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]
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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. The Abbey, most recently, then before that it was called the 'Old Monk' augmented by it's dancefloor 'Monastery of Sound' at the back. Since the middle of September, the venue on Hanover Street has been taken by Liverpool's second iteration of the Head of Steam pub. Those with a good recent memory will remember Head of Steam being located in what is now is Wetherspoon's the Great Northern on Lime Street, immediately next to Lime Street Station. The first Head of Steam gradually dissipated from Liverpool in 2015 and was replaced by the Wetherspoons newest addition to the city, though the Head of Steam pub was at a pretty low ebb for a few years before this. Poorly kept cask beers and very limited choice became its nadir following a patch where it was one of the better cask outlets in the city. This new version has opened with a much more promising remit dipping both into waters familiar to CAMRA enthusiasts and craft drinkers alike; numerous cask lines are bolstered by a solid Belgian and US craft selection with a few extra keg lines also present. The new slant is apparently based on the success that Head of Steam have experienced with their Sheffield branch. Upon the opening, the bar was already prepared for local brewery, Neptune Brewery, to come down on the following Friday evening and host a Meet the Brewer event in the back bar area. Plenty of Neptune beers were present, but also other locals were represented including the likes of Mad Hatter, Rock the Boat and Chapter present in bottle and cask. Mad Hatter were slated for a Meet the Brewer evening in early November following the presence of Arrogant Beers (Stone Brewing) and Belgian powerhouse Chimay, so things have started with intent. I managed to grab Simon Ritson from Cameron’s Brewery for a quick chat about how things will go with the new Head of Steam in Liverpool… What made HoS feel the time was right to come back to Liverpool and why the site on Hanover Street? The old HOS site and part of original HOS group was hard to manage due to being so far from Newcastle and why it was run as a tenancy until being sold. With Cameron’s expansion and plan to open 6 bars a year for the next 5 years, Liverpool was always on the map and the Hanover street site was similar to our Sheffield site in size. How much of a focus will there be on supporting local brewers? As with all our bars we strongly support local breweries and HOS Liverpool will showcase the best of these from the area. How often will you be running MTB events and will they always be free, or will some events be ticketed? The first ones were free to showcase the bar, we will continue with free ones but some due to cost of the beers and some cases food will have a cover charge but these will include rare and special beers or spirits. They will most likely be every 3-4 weeks depending on brewery or ambassador availability as we don’t want to do events for the sake of doing them and more take interesting opportunities. How much of the keg line is planned to be open to 'craft' beers? Will more lines ever be opened up to more craft as opposed the macro brewed stuff? Liverpool has 5 rotational lines and the 4 in the tasting room. The other lines offer a selection of drinks to suit all tastes being a city centre bar. We don’t promote these products but don’t want to eliminate non-craft drinkers. So with the cask lines too that's 19 available lines for Cask & Craft beers as well as the Chimay, Delirium, Brooklyn fonts. Here's raising a glass to better longevity and a solid contribution to the Liverpool scene from Head of Steam, they've started well, hopefully some tinkering and some improvements can be made and then more success garnered for their stay and for the Liverpool beer drinker.
Pedro. Nearly all caught up with the beer reviews now! Sadly, a rather full curriculum meant that I didn't get to ponder on many bottled beers over the Summer this year - hence a depleted and combined article for both July and August. That said, there are still ten beers that are going under tastebud and olfactory interrogation for the purposes of your education. So, we'll plough straight into those beers; all were available at bottle shops and supermarkets in the Merseyside region.
