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My first beer back in the UK was from The Kernel

This blog has been pretty dormant for a while. In fact, if you happen to have visited, there may well have been little more than tumble-weeds rolling by. For the past couple months, I have been extremely busy in my day job and I was also out of the country for the entirety of June.

So, the lack of posts has nothing to do with stopping blogging or heaven forbid, not liking beer any more! It was just a simple case of not having the time or energy. However, all that is set to change as I am back in the UK and my life has gradually returned back to normal.

I was away in Indonesia, which is a beautiful and amazing country but does have a dearth of good beer. In some of the bigger cities I visited, there probably was some good beer lurking in the shadows somewhere but I didn't often have time to look for it! 

Like a lot of countries, Indonesia has its national lager, in this case it is called Bintang. Whilst not being offensive to the palate, it is hardly exciting either. 

I loved my time away, but I did periodically (largely when I had an idle moment) start thinking about drinking a decent IPA or a Saison or another of the multiplicity of beers styles that wasn't available to me at that time.

On my first day back in Blighty, I needed to find good beer. I'd waited ages, so I wasn't going to find the first thing that had a bit of a kick of hops to it. This needed to be thought about. I headed to the Holborn Whippet to see what they had on and decided to plump for an IPA from The Kernel. An ever reliable and consistently brilliant choice.

The next day I dropped in on Utobeer in Borough Market and stocked up on a few treats from the likes of Weird Beard, Brewdog and Oakham. It was great to be back in a place with so much great beer, despite in many other ways missing being away.

In the coming days and weeks, I intend to write a lot more - which won't be difficult! There will be views, reviews, guest posts and collaborations - so please do stop by...

The Joy of Single Hop Beers

The Kernel's Amarillo pale ale

The other night, over a bottle of Amarillo pale ale from The Kernel, I started thinking about how much I like single hop beers. They're a great way to really get to know and understand the flavour profile of a particular hop. 

The bulk of beers obviously contain a combination of hops, with each variety providing different flavours and characteristics. Some are used more for adding aroma whilst others add a grassy or resinous quality and some are used to give a big whack of citrus fruit.

Most of us are familiar at least with a few hop varieties, particularly the American hops such as Centennial, Citra, Cascade and Amarillo and new world varieties including Mouteka and Nelson Sauvin. Together they create blends of flavour, each bringing something different to the party.

But if you want to get beyond just knowing that you like hoppy beers beers and being able to name check a few varieties, drinking single hop beers is perfect. They act as platform, letting the profile of the hop really shine through. Thornbridge Kipling is a beer that really elevates the complex flavours of one variety; the beautiful New Zealand hop Nelson Sauvin. It has a grassy, fruity quality to it and a real passion fruit edge. It's a prime example of beer that lets a single hop strain steal the show.

Brewdog's 'IPA is Dead' single hop series

Oakham Ales make Citra, which (you guessed it!) contains Citra hops. it's pungent with grapfruit, lychee and gooseberry. An excellent demonstration of this brilliant hop. Throughout last year, Martson's produced a different single hop beer each month, whilst breweries such as London Fields and Brewdog have also made excellent single hop limited edition beers.

Personally I can't think of a better way to understand the nature of a hop than to drink a beer that is a platform for its own particular flavour. We now have a a huge range of different hop strains being used in British beer, so it's a great time to get to know them better.

I'd also love to see more breweries bringing out limited edition ranges of single hop beers. Brewdog produced a beer with the HBC hop which drew attention to a variety that few of us were familiar with. It would be great to see other breweries doing similar things; drawing attention to new and interesting hops and helping drinkers to understand and enjoy them.

What are your favourite single hop beers? Why not let me know.

Looking Forward to Craft Beer Rising

A tasty beer from Rebel Brewing

Craft Beer Rising festival is set to take over Brick Lane's Truman Brewery building on 22/23 Feb and guess what? It looks awesome!

The festival is designed as a celebration of great beer, street food and music. The list of breweries exhibiting is both exciting and varied, featuring British brewers including Brewdog, Thornbridge, Bath Ales and Harviestoun alongside international offerings including Duvel and Fordham amongst others (full list below). 

