Cheese and Beers

Beer at the Victoria.

I havwe mainly been drinking Dawkins Brass Knocker, a blonde hoppy beer, but due to worldwide shortages of Cascade hops (of something) that's off at the moment.  Last night I had a coupld of pints of Dawkins 66.  Sold as their Best Bitter, I wasn't that keen on the idea - I prefer something with a bit more of a bite than the run-of-the-mill best.  So I drank it, and I liked it.  Darker, and a bit richer, than my usual tipple, it has sufficient depth and bite to be interesting.
Talking about interesting beers:  Darkstar Smoked Porter. Nom.  Available at the Victoria for the next few days, this isn't really a Porter (it's more a red), but it has the savoury tang with the maltiness of a great smoked beer.  Well worth a try.

Infrequent postings.

When I started this cheese and beer blog, I had this grand idea that I was going to be writing up every new beer I drank.  It hasn't quite worked out that way, but hey.

In the last few months I have been sticking close to home - or work.  I have drunk in Cosies, a place which is more for the lager crowd than real ale, they only have one ale on at a time, and it's a traditional dark bitter.  Not my cup of tea.

I've also been to the canteen a fair bit - there's something nice about sitting out on the terrace, next to the traffic of the CHeltenham Road, and watching the people go by.  They serve Bristol Beer Factory ales, and I particularly like the Acer and Sunrise.

Service at the Watershed seems to have improved, but I don't go there much anymore - I'm more likely to be found in the Bank Tavern, where they do not have a regular brewery supplier, let alone a regular ale.  The beers change all the time, but my favourites in a while have been Jaipur (I forget the brewery) and Charger from St Georges.

Most often I'm to be fouind in the Victoria, and Dawkins have extended their range in interesting ways.  Brass Knocker remains a superior ale in my view, but Juno - a wheat beer with elderflower flavours; Citra Bullett - with two hops, a lovely bitterness and citrus flavours; and the Mumbai PA have all stood out.

I promise, I will try and write more here soon, but price increases have contributed to me cutting down on my consumption(I am open to sponsorship??)

Beers wot I have drunk in NJ & Pa.

While I have been here, I have had anumber of the local brews, from microbreweries.  These tend to be somewhat stronger than the standard UK ale, and also richer and hoppier.  In no particular order:

Extra Special Ale - Yards Brewing Company, Philadelphia, Pa.  This beer, at 6.0%, actually tastes wekaer than that, and is the closest I have come to a traditional English Bitter. Nice, but nothing particularly special.  (see http://www.yardsbrewing.com/)

India Pale Ale - Yards Brewing Company, Philadelphia, Pa. I was thrown by the furled Union Flag on the label. A malty, hoppy, 7.0%, much richer, but still refreshing. IPA seems to be a common style here. (see http://www.yardsbrewing.com/)

Stovepipe Porter - Otter Creek Brewing, Middlebury, Vermont (not really local, but hey) - a good rich dark beer, classic hoppy porter, this was probably the weakest real beer I have drunk here at only 4.4% (Pabst and Budweiser don't count; see http://www.ottercreekbrewing.com/).

Extra Pale Ale - Flying Fish Brewery, Cherry Hill, NJ. Not too strong at 4.8%, this is a tasty beer with a range of malt and hops flavours.  Flying Fish are the largest craft brewer in New Jersey.  (see http://www.flyingfish.com/beers/extra_pale_ale.html).

ESB Amber Ale - Flying Fish Brewery, Cherry Hill, NJ. Based on the traditional English premium bitter but with an American twist; at 5.5%, not too strong (see http://www.flyingfish.com/beers/esb_ale.html).

Hop Hazard - River Horse Brewing Co, Lambertville, NJ. Intensely hoppy, pale ale. Nice, strong flavours.  At 6.5%, fairly strong.  (see http://www.riverhorse.com/).

Indian Brown Ale - Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Delaware. A dark, rich, strong beer, 7.2%. (see http://www.dogfish.com).

60 minute IPA - Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Delaware. Continuously hopped over a 60 minute boil, this beer has a rich citrus and malt flavour.  I didn't try the 90 or 120 minute versions. (see http://www.dogfish.com).

All of these were drunk in 12 fl oz bottles.  Hopefully we'll be able to get some of them at the Three Tuns soon??? 

The Fork 50 - are they the best?