The finish is sharp, bitter and very reminiscent of US west coast style IPAs with plenty of wood and pine notes with a big hit of acidity. A little more fruit in the finish would have made this wonderfully balanced, but it is still highly enjoyable as is. [Sourced from Booths Supermarket, Burscough, West Lancashire]
And that is your lot for this month - a straightforward review with September's beers following at some point soon too. Until then, there will be some other beery words coming your way, so stay tuned to the Twitter feed and you'll be given a few more tasty morsels for reading soon enough! Pedro. m still playing catch up with the articles - hence the June blog coming out rather belatedly. Things really haven't calmed down too much and there has been a simmering undercurrent to involved with the Liverpool Beer Collective and other responsibilities. Oddly enough, there has been a fair bit to write about, but sadly my attention has been elsewhere for much of the time and I haven't been drinking many bottles at home to review, or indeed, paying visits to my usual haunts in Liverpool city centre. I doubt too much it has been a barren period for many readers though, as there have been some excellent pieces written by others over the summer months; the likes of Mark Johnson, Jim (Beers Manchester) Cullen, 'Lady Sinks the Booze', Boak and Bailey, Matt Curtis et al have all published a few articles which have kept me enlightened and the gears turning throughout the period (not to mention made me feel rather lazy with their output of late). Anyway, enough wallowing... there's writing to be done and some beers to be reviewed; read on...
The finish on Human Cannonball is bone dry, massively fruity and has a deep and crisp cereal kick, which drifts in towards the back end of the finish with a toastier note. Again, there is loads of pineapple and mango present. Get yourself a steak, a burger or maybe some lamb kebabs to pair with this big boy, something fatty in need of a fruity cut will work well. (Sourced from Londis, Penny Lane, Liverpool)
And that is that for another month's review. Hopefully this will have provided some inspiration for your next selection of beers for the coming weeks, but until the next review (which should be on the way shortly, combining both July and August), take it easy!! Pedro. Somehow this Summer really got away from me in terms of keeping up with reviews and the blog. In total honesty, I haven’t had much time to sit and type up a lot of stuff I would have liked to – being incredibly busy in work and also outside, along with taking up a gig of doing reviews for Liverpool Confidential (I’ll probably no longer be doing restaurant reviews on here for the foreseeable future as a result, focussing on beer mainly). Anyway, it’s time to catch up a bit! I will have the June review lined up, will be merging the July and August blogs (as I didn’t do an awful lot of drinking at home over that period, with so much going on out and about). September will follow on and hopefully I will find time to complete a blog on Wild Beer Co., their food pairing sensibilities and the excellent Oktopus (who have just recently been given a lovely accolade from Marina O’Loughlin in the Guardian). It’s been a busy year and has no sign of letting up!
And that is that for another month's review. Hopefully this will have provided some inspiration for your next selection of beers for the coming weeks, but until the June Review, take it easy!! Pedro. This may be something of a case of preaching to the converted, but it’s still something that might be a cathartic exercise for me. Fresh from a weekend of traipsing along the Bermondsey Beer Mile, picking up a few bottles for home and then reading Tony Naylor’s latest foray into the Guardian’s Beer articles (along with the hilariously uninformed masses that seem to flock to post below the line on what ‘beer should be’), I felt somewhat compelled to put my (admittedly, mixed) feelings and views down into black and white. [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/12/pub-drinkers-craft-beers-small-breweries-supermarket#comments] It has been pointed out frequently, not just by myself, but many other industry experts, writers both professional and through to more amateur levels, that we are in a very good place for beer halfway through 2017. Not just in terms of quality, quantity and scope of styles, but brewery numbers and even choice at the supermarkets where we do our domestic shopping. Picking up something above what is a cooking lager (so to speak), with a full hop compliment and ‘craft sensibility’ whilst picking up bathroom cleaner, frozen fish fingers and toilet rolls is now an easy score. Just a few weeks before writing this, Northern Monk and Atom Beers announced their presence in Morrisons and ASDA respectively; this is good thing in the main. Good for the brewery to have a steady income stream and good to have a potentially massive market reach. These deals on the face of it are for core range-easy to find beers only, which is fine for customers; getting good barbeque beers will be much easier for everyone. However, this leads onto two negative routes for the beer market (and for our beloved smaller brewers/independent bottle shops).
