Author: wilco

Categories
Beer

Cardiff brewery Brains pigs out with a Bacon Beer for GBBF

When I heard that Cardiff brewery Brains are making a Bacon flavoured beer I Was interested and now they have given some more info then more so

Shame Iam not going to GBBF this year -now I wonder if they used smoked bacon but I do hope they have it in a few of their local bars here on it’s release – not 100% sure on the name – but will give it a go as Bacon and Beer are normally top of my list of things I love (next to sheds)

Brains returns to the GBBF with a double chocolate and bacon porter

Wales’ leading brewer is preparing to make its seventh visit to Britain’s biggest beer festival with their biggest ever range of beers including a brand new double chocolate and bacon porter inspired by a trip to the States.

A-Pork-Alypse was brewed by Brains’ Head Brewer, Bill Dobson, after a trip to the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. Bill Dobson said: ‘‘The range of beer styles, flavours and ingredients used in the beers at the GABF was incredible and the one that really stood out used bacon in the brew. I came back from The States wanting to brew my own, and after a few trial and errors with the quantity of bacon I brewed A-Pork-Alypse, a double-chocolate and bacon porter. A grist of roast and smoked malts with freshly grilled bacon added to the boil along with cacao nibs gives the beer a smoky flavour alongside the chocolate.”

A-Pork-Alypse will be available on the bar along with three other beers from the Brains Craft Brewery. Bragging Rights, brewed to an ancient Welsh style called ‘bragawd’; Atlantic White, a white IPA and Dissolution, a Belgian dubbel brewed with Pete Brown as part of the Continental Beer Challenge.

Another experimental brew will also be available on an extremely limited basis of one firkin a day. Low-Hanging Fruit pays reverence to one of Brains most loved beers – an easy-drinking dark mild with a wild twist of being soured with Morello cherries.

Brand Manager, Ian Beattie, said: “The ale market is changing and one of the drivers is consumers demanding choice, so again this year we have extended our range of beers that we take to the GBBF. While we still have a great demand for our national favourites from our long-standing core range of beers, we also use the festival as a showcase for the Brains Craft Brewery and our brewing credentials as well as use it as a platform to gain feedback from the ale consumer. A-Pork-Alypse is a beer that we couldn’t have brewed before having the Brains Craft Brewery, which enables us to trial and experiment with new recipes and push the boundaries to challenge some of the pre-conceptions of a traditional brewer. I am sure it will divide opinion at the show.”

Categories
Beer

How I made some rhubarb gin and other concoctions

The last few months I have like the rest of the UK got a taste for gin – be it Edinburgh Gin, sloe gin or good old London Gin.

I have mixed it with soda water, added Lime or Lemon – different types of Tonic Water – and plain water.

but looking online it seemed like everyone one was making their own gin addons- using the spirit and adding nice stuff.

So we had lots of Rhubarb growing in the garden – so thought would give it go.

Recipe for Rhubarb Gin.

Ingredients

Rhubarb (enough to make a large crumble with_
Sugar (Brown cane)
Apple Juice
Vanilla extract (not any old rubbish mind)
Gin
A bottle with a cork or flip top thing.

trim the Rhubarb cut up into small chunks

Boil in a pan with a bit of Apple juice – add a nice bit of brown cane sugar to remove enough of the bitter taste and a cap of Vanilla extract – simmer for 15 mins.

Right now you have two choices

Sieve the Rhubarb and eat it with some Vanilla Ice cream – add the left over sugar syrup to the bottle of gin.

or just add the whole concoction into the bottle – leave for a few weeks (with weekly sips just to check)

Just made a cherry version of it as well and my measurements are as useful

Cherries
Sugar (brown cane)
Red Wine
Vanilla extract
Gin

Don’t cook as much as the rhubarb just get it so they are soft and sweet – cool then put in a bottle and top up with Gin – Wait – Drink

my next attempt is to makes some coffee flavored Rum like the Ibiza fisherman drink.

Categories
Food

Celebrate 50 years of Doctor Who by baking a Dalek or a cyberman

Everyone is jumping on the Doctor Who bandwagon – but lakeland have out done themselves

The TARDIS stuff is brilliant – but the DALEK CAKE STAND is a thing of beauty

DALEK CAKE STAND

A magnificent centrepiece for presenting your Doctor Who cupcakes, this 3-tier stand is made from sturdy card so can, with care, be regenerated for future use.

