The BeerCast

If you want to get down to the very basics, beer should only really have four ingredients – the near-mythical German Reinheitsgebot purity laws state our favourite drink can only contain water, barley and hops (yeast became the final part of the foursome only when it was discovered). But as anyone who’s stood bemused in an off-licence can tell you, these days there are all kinds of different things in beers. Fruit is a very common (and not entirely unpleasant) addition to ale – whether a Belgian framboise or a pint of the fantastic St. Peter’s Grapefruit Beer. But increasingly, other things are added to the brew to give some interesing results – and some aren’t exactly new ideas, either. Today on the BeerCast we taste four traditional beers with an extra, non-fruit, ingredient. Our first of these is the rather herby Brother Anthony’s Rievaulx Abbey Ale, from Suddaby’s in Malton, North Yorkshire. We then move to Scotland and try two of the Williams Brother’s historical range – Fraoch Heather Ale, and Kelpie Seaweed Ale. Finally we return to Yorkshire for Naylor’s Ginger Beer, proving once again that you don’t need to have a modern style of beer if you’ve got the right ingredients. On the panel this week with Richard and Shovels is the returning Andy, of Andy & Jess.

 

1. Brother Anthony’s Rievaulx Abbey Ale (4.0%abv)
Suddaby’s (by Brown Cow Brewery, Selby, N Yorks).
500ml glass bottle

The Suddaby family name has gone hand in hand with the North Yorkshire market town of Malton for over a century – Suddabys having been voted “Rural Pub of the Year” by Scarborough CAMRA eight times in nine years. The Suddbay beers, however, are produced under license by the Brown Cow Brewery in Selby, as there are no production facilities in Malton. We sampled their 6% bruiser Old Bob in BeerCast #17, and it brought back a lot of bad memories for panellist Shovels.

Added Ingredient(s) – Honey, Lavender, Lemon Balm

What They Say – “Brother Anthony’s Rievaulx Abbey Ale is brewed with the finest English malt, hops, borage honey, and yeast with a subtle hint of herbs. It marks the 875th anniversary of the founding of the famous Rievaulx Abbey” [Label Tasting Notes]

What We Say…
Andy – I would recommend it to people with a sweet tooth 7
Shovels – As far as honey beers go it’s not bad, down the middle 5
Richard – Smells like cream soda, the herbs are far too subtle 3

2. Fraoch Heather Ale (5.0%abv)
Williams Bros, Alloa Scotland.
500ml glass bottle

In 1986 a Gaelic-speaking man wandered into Bruce Williams’ homebrew shop in Glasgow and began telling him about a recipe for traditional heather ale – “Leann fraoich”. Once the Mr Miyagi/Yoda character had left, Bruce took up the challenge and revived this ancient Scottish beer, testing the results on the visitors to his shop – calling the concoction ‘Fraoch Heather Ale’ (Fraoch being Gaelic for heather). Once he started a brewery with brother Scott, it was an obvious choice for the first product. Heather Ale Ltd eventually became the Williams Bros Brewery – we tried their wonderful Williams Gold way back in BeerCast #2 – but how does this ancient drink compare?

Added Ingredient(s) – Heather

What They Say – “Fraoch has a floral peaty aroma, full malt body, a spicy herbal flavour and a dry wine like finish” [Label Tasting Notes]; “The unique taste of heather flowers is very noticeable in this beer. A fine floral aroma and spicy taste give character to this drinkable speciality beer” [Good Beer Guide]

What We Say…
Richard – Beer then heather comes at you from all directions 6
Shovels – Tastes like a wheat beer mixed with something else 5
Andy – Strong flavour but not a strong character 4

3. Kelpie Seaweed Ale (4.4%abv)
Williams Bros, Alloa Scotland.
500ml glass bottle

The third of the Williams Bros Historic Ales to feature on the BeerCast (as BeerCast #2 also featured Ebulum Elderberry ale) is Kelpie. Named after a mischievously deadly water spirit fond of taking the form of a beautiful white horse, the inventive Alloa siblings mash seaweed into the malted barley. This has some historical significance, as Scottish coastal farmers traditionally planted their crops in seaweed beds, giving an unusual taste to the resultant beer they produced. But will we like it?

