BEERS #2 - Beyond the Pale

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Quite citric/sherbert smell on Three Swords, I thought? Maybe that turns people off, dunno. Can't be a big thing as it's so popular. The brewmaster of it is a local legend, I understand.

Really far down my list of go to beers (although it was, through no other option existing, my first post lockdown pint). It is better than the frankly rancid Kirkstall Pale.

Dissolution is a thing of beauty at its best, sad to hear it wasn't on form.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Kostritzer Kellerbier is nothing to write home about by Framconio standards, in fact it's quite an odd one compared to the average, but wow, it's on tap in Bristol at Llandoger Trow along with Rothaus Marzen and Krausened Budvar. By UK standards doing well for lager choice there.

[Paul Calf]

Can anyone recommend a good session ale?

[phes]

Saltaire and Ilkley both do some fair session strength beers that straddle real ale/craft beer and can be found in supermarkets 3 for £5. Landlord is in most places and is good

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Some decent cask bitters I've had recently:

Beartown - Skinful
Skinners - Betty Stogs
Selby - Selby Bitter
Lancaster - Red
Wye Valley - Butty Bach (more of a pale)
Daleside Bitter

General hall of famers:

Phipps - Cobbler's Pale
The Village Brewer - White Boar Bitter
Bateman's XB
Purity - Pure Ubu
Moorhouse's Premier
Coniston - Bluebird
Hawkshead - Hawkshead Bitter
Barngates - Tag Lag
Hook Norton - Hooky
Great Newsome - Frothingham Best
Goose Eye - Barmpot
Saltaire - Titus
Otter - Otter Bitter
Purple Moose - Glaslyn
Harvey's - Sussex Best
Settle - Settle Mainline
Bath Ales - Gem
Dark Horse - Craven Bitter

Difficult to know what to recommend if you're thinking bottles rather than cask ales as they change character so significantly as to be near pointless to say.

[holyzombiejesus]

Step-dad has retired and my mum says I have to send him some beers. He likes the general Heart & Soul/ Virtuous/ HighWire type stuff. Is there anywhere that will deliver a load of this type of stuff that has an introductory offer on?

[Jerzy Bondov]

Tell him he's a fucking prick and send him a box of rauchbier

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I can recommend Dark Steering from Whiplash, an Irish Schwarzbier doing the rounds in craft bars and bottleshops.

[TrenterPercenter]

Sorry got a question best mates 40th is on the horizon and was going to get him a nice bottle of whisky anybody got any good shouts would preferably want something smooth as fuck if possible rather than peat madness - what you got for me pissheads?

[Chedney Honks]

Nikka From The Barrel

Bottle looks swagged out. Delicious stuff. Weeb kudos.

[TrenterPercenter]

Nikka From The Barrel

Bottle looks swagged out. Delicious stuff. Weeb kudos.

Is it good; often looked at this but heard it was a bit harsh.

Also anyone got any good recommendation for a nice rum? (less urgent).

[Chedney Honks]

It's very well balanced so I don't recognise harsh, but it is 51% so you need to let it open up. Most whisky drinkers are used to 40-43%, of course, and you won't please everyone. It's always my recommendation for a gift because it's very drinkable but quite complex and full of flavour. It also comes in a smart 50ml bottle so while it's relatively expensive per ml, you'll spend similar to a good 75ml bottle.

[TrenterPercenter]

yeah I love the bottle so can see it's gift appeal; this lad isn't a big drinker but loves a dram.  It is the higher ABV that makes me worry about after burn.

[Paul Calf]

It's not a crime to add a bit of water to unlock the cask-strength expressions.

[TrenterPercenter]

It's not a crime to add a bit of water to unlock the cask-strength expressions.

Hardly a crime it is what you are meant to do I have a big Scottish contingent in my family so I've been raised on whisky and water.  My concerns are really about it just not being very good I was once quite dazzled by the exoticness of Japanese whisky but you can get better drams for your buck in the Scottish single malts and especially now a lot of the Japanese stuff is massively over-priced (£135 for Yamazaki 12, I mean it is good but not £135 good).

That being said this is his present and he will appreciate the coolness factor of the NFTB presentation and exclusiveness of it being Japanese so I've just ordered a bottle.  I've also ordered a bottle of 7 your old independently bottled Ben Nevis as we've both been up there a few times.  Will decide which one to keep and which one to share over the next week.

Thanks Cheds - good shout all in all!

[Chedney Honks]

Nice one, hope he enjoys whichever he ends up with. I'm sure they'll both go down well.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Smithfield Tavern in Manchester have Blackjack's new Pilsner which is brewed with Lubelksie hops and is Czech style.

It just needs a pour from a sidepull Lukr tap by a grumpy mute Czech vycepni and I would swear to the heavens it was Czech. Impressed.

