The BeerCast

The theory sounded highly plausible. Whereas in the first Battle of the Brewers (between Stewart Brewing and Williams Bros Brewing) it was immediately evident which beer was produced by which company – this time, it wasn’t so obvious. Back in July, just a quick sip of each 5% summer ale was enough – that distinctive caramel sweetness from Williams, put against the Holyrood-esque gentle hopping of the other. Clearly Beer X came from Loanhead, and Beer Y from Alloa – and so it proved. But last night, as Stewart took on Harviestoun in BotBII – a Black IPA-off – it was much harder to tell. But I had a theory.

There was a noticeable difference between the two beers. Beer X came with a white head, and a nose full of grassy hop. Although there was some caramel, and a roasty finish, the hops really were the prime component of the flavour – as you’d expect, from a Black IPA. Beer Y had a beige head, and was infinitely more complex, with less hop, but more roast. Richer – and smoother – than X, it ended in a mocha coffee finish. Creamy – almost to the point of an old milk stout, it was very different from what you’d expect a Black IPA to be. This, of course, led into the familiar discussions on beer styles and how important they are (the consensus being that on the whole; they aren’t).

But, which was which? And which was nicer?

I preferred Y – even though I love hop-forward Black IPA’s. There was just something a bit extra in the flavour to Y, an extra element. I loved the smooth, creamy finish. To be honest, I think I loved it because it reminded me of a great roasty stout and it was close to freezing outside. Obviously, if we were judging solely on style it was far behind the X. However, taste trumps style (nearly) every time.

But back to the theory as to who was responsible for each. Both make some decent hoppy beer, although with their peerless Old Engine Oil Harviestoun have a longer history of the darker offerings. The deviously clever idea I had came from lateral thinking. Very recently, Stewart have done another run of their lovely Coconut Porter – aka ‘Bounty in a glass’. I could see the resemblance to Y. It would be easy enough to add a touch more hop before the coconut went in, and cask it. Both the Coconut Porter and Beer Y have that smooth, creamy edge. I could see how they fit together. Therefore – Beer Y was from Stewart Brewing. Yes! Of course!

Beer Y was produced by Harviestoun, Beer X by Stewart.

In the voting, Y scored 52 to X’s 100. So for the second Battle of the Brewers in succession, it’s a win for the home team. Next up, BotBIII – Stewart vs. BrewDog*

*Note – this may not actually be true

As a phrase, ‘Battle of the Brewers’ conjures images of notable beer producers charging around the course of Total Wipeout, while beer bloggers aim jets of Pale Ale at them, and poke them with mashing forks. Whilst that would liven up any Saturday night schedule, in reality any conflict between brewers usually takes place in more relaxed surroundings (insert topical joke about Sam Smiths/Cropton here). A Brew-off is a great way for people to sample beer – a blind tasting of each product, with a free vote on which was nicer.

Last night at the Queen’s Arms, Stewart Brewing hosted such an event, having challenged their good friends Williams Brothers Brewing. The rules – each were to formulate a 5% cask summer ale, and both would go on sale alongside each other. The winner would receive nothing but kudos – and the chance for a spot of banter, no doubt. All proceeds were to be donated to Maggie’s Cancer Centre. Throw in a few raffle prizes, and the whole thing turns into a great idea – and no Richard Hammond in sight, either.

The beers – branded X and Y – were served at the same time, and both poured a very similar golden colour. Having had more than my fair share of beers from each of the participants, I (and this is not meant boastfully) picked which was which after a single sip – as did the others sat around our table. X had a certain crispness to it, whereas Y had an almost caramel sweetness, that built into the aftertaste. The hops were there in both, but the yeasty edge of Y made it harder going – and less summery – than the bitter crispness of X.

After casting our votes – and winning a prize in the raffle (which we didn’t allow ourselves to be influenced by, obviously), there was a show of hands as to who in the pub thought were behind the beers. Most people seemed to follow our thinking, although there were plenty that had gone the other way – such is the beauty of a blind tasting. Beer X certainly had that characteristic Stewart Brewing hop profile – so I for one was extremely relieved when it was revealed that it was indeed from their brewery (BeerCast integrity intact for another few days, at least). Y reminded me instantly of Williams Bros Joker – which, as it turned out, was more than a co-incidence.

The overall voting reflected the thoughts of our table – when the slips of paper were counted, Beer X wound out a comfortable winner – 77 votes to 49. It was certainly more summery, and as the weather was unseasonably warm for an Edinburgh summer (i.e. actually warm), it went down a treat. Stewart took the win then, and are apparently looking for another brewer to challenge (Westvleteren?). The best news of all was that around £1,000 was raised for Maggies, which was fantastic. Cheers to Steve Stewart, Bruce Williams, and their respective teams for the hard work that went into the Battle. If they fancy a shot on the Total Wipeout course, I can always email the BBC…

Stewart Brewing’s Summer Ale should appear in a few Edinburgh pubs over the next few weeks – and if you’re reading this at the end of July, both beers are still on at the Queen’s Arms…

The Scottish Real Ale Festival begins in earnest tomorrow at noon, but the preview night trade session took place today at Adam House in Edinburgh. Thanks to organiser Owen, the BeerCast secured an invite, and we arrived just in time to witness the award session for the 2011 SIBA Awards. Nine different breweries took home prizes, but the event was dominated by arguably the most successful Scottish producer of the last few years – Orkney’s Highland Brewery. Rob Hill wasn’t there in person, but Highland won four of the seven categories in a very impressive showing.

