Last minute cancellations are a bugger to deal with for anything usually and on this occasion, it leaves Geoff (co-founder) and Dennis (from the brewery team) in the position of having to talk about the steady and solid progress that Buxton have achieved in their time of operation during the boom time of UK ‘craft’ Beer. Initially they seem a little unsure of how to address the event, will tentative and some overly technical chatter before a few beers are sunk and things hit a slightly more relaxed and entertaining pace. Buxton began their journey in 2009 in a garage and have gone on to become one of the most recognisable brands on the scene, with a constantly changing repertoire and an evident penchant for the current barrel aging fashion for some styles of beer. Starting off on second-hand kit with little experience, cuckoo-brewing and then using other bits of equipment to cobble together enough to keep up with production (and annihilating an old Firkin pub kit in the process through 5-6 brews per week), the Buxton boys have plied their trade well and shown endeavour to come this far. The first major expansion for Buxton came in 2013, and the second in February 2014 which was fairly well documented on Twitter, but for those who didn’t see a large number of pictures showing huge kit on the back of flat loader trucks, the kit was still very manual from the 2013 expansion, but production now stands at 3500 litre batch brews (up from the pre-2014 800 Litres). The attitude has always been and still seems to be, to fly by the seat of their pants with recipes and ideas for the beers, including pulling numerous all-nighters and not really bothering too much with test-brews. Buxton’s popularity isn’t quite so burgeoning closer to its home in Derbyshire if Jeff and Dennis are on the money, though they have a steady stream of ale directed around the UK and a large export outlet in Italy and Spain, they do lament things closer to home where many pubs are tied up in Pubcos. For now, the focus remains on developing a barrel-aging programme (which they say is providing an interesting challenge, learning experience and is a naturally progressive step in brewing) and to stay as a smaller brewery to maintain a tight grip on the quality and range of the beers they produce. So what of those beers? -------- Jacob’s Ladder A very sessionable 2.8% beer, dispensed on this occasion from cask, Jacob’s Ladder is a creamy, malty and lightly aromatic golden ale. First made for the Buxton Fringe festival, this beer was renamed using the local Derbyshire landscape and features of the Peak District as inspiration around a year and half ago (at time of writing!) and benefits from the use of 4-5 different malts alongside the use of new world Motueka and Galaxy hops along with some dry-hopping in the cask to bring out some light fruit. The stand out note from drinking this low strength ale is the remarkable amount of body it carries for such a low abv. Moor Top Another golden to straw coloured cask ale, Moor Top stands at 3.6% and is very light, very dry and has a quite astringent finish whilst remaining quite balanced. A touch acidic and quite verdant in aromas, going from nettles with a slight metallic-malt tang in flavour, Moor Top is one of Buxton’s oldest recipes stemming from 2009. Competent, though is a little less satisfying than the Buxton Spa when dispensed in this way. Axe Edge A golden to amber IPA which weighs in at 6.8%, the Axe Edge (again named after features of the Peak District) is very balanced and carries aromas of pine, warm woody notes and some tropical fruit which carry through into the flavour. Widely regarded as Buxton’s flagship beer, the recipe for Axe Edge has changed very slightly down the years of brewing it but it remains distinctly balanced and flavoursome. High Tor A beer reminiscent of a stroll through en English herb-garden and at 6.3% has a slightly acrid and dark malty punch. The hop profile of this India Red Ale is heavy and makes use of significant amounts of centennial. The malt drives this beer and gives flavours of toffee, dark fruit and some soft and resinous mouthfeel moments. The finish is much fruitier than the initial taste, with some hints of liquorice and an overall bitter bite. Axe Rocks A 6.4% Black IPA that came about from a blend of Axe Edge and Black Rocks profiles, the bulk of this beer’s character comes from high hop content and balance of the roasted dark malts and have a very interesting mouth feel. The ‘Black and Tan’ nature of this beer, along with its colour is quite misleading, in a blindfolded test it would be easy to mistake this for a standard IPA in style. The use of US and New Zealand hops provides a lot of fruit and this beer is said to use more extensive varieties of hops than most of the other Buxton beers. Far Skyline A superb sorbet of a beer, this competently delicious Berliner-weiss is a 4.9% hazy blonde number which is very polarising – either you dig sour beers, or you don’t and this is a citric monster with much cloudy lemonade character. The profile in flavour is very reminiscent of a cider and benefits from 3-4 days of souring and use of lactobacillus bacteria in the brew. Dry-hopping of the Far Skyline gives an extra layer of flavour and mouthfeel to this beer, the use of motueka (renowned for its lime flavouring capacity) brings out the best in the very dry, sour and cleansing nature of this Berliner-weisse. Battle Horse A double black IPA and a heady one at 10.5% strength, Battle Horse carries a lot of toasty character but relies on hops to deliver the payload. A thick and resinous mouthfeel doesn’t run too close to being cloying on the palate. Flavours of coffee, dark and roasted fruit come through heavily along with a touch of pine and some white stone fruit and a bit of sweetness. Interesting and works superbly as a sipper. The Living End The Living End is a bourbon barrel aged imperial stout and