Honeydew is the Moneydew

So this lot arrived (pictured below), should keep we going for awhile and another good few ticks from the list to come too!

It’s also almost time for the Hilden Beer and Music Festival 2014, line up looks good and I really enjoyed it last year – despite the weather. I hope to get up on the Friday night but might have to see how it goes. Anyone else heading up to Lisburn?

Right on to the beers…

228. Fuller’s Honeydew

Style: Golden Ale. ABV: 5%. From: Drinkstore.ie (though my local Tesco has it as well at the minute).

Description: Poured a vibrant yellow and perfectly clear, there was a thin white head for about 2 seconds until it faded off into history, no real lacing either. Pretty looking pint when the head was on it. Not much aroma, vaguely grainy and beery (I know that’s not a really helpful description but hey – it smells like beer!) with a hint of sweetness and golden syrup. Again I get a hint of grain in the taste, almost slightly lager like, a light bitterness, not too much in the way of hops here. It then finishes on a sweeter note (again to me more syrup than honey) and some very light spices. Light bodied and slightly sticky.

Thoughts: This did a perfectly acceptable 5pm on a Friday job, refreshing and easy drinking. I wouldn’t rush back, slightly on the sweet side for me, but would drink again if options were limited.

Score: 5

I also managed a couple of beers not from “1001 Beers…”. First up was Sierra Nevada Summerfest 2014 (Style: Pilsner. ABV: 5%. From: The Vineyard) – straw coloured and clear with a small white head. Again not much aroma – a faint grassy graininess. Flavour follows that, this is clean and crisp with that grain and light grass again. A decent little bitterness on the finish. This is another light easy drinking summer beer – prefect for after mowing the lawn. Score: 6. Finally we have Beavertown Gamma Ray(Style: Pale Ale. ABV: 5.4%. From: Drinkstore.ie), amber and hazy, this poured with a huge fluffy white head – a really gusher. Aroma is fantastic, lilt like tropical aromas: pineapple, grapefruit, and a touch of bubblegum. Taste is tropical too, mango is added to the lilt, as is a resinous caramel malt backbone. Though I found this quite bitter and astringent. While this was grand, the taste just didn’t live up to the smell and I found the bitterness just a bit too much, over balancing the beer. Score: 6.

Right, hope to see you at Hilden.

Cheers

A beer searching for a celebration

I was hoping this wee beer would be imbibed to celebrate something good this weekend past, The grand National let me down (again), then the ref had a go at ruining the ulster match in the first 4 minutes, it was a great performance for the Ulster boys but just not enough to get the win. Finally a different ref tried to spoil the Liverpool game, but the boys battled through for a hard fought 3 points. So after all that, I felt I deserved this...

203. Sierra Nevada Celebration (2013)
Style: IPA. ABV: 6.8%. From: Drinkstore.ie 
Description: Poured dark amber and hazy, with a good white head that last well. Grassy hop aroma, plenty of pine, and citrus - mainly grapefruit. The hops are front and centre in the taste, some sweetness and grapefruit, the middle is some nice caramel malt, and the finish is decently bitter and dry, some pine here too. Light to mid bodied, stick mouth costing.
Thoughts: Tasty stuff, may be slightly older than it should have been (given this is a Christmas IPA!), may have been even more bitterness in its pomp, but still enjoyable.
Score: 7.5

Managed a couple other beers too:
163. Wild Beer Sourdough
Style: Sour/Wild. ABV: 3.6%. From: Grange Wines
Description: Pale cloudy yellow; no head at all. Lots of vinegar and acid on the nose. Taste is acid (cider vinegar), citrus, bready yeast. Light. 
Thoughts: This was really quite good; tart, zesty, refreshing. Worth trying if you like that sort of thing.
Score: 7

164. Kinnegar Yannaroddy
Style: Porter. ABV: 4.8%. From: Vineyard
Description: Black, translucent, light tan head. Roasted malt aroma; some coffee. Roasted malt taste, slight sweetness - though not sure you'd pick it out as coconut though. Mid to full bodied; slightly oily finish.
Thoughts: The second Kinnegar brewing beer I've really enjoyed, could have taken a bit more coconut but other than that, what's not to like. 
Score: 7

Cheers

Beer 200!

So it has taken a while to get here but finally we are up to Beer 200 of "1001 Beers to Try Before You Die" (link to amazon - other online retailers and physical bookshops are available!). Just over a year and I'm a fifth of the way through - it is getting harder and harder to get the beers locally now but a wee internet purchase or two might help from here on in - can anyone recommend a site they use to deliver to NI that's reliable, has a good range, and doesn't want your first born as a delivery charge to these shores?