The event will be split into a room of cask and a room of keg beer alongside various bottled offerings.A range of meat and vegetarian street food stalls will also pitch up to serve tasty treats.

Alongside the mouthwatering beer and food offerings, there will be entertainment including DJs such as the legendary Norman Jay and Pete Paphides of 6Music.

The event looks like a must for anyone who loves decent beer and can get into London for the weekend. It will showcase a huge range of both cask and keg beer, focusing on quality rather than dispense method as some beer festivals do. It's also a massive bonus to have the breweries pouring their own beers; making the event one big meet the brewer session!

The old Truman Brewery plays host to Craft Beer Rising

The organisers have produced a Black IPA (or India Black Ale if you prefer!) in collaboration with London's Lamb Brewery especially for the event. It should be well worth checking out as it's been loaded with Galaxy, Citra, Amarillo and Galena hops. 

For those who like a beer cocktail (personally not my thing, but each to their own!), award winning mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana will be whipping up some interesting beery concoctions.

I'm already really excited about Craft Beer Rising. It should be a celebration of what's great about brewing at the moment alongside some tasty treats and top music too!

The list of breweries confirmed to date is as follows: 

Bath Ales, Batemans, Boxsteam, Boutique Beer Brands, Brains Craft Brewery,Brentwood, Brewdog, Brewers & Union, Brupond, CellarMaster Distribution, Curious Brew (Chapel Down Wines), Elephant School, Fernandes, Fullers as The Union Tavern, Glastonbury, Harviestoun, Hogs Back, Hook Norton, Meantime, Oakham,Offbeat, Ossett, Penpont, Raw, Red Squirrel, The Rebel, Riverhead, Saltaire, Sharps, Signature Brew, St Austell, SunnyRepublic, The Old Cannon, The Rat, Thistly Cross Cider, Thornbridge, Thwaites, Traquair House, Vale, Youngs (Onlyshowcasing Double Choc Stout). Plus Belgian brewery Duvel Moorgat and American breweries Fordham and Old Dominion.

Craft Beer Rising is at the Old Truman Brewery,91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL on 22/23 February. Tickets can be bought in advance here.

Pint vs Schooner

A pint and a schooner

A couple of years ago Brewdog helped get an old measures law changed, meaning that beer can be served in 2/3 of a pint 'schooners.' Anyone whose been to one of Brewdog's bars will be familiar with schooners as a number of their mid-strength beers are served in them, but few other bars have taken to serving a schooner of your favourite brew. 

Personally, I quite like having a schooner of beer and I own a Brewdog one. It's a little more than a half and it has a nice weight to it. I think in bars, it does make sense to serve beers of 6-8% ABV in schooners and I'd love to see it offered in more establishments.

When Brewdog Shoreditch recently had one of The Kernel's IPAs as a guest, a schooner was just the right volume to drink it in, particularly after the first two pints of Dead Pony Club that I'd consumed.

Of course nothing beats ordering a nice pint in a pub at the end of a hard day, but I do think that the way we view beer is changing and it makes sense to sell particular beers in appropriate quantities. Some of the really strong beers that are available such as Brewdog's Tokyo (18% ABV) make sense to be served in 1/3 of a pint.

The beers that brought you the post

I have a small range of glassware, certainly not a huge collection, but a few options for drinking beer from. Now, I'm not one to obsess about matching a specific beer to a certain glass but several options can only be a good thing.

I first encountered schooners when I visited Australia a few years ago. It's certainly not a replacement for the humble pint but just a different way to consume beer. The more that the range of beers being produced and consumed in the UK increases, the more people will continue to consider the way that they are consumed.

It can only be a good thing, if we can get away from the view held by a lot of people that beer is just a drink with a 4% ABV, designed to be thrown back by the pint as quickly as humanly possible.

Focus on: Magic Rock

Magic Rock

In the first of a series of posts focusing on some of the best craft breweries in the UK, I asked Richard Burhouse, co-founder and director of Huddersfield's Magic Rock a few questions.

In the short time that they've been operating, Magic Rock have become hugely popular on the craft beer scene. I thought it would be good to find out a little more about the inspiration behind their beers and what they have planned for the future. Here's how Richard replied...