a strong boy at 10.1%, marginally pipped by Battle Horse, but making up for it with the intense character from 8 different malts. After much practice, this is one of Buxton’s first salvos of barrel-aged ales. Vanilla and silky mouthfeel from the oak of the barrel comes as standard and the process is not yet finished. The brewery is still testing out a variety of barrels, including those from the Aardbeg distillery to give a peat driven iteration to their beers. Back on this version, wood, whisky, chocolate and liquorice all come through along with notes of ash and a soft but oily mouthfeel and an overtly bitter and whisky-alcoholic finish. Sip away in your smoking jacket with this one. Once again, that is your lot for this MTB… but stay tuned for another one very soon! Hope you enjoyed the read as ever and until next time…. Pedro. X ---------------------------------------------- Buxton Brewery Staden Business Park, Staden Lane, Buxton, Derbyshire. SK17 9RZ Web: http://www.buxtonbrewery.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuxtonBreweryCompany Twitter: https://twitter.com/buxtonbrewery Tel: 01298 24420 Twenty Three Club / Clove Hitch 23 Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BQ Web: http://www.theclovehitch.com/# Twitter: https://twitter.com/TwentyThreeClub or https://twitter.com/theclovehitch Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Tel: 0151 709 6574
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For someone who only claims to have been bitten by the beer bug in 2008, Terry from Liverpool Craft Brewery has set about a five-year task of developing the brewery (along with colleague Paul Seiffert) into one of Liverpool’s most recognisable gastronomic brands. He admits this whilst draining the last from his tankard of WEST’s Munich Red, savouring it and displaying a remarkable amount of patience for someone who is being bombarded with questions having finished up a Friday’s work. The piece of paper (as I didn’t have a fag-packet) is rolled out with some additional questions and thankfully, Terry doesn’t flinch as the paper unfurls. Hopefully some of these questions some of the regular followers of this blog will also be wanting to ask. When asked about his roots with beer, his answer is altogether more refreshing than his original tipple of a mass-produced US lager. The epiphany came whilst on a business trip over in Sheffield and with Terry flushed with success and feeling a bit flamboyant, asked the bar tender to give him the most expensive beer that they had on draught. An interestingly flippant approach, which Terry insists changed the game for him and the Dogfish Head 90-minute IPA gave him a mouthful of hopped beer he simply couldn’t ignore. Returning to the present Terry begins an interlude story about wrestling with the roller shutter door to the brewery, which is the reason he was a little behind schedule, continues on with Paul’s whereabouts on deliveries and how he isn’t going to be best pleased given the state of Friday evening traffic leading us nicely into a discussion about the logistics of Liverpool Craft Brewery. The question arises about potentially collaborating with some of the city’s other breweries in making deliveries to other UK beer hubs, where LCB’s wares are regularly drunk, but a wry smile tells me it isn’t the first consideration given to this situation. Although there is a significant amount of beer shipped out of Merseyside, there is no dialogue to the end of trying to tighten up on economic and environmental (in terms of sustainability) ends to benefit all parties by sharing deliveries. Terry says that he doesn’t rule things out happening in the future, but instigating any change might be awkward at best, at least at the start. There have been rumours and newspaper stories about the expansion of the LCB operation, which I mention to Terry and he is only too happy to elaborate; “Currently we are all working on top of one another, as the brewery is in two railway arches, with space being so restricted we can’t brew and do the packaging at the same time plus there is a nightmare with storage space being at a premium”. So I ask what the plans are and if there is anywhere that has been earmarked to alleviate the problems they are currently having; Terry’s answer is pretty emphatic; “The potential site is in the Baltic Triangle, with the space there and the existing breweries, the track record is good. We’ll be looking to upscale to maybe a 15 barrel brew, but not much more since we want to maintain a tight grasp of the quality of the beer rather than go over the top with output”. He continues to say that the space there will allow for storage of raw materials and their products, along with a bar area and brewery tap, which will stock not only their own beers, but some from other breweries, both locally and further afield. Terry states that he’s not too bothered about the potential gentrification cycles perhaps in motion in that end of town, focussing solely on the near future and the potential to perfect LCBs products. He remains particularly proud of the Love Lane Pale recipe, which has barely deviated from the original first brew and states; “Strictly speaking, I am much more comfortable as a Pale Ale brewer, since that’s my forte. There are other brewers in LCB who we’ve recruited to have a handle on other styles such as Piers and the recently recruited Joe Murphy. Our approach is very much one of collaboration and trying to make sure not only are our staff looked after, but the whole Liverpool scene is a healthy one as a high-tide keeps all the boats afloat”. Sales beyond Merseyside have been pretty healthy, with London being a major destination for LCB’s beers, although Terry remains very pragmatic about such a competitive market. He states that just having a presence is a good thing sometimes. Liverpool is still the major market for LCB though, with (currently) 9 permanent