The collaboration beer was put together to celebration International Women’s Day by Dead Crafty along with Lovelocks, Pretty Vacant and So Coco Rouge, all located nearby one another in the city centre. However, the problematic situation arose from the name of the beer, Savage (a glittery bakewell tart IPA), and probably the imagery, meant as a tip of the cap to Paul O’Grady’s much loved character due to encroachment on the characters Intellectual Property (IP – hold the A). The story made national media, via the likes of this article which was written pretty recently: [https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/paul-ogradys-legal-dispute-liverpool-26643417]; whilst we have to ignore some of the factual inaccuracies (naughty sub editors and journos), it’s evident that O’Grady was not best pleased judging by the quotes taken in the articles on the matter (should they, themselves actually be accurate). The result was a cancelled beer launch, a rebrand/rename (from Savage to Salvage) and a move to donate some of the beer’s profits to local animal charities. Though the aggressive legal rhetoric from the outset towards a handful of small and local independent businesses does seem heavy handed in the least. Whether this change of tack with the beer is enough to placate, remains another thing to be seen. When fully in the throes of churning out articles on a monthly basis for this blog, I was toying with imagery to give social media accounts and this site an recognisable avatar and often we choose things that we love for such things; I’ve used amended Bauhaus artwork on (personal) accounts and to this day, homage type imagery for my admittedly sessile Facebook page, with an altered image of Manic Miner. For those who grew up in the 1980s, Manic Miner was a bit of a cultural watershed in computer games, even more so for those of us who lived around Liverpool. The game and Miner Willy himself were creations of Matt Smith, a young programmer who effectively made the game in his bedroom in Birkenhead, probably unaware of the impact it would have on a generation of gamers. Given my use and amendment of the graphics on accounts (making it quite visible), I decided it would be an idea to contact Matt and seek blessing (or being asked to remove said imagery without receiving a nasty letter in legalese). These days, he is pretty reclusive and the only recourse I found to contact him was via an email address for Elite (a software company, again set up in the 1980s, which produced some incredible games for the Spectrum such as Commando, Paperboy, Bombjack, Ghosts and Goblins, 1942 and Space Harrier (under license from Capcom and other software houses)). I did eventually receive a kind reply from someone at the other end, informing me that Matt Smith was difficult to contact and probably wouldn’t mind – but they would attempt to let him know. Fast forward a decade and I am still none the wiser any feelings on the matter, but I’ve never received a letter in legalese but remain glad I did try to make contact. I’ve also been on the receiving end of content (or IP) that I have produced in my time writing and doing photography, being taken by other parties on more than one occasion. Photographs brazenly used in articles produced on other sites to promote businesses and charging companies (in Liverpool mainly) for the benefit of being on there. I suspect on the occasions that my photographs were taken there was probably an element of ignorance from the person putting the article together, along with a soupcon of thinking they’d not be found out and a small dose of that they don’t care.
This is but the tip of the iceberg for what is tantamount to intellectual property theft across many industries and many companies are probably of the opinion that it is better to ask for forgiveness as opposed to asking permission, which can tie things up with negotiations and additional costs. This is where time can be spent cynically releasing a product or article and it achieve a level of notoriety giving it further reach, when any kind of legal process kicks in and a swift retraction (sometimes) saves cost and face. Whilst some IP theft, copyright encroachment or use of material is done purely to drive sales (more on this later), there is an argument to be made for some businesses doing things out of a nostalgic admiration or love for something a brewer or owner grew up with. We can see the threads of this with many breweries across the world, with notable breweries producing beers with obscure pop culture references, nods to songs, nods to a whole swathe of 8 bit computer gaming and with a handful of UK brewers to wrestling. There has also been some internal churn with breweries accidentally converging on names which fit with the each of the breweries’ standard nomenclature, but one getting there slightly earlier and then issuing requests for cease and desist on the use of said name. Names like Mutiny on the Bounty, Black Ops and Yellowbelly have all fallen foul of such situations in the last decade. That situation just appears to be unfortunate happenstance. We reach the realms of creative things converging in terms of what people produce, some things creep into existence through a subconscious bias. There are countless examples of music that has been written arriving at the same melodic end point; see for example Manic Street Preacher’s ‘If You Tolerate This…’ with The Stranglers’ ‘Duchess’, Lana Del Rey’s ‘Get Free’ with Radiohead’s ‘Creep’ (which in itself can be said to borrow from The Hollies’ ‘The Air That I Breathe’) and Elastica’s ‘Connection’ with Wire’s ‘Three Girl Rhumba’. Beer and brewing are pretty creative industries; owing to recipe development, marketing approach and ever increasingly, strong artwork or imagery placed on small package containers and pumpclips. It is inevitable that there would be overlap and occasional congruence with products. Being completely sensible, it is probably best to err on the side of caution in most things and do some research or ask permission, even if an idea or homage comes from a place of genuine affection. Granted it is not always the case that the parody, riffing, amendment or homage comes from anywhere other than a ruse to ‘make a quick buck’. As we’ve seen on occasion, it can really take an unpleasant turn. That said, there are some businesses that have made encroachments, seemingly out of a will to get a rise from owners of an idea or IP, which is where things get very cynical. Any trouble following on, is probably deservedly invited onto an offending party.
But we still have to ask, is it ever okay to do something from a place of admiration, even love, to promote a product without consent from the owner of the IP? Pedro.
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I recently fractured a finger in an accident with a taxi’s door. It wasn’t pretty, off work for a week with a heavy sprain, broken bones and massive laceration needing strong antibiotics, painkillers, four stitches with heavy strapping – a lot really for such a small appendage. On returning to and then leaving the Royal University Hospital for a change of dressing and check up on my mangled digit, I travel past some old hunting grounds of Liverpool University on my way to get a bus (cheaper and easier than parking by the hospital) home to get my car for work. On this occasion, I noticed that there was a bus route that dropped 30 seconds walk from my house, so opted for that in the interests of getting back home and onto work a bit quicker. Right next to the bus stop, the old foyer entrance to the Guild of Students was now a Starbuck’s Coffee house. The layout has changed a lot in that building since I last frequented it, whilst working for a University start up company some 13 years ago. It got me thinking about something that I had thought about on the odd occasion a few times before, but never quite as acutely. Why is that space a Starbuck’s?* Why shouldn’t it be something local, something independent and something just a bit more interesting? Shouldn’t the University be looking to work more closely with the local community for business opportunities? * or A N Other large-business franchised/chain space, in the context of this piece. Obviously, the answer is money. As it often is. Universities have suffered repeatedly from funding cuts over the last few decades and despite combinations of sky-rocketing tuition fees, research grants and selling off some family silver (land/other University owned assets) they are struggling. Giving up space for rental to franchised business is a solid revenue stream and (nearly) everyone who attends, teaches or works at a University needs caffeinating at some point. The revenue streams from the rent can always have a heftier margin when the taker is a multi-national franchise that won’t baulk at a big overhead even for small profit margins. It’s an easy win for the University and the franchise. Hypothetically though, couldn’t a well-run local independent take this space and still run it under a sustainably suitable profit? I suppose that’s a question for the bean counters and those who would be willing to gamble with such a business proposition. Putting some rosy tinged goggles on and picturing things in an ideal world, shouldn’t an institution such as a University be looking to be more community minded? They often like to talk of being embedded in the community or culture of a city, which provides the living space, social environs and other bedrock of amenities that life as a student (or academic) requires. Would an institution such as a University providing space for a local business owner to sell their coffee, tea and other sundries to students not be a revenue stream but also a tangible action on this statement of being part of a community? I know that this is something of a departure from the beer-talk usually covered on these pages, but there is some transferable application here. The only time I have been aware of a University bar (promoting community) installing local beer was when Melwood Beer Company installed handpulls at the Liverpool University’s Sphinx Bar located in the Student’s Union. It would be good to see more of a commitment from community institutions such as Universities, investing a bit more in local product. Showcase the best of a city or region by buying from local producers and expose them to the students, many of whom are visitors to the city from across the country and many from beyond the UK’s borders. Okay, so the beers present in Student’s Union bars are subsidised let’s not forget, with most University bars selling Carling, Carlsberg, Guinness and the likes of Worthington or Tetley Smoothflow or occasionally something a little more interesting. They are sold at a discounted rate (back in my undergrad days – showing my age, I paid £1.10 for Carlsberg or, when I saw the light in the student hall’s bar I would go on to be assistant manager of, £1.40 for a pint of Lowenbrau). These days, you can pick up a pint of Carling for £2 in the University of Liverpool Student Union, with a pint of the Sphinx cask ale at £2.40, which is not a massive discrepancy. The margins at which macro-brewers and distributors operate probably mean that realistically, the local beers wouldn’t get a look-in and psychologically that 40p adds up to a lot when you're on a budget and you're drinking quantity. The need to provide cheap beer is strong, especially with the current University age generation tending to eschew alcoholic drinks as a trend compared to previous generations. So there is a need to make beer and cider attractively priced for those that are not teetotal and being students, on a limited budget. The lines at these premises are probably tied to a distributor too, twinned with the fact that if the contract the University runs is worth over a certain amount, it can potentially come under a framework agreement (they have to award a fixed term contract to a company or number of companies, who will have the monopoly of supply over the term, unless they breach said contract… or something along those lines) meaning the smaller companies won’t get a look in from that angle either (being unable to supply the quantities big contracts demand, at least at the expense of other custom). This kind of scenario also affects local sports teams. Whilst it might not be the purest example of a tie in to local, the pairing of Tottenham Hotspur with Beavertown is a case where a sports team/business has looked to source something locally and anecdotally from speaking to Spurs fans I am acquainted with, it works and is very welcome. The prospect of being able to sink a neck oil or gamma ray before the match instead of something fizzy, yellow and vaguely ‘beer’ flavoured, works well for a lot of match goers. But the Beavertown/Heineken buyout thing aside, wouldn’t it be excellent if every rugby club (league and union) and football league team had a commitment to invest and source producers locally? Especially those with a distinct regional identity, independent and locally owned.
Locally on Merseyside, Glen Affric Brewery have beer being sold at the Tranmere Rovers Fan Club Tent, but not actually within the football ground. This exposure has definitely had some input in increasing awareness of locals and match goers to the fact they have a brewery and associated taproom on their doorstep. Whilst this association is not an ‘official’ one in regards to a link with the football club, it has anecdotally given a boost to the brewery according to co-founder Craig McCormick. “Whilst we have had some beers in the Tranmere ground on one occasion, the uptake of our beers at the fan tent has really given some extra footfall to the taproom and people do recognise the brand and what we have on offer. Whether the level of success we have experienced could be much greater by actually having our beers in Prenton Park is anyone’s guess!” Visitors to any city or region often have a thirst for the unique experience that place has to offer, sports tourism is massive and refreshment is a major element of that. Being able to drink or eat something produced locally not only invests in the community being visited, but provides a sense of place. Would visitors be so ready to have a break in a location with the ubiquitous character as their home town or another place they have visited? Let’s face it, drinking a latte and eating a pre-packed cheese sandwich in one branch of a chain coffee shop is much the same in another branch, regardless of where you are in the UK. Granted you know what you’re getting and it often saves having to do much research when you just want a coffee, but it’s all rather soulless. Despite playing devil’s advocate in a business sense here, surely there is some mileage in ‘community minded’ institutions departing slightly from this model and giving some kind of opportunity to local businesses? If they wish to extol their credentials as some kind of active participant in a community, they need to put their money where their mouth (and property portfolio) is. Pedro. It’s been a roundabout trip for Terry Langton from Love Lane to the Albert Dock, but his current (dis)position finds him again cooped up in an historic Liverpool brickwork structure creating drinks for discerning adults to enjoy. The bar is due to open its doors to the public early February, due to a number of delays which have meant missing the Christmas deadline but Terry asked everyone to be reminded that the best things come to those who wait, given a rushed opening would not leave the quality impression he wishes to be associated with. Terry began his journey (as covered in this blog: [http://electrokemistcuisine.weebly.com/blogs/the-rise-of-liverpool-craft-brewery]) with Liverpool Craft Brewing as a joint venture with Paul Seiffert (now at Black Lodge/Love Lane) before the company was sold for investment and growth (and a name change to incorporate the brewery’s flagship beer ‘Love Lane Pale’ as the brand rather than a product), he also helped set up the initial incarnation of Black Lodge before eschewing the beer for developing his own brand of Gin, Vodka and bitters under the guise of ‘Turncoat’. The Turncoat project is very much a grassroots and family orientated business, with wife Jo and other family members such as Jasmine (the new Bar’s Front of House) mucking in at events and at the office/distillery. But its inception wasn’t plain sailing, despite Terry’s experienced hands: “Everything has had teething problems, EVERYTHING!! Though realistically speaking, you cannot expect to open such a large bar in a Grade 1 Listed Building without hitting some bumps in the road. It does feel like anything that could go wrong in the lead up to getting things rolling, has indeed gone wrong. It has been a tough journey, but the team behind both the bar and the distillery have performed really well to get things going in the right direction. We also have a great Landlord and the supply chain for the bar is based locally, which makes getting the support we need so much easier. It’s been quite a humbling experience to have received so much good will and support from people, the bar will be a really positive step to take for the distillery and Turncoat’s journey. Hopefully it will be a roadmap in becoming a major independent distillery and business in Liverpool.” When asked about why he felt that Turncoat needed its own licensed premises, Terry was very clear about why they have taken this route: “I think we have a quirky message that we’d like to communicate. We’re not corporate or looking to brand jump on any bandwagon. We’re a group of passionate people who don’t take ourselves too seriously, but do take our output in a serious fashion and a great deal of pride in it. The product itself, the Gins especially, we’re proud of. Having a bar will enable us to get behind them and communicate what we’re about in a clearer manner. It feels very personal too, having a premises in such a prestigious location and being able to showcase an array of local beers and spirits. Since 2010, all the projects that I have been involved in have received support from other local bars and independent outlets, it feels great being able to pay some of that back into the wider scene. Having grown up in Liverpool though the last few decades, I have seen first-hand the change that the Albert Dock has undergone (from its dilapidation and disuse in the early 1980s, through to the regeneration and integration/link up with Liverpool One) and it now being a major tourist attraction in the city. Being a lad from Toxteth and being able to start something independent which is able to support other local and independent businesses is great, it does feel that we are taking back a piece of the Dock back from corporate holdings for Liverpool, which is a good thing for putting a stamp on the local heritage. We do love the tourists that come into the city and the best way to make them welcome and give them an experience is to provide a ‘real Liverpool’ and all the creativity it holds. Having local support for this is absolutely essential too and that’s definitely what we wish for.” Terry is also very clear of the regard he holds for the Landlord of the site, who seems to espouse the same wishes for a local and independently dominant presence in the city to encourage character and community. “JLL are amazing, we’ve been working with them for a year and given Turncoat an opportunity of a lifetime. It is really refreshing to be on the same page with our outlook on the business climate and how to contribute to that. We can’t ask for much more.” Terry does miss making beer, but not at the expense of the distilling which now takes up his thoughts. The focus on detail whilst managing logistics and other elements took up a lot of his thoughts, but he remains quite philosophical about any kind of return:
“It’s nice to mix things up, I do keep promising to do a collaboration brew and make some beer again, but I never seem to find the time to arrange it. I think the elements I most miss about brewing are the details in a brew day, having a fermentation vessel full and ready to start its journey to becoming beer whilst the smell of hot hops and sight of a clean brewery that’s ready to go again the next day are massively rewarding too. It’s a very satisfying process when you nail things right and I do miss that feeling. Currently, I run around like a headless chicken whilst our Head Distiller, Joanne and our warehouse manager, Rolf, take the brunt of production work. I am looking forward to the bar being open and getting back to being involved in the production side of things; the predictability and the order reminds me a bit more of brewing and distilling, whilst I feel I’m currently wading in chaos!” The bar itself is slated to be stocking the obligatory Turncoat range of Vodka and Gins, along with the array of bitters they produce. There are also rumoured to be other local spirits taking their place on the back of the back along with some bespoke specials produced by Turncoat especially for the premises. There will be 15 different lines of craft beer present at the bar, along with a healthy number of fridges readily stocked with an array of beers. Terry has suggested that we prepare for beers from the likes of a lot of local favourites and Siren, Lervig, Magic Rock, White Hag along with more continental gear and by virtue of their existing collaboration, some beers from Purity Brewing. “We have also installed, at great cost and by no small feat of logistical magic, a massive Gozney Wood Fired Overn, ready to be smashing out pizzas all day and night. We will of course be focussing again on local ingredients whilst twisting things around a Neapolitan style. If that wasn’t enough, the bar will also be doing Afternoon Tea (with Gin), Prosecco, cocktails and of course, normal tea. There’ll be an on-site bakery for the pizza dough, cakes and sandwiches too. Finally, there will be a ‘snug’ in the bar, where we can allow for groups to gather or for meetings to be held, I expect to be hosting a lot of tasting events in there too." ---- Site opens to the public Friday 7th February 2020. I know I can’t wait! Pedro. [some photos provided by and copyright of Turncoat] Puffed out cheeks accompany a long exhale when I ask Dominic Hope-Smith if he thought that Carnival Brewing would ever reach this stage. It’s been a slow burn for both him and Adrian Burke in getting Carnival into permanent premises with a fixed kit to call their own, located between the ‘Ten Streets’ area of Liverpool and its central business district. Evidently the trials and tribulations in setting up a brewery are not all based in finances and building a steady network of customers, logistics and luck play their part too. Timing can be everything, the right time and place with the right network and right recipes can be make or break a fledgling outfit. Dom’s response is somewhat weary but tinged with a hint of an optimistic tone and no shortage of surprise... “Nope! I still can’t quite believe that we are doing this. It is slightly surreal when you consider that it has been an ongoing project for so long, taking in lots of twists and turns along the way. It sounds pretty obvious, but we both really love craft beer and the culture surrounding the industry. I have been a keen homebrewer for a few years now and at one point Adrian (the other half of Carnival Brewing’s founding team) tried some of the beers I made, he suggested that I should start making them a bit more widely available. From this point, Carnival Brewing was formed.” The early days of Carnival also saw Dom’s homebrew touted to bar staff and select guests at Liverpool’s 23 Club, with high praise heaped onto the homebrewing duo and their wares. The follow up to this initial buzz was sadly and heavily delayed (as alluded to above). There was participation in the first Liverpool Beer Week with a pre-launch event at Hard Times and Misery (now known as Dickens and King). This in itself was followed with a trickle of keg and cask beers to local bars such as Pi on Rose Lane and central Liverpool favourite, the Grapes. These were the only clues as to Carnival’s activities before the news broke that they had found and procured a site from which to base their operations. Ade and Dom first met at the Clearview Charity Carnival in Mossley Hill in 2016 via an introduction from a mutual friend, the grease to the wheels of the relationship was Ade spotting Dom’s Flaming Lips tee shirt; Dom suggests that his attire at the time is probably what made Ade form a positive opinion of him initially. I was lucky enough to appear on Beernomicon’s Podcast during the Summer of 2019, chatting about the second Liverpool Beer Week. As part of the Podcast, I was joined by Black Lodge’s Rob Tuffnell and both Ade and Dom from Carnival. Dom was very upbeat about the opportunities for beer and brewing in Liverpool and contributed well: [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/beernomicon-lv-liverpool-beer-week/id1130929820?i=1000444035776] This was not his first foray into broadcasts either, appearing on BBC Radio Merseyside in promotion of the Mossley Hill Beer Festival earlier in the year and conveying a message about beer to a wider and possibly less informed audience on matters of brewing and craft beer/real ale. Things have now progressed for the Carnival team since the broadcast and ground was finally broken at the new Carnival brewery site in October 2019. This in itself was not without difficulty; the aforementioned tribulations of setting up a brewing outfit for Carnival included some practicality issues for brewery infrastructure, but thankfully ones that were not insurmountable, as Dom confirmed: “Originally, our scheme was supposed to take shape in South Liverpool and this had to change for a number of reasons. We then stumbled onto Unit 3 not far from the city centre and decided that it could provide us with the perfect blank canvas for our vision and ideas. The process so far has been excruciatingly slow and has involved some pretty complex lease negotiations, planning issues and dealing with licensing. Add the technical difficulties of the build to the mix and you get quite the cocktail. The build has been difficult but steady in all consideration and it is certainly the most challenging thing I have done. We have worked with R2 Architects who are based just off Hardman Street in Liverpool and they have helped us create a phased scheme, providing us with a large enough area for our current brewhouse and tank farm with the ability to respond to capacity growth requirements. We also have quite a substantial cold store, a great bar space, new toilet facilities and the foundations are in place for a mezzanine should we push for that.” In terms of brass tacks, the brewery kit itself will be 16 hectolitres in size (four fermenters and a carbonation tank, with some additional kit coming in the new year), therefore the aim is to be capable of an output of 3,000 litres of beer a week. The brewery has a taproom attached to it, which is expected to evolve over time in keeping with the status of the brewery, the beers and other factors. The Taproom will be opening soon, with the opening hour being Thurs-Fri 4m to 10pm, then Saturday 12pm to 10pm, Sunday 2pm-8pm. Dom conveyed his excitement further about this space: “We are going to be community focused, so expect a variety of cool events, pop ups, art shows, live music and food-orientated events. We are planning to host regular nights with local music promoters to bring artists to a wider audience. As you can tell, music is pretty important to us and we’re having it as central feature along with the beer! The part of town that we are based in is not currently known as a place for night-life, so we’re aiming to inject some life, promote a safe and inclusive environment and animate it with good happenings." So what beers can we expect from Carnival?