When was Magic Rock started and what was the inspiration for its founding?
We started planning the brewery in 2010 and the first brews were May 2011. The inspiration was the US craft beer scene and progressive UK brewers such as BrewDog and Thornbridge.

What are the beers in Magic Rock's core range?
Curious 3.9% 'Original Pale Ale'
Rapture 4.6% 'Red Hop Ale'
High Wire 5.5% 'West Coast Pale Ale'
Dark Arts 6.0% 'Surreal Stout'
Clown Juice 7.0% 'India Wit Ale'
Magic 8 Ball 7.0% 'Black IPA'
Cannonball 7.4% 'India Pale Ale'
Bearded Lady 10.5% 'Imperial Stout'

Magic Rock co-founder and director: Richard Burhouse

What limited edition beers are you producing at the moment?
Simpleton 'Session IPA', Dancing Bear 'Bavarian Pils.'


Which beer or beer style do you feel most defines what Magic Rock is about?
US style Pale Ale/IPA

How long does it take you to get from an idea for a new beer to it being in production?

Anything from a couple of days to a few months.

Much has been made of the quality of brewing in the UK currently, what does it feel like to be involved in the resurgence of British brewing?
AWESOME #craft

At the moment everyone wants to produce super hoppy IPAs - is there a style of beer that you feel defines the craft beer scene?
US style IPA's are the driver of the craft beer scene worldwide, but it depends which market breweries are in. The US has moved on to Belgian styles including sour beers in a big way, while in the UK there is still a big appetite for super hoppy IPA's.

What are your plans for growing Magic Rock and getting your beers into more bars and shops?
I haven't got ambitions for us to grow particularly big, I'm much more bothered about the consistency and quality of our beer. We are expanding slowly but I don't really see a point where we'll ever be available in national pub chains or the biggest supermarkets. We do hope to move to bigger premises in the next couple of years but I'm very happy as long as the brewery can make enough money to support the staff, we can make the beers we want to and we're all enjoying our work.

Tell us about a new or exciting development at Magic Rock and what it might mean for the brewery throughout 2013...
We are in the process of setting up a lab for microbiological analysis, so we can have more quality control in place. I hope this will lead to more consistency in the beers and the ability to be more technically correct with the beers that we make. We are also building a barrel store which will allow us to expand our barrel ageing programme.

You've brewed a take on a wit beer and so have Camden Town, whilst Thornbridge have brewed a Kolsch and a Vienna style lager. Are there any other European beer styles that you think UK breweries will start to produce this year?
I can't speak for other breweries but we're looking to brew a few traditional German beers in the coming months. We're brewing a Bavarian Pilsner this week, a German Gose in February and we also plan to brew a Berliner Weisse at some point.

Head brewer: Stuart Ross

Are Magic Rock intending to be at many beer festivals this year and if so, which ones?
Yes we'll definitely be at the following this year, and hopefully one or two more:
Barcelona Beer Festival (Spain) 8th – 10th March
Haand Olfestival Drammen (Norway)
24th – 25th May
Edinburgh Independent Beer Fest 11th – 13th July
Villaggio Della Birra (Italy) 6th - 8th September
IMBC Manchester 10th - 13th October

What does the growth in specialist beer bars such Craft Beer Co, The Holborn Whippet, Sheffield Tap etc mean for you guys as a brewery?
The growth of these type of bars has been instrumental in us being able to establish the brewery quickly. It's great being able to sell beer to people who are as passionate about serving it as we are making it.

What do you think American and new world hops have brought to British brewing and more specifically to Magic Rock?
No new world hops, no Magic Rock.

English hops are on a bit of a downer at the moment. Do you feel that there is space in the market for a super hoppy pale ale or IPA using only English varieties?
There's definitely room for more creativity with UK hops. We do use some, but it tends to be confined to styles in which pronounced hop character isn't necessary.