In the overall contest, however, they could only come second and third (with Scapa Special and Orkney IPA respectively). The Gold Medal winner in the main prize was the beer that made it through from the standard bitter category – and regular readers of the BeerCast won’t be surprised to learn that it was Fyne Ales Jarl – surely now recognised as the best Scottish beer debuted in 2010. Other notable winners included John McGarva, as Tryst took home a Gold and two Silvers, and the strong Porter category, with Black Isle Porter (Bronze), Kelburn Cart Noir (Silver) and Cairngorm Black Gold (Gold) deservedly taking the prizes.

On to the beer, and the lack of queues meant it was a great chance to get some sampled before the gates open tomorrow afternoon. The classic festival starter is a 3.9% golden ale – so Belhaven Bonnie Birdie fit the bill, starting off on a gentle upward curve. There was a slight hint of hop to it, but after a long day at work it definitely did the job. Next, another lighter offering in the form of Burnside Black Katz Mild (3.6%) – a good roasty start with a coffee and nutty end. Milds are always an interesting category – in that they need a certain something to keep the balance, but this one certainly has it.

Kelso’s Tempest Brewery have been making steady headlines since their arrival last year, and are bringing six of their beers to this year’s SRAF. RyePA (5.5%) is hopped with Columbus but has a blend of rye and Maris Otter malt – at least that’s what the festival guide said. It was absolutely fantastic – toffee and caramel on the nose mingling with the hops, on the taste a really drinkable bitter US-style Pale Ale, with a great hoppy finish. Their Elemental Porter (5.1%) was also great, a roasty, bitter but very smooth porter. A really good showing from the relative newcomers.

One-off beers are always interesting to sample at the SRAF, and Edinburgh’s Stewart Brewing have a range of exclusive ales on offer. Their IPA Hop Challenge, or ‘hop around the world’ beers, each feature a specific signature ingredient. Being fans of the isohumulone we ordered one of each, and piled through them. North Atlantic contained Crystal, South Pacific featured Southern Cross, and Europe contained the classic British Fuggles hops. A really interesting idea, the problem is that all are brewed to 3.9%, so the hops really can’t show themselves.

Clearly meant to be session strength – which is fine at a festival like the SRAF – the beers were inevitably a tad on the watery side. The North Atlantic had some fruity hop, whereas the classic tangy Fuggles hint just about came through on the Europe – together with a grassy creaminess. A hint of biscuit was in there as well. The South Pacific was the weakest of the three, with a pretty unpleasant nose. Thankfully, the 40th Anniversary beer for CAMRA was much better. A red ale with Cascade and Citra, the caramel edge from the malt worked really well with the citrus from the hops.

So with that, the first day of the 2011 Scottish Real Ale Festival was done. Beer of the day was Tempest’s RyePA – a fantastically well-balanced pale ale. Check back tomorrow as we’ll be on the panel judging the Champion Beer of Scotland, before heading into the festival mix once again. You can keep up with our hits and misses before our daily post by following us on Twitter – @thebeercast

SRAF website

The arrival of tailbacks on the roads and wasps in the parks can mean only one thing – Spring is here. After enduring months of snow, sleet, winds and haar (something we say every year, only this time it actually happened) the weather is taking a turn for the better. Here in Scotland that means average highs in the mid-teens Celsius. So while we all rush to reveal that pale flesh and stick another white pudding on the barbie, beer sales traditionally rocket.

So what to drink? Clearly, avoiding macrolager is the only decent option. But there are so many alternatives out there, it can be something of a muddle. That’s why we’ve compiled another BeerCast guide – to the best of the Spring/Summer seasonals. Just because it’s time to rush to the nearest beer garden/park/roadside verge, doesn’t mean there can’t be a good beer involved somewhere along the line. So put down that oak-aged imperial blackcurrant porter, and pick up a golden session ale. (Whisper it) – it’s not always about the abv…

Cask
If you manage to get yourself into that rarest of things – a sunny Scottish beer garden – then what should you select after wandering, blinking, into the pub (which will still have a roaring open fire)? Light, golden beer has a great tradition north of the border, stretching back to the days of Edinburgh Pale Ale and beyond. There are plenty of modern-day equivalents, such as the peerless Fyne Ales Avalanche. Hoppy, refreshing and unbelievably drinkable – it’s the perfect beer garden pint.

Along the same lines, Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted is another corker – one of only two beers from Scotland to win Champion Beer of Britain. A very rare sighting on cask, but Williams Brothers Ceilidh is tremendous when served this way, the slight spicy edge from the bottle mellowing really well on cask. Other great quenchers include Strathaven Summer Glow, Deeside Nechtan and Stewart Brewing Forth Mist – a really underrated wheat beer.