“Our tasting room has 12 keg lines and two cask lines, we are aiming to get these flowing as quickly as possible. We’ve got some special releases saved ready for launch, including a robust porter called Transmission which will be on cask. Our Imperial Stout, Moose Stack, which has been quietly maturing in oak barrels with toasted coconut should be ready along with kegs of our session pale ale (All Clouds Are Silver) and some cask Macau (a cream pistachio pale ale). We’ve yet to decide on what beers will be first to go on our big kit, so you’ll have to watch this space! Trades lists will probably be ready to go out shortly after Christmas in time for New Year deliveries and we’re also buying in a range of used spirit and wine barrels to kick off a barrel-aging programme in earnest.” What do you think the next five years holds for brewing in Liverpool and specifically with Carnival? “I’m really excited about the future of Liverpool’s scene actually. It feels like we’re gaining some momentum, with the increase in the number of independent bars, pubs and restaurants in the city, the outlook is positive. Seeing the likes of Bundobust, Honest Burger and Albert’s Schenke to name a few pitch up with a really good beer-orientated offer is great; especially as they want to work with local breweries to stock their beers and integrate with the local scene. We have big ambitions to thrive in our new site, create great space for people to meet, relax, enjoy great beers and music. There is more to it that just that though, but I’ve got a few ideas and tricks up my sleeve that I’ll keep to myself for a while longer!” Carnival Brewing and tasting rooms are now open and welcome to accept customers in this unexpected gem of Liverpool’s waterfront. --------------------------------------------- Many thanks for reading everyone and sorry my output has been a little sparse (a lot sparse) recently... but we do have another article coming soon! Cheers! Pedro. There has been some turbulence in Liverpool on the beer scene of late; another black-armband moment late in the year added to the angst that many already felt with a slice of beery bedrock being pulled from under them (admittedly, myself included). Thankfully the void, whilst not totally filled (and may never be in the case of both Mad Hatter and 23 Club) has left some oddly-fertile uncertainty for a few new breweries to begin trading across Merseyside from West Lancashire. Step forward Clay Brow Nano (they have been bottling their beer for just over a year), Conch Brewing, Uncanny Valley and Brooks Brewhouse. All four are relatively small outfits, brewing mostly bottles, cask and generally less frequent kegged offerings. Visibility is also quite low at the moment, given that they are all relatively new and feeling their way into the market place (for example, Brooks Brewhouse has had cask beers on at the West Kirby Tap, but to my knowledge, none has made it across the water into a venue in Liverpool). That said, this takes the number of breweries in the Merseyside region up in no small measure; variety is the spice of life and it is always good for a drinker to have some new ideas ready to try on the bar. So what will these newcomers be bringing to the pumps? Read on. Brooks Brewhouse Based in Hoylake, Brooks is a very small outfit producing what seems to be bespoke orders (mostly in bottle and only by request in cask) for the local market; hence the lack of any visible marketing or presence on the northern side of the River Mersey to date. The brew kit is described on their website as a nano-size (up to 3 barrels per batch), with test batches brewed to a meagre 20 litres and only brewed up to 200 if proving successful. The beer range for Brooks appears to be a spread of traditional British and some newer American styles double dry-hopped IPAs, early grey infused IPA, a Porter, best bitter style and English IPA all appear on the website. The brewing roster appears to show some reverence for older styles, but a willingness to enter the fray on newer hoppier and experimental adjunct styles. Sales from the brewery appear to be only to trade for the time being. You can check out more information on the brewery here: [http://www.brooks-brewhouse.co.uk/] Clay Brow Nano Another small operation based in Skelmersdale, Neil Parkin set up Clay Brow Nano follow a decade long affair with home brewing. Currently at half a barrel in size, an expansion is in the offing, with Neil looking at maybe expanding to a 1 barrel brewery the middle of 2019. Neil states: "It took me a while to Design and build my wooden structure in the garden (some would call it a shed) to house the brewery, but following encouragement from friends and family, I eventually got there. My Ales are bottled mainly and I have just started racking into cask during last November and December, which so far is having very positive feedback from customers". Upon asking Neil where his beers would be available whilst noting he had a bit of a thing for darker hued ales, he responded: "Currently, I have two firkins which are heading for Prospect brewery's bar (Editors Note: This was last December), Beer Central in Wigan in 2 weeks time which i can not wait to see on there bar. Yeah, I have a bit of a thing for stouts and dark ales, though I do also enjoy a decent hoppy IPA. About 20 years ago I stumbled across a mobile travelling Theakston's Bar; a few pints of Old Peculier later, that was me hooked on dark ales! I am planning to brew a few more stouts next year and to bring my two NEIPAS, Juicy Lucy & Zulu, back out in March for drinkers to enjoy. At the moment, I really want to push the notion that a stout is for all year round and not just for the Winter, I want to change the perception that some like to think it is only a cold weather style." You can follow Neil and Clay Brow Nano on Twitter, here: [https://twitter.com/Clay_Brow_Nano] Conch Brewing Mike Petersen is another homebrewer turned professional on the scene, with the 200 litre kit at his disposal, he has been steadily producing some very interesting pale brews. I asked what styles he predominantly expects to be putting out in the near future and what dispense we as customers can expect to see: "I've only been brewing commercially since July 2018, and my first batch was an 'Imperial' 8.3% stout that went out in 330ml bottles. I have since then brewed a fruity New England style IPA at 6.8%, which again went into bottles at 500ml with a small keg for an event at Cathop Beers. Since then I've brewed an Old Ale for release late season 2019, a massive 16.8% impy stout which was brewed in collaboration with Clay Brow and Neil Ashton at Cathop Beers (we all love dark beers) - I'm really excited about how that brew is going to turn out! I've also brewed a more traditional 5% Porter which is aged with bourbon oak, it debuted at a taster event at Craft Taproom on Smithdown Road in Liverpool but it will also be on cask and bottle in very limited amounts elsewhere. Planning ahead, I'm ruling nothing out. I do love big beers like the Old Ale and the Imperial Stout, so there will be loads more of that in various styles. I do Love dark beers, so stouts and porters will always be on the menu too. I'm a big fan of British Beer and historic beers too. Obviously not macro-produced twig-water clones, they're an abomination to me to be frank, but I really love barley wines and Old Ales and would Iove to put a spin on some old recipes that I have found." Upon asking Mike about dispense style and whether he had a prefence, his retort was: "Whether the beer ends up in cask, keg, bottle or can doesn't matter to me. But I currently don't have any facility for canning. There's something magical about beer and wood, so Barrel aging, Brett and sour tradional styles are 100% on the horizon." In terms of inspiration and motivation, Mike replied to be asked about what drove him to brew: "I'd been home brewing for a long time, so it was just a natural next step in a way. I brewed to make beers that I couldn't buy from shops, as back in the day it was a lot more limited in the bars and shops compared to where the market is at now. Brewing commercially was a long held ambition, but I'd always had this belief that it wasn't viable without a lot of investment and total career change. The thing that changed my perception was when I read a blog about a guy in Manchester who set up a nano brewery in his bedsit; eventually expanding it into his shed. A bit later I met others who had set up in a similar fashion and guys like Ivor who used to run Bridgewater brewing supplies. Meeting these others who'd made the cross over to commercial brewing from small beginnings was really inspirational too; guys like John Marsden at Melwood in particular. One evening late autumn 2017, I just sort of decided I'm gonna do it and get brewing commercially. Within two weeks I'd bought a second hand rig, I sort of had to crack on with making beer then! I then probed a bit further by asking Mike what sort of beers he really liked drinking at the moment and how he felt about the market becoming increasingly saturated with competitive products: "This time of year I'm getting stuck into big dark beers. I have been drinking some DIPAs and NEIPAs too, though most of them I'm picking up at Cathop Beers and drinking at home as I'm a dad to two boys and don't get out a while lot these days! In terms of the competition and getting a foothold, it holds no fear for me, partially due to my size and the fact that I have a full time job beyond the brewery, there's no pressure on me to sell huge amounts. That means I can just brew with a focus on quality rather than profit and as a result, I feel able to take risks and experiment thus have a bit of fun; I'm hoping that will be coming across in the beers. " Finally, I asked if there are there any other unique or interesting facts about the set up or remit as a brewery with Conch: "With my latest beer Im giving 100% of the profits to Claire House Children's Hospice. I'm hoping maybe I can encourage other local brewers to do a bit of the same, but in any case this is something I'm gonna do again." You can follow Mike and Conch Brewing at: [https://twitter.com/BrewingConch] Uncanny Valley I caught up with Uncanny Valley's Ged Courtney and asked him for an overview of Prescot's new and only brewery and the about waves he plans to make in the local area with his beers. "The brewery is tiny by comparison to most in the area, I'm only operating on around 200 litres, so approx. 1.2bbl per brew. At present I brew a West Coast IPA (Icarus), a single hop Pale Ale (Electric Dreams) and a Milk Stout (Event Horizon). I have plans to add a NEIPA and a Berliner Weisse at some point, but I think I need a bit more practice on the sour side of things before that becomes available to the public! At present the beer is available in 330ml bottles and on Keg (Eco or Key Keg depending on bars preference). I've currently no plans for cask beer, but I'd never say never, especially given the mini-revival we're seeing with some breweries making a return to the dispense. I've always been a big food and drink nerd and have always wanted to make things 'from scratch', over the years I've had a number of life consuming hobbies but home brewing was the one that stuck. I started making beer on the kitchen stove and when I brought some sample bottles into the various craft places I used to drink, they were always complemented - I think that gave me the confidence to push onward. After a few too many drinks in Hard Times and Misery one night, I decided I'd see if it was viable; lots of internet research later (and a great series of articles by Carbon Smith) led to me getting permission (from HMRC, EHO and my fiancé) to turn my one car garage into a fully licensed and authorised brewery. Having seen the likes of Top Rope also coming through on similar set ups gave me the confidence that it was at least possible." In terms of what he likes to drink at the moment, Ged was quite forthcoming: "I enjoy most beer styles but at the moment have a real love for juicy NEIPA and Pale Ales. There will always be a place in my heart for the bitter, resinous West Coast hop bombs that still got me into craft beer though. I think most probably that DEYA's Steady Rolling Man is a great example of the beers I most like to drink at present." So what does the future hold for Uncanny Valley? "I'm in a very fortunate position in that brewing is not my full time job and I own the premises where the brewing takes place. The competition is immense at the moment which is a credit to the quality of the local beer scene. That said, producing four kegs and a half dozen cases of bottles per run is a lot easier to shift than the volumes of beer needed by the bigger guys who've got wages and rents to pay. Keeping a stock of products is tricky at my size, but equally I suppose I can be more flexible with my brewing rota. I'm essentially brewing on a scale that would be most brewery's pilot kit." You can follow Uncanny Valley further here: [https://www.facebook.com/Uncanny-Valley-Brewing-Co-605765986541387] Tyton Brewery
A 'big' name for a small microbrewery, Tyton Brewery based in Ainsdale, just outside of Southport are another new set up to keep an eye on for 2019. Tom Anderson, who developed his craft brewing in the former Wapping Brewery set up underneath Liverpool's Baltic Fleet pub has taken on kit formerly used by another Sefton outfit, 3 Potts who ceased brewing around a year ago. Tom informed me that the viable brew size is 480 litres, although the more likely standard brew size will be 250 litres in terms of consistency. Tom also said: "There will be three core beers to start; Tawny (3.8% Amber Bitter), Morepork (4.2% NZ Hopped Pale) and Western Screech (5% US IPA). Initially these will all be starting off in cask and will eventually be moving to bottling and kegging products, that will hopefully be within a few months. The brewery going forward will be based on a good backbone of reliable standard ales and a wide range of changing experimental beers, including Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime, Habanero Sorachi Ace Hopped pale inspired by Thai Cuisine. Brewing appeals because it allows for both creative thinking as well as a strict set of rules to go by. There is always something to learn, and it is always challenging." In terms of what got Tom's creativity flowing and what he enjoys from other brewers, he was very definite about what he likes: "I've been really into sour beers for a long time, Suggestions Tropic Thunder being a personal fave, as well as a lot of Dank heavy IPAs. For Tyton going forward and how it will sit in the market, I feel I'm happy enough to enter into a big market at the moment. The size of my kit is a small drop in a huge ocean of others. I'm happy and confident that good beer made with love and purpose will always win. In terms of beer nomenclature, all the beers are inspired by, and named after owls. It's kind of a tradition thing between me and my dad. We're both kinda obsessed with all things Strigiformes!" You can currently follow Tom on Twitter: [https://twitter.com/morporkiwi] Another year draws to a close and sadly (probably more for me, than you dear reader) I've not published an awful lot over the last twelve months. A sum total of two articles; one being last year's round up of beery goings on and a rather heavy-hearted obituary to what many regard as the spiritual home of craft beer in Liverpool. I tell a lie of course, I have written a lot of other stuff and expended rather a lot of energy elsewhere beyond the confines of this site. The blog and various updates to the Liverpool Beer Collective's website have been at my own fair hands (both in a writing and editorial capacity), plus I have written more emails, queries, co-ordination notes and other assorted nonsense in the name of Liverpool's first ever Beer Week. In relation to the monthly reviews I published, it reached a point where it become more of a chore and an obstacle to doing other things. I have cut down on the amount I drink, partially because I am getting older (as much as I hate to admit it) and it takes its own toll and partially due to requirements of my day job and a rather unpleasant length of commute. Trying to sit down, drink eight different beers and think long and hard about each one did eventually become a burden rather than something I actively enjoyed, as much as I did enjoy testing my own palate and thinking once in a while about the beer someone had spent time producing. Maybe I'll return to writing something in the style of those reviews, time will tell. In terms of the other content of this article, I am again going to treat you to some contributions from other prominent writers about what has tickled each of their fancy over the last year and what beers have really given them some enjoyment. We also have some sadder news from this year with some losses from the Liverpool scene; 23 Club (covered here: electrokemistcuisine.weebly.com/blogs/an-ode-to-the-23-club), Mad Hatter Brewing (See below) and sadly the lovely Mark Yates, brewer with Connoisseur Ales and all round good egg. I have of course, selected my annual top ten standouts from this year too. Brewery Buy-outs and Investment Buys outs of breweries are now becoming slightly more commonplace; this year has seen both Fourpure and Beavertown taking investment from the big boys, with the total share going to Lion (an Australian subsidy of the Kirin portfolio) in the case of the former and a significant but undisclosed amount into Beavertown from Heineken. The news was met with rather a mixed reception; murmurings of displeasure, outright indignation through to messages of a more congratulatory nature from all corners of the beer world. Perhaps the more interesting aspect of these buy outs was the rather uneven tone in the Beavertown deal. As covered in a previous edition of this blog, some drinkers drifted (and maybe still do drift) into a bit of hero worship with some brewers; brewing good beers, putting out an enticing image and having a touch of the rock star about you will cultivate fans. This is very true in the case of Beavertown and perhaps, given their status on the UK beer scene, this is what has created a slew of disappointed fans - 'selling out' will never go down well with some. It's not only some of the brewery's former fans that have directed ire at Beavertown; some other UK breweries have responded in a variety of ways, including by vocalising criticism, by removing associations and involvement with them at festivals and in collaborative projects. Sussex's Dark Star was another buyout earlier this year, with Fullers of London now owning the whole portfolio. Whilst this isn't an example of a bigger fish (such as AB, Heineken or A N Other) swallowing up a small 'craft' brewery in what could be viewed as cynical acquisition to corner every square inch of the market. Anyway, it was all excellently covered by Pete Brown in February: [www.petebrown.net/2018/02/21/favourite-brewery-gets-bought-sold-taken]. The waters are only going to get muddier from hereon in, if people are truly disturbed by their favourite breweries being owned by larger corporations, it will mean more and more vigilance in keeping tabs on where you spend your money. Return of the Cask A skim of quite a few other articles over the last twelve months has shown that many regard the British staple of cask beer to be significantly undervalued by and large by the public. It still often lags behind the price of keg beer in many establishments and often is not treated with the care it requires to be served properly; leading to many breweries halting output of cask over concern of both margins and of quality. In a bold reversal, both Cloudwater Brewing [cloudwaterbrew.co/blog/2018/9/30/aw18-part-2-cask-is-back] and Brewdog [www.brewdog.com/lowdown/blog/cask-is-back] both returned this year to output of cask beers, albeit with a strenuously tight grip on quality control in terms of where it is sold. It is telling that during my trip over to San Francisco this year, many establishments were keen on developing their cask output and looking to emulate British brewing techniques to add another string to their bows. An example was the brewpub belonging to Thirsty Bear in the city; brewing mostly stouts and British bitter styles, they actually presented a very good beer on their premises and planned to continue increasing output as drinkers in their pub demanded. Other brewers across the world have taken note and hold cask beer in some reverence; as indeed both European and American brewers anecdotally claim to have been influenced by British brewing, not least Bruno Carilli of Toccalmatto and Brooklyn's own Garrett Oliver. The price is often the bone of contention in the UK; margins are incredibly tight as cask is in the main, undervalued, with a large slice of tax inflating the cost of production and sale. The overall market is down 6.8% since the previous year [www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2018/10/3-reasons-cask-beer-is-declining-in-uk-pubs-and-3-ways-it-can-change], with some of this change being attributed drinkers shifting from cask to 'craft' keg beers. The bulk of the market is still held by premium macro-brewed lagers. Hopefully cask beer is art that is continued to be appreciated on our own shores, though this will take continued vigilance and a sensitively progressive approach from consumer and the marketplace.
