BEERS

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

In Amsterdam for a couple of days with work - any craft beer recommendations?

De Prael is a microbrewery in the centre, I believe. Brouwerij IJ is highly thought of as is De Molen. Zundert and La Trappe are the dutch trappist options.

Tbh you can find Belgian beer everywhere, so apart from Texels Skuumkoppe (a nice wheatbeer), I stuck with those while I was over there. You'll find many you can't get easily in England.

Likewise the brown cafés are far and beyond a way more atmospheric and exciting than the craft beer venues.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I've used Belgium in a Box three times now, and if you max out the first tier of shipping, roughly 45 x 33cl bottles, at £11 delivery is just 25p per bottle. Which for the beers I was buying was significantly cheaper than Beerwulf.

For example, if was to buy 45 Rochefort 10s, delivered, from Beerwulf it was cost £180, BIAB would be £125, plus i could get Rochefort glasses, crates and even cheese if i was feeling fruity enough.

That's a good example but more volume than I'd want in my house, if you get what I mean.

Also, £125 / 45 is £2.70 a bottle isn't it?

I just got 16 bottles for £28.00 (inc. postage) so if you were to repeat that order 3 times you'd get 48 bottles for £84.00, albeit not Rochefort 10, but a range of decent beer.

Clearly it depends on individual needs.

[Chollis]

Been with Beer52 for about 6 months, seems to be about the extent of their selection so I'm ready to move on to some other lazy subscription service where I give them an idea and they pick the beers for me. I think I've had enough IPAs for now and want to try some Czech lager and/or Belgian stuff after reading this thread. Beerwulf/Belgium in a Box/Beers of the World is it then?

[Darles Chickens]

When I was in North Carolina with work a month back, there was a wonderful stout on tap called Dragon's Milk.



At 11%, they'd only serve it by the half. This stuff was so strong that it smelt more like a bourbon than a beer.  And then you taste it - smooth, vanilla, sweet, rich and very moreish.  It's the kind of stout you can drink so easily, you don't realise how strong it is, and after the third one it kinda hits you.

So good it's got its own webpage! https://dragonsmilk.com/

Highly recommended (if you happen to find yourself across the pond).

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

At 11%, they'd only serve it by the half.

"Two halves please"

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Been with Beer52 for about 6 months, seems to be about the extent of their selection so I'm ready to move on to some other lazy subscription service where I give them an idea and they pick the beers for me. I think I've had enough IPAs for now and want to try some Czech lager and/or Belgian stuff after reading this thread. Beerwulf/Belgium in a Box/Beers of the World is it then?

Czech Lager online is pisspoor, I wouldn't even bother trying. At best you may be able to get Primator or Bernard or tramp juice in cans. The standards (Pilsner Urquell/Budvar) are worse in bottles anyway due to being pasteurised.

There's some ok German kellerbier/wheatbeer knocking around though.

[Cuntbeaks]

That's a good example but more volume than I'd want in my house, if you get what I mean.

Also, £125 / 45 is £2.70 a bottle isn't it?

I just got 16 bottles for £28.00 (inc. postage) so if you were to repeat that order 3 times you'd get 48 bottles for £84.00, albeit not Rochefort 10, but a range of decent beer.

Clearly it depends on individual needs.

My only issue is that i can't get Aventinus on BIAB, as it's a German beer and i cant seem to source it online for amything less than £4 a pop.

Beerwulf seem to have stopped selling it altogether, when I first started using them they had them for about £2.40.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

A great shame Saveur Biere stopped shipping to the UK. I picked up a whole range of interesting stuff from them.

[mrlizard]

De Prael is a microbrewery in the centre, I believe. Brouwerij IJ is highly thought of as is De Molen. Zundert and La Trappe are the dutch trappist options.

Thanks, mate. Ended up in Arendsnest, which was very good. We finished the night with this Beast Mode Triple IPA. Lovely, but feeling it today!

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Ah yes, Arendsnest is on my hitlist.

Have tried a triple IPA before and they are as unnecessary and irrelevant as double IPAs in my view. Each one is a dull failure in comparison to the beauty of a Belgian tripel

[mrlizard]

Have tried a triple IPA before and they are as unnecessary and irrelevant as double IPAs in my view. Each one is a dull failure in comparison to the beauty of a Belgian tripel

Disagree - I've had a few cracking DIPA and TIPAs recently. All Leeds-based, as it happens.

In an absolutely terrible bar today going through e-mail, but have been accompanied by a Grimbergen Trippel. Excellent.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Oh fuck, that reminds me, I bought a kit a while back and never got round to kicking it off; I wouldn't want to take a punt on the yeast being any good now, the pouch just says 'beer yeast, pacific ale 20-25 lit'. This doesn't mean much to me, can I just buy a sachet of any old brewing yeast and replace it?

[king_tubby]

Disagree - I've had a few cracking DIPA and TIPAs recently. All Leeds-based, as it happens.

Name them!

I've just put in my first Beerwulf order. The 28 quid selection box. Only had one of them before and the other half will appreciate some of the Belgian stuff, hopefully.

[Sherringford Hovis]

Oh fuck, that reminds me, I bought a kit a while back and never got round to kicking it off; I wouldn't want to take a punt on the yeast being any good now, the pouch just says 'beer yeast, pacific ale 20-25 lit'. This doesn't mean much to me, can I just buy a sachet of any old brewing yeast and replace it?

If it's in a sealed sachet it'll probably be fine. I've used 5 year-old yeast with no problems. As long as the consistency is sandy it'll work. If it doesn't,  then there's a great yeast called Restart available everywhere that should do the trick.