It’s a desperately complex and tricky situation to negotiate and for anyone who is just getting into ‘craft beer’/real ale and wants to support smaller businesses, it can be pretty confusing and there is no real right or wrong answer. The waters are as muddy as they have ever been, especially where there have been a plethora of blogs, articles, musings and essays on how to adequately define what ‘craft beer’ really is. The truth is, every set of strictures that has been espoused has its omissions, its gaps and exceptions to the rules. It is a thankless and probably impossible task. Although that isn’t stopping SIBA wading into the matter with its proposed quality mark (which on first viewing also appears to have its flaws and fudges).
The tricky path from all of the considerations are the tangents that spin off from each facet, there are so many individual arguments and those who care about their beers each have a slightly different opinion spanning all the way across the spectra. One sure fire way to get your beers from a source that is either desirable from the viewpoints discussed above, is to buy direct from the brewer, either from their premises or online. Buying from a specialist bottle shop is another way to get your hands on the one-off beers and to support a local business. For me, going in to see what new beers they have on the shelves and chatting at length about them is a proper treat. There is something irreplaceable in going into a shop and having the palpable tangibility on display; it’s the same for buying records, having the sleeve notes and the physical item there in front of you, something feels lost in translation looking at pictures on a computer screen and clicking to buy, before sitting and waiting for a box to be delivered. Don’t get me wrong, the enterprise of many online retailers, I find admirable, not to mention the selections they accrue for their customers. But I much prefer the weight of bottles in my arms, walking back to a car happy that these are now mine, ready to be taste, consumed, shared and written about. I have also frequented supermarkets for beers, I too am a consumer and as such, price sometimes governs where I will shop for my ‘go to’ type beers, beers for barbeques and for guests that visit and beer we’ll consume in quantity. I make no bones about this and am aware that there is some level of hypocrisy in not buying from independent retails, whilst singing their virtues and touting for support. But there are some that stock great beers at a very affordable price, making ignoring the value very difficult (for example, buying Mikkeller, Magic Rock and Roosters beers at Booths or buying Wild Beer Ninkasi 750ml and Fuller Vintage ales in Waitrose). Alas the purchase of beers direct from breweries, direct from the premises or online, is not without its drawbacks for retailers down the line. When consumers ordering online from the breweries direct, that's money bottle shops are missing out on. When less money comes into a specialist shop, there is invariably less money for investment in stock; to buy a good spread of beers to offer to their customers. If every brewery offered off-sales from premises or inline, then it is a real possibility that many bottle shops would eventually close. There just wouldn't be the same need for them. With something that's already happening to wholesalers and for those people who are loyal to bottle shops, is because breweries are selling their one-off beers online or as part of a pack, there is inevitably less of that given beer available for trade, so bottle shops customers may have to scramble to buy the rationed beer due to the hype surrounding any launch.
Any customers after such a rare brew were thus forced to buy from the brewer direct or online rather than from the specialist shop. Potentially this could create a vicious feedback on breweries, who in future may not have bottle shops to buy their beers anymore for onward trade. Nothing is certain, but it is potentially a bleak future for specialist bottle shops (and brewers and consumers) if the conditions all turn in favour of the above scenario.