In slightly better news, the fallout from this is that Lally Morrison took the head brewer role over at Glen Affric, who have incidentally just started canning their beers. Expect to see much more of them in 2019. Over the last year or so, we on Merseyside have gained Clay Brow, Carnival, Brooks Brewhouse, Liverpool Brewing Company, Conch Brewing and Uncanny Valley... along with new bars like 8 degrees, hobo kiosk, Punch Tarmey's (with the promise of the resurrection of the Cain's Brewery). In theory, this should soften the blow somewhat of losing such a big hitter from our ranks. I'll be giving some column inches over to pushing out more information on all of these developments in the next article in the next few weeks! In the meantime, I would like to pass on my thanks to Mad Hatter for all the hard work, enjoyable beers and moments they have given me over the last five years or so. Cheers guys. x ElectroKemistry Top Ten Beers for 2018 2018 was a very solid year for quality in beers; from great quality cask right through to bottled and canned delights. I have to keep things down to ten beers here, or the article really would get a bit too long. I am however going to throw out a few 'honorable mentions' though for a few local breweries; Neptune (especially the Citra Mosaic IPA), Chapter (especially for Steadfast Companions) and Glen Affric (for the amazing Morning, Lemon) all raised their game massively this year and showcased some great brewing. I am really looking forward to how they kick on along with Carnival getting a premises and Black Lodge expanding their operations. From the wider world, those just missing out included Siren's Limoncello IPA, Garage Brewing SOUP, Box Social's Brut DIPA, NMBCo Celestial Motion and Victorian Lemonade collaboration and also Harmonic Brewing's Hoppy Pale - Mosaic from their tap in San Francisco. Anyway, that top ten... 10. Magic Rock - Botany of Desire Honey DIPA This was an outrageously good beer, which I have a hankering for ever since I sunk a can at Magic Rock's Brewery Tap earlier on in 2018. Honey-infused beers usually don't tick many boxes for me, often being far too perfumed or cloying in flavour. Botany of Desire however is a much, much different proposition; the malt bill and hopping provide an excellent balance to the honey present. Think a big, slick and juicy beer with a finish which has a very pleasing honey-mustard type glaze flavour; there is plenty going on with this beer but it all was all great fun and incredibly enjoyable. Fingers crossed for another 2019 seasonal release and faith in the original recipe! 09. Other Half - Rake it Up A collaboration brew with Barrier Brewing, Rake it Up is a very competent Imperial IPA/DIPA which I happened to enjoy at Hop City in March 2018. Hopped with Mosaic, Citra and Denali, it has a healthy dose of oats in the malt bill leaving the mouthfeel incredibly luxurious; soft, sticky and lovely and slick. Possibly having more than a bit in common with NEIPAs, the bitterness level was not very high at all, letting the juiciness and aroma drive things. It was. all in all, just a really enjoyable beer to drink. Especially a highlight, considering this was drunk on a day when many of the IPAs on display were merging into one long session of drinking tropical fruit juice with little to discern between them. 08. Track Brewing Co - Sonoma Whilst this beer has been collecting praise over a couple of years now, whether it be keg or cask dispense, something stuck with me on trying it keg-fresh from the Brewery Tap early on in 2018. There was something of a completeness about the beer; soft carbonation, a gentle lingering bitterness and loads of soft fruit aromas in balance, making it a beer worth drinking repeatedly. Or maybe I was just thirsty from too much table tennis? Great work, Track Brewing. 07. Gibberish - Coconut and Tonka Bean Stout A stupidly, stupidly moreish 6.5% Stout which was enjoyed on an autumnal evening at the Gibberish Brewpub. Given the richness and tendency of dessert style stouts to be session-enders, there was probably no departure from that here, but the desire to keep going back for more was quite startling. The sweeter notes, coconut and heady chocolate/light coffee aroma and deeper malt bitterness was actually quite something to behold. A pleasure for all the senses and great to roll around the palate, this stout was massively enjoyable to drink and a cracking bit of brewing. 06. Young Master Ales - Tai Sui Barrel aged Sourdough Ale (2015 vintage) I'd been holding onto this bottle for a while, following a kind gift from a friend living over in Hong Kong; hence the delay in wanting to drink this one. Given the barrel aging, wild yeasts and ABV it was a fairly safe bet that this brew would take some bottle aging quite well indeed. I can honestly say that I have never had a beer quite like this in my life; the complexity and layering of flavour was pretty astonishing. High carbonation, big whisky aromas, freshly-baked bread, funk and almost wine-line chewiness all contributed to the experience that was this bottle of Tai Sui. As a disclaimer, whilst I could wax lyrical about how clever this beer was, given how loaded it was it made it only possible to drink relatively small measures and was not a repeat drinker, something to be savoured a little more sparingly - otherwise it probably would have found itself in my top 3. Great beer, excellent brewing and a delight to experience. 05. Burnt Mill x Track Brewing Co - Enigmatic Galaxies Another excellent IPA that I enjoyed at Hop City back in March 2018, a succulent and juicy DIPA that stood out a little more than the Other Half brew at the same event - both had a much more enjoyable mouthfeel and a touch more complexity in terms of their structure. The aroma was wonderfully inviting; tropical and white stone fruit and a lot of citrus character along with a decent bitter back note to draw in the reins of being a total juice bomb with zero subtlety. This was actually quite nuanced and enjoyable, not just another massively drinkable high abv IPA style beer. Burnt Mill (and Track for that matter) have had a brilliant year in 2018 and I hope to see them build on this, with their beers becoming more readily available in the north west. 04. Northern Monk Brewing Co x De Molen - Dark City Imperial Stout The Devil's Dessert stout, which is a big and bold a beer as you get in 2018. Understandably divisive, the residual sweetness and overload of desserty notes do make this a tough beer to drink in any quantity, but for me that defeats the whole point of this 7.4% beer. A plethora of different flavours and aromas come through as the beer adjusts in temperature; nutty praline, light coffee, chocolate, caramel, dried and candied fruit, vanilla and other spices with hints of black pepper are all present in Dark City and in front of a warm fire a can will see you through the evening and give plenty of enjoyment. It certainly worked for me, both in can and on keg at the Northern Monk Refectory before the Dark City Beer Festival. 03. Alvarado Street Brewery - Countach A warm and sunny evening in San Francisco, you've checked out 3 brewery taps and a former cinema turned into a Craft Beer and computer games arcade, you arrive at a dive bar that was a bit ropey a decade or so ago... it is now a nirvana. Sinking one of these beers from Alvarado Street in Ashbury-Haight's Toronado was a true highlight of an amazing trip out to California this year; there were a few excellent ones to choose from and Salad Bowl, also from Alvarado Street was also excellent, but this stood out so much. Loads of pineapple a lingering, strong finish along with some yeasty, zesty notes and a light bitterness gives the end result of a great beer, although at 8.1% it was somewhat dangerous for revisiting. 02. Amundsen - Cookie Monster A massively sweet aroma drives this big boy coconut chocolate chip imperial stout, tasted and enjoyed immensely at Indy Man Beer Con in 2018. Tonnes of roasty character with a subtle spiciness to go with all the big chocolate and biscuity notes. The mouthfeel was right in line with how I felt it should be to align with the aroma and flavour, a lovely dry finish also meant Cookie Monster was as complete a beer as could be for this style. Despite the fun name, there was almost something 'grown up' about this beer too.
It also gave me a chance to meet one of my beer heroes Jaega Wise from Wildcard Brewery – she came along to talk to us about brewing with fruit and was one of quite a few of our speakers who had a full house. The festival was well received by both brewers and attendees and we hope it opens up the city for many more of these types of events. Back in April I was happy to celebrate the first birthday of my Brum Beer Babs. When I started the ladies group in 2017 I wasn’t sure we’d last 3 months so to celebrate a year felt very special. We were also lucky enough to brew our own beer this year at Twisted Barrel in Coventry – I really hope we get to brew somewhere in 2019 too! Back to Brum and its growing beer scene, this year we’ve seen the opening of Pint Shop and Head of Steam in the city as well new breweries such as Glasshouse Brew Co and Attic Brew Co. We’ve a few more to look forward to in 2019 too and I really feel that this year is a bit of a turning point for my city which in the past has always felt like it’s lagging behind the likes of Leeds and Manchester. We’ve still a way to go but it’s all going in the right direction and I for one am very excited! I also got to do some more writing about beer for Midlands Beer Blog and I got into print at the end of the year with an article in our local Area Guide. There is something a bit special about seeing your name physically in print. This is something I’d definitely like to do more of in 2019 to help support and promote our local scene. What was not so good? There’s been lots of good things in 2018 but of course there are always somethings which are not so great. I think we continue to see times being hard for bars and breweries due to a number of factors including financial and media issues. The constantly changing advice on what to drink or not and how much doesn’t help anyone. Much of the advice is not based on any scientific evidence and with it changing, it seems, every week it is no surprise that your regular drinker is confused. One thing that has made me sad this year is the end of Mad Hatter in Liverpool. These guys have made some truly ground-breaking beers over the years and it’s never nice to see a brewery close but especially one that has led to some great friendships for me. Good luck to everyone involved for 2019. Another area where we’ve seen some great improvements but we could do with more is in the area of sexism (and other ‘isms’) in branding and advertising. Beer is for everyone and by using some of the images or slogans I’ve seen this year you are excluding people who could be buying your product. A big shout out to Jaega Wise, Melissa Cole and Lily Waite, among others, who are really leading the crusade on this. What do you think will be good/interesting/different in 2019? Now I wish I had a crystal ball! For me I am feeling there is a shift away from big bars and a move towards people being interested in their local beer and in visiting their taprooms. As some of you will know this is a topic close to my heart as I continue to champion our local, independent bars and breweries. I think people are much more interested in seeing where their products come from and supporting independent businesses over the ‘big brands’. I’d also like to see a return to breweries doing traditional styles well. A great mild, brown ale or porter is a joy! We’ve had a lot of ‘fuss’ beers in recent years and I think we will see a move away from those and on to really good innovative beers which showcase styles but still with the flair we naturally see from our breweries. As part of this I was happy to see Cloudwater return to making cask beer in 2018. Of course we have some amazing breweries making cask every day but with someone like Cloudwater back to championing this amazing product it can only help everyone – here’s to more, great cask beer in 2019! Still talking about Cloudwater I am excited to see the line-up for their new festival Friends & Family & Beer in March. I’m hoping to get up to Manchester for this and am interested to see that as it’s a non-profit festival all profits will to go local charities – nice one guys! What were you top 3 beers of 2018? Goodness these are the hardest questions! Just 3!? I’ve had some great beer adventures this year so I’m going to shout out a few places I’ve visited who’ve had great beers available. I was lucky enough to go back to New York this year and this time we stayed in Astoria – this gave me a chance to visit a lot of local breweries, away from the main tourist areas, where I tasted some really amazing beers. I have to say that Interbro Spirits and Ales in Brooklyn ticked a lot of boxes. As well as great beer they had a great atmosphere, music and staff. I made trip over to Brussels for BXL Festival this year (highly recommended!) and whilst there of course had to visit Cantillon. It’s hard to pick out just one beer there but we did have an amazing sea buckthorn beer (Tyrnilambic Baie d'Argousier) in fact it was the last one of our trip. Finally a shout out to one of our new local breweries – Glasshouse Brew Co. They’ve moved into a full brewery this year and we are now starting to see their beers in bars around the city. So far every one I’ve tasted has been spot on. There’ve been a lot of juice bombs so far and I’m excited to see what Josh and the team come up with in 2019 as well as the much anticipated opening of their taproom.
On a more personal note, through my bottle shop CatHop Beers, I have had the pleasure of working with even more new and/or local brewers, such as Clay Brow Nano Brewery in Skelmersdale and Conch Brewing in St Helens. A sign that the scene is burgeoning at grass roots level locally, as well as on the whole nationally. What Was Not So Good In 2018? I suppose my obvious answer here, is Heineken's acquisition of a 49% stake in Beavertown, and to a lesser extent, the 100% buy out of Fourpure by Lion (at least the head honcho at Fourpure hasn't been on record recently, decrying the evils of macro beer companies). It was sad, to me, to see two of the country's most vibrant and fore-running breweries capitulate to macro beer, at a point when the national scene is beginning to come into it's own. Indeed, it must be tempting to grab out when somebody waves a few million quid in your face, and i understand the desire to secure a future, financially, for your family. But to turn your back on the bars, bottle shops and fellow brewers who stood side by side with you for years, championing independent businesses, well, that suggests your morals were for sale all along. For what it's worth, that's two more breweries whose beer will no longer get into my gut, or onto the shelves in my shop. Thoughts/Predictions For 2019 I hope that 2019 sees the sector continue to grow, and i also hope that the remaining independent businesses rally together to reject macro involvement, reducing the likelihood of further capitulation to macro beer companies, reducing tap space committed to macro beer companies (and subsidiaries) and increasing available tap and shelf space for true, independent brewers. It will be interesting to see how the role of bottle shops changes over the next year, and beyond, with the sheer number of online shops and brewery online stores opening up. Whether these developments spell an imminent end to what we now recognise as bottle shops - as consumers move more towards the "bring it to me" method of shopping - remains to be seen. Top Three Beers of 2018 It was a fantastic year for new beers. Choosing three was never going to be easy, but in no particular order: The Mobberley Brewhouse - Batch #1000. This 10% ABV imperial hop monster was brewed as Mobberley's 1,000th gyle since their inception, and boy did it hit the mark. Previously, beers like UnNamed, BeastMode and PipeDream had drawn attention from the nation's craft beer drinkers, but it was Batch #1000 that cemented their place as quality juice merchants. 4.34/5.00 on Untappd isn't too shabbhy eh?! Northern Monk X Other Half X Equilibrium - Infinity Vortex. Northern Monk's Patrons Projects have given me plenty of joy and excitement this year. Infinity Vortex was pretty much the pinnacle of the year's releases to me. The 7.4% murk bomb was about as juicy, soft and drinkable as an IPA can feasibly get. Other Half and Equilibrium's involvement was fairly obvious to see! 4.33/5.00 on Untappd! Wander Beyond - Octopod. Well, you either tried this beautiful little number or you didn't. If you didn't, then you missed out. A 12.0% mango and passion fruit smoothie IPA that the brewing team absolutely smashed out of the park. This effort stood head and shoulders above all other UK milkshake/smoothie IPAs that i tried this year. Thick, gloopy, fruit smoothie, with just enough booze burn to remind you it was alcoholic, and yet tasting nowhere near the 12.0% ABV. 4.30/5.00 on Untappd.
