A Decent Glass at Last!

I’ve been searching for a decent beer “tasting” glass for some time now, unaware that the answer to my quest lay much closer to home than I thought. For years I’ve been using a classic, straight-sided pint glass, courtesy of local brewers, Larkins. It’s great for volume drinking, but as a glass designed to bring out the best in a beer in terms of appearance, aroma, condition and taste, it leaves a lot to be desired.

Leffe presentation set

I knew the answer lay in a “chalice-style” glass, and the obvious place to source one seemed to be Belgium. A work colleague was paying a brief visit to the country back in the summer, so I asked her to look out for a suitable glass for me. To my colleague’s  great credit, seeing as she knows next to nothing about beer, she brought me back a presentation gift box, produced by Leffe which not only has two Leffe branded, chalice-style glasses, but also four different bottles of Leffe beer.  Most UK drinkers will be familiar with two of the bottles; Blond and Bruin, but also included were two other Leffe beers which I hadn’t come across before; Tripel at 8.5% ABV, and Rituel 9˚at 9.0% ABV.

  

I haven’t drunk these potent beers yet, but I look forward to doing so, especially as we’re into November now and the mercury has plummeted. More to the point, as far as this post is concerned, I haven’t tried the glasses either! They are perhaps more goblet than chalice, but have an attractive motif, and would grace any bar, or indeed dining table, but the real reason I haven’t made use of them is their wide bowl shape is not conducive to retaining, or indeed concentrating beer aromas.

Having been a participant in a couple of training sessions for CAMRA Beer Tasting Panel members, I know these things, and I therefore knew exactly the type of glass I was after.

After lots of fruitless scouring through various charity shops; an often over-looked but sometimes surprising source of unusual glasses, I had a look on Amazon; again a useful and surprising market place for branded beer glasses. Most of the glasses produced by the well-known Trappist brewers were featured, along with examples from several lesser known Belgian brewers. In a deliberate attempt to make each one stand out they were all subtly different from each other, with two main styles emerging – either chalice type or thistle shape. What I was really after was something in between the two!

The right glass, at last!

After I had almost given up, salvation came in the form of the lined half-pint “tasting” glasses, produced for use at our recent CAMRA Beer Festival, at the Spa Valley Railway. Tall and slim, with a reasonably sized bowl above the stem, which tapers inwards, and then out again in a thistle style, so as to form a “trap” which concentrates aroma, and maintains condition within the beer. The glass also holds significantly more than half a pint, making it suitable for beers packaged in the increasingly popular 330ml size bottles.

For the tasting and enjoying of speciality beers, especially the stronger ones, this glass is ideal. But for everyday quaffing, I’ll be sticking with my trusty straight-sided pint glass.

In Praise of Green-Hopped Beer

For the past two years running I’ve written a post or two about Kent Green Hop Beer Fortnight .  For those who haven't been paying attention, Kent Green Hop Beer is beer made with fresh, or green Kentish hops, rather than using hops that have been dried, as is more traditional in brewing. The resulting beers have a characteristic fresh taste because the green hops used contain oils and other aroma compounds that are normally lost when hops are dried. The brewers make sure the hops are as fresh as possible by using them within 12 hours of being picked.

Hops are used as the ‘seasoning’ rather the main ingredient in beer, and impart tanginess, bitterness and aroma. When beers are brewed with green hops, the fact the hops are fresh and un-processed means they are an unknown quantity. This combined with the influence of the weather, and other seasonal factors, on their growing period ensures the flavour of the resultant beer will be different each year. As brewers are normally at pains to ensure their beers taste the same every time, these factors add a variety and interest which would not normally be present.

Almost every brewery in Kent makes at least one green-hopped – some make several, and with over 20 breweries in the county that’s a large range of beers! In fact more than 30 were brewed this year, and with each brewer creating their own recipe, they were all different as well.