Bottle
The beauty of bottles is of course the fact that they are portable. Until Scotland truly embraces the canned beer revolution that (if you look very, very hard) is taking place, then the bottle is the best option. Alfresco drinking here usually involves either one of Scotland’s great exports to the world – Irn Bru – or one of the big imports – Buckfast. But if beer is on your wishlist, then dig out that opener and wander along to the nearest green space, with a clinking carrier bag of…

Cairngorm Trade Winds, which has a touch of elderflower to give it that distinctive summery flavour – in my humble opinion it’s one of the few beers that tastes just as good from a bottle as on cask. Inveralmond Ossian is another golden thirstbuster, as is Williams Brothers Harvest Sun. We adore Fyne Ales Jarl here on the BeerCast – but stablemate Hurricane Jack was also bottled for the first time recently, and is just as good. Finally, to rival Trade Winds – what about a bottle of Tryst Blathan? Another zesty elderflower beer that translates as ‘little blossom’ – what could be more Springlike?

Keg
Yikes. Keg beer. Well, the majority are pretty much made for good weather – easy drinking, crisp and refreshing, high carbonation. Obviously we’re not going to recommend drinking Fosters, but if something cold is on your radar then what about the two kings of Scottish kegged lager – Harviestoun Schiehallion and Black Isle Organic Blonde? Either would be much more preferable, surely.

Also on the cooler, fizzier side of things we have Stewart Brewing Edinburgh Gold, which has made recent appearances in the capital on keg. Heading along the M8, WEST Hefeweizen is a clovey, banana delight – particularly when drunk outside the Templeton brewery watching the ‘goings on’ in Glasgow Green. Finally, keg fans would be foaming (artificially) at the mouth if we didn’t mention BrewDog – their re-styled, reduced but much improved Punk IPA would make any sunny afternoon much the better.

So what are your ideal summer thirst quenchers? As we move into Easter long weekends and Royal Wedding holidays, what will you be reaching for? South of the border there are many great golden-esque ales that fit the bill – Pictish Brewer’s Gold, York Guzzler, Thornbridge Kipling, Purity Pure Gold, St Peter’s Golden Ale, Ossett Pale Gold etc etc

So many beers…so little sunshine. Drink up!

Beer launches in Edinburgh are coming thick and fast at the moment – last week BrewDog Abstrakt AB:05 was premiered at Holyrood 9A, and this week it was the turn of Stewart Brewing’s new Coconut Porter (4.5%), unveiled last night at the Guildford Arms. Two very different producers and very different beers – although with AB:05 being aged on coconut there was some degree of connection between the two. Is coconut the new Citra?

Talking of which, there was also another new cask beer on offer from Stewart – Hopped Up IPA (3.9%), a version of their best-selling Pentland IPA with added Citra – we presume at the dry-hopping stage. Only the night before we had been drinking massively Citra-tastic beers as we tasted BrewDog’s IPA is Dead version alongside the Kernel Brewery India Pale Ale Citra (7.2%). As others have noted, very much the hop du jour [check back next week for our IPA is Dead podcast].

A direct comparison between Hopped Up and the BrewDog and Kernel versions isn’t really fair of course, as a 3.9% cask beer is fundamentally different from a 7%+ bottled version – Stewart’s had a subtle touch of lemon peel rather than a battering ram of sharp citrus. As a quaffable session beer, it was pretty good – the Citra making things a bit more interesting. Also on offer was a kegged version of the tremendous Hefeweizen (5.5%), which was gorgeous – ripe bananas and a long yeasty finish.

But the Coconut Porter was the reason for the crowds – and it certainly was crowded – once Steve Stewart announced the new beer was being served there was something of a charge to the bar, and the new arrival sold out within a couple of hours. Very dark and with a decent white head, the aromas were mostly chocolate-based, but some coconut came through on the nose. Also a touch of eggyness, but that was probably down to the short resting time and the frantic speed with which the bar staff were piling them out.

The million-dollar question with any beer advertising itself as an x-porter, or a y-infused stout is how much of the x or y you actually get. I didn’t get much coconut from the AB:05 – but I did from the Coconut Porter. They trialled four different versions, each with a heftier addition than the last – in the end they went for the third out of four (toasted coconut having been added while the porter was conditioning). Roasty porter flavours come first, with plenty of bitter chocolate tastes, before the coconut appears midway through. There is certainly more than a hint of the Bounty bar about it, before the finish fades a little into cocoa nib bitterness.

The consensus of the BeerCasters present at the launch (and Scottish RateBeer king Craig Garvie – who liveblogged the event) was that Coconut Porter is very good – having been aired a bit longer the cask would be even better. At 4.5% the finish does thin out a touch, so a bit extra in the abv department might have complemented the coconut – but these are minor issues, overall it was very impressive. Hopefully the success of the launch might persuade Stewart Brewing to make it a regular brew, or even bottle it…

Stewart Brewing