Music thrives on sub-genres, why not beer. With there being new beer out pretty much every day, if one doesn’t work you move onto the next one, or go back to an old faithful. You’ve got to enjoy a little bit of silliness every so often. For me this year has been less about drinking good beer and more about being with good people, whilst drinking good beer. Where I use to think of the beers I had had the night-before during a hangover, I spent a lot of this year recounting who I met and chatted with, and got drunk with. Cheers to them. What was not so good? I wrote a few paragraphs about this and wasn’t happy with any of them. So instead I’m just going to use some Against Me! lyrics from the song ‘Don’t Lose Touch’ to explain how I felt about the not so good parts about beer in 2018. (With a few words changed to suit my agenda) You're coming off quite contrite and pretentious You're not saying anything we haven't heard before You're caught up in an argument Oh, oh, you're so lost in modern beer You will lose it all, and you will find again Don't lose touch Don't lose touch SOS posted from a cell phone Please tell me I'm not the only one That thinks we're taking ourselves too seriously Just a little too enamoured with inflated self purpose Talk is cheap and it doesn't mean much Don't lose touch Don't lose touch Constant twitter engagement for our restless minds Constant stimulation for epic appetites Is there something wrong with these beers? Maybe there's something wrong with the audience Manipulation in the craft beer scene, fucking nausea I'm losing touch, I'm losing touch (I'm losing touch) I'm losing touch, and it's obvious - You can listen to the song here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9iTNNi8Gh0 What do you think will be good/interesting/different in 2019? We’re already seeing style specific fests happen in 2018 and I think this may grow and grow. With success of Seshfest and Hop/Dark City being returned to again next year and the likes of We Are Lager being announced it seems there is a market for it. Within all styles there is such a big scope so with these beers fests you can delve a bit deeper. There will always be the more traditional fest around so why not have these type of fest in between. Though the past few years have always been predicted as ‘The Year of Lager’ it has never really come to fruition. But I’m going to continue that annual guess and say 2019 will see the rise of the craft lager. With Cloudwater, Lost & Grounded, Braybrooke, and soon to be released Manchester Union Lager all bringing lager to our locals I reckon its going to grow and grow. And its a great style for refinement and growth. With a chance to show skill, gives the drinker drinkability and the chance for repeat buying. I cant wait to get a round in. (If UK craft lager fails to reach the heights I envisage then this last paragraph will be stricken from the record/internet.) I’m hoping 2019 sees more independent people writing opinion pieces about beer. It seems we are all losing many voices due to the shit the writers get. While I don’t agree with every word written on beer surely thats the point, to gain new perspectives. And for fucks sake, this is obvious shit, but if you go into a discussion about beer (or anything) with absolutely no possibility of having your mind changed then you are a total prick. As I stated in a paragraph above I love over-the-top beers with random adjuncts, but it’d be interesting to see the bigger players in craft beer trying to nail down styles that could be classed as more traditional. Bitter, milds, straight forward stouts, red ales; with every brewer in the North’s obsession with Landlord and brewers down South always giving the same praise to London’s Pride I wonder if they could try to tackle a similar thing. They don’t have the legacy or possibly the time maybe but with Cloudwater’s recent foray back into cask including an ESB, I’d appreciate maybe 2019 being the year we see those traditional styles being given some attention. Certain breweries seem to create the trends now, if you brew it they will come. What were your top 3 beers for 2018? If I do a Beer of the Year list I usually check Untappd but these three are beers that stuck in my head regardless. Cycle Brewing - Pecan Pie A La Mode During Manchester Beer Week this year the amazing Marble Brewery brought over women who work in the beer industry in Florida over to these shores. 7venth Sun Brewery, Green Bench Brewing Co. and a few others were represented, including the mighty Cycle Brewing. The ever hard working Hannah of Marble put together a big meal/booze up on a Sunday morning, and the multiple stunning beers from the mentioned breweries were passed around while we all tucked in to some fantastic food from The Marble Arch kitchen. I was lucky enough to get to go, as a plus one of Kaleigh’s. It was a ridiculous few hours of beer we may probably never try again, next to massive jugs of Sunshine Radler. The star of the show for me was the Cycle Brewing ‘Pecan Pie A La Mode’. A beautifully sweet, rich, thick imperial stout. It felt decadent, yet silly, complex, yet simple. With enough burn from the Bourbon barrel ageing to set every off. The company was right, the food was spot on, the beers were outlandish and its was only about 11:30am. A great memory that has stuck with me ever since. And I like that during a week of celebrating local beer for Manchester Beer Week my favourite beer was from America. Oops. Brauerei Greifenklau - Lagerbier I bloody love German beer, and had wanted to go to Bamberg for a few years, so for my 30th birthday Kaleigh booked us a weekend away there. On a rather warm and sweaty day, after a few hours of sightseeing we trundled up some hilly residential streets out of the Old Town towards Brauerei Greifenklau. We were met by a gorgeous biergarten (German for Beer Garden) that overlooked the tree filled hills that surrounded the city. Feeling hot and bothered from the walk and the heat I ordered the Lagerbier and the first sip was possibly the best mouthful of beer I had ever had. It is the best lager in the world? Probably not, but its pretty damn good. Especially on a warm summers day when you’re turning 30 and questioning your mortality. A swig of cold German lager looking out over some green countryside will do you the world of good. Franziskaner - Weissbier This year I kind of stepped back from ticking (a little), and focused more on going back to beers that I enjoyed, and rather shockingly, have had before. Weissbiers (German for White Beer) got me into beer, trying Erdinger for the first time was a revelation, and so I’ve always had a soft spot for it. This year when I’ve wanted a drink at home of an evening the one bottle I’ve had constantly in the fridge is Franzikaner Weissbier. It’s readily available in most supermarkets now, is *whispers* affordable, and I could drink it at any time. Plus the slight grandeur of drinking out of a tall wheat beer glass has never diminished for me. I just want a reliable drink sometimes and this is definitely one. So as a nod to my slightly changed drinking habits in 2018, and for sheer enjoyment I’ve got out of drinking it on numerous occasions, this is definitely one of my beers of the year.
We've also had new pub openings, most notably and recently Goose Island and Mikkeller, both in Shoreditch (please ignore the particular geographical bias shown here, but I rarely venture far from my home or work locations, as such there is a focus on north and east London). As we know every cloud has a silver lining but as every pessimist (or realist) knows the reverse is also true. So what's been less good about 2018? Well if you care about brewery ownership you may have lamented the partial sale and sale of Beavertown and Fourpure respectively. I'm more relaxed about the issue nowadays but I do feel we must always be wary of the spectre of 'big beer' and the competing interests of shareholders and creatives (brewers). The fallout from the Beavertown deal with Heineken was particularly unseemly, with one London brewery embarrassing itself with its attempts to commercially exploit the situation with childish antics which screamed 'love me, love me!'. Returning to the positives, Five Points did a wonderful job with the newly renovated Pembury Tavern, while the Hackney area also saw The Experiment open its doors for the first time. When you throw The Cock Tavern into the mix, the fact I am too poor to reside in my former home borough leaves me crestfallen, dejected and utterly disconsolate. If you hadn't noticed I'm prone to hyperbole. What were my beers of the year? Well to be honest I've stopped chasing new releases. I find the prolific nature of breweries' output overwhelming so prefer to drink what I like when I see it. This means Pale Fire, any Kernel pale ale or Five Points Railway Porter when out, and ideally Orval at home. That said here are my top 3 beers of the year in no particular order: Two Roads Brewing Sauvignon Blanc Kernel Bière de Saison Sour Cherry Burning Sky Coolship Looking forward to 2019 I am considering a beer festival I've not been to before, and I can't wait for the Affinity-organised 'Cask 2019'. I will continue to drink what I believe to be good, and be respectful of others' tastes. In fact, if we could all be more respectful that would be swell. Happy New Beer or something.
Manchester Beer Week was incredible, particularly for myself and Kate who did something most days and it really highlighted everything that is great about the beer scene. From the variety of events and tastings to the people we met (who we would now count as firm friends!), the MBW organisers & the venues across Manchester did so much to showcase what the region has to offer. We were thrilled to be a part of it and It was one of the best weeks of the entire year. What was not so good? Nothing is perfect and although the beer scene has been incredibly empowering, friendly and largely positive there has been toxicity and unkindness, especially on social media platforms and on some of the forums. We are all new to beer at some point and elitist attitudes can be off putting to those folks and lack of empathy to others can make online platforms a really negative space. Despite the work that is being done to try and promote more equality in beer it is still disheartening to say not all conversations we have had this year have been positive. Also on what planet is a striptease appropriate as entertainment for a Zwanze day celebration?! Beer wise we haven't been mad keen on the Brut IPA trend, they haven't been very consistent to a style and we haven't really come across any that have knocked our socks off! With the demand for canning at an all-time high we have also had our fair share of dodgy cans, perhaps the demand outweighing the infrastructure in place. What will be good/interesting/different in 2019? Beer style wise I think we will see a lot more classic traditional cask around, the demand for a well-kept pint of Landlord in places like Heaton Hops or Northern Monk Refectory MCR is most definitely there and classic beers like Coniston’s Bluebird Bitter flying out of neighbourhood bars. We will see more festivals adopting the ‘all in’ approach to beer pours, with Cloudwater’s Friends and Family and Northern Monk’s Hop City already confirmed which is something which doesn’t suit everyone and certainly divides us as a group! Whatever your thoughts on the 'all in' approach, it will be an excellent opportunity to try more international beers that have been properly shipped over and kept well. On a more personal level, the ultimate change is that myself and my husband are moving into our own space and setting up our very own bar and bottle shop in early 2019. A huge change from consumer to retailer and one that we are both excited and terrified to be doing! Top 3 beers 2018 This is where deciding to ditch Untappd really comes back to bite me! I’ve therefore chosen three beers that I drank a lot of this year! Alefarm- Solemn Cycle My beer of Indyman as a super easy to drink coffee milk stout with bags of flavour, so much so I pretty much skipped along to the Pilcrow to drink more when they had their MTB. Track- Sonoma A beer that will be on many lists for sure, this is my definite ‘go to’ beer and I love it on both cask and keg. Neptune/LTB- Namaka Having being lucky enough to attend the brew day, I was super excited to try Namaka. It really did not disappoint and with the wonderful summer whenever I saw it I got it.
What was not so good?
The realisation that cask beer across the UK is not doing so well. We have to make a conscious effort as an industry to make sure this heritage is not lost. Nowhere else in the world is cask beer available in every town, in every city. A true British Institution. Cask beer has been an inspiration for many many brewers around the world, and globally we are revered for it. People regard it with real respect. Sometimes I don’t think in the UK that we place the same value on it as others do around the world. I would love in 2019 to see a focus on innovative cask beers from breweries and exciting cask lead events. What do you think will be good/interesting/different in 2019? For me personally, I will be releasing the first Wild Card beers from my barrel aged beer programme. In 2018 Walthamstow had one of the best grape harvests in living memory (Yes in East London!) and I made a fair amount of Rioja Barrel Aged Saison Hybrids with Walthamstow grapes. I’m beyond excited about it. What were your top 3 beers for 2018? Passion Fruit Gose, 4.7% - Wild Card Brewery As a team we’re really pleased with our special 440ml canned releases in 2018. The Passion Fruit Gose was my personal favourite. It was fresh, zesty and packed full of passionfruit. It was also very expensive to produce. Passion fruit is one the most expensive fruits money can buy, so I was suitably nervous when we were making it. It turned out fantastically, and the feedback received was pretty incredible. In 2018 Moving the brewery to bigger premises has allowed us the time and space to brew things other than core range. We have some really interesting releases in 2019, starting with a 2.7% Table Beer, made with really fresh 2018 crop Enigma and Vic Secret from Australia. Sidewinder - 2.7% - Track Brewing Co. I was sitting with Alix (co-founder of the Crafty Beer Girls) in Cafe Beer Moth in Manchester, the day after the big Ladies That Beer & Crafty Beer Girls Meet Up. We were feeling suitably delicate and I had a train to catch in a few hours time. Everything about this beer was perfect. Ridiculously refreshing. I had more beer from Track Brewing Co the next time I was in Manchester, this time on cask and again it was fantastic (Venue: Port Street Beer House). Definitely a brewery to watch in 2019. Into The Haze, 6.2% - Deya I love it when a brilliant beer hits you when you least expect it. It was a very unremarkable Wednesday evening, and I was meeting a beer loving relative who was staying with me and a couple of friends for a few drinks after work. Trying to impress, I took them to Pressure Drops ‘The Experiment’ bar in Hackney. When we got there it was closed (my fault, should have googled it), so we stumbled into the closest pub ‘The Cock Tavern’ in Hackney. There was someone gleefully playing the piano as we approached the bar. The range in The Cock is pretty staggering, so after we tried a few we settled on Deya’s Into the Haze. It’s a juicy, dank hop bomb, but also a well balanced tasty pale. We tried to switch beers several times that evening, but just couldn’t bring ourselves to do it. And yes, it was expensive, but honestly...it was beyond worth it. --------------------------------------------------------- Many thanks for reading and best of luck to you all for 2019! Pedro. You can ask yourself the question over and over again, you can ask it to friends or colleagues, to a number of people from any given city across the UK and you will likely get some overlap with quite differing answers every time. What makes the city you like in like nowhere else? There may be some overlap, obviously the people and their influence on a city's make up, then there's the geography, links to transport nodes, weather and other environmental factors (water chemistry and quality for one). These may be the more holistic answers you'll get, but what about the same questions, but in terms of a local beer and brewing scene? Does each major UK city really have a distinct identity that sets it apart from the others? Each city now, does have festivals that punctuate the calendar of many ardent beer enthusiasts; equally they have some stand out bars or pubs along with one or a few 'headline' breweries. With the rise of 'beer tourism' (heading to a city for a week trip to try out it's most prominent drinking establishments, taking in heritage pubs and brewery tours in along the way, along with the obligatory feed) it means that social media and blogs across the internet are awash with articles and posts signalling that we are away for a weekend and indulging in locally brewed beers which might normally not reach other parts of the UK. The rise in popularity of certain types of festivals has been interesting, with some giving validation, that certain cities with rich heritage and a population to sustain such a venture, to the notion of a beer week. Having visited many of these cities myself, wandering the bars and searching out local beers which I do not normally get on Merseyside, each does have its own charm and hotspots - but does that mean each city has a unique outlook on beer, something 'je ne sais quoi' when it comes to providing for indigenous drinkers and tourist visitors alike? It's not a question with a straightforward answer or a straightforward argument to be made either way. The best approach I could render was to ask several bloggers, beer enthusiasts, writers and brewers to sum up in some of their own words what makes their back yard so different from other cities; does an intrinsic facet to their beer scene make it reverberate above in what is a pretty noisy background? Consider the brewing heritage of Germany. A country that has some entrenched attitudes towards beer and brewing (see the Reinheitsgebot for example, effectively eliminating adjunct brews from being classified as 'beer'), but it also have some distinct behaviours and brewing habits attached regionally. Traditions are a given, from Kolsch in Cologne, sour and cloudy Berlinner Weiss in Berlin, Gose from Leipzig and the Helles and Weizen brewed in Bavaria, there is some strong identity within cities and regions in terms of their heritage. On the face of it, the UK by comparison is much less orderly, with Burton upon Trent being heavily associated with brewing and associated with hoppier ales due to it's access to an amenable water chemistry, whilst London has a fairly strong link to brewing Porter ales, beyond this the scene and heritage seems to be pretty well mixed, even moreso following the last decade's influence on UK scene from across the Atlantic. Before we get down into the detail, ever so kindly provided by contributors, I do have a caveat - I have asked for contributions from some of the more prominent cities around the UK; there may be some gaps, but please do not take that as a snub. This article is not meant to be a compendium to cover every corner of the UK and more of a manageable piece of musing from myself with aid from others! If you wish to fire thoughts on your hometown onto the readership, please drop a comment in below. It would be good to hear additional thoughts. Birmingham First up, We head to the midlands and to Birmingham, a city not often spoken about as a conventional beer destination, but maybe some words from Midlands Beer Blog contributor, Catherine Webber will change that for you: “I moved to Birmingham 12 years ago and the beer landscape has changed beyond all recognition in that time. The big change came here, I think, with the opening of Brew Dog. That was 2012….. Since then we’ve seen an exponential rise in bars in the city and surrounding areas serving great beers as well as bottle shops and breweries. I often hear people talk or see comments on social media that Birmingham is the poor relation of some other UK cities and that there’s nothing to come here for. I couldn’t disagree more. Yes we might not have a high concentration of bars all within spitting distance of each other as some places do but we have quality here and unique spaces like Tilt (pinball anyone?) and Clink (yes it really did used to be a custard factory). We have cosy places like Cherry Reds (what’s better than beer and rainbow cake?!) and we have great, award winning, breweries like Burning Soul (they won the Thirsty Games at last year’s Indy Man, plus Rate Beers’ Best New Brewery in the West Midlands). You can eat good food and drink local beer at Pure Bar, DigBrew Co and Indian Brewery. We’ve one of the best cask line ups in the country at The Wellington (great in the summer on their outside roof terrace too). We’ve got some exciting new friends coming to join our beer family in the shape of Head of Steam, Pint Shop and Thornbridge who are all opening this year. We’ve also recently added Bonehead to the food and beer line-up – a small but interesting bar serving some pretty stunning fried chicken in the upstairs restaurant. And don’t forget under the railway arches in Digbeth we’ve one of the best burger places in the UK (the world?), Original Patty Men, who partner with Siren for their beers and have just opened the new 15 tap Kilder Bar next door serving both local and international beer along with tasty meat and cheese boards to snack on.
Also a short train or a bus trip away are The Inn on the Green (our CAMRA pub of the year) and its neighbour the excellent Bottle Shed which provides both beer on tap and a large range of interesting bottles. Nearer to the city is the Jewellery Quarter which is making a real come back in the last year – we now have The Pig & Tail, 1000 Trades, Rock and Roll Brewhouse (surely the quirkiest taproom ever – they play vinyl!), The Wolf and The Gunmaker’s Arms (now home to Two Towers Brewery) as well as the aforementioned Burning Soul. Again all within a 5-minute walk of each other. I think this is what makes our city a little bit different, we may not have the high concentration of bars in the city centre like some other places but we have these unique and different enclaves within and around the city allowing people to visit a number of places in a day and sample a great range of different beers both from the source and the wider world. We also don’t seem to shout about what we have as much as other cities, whether this is because we are slowly building up our repertoire or because we don’t want everyone discovering our hidden gems I don’t know. But as our profile increases with more festivals (Birmingham Beer Week, Cotteridge Wines’ Birthday and Lock & Key this year alone) and more publicity for our breweries I think Birmingham is going to be a big hitter in the UK beer scene. Of course there is room for more, I feel we could do with more good beer and food places (or for existing food places to do better beer) but I think our new openings this year will help with that. I also think a bottle shop near the station would be a great addition – doesn’t everyone love a train beer? It also does seem a shame we didn’t get a ‘Birmingham Tap’ when the station was revamped – still Cherry Red’s, Bonehead and Brew Dog are only 2 minutes away. Our community may not be big but as Shakespeare said; “and though she be little she is fierce” - we are slowly getting better at shouting about our city, its bars, bottle shops, festivals and breweries! So look out UK beer scene the Brummy Bull is coming for you!” You can follow Catherine on: [https://twitter.com/cathw1901] Photos courtesy (and copyright) of Catherine Webber. Edinburgh Taking the reins for Edinburgh, we have the Bottle Baroness herself, Robyn who runs a fine establishment with her other half, selling beers to the denizens of Edinburgh: Despite my living in Edinburgh for over 10 years now, I can firmly say that I think it’s one of the most wonderful cities in the world. I’ve by no means seen all there is to offer in the UK, but I’ve seen enough to know my preference for this city, both in terms of living and what it has to offer. Edinburgh has a unique layout, winding streets and closes meet modern architecture in a harmonious way that’s quite particular to this bit of rock. One thing that is always noted when we have visitors is its ease of access. You really can walk from one end to the other and find an abundance of beer related activities within the city limits. Not too big, not too small. Just right. There’s no need to get two trains, a taxi and walk ten minutes in order to reach your favourite haunt.