In order to showcase these beers, and bring them to the attention of the public at large, the Kent breweries have banded together to set up Kent Green Hop Beer Fortnight. This officially begins at the Canterbury Food & Drink Festival; held this year on Friday 26th September 2014. This is the only occasion and location when all (or nearly all!) Kent Green Hop Beers are available in the same place at the same time. Select pubs throughout the county also stock Kent Green Hop Beers throughout the two week period following the festival, ending just before the middle of October.

Of course green-hopped beers aren’t confined to the Garden of England alone; brewers as far distant as Ilkley in Yorkshire have brewed their own versions, as have brewers in the Thames Valley and  those based in England’s other main hop-growing area – the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire. It is therefore worth noting that the Teme Valley Brewery, who are based at The Talbot at Knightwick in Worcestershire, run their own Green Hop Beer Festival which is of a size to rival that of the Kent one. This year’s event featured around 35 green-hopped beers sourced mainly, but not exclusively, from local brewers.

So do green-hopped beers taste different to more conventional ones? The short answer is yes, but the difference is perhaps rather more subtle than that between green tea and normal dried tea. Green-hopped beers have a definite resinous taste which is almost certainly due to the abundance of hop oils and other flavouring compounds. These are elements which are either diminished, or lost altogether during the normal drying process. Friends have commented on a distinct mouth-feel to the beer, and I have noticed this too in the form of a slight furriness on the tongue and the roof of my mouth. Whatever the difference, the fact that brewing with green hops can only be done during harvest, creates a very special beer with a truly unique flavour.

.The idea of green-hopped beers has now spread far beyond these shores, with brewers in New Zealand now producing their own version of these beers. A number of American brewers also produce what is known as a “Wet-Hopped Beer”; sometimes referred to as a “Harvest Ale”. As far as I can tell, these are beers brewed using fresh, un-dried hops, so to my mind, at least, they are equivalent to our green-hopped ales.

The very first green-hopped beer, certainly in the modern era, was surprisingly not brewed in a hop-growing area, but was instead conceived by Wadworth of Devizes, in Wiltshire. The company’s Malt & Hops was the original, and some would say, still the best, green- hopped beer. Somewhat surprisingly, the beer has been brewed on an annual basis for the past 22 years; the first batch having been brewed as long ago as 1992! In view of this achievement, the name of the beer has now been changed to The Original Green Hopped Beer.

Wadworth brew this beer in their traditional old Victorian brew-house, which particularly lends itself to the green hop brewing process. The malt used is a pale ale malt with just a hint of crystal, and the main hop used is Earlybird Goldings. Once brewed the beer is stored in casks for a few days to obtain natural conditioning and can be drunk almost immediately the yeast has settled out.

Some might dismiss the whole “green-hopped” thing as just another publicity exercise; with a few people going even further, comparing it to the media circus which surrounded Beaujolais Nouveau, a decade or so ago. However, unlike the marketing of an immature and, at times, rather thin red wine, which incidentally the French thought we were crazy to go chasing after, green-hoped beers are all about the heritage and future of Britain’s hop-growing industry.

This isn't just about grabbing a seasonal product while you can: English hops are in desperate need of a boost. Hop acreage has dropped from a high of 71,189 acres in 1878 to around 2,500 now, and this decline has continued in recent years by the increasing popularity of hops from places like America and New Zealand. The demand for the citrus and tropical fruit flavours imparted by these hops shows no sign of abating, and is side-lining the earthy, floral, hedgerow fruitiness of traditional English varieties. Anything which helps reverse this trend, by encouraging an interest in our home-grown varieties, has to be encouraged and is surely worthy of the support of every English beer drinker.

Stocking Up

As if people hadn’t guessed from all the tat in the shops, the dreaded “C” word is fast approaching. With child now grown up, and no sign of any grandchildren on the horizon, Christmas in the Bailey household has long since lost its sparkle. It would be nice to go away; somewhere snowy and cold with fir trees, picturesque scenery, time-worn towns and villages and a real traditional Christmas feel. Austria, Bavaria or Switzerland would all fit the bill nicely; they seem to celebrate Christmas on the continent with much more meaning and far less commercial tack than we do in the UK.

