There is something genuinely warming about listening to stories of gentlemen such as Toccalmatto’s Bruno Carilli. Having spent many an hour or so watching the two greedy Italians; Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Cantaldo, wax lyrical about their culinary influences with genuine affection and enthusiasm, it takes a little while for things to warm up and then Bruno hits his stride. Thankfully Bruno's English is much better than my Italian despite my Sister-in-law’s family’s best efforts to educate me. Any ruffled areas are easily smoothed out once again by Atlas Brand’s Giulio Temporin, who’s enthusiasm for spreading the word about these great Italian beers is infectious; also welcome for a second time following the earlier visit of Brewfist [http://electrokemistcuisine.weebly.com/blogs/meet-the-brewer-with-brewfist-the-clove-hitch-liverpool]. Having worked for large multinational companies, Bruno decided that in 2008 after stints with the logistical division within Carlsberg amongst others he wished to pursue something creatively his own. Having broadly stated that he was influenced by some of the 1990’s British cask big hitters (such as Summer Lightning from Hopback Brewery, Black Sheep’s Best Bitter and the classic Landlord by Timothy Taylor), various styles of Belgian beers and finally the more recent explosion of American craft brewing, Bruno set about trying to make beers that had distinctive and full flavours. The Toccalmatto brewery is based in Fidenza (located for Geography fans between Parma and Piacenza in Northern Italy) and the name translates as ‘now it is the turn of the crazy man’. The remit of the brewery, as Bruno recounts, is to produce beers which focus on a tight quality control whilst employing methods to maximise the strength of the beer; not really too crazy an idea, perhaps? Admittedly, Bruno unashamedly announced his preference for the way the British enjoy a pint rather than partaking in the smaller measures of beer that our continental counterparts often do. Some of the beers produced by Toccalmatto, given their strength, really aren’t so appropriate for pints! Without further ado, I guess it is time to hand over to the crazy man…. ReHop One of the most easy drinking and best-selling of Toccalmatto’s range, this beer is modelled on an American style pale ale (but isn’t a US pale ale) which is a cloudy straw colour with a tight white foam. The aromas carry notes of citrus, pine and other crisp acidicity laying way into a similar flavour. ReHop has a very juicy quality to it, despite a relatively thin and light body, almost as if this was made from a cordial. The hops used are route one of where the fruit and acidity comes from; around 60% Cascade is used along with Saaz, Amarillo, Marinka and Simcoe in both cone and pellet form. The brewing of this beer is complimented by the use of American yeast and it weighs in at around 5% with a dry finish of notable length. B Space Invader At 6.2% this is a variation of the normal ‘Space Invader’ produced by Toccalmatto. A Black IPA with some body, the name is derived from the original use of Galaxy hops in the dry hopping of the beer. This first iteration was a collaboration beer between Bruno and Brew Wharf in London and began as a pale beer. The beer was then made using different hops, namely Simcoe and Amarillo to compliment the Galaxy and uses a wheat malt to do away with the bitterness and roast flavours of barley. The tight brown foamy head gives way to a chewy mouthfeel, some aromas of coffee, chocolate and liquorice leading into slightly juicier flavours than you would expect given the nose. The finish is reasonably long and has some interesting hits of red fruit on the way out. Skizoid This beer arrives with a nod to the song ‘21st Century Schizoid Man’ by King Crimson; Bruno’s fascination with tilting musical slants onto his brewing becomes much more obvious. Using Belgian caramel malts, this American style pale ale is very dry throughout the flavour and not just in the finish, the use of Centennial and Chinook hops gives rise to a fairly chewy number, there is plenty of body here thanks to the use of the resinous hops, but it retains a fruity and aromatic edge. This beer was based on Bruno’s experience with the ‘Kentucky Common’ style of beer, which imparts some sour edge and the use of corn and sour mashes to lighten the beer. Zona Cesarini The biggest selling beer for Toccalmatto, the Zona Cesarini gets its name from the Argentine-Italian footballer Renato Cesarini, who famously played for Juventus. The ‘Zona Cesarini’ is an expression of the scoring a goal in the dying minutes of a match, as the player did on many an occasion. Born in 2010, this beer is a 6.6% fruit laden dry pale ale, with 90% of the hopping of this beer added in the 4 stages of dry-hopping over 5 days (at around 14g per litre). The use of US, New Zealand and West Coast Japanese hops such as Palisade, Sorachi Ace and Citra gives some interesting dimension to this beer, with the dry fruitier characters providing a good counterbalance to the bittering hops (using Colombus for the bittering). Aptly named, dry and fruity with tropical fruit which includes coconut imparted by the Sorachi Ace, this is a very competent and interesting beer. Apricot Scotch Ale