In terms of what there is to be proud of, well…the possibilities are endless. Edinburgh is certainly the hub for craft beer in Scotland, with an ever-growing community to lend the backbone. Shops, pubs and breweries are popping up left right and centre with no real end in sight, solidifying the fact that there is a real demand for good beer here. People are flocking here to work, live and experience this city for what it is- a completely unique location. Edinburgh thrives off independent business; Clerk Street – where we’re located - is a perfect example. Artisanal coffee shops, bakeries and the likes have saturated our streets and it’s a brilliant sight to see. This has aided to putting us as a city on the map in terms of beer. Countless independent retailers and bars have made a name for themselves nationwide and dare I say, internationally, not just within Edinburgh. Beyond this, I think it’s the people that have really put the edge on when it comes to likeability. I’ve long lost count of the amount of wonderful people I’ve come to know not only working within the beer industry, but also those that keep this business booming - the customers. That certainly must count for something. Whilst I think Edinburgh is perfection if I had to choose, there’s only one weak spot when it comes to making Edinburgh the perfect city; breweries. Whilst Scotland itself has an abundance of craft breweries, Edinburgh has few and far between. I think this mostly boils down to building standards and high rates, rather than them being non-existent. There are a handful within the city limits, but I’d love to see more within this ‘accessible’ region I’ve spoken of. Pilot, Campervan (who have opened their own tap room) and a few others have made their mark here but I’d love to see more pop-ups in the next few years. If I could drink a number of breweries wares on their premises as fresh as possible AND make it home in a timely manner, I’d be one happy girl. You can follow Robyn here: [https://twitter.com/Bottle_Baroness] Photos courtesy (and copyright) of Bottle Baron/The ElectroKemist Glasgow Rob Pickering (Robsterowski) kindly provided his thoughts on what makes Glasgow different: “Off the top of my head there are three things that strike me in distinguishing the Glasgow beer scene. They are all related too, though they might not seem to do so at first.
The second thing that stands out is that Tennent’s is the best beer you will get in some of the city’s best pubs. Don’t get me wrong, I do love an “old man” pub, or pub with character (especially as I get closer to being an old man myself) and we have plenty of excellent examples up here. Sadly, there isn’t a connection – as there is elsewhere – of the best pubs serving the best beer in Glasgow, as often you have to choose between them. In Glasgow, I find many of the places with the most interesting beer (not to single any one place out above others) don’t have much atmosphere, which is a shame; losing quality in one aspect to gain another is disappointing. In the 1960s we actually lost a lot of handsome pubs during the slum clearances and I do wonder whether this might be part of the reason for the situation the city now finds itself in. The third point about the scene in Glasgow is the way that a rather vibrant small-scale brewing scene exists despite the dominance of the beer discussed above, they really are producing some very good beer. Annoyingly, it is still very underground in that there are hardly any outlets in the city for it. We are well served with good bottle shops which carry the latest from brewers such as Up Front, Lawman, Dead End Brew Machine, Gallus, Out of Town, Ride … I could continue, but almost nowhere in the city will you be able to drink their beers on draught, which is deeply frustrating. I have known some of these guys since they were homebrewers and it has barely got any easier to find their beer! I would say the most needed improvement would be to get better beer into the nice pubs…” You can follow Rob here: [https://twitter.com/robsterowski] Photos courtesy (and copyright) of Robbie Pickering, Gaynor Doyle and Kirsty Morgan Leeds Luckily, I was able to get two contributions on the city of Leeds and given it’s prominence in the North and rich brewing heritage, it is only fair; we have contributions from Simon Girt (Leeds Beer Wolf) and Gareth (BarrelagedLeeds). Simon says: “There is always an argument between Manchester and Leeds as to who is the best beer city in the North and each does have its own case, however, Leeds is one of the best beer cities in the UK for various reasons. Manchester may have the breweries, but for me Leeds has the edge with its bars and pubs.
However, Leeds had to wait till 2008 until it gained the next independently owned 'craft beer' destination, this being ‘Brewery Tap’. A few years later, in 2012, Friends of Ham followed the forerunner onto the Leeds scene and since then, Leeds has developed a reputation for thriving independent venues. This for me is what makes Leeds so great.” You can follow Simon here: [https://twitter.com/LeedsBeerWolf]
A benefit and also a drawback in some respects, is that Leeds is a compact city – great for a pub crawl (the one and a half mile stretch between North Brewing Co and Northern Monk Refectory must be one of the most densely beer-focused places around) – but it also leaves a sense that soon, any available room for newer operators may be at a premium. Expansion of the city centre is being fuelled by larger developers and unlike Newcastle or Liverpool, there is less in the way of brownfield areas ripe for re-use within a short walk of town.” You can follow Gareth here: [https://twitter.com/barrelagedleeds] Photos courtesy (and copyright) of Simon Girt (Leeds Beer Wolf). Liverpool Sadly, I’ve not found there to be too many writers available in my home city of Liverpool (though the other writer that I was looking forward to using – as her output is very good – has managed to damage herself and not be available to contribute), so you’re stuck with me, Pedro: “Liverpool as a city has always had a bit of a different attitude in most things compared to the rest of the UK, this in part has been to a number of things; the burden of former importance, the hostility and prejudice directed onto the city, some defensiveness borne of that projection and being an outward looking port city all have played their part. Oddly though, for a city that historically was a major gateway to the rest of the world to the UK and Europe from the New World, it does not seem to have the rich brewing heritage of some of its northern counterparts. In part, what has been accomplished recently has been built from scratch with no little talent and passion. Historically, big names like Cain’s and Higson’s flew the flag for Liverpool, though with the latter dying out in 1990 before coming back into existence in 2017 and the former falling apart just as the rest of the scene was kicking into life for Liverpool, the scene has been pretty disjointed albeit quite colourful, with small breweries such as Cambrinus and Passageway coming and going down the years.
The majority of drinkers go to pubs and bars and settle for beers made by conglomerates and big breweries, rather than searching out and supporting their local brewers, which is a very stark juxtaposition to their often-obvious civic pride. There are great pubs in Liverpool and a handful of excellent taps and craft beer bars, the likes of Dead Crafty, Ship and Mitre, The Grapes and Black Lodge are backed up by a bedrock of a few older city centre pubs still providing good cask options such as the Belvedere, the Lion and Roscoe Head, not to mention a new wave of bars and taps over the last year in the form of the H1780 Tap and Still, Glen Affric Tap, Craft Minded, Handyman Pub and Brewery, Gibberish and Craft Taproom. All these places are quite close too, a quick bus journey to Smithdown Road just beyond the city centre or a train under the Mersey will take you to the outreaches, whilst everything else is within walking distance of each other. The Northern line provides quite a good corridor for micropubs too, taking in Crosby, Formby, Freshfield up to Southport to the excellent Tap and Bottles. There is plenty of space to be exploited in the city, plenty of unusual spaces to be exploited, but again it just feels like there is veil or an erratic nature to the whole scene where things could change at any moment. It’s tricky to know what Liverpool needs to take that step forward, as it does feel like it is playing catch up in a lot of ways to many other cities, but there is a huge amount of latent potential in the scene and some very talented brewers present. For me it feels like a few things are needed; everything needs to be let off the lead in terms of creativity, though there are brewers and those venues in the city getting there but also, there needs to be greater support from the wider population in terms of getting into good beer (again though, I suspect this is not a unique thing for Liverpool!). In a lot of ways, it is a fledgling scene on Merseyside, but one which is slowly but surely growing into itself.” You know where to follow me! London Very kindly, PJ McKerry and Rebecca Pate have stepped up to cover our nation’s capital city; no meanfeat given the geography and scope I am sure you’d agree. First up, is Rebecca; “Looking at East London specifically, we have a wonderful co-existence of traditional boozers and contemporary taprooms. With the enduring popularity of craft beer and evolving tastes of drinkers, Hackney has plenty of authentic neighbourhood pubs contented to stock local breweries. I must mention The Cock Tavern, a local institution that carries a keg selection to rival any modern craft beer bar in addition to their first-rate cask line-ups – and if you haven’t been to The Cock, it has a uniquely dingy charm that taprooms just can’t replicate. I recently drank in The Hare, again in Hackney, which is distinctly the type of place I wouldn’t normally visit based on my personal ‘if I can’t see through the windows, I’m not going in’ mantra. But they had Beavertown’s Neck Oil and Five Points Pale on keg comfortably sitting next to Timothy Taylor’s Landlord on cask and a pub cat, so I was swayed. Aside from the boozers, Hackney Wick boasts the on-trend craft beer destinations, such as Crate Brewery, Howling Hops, Mason & Company and now the Beer Merchants Tap Room, all clustered across a small radius. There’s also the original Mother Kelly’s site in Bethnal Green, which was my first taste of a New York style taproom. Expect industrial-chic in abundance alongside your 3/4rd of beer in most of the aforementioned venues. This is indicative of an area of London that’s balancing the new with the old; traditional pubs are offering cask, for instance, but don’t expect to see a hand pull in a taproom. The ecosystem of drinking establishments in East London is probably reflective of what is happening everywhere – I was in Cambridge last weekend and drank across the dichotomy of traditional pubs, flashy craft beer bars and tiny brewery taprooms, all within walking distance of each other. But the lack of choice when it comes to cask beer (particularly cask that’s kept and served appropriately) is felt in East London as much as it is in the rest of the city.
My own perception of drinking and appreciating beer was dramatically altered because of London’s breweries. London offers plenty of destinations for a manageable beer pilgrimage these days, from the Bermondsey Beer Mile to Tottenham and, of course, Hackney Wick. I firmly believe that nothing beats drinking fresh beer underneath a railway arch inside a crowded brewhouse. It feels intimate and personal. With over 100 breweries alone – notwithstanding the craft beer bars popping up in every neighbourhood – there’s a lot to see in London, but I would advise visitors to do some due diligence to avoid the overcrowded taprooms of the more popular breweries. Some breweries have thrown a lot of money into shiny new spaces, which are fantastic for events, but my love of drinking at clumsily positioned communal beer tables within eyeshot of a fermenter tank will never wane. That’s perhaps the most authentic experience of craft beer in London that you can get (and if it’s raining, consider this the premium experience).” You can follow Rebecca, here: [https://twitter.com/rpate] Here’s what Peter had to say: “What makes London unique as a beer city? Well, in the UK context it's its size and composition. London can be regarded as a series of villages, each one with its own sense of identity. I've always lived in the east or north of the city and was based in Stoke Newington, a somewhat bourgeois enclave of Hackney, for many years. I embraced my adopted community and was on particularly good terms with the proprietors of my local off-licence, boozer, and kebab shop. I was primarily a drinker of Guinness and bland lager and only beginning to explore cask when the British brewing renaissance (™) began in earnest. It was an exciting time with Pressure Drop, Beavertown and Five Points et al all beginning to assert themselves and attain local shelf space. That these breweries producing punchy, flavourful beers were all based in my neighbourhood was amazing to me, and I'm sure others have similar testimonies from elsewhere in the capital. Fast forward to the present day and my current home, which is Hornsey in north London (literally referred to as Hornsey Village, albeit mostly by estate agents). My local, a mere five-minute walk away, is the Fuller's-owned Great Northern Railway Tavern, which boasts twenty taps from the country's finest breweries. I also live within walking distance of the triumvirate of Small Beer, The Prince and The Duke's Head, all owned by the same small company, and each one among the best beer pubs in London. The capital boasts 110 breweries (at the time of writing), a number that is a testament to its size. It has it all: from the UK's first dedicated tank bar (Howling Hops) to regular tap takeovers of a major cultural institution and even a nascent a lambic blendery. So could London be improved as a beer city? Well, the issues that hold it back are the same issues that affect the entire country: cold storage and transportation, the treatment of cask ale and most importantly the lack of diversity. However, as a beer city measured against all others, I personally believe that in a UK context London is as good as it gets.” You can follow Peter McKerry, here: [https://twitter.com/PeterMcKerry] Photos courtesy (and copyright) of Rebecca Pate. Manchester Taking the reins for the Manchester entry is Connor Murphy, the man who has put together Manchester Beer Week: “I believe Manchester acts as an intersection between history and innovation in a way no other city in the UK can match. In the Greater Manchester area, we are in the unique position of having four family brewers still plying their trade, the oldest of which was founded in 1828. This is a situation that isn't replicated anywhere else because so many of the UK's traditional family breweries either ceased trading or were swallowed up by bigger breweries during the spate of mergers in the mid-20th century. So this has provided the city's beer scene with a historical reference point and, perhaps more importantly, has ensured the cask beer tradition stayed alive among drinkers. I, like many people who grew up in Manchester, gained my introduction to beer through pubs owned by the four family breweries, so this provided a grounding in cask beer that acted as a starting point for me to explore the craft of brewing in a bit more depth than most people. But while Manchester has always paid healthy respect to the innovators, a desire to be positioned at the cutting edge is also a common cultural thread in this city. The people of this city have always liked to think they do things differently - Tony Wilson famously said words to that effect - so it seems to make sense that many modern breweries have thrived here, using the platform laid by the family brewers but exploring new ideas and increasingly pushing the boundaries.
.I'm really proud of the role Manchester has played in helping to move the UK's beer scene forward. Marble were one of the key innovators who provided a bridge between British tradition and a bold, experimental approach influenced by the US craft beer movement. Beers like Lagonda and Pint are modern British classics. Marble are still at the forefront of the brewing scene but have now been joined by the likes of Cloudwater, Track and Chorlton, who are helping to keep the city at the cutting edge. None of these breweries are afraid of challenging perceptions and adopting new ideas to ensure their beer keeps developing and improving in quality. But behind all of this, there remains an inherent respect for tradition and this is important too. If we lose our links to history, we will lose many of the characteristics that make British beer so unique and respected. In order to make things perfect, we could do with more venues doing great beer AND great food. There are a few that get this right but definitely not enough. That's why Bundobust was such a welcome addition to the Manchester scene as they instantly provided a food offering that was on a par with their outstanding drink offering. GRUB are doing good things too in presenting the best of the region's street food alongside a bar stocked with an excellent range of beer, mostly from across the north. But Manchester's restaurant scene still seems quite risk averse when it comes to beer - they either don't know how to approach changing their beer offering or are unwilling to break from established practice. Given the amount of superb beer being brewed on our doorstep, it seems ridiculous that restaurants don't put the same thought into their selection as they do the ingredients in their food.” You can follow Connor here: [https://twitter.com/likethemurphys] Photos copyright The ElectroKemist. Newcastle This section on Newcastle is being described by Daisy Turnell, who not only works for Head of Steam in their marketing department, but also runs Craft Beer Newcastle (an independent guide to bars, bottle shops and events the city): So, what is it that makes Newcastle a unique beer city compared to the rest of the UK? Hmm... that’s a tricky one to answer, but I like a challenge so I’ll give it a go. I put it down to the great balance of three main factors; places, people, and pride. First up - places. From the moment you step off the train at Central Station, you’re seconds away from an eclectic mix of pubs and bars; The Box Social, Head of Steam*, Town Wall, Tilleys Bar... the list goes on. Wander up into town (Lady Greys, dAT Bar, Bierrex), down to the Quayside (Crown Posada, The Bridge Tavern, Red House), or up to the Haymarket (Town Mouse Ale House, Mean Eyed Cat), and there is always an array of options for a great pint. And I’ve not even mentioned the two things that probably get the biggest wow from newcomers to the area; Wylam Brewery’s new home, and the Ouseburn. Ah, the Ouseburn. Lovely, lovely Ouseburn. Free from the madness of a city centre, and all within staggering distance of each other are a group of pubs, which have my heart. You ask why? It’s the unpretentious mix of great beer and people, cosy pints and folk music on tap at The Cumberland Arms, watching bands with a great beer in hand at The Cluny (the best independent live music venue in the UK. Don’t argue – I’m right on this one), and drinks with friends in the (albeit rare) Newcastle sunshine in the beer garden at The Free Trade Inn. I must have a hundred photos of the view of the Tyne from there, but it still doesn’t stop me feeling like it’s the first time I’ve really appreciated it every time I’m there. Nostalgia overload, people. Moving on, the nostalgic old merges with the exciting new in the city in a way that seems quite unique to the UK beer scene; the Wylam Brewery cask beers I poured when I worked behind the bar back in the early noughties still exist today, and is now complemented with the 2.0 version keg and cans, and the most stunning brewery location in the UK (again, don’t argue – it is). Brewery-wise, there’s a fantastic range for a city this size (alongside Wylam there’s Almasty, Anarchy, Box Social, Errant, Mordue, Northern Alchemy, Tyne Bank, Brinkburn Street and many others). Did I mention there’s also a brewery inside Newcastle University? Nope? Step forward, StuBrew. There are so many more to mention, but time to move on to something relatively new – bottle shops. Pretty much every key area of the city and surrounding areas now benefit from having a great bottle shop, usually run by people who know and really love their beer, and always go that extra mile to help customers at every stage of their beer journey. Block & Bottle, Champion Bottles & Taps, Coppers/Hop Secret, Nord, CentrAle, Rehills, Yard House... we really are spoiled here (especially me, as I happen to live 2 streets away from one of those).
