BEERS #2 - Beyond the Pale

[thugler]

Went to the beer aisle of morrisons for first time, fucking hell. 700 different products on one shelf, all with really stupid name like Disco Forklift Truck, Cross the Rubicon and Chimpy Fingers.

Don't get it.

All hoppy IPA's as well I expect

[bgmnts]

Describe a beer aisle that would put you at ease.

Less choice, fewer stupid names, nicer bottles.

[thugler]

Less choice, fewer stupid names, nicer bottles.

This. What's the point of stocking a million identical cans of average to poor hoppy IPA plastered in wacky marketing and not a great deal else. Better to have a wider selection of really good stuff.

[phes]

This. What's the point of stocking a million identical cans of average to poor hoppy IPA plastered in wacky marketing and not a great deal else. Better to have a wider selection of really good stuff.

It's exactly what they've been doing with lager and ale for as long as I can remember. On the whole (complaints about a drop off in German beers aside) there hasn't ever been a better time to buy beer in a British supermarket. You just have to sift through explosion of pale, hoppy rubbish to find it. If the rubbish is that easy to identify, what's the problem?

Marks and Spencer seem to be doing a reasonable  job of selecting their hoppy IPA'y stuff. Magic Rock and Mikeller have continued making good beer and Beavertowns is acceptable. Apart from the new Bloody 'Ell, which is an atrocity

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

This. What's the point of stocking a million identical cans of average to poor hoppy IPA plastered in wacky marketing and not a great deal else. Better to have a wider selection of really good stuff.

I appreciate not everyone has the same Morrisons but from the two I visit I think their choice is wide and covers a lot of bases.

Before you even get to the haze-cans, IPAs, sours etc there's:

- At least 10 brands of very standard lager in boxes and small bottles
- 15-20 brands of premium lager in big bottles (Budvar, Pilsner, Krombacher, Peroni etc)
- A big row of maybe 50+ traditional English ales in 500ml bottles, so bitter, golden ale, old fashion pale ale, dark ale, stout, porter, ruby etc
- A 'Yorkshire' section (yours may have a different one) of local breweries, so a mix of trad and new styles.
- A least 3 German wheatbeers and a few rows of Belgian beers of about 10 different styles.

What is a wide selection of really good stuff in your opinion? I've visited specialist bottle shops which had no better selection than that.

[king_tubby]

Apart from the new Bloody 'Ell, which is an atrocity

Yes. I had an argument with a friend over this.

[Abnormal Palm]

Had another St. Bernardus Abt 12 this evening before dinner and after being slightly underwhelmed first time around, albeit after a rich meal, I thought it was superb. A bit of everything there, starts with slightly sickly caramel, then goes deeper and maltier, fruit and nuts, some herbal notes and then a lovely crisp slightly hoppy bitter bite at the very end. Really looking forward to some A/B action with a Rochefort 10 to compare. Got another few Straffe Hendrik so will tuck in tomorrow before dinner and see what else I get from it.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Had to leave the Bernardus 12 for my missus to enjoy (I had the Rochefort 8 so I think I know who's winning). Bernardus 12 is apparently the beer to try if you can't be fucked spending £10-£20 on a single bottle of Westvleteren, as the recipe originated from Sint-Sixtus' master brewer.

Pilsner Urquell this evening. It's warm tonight and the familiar reliable lingering Saaz hops are just right. I should have bought a packet of pretzels though, ffs.

[Abnormal Palm]

Nice, I didn't know that. That's actually convinced me to get a few Westvleteren so I can see whether it's worth the effort/investment if they're of an ilk. Given how bourbon has gone apeshit these days, a bottle of the superb Stagg Jr. is far preferable to the absurd lottery chasing and secondary market jizz fiesta of trying to locate a George T. Stagg for anything near RRP (or simply for less than a grand). I'll be interested to see whether this might be a similar situation. I'll be well chuffed if Barnardo is there or thereabouts.

[holyzombiejesus]

Why do so many people on here have such disdain for pales and IPAs? Shoulders, you're not allowed to use the word 'gloop'.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Why do so many people on here have such disdain for pales and IPAs? Shoulders, you're not allowed to use the word 'gloop'.

Careful cultivation of the audience. Keep the hopheads at the fringes then isolate and burn them from discussions.

You've seen a candle getting snuffed out by a thumb and forefinger.

Zhrup.

Lol

Or those people can't be fucked getting into it on here and I can. .. I am fairly sure phes and Blue Jam and a few others are keen on craft and are closeish to what newish is going on in the scene.