Added Ingredient(s) – Argyll seaweed

What They Say – “Kelpie is a rich chocolate ale which has an aroma of fresh seabreeze and a distinctive malty texture” [Label Tasting Notes]

What We Say…
Richard – It’s very nice but you just can’t taste the seaweed 7
Shovels – Smokey, chocolatey, gets better as it warms up 7
Andy – Fantastic colour, it’s more coffeeish than seaweedish 6

4. Naylor’s Ginger Beer (4.4%abv)
Naylor’s Brewery, Keighley, West Yorks.
500ml glass bottle

The old Yorkshire textile town of Keighley is known in beery circles as being the home of the hugely successful Timothy Taylor brewery, but there are others nearby too. The Naylor’s Brewery are based in the nearby village of Crosshills, having started in 2005. They recently launched a range of six beers called Pinnacle, named after a local landmark which features on the label. Their traditional ginger beer isn’t one of these – but the tower still appears on the bottle. It’s a classic British drink, but what does a proper ginger beer taste like?

Added Ingredient(s) – Root Ginger

What They Say – “A mid amber beer, our brewer’s choice Ginger Beer has the addition of fresh ginger root to give a subtle spice flavour” [Label Tasting Notes]

What We Say…
Andy – Would be a great cleansing after dinner drink 7½
Shovels – Subtle ginger spicyness at the end, it’s summery 6½
Richard – Nice but not sure how many of these you could drink 5

BeerCast panel verdict
Kelpie Seaweed Ale (20/30)
Naylor’s Ginger Beer (19/30)
Fraoch Heather Ale (15/30)
Brother Anthony’s Rievaulx Abbey Ale (15/30)

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

• Listen to the episode here: BeerCast #23 – Hold the fruit!
• Subscribe to the podcasts in iTunes or our site feed

We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with our second BeerCast brewery showcase – from the Arran Brewery. Stay tuned for details…and please leave us comments on the blog or iTunes, or emails. Cheers!

After the excitement of our London recording last time out, for the 17th BeerCast podcast we return to our roots – almost literally for one of the panellists. Back in our glittering Edinburgh studio we sample four beers from North Yorkshire, acquired during our Easter time-ish break to York. We begin with Copper Dragon Challenger IPA (4.8%) from Skipton, before moving to the small town of Masham (with a silent H) and try a beer from each of the major brewers there – Theakston XB (4.5%), followed by Black Sheep Ale (4.4%). Finally we end on Suddaby’s Auld Bob (6.0%), which Shovels – North Yorkshire born and bred – knows very well. Joining him and Richard on the panel is the welcome return of the Hopmeister, aka Tom.

1. Copper Dragon Challenger IPA (4.8%abv)
Copper Dragon Brewery, Skipton.
500ml glass bottle

Copper Dragon were originally known as the Skipton Brewery, and first opened in 1816 near the towpath of the Leeds and Liverpool canal. Initially powered by a water wheel, the brewery continued until the start of the 20th Century, when it was taken over by Bentleys of Woodlesford and closed. But in 2002 Steve Taylor and Ruth Bennett reopened the concern after a two-year feasibility study. They renamed it the Copper Dragon Brewery and now own ten pubs, whilst producing 250 barrels a week.