A number of breweries are making collaborative offerings. Do you have any plans to collaborate with other breweries?
There seems to be a trend at the moment to just collaborate for the sake of it, its definitely fun to have other brewers brew here and we did a number of collaborations last year, but at the moment we're busy making the core beers and trying to fit in our own specials. We are always interested to collaborate with brewers we can learn from, or breweries which have been an inspiring influence to us and we have one or two things in the pipeline at the moment.

A big thank you to Richard for taking the time to answer my questions. It was great to get this strand of blog-posts kicked off with Magic Rock. Next up: Tiny Rebel!

On Session Beers

The Kernel's Table Beer

For a long time I favoured beers with an ABV of between 6 and 8%. Beers of all strengths have their place, but there's something I've been looking for more and more recently, which is  highly flavoursome beers on the lower end of the spectrum.

There are a number of great session beers available, but what I'm talking about are brews that are high impact, well balanced and sub 4% in strength. To my mind, there are two beers beers that have absolutely nailed this, Brewdog's Dead Pony Club and The Kernel's Table Beer.

The Kernel's offering is one of the beers I keep going back to at the moment. It's a light, fresh and fruity 3.2% ABV pale golden ale that retains character and balance without a big hit of alcohol. It's perfect as a first drink of the night or as an accompaniment to a wide range of food, or if you just fancy something tasty without too much booze in it.

Dead Pony Club, is a California pale ale hopped with simcoe, citra and HBC hops, that has an ABV of just 3.8%. It's lively, citric and fruity on the palate and much like the Table Beer, has a decent balance despite its low alcohol content.

Brewdog's Dead Pony Club

Both these beers will of course be very familiar to a lot of people, but the question you have to ask is why there aren't more sub 4% beers being made by craft breweries? The simple answer is that it's pretty hard to get right. Dead Pony Club and the Table Beer both have real body and mouthfeel, much beyond many lower strength brews.

It's worth mentioning here that Redemption make Trinity, which is also a great lower strength beer with real character, but there aren't many others. It would be brilliant to see a few more emerge in 2013.

There are quite a few best bitters which come in below 4%, but personally although I do like bitters from time to time, they're far from my favourite style of beer. They also usually lack the complexity of flavour that you get with beers such as those mentioned above.

Does anyone else know of any superb session beers that are below 4% ABV? Or do you know of a great little brewery that has one on the way? This year, I want to search out more brilliant session beers to have alongside my favourite stronger brews.

Bar of the Month January: The Holborn Whippet

The Holborn Whippet is a relatively new bar, having only existed on Sicilian Avenue near Holborn tube station since mid 2012. I'd been wanting to visit the Whippet for while, having heard good things about the selection of cask and keg beers and I've got to say, it doesn't disappoint.

The selection is constantly rotating and consists of up to eighteen cask and keg beers and a couple of decent ciders too. I opted for a London Fields Shoreditch Triangle IPA, before going dark and having a Kernel Export Porter and a Magic Rock Dark Arts stout. 

When I popped in, their selection included Harbour, Moor and many other great breweries alongside those mentioned above. It also featured a number of other interesting brews such as Camden Town's Rye Mild and Magic Rock's collaboration with Brodies, a mango pale ale called The Great Alphonso.

Slightly blurry Iphone pic of the bar!

The bar has a stripped back and beautifully retro feel. You could almost believe that it has been there forever. In an area with lots of pretty ordinary bars, The Holborn Whippet stands out for the breadth of its selection and its knowledgeable staff. 

It clearly attracts people that care about their beer. As I waited at the bar, I heard the staff field a number of questions about the brewing processes used for particular beers and the hops contained within them. 

London has become a top place for craft beer. Alongside The Rake, the three Craft Beer Co Venues, the Brewdog Bars and many others, the Whippet is becoming a real go to bar for good beer. It is also my first bar of the month. 

Whilst some of our craft beer bars in places like London are thriving, a lot of traditional pubs are going to the wall. I thought it would be a nice idea to pick a bar of the month throughout this year on the blog. I want you guys to send me your ideas. Please either comment on this post or contact me on Twitter (@thehoptimist1) and use the hashtag '#barofthemonth.'

So that it's not too London-centric, it would be great to have suggestions from all over the UK - what's the best bar in Leeds or Bristol or Edinburgh? What makes a particular bar great? Is it the beer selection alone? The general atmosphere? The friendly and knowledgeable staff? Please get in contact with suggestions for my February bar of the month.