Given the chance, would you add any restaurants to the "Fork 50", a list of the top restaurants in the South West which was published in June or July this year?  Interestingly, the list doesn't include any restaurants in Cornwall, though Devon is represented; this means that none of Rick Stein's seafood emporia are on it. Also, the River Cottage Canteen in on the list, but not the main restaurant - and there's nothing in Dorset. hm, interesting.

Any thoughts on this in the comments or on twitter please.

3 beers, 3 pubs.

Brew Dog are known for pushing the limits, both in terms of flavour and of good sense. Their range is chocablock with beers with silly strength, such as the 18% Tokyo Stout, the 32% Tactical Nuclear Penguin, and the ridiculous 41% Sink the Bismarck. 
Thankfully, all of these are rare to the point of unobtainable, and the brew Dog beers available to us on draft are, like the Edge I had at the Victoria on Tuesday, a much more sensible strength, in this case, 3.8%. This is a dark, nutty, Mild style beer, with a beautiful flavour and a full malty finish. Recommended!

I followed that with a Doombar at the Alma Tavern Theatre pub. The pub is nice, but I'm afraid to say that their beer range is not to my taste. I found the Doombar, which is often found in the pubs of Bristol, to be cloying, sickly, and, to my taste, just a little too sweet. I won't be having that again.

When I finally made it to the Kings Arms at the top of Blackboy Hill, I was ready for another pint.  I was treating this visit as a dry run for the #Bristweetdrinks next week, and wanted to check on their ale selection. I had a pint of Otter, from the Ottery St Mary Brewery, which was well kept and pleasant. I'm not particularly a fan of the best-bitter style, but this was ok.

Jolly Jack 15 Hop @ The Three Tuns.

Last night was the opening of the Three Tun in Hotwells under the management of Ned and Arbor Ales, and I went down there to sample the ales with Andy. I got there at about quarter past six, by which point the only free beer left was the Plain Ales Innocent, a pale brown, fairly hoppy, pint which went down well.  I was a little disappointed to have missed the Brew Dog 5 am Saint, but it was an opportunity to try a new beer. While I drank that, I was intrigued by some novel equipment I could see: a vertical tube, filled with hops was positioned at the end of the bar. It turned out that Arbor's Jolly Jack 15 Hop was given it's final kick by being drawn through this tube. This made tasting the beer a must. Another mid brown ale, to say that it was hoppy would be an understatement.  While I like a hoppy beer, and enjoyed the flavour of this one, I would recommend drinking only a half of such richly hopped brews; not because of the alcoholic strength, but because of the richness of flavour. More than twelve hours later, the hops are still repeating on me. Andy had a Saltaire Hazelnut Porter, a lovely pint that tasted of chocolate and nuts. We followed those with a bitter whose name I forget.
The pub consists of large room at the front and a smaller area to one side of the bar; I'm not sure whether there is a garden, as I couldn't get through the crowds. If the range of beers available last night, the number of people in the pub, and the speed of service are anything to go by, Ned is on to a winner in the new pub, and I wish him all the best for the awards season in the spring.

Dawkins Scorpio at the Hillgrove Celestial Beer Festival.

Ned loves a complex flavoured beer, and he is going for it in spades with this beer.  Brewed using six malts and four hops, this imperial IPA is very dark, and 7%. It is a nice rich drink, almost a stout, though, for my taste, it may be a little too sweet - which is probably just as well, given the strength.

Burton bridge Stairway to Heaven at the Hillgrove Celestial Beer Festival.

This golden 5% beer is slightly sweet with a bitter finish, though not too hoppy and light on the malts. This is another nice ummer ale, with some complexity in the flavour.
At this stage, I want to comment on the photos - the flash glares on the glass, and so I will try and take shots without the flash in future.  Do you think I should include the phtos or not?

Black Hole Supa Nova at the Hillgrove Celestial Beer Festival.

This 6% beer is a smooth and clear drink, with a flavour of the German Alt beers, but is a bit weak on the finish.  I would say that the Arbor has more body and complexity, though this remains a fine drink.

Arbor Ales Arborealis at the Hillgrove Celestial Beer Festival.

As you may guess from the photo, at this stage I decided to pace myself.  I went for the Arbor Ales Arborealis, a blonde beer, at first with a touch of sweetness, followed by a good rich hoppy taste. This 5% beer is a good addition to the range of single-hopped summer ales produced by Arbor recently.