[phes]

I zoned out a few years ago when NEIPA became almost the IPA standard in bars. I can't get on board with the whole milkshakey soft mouthfeel you get from these poorly flocculated, pale, sweet drinks. I'm wedded to the dry and bitter modern IPA's of the first half of the last decade, and they occupy much less space than they once did. And as bgmnts pointed out, there is a huge range of very disappointing ipas now available in supermarkets. I've tried a number and a lot taste like IPA flavoured fizzy drinks. So I'm not down on IPAs, my nose is just out of joint that my favoured style is long out of fashion. Was dead chuffed to see last week that a friend who always gets a bunch of NEIPA from his local bottle shop received a can of Omnipollo's Nebuchadnezzer. Hope he enjoyed it.

I'm all for pales in bars. I've had many, many more enjoyable pales than IPAs in recent years.

Edit: What's particularly frustrating is that it's no longer possible to buy drinks by Odell, Dale's, Ska or Stone in most bottle shops that I can or have been able to walk to. In the case of Stones and Dales it's because they're now available in Tesco after they opened new breweries in Berlin, but they taste like shit to me.

[Ferris]

Why do so many people on here have such disdain for pales and IPAs? Shoulders, you're not allowed to use the word 'gloop'.

I am a hop person, but I'm boozing from a different pool of ales that aren't available in the UK so there's no point in me recommending (for example) Left Field's Greenwood because it's not available for the majority of the people reading this. And that's fine.

(I am cheerfully wolfing down an Amsterdam Boneshaker as I type this, which is excellent out of the can).

I don't understand the constant desire for sickly Belgian 9% beer, but different strokes innit? Doesn't cause me harm so go nuts lads. Beer nerds should be able to all get along, that's my position.

[Ferris]

I zoned out a few years ago when NEIPA became almost the IPA standard in bars. I can't get on board with the whole milkshakey soft mouthfeel you get from these poorly flocculated, pale, sweet drinks. I'm wedded to the dry and bitter modern IPA's of the first half of the last decade, and they occupy much less space than they once did. And as bgmnts pointed out, there is a huge range of very disappointing ipas now available in supermarkets. I've tried a number and a lot taste like IPA flavoured fizzy drinks. So I'm not down on IPAs, my nose is just out of joint that my favoured style is long out of fashion. Was dead chuffed to see last week that a friend who always gets a bunch of NEIPA from his local bottle shop received a can of Omnipollo's Nebuchadnezzer. Hope he enjoyed it.

I'm all for pales in bars. I've had many, many more enjoyable pales than IPAs in recent years.

Edit: What's particularly frustrating is that it's no longer possible to buy drinks by Odell, Dale's, Ska or Stone in most bottle shops that I can or have been able to walk to. In the case of Stones and Dales it's because they're now available in Tesco after they opened new breweries in Berlin, but they taste like shit to me.

Yeah I think that%u2019s fair. It%u2019s a style that is often attempted but rarely mastered. When you find a good one though... phwoarr.

Never been impressed by Stones tbh, we have a number of local breweries that outperform them pretty handily on all styles (and I imagine you do as well), but I suspect that is to do with the tins being knocked to shit in transit. Hoppier styles are better fresh, ergo they are better local. Just my opinion.

[phes]

It's not transit. Whole point of opening breweries in Berlin must be to have a cheaper, faster, smoother and more joined up route to sales in Europe. Those beers are probably younger, fresher, better kept than the ones coming across from their original home breweries. Something just 'ain't right. Notably with Dale's, which is really poor. Ska have managed to keep making a good Modus Hoperandi for M&S shelves, though sadly it's dropped from those recently. I haven't checked if they have opened a European premises or are producing via another brewery, but I suspect not.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Incidentally, I read somewhere that Stone's Berlin venture hasn't exactly gone well.

[thugler]

Incidentally, I read somewhere that Stone's Berlin venture hasn't exactly gone well.

Those tescos cans are pretty bad, one of them tastes so pine needly unpleasant.

I do actually like IPA's/Pales, but I think the syle is a bit played out and what has emerged as the standard is a bit boring and tired. First of all it seemed to become a hops/bitterness contest, and now that's tailed off a bit and there's a lot of very bland stuff which other than the smell/initial taste of hops basically has no flavor or character whatsover.

[BlodwynPig]

How fucking long do Belgian in Box take to deliver - feels like months now

[DrGreggles]

My last BiaB order was ordered on 31st March and delivered 8th April.

[phes]

Incidentally, I read somewhere that Stone's Berlin venture hasn't exactly gone well.