Anyway, here's Beer 200 and it's a cracker:

200. Cantillon Rose De Gambrinus
Style: Lambic Fruit. ABV: 5%. From: Light House Wines
Description: Pink, clear, tiny head; not unlike pink champagne. Aroma of berries, lots of berries - raspberry mainly - and some funky yeastiness. Taste is tart and zesty - some lemon, but lots of sour raspberry. My wife commented that it reminded her of creamola foam - she had a point, a bit like eating creamola foam from the spoon. Light bodied, decent fizz, with a slightly bitter finish.
Thoughts: Gorgeous stuff. Not the sweetness of some framboise; more sourness and tartness here. But not too sour. Overall nicely balanced and very refreshing - will be having again!
Score: 8.5

I also tasted a few more beers from outside the list:

157. Sierra Nevada Narwhal
Style: Imperial Stout. ABV: 10.2%. From: Light House Wines
Description: Poured jet black with a light brown head. Lots of roasted malt in the smell, light coffee, and some dark fruit (think figs and plums). Taste is good bitter dark chocolate, again some coffee in there too. A little boozy, but not as much as you'd expect given the ABV. Full bodied with a slightly bitter finish.  
Thoughts: And there I thought I was going back to IPAs again... This is a beautifully balanced imperial stout, scarily drinkable for the style. That ABV could do some damage without care. Another great beer from Sierra Nevada.
Score: 8.5

158. Pokertree Red Earl
Style: Red Ale. ABV: 5.5%. From: Light House Wines
Description: Ruby red, clear, and an off-white head that dissipated very quickly. Caramel on the nose. Taste follows that, caramel, biscuity malt. Quite light for the style, I got an ashy finish as well.   
Thoughts: I was impressed with Pokertree's first effort - for me, this wasn't as good. I found it a little too thin for my taste, would have preferred something more syrupy; the ash finish wasn't really my bag either. Drinkable but not very exciting. I should point out that this followed the Narwhal so most beers may have struggled after that - may need to give it another tasting for fairness sake!
Score: 6

A gentle reminder that Beer Club Belfast meets this Thursday (27th March) in the Hudson. Theme is beers with a twist with lots of brews worth trying announced already (if you haven't had it the Sorachi Ace is worth the £10 admission price alone!). If your about come down for a night of beer geekiness (and some good craic too).

Cheers

Not quite Senne-sational

A weekend with no plans other than the footy (great result) and the rugby (not so great a result) - and the fact that I'm in Birmingham (boys night away) and Cardiff (stag doo) the next two weekends - gave me an excuse to have a quiet one and a go at whittling down my beer stash slightly. Including ticking another beer from "1001 Beers...".

198. Brasserie De La Senne Taras Boulba

Style: Belgian Ale. ABV: 4.5%. From: Lighthouse Wines.

Description: Poured a pale yellow, cloudy, with a decent white head. Definite hoppy herbal aroma, mixed with some Belgian yeast. Starts off with the funky yeasty taste, but quickly the hops catch-up. There's a dry orange pithy bitterness here that builds up as you work your way through the beer. Light but a little stickiness. 

Thoughts: Quite hoppy for the style. Light and refreshing to start, with a decent herbal bitter kick. I'd buy again but wouldn't go out of my way to get it.

Score: 6.5

Just the one from the list in this post, but plenty of other new beers to tried too...

Not from "1001 Beers..."

138. Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest

Style: IPA. ABV: 6.7%. From: Lighthouse Wines.

Description: Deep amber, hazy, decent white head. Aroma of pine, grassy hops, citrus, maybe some peach and other stone fruit. Taste is led by quite a smooth honey/caramel malt, piny hops, and again some peach. Medium bodied, resin like mouth-feel. 

Thoughts: Another great beer from Sierra Nevada. I was expecting a big tropical hop bomb, but actually this was a bit more subtle and balanced than that. Tasty stuff, though not as good as the Northern Hemisphere Version for me.

Score: 8

139. Ilkley Holy Cow 

Style: Stout. ABV: 4.7%. From: Lighthouse Wines.

Description: Dark muddy brown, translucence, with a beige head. Aroma of coffee and burnt malt. Taste follows aroma, light coffee, slightly bitter-sweet, quite dry. Surprisingly light.

Thoughts: Didn't do much for me, too light, too thin, and where the hell was the cranberry promised on the label?

Score: 5

More brews to follow later this week including the excellent Kinnegar Maddyrow, Thornbridge Tzara, and Kernal's London Sour. Speaking of London Sour, it features in this week's Beer Club Belfast which is all about sour beers - get down there to turn your mind, and your palette, upside down.

Finally grateful for any hints and tips for good beer in either Birmingham or Cardiff - BrewDog Birmingham is already on the list but need to try a few other places with a local feel too.

Cheers

Gueuzey Does It

Firstly apologies for that title, my excuse is that its a Sunday night and that's the best I could do! But at elast I managed to get my hand on another beer to tick off the list...