What They Say – “A truly traditional premium ale brewed to revive flavours enjoyed by our Victorian ancestors. Full bodied and fruity with subtle overtones.” [Official Website]; “Amber coloured, this is a best bitter in the traditional style. Initial maltiness gives way to fruit, hops, and a growing bitter, dry finish.” [Good Beer Guide]

What We Say…
Richard – A bit malty for an IPA but nice and drinkable 7
Shovels – More bittery than the usual IPA tastes 7
Tom – There’s a hint of ashtray towards the end 6

2. Theakston XB (4.5%abv)
Theakstons Brewery, Masham.
500ml glass bottle

Theakston’s are one of Britain’s real success stories when it comes to breweries. ‘T&R Theakston Ltd’ was founded in 1827 at the Black Bull Pub in Masham. In 1919 they acquired and closed the town’s other brewery, Lighfoot’s, and concentrated production. Always a family business, eventually operations were conducted by four of the Theakston brothers, but sadly in 1987 financial constraints led to a takeover by Scottish & Newcastle. Happily, however, in 2004 the four Theakstons bought the business back from corporate S&N and it is now in family hands once again.

What They Say – “A premium strength, ruby coloured ale with a rich flavour and full body. The balance between bitterness and fruitiness from the Bramling Cross and Fuggle hops used to give XB the distinctively complex aroma, making it the beer to savour.” [Official Website] “There are more flavours in the beers brewed by Theakston in Masham than there are from an entire wine growing region in France.” [Roger Protz]

What We Say…
Tom – I could get fired into that of an evening, my favourite beer I’ve had on the BeerCast 9
Shovels – Subtle and enjoyable aley caramel flavours 8½
Richard – It’s just as good as beers from the NorthWest 8

3. Black Sheep Ale (4.4%abv)
Black Sheep Brewery, Masham.
500ml glass bottle

After S&N acquired Theakston’s in 1987, one of the family became so dispirited that he decided to do something drastic. Paul Theakston left the business to start his own brewery, setting up in the old Lightfoot’s premises over the road. However, S&N had trademarked the name so he had to come up with another name. Apparently it was his wife that suggested the name ‘Black Sheep’. So once again Masham supported two large brewers (the town has a population of about 1300), with Black Sheep concentrating on cask ale (70% of their production). Their familiar ram’s head logo is a common sight over the Yorkshire Dales.

What They Say – “Our most famous bottled beer, Black Sheep Ale is fermented in the unusual Yorkshire Square system to produce a distinctive robust taste. Brewed with many generous handfuls of choice Golding hops, it is a full flavoured premium ale with a rich fruity aroma and an uncompromising long, dry and bitter finish.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Richard – Very different to XB, tastes like a standard bitter 6½
Shovels – Slightly disappointing, I much prefer it on draught 6½
Tom – Very different to the draught ale, far too dry for me 5

4. Suddaby’s Auld Bob (6%abv)
Suddaby’s Brewery, Malton.
500ml glass bottle

The Suddaby family name has gone hand in hand with the North Yorkshire market town of Malton for over a century. Suddabys has once again been voted “Rural Pub of the Year” by Scarborough CAMRA – this is the eighth time in nine consecutive years that the pub has scooped the award. The Suddbay beers, however, are produced under license by the Brown Cow Brewery in Selby, as there are no production facilities in Malton.

What They Say – “Suddaby’s award winning Auld Bob is a rich dark full-bodied ale brewed with a combination of two dark hops and the finest English malt to produce a full flavoured and unique ale.” [Official Website] “Deep ruby strong ale with a rich velvet finish.” [Good Beer Guide]

What We Say…
Shovels – We used to need Coca Cola chasers to stomach this 5
Richard – I want to like it but I’m struggling 4
Tom – It’s every bad drink you had as a kid that made you sick 2

BeerCast panel verdict

Theakston XB – 25½/30
Copper Dragon Challenger IPA – 20/30
Black Sheep Ale – 18/30
Suddaby’s Auld Bob – 11/30

Panellists – (from bottom left) Richard, Shovels, The Hopmeister

• Listen to the episode here: BeerCast #17 – North Yorkshire
• Subscribe to the podcasts in iTunes or our site feed

We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with episode 18 – our second BeerCast Japanese Beer special. Stay tuned for details…and please leave us comments on the blog or iTunes, or emails. Cheers!