 

Unfortunately, our son works in a hardware shop, and Christmas is the busiest and most lucrative time of the year for the retail trade. The whole of December and the beginning of January are a “no” as far as him taking leave is concerned so, for the foreseeable future, it’s Christmas here in dear old Blighty.

Like most beer lovers I usually get a stock in for Christmas, to accompany the mountain of food we always seem to have, and to see me through the days of between Christmas and New Year, (like many firms, the company I work for has an enforced shutdown over the festive period.) In the past I used to get a polypin in; but drinking the same old beer day after day does get a trifle boring and, besides, one needs different beers for different occasions; different times of the day and to go with different foods.

So, as in previous years, I’ve already started stocking up. Everyone’s favourite supermarket Waitrose have been of assistance here, with some good offers on a number of beers. Several weeks ago, the large 750ml “sharing “ bottles of Meantime IPA and Porter were selling for a pound off, but for the past couple of weeks a number of  eminently quaffable and well respected beers are on offer at four for £6.

Included in the deal are St Austell Tribute and the same brewery's excellent Proper Job. Gem and Organic Wild Hare from Bath Ales also feature, alongside various beers from the Duchy Originals range. The crowning glory, as far as I am concerned is that the complete range of Fuller’s bottles are also selling at four for £6, and what’s more, you’re allowed to mix and match. Some Waitrose outlets carry Golden Pride; Fuller’s premium, superior-strength bottled ale, which weighs in with an ABV of 8.5%. This stunning beer is also included in the deal, but it always seems to be out of stock at my local Waitrose. Hardly surprising, I suppose as in pure terms of more bangs for your buck, it’s excellent value.

Not all the beers shown here are included in the offer

Golden Pride aside, I’ve been stocking up on London Porter and 1845, but before the deal comes to an end on Tuesday (4^th November), I’ll be getting in some bottles of Bengal Lancer and Wild River. If, like me, you want to take advantage of this excellent offer then I suggest you hot foot it down to Waitrose before Tuesday.

A Well Deserved Win!

The good news, especially for local readers, is that the “Beer of the Festival”, as voted for by attendees at the recent Spa Valley Railway Beer Fest, has been awarded to Larkins Brewery for their Green Hop Best.

This 4.0% ABV best bitter certainly packed in the hops, and when married with the toffee-like, chewy maltiness imparted by the generous use of crystal malt, that is Larkins signature; this beer was a worthy winner, especially as this is only the second time they have brewed Green Hop Best. The beer is brewed on harvest day, with hops straight from the fields that aren’t dried and is only available for about 10 days. The two casks of it at the SVR Festival sold out really quickly; such is the reputation and the taste of this excellent beer.

Larkins beers are brewed just outside the small, but picturesque village of Chiddingstone, in the south west corner of Kent. The company was founded in 1986 by local farmer and hop-grower, Bob Dockerty, at the family home - Larkins Farm; hence the name. They produce a range of fine traditional Kentish ales which are listed as follows: Traditional 3.4%, Platinum Blonde 3.6% (Seasonal Summer), Best 4.4% and Porter 5.2% (Seasonal Winter).

Larkins grow around four acres of hops but, somewhat ironically, Bob had to stop growing them when the brewery was first set up as, between farming and getting the brewery off the ground, he just didn’t have sufficient time. Then, around four or five years ago he decided to start hopping again due to difficulties in sourcing the varieties of hops he wanted for the beer.  Fortunately the wirework and poles needed to support the hop bines were still there, so Bob replanted the hops, and has been using them in his beers ever since. Larkins grow three varieties: Early Choice Goldings, Bramling Cross and Whitbread Golding. Each has a different aroma, and they are used in differing amounts in each of the company’s four beers.