197. Boon Mariage Parfait
Style: Gueuze, ABV: 8%, From: LightHouse Wines
Description: Poured a light golden, with a big fluffy white head. Lots of fizz and slightly hazy. Big lemon aroma, some lemon rind, a little sherbet, a touch of wine/vinegar and a sour yeasty tartness. Main flavour is tart lemon, a little lemon grass, and a slightly salty finish. Light and dry.
Thoughts: Once you get over the shock of the first sip that makes your face pucker, this is a great beer. Dangerous too as you'd never guess its 8%. Give it a go.
Score: 8 

The other new beers this weekend were outside "1001 Beers..."
137. Ilkley Siberia
Style: Saison, ABV: 5.9%, From: LightHouse Wines
Description: Golden and clear. No real head, little carbonation. Aroma is quite subtle, some funky yeast and the hint of something tart and bitter. Taste is buttery, some grassy notes, bittersweet, with just a hint of rhubarb on the finish. Quite light, not much fizz. 
Thoughts: First couple of sips didn't do much for me, but as it warmed up I warmed to it. Interesting brew.
Score: 6.5

138. Ilkley Black
Style: Mild, ABV: 3.7%, From: LightHouse Wines
Description: Poured a translucent dark brown, small beige head. Aroma of smokiness, tobacco, leather, and toasted biscuity malt. Big smoky flavour (though not like this bad boy) and toasted malt. Mid bodied and quite smooth.
Thoughts: This was a cracking low ABV beer that delivered big flavour... might be the best of the Ilkley's so far.
Score: 7.5

139. Sierra Nevada Beer Camp #93 IPA
Style: IPA, ABV: 6.9%, From: LightHouse Wines
Description: Pale amber in colour, decent white head. Hazy. Aroma of hops, hops, hops - citrus and some floral notes. Tastes of grapefruit, bitter finish. Quite resin like mouth-feel, light-to-mid bodied.   
Thoughts: Again wasn't too sure of this at the start - I was expecting a bit citrus hop bomb - but actually it was a bit more subtle and bitter than that. Became smoother and better balanced with some heat. Good but not great.
Score: 7

Cheers.

The Story So Far

Introduction
As mentioned in my previous post, this blog doesn't begin at the start of my journey with 1001 Beers to Try Before You Die. It is probably more the end of the beginning (though I still have a very long way to go). In this post I thought I'd provide a bit of a summary of where I've got to and what has been good and bad so far.

Statistics
As of today (23 June 2013):

• I have tried 153 of the beers in the book (just the 848 to go then!).
• I have scores for a further 34 beers that I have also tried.
• From the list 40 have been from England, 29 from the USA, 23 from Belgium, 15 from Scotland, 9 from Germany, and the rest from all over the world (including Laos and Peru!).
• 31 have been amber (red/brown) ales, 23 have been India Pale Ales (IPAs), 13 stouts, 12 porters,  and 12 have been speciality beers (including fruit, sours, aged, etc).
• Strength (ABV) ranges from 3% to 18.2%(!).

The Best So Far

My scoring system is a tad subjective (but then what else could it be!) with beers scoring between 1 (undrinkable) and 10 (I need more NOW). Because I can be a bit indecisive I have allowed myself 1/2 points. 

3 beers have scored a whopping 9 out of 10. If you seen any of these in your local offy I'd suggesting buying them now and drinking one out of a bag on the way home (but you do so at your own risk and if you get arrested or walk into a lamppost don't come crying to me)! These are:

• Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest.Style: IPA. ABV: 6.7%. I love IPAs, and would probably be classified as a "hophead". To me this is an almost perfect example of the style - the hops are intense but well balanced by a malty beer and the ABV doesn't overdo it. A really well balanced beer.
• Ola Dubh (30). Style: Aged porter/old ale. ABV: 8%. This is an imperial porter aged in malt whisky casks that previously held Highland Park 30 Year Old Whisky. Peaty and smoked; a real sipper of a beer.
• Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. Style: Stout. ABV: 10%. This is a big, ballsy, beast of a beer. Dark chocolate, thick, and malty; yet it comes across creamy. You would never guess this is a 10% beer, its very moreish and the temptation to guzzle it is there - try to avoid this or you'll have a very sore head in the morning!

There has also been one beer that rated 8.5:

• Aventinus (Schneider). Style: Dopplebock. ABV: 8.2%. Unfiltered, cloudy, malty, and quite sweet, yet the alcohol content really carries it through to a well balanced finish. 

Plenty of beers have scored 8, but I don't plan to list them all in this post. I might come back to some of them in the future, but I'll give a special mention to Samuel Smith Brewery. In my opinion this is the best brewery in the UK, and none of their beers have scored below a 7.5 for me. Seriously, go buy Samuel Smith Beer and enjoy (responsibly).