Categories
Blog

Dynamo does his thing with a London bus

Illusionist Dynamo ‘levitated’ from the side of a double-decker bus in his latest stunt

Now I would love to see him do it from a shed

Via http://www.spreaditfast.com/

Categories
Photos

My entries for Cardiff Photomarathon 2013

I missed the photomarathon last year so was really looking foward to it this time as me and my son were going to do it and there was a bit of rivarly as he had one of this shots up in the tea house exhiibtion as few years back – unforuntlay I was on my own as he was ill – but I managed to have a great day – very tired – but after Topic 6 it all become mostly pub based – thanks to Chris and the staff from the best pub in Cardiff City Arms for their patience and support and of course brilliant ale.

and a big thanks to Cardiff Bin drumming hero Ninja – for agreeing to be in a shot.

it was the first time I had used my new(2nd hand) Fuji X10 for another more than snapshots – and it’s a great little camera, so Iam quite pleased with the results

anyway the categorys are

Topic 1 – Entry Number/Who am I?

Topic 1 - Entry Number/Who am I?

Topic 2 – Poetry

Topic 2 - Poetry

Topic 3 – Asymetry

Topic 3 - Asymetry

Topic 4: Space

Topic 4: Space

Topic 5 : Out and About

Topic : Out and About

Topic 6: Behind the Scenes

Topic 6: Behind the Scenes

Topic 7: Animated

Topic 7: Animated

Topic 8: A Bit on the Side

Topic 8: A Bit on the Side

Topic 9: Shadow

Topic 9: Shadow

Topic 10: Mixed Message

Topic 10: Mixed Message

Topic 11: Elegant

Topic 11: Elegant

Topic 12: Another Perspective

Topic 12: Another Perspective

Iam looking foward to it next year already.

Categories
Photos

Diffusion photography festival – Old Tram Shed Cardiff

The first thing that hits you is the size of the space – the 2nd is the smell of motor oil and old worked metal (just like my dad’s old lathe in my youth, a reassuring smell) and the sound of the broken roof fans – clicking along.

It’s been a while since it was used as a tram shed and is now up for sale – but it would make a brilliant permanent location for art (or maybe a craft brewery!)

It’s open as part of the City Wide Cardiff International Festival of Photography aka Diffusion (1-31 May 2013)

But I went for the photos! – Especially the retrospective  of Welsh Valleys photos from the likes of David Hurn

Opening The Rhondda Fair, 1975 © David Hurn

and Philip Jones Griffiths

Boy Destroying Piano, 1961 © Philip Jones Griffiths

But to be honest I loved the tram shed (no not because it’s a shed)  the best – as a lot of the original signs and fitting where still there when the exhibition is over at the end of the month – they should do a exhibition of the tram shed!

Tramshed

Clare Road (entrance on Pendyris Street)
Grangetown
Cardiff
CF11 6QP

Categories
Food

Purple Poppadom Cardiff they say Nouvelle Indian Cuisine I say best curry I have had

I have not blogged about food (or much else on this blog) for a long time – but a meal enjoyed at the Purple Poppadom last night gave me the opportunity to post, just so I can relive the most amazing Indian food I have ever had – yes Iam slow on the uptake and have never been the Chef Anand George previous establishment Mint & Mustard either – but his so named “Nouvelle Indian Cuisine” – was stunning – every dish had a great range of flavours not over spiced – and every ingredient worked so well together. – so this is what I had

Starter: The Streets of Mumbai
Aloo Tikki – potato cake served on a bed of spiced chickpeas | Bombay Chat – pop-in-the mouth semolina pastry snack filled with yoghurt and homemade chutney, topped with gram flour vermicelli | Tangy puffed rice salad with tamarind chutney

everyone I have spoken to said that the Bombay Chat is amazing – it was very good – but alas I made the mistake of taking a bite and not eating it whole – so had a beard covered in yogurt (not for the first time;)) – personally I thought the Tangy puffed rice – was the best of the three – just a great texture.