Finally – pride. An overwhelming pride for so many people from different backgrounds to come together and share their passion of beer and pubs in the area. We’ve got a dedicated magazine, Cheers North East, Toon Idols beer bus tours, beer-based podcast (NE Sippin Forecast) and Brew Stories, too everyone supporting each other and working together on events and projects. I set up Craft Beer Newcastle to try and share everything happening in Newcastle, and it keeps me mega busy in my spare time trying to catch up with it all. Not that I’m complaining, as it’s great to have so many people get in touch about what they’re doing and planning next. So, what does the future hold for Newcastle? Exciting times! There are some amazing new projects being worked on (looking forward to the Northern Powerhouse collab.), plus other collaborations with brewers across the UK and beyond, pop-ups at festivals, tap room openings, new bars (Mean Eyed Cat has just opened, and Beeronomy is next up from the guys at Mordue Brewery), plus a new local beer delivery service has just launched from Brew Stories + Coppers in Gosforth. So many people are working on pushing boundaries and creating new ideas to keep us at the forefront of all things beery (and meaty, in the case of Block & Bottle, who are just over the bridge in that there Gateshead, but most definitely form part of the Newcastle beer scene). So now I’ve wittered on about how great Newcastle is, want to see for yourself? Come and visit for a weekend (*cough* tickets are on sale now for Craft Beer Calling in October *cough*). Oh, and if you’re reading this Virgin East Coast, this is my plea for you to get some decent local beers on the train coming up North. Thanks in advance. *Disclaimer: in my day job, I work for Head of Steam HQ. But it’s also where I’ve drank for nearly two decades, so it’s on my list and it’s staying there. **Disclaimer: I wasn’t born and bred in Newcastle, so there’s my excuse if you ever meet me and I’m awful. You can follow Daisy here: [https://twitter.com/daisy_turnell] Photos courtesy (and copyright) of Daisy Turnell. Sheffield Taking responsibility for describing Sheffield is Jules Gray, co-owner of Hop Hideout and Director of Indie Beer Feast in the city, her words are as follows: Each city has its own equilibrium and uniqueness - with Sheffield it is definitely the balance of being a city of makers, little mesters if you will; independent business that allows it to thrive and be such a hotbed of exciting and creative endeavours. It's an outdoor city where countryside meets city living and I think this is carried through in the beer landscape. Where you'll find countryside farm breweries like Bradfield to industrial situated concerns like Neepsend or Kelham Island next door to nano-breweries like On The Edge. There’s not a one-size fits all in this city it’s very idiosyncratic. Tradition meets modernity seems to be inherent. Cask ale dominates slaking the thirst of locals and those who travel to tick round areas like Kelham Island in addition to a number of local cask leading breweries like Abbeydale who are adding new styles such as kettle-sours, canning and kegging beers from their range or young breweries like Lost Industry who focus on big experimental flavour combinations (and package in keg and bottle). It's a naturally evolving beer landscape without the sudden sharp spikes. There's a great range of independent beer led businesses with their own personality - Rutland Arms, Shakespeares, Hop Hideout beer shop, Beer Engine and more. To beautiful tiled historic pubs with real character like The Bath Hotel or The White Lion, Heeley. There’s modern takes on craft beer bars like The Old Workshop, a flurry of micro pubs and a couple of brewpubs too like The Sheffield Tap and Sentinel Brewhouse. How does Sheffield fit with the rest of the UK? I'm not really sure, all I know from people's comments is that its interesting, creative, friendly, welcoming, good quality beer offerings and reasonable prices. We might not be pushing any boundaries (though that could be argued!) but we are building a sustainable scene. There's rumours of a new brewery opening soon which has a very interesting back story! Wish I could say more, but my lips are sealed; what I can say is that I'm excited for the potential of an international leading brewing light shining a beacon from Sheffield shores. I think Sheffield's sometimes forgotten about in certain beer stories, so setting up Sheffield Beer Week was a way to beat our unison drum and tell our own story. I think in the desert of the 90s Kelham Island Brewery via their Fat Cat pub really held the mantle and kept the candle going to inspire many others along the way. Thornbrige were one of those who received words of wisdom from Kelham's Dave Wickett and though they brew in the neighbouring Peak District, have many pubs in Sheffield and are themselves now a leading light in the UK craft brewing scene and around the World. I'm also hugely proud of Sheffield Beer Week - it's been going roughly four years and we always try to forge our own path. This year we celebrated women working in the beer industry as one of our key strands and I was hugely proud of being able to shout about that - The Rutland Arms hosted a brewsters tap takeover and we hosted Ladies That Beer and Fem.Ale collectives to put on tastings. There was a collaboration pomelo kettle-sour brewed at Lost Industry called Emmeline (inspiration from the Suffragette movement) and Mark Newton exhibited photos from his Yorkshire Beer project all around the city too, each with a different focus. Sheffield can really bring people together and I think that climate is unique and beneficial. This year was the first time I organised an independent craft beer festival - a huge amount of work but I was so happy to see 100s of people enjoying the beer at Indie Beer Feast. I think the next few years in Sheffield are really going to go on fast forward and I’m hugely excited at what’s coming from all the talent in the city. Making Sheffield a perfect beer city? That’s a difficult one! I think as it is, it's a great ale destination. I personally think there could be more variety in terms of styles and countries covered in the daily beer trail - but I absolutely love Belgian beer, culture and lambic, so that's swaying my answer. It'd be great to see more beer and food winning combinations - you have a good few trying with Beer Engine's tapas, Rutland Arm's small plates, Devonshire Cat's take on pub classics, Sentinel’s cooking with beer but I think there could be far more places really pushing the boundaries. But wine and spirits always seem to win over some of the foodie places rather than beer. It's a shame. I’m not saying do one or other, I’m just saying if you’ve really put a huge effort into the food menu and wine offering, why not the beer selection too? With the huge varieties of styles and flavour beer can offer some superb food pairings. You can follow Jules and Hop Hideout here: [https://twitter.com/HopHideout] Photos courtesy (and used under copyright) of Mark Newton. ---------------------------------- Thanks for reading, as ever, if you have any comments or think there’s something to add about your city (if listed above, or even if not present…) then please drop a comment in below! Pedro. We’ve had a busy scene in 2017, no doubt – with some big events for me personally, the return of Twin Peaks to television screens and me managing to stay illness free for Indy Man. We've seen the Baltic Triangle area of Liverpool really pop lately, with the return of Higson's Brewing (along with a distilling arm) providing their own beer for the first time proper since 1990, Gibberish and Craft Minded opening their doors, with Glen Affric launching their tap room in Birkenhead. We have also seen 2,000 registered (though possibly all not individual premises or all necessarily active) breweries in the UK for the first time in decades. Loads has happened, both good and bad and I have had a little stab at rounding up some of the items that have taken my eye over the last 12 months, both through social media, conversations with other beer people and also from what I’ve read online or observed myself. #PINTGATE and #Marbleis20 Back in June, Manchester City Council received a complaint regarding Marble Brewery’s ‘Pint’ which is sold in 500ml cans for off sales. The complaint was recently (in the last month) upheld by the group sitting in on hearings and discussions and the group felt that a beer called ‘Pint’ sold in 500ml measures is misleading with regard to the Weights and Measures act and a probably breach of trading standards. The outline of the story is here: [https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2017/06/13/Manchester-brewery-reported-to-trading-standards-over-pint-cans] and last response (at time of writing) from Jan Rogers of Marble here: [https://twitter.com/jan_marble/status/943811087648088064]. One can only hope that the complainant doesn’t buy a can of Chocolate Marble and expect to find something other than stout inside or a Kernel Table beer and… you get the picture. On a more positive note for Marble, they reached their 20th Anniversary at the start of December and put on one hell of a party. I was lucky enough to attend through connections to the Ladies that Beer group and got to experience a brilliant procession, fireworks display and great beers. Thanks to all at Marble for a wonderful evening! A tiny rebellion crushed under a corporate boot? Also towards the end of 2017, another case of complaint preceded the Marble #Pintgate issue, with Tiny Rebel suffering some rather crushing news. A complaint was lodged to the Portman group (who are a trade group set up to advocate sensible drinking and a pseudo-regulatory forum, albeit one with a poor cross-section of representation in the industry i.e. top heavy to conglomerates and microbreweries) by single individual about the style of packaging on Tiny Rebel’s Cwtch. The crux of the argument is that the colourful packaging twinned with the presence of Tiny Rebel’s mascot bear would be an attractive lure to underage drinkers, there are lot of very reasonable arguments as to why this is nonsense, which Tiny Rebel made, but sadly the complaint was upheld to the tune of upwards of £30,000 in costs to the brewery. Full details can be seen here: [https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2017/12/12/Complaint-over-Tiny-Rebel-can-design-upheld] and Tiny Rebel’s lucid and classy response to the matter here: [https://www.tinyrebel.co.uk/news/cwtch-vs-portman-group-the-lowdown/]. It is not the first time a newer ‘craft’ brewery has butted heads with the Portman Group, for example Brewdog have rather (in)famously clashed with them in the whole #sorrynotsorry episode and labelling present on cans of Dead Pony Club. Another case involved Beavertown, where the complaint lodged with the Portman Group centred around ‘comic book stylings’ on the packaging of Gamma Ray – in a rather hilarious and baffling display of double standards, the Group decided that the word ‘Ale’ made it clear it was a product for those of drinking age (though apparently the word ‘Ale’ clearly on a can of Cwtch is not enough to save its appearance). The issue that should really be taken home from this, is the fact that the initial complaint was raised by an anonymous ‘individual’, which in itself raises suspicions that it might be some kind of industrial sabotage at worst and at best, someone with too much time on their hands and a poor grasp on the social nuances of newer beer package styles. Whether or not the Portman Group ruled in favour or against Tiny Rebel, surely now is the time for them to consider their make up and given the surge of smaller breweries, representation of these outfits is now a must in order for the Portman Group to be seen as fair and balanced. The second consideration is that surely complaints of the nature from the ‘anonymous’ party should be investigated for potential mischief from a competitor. Without wanted to get tied up in the web of legality posed by data protection, it cannot be unreasonable that there must be a function installed to prevent potential industrial sabotage. Especially where such matters escalate to hurtful levels for smaller breweries, who are walking a financial tightrope at the best of times. Hopefully in the two cases above, we won’t see much more of this pettiness going into 2018, but it could be that the floodgates are ripe to open for the abuse of complaints processes in the industry and the current set up and mindset of those in charge can only seem to exacerbate problems for small breweries. Buy outs There have been a few more buy outs of breweries in the UK and across the pond in the US. Here’s a handy site that I found during my research for those who are concerned about giving their money to ‘craft’ brewers who are in fact subsidiaries of AB InBev who have bought out well respected US outfit Wicked Weed this year: [https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/05/here-are-all-of-ab-inbevs-craft-brands.html]. Though this buyout caused quite a few ripples, it is not totally without president, given what happened with Ballast Point and with Lagunitas (also this year, selling the remaining 50% stake of the company to Heineken who bought the first half back in 2015). Another notable buyout was that of Anchor, which was bought by the 4th largest Japanese brewer in Sapporo Brewing. In the UK, there have been two notable purchases for different reasons, the first was the buy out of London Fields Brewing by Carlsberg following the founder’s ignominious prosecution for tax fraud: [https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jul/03/carslberg-buys-london-fields-brewery-craft-brewer]. It is said that the London business will be run in association with a distribution deal signed with Brooklyn Brewery in 2016. Possibly the largest and most notable investment of a larger company was that involving the Lake District’s Hawkshead Brewery and Halewood International, where the latter has taken a controlling stake in the business. This was the first foray of the Lambrini and Crabbies producer into the ‘proper’ beer market, though the deal will supposedly allow Hawkshead to maintain total creative and a high level of business independence. The deal has also allowed for brewery expansion at Hawkshead and greater distribution through other routes to market. More on the Hawkshead and Halewood International deal is here: [http://www.hawksheadbrewery.co.uk/news.aspx?search-terms=March-2017]. Finally, there was the partial buy out of Brixton Brewery by Heineken who have been expanding their portfolio of craft breweries for a while now, with more on the matter disseminated here: [http://www.brixtonbrewery.com/brewing-success-means-big-expansion-news/]. Though Brixton’s original crew will continue to hold the controlling stake in the company, the investment from Heineken has allowed a relatively large expansion of the business for new premises and larger brewery output. Sexism in Beer I’ve always maintained that beer is for everyone on these pages, I have on countless occasions had conversations with people about various pubs, great beers and the fact that if they think they don’t like beer (full stop) then they just haven’t found the right style that is for them. Let’s face it; beer is more diverse than wine in terms of what can be defined as such. Whenever I have suggested that beer isn’t just for blokes at a barbecue or in a pub watching football, it has met with everything from extreme derision to very mild dismissive behaviour. Thankfully this attitude (which is pervasive through all types of people and across generations) is starting to erode and attitudes are becoming a bit more receptive. This year has at least anecdotally seen a large number of complaints raised about everything from poor behaviour through to awful beer names and the perennial dreadful pump clip art, this in turn has generated a large number of articles on the subject too. Thanks to the work of many prominent writers on the scene, awareness on the subject is probably at an all time high and attitudes do seem to be changing. That said, there are still those who have old values instilled so deep into their make up and a stubborn attitude to boot, change is probably impossible for them and time will just move on leaving them behind. There is still much that needs to be done in combating sexism (not just towards women, as would be the obvious knee jerk assumption) and negative behaviours should be called out as they are seen. Things are steadily improving, thanks in the main to a number of both new and established beer writers, both female and male. One case in particular kicked things off this year, with Italian outfit Deep Beer displaying a breathtaking level of ignorance as to the effect of inappropriate labelling and naming of a beer. Twinning the name of a beer called ‘Deep Throat’ (okay, they’re called ‘Deep’ Beer – but why throat, given the connotations of that name?) and imagery depicting a cartoon female putting her mouth around a maize cob is never going to sit well. They were called out on this faux pas by the Ladies that Beer group and responded in doubling down on the ignorance with a sprinkling of arrogance too, by inferring that because people didn’t understand the back story of the beer and (rather insultingly) stating that because the complainants were English, didn’t grasp the satire of the situation. The storm that followed resulted in Deep Beer removing their Facebook page, though there is little evidence of any contrition from the brewery to date. Later on this year, Jaega Wise, brewer at London’s Wild Card Brewery spoke at the brewery congress in London to outline a number of ways in which sexism in the beer and brewing industry might be tackled. These in summary were to get SIBA to put feelers out for more information about females via questionnaires to establish firmer baseline information about females in the brewing industry, the introduction of a marketing code of practice and finally ban beers from SIBA and CAMRA festivals where they display sexist or demeaning imagery and names. We shall see over the next twelve months if any of these suggestions gets traction. The ElectroKemist's Top Ten Beers for 2017 Now, as most of you probably already know, I don't do the #GoldenPints thing, as I have a bit of a scatty approach to writing things down and keeping tabs on what I have tried over any given year, I find this is my favoured way to present some of the best beers for the year... so here, is my top ten for 2017 (in vague order of how much I enjoyed them... not a strict descending order): Brewer: Brass Castle Beer: Life’s a Beach Dispense: Cask A very, very summery wheat ale and a rather low abv meant something which saw me sink about 4 pints quite quickly. A super-drinkable cask beer with loads of fruit, which given that it is a wheat ale with mango, pineapple and coconut is about right! Many comments around this centred around it being ‘just like fruit juice’ which whilst not entirely inaccurate, is rather demeaning to a well made cask ale with subtle grain notes in the background and ultimately, it’s just great fun and a joy to drink. If you don’t like pina coladas (or getting caught in the rain), then this beer probably isn’t