Depending on the set up of your local (or nearest) bottle shop, some will hold organised tastings, whilst others can even provide keg or cask services to fill bottles, growlers or crowlers for takeaway purposes to make that session beer a decent one and provide a quantity to sustain most party goers for their evening of fun. It’s this flexibility of service, a large range of styles and breweries (especially if the manager is a passionate one about their stock) and often a fair pricing structure for beers that would otherwise be impossible to get outside of a specialist bar which is often much more expensive (due to overheads etc). The old adage of use it, or lose it has never rung truer. Whilst we have local bottle shops, they are really worth supporting; it’s a sure fire way of getting your hands on beers you’ll have never tried before, getting good recommendations and in some cases, as mine if you are lucky enough, making some great friends and acquaintances. Pedro. Edition five, done, dusted and bundled into a neat compartment somewhere in everyone who attended's mind, probably in a box of 'good memories'. That's definitely where my thoughts on the event reside, however, these days I suppose I am more invested in the event than most, especially given my involvement with the Liverpool Beer Collective and us having a bar at the event, hosted by the five local breweries (3 Potts, Connoisseur Ales, Glen Affric, Melwood and Top Rope Brewing) who managed to each shift a fair bit of beer over the course of 4 days. In the run up to the event, there were murmurings circulating that there may be some beer festival fatigue setting in amongst the populous and that the beer list didn't quite look as exciting as it could have been. The murmurings were ushered away some weeks before the event with the announcement of some excellent and very solid breweries joining the bill at the Constellation's held festival. There were some pretty big talking points and notable things about this Expo; I will get to each of them individually, because I know how much people love a list, this will go neatly alongside a second list of my top ten (I struggled to keep it down to only ten...) beers from the event too. Suffice to say, at the end of the event, I personally (along with the rest of the Collective bar members and especially our hosts in the Expo Team) was exhausted and couldn't even contemplate putting the thoughts and feelings into an article for your consumption... not even a week later, so perhaps there is a bit of lag time here, but it's often better to ruminate than to make snap decisions on things which benefit from reflection. So, those notable things... 1. The Takeover of Greenland Street It was announced relatively shortly before the Expo that they would be releasing an extra 100 or so tickets for the Saturday sessions to cope with demand and the expansion of the Expo site was set. Spilling out onto the top end of Greenland Street (the northern end is already blocked off by bollards and pavement from the rest of the road network), this gave extra space for row of another set of bars, taken for a ten-tap rotational and by Brewdog, Northern Monk, Lines and Gipsy Hill (along with Wild Beer, as covered below). This expansion added some more space to allow Expo-goers some elbow room, places to sit and stretch their legs and given the weather (again, below) this was exceedingly welcome. However, there was the feeling that this possibly detracted from the bars inside experiencing some additional attention and atmosphere. Hopefully next year, this expansion will be retained or perhaps event added to again! 2. Wild Beer Company's Massive Container Having spent a couple of hours working with Andy, Theo, Theresa and a lovely energetic volunteer called Anna, the Wild Beer Container was a bit of a feature for the Expo. Piecing together various conversations with people, it wasn't particularly cheap to get it to Liverpool from their Somerset base, but it was truly welcomed. Slinging out beers left, right and centre was the order of the day, not to mention how many Gin and Tonics were shifted in the sunshine (using Wild Beer's own Sleeping Lemons Gin), it was good fun, if a little exhausting. One minor criticism (from a servers point of view) was the fobbing (for the uninitiated, foaming from the tap) of the beers, which made serving a bit of a slow process from time to time with certain beers. I really hope to see the container present again next Expo. 3. The presence of a large number of New England/East Coast Murky IPAs Rather than dredge up an argument that has been fermenting across the Atlantic in the United States (no pub intended) over whether East Coast/New England IPA is actually a style or not, the fact that so many brewers are now aping what (apparently) Alchemist started with their Heady Topper is not surprising given the amount of fruit and ease of drinking that these beers impart. There were a number of beers brewed to this style at the Expo this year, with the likes of Ad Hop, Lervig, Wild Beer, Top Rope and Black Lodge all putting these beers out over the course of the event. The best thing about it was that they were all discernibly different from one another, some more savoury in the finish, some juicier, some cleaner as less residual. It was good to see a number of beers based around one 'style' given so many levels to enjoy and not just make a beer based on throwing in as many aroma hops as physically possible. 