Outside the beers listed in the book another scored a very impressive 9:

• Mein Hopfeweisse (Schneider). Style: Weizen (wheat beer). ABV: 8.2%. On a summers day there is nothing quite as refreshing as a wheat beer, though sometimes they can be lacking in taste - not this beer. There is a really pleasant hoppyness that cuts beautifully through the crisp wheat beer. Again it hides its 8.2% ABV disturbingly well so be careful!

And the worst

This is just my opinion, but the following beers (and I don't plan to go into any real detail) shouldn't be in the book except maybe for comparison sake. I've tried them, their crap, you don't need too. You have been warned!

• Scored 3 out of 10 - Deuchers IPA, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Tsingtao, Grolsch, James Boag's, Singha, Chang.
• 3.5 out of 10 - Havest Pale.
• 4 out of 10 - 80, SA, Beerlao (though they do provide great glasses!), Budweiser, Castle Lager, Kirin Ichoban, Banana Bread Beer.

Disclaimer - obviously my opinions are subjective. You may love some of the beers above, and that's fine we can agree to disagree and you can tell me why I'm wrong in the comment section below - I'll give any beer a second chance! The main thing is to drink beer you enjoy. 

From now on posts are likely to be shorter and focusing in more detail on the 2 or 3 new beers I've tried since my last post.

Cheers!

The Beginning...

So this may or may not happen as a proper lasting blog; but here we go...

This Christmas (2012) I bought myself a book, "1001 Beers: you must try before you die". Since then I have been meandering my way through many of the beers within.This blog plans to cover my adventures with this book and my views on the beers within. I'll come back to this in the next post. This one is a wee bit of history.

My interest in beer starts way before that. 

An early confession - I was a Bud man. In my defence, this is Northern Ireland. Bud arrived in draught form in my formative beer days at £2 a pint in Hunters (now long gone) on the Lisburn Road. Compared the Harp or Tennents it tasted pretty damn good - and it least it was served cold. After that I can even admit to a period of time when I and friends referred to Coors Light as "Sweet Milk" *shudder*.

However, when I travelled I always liked to try the local lager. Dorada in the Canaries, served in ice cold pint glasses, comes to mind.

Then in 2006 I had 2 trips to the states in quick succession. In New Orleans I found Abita and in Boston I found Sam Adams. Suddenly my opinion of beer changed. Before this, it was all about light, crisp, and frankly flavourless lager. These beers were amber, and malty, and moreish. But they weren't (widely) available in Northern Ireland and I went back to drinking insipid lager.

I was back to America in 2008 for my honeymoon, and I was determined to try new beers. Yuengling in New York, Sierra Nevada in Las Vegas, and Anchor Steam in San Francisco. Even better, we found Jacks at the Cannery in SF. 85 beer on tap and a proper beer menu. My mind was blown.

Since then I have been seeking out and trying every different beer I can find.

I was still steeped in American beers. I should also at this point mention my old boss who really introduced me to proper English and real ales. I'm still not convinced about drinking them warm, but I'm coming round to the concept! Trips to Germany, Australia, and experimentation with Belgian and Czech beers have broadened my mind further.

So - while this post covers my history with beer, this blog doesn't start at the beginning of the "1001 beers to try before you die". I'm 153 beers in and have also now started scoring and cataloguing the beers I try outside those referenced in the book.

In the next post, I'll summarise the best (and worst) I've had to date, from then on I'll probably cover a few beers, and  related stories, in each post.

One point though - while I've enjoyed reading and working my thought the book, but it is by no means definitive. Firstly, it was published in 2010 - as the craft beer revolution was really catching on (at least only catching on here) and therefore it misses many new beers you really should try. Secondly, there are beers in it that simply aren't great, and life's too short to spend your time drinking bad beer. As Hunter S Thompson Said "Good people drink good beer".

A couple of other points - what I like, you might not. I have a soft spot for big hopped American IPAs and dark bitter stouts and porters. I generally prefer ale to lager (though I have recently discovered that lager is much more than pilsner and a few good dopplebocks are trying to persuade me otherwise). 

My overall scoring will be out of 10 (half points allowed), and I'll try to cover most of the tasting points (bouquet, colour, taste, mouth-feel) for new beers but might not cover this for beers I tried awhile ago. I'll also try to give some info about beer styles etc. as we go along.

Finally, if you live in Northern Ireland and want to try good beers I can recommend:

• The Vineyard off-licence on the Ormeau Road for beers, wines and spirits
• Light House Wines
• The Garrick
• The Duke of York
• The John Hewitt
• The Hudson
• The Sunflower
• The Dirty Duck

For local beers try anything by Whitewater and Hilden. Clanconnel also have some good stuff.

The next post will get to the beers!

Cheers