for you. It certainly was for me. Brewer: Tempest Brewing Co. Beer: Marmalade on Rye Dispense: Keg and Bottle An imperial or double IPA, depending on how you read the label and which website/beer app you believe! At 9% with tonnes of deep and burnt citrus notes along with a massively bready character, it’s easy to see how Tempest arrived at this name for the beer. It really is a warming beer with balance right across the structure; plenty of fruit and cereal aroma into toasted flavours along with deep fruit and a lovely mouthfeel before a bitterly dry, toasty and fruity finish. On the threshold of an IPA and a barleywine, Marmalade on Rye delivers what its name promises and more. Great bit of brewing and has been consistent all year from the Tempest MTB early in the year, right through to a bottle drunk in Autumn 2017. Brewer: Black Lodge Beer: Mohawk IPA Dispense: Keg (and now Bottle) Whilst a lot of the commentary on this has been of the flavour of “not really going far in the world of NEIPAs compared to other beers”, I really don’t agree. There is something restrained and enjoyable about Mohawk where other NEIPAs deliver a payload of fruit, it shows layers of savoury notes and less overt and clouding mango/passionfruit notes that usually drown everything out. The first of Black Lodge’s NEIPAs, this was followed up by Axial Tilt, which will possibly a more complete NEIPA, again, doesn’t display the stripped back and more interesting tones of Mohawk. Good, solid and nice bit of brewing to mark a new age for Black Lodge. Drinking this in the sunshine outside the brewery was quite a memorable highlight in the year. Brewer: Stone Brewing Beer: Xocoveza Dispense: Keg and Can Pretty much a cold and boozey hot chocolate, with some very clever brewing and a lovely well-judged use of winter spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla along with cocoa and coffee this Mexican hot chocolate inspired stout is an absolute joy to drink. First try this year came in Liverpool’s branch of The Head of Steam on keg, when a brand ambassador came to visit to introduce the beers for an evening. Stone took the recipe on, following the use of it by the winner of their annual homebrewing competition in 2014. The balance of spice, chocolate, coffee, bitterness and a rounded silky mouthfeel give something that works really well all year round and this year has really resonated with me. Put simply, it is a really great brew. Brewer: Neptune Brewery (with CASK Pub and Kitchen) Beer: Tamesis Oat IPA Dispense: Cask, Keg and Can Brewed by Neptune in collaboration with CASK for London Beer Week, this Oat IPA is a brilliantly brewed beer with plenty of aroma to back up an oat driven soft mouthfeel and enjoyable flavour. Using Falconer’s Flight, Mosaic and Cascade hops, the aroma is massively fruity and reminiscent of a NEIPA, but it retains a finish and flavour of something a bit more West Coast influenced. For me, this was the stand out beer from Neptune this year and big step up in what the brewer has shown they can do. On keg in Liverpool’s 23 Club, it was a go-to for the whole evening, with at least 4 being sunk. On cask it was in great condition, albeit a little less impressive than off keg dispense. In cans, it was again, massively enjoyable and has pinched the top spot in my Merseyside born beers for 2017. Bravo Neptune, bravo. Brewer: Siren Craft Beer: Proteus (II) IPA Dispense: Keg and Bottle This beer is part of the series of the Proteus IPAs, this was iteration 2, hopped with Mosaic, Chinook and Cascade to give the 6.9% 'shape shifting IPA'. This version of Proteus poured from the bottle a deep and hazy golden colour and the heavy carbonation provides plenty of head which stiffens up consideration following the pour. On Keg at Port Street Beer House it was in great condition too and a very easy IPA to sink earlier on in a session, though the bitterness might have made it more prohibitive to consume too much more later on once a palate is clouded. Lovely heavy bitterness and there was something really enjoyable about this IPA which pushed it into the forefront of my mind when selecting my top ten. Most likely the varied complexity of it, it really does shape shift down the glass with various fruit and cereal elements coming out at different moments and as the temperature of the beer slowly rises. Complex and rather enjoyable. Brewer: Lervig Beer: 3 Bean Stout Dispense: Keg and Bottle A big boy of a stout, at 13% and loaded with three types of bean (vanilla, cocoa and tonka) this is also loaded with flavour and a very classy mouthfeel and (not too) sweet finish. Oily, slick and a bit silky, this again caused ripples at the Liverpool Craft Beer Expo and again for me, when tucking into a bottle later in the year. The depth and complexity are quite something, though if you just want a beer to go with that chocolate pudding at the end of a meal, then you could not go wrong with this, with only hints of the booziness present, the finish really is sumptuous and I have really run out of superlatives to throw at how much I enjoyed this beer in 2017. Good skills Lervig, as ever. Brewer: Gipsy Hill vs. Deya Beer: Ramblers Dispense: Keg (Liverpool Craft Beer Expo) and Bottle A rather delightful Double IPA from a collaboration brew between Gipsy Hill and Deya, this little number caused some ripples at the Liverpool Craft Beer Expo on the first day as it went on. Word of mouth spread pretty quickly about how good it was and despite the strength, people sunk the keg in double quick time. The use of oats, Mosaic Azacca and El Dorado hops delivered a tonne of fruit both in the nose and structure, along with a brilliant lingering finish and silky mouthfeel. Dangerous for the smooth nature and 8% strength, the bottled version had (on this review blog) delivered pretty much spot on what the keg version had back in June. Ramblers was solid, decadent and enjoyable and massively worthy of a top ten spot. Brewer: Firestone Walker Beer: Parabola Dispense: Keg (Liverpool Craft Beer Expo) A super strong 14.5% imperial barrel aged stout with an incredible complexity. At this year’s Liverpool Craft Beer Expo, the keg went in pretty quick fashion, but not before I managed to grab a couple of glasses of this wonder. Big flavours of bourbon, charred wood, vanilla and chocolate were backed up with amazing subtle layers, which were so enjoyable regardless of the rather hot summer weather. The stand out surprise is how restrained and smooth this beer was too; worth seeking out just for the experience regardless of whether you are a fan of this style or not. Brewer: Lervig Beer: Orange Velvet Dispense: Keg (Indy Man) and Can A beer I think you can (and I did) return to, over and over again. I managed to grab quite a few glasses at Indy Man, in favour of searching out at least another two beers, which some may think is madness given the scope of the event; however this is testament to how much I enjoyed Orange Velvet. Quite possibly the most balanced beer I have tried all year, if not in the last 3 years, Orange Velvet is an IPA with lactose, oats and loads of hops to give something that the name lives up to. The mouthfeel is super silky and the aromas; structure and especially the finish just deliver on another level. Expect vanilla, lime, mango and other fruity notes to jump out at you from the first sniff and first mouthful. Orange Velvet is a superb bit of brewing and displays wonderful levels of restraint to keep the hopping to balance the beer right out. Other notable mentions that caused me headaches in developing and deciding this top ten: Omnipollo/Buxton – Maple Truffle Ice Cream Waffle and Texas Pecan Soft Serve Top Rope Brewing – Line in the Sand Northern Monk/Alefarm – Patrons Project 7.01 DDH Saison Thornbridge – Tart (Passionfruit and Blueberry Sour) Marble – Dobber IPA Siren Craft – Kentucky Tickle Monster Chapter Brewing & Fourpure - Roadside Picnic Celery Sour Finally, we come to the last segment of this article, where some of the industry’s luminaries and enthusiasts pass comment on 2017, good and bad, what beers they enjoyed and finally what they think 2018 will hold for us all…
This meant discussion of their extraordinary and imaginative beers reached a wide audience who may not have known that beer is such a diverse libation. Wild Beer Co is a big advocate for beer and food matching and so the recognition on Radio 4 means that more people now know that beer on the dining table is allowed!" What was the biggest downer during 2017 beer industry wise? “Two things – the continued business model for so many pubs where they are tied to selling a limited and usually dull range of beer brands and styles. This means that customers have no choice and little reason to take their custom to pubs when they can buy delicious beer from shops and drink at home. Seven out of ten drinks sold in a pub are beer but if the beer is not appealing enough then people will vote with their feet and stop going to the pub. Then pubs will close and be turned into flats or convenience shops. The other negative was the number of brewers and brand marketers who still think that using blokey, sexualised or misogynist images and language - usually about women, but sometimes about men too – is a way to market their beers. This is 2017 not 1917. It is changing though and in 2018 we will see less of that type of marketing thanks to Jaega Wise, head brewer of Wild Card Brewery who discussed it in a speech at a recent brewing conference. Her comments were all over social media and the Times newspaper covered the subject too. CAMRA and SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers) released statements on the subject and even the Portman Group said they were considering adding sexist imagery and language to their list of no nos in drinks marketing.” What were your top 3 beers of the year? “Too many to list! These are three memorable ones though. First up is Britannia’s Brew, a collaboration with Brewster’s Brewing Company, Stu McKinley of Yeastie Boys, and me. Britannia’s Brew is the official beer of Beer Day Britain. (Britain’s national beer day annually on June 15th). I am the instigator of Beer Day Britain. This year Stu pimped the beer with Earl Grey Tea and New Zealand hops. The beer was already delicious but with Stu’s suggestions it was even better. We had a launch at the Rake pub in London’s Borough Market and it was heaven. It was served in a pint glass as cask ale. Next is Sheltering Sky by Siren, a magnificent Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Porter with Tamarind. I have yet to taste a beer from Siren that I have not really enjoyed. I tasted this one at the Rake too – there is a pattern emerging here! It had not yet been released at the time we tasted it and we had only one bottle shared between 5 people – just a few mouthfuls in a sample glass. It was sublime. Finally, Transmission IPA by North Brewing Company. A vibrant fruity-bitter beer served in a glass from a can. I was at the Beer & Cider Marketing Awards at Truman’s Old Brewery in London. I had just won an award for my work on Beer Day Britain – Outstanding Individual Achievement in Beer – so I was very happy and the beer lit up my palate and made me even more happy!” What are you looking forward to in 2018 on the beer scene? “Beer Day Britain 2018 is already shaping up to be the biggest one yet with some very sexy breweries and brands getting involved in brewing special beers (FourPure is one of them), and hosting events in their tap rooms and pubs. And I can’t wait to taste the next iteration of the pimped Britannia’s Brew!”
What was less welcome in 2017? “Unfortunately, 2017, for many independent bottles shops, has been challenging. I could write a lot about this and how I fear for their future, but for now, I just want to highlight one of the more absurd challenges. It is the obsession with only trying the very latest released beers once and never again, regardless of whether the beer was enjoyable or not. This mostly, but not always, has something to do with collecting Untappd badges and adding to Unique beer check-ins. I realise this isn’t a new thing, but this year it seems to have made much more of a negative impact. Great beers are being left to hurtle towards the BBE dates, which isn’t good for anyone. This wouldn’t have happened a year ago. If people thought a beer was great, they would look forward to trying it again. I guess beer drinkers were more radical back then, rubbing their hands in anticipation of an enjoyable night in with beers they already knew they loved. Those were the days.” What were your top 3 beers for 2017? “My top 3 beers of 2017 are as follows: 3. Little Earth Project - Hedgerow Sour (Meadowsweet 16) This beer is a truly masterful and big effervescent sour brew. It does everything I think a sour should do in terms of its flavour, the mouthfeel and the palate cleansing qualities. 2. Brew York and Vocation Brewery - Sellout Juice 11. This one is all about the mouthfeel for me. Sellout juice has this supreme fluffiness, something like a beer candyfloss and it really is incredible! The strength isn’t hidden though, which may not suit everyone. But overall, this beer really is pretty exquisite. 1. Siren - Bourbon Milkshake. I was completely blown away by this beer. I remember saying “wow!” after every sip. Divine.” A big 11% Imperial milk stout aged in bourbon barrels with vanilla, honey and muscovado sugar this was something very, very special. I really do hope Siren make a batch in the future, as it would be shame to leave it consigned to such a limited brew run. Having had so many different beers this year, the quality of which has been pretty high, it took something special to stick in my mind and Bourbon Milkshake was it!” What does 2018 hold for beer? “I’ve heard a lot of predictions for 2018, but I honestly believe the scene will still be dominated by the appetite for big hazy IPAs and Imperial Stouts. Personally, I’d love to see more affection for sours, olds and browns. Fingers crossed we will see a bit more diversity in styles and some newer takes on old classic styles to make them more prominent!”
I had a pint of Harvey’s Dark Mild in a pub right next to the brewery in Lewes, Sussex and it was so perfectly balanced I could only marvel at the brewer’s skill and expertise.” What did you really enjoy about 2017 from a beer perspective? “I like the way beer drinkers are becoming more savvy about beer and more knowledgeable about Best Before/ Bottled On dates. It helps to keep everyone on their toes. Beer quality is a big issue and while it’s getting better, there’s still room for improvement. I love seeing and feeling the enthusiasm for beer at festivals, MTB and TTOs, opening of new bottle shops and at industry gathering like the excellent Brewers Congress held recently in London. One of my highlights of the year was joining a Bottle Share which encapsulates all that is good about today’s beer scene. We’re a local ensemble of men and women from all walks of life bound together by a common love of good beer and meet monthly in a fantastic real ale pub, The Mitre in Richmond, to share the best beers we can find. It’s always such a fun night. Other highlights were the amazing beer and food matching media dinners by the Brewers Association in Paris and London. I’m involved with organising these events and, of course, have to go along myself! Representing the Brewers Association at Craft Beer Rising, Great British Beer Festival and the Irish Craft Beer Festival in Dublin were also incredible experiences. Gaining my Beer Sommelier accreditation was a huge personal milestone.” What was less than welcome in 2017? “The on-going closure of our pubs, now upto around 23 a week. It’s sad to see the very fabric of British society crumbling and one day we’ll look back and rue the day we ever let these bastions of British life fall by the wayside. Disgusting and offensive sexist beer labels and imagery really annoy me and it’s good to see the industry calling them out. ABI buying up breweries, raw ingredients and rating sites and strangling the small and independent craft brewer is never welcome in my book.” What are you looking forward to in 2018? “I’d like to see CAMRA embrace keg beer as well as real ale, and cans as well as bottles. CAMRA gets a lot of stick for being traditionalist but I believe there’s a place for both keg and cask in the hearts and minds of all but the most cynical beer drinkers. Women are making waves in the brewing industry but are still under-represented and it would be great to see more women, brewers in particular, coming to the fore in 2018. Of the 110 breweries in London there are only four female head brewers (I don’t have the national picture, sorry!). I would love to see more beer and food matching in pubs, diners and restaurants. In the States it’s a highly developed, sophisticated art form. The UK is still lagging some way behind. Finally, I’m super-excited to be attending the Craft Brewers Conference for the first time. This year it’s in Nashville, Tennessee 30th April – 3rd May and the World Beer Cup 2018 is taking place too. It’s going to be awesome! Here’s to a great year in beer! Cheers!”
What was not so good in beer in 2017? “Biggest downer: It’s a shame to see several scalps claimed by big beer companies. I certainly can’t blame the breweries for earning some money, but inevitable quality suffers. Also, what I’ll call ‘fake craft’ brands emerging and confusing the market. “ What were your top 3 beers for 2017? Top 3 Beers Going US heavy...but honestly some of the best beers I’ve ever had have been this year. I’ll also add that experience is as much a part of enjoyment for me, some great memories with these beverages. Bearded Iris Patina, at the brewery in Nashville; amazing and passionate people, and a fantastic taproom. They’re known for mega juice bombs, but this the beer that they drink after a day brewing. It was crisp, refreshing and fruity... Kolsch at its best! Keep your eyes peeled, they’re tipped for great things next year. Tired Hands Alien Church Warpigs brewed version at the brewpub in Copenhagen. A beer so good, I left the Mikkeller Beer Celebration early to grab some more. Fully saturated hop juice, dripping with tropical fruit flavours, uber haze and thick soft mouthfeel. Jean, the owner of TH, is a genius and will change the landscape of beer. Guarantee it! Finally, Track/Takk Brew Co Finca British Street Food Awards, GRUB Manchester. This is the coming together of two of my favourite companies in Manchester, I love Track Sonoma to death and Takk is my first pit stop when I hit Manchester. Perfectly balanced coffee stout, rich and thick, all the intensity and flavour of a perfectly served espresso, served cold and carbonated. Add to that an amazing event, venue and street food and I was in heaven.” What are you looking forward to in 2018 for beer? “I think this is the year that Hull really develops a fantastic beer scene. The City of Culture year has laid some fantastic foundations for new, young businesses to start in the city. The latter half of 2017 has seen the bar and restaurant scene explode, and lines of great beer are a frequent sight. Add to that the first Indy beer shop opening soon, a blossoming home brew scene, and the potential for a new Atom brewhouse in the city centre. Keep your eyes peeled, Hulls getting trendy these days.”