4. The continuing dominance of Barrel Aged Imperial Stouts Judging by the enthusiasm with which some of the higher abv beers were received over the course of the Expo (admittedly, including by myself), there is still an appreciation for the style even when the weather is hotting up and the beers themselves offer huge leaps in quality and complexity to the enthusiast. AB22, 3 Bean Stout, Parabola and the Lord Smog Almighty all made some of the people I chatted to very, very excited about what was in their glass. Barrel aging of bigger, darker beers has been around for a few years now, but the push to get more complexity, smoother textures and more subtle structured beers is continuing judging by the reception and indeed, the number of these 'bigger beers' that were tapped. Anecdotally (and yes, I accept this is not the be all and end all for a study!), it seems most people's top 5 beers from the Expo this year would probably contain one if not two to three of this style. 5. The need for more food... A bit of an issue judging by the grumbling from both Expo-goers and volunteers; two food stalls wasn't really enough given the queues and minor chaos around the stalls from Friday to Saturday evening. Though the food in the main was good, there were insufficient outlets to enable people to eat without disruptive queuing (especially for volunteers) taking anywhere between 15 and 40 minutes in some cases. One big loss this year was the absence of any beer snacks (Kumar... and your Karkli where were you?!), which hopefully is something that can be remedied in time for future iterations of the Expo. 6. The weather played its part It was hot, it was sunny (aside from really weird 30 second shower on the Friday) and it helped the beers fly out to people; thirst quenchers went out when the Expo sessions kicked off, with people becoming more adventurous as they wore on. Nearly perfect weather (I prefer it to be a little cooler, plus helps keep the beers cooler for serving). 7. The breakout of new and smaller breweries The Expo always throws a curveball or two my way in terms of new breweries that I haven't heard of and beers I am yet to try. Last year, London Beer Factory rocked up at the Expo with their dispensing taxi, which was fun - their beers were actually pretty handy too. This year, the presence of Mondo Brewing and Lines was a nice addition and gave me a chance to try out some gear from breweries I had yet to read about, try their beers and have a chat with. Sadly, I didn't get round to having much interaction with Lines, but the presence of Battersea's Mondo Brewing Company was most welcome and they had some excellent brews, not least their session IPA, Little Victories, their DIPA (Sitting Bull) and the Blueberry Wit beer. Other first timers that attended, albeit more established ones, in North Brewing and Gipsy Hill provided a few talking points over the weekend too, with the latter covered a bit further down in my top ten! Lastly on this point, I would be remiss to leave out the growth of the local scene in Liverpool, with more local breweries represented than ever before at the Expo. Neptune and Chapter added to things with their own bars, along with established Expo mainstays like Black Lodge, Ad Hop and Liverpool Craft (Love Lane), whilst some other local breweries banded together under the Liverpool Beer Collective to host a bar stocked full with local brews. Great work from 3 Potts, Connoisseur Ales, Glen Affric, Melwood Beer and Top Rope over the course of the weekend! I think we can all expect things to push on a fair bit in the next twelve months from these local brewers. 