Beer?

[User169]

You've given me food for thought there Smutch. I habitually switch to red wine when the turkey has landed but I'm going to get a few of the decent quaffable ales recommended in this nicely esoteric thread, for me and the boy to swap poncey reviews wearing a paper hat. Almost looking forward to it !!

Don't forget your advent calendar.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Bought beer from these chaps before, saw this 7%'er, looked interesting, top fermented, continental hops, malt, etc. - pretty poor effort really, not overly flavoursome, bit too malty and yeasty and not much more, zero bitter. Cracked open a Conqueror black IPA from Windsor and Eton to soften the bitter disappointment, superb stuff, hops, malts, bags of character and flavour - wonderful!

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Shepherd Neame Brilliant Ale, good.
Thornbridge Jaipur, blummin marvellous.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Had a very highly-rated west coast IPA last night: Stone's Ruination Ale. Beer Advocate has this as one of the top beers in the world. But for me, the smell was like anonymous 'citrus' toilet cleaner mixed with hops, and the taste wasn't much different. The one hop enthusiast I shared it with thought it was brilliant - all the rest of us thought it pretty much tasted like it smelled like. There was really nothing apart from citrus and hops in the taste. No malt, nothing else, whatever the blurb on the bottle may claim. While Japanese beers are often too cautious, I've really learned to appreciate balance and subtlety again here. This beer was everything that is wrong with the fetishism around massive hopping right now and the promotion of extreme tastes over balance, complexity and subtlety amongst particulalry US beer enthusiasts, that has become the de facto international standard for what craft beer should be. It's one of the reasons why, for example, classic German styles get little love and too many people seem to think that Imperial Stouts and Double IPAs are the only game in town.

/ Rant over.

 

[ceejayh]

Does anyone have a Booth's supermarket near them? They only seem to be 'oop North' though.

I'd recommend a visit - we always call into the Windermere store on our trips to the Lake District.

The first time I visited their beer aisle, I was like a kid in a sweet shop....eyes were everywhere...they've got loads!!!

Can't wait for our next trip at the end of November.

 

[Spartak]

Enjoyed a pint of this light , golden ale earlier in the Wetherspoons at Barnstaple.

 

[smutchin]

You've given me food for thought there Smutch. I habitually switch to red wine when the turkey has landed but I'm going to get a few of the decent quaffable ales recommended in this nicely esoteric thread,

I'm the only drinker in our house so I figured it was pointless drinking wine out of habit when I'd rather be drinking beer.

Nothing wrong with wine, of course, but I'd still generally rather drink beer with my meal. I wrote a piece on the subject of matching beer with food for The Good Food Guide a few years ago. I'm pleased to note that more and more restaurants are offering a good beer list alongside their wine list.

(I'd also rather eat goose than turkey for Christmas dinner but unfortunately that's another area where my preference is in the minority - the rest of my family love turkey, I know not why, and getting in a whole goose just for me would be excessive even by Christmas standards.)

 

[smutchin]

Anyway, enough of the talking turkey, here's some beer - 40 pints of St Peter's Ruby Red Ale, to be precise...

Tastes pretty good already, but will be even better in a few weeks...

 

[smutchin]

I'd recommend a visit - we always call into the Windermere store on our trips to the Lake District.

If you're in the Windermere area, you must visit the Drunken Duck - the food is excellent, the beer even better!

 

[smutchin]

This beer was everything that is wrong with the fetishism around massive hopping right now and the promotion of extreme tastes over balance, complexity and subtlety amongst particulalry US beer enthusiasts

I've had a few American beers like that. Not a fan.

that has become the de facto international standard for what craft beer should be.

Some do it well - eg The Kernel, De Molen, De Struise, Mikkeller, Nøgne Ø - producing "extreme" but none the less very drinkable beers.

It's just a shame that there are too many of the likes of Stone, who just go OTT for its own sake.

 

[Booyaa]

I've had a few American beers like that. Not a fan.



Some do it well - eg The Kernel, De Molen, De Struise, Mikkeller, Nøgne Ø - producing "extreme" but none the less very drinkable beers.

It's just a shame that there are too many of the likes of Stone, who just go OTT for its own sake.

It is the exact same in the cigar world. The last several years have seen an explosion in super strong flavour and ridiculous sized ring gauges. Primarily driven by the US market and non-Cuban cigars but even the Cubans have been following, albeit tentatively, recently. Bigger and stronger appears to be best, especially for the American market.

 

[ceejayh]

If you're in the Windermere area, you must visit the Drunken Duck - the food is excellent, the beer even better!

Yeah we've been a few times but by far our favourite pubs are Tweedies or the Travellers Rest in Grasmere....both pubs keep their beer in excellent condition. The Travellers does a particularly excellent pint of Snecklifter and Tweedies always has something new on. We're going to Grasmere at the end of November for a few days...can't wait!!!

 

[Maverick Goose]

Sneck lifters of the world unite!

 

[User169]

Had these two over the last couple of evenings. Both are imp stouts made with a bit of smoked malt and then barrel aged. There's a balsamic one too, but the shop didn't have it.

Both are excellent, but the rum one just shaded it. Rum and raisin loveliness!

 

[User169]

Grocery time! Black Petrol from Brewfist. Nice fresh tasting black IPA.