The industry is working with one another more and that creates a healthier environment for all. There have been grumblings of too many collaboration beers in 2017, but it represents a general atmosphere of camaraderie rather than rivalry. It represents the principles of “craft beer.”" What was less than welcome in 2017? "The biggest downer was, of course, the nastiness, sniping and bullying that seemed more prevalent in the industry this year than any other. In contrast to the collaborating business owners, the commentators weren’t as friendly with each other. Disagreements on various subjects are only going to increase the more that events occur and more people become involved in the industry. But this year it seemed that you couldn’t even have an opinion on a beer festival without it turning aggressive. A downside to the lack of facial expression and intonation behind Tweets and Blogs maybe, but some attempted character defamations went beyond any realm of debate. We all need to look at ourselves and take responsibility for our actions." What were your favourite beers for 2017? "This year I’ve drunk a lot of cask beer by the pint, in comparison to previous years. The two stand-outs have been Fyne Ale’s Jarl and Track Brew Co’s Sonoma – both on outstanding form when dispensed this way. Jarl I’ve had in bars in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Bakewell, Stalybridge and London, suggesting it’s travelling particularly well right now. My favourite Beer of the Year though came in bottle form from Torrside Brewing and their Rauchwine: a stunning Smoked Barleywine part-gyled to technical perfection." What do you think we will see on the beer scene in 2018? "Going into the New Year, I expect more in the cross-industry collaborations to happen. This in itself will lead a little to the standard Beer prediction everybody gives every year: more bitters, more lagers. The lager and bitter prediction is rolled out every year and has still not come to fruition. In terms of core range beers, I don’t expect this to change much. But, with different industries creating different demand, I expect those increases to occur there. The prime example is Magic Rock Brewing working with Huddersfield Town to create two beers. They were, of course, a bitter and a lager as that is where the demand for the club and its fans remains. Back within the bubble, I expect the IPA trend to continue with the newer breweries as that is where the sales will still be. Older hands, I feel, might return to Saison/Farmhouse style to stand out a little, with the more accomplished going further into the Sour market. There isn’t a great deal we can predict though as some said they expected 2017 to be the year of the lager and instead we got New England IPAs. A few more well-made stouts of reasonable strength – think Five Points Railway Porter – would be my preference, but as ever I look forward to whatever arrives." ----------------------------------
I think that’s more than enough for one article! Regardless of your outlook on how positive or negative you felt that 2017 was for the beer and brewing industry, it was a pretty colourful year in many regards and it’s likely that 2018 will follow suit. Special thanks go to the people who have contributed to this article with some insightful, entertaining and interesting comments on their thoughts on 2017 and into 2018. All the best for the New Year guys! Thanks too, to all the readers and people that encourage me to continue writing. All the best to you all and see you at some point in 2018! Pedro. We’re hurtling towards Christmas now… it’s all too close. But before you make too many plans for nights out and about around Liverpool city centre, have a little read of this. There are quite a few new places that are now open, or about to open their doors in time for a proper knees-up. Most of them are supplying more than a fair share of really good beer too! Scroll down and see if anything gets those festive thirsts tickled… Craft Minded Craft Minded is the brain-child of Gareth Kellett and friends, looking to bring a hefty slice of craft beer sensibility to the Cains Brewery site. Whilst there are some decent beers on offer at other locations, the Baltic Triangle is still rather patchy on what is available. The Baltic Fleet, Black Lodge, Constellations and to a slightly lesser extent Baltic Social, have been flying the flag for craft beer and real ale without much baseline support beyond the odd bottle of Mad Hatter finding its way into more coffee orientated establishments. Gareth’s background in the hospitality/service industry will no doubt stand him in good stead when it comes to the crunch time for Craft Minded. At time of initial writing, the venue was undergoing some serious interior works, with articulated seating areas, a six-line keg bar and an array of fridges around the bar area all slated to make an appearance. Throw into this the lean-to at the rear of the premises in the old boiler house of the brewery and there will be a kitchen area, storage and conveniences leaving room to free up more seating. The area around the old boiler house has also rather brilliantly been allocated to the plot, meaning potential for outdoor seating and expansion for Craft Minded. The full long term stock is yet to be confirmed for Craft Minded, but expect a mix of local craft beer in keg and bottle alongside some of the more nationally minded brands that have been making waves in the UK, thanks in part to the influence of Crosby Beer Bottle Shop on Gareth’s infectious enthusiasm for good beer. The launch saw the six keg lines taken by two local collaborations with Craft Minded, Wylam’s Jakehead IPA, Mad Hatter Fat Stout, Brass Castle’s Bad Kitty and Chapter/Fourpure’s Roadside Picnic sour. The bottle fridges were full of goodies from Vibrant Forest, Wild Beer, Wylam, Sweetwater and many many more. Craft Minded is now open, from 1pm on Saturdays until 1am, with other hours as per their website. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craftmindedliverpool/ Gibberish The scene in Liverpool seems to move in a very jagged and erratic fashion, rather pertinently as this round up article shows (with five new significant locations for beer enthusiasts to get onto). The city can go through a relatively quiet period with little changing for a few months whilst a few rumours circulate and then things either go very quiet, or pop into life. This period is certainly the latter for Liverpool. Since Gareth Matthews announced on Twitter his intention to leave Mad Hatter Brewing Company to pursue a new project, Gibberish has managed to get some beers together ready for a launch sometime at the end of 2017 or possibly in January 2018. Gibberish is Gareth’s new project and will be taking off in the Baltic Triangle area of Liverpool. The former site of Mad Hatter’s operations on Caryl Street (before their shift to the Liverpool Waters area) will continue to host brewing by day and in the evenings, will become a fully-fledged brew tap. This tap will get on with selling cask and kegs beers, which Gaz can rule with a vice like grip to ensure the beers are served as he would want (given the shift away from cask by Mad Hatter a few years ago, simply due to being at the mercy of outlets). The remit of Gibberish is simply to make interesting beers based on ingredients with good provenance where possible. The name of the new one-stop-shop for beer is linked partially to the madness of Gareth’s brewing and also to some of the pretence that Gareth feel surrounds the scene at times. The brewing itself will likely be as it was in the early days of Mad Hatter, with a cornucopia of hoppy and strong pales, Belgian influenced yeast monsters and an array of sours and saisons, with a fair old space present Gareth is also considering room for a meadery in the corner of the brewing premises to offer further interesting facets to Gibberish’s output. The thinking behind Gareth’s new venture is that whilst Mad Hatter became successful on the back of the weird and wonderful, this brewing project can focus on smaller batches with more expensive ingredients and still work due to being sold on the premises. Gibberish is set to launch from the evening of Thursday 14th December, though there is no word on permanent opening hours at the moment. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GibberishPub/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/GibberishPub Glen Affric Taproom It may seem like quite a lonely and awkward location for a tap room, but the Lightbox units in Birkenhead are actually rather accessible by own vehicle, public transport and on foot. Located overlooking the Birkenhead Mersey Tunnel (The Queensway Tunnel), Glen Affric’s premises have grown ever more impressive as time has passed. A ten minute walk from the Wirral Line station, Hamilton Square, will get you there to sample some of their beers at a rather reasonable tariff. The Glen Affric Tap opened mid-November 2017 and is still in its relative infancy, but the work that has been put in really does make it seem that the team are quite an old hand at getting this kind of thing together. Well laid out seating areas, booths with USB ports, 8 keg lines (7 for Glen Affric’s own brews and one guest line) along with a couple of fridges for other stock are talking points for the tap room. Build in bespoke fashion, the whole installation is a testament to graft and upcycling of palettes of wood, reclaimed furniture with flourishes of newer elements and some obligatory brushed steel surfaces. Glen Affric are currently pushing their core range on the taps, but as time goes on, they intend on having some more diverse beers present coming through the lines. As well as their current kit, the brewery has a larger set up waiting to be plumbed in and also a smaller kit ready for pilot and experimental brews. Glen Affric will be looking to get up and running with off sales too in the new year, with a number of set backs on their own canning line kit, they will look for alternative solutions and likely have canned beer such as their Payload Pale, Highland Suntan and Lazy Haze good to go at some point in early 2018. The Glen Affric Tap opens on a Saturday from 4pm until 10pm, but they are opening up on further evenings in the run up to Christmas (at least Friday to Sunday) to enable patrons a chance to try some locally brewed craft keg beers. It is quite easy to lose a few hours in this tap, being strangely relaxing given its industrial setting outside and in proximity to very shiny brewing kit inside. Web: http://www.glenaffricbrewery.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlenAffricTap/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlenAffricTap Higson’s Brewery (aka H1780 Tap and Still) Since Stephen Crawley (formerly of the MD Caledonian Brewery) bought out Liverpool Craft Beers and acquired the Higson’s Brewery intellectual property, things went a little quiet in terms of what was actually going on with the two brands. Nuggets of information dropped out at the Liverpool Craft Beer Expo approximately 2-3 years ago, with a suggestion (now seemingly confirmed by the website branding) that Liverpool Craft would shift into its most famous moniker with ‘Love Lane’ (the site of the former Liverpool Craft Beer brewery premises) and the Higson’s brand would be coming back into the consciousness of the city it departed in 1990. Though the Higson’s brand came back briefly thanks to Liverpool Organic Brewery circa 2010-12, none of the beers such as ‘Double Top’ came back into mainstream production; only the best bitter and stout made the roster. Now it seems that the team behind Crawley are going to make the brand a force again in the city it once called home, along with a distillery (Ginsmiths) and the Love Lane brewing (a ‘craft beer’ arm to Higson’s) in the new Higson’s Brewhouse on Bridgewater Street in the Baltic Triangle. Bookings are being taken at the moment for tours and for tables (they are planning on doing food at the tap house too) and information is gradually trickling out all the time. A Twitter account for the H1780 brand and for the tap and still have come online recently, along with an announcement that the brewery will be open from 16th December to the public. Luckily, I had a few questions for new MD, Stephen Crawley that he kindly answered: Though this has been on the boil now for some time, what made the company think now was the time to bring Higson's back? Did they feel that there is a place for another 'traditional' brand given the shift in interest to newer and more innovative brewing? I genuinely believe the time has been right for some time! – BUT to try and rekindle this brand in a really positive way that looks forward and genuinely give it the best chance of success has sadly slightly longer than we hoped – but that is in the past now and we are really excited by the future! Liverpool is the UK’s 6th largest city and it does not have a brewer of a regional scale…. E.g. Manchester and its environs has JW Lees, Holts, Hyde’s and Robinson’s and some high profile craft brewers. We’re proud of the innovative past that Higson’s has and it does not preclude brewing modern drinkable brews that the city can be proud of! We do not see Liverpool as traditional, though there would be an opportunity if we did, as Liverpool does not have a traditional brewery – But I wanted to ground Higson’s in an urban setting and build something that could be seen as a real outpouring of confidence in the modern Liverpool and deliver 21st century beers! So, what was the thinking behind buying out Liverpool Craft Beer, when Higson's could have been a stand alone brand? It was going to take time to build the new brewery and the guys at TLCBC bought into the dream of building something that aspired to regional scale and they had a site they could not afford to develop in Bridgewater Street. It was going to be a much stronger proposition to add Higson’s to an existing business and it gave us time to plan whilst talking to pubs and drinkers about Liverpool and plan what we were going to create, get planning permission and so on. Higson’s we suspect will not be a big seller in the UK outside ‘Greater Liverpool’ whereas Love Lane will and does already sell further afield… I genuinely felt we would be a stronger business with the Love Lane and Higson’s! I notice that there is going to be a shift from Liverpool Craft Beer to 'Love Lane' for all the beers made by the former - does that mean Liverpool Craft Beer will be consigned to the past once that rebrand is completed? Not necessarily – but we have Love Lane, Higson’s, H1780 Tap & Still and The Ginsmiths of Liverpool to get moving and we feel that is enough for now – we will revisit TLCBC when the dust settles. Essentially though we have lots of positive traction with bars and drinkers with Love Lane over the past 12 months. Will any of the old Higson's beers be making their way back onto the market - e.g. beers like Double Top? Never say never – but as you asked earlier – is there an opportunity for Traditional? But who would have though Pabst lager could have become a retro sensation in USA amongst the craft beer phenomena. I noticed the first beer out of the traps is a lager - I assume that the Higson's Best and maybe the Liverpool Stout will also be coming back, but are there any other plans for developing a core range? We wanted to get the lager right – not easy to produce – and we are very happy with where we are with Higson’s Pilsner. The next two products will be cask and we are excited by the response we have had to the prospect of two new Higson’s cask beers that will be very drinkable and sit nicely on the bar as an alternative to National brands. Higson’s Best and Mild were beers that polarised opinion – we aim to make our first two cask beers that Liverpool can be really proud of. At the brewery/still - is the tap room going to be open all week, or is it just going to be a weekend? We have invested a considerable amount of money in our new home. The brewery, distillery and our offices will share the site of our Tap & Still and be called H1780 Tap & Stll – a nod to the past – but proud of the future. We have wanted to create an ‘urban home’, a home that could easily be on the east coast of America, a home that is not polished concrete, chipboard and grungy but timeless and well invested with lots of original brick – a colour scheme running throughout and lots of steel. We look forward to hearing peoples reaction – but we hope we have built something that is a real positive statement of modern Liverpool. So, are there going to be any other exciting interactive elements for the public with what Higson's are doing? I think a new home, new Higsons beers, Love Lane, new gins from The Ginsmiths of Liverpool, 3 bars, a well invested kitchen, a tasting room, tours, tastings and events are probably enough for now. We have lots of other ideas – but we will focus on the above for now! Another interesting development in the Baltic Triangle means, more than ever, the area is a draw for those seeking a night out, interesting venues and options for the discerning beer drinker. Web: http://www.h1780tapstill.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/H1780-Tap-Still-122976508413774/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TapandStill Tank Room To my knowledge this is amongst the first ‘Tank Beer’ outlet in Liverpool and for the moment, the one of at least three (Porky’s Ski Hutte and Haus being others). Whilst most places that indulge in dispensing Tank Beer in Manchester and Leeds have gone with Czech brand ‘Pilsner Urquell’, Tank Room has selected the Slovak brand ‘Krusovice’ as its lager of choice. The bar is located on the site of the former Cain’s Brewery and is currently rubbing shoulders with the Dock Leaf and Bedouin at the rear of the main former brewery building, by the canning hall. As the site goes from strength to strength (with the food hall and its numerous pop ups and central bar, Ryde café, Alhambra, The Brewery Tap, Kiosk, Dock Leaf and other new addition the Old Gas Station at the North end of the site), competition is going to get quite fierce and only time will tell how each of these bars will play to their strengths. Tank Room is quite a sparsely kitted out space, rectangular in shape, with a bar at the top end away from the door, two tanks of lager above the bar (with blackboard stating date of tapping) and a heavy blue paint adorning all the walls it’s not the most warming of places. There is plenty of seating and standing room and if you’re not keen on lager, there are a few other beers and other beverages to satisfy one’s thirst. Maltsmiths and Lagunitas IPAs are present on draught, along with Orchard Thieves draught cider, Guiness and Amstel. The fridges are a bit more inspiringly stocked, with Yeastie Boys cans, Liefmans and Mongozo bottles also present. Curiously, they also stock the IPAs in bottles, which seems a little like a waste of space where there is room for some more diverse beers. There are also wines and spirits available for other drinkers; the gin selection looks reasonably competent at first glance, though it is likely that local brands will find their way onto the shelves at some point. Tank Room opened in November this year. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetankroomliverpool/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/tankroompool In other news… in the run up to Christmas There are a number of events and launches amongst those mentioned above, here are a few things to put into the calendar! Black Lodge Brewery – 2nd Birthday celebrations, Thursday 14th - Sunday 17th December from opening until late close. Expect loads of great one-off brews, music and plenty of food and good fun. Tap and Bottles Biscuit Brew Off – Saturday 16th December, from 5pm onwards. Local collaboration project with six new collaboration beers, flavoured themed on biscuits! Neptune, Chapter, Handyman and more making the beers! The Dead Good Bottle Society – Dead Crafty Beer Company, 7pm Monday 18th December. Top Rope Brewing’s Ben will be taking people through another selection of bottled brews. Tickets now available at Dead Crafty.
Dead Crafty Christmas Quiz – Wednesday 20th December, 7pm. £5 ticket for the quiz, includes a mince pie and a beer with great prizes to be won! Connoisseur Ales – Tap Openings. Every Saturday before Christmas from 12pm until 10pm, beers on cask draught and bottle packs available for off sales. ---------------- Pedro. Some of the images are used from the venue's/business's social media feed and with permission. The copyright remains with them. I don’t normally write this kind of article. I don’t normally swear when I write either (unless it *really* is warranted). This time I do both.
I normally reserve my words for the factual rather than the emotive or sociological facets of the beer scene, but something struck a chord recently where I noticed some very unpleasant parallels from an earlier chapter in my life and felt like I might be able to put some words down to maybe help me make sense of it, but also to maybe try and make a difference for other people. The current beer scene is fizzingly alive at the moment, not just from the perspectives of Twitter and Facebook, but in pubs, bars, microbreweries, bottle shops and other forums. People love discussing the ins and outs of new beers, new or rediscovered styles and events that can be made from them where we get to meet likeminded people and thus fuel the proliferation of the thing we love. There is much to be proud about up and down the UK and indeed in other cities across the world where brewing has caught the imagination of some brilliant people, talented people who get the magic yeast workforce to perform for them. It doesn’t stop there, there are people out there who contribute through their insightful natures, manipulation of the written and spoken word and there are those that are just really decent people who form the foundation of all of this, drinking, talking and encouraging. There is, however a caveat to all of the above. As with any other scene, social movement or ‘thing’ which generates opinion and emotional response, it gets contaminated with a hefty dose of humanity. It’s trick, nay, impossible to not be human and with that comes some baggage which invariably itself can contain negativity. Making sense of things is not easy at the best of times via social media, with inordinate threads coming away from initial posts tracking down and understanding every piece of information would be tricky. However, following some minor storms recently, a variety of put-downs (it’s the internet, these things are tricky to read without hearing tone or seeing other cues) through to mud-flinging, he-said-she-said and people becoming pretty upset. These things happen and they will probably continue to happen wherever people’s opinions are involved. For a scene which (to my mind) has been quite progressive with a lot of writers posting in a startling candid fashion about their own personal struggles with mental health, writing vividly and heartbreakingly educationally at times, there has been a growing undercurrent seeded and propagated in some circles and beery corners of the internet with an unpleasant ‘elitist’ tang to it. To mildly veer back to a reference earlier in this post, this is what brought things to align with prior experiences over a decade ago. I have always been into beer, since I was old enough to sneak a mouthful of my Dad’s can of Stone’s Bitter, pull a face at his homebrew attempts or drink a bitter shandy when out of a pub meal, later on seeking out pubs with nifty new beers or at least a few cask lines. But there was a period in the late 1990s and a few years after where music and clubbing were at the forefront of my social consciousness. For a few years, it was vibrant, with the advent of message boards and various other forums, likeminded people could interact on a daily basis and arrange to meet up – people could actually go out to a nightclub on their own, meet new and friendly people and make new friends to share the fun with. It was great. However, a combination of factors eventually kicked in and as with many scenes and social circles, familiarity can breed contempt. Some people and newer members of the group were not made to feel as welcome as others, this in turn grew to be active persecution and ostracization of some less ‘savvy’ individuals, those not deemed to be as ‘cool’ or ‘knowledgeable’ about the scene they were out to enjoy and share. It was frankly horrible and witnessing people (and then falling foul of it myself) being treated so badly for no real reason made me fall out of love of the scene for a few years. Bullying, no matter what form it takes is a shithouses’ trick. The coincidence of this memory being piqued during what is supposed to be #AntiBullyingWeek is not lost on me either. Fast forward back to a night earlier in 2017 and I found myself coming away from a small brewer event after taking photos and having a great chat, pitching up at another drinking establishment to have a few beers before catching my bus back home. I started to engage in conversation with some people at the bar and before too long I felt myself being dragged into a pissing contest about what beers I had tried. Nothing was overtly stated (albeit neither was it too subtle), but I found myself feeling like I had to defend why I hadn’t tried Beer [X] and Beer [Y] to the people I was talking to (the usual being up early for day job/demanding day job/funds stretching so far/etc). Being one of the few pretty active beer writers (and a comment was made on such) on Merseyside meant I got some extra sneer. It is highly likely that the pair didn’t mean to be insulting or rude, but after a few beers, it wasn’t exactly pleasant. I finished the beer I was on and moved along feeling pretty peeved about the whole thing, as it wasn’t the first time this kind of thing had happened to me; ‘But you’re a beer writer/blogger – SURELY you’ve tried this one’ [subtext – if you’ve not tried it, you’re not REALLY an enthusiast are you?!]. I’ve brushed it off before and this sort of stuff won’t stop me writing or being involved in the scene, as I’ve also had worse from some of Liverpool’s ‘old guard’ when I first started writing with some heavy-duty patronising shit (people looking at my fresh notebook, for example and going ‘Awwww’, commenting on the blank pages it contained at length and told that I’d find cask is best whatever I try). We’ve seen some real progress over the last few years in terms of less of the sexist pump clips, more people calling out unacceptable behaviour, especially sexist and homophobic stuff. For all the times I’ve heard the adage ‘Beer people are good people’, I still can’t really agree on the back of some of the observations I have made lately – it’s almost the same as most other cross sections of society. There are some wonderful, brilliant people out there, people who I would go as far as to say are much better human beings than I. But at the end of the day, the scene is made up of human beings, all of whom have their faults and some of whom are in varying quantities sometimes insecure, aggressively opinionated, egotistical and arrogant, of course all in measure with many better qualities of which we are all capable. It is something that we are probably just going to have to accept as more people come round to the beer scene that these things will become apparent within the beer scene and on associated social media. There really is room enough for everyone on the beer scene, it should be something seen as open, enjoyable and for all. Beer isn’t seen on the same level as for example, wine, where some people who have never really had the curiosity (or in some cases, sadly indulge in inverse snobbery) to consider how things work believe it to be some form of impenetrable alchemy where a whole new language is pervasive. Surely this can be used to beer’s advantage, as it has a more accessible slant to it to begin with? Whilst things will probably never be perfect and harmonious, there is definitely no reason for them to get any worse and the responsibility for ensuring that lies with all of us. Pedro. |
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