Categories
Beer

Brewdog Edge

Surprisingly I have not had this brewdog before.

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I was drinking it in my favourite Cardiff Pub the Goat Major, where I normally go for the lovely Brains Dark if they don’t have a guest on.

Brewdog Edge is a “dark” like beer – being a mild with a low ABR 3.2% but with a nuttier taste than it’s Welsh cousin – a definite winner, now if brewdog do Edge in bottles I would get a crate in for the shed- this one would be a keeper.

I have a few of their stronger bottles, but they always pack some great flavor into any brew they do.

Brewdog beers

Categories
Beer

Brains IPA too little for too much

I had a pint of the Brains IPA cask earlier in the week at the always a pleasure to go in pub, Goat Major.

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A light, copper colour ale with a fresh, hoppy taste and a clean, bitter finish. Brewed with two varieties of hops, combined with pale and crystal malts.

I liked it – as a session beer it would be fine as its a very weak 3.4% (what we seem to get from Brains anyway :))

I was a bit like Crown IPA (CPA?),which of course was taken over my Brains many years a go

I used to drink with my grandfather in his valleys club, it was more easy drinking than their not nice at all keg IPA Smooth.

When we are seeing barn (or shed) storming hoppy IPAs from the like of brewdog, it’s a disappointed that Brains could not gives us more flavour and show us that they are still a brewer of note and not just a pub/restaurant/hotel chain that brews half decent but predictably beer.

Iam not saying it was not a good pint, but it’s in a range of very similar beers from the Welsh brewery, they could have blown our red socks (with dragons on) off.

of course I will be having it again (once my tablets have worn off) but the price point will not win any fans (£2.60ish) when you can get a decent guest ale in other city centre pubs.

It will be a winner with the valley rugby fans coming down to the smoke, mind you.. but if in doubt have a pint of Brains Dark.

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Categories
Beer

The best beers are made in a shed!

The gurdian has this piece on home brew, I really have to get my shed in gear and get my shedbeer set up.

Slug stopper in shed window

If someone says they brew their own beer in their garage, what crosses your mind? If you drew a caricature would it involve a bearded, bulging stereotype, sitting in a shed with buckets and bottles and a speech bubble declaring it only costs tuppence a pint? Well, home-brewing has seen big changes in recent years, changes which are having an effect on the beers we see and drink in pubs and bars.

The people behind BrewDog started at home. As founder James Watt says, “there’s no better way to bedazzle friends than with an IPA that you brewed just for them.” For James Farran, now at Summer Wine Brewery, it was the enthusiastic feedback he received from friends that made him decide to go professional. James Kemp at Thornbridge Brewery brewed at home for 20 years before making the step up, and many new independent British breweries have made the move from dwelling house to brewhouse, including Kernel and Redemption, two recently opened London breweries.

Categories
Beer

Thinkgeek does it again – A tshirt that opens Beer bottles

I am not sure this this will get past security but very handy when you forgot your own bottle opener, maybe.

Because you can quit anytime you want

* Black t-shirt with a bottle opening robot attached
* Stolen prototype from the year 2998
* For responsible meatbags aged 21+

anyway if are still drunk and think it’s a great idea then you can buy them here

Categories
Beer

Amazon.co.uk now selling Bottled Beer – including the wonderful Otley Brewing Company O8 Beer

Amazon today I think starting selling grocery’s but more importantly they are selling Bottled beer & Cider

some great ones as well, including great Welsh Beers & Cider from Otley Gwynt-y-Ddraig, Breconshire Brewery,Kingstone Brewery , Vale of Glamorgan Brewery , Tomos Watkins and RCH Brewery to name a few.

the Otley ones are being sold by their offshoot REALBEERBOX and also offer 10 & 20 Litre boxes of beer as well, great to see them selling on a big selling wossname as Amazon

good luck to the otley’s and other local suppliers i hope the delivery price is the same if you buy in bulk as the 20 Litre of 08 has my name on it

Categories
Beer Food

Want a decent pint and a very good steak in Cardiff?

Myself and the Mrs went to the Maltsters in Llandaff last week.

