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Craft Beer

Started by JLC, 13 February, 2017, 09:38:31 AM

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Mikey

I always joke that I liked craft beers when they were called real ales, but I understand craft beers to mean small scale breweries right enough. The whole craft beer thing has been great for getting good beers more widely available than ever.

When I started drinking, 'real' beers were nigh on non existent in Norn Iron though brown keg stuff like Bass and Smithwicks were readily available. I inevitably graduated to drinking Guinness (none of that chilled gubbins mind) which gave me a taste for bitter drinks. When a Tesco finally opened where I live and Wheterspoons arrived, at last I could get some good beer near enough when I wanted.

Anyhoo, the local breweries (Belfast Brewery, Hildens and the Whitewater Brewery) can produce decent pints but I find in bottles they all have the same unpleasant aftertaste so I tend to avoid them. Recently I've been enjoying stuff from the Boyne Brewery, especially their Pagan's Pillar which is a good copper ale.

I could go on for quite some time about beer, including illustrations. I regularly get mixed boxes of beers delivered and I usually take a pic of them and post my 'review' on me Facebook ☺️ Of the breweries mentioned above, I've enjoyed stuff from Siren and Great North but two of the best I've had have been a saison from the Bad Seed brewery and a Russian Imperial Stout by Black Sheep. I generally like everything from both of them that I've had as well as Stone and Whychwood (Hobgoblin was my first real beer!) and last night I was drinking Theakston's Old Peculiar.
To tell the truth, you can all get screwed.

JLC

I went to the Northern Monk Co. Brewery couple days ago, same cracking beers in their tap room.

Eric Plumrose

Quote from: JLC on 16 February, 2017, 04:41:30 PM
I've been working my way through a few of Siren Crafts beers. Broken Dream is lovely.

Ooh, yiss. There's a Craft Pub just off Covent Garden. A pint of Broken Dream made for a very nice lunchless breakfast last Thursday afternoon.
Not sure if pervert or cheesecake expert.

CalHab

I had a bottle of Wild Beer Co's Wild Goose Chase last night with my curry and it was excellent. That brewery seems to produce consistently wonderful beers.

CalHab


Theblazeuk

For the last few weeks you can get the 660ml Punk IPA bottles by BrewDog at the bargain price of 3 for £5 from that most accessible of supermarkets, Tesco. Even the Express ones.

And lo, a saving of over a £5 on big old bottles of nice beer. Good whilst it lasts.

JLC

Well, I think its the begininng of the end for Brewdog...

Zarjazzer

The Cask in Pimlico has plenty of craft and other beers, some quite lethal some towards 11% ouch. I like Barnsley bitter there and they used to have Dark Star ales haven't been for a while alas.
The Justice department has a good re-education programme-it's called five to ten in the cubes.

Theblazeuk

Love the Cask. Great, fine beers and lovely burgers & fries.

sheridan

Quote from: Zarjazzer on 24 June, 2017, 02:10:02 PM
The Cask in Pimlico has plenty of craft and other beers, some quite lethal some towards 11% ouch. I like Barnsley bitter there and they used to have Dark Star ales haven't been for a while alas.

Had to double-check if it was the one I thought it was - it was: '8 minutes walk from work'.

Zarjazzer

Quote from: sheridan on 27 June, 2017, 12:44:29 PM
Quote from: Zarjazzer on 24 June, 2017, 02:10:02 PM
The Cask in Pimlico has plenty of craft and other beers, some quite lethal some towards 11% ouch. I like Barnsley bitter there and they used to have Dark Star ales haven't been for a while alas.

Had to double-check if it was the one I thought it was - it was: '8 minutes walk from work'.

Just don't drink the Biscotti (stout 11.5%) at lunchtime! I learned the hard way...  :|
The Justice department has a good re-education programme-it's called five to ten in the cubes.

JayzusB.Christ

I'm drinking a pint of McGargle's Pale Ale as I type.  It's brewed only a mile or two down the road.  Lovely crisp beer for a summer's evening.
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

Mardroid

I didn't realise they even brewed beer at 11%.

When I see beers 3 to 4% I think "hmm that's strong" (likely pouring it down my gullet shortly after. Okay that's an exaggeration. ) I saw one advertised as 5% the other day and thought,  "wow". (I didn't have any. I don't think it was available just then. Sometimes they prepare the taps with "available soon".)

I see what a naive lightweight I actually am.

I realise my post makes it appear that I choose beers according to high alcohol content. Not true. Honest. Well, I not entirely true. I like to try brews I haven't had before, usually ales and the like, and those figures come with them.

CalHab

Like you, I keep an eye on ABVs and this often leads me to tend towards "session" beers of 2-3.5%, so that I can enjoy a couple on a weekday evening. A strong beer is nice once in a while, but some pubs only seem to stock that stuff.

Dandontdare

I tend to find 3.8% to be the lowest available in most places. One local brewery that services a couple of my favourite pubs (Chorlton Tap and the Knott Bar) has 3 pale ales at 3.8%, 4.6% and 5.0%, called very simply 38, 46 and 50. It's the same very nice brew, you just get to choose your strength depending on whether it's a pint with lunch or a Friday blow-out!