Daleside Brewery – Morrocco Ale

ABV 5.5%

Nicholson’s pubs on the whole do have some unusual gems in their seasonal beer list and this is certainly one of them. This is a beer where it is easy to drink too much of it, soft spicy cinnamon taste coupled with a soft mild flavour means it feels more like a session percentage beer which it is certainly not. According to Daleside Brewery website is made according to a secret recipe from Levens Hall somewhere in Westmoreland and the recipe itself is over three hundred years old. This in itself is a reason to try it but the fact it is also an outstanding beer is the best reason.

Apparently also available in bottles but I have only tried it by pump being as it still easily available that way. It arrives a dark brown pint with a very fluffy white head which is does seem to retain to the last, the first smell and tastes are ginger with a tint of cinnamon which are softened by the toffee finish. I would call this a mild but for the spicy kick to the palate, certainly can hold it’s own against spicy foods but I feel it comes out best with Chinese dishes rather than curries.

This was a lovely pint to start the weekend with, especially coupled with the company on a slightly rainy friday evening in central London. Over a couple of pints the toffee finish increases which only serves to create the nice mellow spicy flavour to the beer which lasts nicely and makes it incrediously morish.

I would head down to your nearest Nicholsons and try it whilst it is still available, their beer menu must be ready to change over soon.

For more information: http://www.dalesidebrewery.com/morrocco.htm

A Touch Bitter?..........

According to the latest London Drinker, the brewer from the Pitstop Brewery in Stove has brewed the world's most bitter beer although this is subject to verification from the Records people. The beer called 'The Hop' has 323 international bittering units (IBUs - always wondered what that stood for and now I know) which is more than the old holder of the record 'Devil Dance Triple IPA' that has 200.

Now I can understand to a point why this was brewed possibly as a technical exercise to see it could be done (the article mentions it was a result as a challenge from the brewer's pal) but surely no-one really enjoys drinking things this bitter? To me it comes across a beer which even if it gets on a 'Must Try before You Die' list will only be drunk as conversational piece or rather that is to say so that the drinker can boast they have drunk it. I can't imagine it being recommended on taste to prospective drinkers or may be that's just me?

I also have a question that does it count if the hop extract Isolone is used as it is bitter, surely the bitterness should come from the hops used not an extract. I know this probably does show my ignorance about brewing but to question is how you learn. Meanwhile I will hit the books and see if I get the answer that way.

June's Jolly Brews

Time has come again for a brief round-up of gorgeous beers that are only available for June;

Kelham Brewery’s Parklife 4%
Loddon Brewery’s Summer Snowflake 4.1%
Rebellion Brewery’s Green Shoots 4.4%
Matthew Brewing Company’s Midsomer Pale 4.5%
Tom Wood’s Brewery’s Fathers Pride 4.5%
Hook Norton Brewery’s Cotswold Lion 4.2%
Fullers’ Mr Harry 4.8%
Darkstar Brewery’s Summer Solstice 4.2%

Rebellion I see also do a beer called Zebedee, same name as one of my cats…Must see if they do this as a bottle for cat & beer photo op! Plus the little drinker will no doubt try and stick his nose into the glass. Ah the fun of the Spring/Summer months where glasses are at the right height for your pet to nab some.

Cats aside, I note my beer and running diet is coming along rather well. Just need to find a stockist for the dress I want.

Bank Holiday Weekend

It has been a lovely weekend for both good company and good beer so far.

Firstly I have now tried Darkstar's Victorian Ruby Mild which I was hoping to find, lovely delicate flavour, not quite Sarah Hughes' Ruby Mild but very good in it's own right and well worth hunting down. However the star of the day was their Imperial Stout which I spotted on the shelf at the Traf in South Wimbledon. Wonderfully morish treacly texture and taste with a dangerous untasteable abv of 10.5

It pours beautifully with a fine creamy head with tapers off to a fine lacing half way though the pint. The treacly liquorice flavour comes though on the nose too, making it a highly satifying drink. I won't say pint as it available in dinky bottles not pints but that is for good reasons.

Sunday was spend in Putney mainly at the Bricklayer's Arms enjoying the good selection of Timothy Taylor beers and the guest beers which included Skinner's Betty Sloggs, FFF Brewery's Pressed Rat & Warthog and Alton's Pride and there was the Sambrook's Wandle.

Ram Tam was in great form as was the Dark Mild both lovely pints for a Warm Spring day. Golden Best was enjoyable but I think it would be nicer on a Summer's evening as a refreshing pint, but this one is rarely seen outside Tim Taylor's own pubs. Landlord is one of finest beers (and a favour of mine) but I do find it a shame that it is the only one you see about especially when they do other really cracking beers.

Even though I personally don't like the Sambrook's beers I have to admit they are doing really well at expanding. My partner enjoys a pint of their beers and for him it is nice to see them widely available in more pubs rather than the select one or two. Which reminds me I will have to book a brewery tour at some stage for him.

Due South

Paul Heaton from the Beautiful South is doing a three week 1,000-mile bicycle tour for the Pedals & Beer Pumps Tour 2010. This tour was created partly for Heaton's love of cycling and to highlight the decline of the pub.

The full article from the Times is here:http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article7125344.ece

Interestingly this also may show the difficulties involved in paying in pubs nowadays thanks to certain rules as I am sure during this tour he will meet other musicians and landlords who will discuss the problems of being able to have live music in their pub.

The article does show that far from a publicity stunt this guy does know what he is talking about, I admit I wasn't keen on the Beautiful South nor it's singer but he doesn't seem the idiot I thought he was.

Quote:
If the Pedals & Beer Pumps Tour 2010 achieves anything, it will be “just to get a spark going. How are we gonna outwit Tesco’s or Sainsbury’s? Well, they can’t have a band playing in there. But the Three Horseshoes in Radnage can have me.”

Pubs do not have to be a cheap supermarket to attract customers back from cheap deals but places that are relaxing and interesting for people to go too. I enjoy a quiet pint but I also enjoy sitting in a pub with a pint watching/listening to a band or singer, variety is the key here.

What the Heck have I done?

A friend of mine has been running for some time and I admire this, especially the get and go required for early morning runs in rain, sleet and snow. So on her suggestion about about running I thought I would have a go.

Well 5am is a very peaceful time, just you and the odd cat and fox are around, plus side to this is that foxes and cats don't tend to point and laughter at a very unfit runner heaving herself around the estate. Downside.... well it is 5am in the morning.

Emboldened by the relative success of my run (ie I managed to run half a mile) I promptly signed up for the Adidas Women's Challenge in September. So I have to get from half a mile coughing and spluttering to running just over three miles in what I hope will be a smooth effortless style by then.

Oh dear.

May's Marvels

Thanks to CAMRA this month is Mild May, where hopefully more pubs will have at least one mild available for folks to try. I do like milds so I am looking forward to trying some new ones. However they do vary in ABV so be warned, for example Darkstar’s one which is noted below and Sarah Hugh’s Ruby Mild are 6%-ers. So remember to check the pump clip!

This is my usual small round up of some of the monthly offerings that are available this month;

Little Valley Brewery’s Queen Bee 4.5%
Harvey’s Knots of May 3.0%
Brakspears’ Pavilion Ale 4.0%
Loddon Brewery’s Wilfred’s Mild 3.6%
Darkstar’s Victorian Ruby Mild 6.0%
Cotleigh Brewery’s Nutcracker 3.4%

Hopefully Mild May will encourage the brewing of different beers with varying abv's rather than everything sticking at the 5% mark.