It’s one of the Cardiff brewery Brains, modern pubs which they have changed a lot over the last year from the no nonsense pub I remember from my youth (ok 20s) to a open plan pub that serves good food, and for the better, maybe its a middle age thing, but sometimes you do want to have a good pint of ale and a good meal, They say they try and source a lot of the ingredients locally “Changing daily, our menu offers great, honest pub food where quality rules over fanciness!”

As it was an early tea, I had a couple of pints of the excellent Brains Up and Over which is well worth getting in bottles if you can not get to a Brains Pub to have it on tap.

anyway down to the food.

The Mrs had asparagus, chicken and date terrine to start, which was very moist and served on a bit of slate as the style is nowadays.

I did not have a starter as I was keeping room for the pudding.

For main course she has Poached salmon, rocket and dill salad, which was massive and the salmon was dressed with creme fraiche, it was very tasty.

I had a welsh rip eye steak and great homemade chips (looked overcooked but were not, not fat not thin but very moorish) served with a poncy little jar of bearnaise sauce.

It’s strange that I have tend to have steak when I go out as there were some great things on the every changing menu, Iam a good cook myself but rarely cook steak at home, maybe its my chef training in my youth that I like to see how good a place is, by the quality of the steak, and I was not disappointed its was a lovely cut and a big chunk and good to perfection (Medium rare).

For pudding we shared a Basil and raspberry creme brulee, that is another dish I tend to favour , it can from range from the wonderful to the stodgy, well not quite being the latter it was the only disappointed of the meal, it was just over powered by the basil taste, and even after a Greek lager later in the evening I was still getting basil aftertaste.

anyway if you are in Llandaff or in Cardiff then pop over it’s a great pub

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Categories
Beer

So it’s not just Guinness that is good for you, Beer is as well who’d have thunk it :)

Erics of Limerick
photo credit: gerryahern

From various places

The healthy properties of beer when consumed in moderation are not well understood, according to a new report.

The drink is a rich source of vitamins, fibre, minerals and antioxidants and has a relatively low calorific value compared with many other alcoholic beverages, the study says.

The report, commissioned by The Beer Academy, which aims to help people enjoy beer sensibly, found that when drunk in moderation, beer is one of the healthiest alcoholic drinks available.

A spokeswoman said: “Beer contains vitamins which can help you to maintain a well-balanced healthy diet, fibre to keep you regular, readily absorbed antioxidants and minerals such as silicon which may help to lower your risk of osteoporosis.”

A survey found that while 68% of people consider beer to be Britain’s national drink, some 10% wrongly believe that beer contains fat, and 13% incorrectly believe that beer is made from chemicals rather than malted barley and hops.

The report also explores the psychological and sociability benefits of people enjoying a pint in their local pub – yet pubs are closing at a rate of 39 a week.

It argues that the pub is at the heart of every community and a place where people go to enjoy company and find out local news and information.

Pete Brown, an award-winning author, said: “Still, we persist in the myth that somehow beer is an inferior drink to foreign imports such as wine. From Government receptions through to weddings and business occasions, wine rather than beer is served.

“It has been fashionable to look down on our own national drink in favour of overseas imports. But to do that is to turn our backs on our great British success story and our own heritage, and miss out on the myriad tastes and complexities that beer can offer.”

:: ICM interviewed a random sample of 2,004 adults aged 18 and over online between February 26 and 28 this year.

Categories
Beer

The best Beer books for Fathers day

I have a few of these books and they are all great..

Big Hint, Iam a dad and I like beer, so would expect some of these books, but my son always thinks out of the shed and gets me something odd, which is nice, but sometimes I would love a beer book, or maybe some beer when he’s 18 🙂

It’s too late for this year, but next year is good!

You can preorder the book on every beer lovers “beer table”

Good-Beer-Guide 2011

or get this years copy, which is a great guide and I know people who use it to plan their beer visits all the time 😉

Good-Beer-Guide-Roger-Protz

This is great looking book with super pictures and great food matching.

500-Beers-Zak-Avery

Read my review of 500 beers here

If you are into homebrew then this one will give you some recipes for classic brews.