We have great beer bars throughout the UK, so lets celebrate them. It would also be nice for me to know of a few great bars in places I'm not so familiar with, in case I'm ever in your neck of the woods! The Holborn Whippet has kicked things of nicely, where next?... 

Brewdog Cocoa Psycho to be brewed throughout 2013

The three prototype beers

So, the results are in from the Brewdog prototype challenge and the winner is Cocoa Psycho, their sublime 10% ABV imperial Russian stout that was my favourite of the three brews.

Call it a promotional stunt if you like, but personally I did like being able to get my box of nine bottles of the prototype beers and then vote for my favourite. 

Of the three, Cocoa Psycho was by far and away my favourite, followed by Jack Hammer IPA, with the slightly disappointing pilsner Nuns with Guns languishing in third. 

To be honest, even Nuns with Guns was drinkable but just not up to the standards of many of their other brews. As I've stated before, I've not had a Brewdog beer that I have actively disliked. Of course some have been more my cup of tea or have particularly caught my attention, but overall, I do think they are are pretty consistent. 

I'm happy that Cocoa Psycho will be brewed throughout the year, as it is complex, powerful and brilliantly balanced beer. It's all boozy dark chocolate and coffee. Part of me would love to be able to keep a bottle of it open under my desk at work and just take the odd swig instead of consuming caffeine. Why have an espresso when you can have this?!

The work in progress logo for Cocoa Psycho

Say what you like about Brewdog's marketing techniques, the thing is that they brew some fantastic beers. Cocoa Psycho is an excellent addition to their core range and definitely a beer that I will be ordering from their site and drinking at their bars during the year!

Over the recent months, I have become increasingly fond of stouts and porters. I've enjoyed Harviestoun's Old Engine Oil, the Kernel's Export Stout and many others. I can see Cocoa Psycho becoming a dark beer that I return to time and again this year!

Brewdog Prototypes: The Verdict

Promo shot of Brewdog prototypes

After a few days of waiting, my Brewdog prototype beers arrived. I went for three of each of the beers: a Pilsner called Nuns with a Guns, a super hoppy IPA called Jackhammer and a 10% ABV imperial Russian stout called Cocoa Psycho.

I'd been hearing mixed things about a couple of the beers, in particular Nuns with Guns which didn't seem to be getting the best reviews in some quarters. But it's always better to try for yourself and come to your own conclusions.

Whatever you think of Brewdog and their marketing strategies, it is hard to ignore them. They produce some fantastic beers and have injected a real energy into the UK brewing scene. It is of course a bit of a gimmick getting people to vote for their favourite, which will go into production throughout next year. However, it's also a nice opportunity to see where they're going as a brewery and try out some new beers before they go into full production.

It's also quite refreshing to receive them with simple white white labels bearing just the Brewdog logo, the name of the beer and the ABV and without the usual twaddle about how 'post-modern' and rebellious the beer is.

Anyway, on with the verdict...

Nuns with Guns

Nuns with Guns

4.2% ABV

This beer is a fairly low alcohol Pilsner. It pours a coppery colour with minimal head and has a very gentle and slightly underwhelming aroma with a slight fruitiness to it.

Overall, this is an utterly inoffensive lager, but it is far from their best beer. In fact, 77 lager is a much more rounded flavoursome beer. This falls short of expectations by some way. It has a slight sharpness and a bit of bite from the hops but not enough to make it stand out.

It's not a bad beer per-se, but it's just not that original or unusual and frankly Brewdog can do much better. This won't be getting my vote to go into production next year.

Jackhammer IPA

7.2% ABV

Now, we all know that Brewdog can produce a fantastic American hopped IPA, so it was with a certain level of excitement that I approached Jackhammer, which they have claimed is their bitterest to date. It also comes accompanied by some typical Brewdog silliness, stating that it's 'not for the feint hearted, elderly or French.'