[Ferris]

Oh fuck, that reminds me, I bought a kit a while back and never got round to kicking it off; I wouldn't want to take a punt on the yeast being any good now, the pouch just says 'beer yeast, pacific ale 20-25 lit'. This doesn't mean much to me, can I just buy a sachet of any old brewing yeast and replace it?

Yeah you can replace yeasts but the beer will be different. I've used old yeasts before, just made a starter to get them going first before pitching. I made a yeast starter from the gunk you get at the bottom of beer bottles with a stir plate before (for a laugh)

[Urinal Cake]

Yes you can use old yeasts but they will take longer to activate.

[New Jack]

Is making cider yourself even reasonably doable (a given it won't be at this time of year)? I live in a house with its own apple tree and they're nice small tangy apples but every sort of guide I look at makes Brew Your Own Cider look a mammoth task

[Urinal Cake]

If you want to make a few litres and experiment you should give it a shot. Best - cider, okay-cider vinegar, worst-throw it out.

[Ferris]

Is making cider yourself even reasonably doable (a given it won't be at this time of year)? I live in a house with its own apple tree and they're nice small tangy apples but every sort of guide I look at makes Brew Your Own Cider look a mammoth task

It's a piece of piss. Can DM you instructions (with what you actually need and what you don't) if you're serious.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Last time I used an old (6 months) sachet I let it brew for 3 weeks and nothing happened. My hydrometer bounced off the bottom of the bucket.

I had an immersion heater on it as well, so it wasn't too cold either.

If I use knackered yeast and nothing happens can I drop fresh yeast in?

[Urinal Cake]

Yes but obviously you risk infection from airborne yeasts etc.

[New Jack]

Cool. Well the tree isn't appling now so I'll check it out next year. Thanks for the thumbs up!

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Have tried 3 of the beers so far over the last 3 nights:

Omer Blonde - 8% strong belgian ale - Surprisingly nice, one of those beers that is better bottled than on tap. A bit of extra carbonation and fermentation perhaps? Or just plain improved it since 2013? Dunno, but I preferred it to when I had it in Belgium. Close to Tripel rather than belgian blonde on account of that rasping dry/delicate fruit balance. Nice.

Troubadour Blonde - 6.5% belgian blonde - Very faithful to the style, refreshing and plenty going on, in that beautiful sweet spot belgian ales manage.

Affligem Dubbel - 7% belgian dubbel - Wasn't expecting much here, and it does have that lack of complexity that gives away its origin as being from a macro brewery. Nevertheless, the base flavour is enjoyable to drink. Rich plum/raisiny chocolate liqueur flavour and clean aftertaste with a crisp finish, makes it easy to drink quickly, sadly.

[Calistan]

In the end we went to only three London bars: the Barley Mow, the Grapes and Seven Stars. I very much liked the Seven Stars - it was actually very easy getting a seat around ten o'clock on a Saturday but we made the mistake of sitting besides a group of quite loud lads who were harping on about Brexit and me being the token Irish in the room they roped me into their conversation. Very nice folk but I was all too sober and altogether exhausted for that right then. Still, what a pub! Lots of interesting photos and posters, a dodgy staircase and a friendly dog to pet as well. Only saw the tail end of the cat but he or she was appreciated too.

We were upstairs in the Grapes for food. Lovely small room with a view of the Thames and on the walls and menu various references to Ian McKellen. And it's the first pub I've seen to have a chalkboard in the bathroom, some interesting messages. Downstairs seemed almost as intimate as upstairs but we had no room for further beer so we plodded along the river a bit (with vague intentions of going to the Prospect of Whitby but that didn't happen) before going home. The Barley Mow was a small corner bar with nice, humble furnishing and a decent beer selection. Despite the emotionless barmaids I quite liked the place.

Yesterday we ran out of time for the Blackfriar which was a shame as from the outside it looks a wonderful place. Very saddened to miss out on it and Ye Olde Mitre.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Nice one, not sure why I didn't remember to the recommend the Grapes but sounds like a good spread of places.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

More beers

Ciney Brune - pointlessly 250ml. I quite like how charmingly old fashioned it is but Alken-Maes brew this so it's all an illusion. It's a pleasant dubbel. Very tasty but not up there with the best. Unlike blondes I think dubbels are tastier on tap..

Rebelse Strop - a cross between Orval and a tripel if you can imagine that, with your head. Some of the hoppy flavour is not my thing but it has a floaty cloudy delicious element to it. I bought it as I enjoyed Gentse Strop and it is a Gent beer I haven't had.

Bornem Blonde - little to say other than 99p a bottle in Home Bargains fucking come on

[mrpupkin]

Did the Bermondsey beer mile the other day, had some very nice ones that I can't remember the name of or where they were from, wasn't really paying attention sorry. Good fun though. All different beers and that.

Absolutely woeful post

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Btw BeerWulf have some decent Black Friday deals.

Best one is the BockBier case with 16 dark ales for £29.99. When you look at the RRPs there are decent savings on that one.

[pancreas]

Cheers. Did that and the mystery case.

[Chollis]

Bugger, I just bought a case of their Award Winners!!! a few days ago. Probably should've waited. Have only tried a couple, Blanche de Namur was fuckin lovely, as was Troubadour Blonde but both were gone in about 3 swigs. I can see this getting expensive. I think witbier is my new love, never had any cept Hoegaarden before this. Any in particular I should look out for?