Main: Nawabi Chicken
A dish from the Moghul emperors, chicken supreme marinated with creamy cheese, a touch of cardamom and mace finished in the tandoor. Accompanied by a boneless bhuna chicken thigh served with makhani sauce and mint sorbet

Iam a big fan of curry but thought I would go for something less sloppy – I love cardamom and the chicken had a delicate flavour of it but not overpowering – the bhuna chicken thigh was very good as well – sometimes you forget that the lesser cuts sometimes can be best – the thing that surprised me was the salad (yes I eat a salad) – it just worked so well with the other flavours and the texture helped with the softness of the chicken – then that was followed hit of something hot in the mint sorbet was a great end to the main.

Desserts: Deux Crème Brûlée
Side-by-side presentation of green tea and a rose petal Crème Brûlée

Friends who have been visited have told me I need to go for the Chocomosa Anand – but I have a quest to try every interpretation of Crème Brûlée on the planet and I was not disappointed – the rose petal one was the best I have tasted in a long long time – unfortunately it overwhelmed the green tea one – next time I may try that one first.

Anyway for anyone in Cardiff who has not visit the Purple Poppadom (there can’t be many people now) then I would go now – I will be going again very soon.

The full menu is here

Categories
Beer

Brains Boilermaker named Brains’ ultimate IPA

Last week Boilermaker which was brewed as part of the Brains Craft Brewery IPA range, won the top award in their “Brains Craft Brewery IPA” awards – all I have to say about the beer is that the 6.5% IPA is very deceptive and great to drink – oh and my limit was 2.5 pints btw – it’s a heady drink but I hope they bottle it as it would be a great one to lay down to let that Penderyn taste permeate.

‘Thinking Drinkers’ Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham are the first winners of Brains ‘Ultimate Collaboration Beer Challenge’, after a judging panel deemed Boilermaker – a Welsh whisky infused beer – to be the best of seven IPAs.

Earlier in the year the Welsh brewer invited beer writers and bloggers to collaborate with them to develop and brew their ultimate IPA in Brains’ craft brewery. Alongside Ben and Tom, guest brewers were Simon Martin, Martyn Cornell, Tim Hampson, Melissa Cole and Marverine Cole.

While Brains handed guest brewers an IPA brief, they were free to come up with their own interpretation, and beers ranged from traditional, to American-style, to tropical.

Seven beers, including one from Brains’ head brewer, were independently blind judged at an event last week. Boilermaker, a 6.5% ABV IPA, came top with the judges, who identified a balanced but complex beer with an appetising bitter finish.

Ben and Tom said: “We wanted to brew something that reflected the Welsh surroundings of our brew, so we decided to create a whisky IPA. This saw us combine the Brains brewing expertise with whisky barrels selected from the Penderyn Whisky Distillery.

“Blending beer with spirits also doubled up as a reflection of the Thinking Drinkers expertise in beer, cocktail and spirits. Indeed the name comes from the serve of whisky with your ale. Judges loved the balance so if you’re not sure about whisky in your beer, rest assured it has a very delicate influence.”

Bill Dobson, Head Brewer at Brains, said: “The craft brewery has given us the opportunity to bring in guest brewers – which we have never before been able to do. It’s great to be able to draw on their knowledge and creativity to come up with a one-off beer.

“The collaboration beer challenge has been such a success that we’ll be making it an annual event. Next up, the ‘Ultimate Continental Beer Challenge’”.

Categories
Beer

Busy Week: Winter beer Festival at Wheatsheaf LLantrisant and Stout Porter Festival City Arms Cardiff

Sad to hear The Wheatsheaf LLantrisant is up for Sale I’am told – and their Winter Beer festival will be their last under the current owners who also brew under Pixie String moniker. so do pop along and support them.

My favourite Cardiff Pub The City Arms is also having a Stout and Porter Festival this week – some good beers on the list but of course Bullmastiff Welsh Black is the winner with me 🙂

Categories
Beer

Pub News: Landlord of the City Arms Cardiff is now looking after the Park in Barry

Cardiff Camra Pub of the year City Arms Landord Chris Partridge has headed to the wilds of Barry to look after the Park (http://www.sabrain.com/park) , which Brains is hoping to turn into a Real Ale mecca in the home of Gavin & Stacy.

I have only been to the park twice – and only once saw a massive fight – so hopefully the pub has mellowed over the years and the beer drinkers of Barry will appreciate quality Ale.

So good luck to Chris and the team there – but we hope to see him back at the City Arms very soon.

My mate Wakey was on the ground on opening night which looked busy and said there was a good atmosphere and great to see some proper ale at his local for a change.

will any of the City Arms regulars be making the trip down?