Brew-Your-British-Real Ale

Saw this launched at the Great Welsh Beer & Cider festival & snapped up a copy some great pictures

Real-Heritage-Pubs-Wales

Not got this, but love my bottled beers nearly as much as cask.

Good-Bottled-Beer-Guide-Bottle

Had this a few years ago, and drank about 50 of them, so hopefully I don’t die soon.

300-Beers-Try-Before-You Die

Anyway if you are lucky to get any of these then, escape to the shed with a beer and relax with a good book.

Categories
Beer

Great Welsh Beer & Cider festival 2010 – in colour sort of

Had a great time today – here are some photos.

view the rest over at this linky

the reason I say in colour sort of is due to the harsh light in the CIA, of course a bad workman always blames his tools:)

Categories
Beer

The great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival 2010 Cardiff June 10th to June 12th – you going?

After last years festival I hope to fit in some time this week to go, probably from Thursday Lunchtime (half day off work anyone?) and a half on the Saturday as Iam doing the photomarathon with my Son, and hope to get some more purple moose as it was great last year.

Purple moose

Some great Beers on the list from Wales and beyond, more info on the Cardiff Festival here

There are quite a few breweries I have not tried, so not sure which to try with my lack of time, it may be ArfurD and the old glassworks boys recommendations.

If it’s on then I will be having a half of Bullmastiff Welsh Black as its a custom of mine to have one of bob & pauls excellent brews every Welsh festival… so hopefully one of their brews will be available on the thursday.