Finally, a relative sweet beer behemoth in at 7.5%, this fruity dark brown ale is initially rather sweet, with a quite tart finish. There is plenty of orchard fruit on the heavily perfumed nose, obviously screaming out apricot, but layers underneath of other fruit such as figs. This Scotch ale has a relatively light body belying its dark colour, the flavours echo the fruity aromas, but do incorporate some red cherry in the finish. This is a relatively new beer Bruno has made, based on a beer called ‘the last witch’ which was made used peated malts, the use of fruit changed the recipe and frozen apricots are added at the dry-hopping stage to impart the raison d’etre of this beer. --- MTB Attendees were also treated to some whisky from Malt of the Earth following the beer tasting, with Tom Mills from the company presenting a very pleasing number and guidance on how to taste. As is always the case with such spirits, the divisive nature shone through with many not taking to the flavours of a subtly complex whisky. It was relatively smooth and aged to 11 years, a nice way to round off a very entertaining and delicious evening. As ever, 23 Club/Clove Hitch provided delicious food to accompany the beer menu, on this occasion the attendees were treated to a BBQ with Mediterranean food. Good pairing with the beers too. Italian beers are going from strength to strength at the moment; Toccalmatto’s excellent presentation and highly competent beers are testament to the growth. Until the next time… Ciao! Pedro. X -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Toccalmatto Via San Michele Campagna 22/c 43036 Fidenza (PR) Web: www.birratoccalmatto.it Twitter: https://twitter.com/Toccalmatto Email: [email protected] Tel/fax: 0524.533289 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 Malt of the Earth Web: http://maltoftheearth.co.uk/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/maltoftheearth
0 Comments
Having had some ideas seeded from my sister-in-law, plus the picking of her most competent home-cooking brain, I decided to refine my recipe used to make pizza dough and found the key to use ‘00’ grade flour along with extra rising time and to allow the dough to stay relatively moist. Everyone has their favourite style, although mine remains sticking to a more traditional Italian style and using as little dough as possible, keeping the dish thin, crisp and light with relatively few ingredients as toppings. 2009 saw Italy winning Traditional Speciality Guaranteed status for its Neapolitan Pizza, using a strict list of ingredients and made within the region of Naples. The recipe below should be good starting point for making your own pizzas, but the key is to cook it quickly on a high heat, ensuring that the oven is as hot as it will go before each pizza is placed into the oven. Pizza Dough – Makes 5-6 pizzas 450g ‘00’ Grade Flour (plus extra for dusting/working the dough) 1 tsp Salt 7g sachet of Yeast ~30 tblsp Water (plus more if dough isn’t malleable enough) 4 tblsp Olive Oil plus extra for oiling the proving bowl 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda ½ tsp Caster Sugar 1 Large Egg For the sauce: 250ml Passata 1 tblsp Tomato Puree 1 tsp of Oregano (optional) ½ tsp White Sugar 1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar 1 Clove of Garlic (crushed in the skin) To make the sauce: 1. Heat the passata until begins to simmer, reduce the heat and add the sugar, garlic, the tomato puree, oregano and vinegar. 2. Continue heating for 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally and then leave to rest. 3. Ensure the sauce is warm and thickened before adding approximately 8-10 tblsp to a pizza base, spreading this out in a circular motion. See the method below for making the dough…. To make the dough: 1. To five tblsp of warmed water add the cast sugar and then the dried yeast; leave this to grow for 5-10 minutes. 2. Mix the ingredients together aside from the yeast and sugar, sieving the flour into a mixing bowl to combine with the salt and then add the egg and oil, adding the rest of the water a little bit at a time to the mix whilst turning with a spoon. Now add the yeast/water/sugar Mixture. 