Bob and Harry Dockerty

Having been brewing for nearly 30 years, and farming for even longer than that, Bob has now been joined at the brewery by his nephew Harry. Harry has been learning the trade and is now assistant brewer. Having known Bob since he first set Larkins up, I am extremely pleased for him, Harry and their fellow co-workers Guy and Mick at the brewery for wining this thoroughly deserved award, and look forward to trying their Porter when it is officially launched next week. (I missed it at the SVR Festival, as it sold out even quicker than the Green Hop!).

This article about hop-picking at Larkins, recently appeared in the Guardian newspaper.

Some Post Festival Reflections

Well after a busy week and an, at times, somewhat manic weekend, I am slowly returning to normality. A beer festival organised and run by two disparate organisation, both of which are staffed and run almost entirely by volunteers, was never going to be easy, and yet, somehow, it all came together and the event happened. How successful it was in monetary terms remains to be seen, as there was a fair bit of beer left, but in terms of attracting people to a preserved railway, and offering them one of the best ranges of cask beer in the south east, then the festival was an undoubted success.
 

I am talking of course about the 4^th Spa Valley Railway Beer and Cider Festival. I was heavily involved with the organisation and running of the event, and like most of my CAMRA colleagues I am both pleased and relieved it is all over. This festival is more complicated than most because as well as there being beer available at the railway’s Tunbridge Wells headquarters, there was also a selection of different beers further down the line at both Groombridge and Eridge stations. To further complicate matters there were two train sets operating up and down the line; both of which also had beer on sale.

A logistical nightmare in terms of ensuring all points of sale were adequately stocked and suitably staffed, but also extremely difficult  when trying to forecast likely demand. Entrance to the main site at Tunbridge Wells West is free, which means the Spa Valley have no idea how many people attend each year. They know how many tickets they sell for the trains, but many of those enjoying the ride along the line are enthusiasts who have turned up because of their interest in preserved trains, rather than to enjoy the many and varied beers we have on offer. Those arriving at the other stations will equally not be counted, unless they have bought a ticket, but even then not everyone gets off at these stops, or wants to buy a beer. These factors all combine to make the job of estimating the amount of beer needed at these intermediate stops doubly hard.

We ran out of beer early at the previous two events, but this year there was quite a bit left; as mentioned earlier. Of course none of this should detract from the excellent range of beers that we had on offer, and the undoubted attraction of riding up and down this preserved line, through the glorious Kent and Sussex countryside which lies between Tunbridge Wells and Eridge.

 

Will we do it again? Well next year’s festival already appears on Spa Valley’s promotional posters, so unless something totally untoward happens between then and now then it’s very likely the event will go ahead. Whether or not I will do it again remains to be seen, but to end on a positive note I heard nothing but praise for our choice of beers and their overall quality. More on this subject in a subsequent post.

A Beer Buyer's Lot is Not a Happy One!

Waiting for the thirsty hordes

As regular readers will be aware, I’ve been charged with ordering the beer for the forthcoming beer and cider festival which our local CAMRA branch is running in connection with the Spa Valley Railway. The latter are a preserved railway who runs trains over five and a half miles of restored track between Tunbridge Wells West and Eridge. This line, which closed in 1986, was one of the last to axed by a cash-strapped British Rail before it was split up and privatised. A senseless closure given the line's strategic importance as a cross-over route, but since when did sense ever come into these decisions?

                 

To return to the fast approaching beer festival; the event takes place next weekend, from Friday 24^th to Sunday 26^th October. What makes the event unusual is the fact that beer is available at the stations at both ends of the line, as well as the intermediate stop at Groombridge. Beer will also be served on the trains! As you can imagine, the logistics of setting up and manning three separate static bars, as well as two moving ones, have been a bit of a nightmare, so surely picking up the phone and ordering the beer should be a piece of cake in comparison?

Last year’s experience should have told me otherwise. Brewers may be wonderful, creative and interesting people, but they are often not very good at dealing with sales enquiries. Whilst this might seem perverse, given that there is no point in them brewing the beer if no-one is able to buy it, you have to remember that many brewers are extremely busy people, who as well as stirring the mash tun will often be out delivering the beer, sorting out the accounts or stuck out in the yard carrying out every small-brewer’s favourite job – cask washing!

