5%)
Sinclair Orkney Brewery, Quoyloo, Orkney.
Recently named Scotland’s best Barleywine for 2008, Skullsplitter is a mighty concoction. We bought a collective half to sample (it was 4 o’clock in the afternoon) to see what the fuss was about. There’s certainly a distinctive ‘prunes soaked in vodka’ smell to it, although I didn’t pick up any of the suggested apple and/or plum. Very spicy taste, and surprisingly subtle, but to be honest one to sip in different surroundings than at a beer festival.

6. Dark Moor (4.5%)
Kelburn Brewery, Barrhead, East Renfrewshire.
Last year I went for a total random selection and ended up with Sulwath’s Solway Mist, a cloudy wheat beer I noted tasted like “lemonade mixed with antiseptic”. But I thought I’d give the idea another go, and plumped for Dark Moor, a ruby bitter from Kelburn. It was eminently more preferable – fruity and a lovely shade of red, a really nice session bitter.

And that was that, as we wandered out into the commuter-packed streets and went to a pub to draw breath*. Some really great finds at the 2008 Scottish Real Ale Festival (to give it the proper name), even given the high percentage of beers on offer we’re familiar with. Look out for other posts by BeerCasters who were there, and keep an eye out for future posts (and maybe podcasts) involving some of these new discoveries.

* I’m not ashamed to admit I had a pint of Kirin Ichiban, being totally real-ale’d out

The Northern Isles are the last bastion of the British Isles before you fall off the end. Orkney and Shetland are remote, windswept clusters of islands populated by hardy souls who know how to produce alcohol. Orkney whiskies such as Highland Park are world famous, and Shetland gin is starting to make a name for itself – but what about beer? Shetland – 820 miles from London – can claim the UK’s most northernly brewery, and Orkney (itself over 300 miles from BeerCast HQ in Edinburgh), has established players and newcomers alike. Our panellist Grooben hails from the latter group of islands, and on a recent lengthy journey home he picked up some interesting beer from the Northern Isles. Britain’s remotest possible podcast begins with the Valhalla brewery’s White Wife (4.5%), and then Island Bere (4.2%), before heading slightly south to sample Orkney Blast (6.0%), before finishing with arguably the region’s true classic – Dark Island (4.6%).

1. White Wife (4.5%abv)
Valhalla Brewery, Unst, Shetland.
500ml glass bottle

Unst is about as remote as a brewery can possibly get. Famed for the Shetland pony, Muckle Flugga lighthouse, 700 people and 10,000 puffins, the island may only be 12 miles by 5 miles but hosts the Valhalla Brewery, the UK’s northernmost. Founded in 1997 by husband and wife team Sonny and Sylvia Priest, they are named after the home of the Norse God Odin, where slain Viking warriors were revived by a horn of ale. They produce half a dozen bottled ales, and White Wife relates to the local ghost – a wispy looking old lady who appears in the cars of lone male drivers. Spooky stuff – but is it tasty stuff?

What They Say – “White Wife is a light golden clean session ale, with a dry, refreshing bitterness and a characteristically fruity aftertaste.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
MrB – Tastes very good, this is a nice session beer 7
Richard – Nice colour, and a bittery aftertaste, I’d try this again 7
Grooben – Thin and light but very drinkable 6
Shovels – Has a strange citrusy taste to it, a bit hollow 5

2. Island Bere (4.2%abv)
Valhalla Brewery, Unst, Shetland.
500ml glass bottle

Valhalla’s other entrant is an extremely historic brew. The main ingredient is Bere (pronounced ‘bear’), which is said to be the oldest variety of cereal crop in the world – grains have been found in the Middle East that date to 2000BC. Valhalla say to their knowledge this is the only beer in the world brewed with Bere, which was the original Viking barley brought over in longboats to Shetland in the 9th Century. Known locally as ’90-day Barley’ due to the speed with which it grows, it’s a unique ingredient, and Valhalla should be applauded for doing something different. But what does bere beer taste like?

What They Say – “Island Bere is a golden bitter ale with cascade hops which gives it a nice blackcurrant/liquorice aftertaste.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Grooben – Tastes like woodsmoke, it’s interesting but not bad 5
Richard – Has a watered-down German smokebier thing about it 4
MrB – Like breathing in a barbecue, really rather unpleasant 3
Shovels – It lingers like you’re chewing a piece of wood 3

3. Orkney Blast (6%abv)
Highland Brewing Co, Swannay, Orkney.
500ml glass bottle

The second half of the Northern Isles edition switches to Orkney – Orkneyjar, the ‘islands of the seals’ in the Viking tongue. Orkney has a fine tradition of beers, and towards the north of the largest of the seventy islands is the old cheese factory at Swannay. Taken over by the Highland Brewing Company, it switched to brewing in January 2006, and started producing a range of beers for the local market. Their Orkney Blast is named after a wartime newspaper created by Kirkwall’s Orcadian, hence the army uniforms on the label. Although we’re not sure why they are being worn by a pair of mermaids.

What They Say – “Generously malty with balanced spicy hop in the middle, leading to a lingering hop finish, with honeyed fruity malt and a hint of warming alcohol.” [Label tasting notes]

What We Say…
Richard – Nice but slightly spoiled by the alcohol/honey tastes 6
Grooben – An unecessary sweetness, but it’s rather nice 6
Shovels – Another woody one, but with a lightness on the palate 6
MrB – Lots of honey, it’s a strange non-session ale 5

4. Dark Island (4.6%abv)
Sinclair Orkney Brewery, Quoyloo, Orkney.
500ml glass bottle

Founded by Roger White in 1988, the award-winning Orkney brewery are another local producer who started in untypical surroundings – in this case an old school house in Sandwick. In June 2004 they merged with BeerCast favourite Atlas Brewery of Kinlochleven, to form Highland and Islands Breweries – which in turn was taken over by the Sinclair Brewery Ltd in 2006. Beer drinkers in North America may know them best for Skullsplitter, an 8.5% Barleywine seemingly more popular over the pond than back home. Over here, it’s Dark Island which is their big draw. Two-time Champion Beer of Scotland, it has recently been crowned Champion Winter Beer of Scotland for 2007.

What They Say – “An excellent brew, The roast malt and chocolate character varies, making the beer hard to catagorise as a stout or old ale.” [2008 Good Beer Guide]; “The nose on this beer is ripe and fruity with slightly vinous esters, married to interesting hop notes – the colour of a glorious red ruby wine.” [Label tasting notes]

What We Say…
Richard – Harsher than the mellow cask taste, but it’s wonderful 8
Grooben – A good complex beer with lots of flavours going on 7
Shovels – Dominant coffee smell, it’s the best of the night 7
MrB – Don’t remember it tasting this strong, a bit disappointing 6

BeerCast panel verdict

Orkney Dark Island – 28/40
Valhalla White Wife – 25/40
Orkney Blast – 23/40
Valhalla Island Bere – 15/40

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

• Listen to the episode here: BeerCast #11 – The Northern Isles
• Subscribe to the podcasts in iTunes or our site feed

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