It pours a clear yellow-ish brown with a small amount of head and immediately has a fantastic hoppy aroma. It's all tropical fruits and handfuls of pine needles, lovely stuff. Taste wise, Jackhammer definitely delivers on flavour. After the disappointment of Nuns with Guns, it's great to be drinking a big and bold IPA from the Brewdog boys with bags of mango and passion fruit flavour from the Centennial and Columbus hops.

The fruity upfront flavour gives way to an excellently bitter finish. This is a big and punchy beer which is designed for real hop heads.

I would be pretty happy to this go into production as I can imagine wanting to come back to it time and time again. I love powerfully hopped beers and I think they've done an excellent job with Jackhammer. However, there is one more, very different beer to go...

Cocoa Psycho

10% ABV

This is the beer that I had heard the best things about. A number of people have given it rave reviews. This 10% ABV imperial Russian stout is infused with coffee beans and aged on cocoa nibs, vanilla pods and toasted oak chips.

It pours a pitch black colour, with a two finger brown head. The aromas that are released are fantastic, all dark malts, wood smoke and bitter dark chocolate.

This is a hugely flavoursome beer. It's thick and rich with a complexity and depth to it. A definite kick of coffee comes through in the middle, alongside a touch of vanilla and treacle.

This is a truly fantastic and characterful beer. With each sip, you can notice different elements to the flavour. The high ABV gives it a warm boozy underbelly. It slips down a little bit too easily if truth be told!

I have one bottle left over, which I'm going to drink on Christmas day. This beer is an example of Brewdog do best - making highly flavoursome and engaging beers.Cocoa Psycho definitely gets my vote and I hope that it is the beer that goes into full production in 2013.

I thought it would be difficult picking a favourite from three such different beers, but in the end one was average, one was good and one was brilliant. I'm looking forward to my remaining bottle of Cocoa Psycho already!

It would be great to know your take on these three beers. Why not leave a comment below...

Brewdog Prototype Beers

Promotional shot of the three Brewdog prototypes

It was with a genuine sense of excitement that I ordered a box of three of each of Brewdog's new prototype beers last night: A dry hopped low ABV pilsner called Nuns with Guns, an ultra hoppy IPA called Jack Hammer and a 10% Russian Imperial Stout called Cocoa Psycho.

The three beers have been produced as part of their 'prototype challenge.' A limited batch of each beer is now available via their website. Customers have been invited to vote for their favourite and Brewdog will produce the winning beer throughout 2013.

As we all know, Brewdog are masters of promotion and of course this is a clever promotional scheme, but they do after all produce groundbreaking beers and the prospect of receiving three test beers in the post has already got my excited.

If I'm honest, I haven't disliked a single Brewdog beer that I've had. I do of course have favourites that I keep coming back to, but the thing that they are great at is producing a wide range of styles and doing each consummately. With that in mind, I think it will be difficult to pick a winner between a pilsner, an IPA and a stout.

I'm interested in trying them all, but Jack Hammer has got me really intrigued. It's a 7.2% ABV IPA and apparently the bitterest that they've ever produced. It's dry hopped with Centennial and Columbus hops and in typical Brewdog fashion comes with the warning that it's not for "the feint hearted, elderly or French!"

Once they arrive, I'll work my way through all three and write a piece about them. Say what you like about Brewdog's approach to marketing and advertising but at the end of the day, what matters is that they continue to produce innovative and exciting beers. It's great that fans have the opportunity to test three prototypes and give Brewdog themselves their verdict. Bring it on!

Craft Beer London: The App and the Book

The Craft Beer London iPhone app from Blue Crow Media

For sometime now, there have been a number of mobile apps for locating bars in the in the capital, but 'Craft Beer London,' which is curated by London based beer writer Will Hawkes is the first to focus on the capital's burgeoning craft beer scene.

It's a great time to be drinking beer in London, as the choice is  phenomenal. The city boasts two Brewdog bars, the Camden Town Brewery Bar, three Craft Beer Co bars and numerous other top drinking spots, off-licences, breweries and brew-pubs. Some of them however, are a little less obvious than others and having an app to help locate them is a great tool for the drinker who is looking to try something new.

I've had the app for a few weeks now and I've got to say, it is pretty neat. Thirsty punters can flip between looking for bars, off-licences and breweries. You can search for bars based upon name or use your location if you're out in town and can only see bars that have crap on tap.