Love Lane Pale keg pumps present in Liverpool at various bars and a healthy uptake in the bottles, there aren’t many bars renowned for what they stock that you won’t find a LCB beer in. So what else for the brewery aside from their quest to perfect the beers that they make? Terry points me in the direction of Paul, who finally arrives back from his deliveries in Birmingham. Paul is once again holding the reins for the forthcoming Liverpool Craft Beer Expo, taking place in the middle of June (18th-21st) at the venue Constellations in the Baltic Triangle are of Liverpool. I managed to catch up with Paul and put some questions to him about goings on at the Expo for this year: How do you feel the Expo will be affected with the move of venue? Although it hasn't really settled (having been in the Furnace and then Camp), will the move from C&F pose any other logistical issues? There are always logistical issues with an event this size, so a new venue just means a new set of challenges! The Expo was always meant to be a moving, ever-evolving event. This year's venue will obviously mean a change in layout, but with that comes a huge outdoor area, more space, more bars and ultimately more beer. How many breweries do you have lined up taking part this year? Will it be on the same scale as last year in terms of cask and keg both being heavily represented? We will have even more beer than last year, more taps, more keg bars and more casks. This year all of the casks beers will be available throughout the event, with 30 always being on handpull. We have all of the big breweries returning from last year, as well as welcoming some new faces the party! Any particular things we should be looking forward to this year (highlights for you guys, or perceived highlights)? There will be lots of new things going on this year. There will be a new German beer bar hosted by 'Imports Scotland', there will be a new and improved 'Whiskey Den' and a 'Cider House' with over 50 ciders. There will be amazing food and music, but that now comes as standard! Do we have the same format, where there will be separate talks held by individual breweries presenting their beers to punters? The individual breweries will be there for the festival, the specific events are yet to be announced though! Are there any breweries present this time around who didn't make it last time and you are particularly excited about having on board? We have quite a few new breweries joining us this year which is exciting. We have Cloud Water Brew Co from Manchester, Wylam Brewery from Northumberland, and our very own Ad Hop Brewery from Liverpool. Are the programmes going to be easier to handle again? The programmes will be beautifully designed as always - don't blame me for your tiny hands! Suffice to say, there’s a lot to look forward to from many of Liverpool’s Breweries over the next few years, but perhaps none moreso at this point than Liverpool Craft Brewery. New premises, new bar, expansion of production and hopefully range plus the aforementioned Expo in June, there’s a lot to consider. Stay tuned and pray that the roller shutter doors don’t cause LCB any more problems!
Pedro. p.s. my hands aren't tiny at all.... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Liverpool Craft Brewery The Railway Arches, Love Lane, Liverpool. Tel: 0151 236 9400 Twitter: https://twitter.com/craft_beers Web: http://www.liverpoolcraftbeer.com/ Liverpool Craft Beer Expo - 18th to 21st June 2015, Constellations, 37-39 Greenland Street, Liverpool. http://www.liverpoolcraftbeerexpo.com/ As the year rolls on, the beer festivals start coming in, along with the harvests of a lot of hope varieties meaning there are a lot more options for fans of overtly hopped ales to come, plus some chances to try them. The future months are going to hold some exciting times including some festivals I myself have been really looking forward to and hopefully another Battle of the Breweries event. In the meantime, I have continued to subject myself to a variety of bottled beers on your behalf, to determine what really is worth giving some time to in each style. I’ll also take this opportunity to update a few people, as I have been asked recently two questions on my rating, not only of beers on this monthly beer edition, but of my restaurant reviews. So, why don’t I rate things on a relative scale? Is a restaurant an eight out of ten establishment, or a beer a four out of five? Put simply, I don’t think this system stands up to any scrutiny whatsoever. It depends on too many variables to rate say, an authentic Thai-style restaurant on the same scale as a fine dining and silver service style establishment or indeed rate a new wave Gose beer on a scale that would also give a score to a scotch ale or a wee-heavy. With regards both, what mood am I in before I go to the restaurant or before I start trying a beer? With the beer, what have I eaten in the run up to trying it? Have I had another beer before it? It all come down to good science and being a professionally trained scientist, not acknowledging the variables I am unable to control would be unfair. So I attempt to rate the beer in a qualitative fashion and be as fair to describing it on its own terms as I can. One man’s (or indeed, woman’s) poison is another’s remedy. The second question I have recently been asked is why this section of my writing only covers bottles rather than cask and keg. The easy answer is that I can drink the beers in bottles at home to my own leisure, but also it is also so that people can read and then relatively simply go and find a bottle of a beer – which is often much easier than tracking down where it is on either cask or keg (by the time I publish, the pub may have sold out). Hopefully this all seems reasonable enough! Onward with the tasting, yet another 8 different beers which I have had the pleasure or otherwise, of getting my chops around this last month. Cheers!!