This explains why  quite often they don’t return phone calls or respond to email enquiries, and whilst I can  understand why, it doesn’t make the job of ordering beer any easier.  I cheated this year, though by placing the lion’s share of the order through a beer agency, and then struck lucky when a local publican came to our rescue by offering to source those beers we’d had difficulty with. Our friendly landlord and I spent several evenings mulling over lists, together with the CAMRA colleague who had drawn up the original list, and by last Monday we were finally there.

There had been quite a few changes along the way. Several breweries were unable to supply for reasons ranging from distance, lack of capacity or even a reluctance to supply CAMRA festivals. I won’t name the latter as I understand and respect their reasons, but all this had meant the beer list was in a continual state of flux as we strove to achieve a balanced selection.

 

Green Hop Ales at last year's festival

Unfortunately all the threads which made up the final list came together two days after the print deadline for the festival programme, which meant some of the work another colleague had put regarding tasting notes, beer styles etc, was wasted. I felt for him, and understand his frustration, but the decision for going to press early was that of the Spa Valley and not our own.

Had we waited a few days longer, everything would have been good, but such is life! I’ve spent today ringing round those breweries who are delivering separately, just to check everything is still on course. I’ve been assured that it is, so fingers crossed that all the beers we’ve ordered do actually turn up next Tuesday, as promised. I’ll be on site the following day, helping to get the beers stillaged and then tapped and spiled. Come the weekend I’m looking forward to serving them to the thirsty punters. If you are in the Tunbridge Wells area next weekend, then do call in and say hello.

“A veritable smorgasbord of the county's finest 3.5% flat brown bitters.” Was how one rather unkind commentator described the festival. He couldn’t be more wrong, as ironically, traditional “brown bitter” is quite hard to come by these days; especially from many of the smaller micro-breweries. Golden ales, pale ales, IPA’s and all manner of porters, stouts and other dark beers, are abundant, but apart from local stalwarts Harvey’s and Westerham, not many other breweries in Kent and Sussex brew a brown bitter. My colleague and I both reached this conclusion whilst compiling the list. Perhaps CAMRA should launch a campaign in the same manner as that for mild, only this time for “brown bitter”!

A Brief Interlude in London

I had a brief interlude in London last Thursday. I was in town for a trade show; the Dental Showcase to be precise. The event, which took place at London’s Excel, is designed, as its name suggests, to showcase all that is best in dentistry. The dental manufacturing company I work for hasn’t exhibited at Showcase for a number of years now, as we are concentrating our efforts on the export market. We will however, have a stand at the grand-daddy of all dental exhibitions. IDS (International Dental Show), which takes place every two years in Cologne, dwarfs Dental Showcase by a large factor, and for this reason the latter did seem rather tame. There were a large number of stands there from accountancy firms, finance houses, insurance companies and other lenders, which shows the general direction the field of dentistry is heading in, and the increasing corporate nature of the industry as a whole.

   

After acquiring sufficient free samples of toothpaste and mouthwash, I was done with the show by about two thirty. I had obtained a ticket for my son Matthew, who for curiosity’s sake not only fancied a look around the show, but also a late afternoon/early evening in London, so after leaving Excel we took the DLR along to Stratford. We had a look around the impressive and rather upmarket Westfield Shopping Centre where, more by luck than judgement, we chanced upon Tap East.

Tap East, Stratford

Tucked away in a far corner of "The Great Eastern Market" section of the centre, just along from Waitrose, this contemporary brew-pub has been trading for a number of years. I had read good reports about the place, so we popped in for a look. Being mid-afternoon on a Thursday, the place was fairly quiet, although there were still a few groups of people enjoying a drink.

