BEERS #2 - Beyond the Pale

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

Off the drink for a month or so. Still wake up with massive headaches anyway so it's not like I'm really benefiting but I did have a non alcoholic milk stout the other day and it was surprisingly alright.

Got an imperial stout waiting for Christmas though and of course this starts a new fucking page

[Ferris]

Don't worry, I'll write up an esoteric review of a mediocre Nova Scotian brown ale in a sec then we'll really be cooking.

[JaDanketies]

think I'm gonna knock it on the head after new years, and then I can book in an appointment with a GP and say "see, my liver hormones and cholesterol are normal, it's your fuckin testing machines what are alcoholics"

[Chedney Honks]

I managed to get hold of not only a couple of the Schlenkerla Urbock but also a couple of these Doppelbocks. I'm gonna have them with the Everton game and report back. Really love the rauch at the moment, very Christmassy and carcinogenic.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

That one is intense. Personally i couldn't have it without food. Rye bread, mustard, onions, black pudding or charred sausages.

The fact it comes in a 500ml bottle is.. basically.. Funny.

[Chedney Honks]

Crikey. That sounds robust. I've got a great shard of parmesan out of some hamper so maybe I'll dip that in a jar of wholegrain mustard. Sounds like a bruiser. Gonna watch Jackie Chan's Meals On Wheels and get stuck in. Go 'ead, Jackie, lad!

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

It's a cannonball. Big time smoke bomb.

[Chedney Honks]

Having tried it, I definitely agree that it's heavy on the smoke but it seems more balanced than the Marzen despite that. There's much more depth of flavour to it with the dark dried fruits and herbs and so the smoke seems more nuanced and melds nicely. It's kind of like how the Ardbeg Uigeadail is a peat beast but it's also salty and packed with sherry giving you much more at any one moment, compared to the Ardbeg 10 which is probably less peaty but with fewer notes overall, so the smoke is more dominant. I still like the Weizen best but this is a close second.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Good news is my beers from Pivovar Olesna have arrived. A shipment containing 4 of their range.




Starting with:

Malkovský ležák 12° (4.8%) - Pale Lager/Svetly Lezak
Pivovar Olesna, Olesna

If you're out anywhere in Czechia which serves unusual brands and unsure what to get, ordering a 'dvanactka' or '12' gets you a premium lager. Not Stella, San Miguel, Kronenbourg, but a beer made with real love and care by enthusiasts. If you're concerned, 12 signifies not % abv (although confusingly you do sometimes see it displayed with a %) but degrees on the plato scale.

From what I gather, Pivovar Olesna are a craft scene inspired brewery with a range of ales (1 of which I did actually select, so hold tight), but it's normal out there that any experimental styles will be complimented with at least 1 Svetly Lezak, what is basically the benchmark of brewing and in general a lynchpin when it comes to reputation both domestic and abroad. British brewers can get away with 100% American styles nowadays, indeed it would barely pass a mention, but the Czechs definitely can't (though I did read today about a purely Belgian/Dutch-style brewery Svihov opening up in Prague).

I expected this one might have a hint of 'craftyness' and I wasn't wrong when the aroma of fresh citric hops hit me from the glass, or the initial bracing bitterness. For me I think it goes just too far over the edge for a lager, more so than those hoppy citric Zwickl biers phes bought, but, to be fair, as I went along I found the other elements that compliment this style - unfiltered tang and spicey quality along with a thicker consistent texture - helped shape it into something that was pretty drinkable and I found myself more disposed to it at the end than at the beginning, which is certainly the right way around. It's not as though it was bad, the Cvikov Klic 12 from the previous pages was just that good it could never compare.

Your Rating: *** and a half

[Norton Canes]

Halfway though my Hier-Gibts-Bier.de consignment now, sorry would have been posting tasting notes but I genuinely don't have that ability to translate subtle tastes into abstract description. I will say though that I've just drunk the Scherdel Zoigl (Shoulders: 7.5/10 'Similar to a pale kellerbier but a little more spicy and thick. Nice but not a standout') and it had a fantastic warming butteriness with a gentle hint of... ash. Yeah, sorry. Told you I couldn't do tasting notes.

Anyway, one thing I did mean to post was this picture:



Just for the labels, I love them. They look so historic. You can tell instantly it's heritage beer (sorry, I hate the word 'heritage' when it's applied to shallow crap in this country, but in the case of traditional German beers it seems eminently appropriate) because from a design perspective, these labels are awful. If this was craft beer the breweries would have had agencies on them in seconds, turning the labels into nightmarish hipster creations. But the labels don't matter, because the quality of the product is so good.

[phes]

Edit: sorry, too quick out of the blocks. Seen subsequent posts

Fuck. I'll have a look.

Edit - yep, just logged into my account, they no longer offer UK shipping.

Thanks Nigel, thanks Boris. It's over.

If you need the most reasonable UK alternatives for interesting German beers please try House of Trembling Madness or Beers of Europe.

Any word on this? Are you sure it wasn't COVID related?

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Mahrs aU and Scherdel Zoigl have pretty decent labels in my opinion, striking a balance of old and new elements.

Also retro labelling is really starting to catch on. Ome of many examples I can give, Pilsner Urquell do a 4 x 500ml pack with historic can designs on.

[Jerzy Bondov]

Well well well, I ordered some a few of each Vinohradsky Pivovar joint from Trembling Madness at about 3pm yesterday, not expecting to have them in time for Christmas at all, and they just arrived. Some service. I'm in Cornwall and they're in York so it's not like I'm just down the road either. Thanks Shoulders for the tips, and the thread, cheers and merry Christmas

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Yowzers that's incredible service.