8. Beery Afterparties Two main bars took the party on into the wee hours. Black Lodge Brewery was the official after party location, with Tap Takeovers on each night from Thursday to Saturday (one each from Beavertown, Firestone Walker and Kernel) at the brewery and tap - brewers from the Expo were even spotted getting behind the turntables and inciting dance riots (Dave from Wylam, I am looking at you). Dead Crafty also hosted a number of people, as they did last year, taking many Expo goers later on into the night with a number of beers from their week's festivities (hosting launches of Fourpure Juicebox and quiz, a Hawkshead Tap Takeover and a Founders loves Left Hand event). A surprise tap takeover was dropped on the premises from Sierra Nevada on the Friday, with a keg of Hoptimum (triple IPA) making its way out of the taps very, very quickly! Next year has a lot to live up to for post-expo exploits. ------------------- I did actually speak to a few people and try to see what their impressions of the Craft Beer Expo were after a period of reflection, luckily I did get some words back from a few people and this is what they thought; Richard Gormley, Liverpool Round Table: "The atmosphere and the unique venue and location. A bit different than the norm. I think the good weather helped too. It would have been a different experience if it was raining! There was a great selection of beers and other drinks to try out. We all tried something different and were spoilt for choice. The pricing isn’t too bad either. Not sure what could be improved. Would live music go down well? Different styles of music playing? I must admit I am terrible at remembering the names of the beers especially after the number we consumed but the lads did enjoy visiting the Love Lane bar and the Liverpool Beer Collective bar in the outdoor area. I did enjoy the 3 Potts Short Circuit kiwi beer and the Melwood Marmalade Skies; I seem to be going through a fruity beer phase at the moment! I thought the event was ran really well. There was a relaxed feel to the whole event with everyone enjoying themselves. I will be back for more next time!" Emma C'Ailceta and Andrew Crawford, Expo goers: "We had quite few beers from the outside area, as the weather was amazing. There was so much choice, we just didn't get round to trying as much as we would have liked, but had a few from Brewdog and from Love Lane, there was also a mango beer which totally blew us away! A few notes on the programme would have possibly been helpful in making our selections and navigating the Expo, but the atmosphere was brilliant and good natured for our session on Saturday day." Joe Rimmer, Liverpool Echo and Londis Penny Lane: "The Liverpool Craft Beer Expo was probably at its very best this year. Aided by the weather, the Saturday evening slot was great fun. As always, time seems to fly by so quickly, but isn't that the way when you're having fun. It was great to see the Expo extended further into the street, and I can only hope that it creeps further and further.. Some beer highlights were Chapter's collab with Fourpure,a celery sour. Couldn't quite get enough of that one. Fantastic to see Lervig there, a personal favourite of mine and Top Rope continue to make some cracking beers too. In terms of what could be better, maybe some more food options at better prices, wouldn't go amiss. Perhaps a little more music. Oh and less of the Prosecco. It's a Beer Expo!" Now for another list and one that you are more than entitled to disagree with if you think something has been missed out (as always, express your displeasure or otherwise below the line in the comments section!), but here are the top ten beers (that I tried) at the Liverpool Craft Beer Expo... 10. Mondo Brewing - Global Heresy v2 A blood orange saison, brewed in collaboration with Heretic Brewing from California. This was one of the first beers I managed to get my tastebuds around at the Expo and it stuck in my mind, so much so that a repeat taster was needed. Another refreshing saison that made its mark with grassy herbal notes, a lightly peppery finish and quite a bit of rich citrus along with sour and refreshing hints at the edges. There was something very satisfying about this beer, again, like many of the other top ten, there was possibly a sense of place for it at this year's Expo. 9. Beavertown - Kneadless Violence A 1.9% strength Kvass brewed from a sourdough culture yeast and infused with fennel, caraway and lemon zest, this remarkably refreshing brew is part of the Tempus Project (in collaboration with 35 bakery for wasted London). Loads of citrus on the nose, a quite complex background in the finish and a sour edge make something which raised quite a few eyebrows at the Expo. A 200 year old sourdough culture is not to be messed with lightly! 8. Blackjack Brewery - Bretted Full House DIPA A highly unusual beer here in the flavour, having tasted it initially blind (I wasn't told what it was before the sniff and taste) I thought it might have been a cider or perry, given how much character was similar to a wine (though in my defence, I did have rather a lot else to drink too beforehand!). The aromas and flavours are very citrus driven, but the mouthfeel was pretty heavy and residual along with a very wine-esque dry finish. Complex and really rewarding. Clever stuff and great use of a brettanomyces yeast, aging in red wine barrels and generous hopping. 