Peerless Brewery has been in operation for a while in terms of the current climate, although 2009 doesn’t seem too long ago; though the brewery is pretty much a stalwart of the beer scene in Liverpool and on the Wirral Peninsula. Currently they are most known for producing very solid cask beers such as Full Whack, Viking Gold and their Oatmeal Stout, along with supplying a few choice locations with their bottled wares. Peerless, run by native Cumbrian Steve Briscoe, is located on the premises of the original Birkenhead Brewery (the strapline of which was also from where Peerless drew inspiration for its moniker), has now increased its brewery capacity to effectively double the output from existing kit to a 30 barrel plant. Though it did take three attempts to break the bottle on a brewing tank, the plant is now most likely operation and the expansion open for brewing! Peerless has received numerous awards from SIBA (Society for Independent Brewers) for its beers, including two recent gold medals. Indeed, the brewery performed quite solidly at the last Battle of the Breweries event in late 2014, with very positive feedback coming in about both the Oatmeal Stout and the RIOTS (although at the time, this was a first batch, kindly provided by Steve for getting feedback – the latest iterations are very accomplished and enjoyable complex stouts). For one evening, Steve opened the doors to invite guests along to inspect the new kit, share some food and drink matching (for those who a regulars on this blog, they will appreciate this was a pleasing aspect of the event for me) and listen to beer writer Roger Protz talk them through some of the beers tasted on the evening. Those who are interested in the specifications of the new kit, the brewery website has a blog which covers the new items of kit that have been installed [http://www.peerlessbrewing.co.uk/article/19/peerless-doubles-in-size]. The presentation and presence of Roger Protz was testament to the hard work undertaken by the team at Peerless under Steve’s supervision; fingers crossed they continue with this ethic with the new brews they’ll output in the near future. The bulk of Roger Protz’s talk focused on the make up of each of the Peerless beers drunk, along with a foreword on the growth of the brewing industry in the UK amongst the growth internationally. There was also a reinforcing word on the reputation of beer which whilst steadily improving, is still on the back foot compared to wine (at least in the mainstream media). I won’t wax lyrical any more on this matter here, as I have already covered my rallying cry on the matter in a previous edition of this blog. Peerless beers are becoming ever more visible in Liverpool and the wider area, having been most conspicuous in Wetherspoons pubs on the Wirral, but places like Tithebarn Street’s James Monro for cask and the Londis on Penny Lane, Mossley Hill for bottles are becoming more frequent – and with the expansion perhaps moreso in the future. Steve seems to be very happy with the expansion, with little concern for finding the ever-competitive market for his beers. For a full spectrum of their brews, the best option is to attend either a brewery tour, or to visit the brewery premises for one of their ‘Thirsty Thursday’ events. Details for both of these are present on the website. Until next time! Pedro. ---------------------------------------------------------- Peerless Brewing Company 8 Pool Street Birkenhead CH41 3NL Tel: 0151 647 7688 Email: [email protected] Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeerlessSteve Roger Protz Roger is a journalist, writer and campaigner. He has edited the Good Beer Guide since 2000 and also edited the same publication during the early 1980s. Web: http://protzonbeer.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/rogerprotzbeer
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Welcome everyone to the first beer review blog for 2015!! It’s a little later than planned due to a double whammy of illness, meaning the usual intake was severely limited through January and at the end of February, but with a little luck, things will improve and I’ll still be able to provide a monthly review as normal to go along with the usual reviews, recipes, MTBs (meet the brewer events) and other one off events that usually get covered. Sadly, I was unable to attend an event I was looking forward to during the end of February, with Source Deli in Ormskirk managing to bring down the guys from Summer Wine Brewery to pair their beers with a six course dinner. Gutted doesn’t cover it. Anyway, I have done my best to make up for this loss through some writing and reviewing here, covering two of Summer Wine Brewery’s very, very solid range of beers that Source Deli stocks. As you can see, I’ve got a spread from the other notable bottle shops around and about, including the 23 Club in Liverpool who have increased their range recently taking on a huge variety of different beers to their shelves and happily for consumption on and off the premises. Hopefully something here will catch your eye and you’ll be able to make it over to one of our excellent bottle shops (or one near you – the numbers are increasing and there are very notable places in Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Sheffield that stock some excellent stuff) in the region to support local business and some of the excellent breweries out there. Cheers!!