I really rate the 12 and the 13 Jantarova, genuinely lovely lagers.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I received a 'Gulden Draak Brewmasters Edition' and enjoyed that last night. 10.5%, faint whiskey notes, boozy, amber. Good suppin'. Only subtly different from the normal Gulden Draak though.

[hummingofevil]

Picked up a 75cl bottle of Lambiek Fabriek's Oude Kriek Jart-elle. It is £17 a bottle at 6% but I am impressed. It's cherry but in dry and subtle and not a big fruity hit. Could probably do with a bit more of an aroma but it's no worse than the Cantillion to me so given their 70cls are now pushing £25 a bottle a decent alternative.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Can't compete with that but I tried Duchess de Bourgogne Cherry for the first time and they've really nailed it.

It's still got the normal Duchess depth of flavour, oaky, balsamic sour brown ale, and the kind of luscious richness Kasteel Rouge has.

The most all out balls to the wall fruity cherry beer I've had was De Ranke Kriek. Can recommend that.

[Ferris]

Garrison Brewery has started emptying their vaults for reasons unexplained. Had a stout from 2015 which was very toasty. Still had that sharpness that I like in a stout (rather than the malty chewy thing which is a bit old hat I reckon).

Very nice it was too.

[JaDanketies]

massive reduction in alcohol intake incoming. Two or three pints a day, and then maybe five once a week, is like 50 units a week, which is waaayayy into dangerous drinking territory. I used to want to be a functional alcoholic like Christopher Hitchens but now I want to beat my dad and die at an older age than 64. I can tick off 'functional alcoholic' on the lifegoal list.

[hummingofevil]

Can't compete with that but I tried Duchess de Bourgogne Cherry for the first time and they've really nailed it.

It's still got the normal Duchess depth of flavour, oaky, balsamic sour brown ale, and the kind of luscious richness Kasteel Rouge has.

The most all out balls to the wall fruity cherry beer I've had was De Ranke Kriek. Can recommend that.

Nice. Will keep eye out. A whole load of new Helles have appeared up here in Toon in last few weeks so will grab some for tomorrow. I remember drinking through the De Ranke stuff in Le Coq in Brussels. Oh to return.... one day. :)

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I really like Le Coq, a kind of old-school version of Moeder Lambic down the road. Long narrow room, simple furnishings, oodles of beer.

On the subject of Brussels pubs, the historic A la mort subite and Brasserie Verschueren are in massive financial trouble due to Covid (most likely many others are but these are in dire trouble).

It does bring into focus how some pubs across Europe should be protected cultural landmarks. It reminds me of the Barcelona council bailing out Bar Marsella (200 year old literary absinth bohemian hangout). But mostly that won't happen. Tony Benn's words ring in my ears, the price of everything, the value of nothing.

I would go further than just bailouts, any preserved interiors and assets of community value should either be rent capped at a commercially viable level or compulsorily purchased if there's an obstructive freeholder. Someone's ownership of a building is not more important than what has gone on, what does go on, what will go on inside it.

[Junket Pumper]

I really like Le Coq

I bet you do you dirty bollocks

[Junket Pumper]

Birra Moretti La Rossa is one of the tastiest beers I've ever had, but unavailable in the UK as far as I can tell. It was everywhere in Italy, including McDonald's so I might have to move there.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Oh yes, Doppio Malto, beloved of the Italians.

In fairness if you like red ale there are far worse places to go than Italy. It's probably their biggest ongoing contribution, outside of some pathetic attempt to make 'Italian Pilsner' a thing.

All I'll say is if you like that one then there's a world of even greater pleasure out there

[Junket Pumper]

Oh yes, Doppio Malto, beloved of the Italians.

In fairness if you like red ale there are far worse places to go than Italy. It's probably their biggest ongoing contribution, outside of some pathetic attempt to make 'Italian Pilsner' a thing.

All I'll say is if you like that one then there's a world of even greater pleasure out there

Weirdly enough, that's the only one of its kind I like. I tried loads more in Italy but they didn't click. Dark ale just looks and tastes like a hangover to me so I usually go for lighter looking stuff.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Purpose of its existence is two-fold: 1) trying to tempt people who like pale lager and trust the brand Moretti into trying other styles 2) trying to get people who like craft beer and don't rate their lager (rightly so, it's shit) to try their craft spinoffs.

Obviously the underlying purpose is money but yeah yeah, that's the idea at least.

This seems to be a pretty clear modus operandi across Europe with mixed results.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

BrewDog owner now offering his bars as vaccination sites. Such a fucking crawling opportunistic cunt.

[hummingofevil]

I bet you do you dirty bollocks

Ha ha. I know you joke but it is a total gem. I was drinking in the posh Moerder Lambic at Place Fontainas and got chatting with woman at bar who was clearly a beer nerd but skint as fuck. I was chatting in my terrible intermediate French with her and she told me she could understand me but my vowel sounds were shite. The deal was I bought her drinks and she would teach me the lingo for the night. A few triples in and we were repeating the a, o, u, au, ou, eus; I've not laughed so hard in my life!!!. She said we should move on to a "proper brown cafe" and took me right into middle of city to Le Coq. When we arrived she vanished into her friends (fine by me as all she asked me about was my fiancé) and left me to drink alone with the very fluent in English barman who used fuck as verb, noun and adjective. A brilliant evening. I love Belgium and Belgians.

[Calistan]

https://imageshack.com/i/poQB0Zkuj


My Trembling Madness order came (one mistake was them sending me a Guinness export stout instead of a half pint glass but the surprise Wham bar compensates a bit). Very much enjoyed the Winter Bock and the Hommel Bier.

[Jerzy Bondov]

Happy to concur with Shoulders' report that the 13 from Vinohradsky Pinovar is very very very good indeed, enjoy :-)