That’s about it for March anyway, I hope you enjoyed the read… don’t forget to tweet (from the buttons below) or share on Facebook or other social media if you did! Happy drinking everyone! Pedro. Often when the shopping needs to be done and there are a few items in the fridge and store cupboard that seemingly won’t go very far in terms of a coherent meal, you can often surprise yourself. The recipe for this blog is something that I put together using some left over vegetables and chorizo that was lingering at the bottom of the fridge. You can obviously try this recipe without the chorizo, as it is still remarkably tasty with just the vegetables and barley; perhaps just add a teaspoon of pimenton (smoked paprika) towards the end of cooking to provide the addictive smokiness to the dish. As you may have already noticed, I am a massive fan of pearl barley and it is a pretty cheap ingredient (around 59p a packet in the dried goods area of your supermarket more often than not), which stretches far in soups, stews and here in this risotto where it makes for a more satisfying texture than most types of rice. You’ll only need a chopping board and two pans for this recipe; one larger frying pan and a medium sized saucepan for boiling the pearl barley (am sure that you can do it all in one pan, boiling the barley with more stock, but I find this method gives more than adequate results given the amount of starchy scum that the barley releases on boiling). The addition of fresh herbs to this recipe wouldn’t hurt at all either, parsley or coriander, perhaps even some fresh tarragon… What you need: 175g Pearl Barley 1 Large (~15-20cm) sized piece of Spanish Chorizo (finely chopped) 400g cooked Kidney Beans 1 medium to large carrot (finely diced) 2 sticks of celery (finely diced) 2 medium sized red onions (finely diced) 4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped) 1 medium sized red chilli 140g of chopped green/fine beans 4 spring onions 15g salted butter 1 tsp light olive, rapeseed or vegetable oil 400ml of vegetable stock (freshly made from simmering vegetable off-cuts or stock cube will suffice – add 2 large bay leaves, 5 black and 5 white peppercorns) ~50g of Gran Padano/Pecorino/Machego or Parmagiano Reggiano cheese A couple of pinches each of lemon zest and fresh thyme What to do: 1. Boil the pearl barley for at least 45 minutes in a saucepan, skimming the starch/scum from the top and ensuring the water doesn’t boil off. Once cooked and cooled, drain the remaining water and keep the lid on the saucepan to slightly steam and puff up the barley. 2. Cut the onion, celery and carrot into a fine dice and add to a large frying pan with the oil (the whole dish will be cooked in here, so it will need to be fairly deep too) for a mirepoix/soffrito. Fry until softened and the onion is translucent. 3. Add the chorizo and garlic to the mix and fry to release the fat from the chorizo. After 5-6 minutes on a medium heat, add the garlic, chilli and the butter to the pan. Fry for another 5 minutes or so, turning the mixture in the pan thoroughly. 4. Now add the kidney beans and the chopped green beans to the pan, fry for another 5 minutes or until the beans begin to split open, then add the cooked pearl barley and a little vegetable stock at a time, mixing and turning the contents of the pan continuously. Allow the mixture to absorb the stock before adding more until it is gone, then add the lemon and thyme followed by half the cheese grated in, mixing thoroughly. 5. Remove from the heat and add the spring onions, continuously turning before finishing with the remaining cheese and season to taste. 6. Finish with a little more cheese and perhaps black pepper. 7. Serve! Hopefully this will give you some inspiration to have a look through the cupboards and come up with your own versions of a risotto style dish, as it is a very easy dish to master and perfect for putting together with a variety of leftover ingredients. Until next time, enjoy! Pedro. |
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