7. Wylam - Sticky Bud DIPA Back in the Expo top ten again, Wylam make a habit of making some brilliant beers that make their way onto the taps once at a year at Constellations. This hefty double IPA is brewed using similar materials as the Magic Rock tall boys that have been doing the rounds recently, using the T90 Lupulin powder blend, but with having the back bone malt bill to stand up and make this beer really work in balance. There's loads of fruit and loads of depth and it's all a bit too easy to drink in the sunshine despite the 8.7% strength. 6. Lervig - Perler for Svin Another big and juicy 6.3% New England IPA, brewed with Azacca, Mosaic and Simcoe, Perler for Svin is a cloudy orange brew with loads of tropical fruit present in the aroma and the taste. As with many of the other pales in this top ten, it was almost perfect for the conditions at the Expo; fruity, light and only lightly residual, it was a great refreshing hop-loaded IPA without too much of a coating character. 5. Wild Beer Company - Fixer An infinitely drinkable New England IPA from Wild Beer; loads of fruit, heady tropical and juicy aromas and a lovely mouthfeel to give something which was again, perfect for the weather and the occasion and a lovely balance. I found myself drawn to the tap on a few occasions, especially when giving Wild Beer a hand on their bar. With a strength of 4.5%, it meant that it wasn't wiping you out in one or two drinks either! Solid and enjoyable work once again from the Somerset outfit. 4. Chapter Brewing vs. Fourpure - Roadside Picnic A 4.3% celery sour beer, which on the face of it sounds like quite a few people's worst nightmare. Bare with me though; this was probably the biggest surprise of the weekend, since the premise sounds quirky enough and despite the talent for such a new brewery and the unquestionable quality from Fourpure, this really was an excellent collaboration brew (as for me, around 7/10 are usually below expectation). Refreshing, tart and with a delightful savoury tang, this was absolutely spot on for the weather and the event. Bravo guys, bravo. When are the cans coming out? 3. Lervig - 3 Bean Stout A big, big stout with unbelievable depth and structure, the 3 bean stout is brewed with cocoa, Tonka bean and vanilla present and it tells, especially when used in tandem with a very competent malt bill. Expect massive amounts of chocolate, spice and coffee in the aroma, leading through to a silky and hefty body with a very pleasing finish. Incredible and a beer revisited by many, despite the strength (13%), the hefty token tax and the warm weather. 2. Gipsy Hill vs. Deya - Ramblers
A thick and very rewarding 8% Double IPA collaboration brew laced with oats and loads of late addition stateside grown hops gives something of one is frequently called a 'juicy banger' by many. What I experienced was something remarkably enjoyable to drink, having covered many bases of refreshment, good structure and complexity. The tidings that this beer is available in bottles fills me with glee if I am totally honest! 1. Firestone Walker - Parabola A beast (14.5% - wow) of a Russian Imperial stout full of coffee, chocolate, vanilla and many other elements, Parabola is an impossibly dark proposition and frequently rated amongst the best beers on the planet. It's easy to see why with the 2017 edition; aged for 12 months in Heaven Hill barrels it has a depth that is often unmatched and despite the big alcohol content and sharper notes in the stout the body remains tempered by silk and satin, it has a superb all round character from the aroma, right through the structure of the beer. Brilliant, brilliant stuff. --------------------------------------------- In summation, it was great fun once again, with some things to perhaps rectify, but a lot to enjoy and therefore a lot to probably look forward to for the sixth edition of the Expo next year. Until next time, Pedro. Into July we head and I am only just getting my April beers into your consciousness... for that there is only a shrug and an apology, given how hectic the last couple of months has actually been. The backlog of writing has come about in the main due to the Liverpool Craft Beer Expo and attending other events (including Beer Street in Southport, Gin launches, reviewing restaurants for online magazines and a few other bits and pieces). I'd say it's a hard life, but it isn't really... it's just difficult finding time to attend, cogitate and then write about everything that is going on! Anyway, I have another tidy selection of eight varied style beers to taste and convey thoughts on, just keep reading...
And that's the lot for this month, apologies that it is running a bit late - though that's price you pay for no firm deadlines and a million and one other pots boiling on the stove. Hopefully the reviews will be a little more steady in the coming months with the other articles coming along between! Pedro. |
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