The bar was adorned by two banks of three hand pumps; one at either end. In the middle was a bank of keg taps. To one side, behind a glass screen, was the brew-kit. Three of Tap East’s regular beers were on the left hand set of pulls, with a couple of guests on the right hand set. I went for the 3.0% Tonic Ale, a well-hopped, session pale ale. Matthew went for the 4.5% Frontier Lager from Fullers. We only stayed for the one, but I have to say Tap East is a very pleasant place, with helpful and knowledgeable staff behind the bar. I will certainly pop in, next time I’m in that part of East London.

We headed for Camden Town next, in order to visit the Brew Dog pub which is a short walk down from the tube station. This was our first visit to a Brew Dog establishment, and we probably hit it at just the right time; late afternoon, before it started to fill up with people on their way home from work or students calling in for a pint following afternoon lectures.

Brew Dog, Camden Town

The pub itself is an attractive, late Victorian building, standing on a street corner like so many pubs from that era. The outside has been painted black, giving the pub a very contemporary look, and this them extends to the inside. We sat looking towards the bar on some raised benches, towards the rear of the pub. Being “Brew Dog Virgins” we were a little unsure what to go for, but a booklet, handily placed on most of the tables pointed us in the right direction. Avoiding some of the more extreme, super-strength bottles we opted for a couple from the draught selection; This. Is. Lager. for Matthew, and Brixton Porter for me.

The former is Brew Dog’s newly launched lager, which describes itself as a "21^st Century Pilsner". At 4.7% abv, and with a hop-bitterness of 40 IBU, This. Is. Lager. Is brewed from a grist consisting of Pilsner, Munich and Caramalts, and is bittered with a mix of Hallertauer Hersbrucker, Saaz and Columbus hops. The beer is then cold-conditioned for five weeks resulting in a stunning lager which is a pleasure to drink. Brixton Chocolate Porter is a 5.0% beer, with notes of chocolate, coffee and autumn berries. The company claim that “This is how a porter would taste if it were invented in the London of today.”

It was certainly very good, but rather than have another I decided to try something else from the draught list. Punk IPA at 5.6% hit the spot. I’ve enjoyed this beer in bottled form, but this was the first time I’ve tried it on draught. Matt stuck with the lager; he’s a lot less adventurous than me!

Interior,  Brew Dog

Things I liked about Brew Dog included the contemporary layout, the information leaflets and the wide choice of beers, which included quite a few guests. Most of all though, the helpful, enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff who really seemed to know their beers, really stood out. Compare this to the average Pub Co operation with the bored and totally indifferent spotty yoof behind the bar, who is more interested in flicking through the TV channels or texting his or her mates, than actually engaging with the customer! BTW, that last comment is not directed at young people in a negative way, as all the staff at Brew Dog were around the same age as Matthew. It just shows the difference which adequate training and investment in your staff can make!

After leaving Brew Dog we headed back into Central London in search of something to eat. Thursday evening is Curry Night at Wetherspoons, so a ruby seemed like a good idea. Unfortunately we couldn’t get near to the JDW outlet in Leicester Square, as much of the area was cordoned off for some red-carpet film premiere, (I can’t tell you which luvvy this was in honour of and besides, I couldn’t care less anyway). Instead we made our way to the Lord Moon of the Mall, just along from Trafalgar Square.

Despite the size of this pub it always seems packed to the gunwales, but this time we were fortunate and managed to find an empty table. I went for the 4.5% Citra Session India Pale Ale, brewed at Bank’s Brewery by Chuck Silva (whoever he might be?), as part of the "Wetherspoons American Craft Brewers’ Showcase". I won’t say what Matthew had, but I’m sure our old friend Cooking Lager would be proud of him.

The Thursday night curries at JDW come with a drink, but the draught offerings were not to my liking. Some outlets allow customers to choose one of the guest ales instead, but I’m certain this is not official company policy so, rather than pushing my luck, I went for one of the cans from Sixpoint Brewing. The Bengali Tiger that I asked for was out of stock (none left in the fridge), but the 5.4% The Crisp went down well with my Chicken Tikka Masala. Matthew had another big-brand, international lager!

After that it was a short walk along to Charing Cross and the train home followed by a relatively early night, ready for work the next day.