Seems so. Haven't read beyond this article but if it all went as described then incredible hubris and lol etc

https://www.brewbound.com/news/stone-brewing-unloads-berlin-brewery-to-brewdog

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Well my ebrowarium.pl delivery arrived bright and early this morning. 30 x 500ml bottles of Polish craft beer.

Dark:
4 x Black ipa
4 x Schwarzbier/dark lager
5 x Porter/Baltic porter
2 x Munich dunkel
1 x Stout
1 X Belgian style quadrupel
1 x Rauchbock

Light:
5 x Hefeweizen
3 x light lager
1 x 'Polish ale'
1 x Grodziskie
1 x Wit
1 x Belgian style tripel

They have shit tonnes of pale ales and IPA if that's more your thing. Most from highly recommended breweries, some of which have even collaborated with English breweries in the past.

£72 for 30 so not too bad, and it's arrived only 5 days after placing my order.

[BlodwynPig]

My last BiaB order was ordered on 31st March and delivered 8th April.

still preparing order - 15 days, but then again I did rather go for some odd choices that they are probably hunting some musty cellar for.

[BlodwynPig]

Well my ebrowarium.pl delivery arrived bright and early this morning. 30 x 500ml bottles of Polish craft beer.

Dark:
4 x Black ipa
4 x Schwarzbier/dark lager
5 x Porter/Baltic porter
2 x Munich dunkel
1 x Stout
1 X Belgian style quadrupel
1 x Rauchbock

Light:
5 x Hefeweizen
3 x light lager
1 x 'Polish ale'
1 x Grodziskie
1 x Wit
1 x Belgian style tripel

They have shit tonnes of pale ales and IPA if that's more your thing. Most from highly recommended breweries, some of which have even collaborated with English breweries in the past.

£72 for 30 so not too bad, and it's arrived only 5 days after placing my order.

grrrr

[Cuellar]

still preparing order - 15 days, but then again I did rather go for some odd choices that they are probably hunting some musty cellar for.

Mine's still just at 'Payment accepted', on the 17th. Feels like I've been waiting decades for these beautiful beers.

Probably some corpulent Belgian sitting there in his beer cave, laughing: 'Har har, waar is je brexit nu'

[DrGreggles]

Schwarzbier/dark lager

I rather liked that.
Once my brain got over how it looked was nothing like how it tasted anyway.

[Cuellar]

There's a tiny garden-shed brewery round here that does a 'smoked' beer. It's odd.

[Norton Canes]

Well my ebrowarium.pl delivery arrived bright and early this morning. 30 x 500ml bottles of Polish craft beer.

Dark:
4 x Black ipa
4 x Schwarzbier/dark lager
5 x Porter/Baltic porter
2 x Munich dunkel
1 x Stout
1 X Belgian style quadrupel
1 x Rauchbock

Light:
5 x Hefeweizen
3 x light lager
1 x 'Polish ale'
1 x Grodziskie
1 x Wit
1 x Belgian style tripel

Nice. Which Dunkels and Hefeweizens?

Fallen back on Booths for my German beer fix, picked up some Ayinger Kellerbier and Altbairisch Dunkel today. Could quite happily live off that and their Paulaner/Hacker-Pschorr/Weihenstephaner ranges TBH

[Abnormal Palm]

St. Bernardus Tripel

Again, I've started this before dinner (with no lunch) and I think my hungry, thirsty palate has dug deeper into it. Quite sweet and malty on the nose but immediately got a juicy bitterness on the tongue. Great mouthfeel, frothy, little spicy. It's far too moreish because of that initial burst of flavour and the bitter, grassy finish. Like I was saying about the 12, a fantastic balance. Very refreshing for the 8%.

S+ (from the tripels I've had) / S+ (very good, I will be gifting a few of these) / A+ (shit munchers would love it).

Almost guaranteed to play Berryz Kobo - Natsumatsuri and dance round the living room with my wife after a couple of these.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

2 x Gessner Alt Sumbarcher Dunkel (the only German one)

The wheat beers

Inne Beczki Pszeniczne
Jan Olbracht Smietanka
Sandy Hefeweizen
Wrezel Pszeniczne
Jurajskie Pszeniczne

[phes]

St. Bernardus Tripel

I dug one of these from a cardboard box reduced bin in a local micro for £1. Best beer I'd had in a year of drinking there, and I'd had plenty of good beer. There was nothing wrong with it, just wasn't selling and was taking up the limited fridge space.

One of the downsides of micros, that.