3. Mix the ingredients thoroughly as other bread dough, adding water or additional flour as required. The dough should feel silken and slightly tacky, but not stick too firmly to a work surface. Continue working the dough vigorously for at least 5-10 minutes. 4. Oil a large mixing bowl and place the ball shaped pizza dough (which should also be dusted with flour prior to placing the bowl) in to prove. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in a warm place for at least an hour until doubled in size. 5. Once proved, work the dough gently again, adding flour as required and then repeat the proving process in step 4 above once more. 6. Tear off Balls of approximately 90-100g of dough from the proven pizza dough, use your fingers and knuckles to spread the dough out in a circular motion, finally use a rolling pin to flatten out to a 2-3mm thickness and place this on a baking net or tray (I have found the nets work really well in the absence of a pizza stone, rather than a tray). Add the tomato sauce, cheese and toppings as required (do not overload on any of the toppings, particularly in the centre of the pizza – this will allow the pizza to remain crisp and light). 7. Bake in a preheated oven on a baking tray or preferably a baking net, on the maximum temperature until the cheese is melted completely or the edges of the pizza crust are a golden to dark brown colour. 8. Enjoy! There are a multitude of toppings you can add, bearing in mind that the old adage that less is more usually is right! Whilst the addition of cured meats is a savoury treat, satisfaction from a simple margherita style offering using only tomato (san marzano – strictly speaking), cheese (buffalo mozzarella) and basil (if required) will do a fine job of providing joy. I’m a sucker for pepperoni, speck or chorizo though! Ciao! Pedro. x The word Albion provokes many thoughts for me, many of them romantic notions of times gone by where celtic and Anglo-saxon mythology was prominent, times of King Arthur, druids and running into the dying embers of stories of Robin Hood. I think the latter of these was mainly because the excellent Robin Hood 1980s television series (Robin of Sherwood) starring Michael Praed and the highly watchable Nicholas Grace, featured heavy with the mythology of Herne the Hunter and a sword gifted to the hooded man is named Albion. It is also the oldest recorded name for Great Britain, which has been adopted by local chef Steven Burgess for his latest foray into addressing the subject of true British cuisine. Albion is somewhere understated from its façade on Coronation Road in Crosby, with the primary setting of a light and airy atmosphere firmly anchored by wooden furniture and fatigued bare brickwork, occasionally adorned by glassware from times gone by and other simple ornamentation. The décor sets the scene rather well for the menu of Albion, projecting a no-nonsense approach with some stylish touches and not much out of place. Somewhat cleverly, the dishes are nowhere near as heavy as they ought to be, with many dishes conjuring images of home or school cooked meals for brisk and squally early winter evenings to fortify and ward off the cold with the glowing ‘ready-brek barrier’. The Beer bread cooked in hay was presented from within a small hessian sack next to brittle but thick shards of chicken skin, both items were complimented by a mustard and herb butter. The chicken skin was seasoned well, but the invitingly scented beer bread was soft, warm and dusted with extra flour, onion seeds and rolled oats. The starter list was something to wrestle with, having at least 3 items which looked heavy in temptation, but also sounding quite heavy for such an early stage in any meal should one want to navigate to the desserts via mains and some side dishes, as stated earlier though, the heaviness is mitigated by some clever takes on each of the dishes. The pressed ham was superbly soft and giving to the touch of a fork, the residual fattiness foiled by the gooseberry catsup’s gentle acidity. The crisp bites of deep fried brie provide some much needed texture for the dish and it works together rather well, though there does feel as though there is something missing in the dish, without being completely able to put a finger on it. The Cumbrian mutton and treacle bacon turnover is a much more robust affair, a wonderfully stout parcel sitting above a sharp but juicy cucumber chutney and fenced in by swirls of a dark and sweet dressing. The earthy but slightly sweet flavours of the mutton are well tempered by the salty and crisp bacon; this is a tidy and well thought out dish, which was well cooked and possibly for those who are definitely feeling at the greedier end of the spectrum. The main event list is somewhat beguilingly familiar, with nods to gastropub staples, home cooked meals and school dinners. Thanks to the presentation, preparation