Great drying 12° svetly lezak quality, with perhaps a bit more citrus/juice from the choice of hops vs a straight up Saaz lager.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

https://twitter.com/feraheather/status/1422241079047462914?s=19

More classic BrewDog

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

https://punchdrink.com/articles/czech-beer-lost-and-found-threes-brewing-indelible-schilling-torch-crown/

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Haha, I was just thinking of this BrewDog marketing spiel from 2013:

This is not a lowest common denominator beer.

This is an aggressive beer.

We don't care if you don't like it.

We do not merely aspire to the proclaimed heady heights of conformity through neutrality and blandness.

It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to appreciate the depth, character and quality of this premium craft brewed beer.

You probably don't even care that this rebellious little beer contains no preservatives or additives and uses only the finest fresh natural ingredients.

Just go back to drinking your mass marketed, bland, cheaply made watered down lager, and close the door behind you.

BrewDog: Beer for Punks.

BrewDog is about breaking rules, taking risks, upsetting trends and unsettling institutions but first and foremost, great tasting beer

Now it's 2021...

[thugler]

https://twitter.com/feraheather/status/1422241079047462914?s=19

More classic BrewDog

It's not wholly unsurprising that they are using artificial grass and low maintenance plant growing etc. Real turf is going to get fucked up by the clientele in about a week and will require tons of care. Since it's basically a bar/restaurant this is not a big surprise. A quick google indicates the grass is reusable and lasts for 10-12 years anyway. I don't see how how these criticisms could not be made of virtually any project in a similar vein. Brewdog is a dumb company that makes horrible beer and is pretty dishonest about a lot of it's ethical practices etc. But I don't see the point of decrying everything they do because it's not a perfect example of ethical and environmental practice. I'm sure some decisions could have been better but the expectations this person has for what the site is being used for are completely unrealistic, and the carbon negative thing (while entirely done for marketing reasons) is a good thing to do. 

[WhoMe]

Lervig Orange Velvet - 'Lactose IPA' with vanilla and tangerine notes. 5.5%. Drinking it now, really bloody nice.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

If anyone wants to join a group just to drool, Wir Lieben Bier Aus Franken on Facebook has a healthy 31k membership and the general standard of chat is so much higher than Belgian Beer Board or Czech Beer Fan Club which have people posting a pint of Staropramen with 'nice drop' all the time.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Tried the Fond Tradition Gueuze at home last night. (Aka St Louis Gueuze by Van Honsebrouck). It has had a rebrand to look a bit more specialist.

It had been in the cupboard for about 7 months, but really there was no point. This was to crack open and consume rather than age.

Seems odd to say for a specialist style but it's really an everyday drink. Nicely balanced, sweet and sour with only a hint of the musty, dusty dryness that Oud Beersel and Cantillon have, yet more complex than the bottom end of the range. Probably better than Lindemans appley standard Gueuze, Timmermans Oude Gueuze and comfortably better than Belle Vue and Mort Subite.

At 5% abv it's not challenging in terms of booziness either. Basically a lovely drink to get stuck into with enough going on to savour. I reckon they've messed up the branding here and should be positioning this as the number 1 every day gueuze in Belgium. 250ml bottles for €3 kinda thing.

For my birthday my partner got me (re: us) a 750ml bottle of Rodenbach Vintage 2016. I've never had any of the Vintage series so already managing a semi at the prospect

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Probably just relevant for Leeds and Bradford area folks but I was surprised by how good The Fox and also Fanny's in Shipley are.

I am about 30 mins walk from Kirkstall Forge so in summer it's a pleasant walk to catch the train out there. The community in the Fox is really great, just not something you get in Leeds. Both have good ales but the Fox is also ahead on that front too. Fannys is a beautiful venue though. Definitely recommend either.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

https://twitter.com/JohnCon60461854/status/1425406231427141637?s=19

[phes]

fuck yes I'm apparently The Dude Switzerland as someone who drinks lager in summer and ale in winter

https://twitter.com/HillyTheFish/status/1425407996876759045?s=20

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Hah, it's almost as though quite a lot firmly camped on either side of the fence are just straight out ill-informed and see that as part of their beer liking identity.

The sneery dislike for lager is prominent in both craft ale and real ale scenes, while mainstream lager drinkers who say ale tastes like farts or whatever are frequently just ultra-conservative dullards who were raised on it and scared of new things.

Glad to say there has been more improvement and work towards knocking that fence down in the last 10 years than ever.

It was inevitable that with craft beer drinkers constantly looking for the next flavour sensation it would come back to lager and some brewers would bring back the best lager styles well. I really hope some of it rubs off on pisslager fans.

[Chedney Honks]

I am simply cunt crazy for lager these days but I'll drink anything 😂😂😂

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Shit, they crossed the streams!

Frisky Bear - Resistance Is Futile
Strong German Pilsner
On cask

Haven't bought that, morbid curiosity isn't enough.