It's already helped me locate a couple of gems. I work near Brixton, but hadn't taken in the excellent Crown and Anchor before, which has a brilliant range of beer including Dark Star, Brooklyn and often Thornbridge and others. 

The app has also made me pay attention to a few innocuous looking street corner off-licences  whose unassuming façades give nothing away of the beer bounty within!

The functionality of the app is great and it also looks really nice. It's regularly updated and at the moment has to be the best tool for tracking down down interesting beer and bars in London. 

The Craft Beer London Book, by Will Hawk on Vespertine Press

Now, if you're wanting to relax in your armchair at home and consider a possible trip to a brewpub or want to look out a location for meeting a friend, then the companion book to the app may be up your street. It's published by Vespertine Press and available here for £10, which seems like a bit of a bargain!

I can't wait to get my hands on a copy and will write a post about it when I do. The cover image and design of the book look great and if the app is anything to go by, it should be an excellent reference tool for the discerning London beer drinker.

Brewdog Hello My Name is Beastie

Whilst riffling through the incredible selection of beer at Borough Market’s Utobeer, I spied a couple of bottles of Brewdog’s ‘Hello My Name is Beastie.’ It’s an 8.2% IPA infused with brambles.

As soon as I saw the bottle, I had to try it. I’d wanted to see what combining blackberries with an IPA would do to the taste, since I heard about this beer. It disappeared from their online shop pretty quickly (as you’d expect with one of their limited editions) and I hadn’t found a bottle since. But then Utobeer is the place to find beers that nobody else has.

It pours a pale coppery orange colour with a hint of red and has minimal head. As soon as the beer leaves the bottle, a brilliant bitter hoppy aroma is released. There is a definite hint of forest fruits on the nose, undercut with a tang of orange peel and lemon.

The taste follows the nose and is characterised by a zesty tanginess that you would expect from the American hops in this style of IPA. Whilst it is relatively subtle, there is a clear hint of forest fruits that really does add an extra dimension to this beer.

This is a brilliantly well balanced IPA with a distinctive and cleverly crafted taste. The bitterness is underpinned with slight malty tones and a good boozy kick from its 8.2% ABV.

Hello My Name us Beastie is a typically clever beer from Brewdog. It takes a style that in many ways is the key beer in the craft beer movement and gives it an extra twist. Highly recommended if you can find a bottle kicking around somewhere!

Nøgne Ø Havrestout

Nøgne Ø Havrestout

NøgneØ are at the forefront of craft brewing in Norway. Their name translates as 'naked island' and is apparently lifted from an Ibsen quote about bleak bare islands with no vegetation.

What is clear about Nøgne Ø is that they are increasingly making waves in the UK for their exciting and flavoursome beers. Another interesting point about the company is that they are also Norway's only producer of sake.

I'd heard good thing's about 'Havrestout' before getting my hands on it. It's a sweet oatmeal stout produced in a country that isn't normally associated with dark beers. With this beer, Nøgne Ø have tried to produce a dark ale for the palates of drinkers not normally accustomed to this style.

As you pop the gap, you're greeted with a deep almost musky aroma with a bitter hint of coffee underpinned by a distinct sweetness. It pours a pitch black colour with a two finger dark brown head.

Flavour-wise, Havrestout is imbued with bitter dark chocolate and coffee notes that then give way to a distinctive sweetness from the malts. The mouthfeel is lighter than many stouts and the sweetness helps give the beer an overall accessibility that some stouts lack.

Havrestout has some richness, a real depth of flavour with the chewy malts ever present and a bitter finish provided by the hops. Nøgne Ø have definitely succeeded in producing a stout with more accessibility for people who are more accustomed to drinking lighter beers.

A number of craft beer bars and online stockists currently have their beers and they have recently been guests at the Brewdog bars too. Nøgne Ø are positioning themselves right at the heart of innovation in the international craft beer scene. Havrestout is an excellent beer and perfect for drinking in winter.

Now, in case you're wondering how to pronounce that name - here's a quick video from their head brewer who explains all...