and cooking though, it never strays too far into any of these territories and retains the tidiness and balance that Burgess’ kitchen employs so well. The Berkshire bacon roly poly pudding is a reasonably sized turret, crowned by a soft fried egg and fortified by generous slabs of homemade black pudding with a moat of deeply coloured veal gravy. The flavours and textures work well, although with many dense textures on show, there is the sense that there could be a clash; not so. Make no mistake, the portion sizes are not huge, but they are more than adequate given the stodginess from some of the components. The absence of steak on the menu is a notable one, however, this is easily forgiven when the selection of a superbly tender, deeply flavoured beef shin is sampled. Resting atop a pavement of crisp potato is the shin sitting beside shredded bacon, which is again a deceptive touch, having the appearance of a mound of pulled pork, the bacon provides a punch of flavour to compliment the beef whilst the dressing of Balmoral sauce is excellently prepared. Toning down each of the components, just incorporating light brush strokes of whisky and mushroom to the sauce provides a sweetness which is infinitely bearable and makes the dish a silence inducing one. The dessert menu is a foray too far for those who have been greedy too early, though again, the dishes are deceptively light for what is alluded to in the menu. With Britain’s rich heritage in puddings, there is much to go at for Albion. On this occasion, the idea of Eccles cakes were all that we could go off, with two small domes of lightly filled pastry, a small pile of sherry butter and currants and finally a generous slice of tangy but slightly salty cheese, there was a slight feeling of emptiness at the end. The balance of the sweet, salty, sour tang and thick textures was spot on, but there may have been room for a little more moisture in the dish. The drinks menu is a mixed bag, the wine selection is perfectly competent, but could perhaps find more focus on British wines; which are definitely becoming more palatable. The appearance of a single varietal Carignan is something to be blessed, an oft-overlooked grape works exceptionally well with much of the menu, indicating that drinks are not an afterthought. The beers on offer do need some work; whilst the Cheshire Blonde is a good solid beer, Doom Bar from Sharps and Wainwrights from Thwaites are distinctly average; while they are definitely British, they are not anywhere near the top of the pile in an age where brewing in the UK is experiencing a purple patch of unseen proportions.
It will be interesting to see how the menu is affected on seasonal basis, perhaps some lighter touches during spring, with local produce getting a chance to sing and Autumn/Winter could see other introductions to strengthen the resolve against colder Mersey air. Albion should be here to stay; the food is unfussy yet precise, satisfying with delicacy and restraint, plus it unashamedly sings the praises of the isle from which it takes its name. Wesaþ hāl indeed. Pedro. ----------------------------------------------- N.B. Albion has undergone a name change to Albina, as of October 2014. Disclaimer: There was a discount on the bill following an invite to review this restaurant, however, the review above remains an honest opinion of the experience. Albina 55 Coronation Road, Crosby. Merseyside. L23 5RE Tel: 0151 932 9460 Web: http://www.albina.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/Albina_Crosby It was unusual having such a jam packed drinking weekend with a steady onslaught of excellent beers, the final salvo following the Liverpool Beer Expo (covered in last week’s article) was a Meet the Brewer session with Eddie Lofthouse from Cornwall’s Harbour Brewing Company. Harbour Brewing Company is a relatively small craft brewery based in the North of Cornwall. They state that they have a commitment to making contemporary styles of beer that ‘deliver an uncompromising taste experience’. During the discussion about many of their beers, Eddie was very vocal about wishing he had access to a laboratory such as that owned by other Cornish breweries. The brewery was set up in 2012 by Rhys Powell, formerly of Sharp’s Brewery and Eddie Lofthouse who apparently shared a passion for beer and surfing, whilst harbouring (no pun intended) a desire to open a brewery of their own. Rhys had already taken steps to get making beer by undertaking study of Brewing and Distilling, and having following his stint in Sharp’s Brewery teamed with Eddie; who had been running The Atlantic Hotel and Doom Bar in New Polzeath, Cornwall, for sometime. Following drinks in Padstow between the two, it seemed a good idea to name the brewery after the place the idea was