Happy drinking everyone, there’s plenty more articles lined up to come. If you don’t catch a MTB or recipe article, there’ll be more beer in the March installment! Cheers! Pedro. Perched in the most unlikely of places along Dale Street in Liverpool’s ‘financial quarter’ is the Fat Budgie, one of the newest additions to the city providing a select menu, Sunday roasts and a very understated ambience. The restaurant layout has something of a character about it, a very homely French bistro style mezzanine seating area rests above a bar and kitchen area in what used to clearly be a small shop, although this works very much in the favour and charm of the Fat Budgie. Heavy-set wooden tables and reclaimed chairs add to the warmth of the restaurant in which, the industrious couple operate to a contemporary soundtrack at a perfectly acceptable volume (as covered by plenty of other articles recently, many place ramp their volumes up in order to fill tables and clear them in double quick time) meaning there is clear focus on comfort and not having anything about the experience to be rushed. The menu is tightly focused on classic British/French style dishes such as slow cooked beef cheek, monkfish with lentils, pork belly and a push for more seasonal accompaniments to the meal. There are no sides to choose from, but refreshingly, the Fat Budgie do seem intent on feeding their clientele, if somewhat in a manner befitting an over enthusiastic Mother urging you to eat following a period of absence from her. Again, this rather homely charm works very much in the favour of this establishment, as there simply aren’t many places with quite as much atmospheric warmth twinned with some honest home-style cooking. Although the drinks menu was restrictive, with Liverpool Craft Brewery alone making up the beer on our visit, the Love Lane Pale is more than adequate with the meals on offer; they do have a usual rotation of 3 beers on at any given time. There is also a small and tidy wine menu featuring 4 reds and whites apiece available amongst other options, with cucumber-steeped ice water brought to the table without hesitation. In time, one gets the impression, or perhaps hopes the Budgie will spread its wings and keep things tight in the cooking and perhaps to provide other options to provide adequate foil to the food. Starters arrive in between friendly engagement from our host and between the haggis scotch egg and the spiced crab cakes, the former steals the limelight from the off. Crisp outside, sliced to show golden yolk and sausage meat alike, the aromas are deeply inviting. The flavours of the haggis are heavily reminiscent of how sausages seemed to taste from childhood, mostly meat with very little rusk filling and an earthy-sweet tang that settles nicely with the salad and dressing sharing the plate. The crab seems a little heady in aroma, possibly sharing the cake with other seafood items; which seem on the strong side to drown out the sweetness of the crab present. Tasty all the same, but a little disappointing when sitting in the shadow of the excellent scotch egg. The beef cheek and the pork belly were in essence, beyond adequate in size, but also delicious and tidy dishes in their own right. Seasonal vegetables (everyone loves a bit of kale, right?) were served with the mains, but no sides being available, it did feel as though there was the need for something a little more bulky and starchy with the pork belly to break up what is rather a rich combination in each. The celeriac mash did a good job with the beef cheek, but the richness of the red cabbage, kale and pork belly was crying out for something of a carb-rich punctuation. You can’t argue with perfectly soft meat and crisply brittle crackling though. The chocolate mousse was a pleasant dish to round the meal off, additional fruit, cream and candied orange peel providing some extra dimension to a light but still smoothly decadent chocolate dessert. Brisk but unintrusive service was a welcome facet, the experience warranted further investigation and upon leaving, we were invited to return for the Fat Budgie’s forte of a traditional Sunday roast. The Fat Budgie is a decidedly honest venture with a lot of potential, maybe not spectacular, but it really doesn’t need to be when the menu is so focused and executed in such a comforting and enjoyable manner. Until Next time! Pedro.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fat Budgie Restaurant, 60 Dale Street, Liverpool, L2 5ST Web: http://www.thefatbudgie.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefatbudgie Telephone: 0151 345 6749 |
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