Brewery Beer
Abbeydale Restoration
Arkwrights Run of the Mill
Arkwrights Trouble at Mill
Art Brew Seasonal
Artisan IPA
Bank Top Barley to Beer
Bath Ales Summer Hare
Black Country Ales Cobbler
Black Country Ales English Summer
Blackwater SKA
Boggart Cascade
Box Steam Old Jocky
Bragdy r Nant Chwaeden Aur
Bragdy r Nant Mwnci Nells
Brains Bitter
Brains Dark
Brains SA Gold
Brains Reverend James
Brains SA
Brains On the Head
Braydon Chippenham Yertis
Breconshire Brecon County Ale
Breconshire Cribyn
Breconshire Golden Valley
Breconshire Good Time George
Breconshire GVX
Breconshire Spirit of The Dragon
Bridestone Pennine Gold
Broughs Bitter
Broughs Pale Ale
Bryncelyn Holly Hop
Bryncelyn Buddy Marvellous
Bryncelyn Oh Boy
Bullmastiff Rover’s Return
Bullmastiff SOB (Son Of A Bitch)
Bullmastiff Special Reserve
Bullmastiff Welsh Black
Cannon Royal IPA
Cannon Royal Dark Edge
Cannon Royal Mortar
Celt Experience Bleddyn 1075
Celt Experience Bronze new recipe
Celt Experience Golden
Celt Experience Proud of Pubs
Celt Experience Summerberry
Celt Experience Beer Rocks Spring Crazy
Celt Llantrisant Wheatsheaf Golden Hoppy Special
Concrete Cow Cock & Bull
Conwy Honey Fayre SP
Conwy Rampart BB
Conwy Telford Porter
Conwy Beachcomber
Corvedale Farmer Ray
Cumbrian Legendary Dickie Doodle
Derventio Cleopatra
Elgoods F’Elgood Fresh
Elland Earthbound
Enville LPA (Light Pale Ale)
Evan Evans Archers Empire
Evan Evans Archers Golden
Evan Evans Cwrw
Evan Evans Golden Hop
Evan Evans Warrior
Facers Daves Hoppy Beer
Facers Flintshire
Felinfoel Double Dragon
Felinfoel Seasonal
Forge Lite House
Freeminer Slaughter Porter
Fuzzy Duck Cunning Stunt
Gertie Sweet Wrexham “1047
Gertie Sweet Wrexham Gertie Sweet
Golden Valley “4
Golden Valley Brewers Choice
Great Orme Great Welsh
Great Orme Celtica
Great Orme Welsh Black Mild
Gwaun Valley Fishguard Bitta (2 9)
Gwaun Valley Fishguard Bitta (2 9)
Gwaun Valley Fishguard Light (2 9)
Gwaun Valley Fishguard Light (2 9)
Heart of Wales D’Rovers Return
Heart of Wales High As A Kite
Heart of Wales Horseplay
Heart of Wales Welsh Black
Hobsons Best
Hobsons Mild
Hogswood (St Agnes) Old Goshen
Hogswood (St Agnes) Stoked
Hunters Phesant Plucker
Jacobi Dark
Jacobi Light
John Roberts “1642”
John Roberts XXX
Jolly Brewer Taffy’s Tipple
Jolly Brewer Taig’s Garden
Joseph Herbert Smithy (Fox, Hanley Broadheath) Snooty Fox
Kingstone Abbey Ale
Kingstone Gold
KInver Light Railway
Kinver Maybug
Kinver Nightjar
Liverpool One Liverpool Dark
Liverpool One Liverpool Dark
Loch Leven (Kelty Scotland) Once Bitten
Ludlow The Boiling Well
Mallinsons Castle Hill Premium
Mallinsons Castle Hill Premium
Marble Ginger
Mavern Hills Black Pear
Montys Midnight
Montys Sunshine
Moorhouses Black Cat
Morton Forever Darkness
Naylors Cravenbrau
Neath Ales Black
Neath Ales Firebrick
North Cotswold Vanilla Bumble Beer
North Cotswold Summer Solstice
North Curry Gold
North Wales Moelfre IPA
North Wales Abergele
Oakham Inferno
Oakham Inferno
Offas Dyke Grim Reaper
Offas Dyke Thirst Brew
Otley “01
Otley “02”
Otley “05”
Otley “F”
Otley O Garden
Otley OG
Otley tba Dark O
Penlon Cottage Cardi
Penlon Cottage Tipsy Tup
Penpont Launceston Roughtor Extra
Penzance Potion No 9
Plassey Cwrw Tudno
Plassey Dragons Breath
Prescott Hill Climb
Preseli Tenby Old Mariners
Preseli Tenby Baggy Wrinkle
Purple Moose Glaslyn
Purple Moose Dark Side of the Moose
Purple Moose Snowdonia Ale
RCH Old Slug Porter
RCH Pitchfork
Rhymney Amber
Rhymney Dark
Rhymney Export
Rhymney Hobby Horse
Rotters Utter Rotter
Rowton Meteorite
Rowton Bitter
Rowton Golden Mild
Rowton Golden Mild
Salamander Golden Mouth
Salopian Soul
Sandstone Postmistress BB
Sandstone Poachers Pale
Sandstone Sandstone Edge
Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild
Sarah Hughes Pale Amber
Six Bells Bursting Out
Spinning Dog Herefordshire Light Ale
Spinning Dog Mutley’s Revenge
Stonehenge Eye Opener
Stonehenge Danish Dynamite
Swansea Deep Slade Dark
Swansea Three Cliffs Gold
Teme Valley Talbot Blonde
Teme Valley That
Tempest IPA
Tempest Porter
Thornbridge Jaipur
Thornbridge Jaipur
Toll End Ocker
Tomos Watkin Cwrw Haf
Tryst Black Jack IPA
Tudor Blorange
Tudor Skirrid
Tudor Sugar Loaf
Uley Old Ric
Uley Pigs Ear
VOG Chapter Old School
VOG Light Headed
VOG Summerdaze
Waen Landmark > now maybe blackberry Stout
Warcop Black Bowler
Warcop Cobblers
Wessex Isle of Avalon Lumberjack
Wharfebank Cam Fell Flame
White Hart Carmarthen Cwrw Blasus
White Hart Carmarthen Roast Barley Stout
Wickwar Station Porter
Wickwar Station Porter
Wickwar Station Porter
Wickwar Cotswold Way
Windsor & Eton Guardsman
Windsor Castle Brickmakers
Wye Valley Butty Bach
Wye Valley DG Country Ale
Wye Valley HPA
Wye Valley Trekkers
Zero Degrees Black Lager
Zero Degrees Mango
Zero Degrees Pale Ale
Zero Degrees Pilsner