conceived, and Harbour Brewing Company was born. Harbour Pilsner One of the most easy drinking and best-selling of the Harbour range, this beer has undergone two iterations, the second of which was made with an extra bag of malt in the mash, making it up to 5.5%, but the first version remains at a steady 5% abv. The most notable twist in the character is the overt sweetness and slight hint of the metallic in this pilsner; whilst it provides a very interesting and pleasant flavour pinch, the body of the pils benefits from the sweetness but the sharp hit of refreshment is lacking due to being ever so slightly unbalanced. This sweetness has apparently been derived from a brew fault; however, it is not totally unwelcome, providing a very interesting variation on a theme. Harbour IPA This IPA was the first beer brewed commercially by Harbour and is made using crystal malt, then Nugget hops for bittering with Cascade and Columbus for dry hopping. The brewery churns out some 90-barrels a week of this popular beer which is essentially a standard British IPA style beer, available in bottle, keg and cask. A very pleasant and accessible beer, drinkable and hopped to a good level, retaining a balance and lighter mouthfeel for a more session based ale. Harbour Pale Ale #5 This is the fifth variation of the Pale and again, the use of Nugget hops for bittering is present. The addition of dextrose was for a one-off ale, but the popularity of a very drinkable beer meant retention in the Harbour ranks. The Pale Ale is now one of the core range and weighs in at around 6%, this ale does convey some light citrus and slight tropical or white stone fruit in both the nose and flavour. Attempts were made at exporting this ale to Canada and Australia due to the perception that the higher abv might give it some robust travelling quality. Alas, when trying it at the point of serve, the beer was not up to the standard expected by Eddie following a 3-month period of selling their beer on the road. It was just fine here though. India Brown Ale Using American style techniques and centennial hops, this beer certainly lives up to its name. A brown ale with an amber hew and pleasant carbonation, this is a decidedly hoppy effort and the beer is actually very balanced and structured from keg. There are floral and light caramel or toffee notes in the nose, with a good slightly nutty roast finish. There is some length to the ale too, which weighs in at 4.9%. Comus A lager made in collaboration with the Wild Beer Company, which has been aged in red wine barrels and imparts some vanilla and fruit flavours to the beer. There is a very animalistic nose to the beer; perhaps from the aromas straw and farmyards sometimes gained from French Pinot Noir? There is a very tempered sweetness in this beer, which ultimately has a very dry finish, is slightly sour (in a good way!) and is a very enjoyable beer with hits of cherry brandy, some honeyed-citrus and other red fruit. Dunkel Bock The Dunkel Bock is what Eddie described as a ‘summery dark beer’ and he may have a point. The beer does carry with it, a kind of herbal freshness reminiscent of garden herbs and has quite a grassy aroma. Considering the earthiness and colour of the beer, the body of it remain rather light and lacking in the usual chewiness you would expect from such a brew. There is a restrained use of hops in this beer and it is very competent for it. Belgian Pale Finally, the Belgian Pale is a rather sweet beer, with tonnes of summer fruit on the nose and in the taste. The punch given from a first sniff in the glass is akin to that experienced from opening a new tin of baked beans, sweet, slightly acidic with a slight earthy tone. This beer was made in collaboration with Redchurch Brewery, based in East London and made in a traditional Belgian style, although the beer is similar to that of a triple IPA, Belgian yeast and the use of stella and galaxy hops give this lively (high in carbonation on this occasion!) 7.2% beer a different flavour edge. All in all, a very informative and engaging evening with Eddie from Harbour; they have recently signed deals with Sainsbury’s to provide beers in their supermarkets, although this is likely to be restricted to the core range. Harbour has a number of beers that are worth further investigation and the enthusiasm for their craft was certainly evident throughout the talk. Until the next time…. Pedro. X ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Harbour Brewing Company. Trekillick, Kirland North Cornwall PL30 5BB Tel: 01208 832131 Email: [email protected] Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarbourBrewing 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 |
Archives
April 2022
Archives
April 2022
Click ^ the RSS Feed to follow me
Categories
All
|