Out at Christmas, from under the Covers

I’ve mentioned before that being a beer lover connoisseur, means that at Christmas time, I sometimes receive the odd beer or two, as a present from well-meaning relatives, or even the occasional work colleague. I published a post about this, three years ago, emphasising the fact that just because I appreciate a decent drop of ale, does not necessarily mean I’m going to be eternally grateful, if you happen to slip a bottle of some quirky sounding beer into my Christmas stocking.

“Paul likes his ales,” is a remark I’ve heard, and in the past, this has often been misinterpreted. To many people the word “ales” signifies a beer that is a cut above the rest; the rest of course being mass-marketed international brands of industrial lager. Regrettably, this often means the likes of heavily promoted Premium Bottled Ales (PBA’s) from brewers such as Badger, Greene King and Marston’s, rather than something far less mainstream, and far more drinkable.

As I said in that article from 2020, these are the types of beers that are unfortunately perceived by the general public as “real ale,” and the ones likely to appeal to a beer lover like myself. If I do find myself on the receiving end of such “delights” I try very carefully to appear pleased and grateful, as after all it is the thought that counts. I also work on the premise that sampling some of these mainstream brands, reminds oneself just how boring many of them are.

Occasionally though, and it is becoming slightly more common, I receive a beer which both surprises and delights. This occurred completely out of the blue, this Christmas, when I was the recipient of an unusual promotional pack of beer, courtesy of the eldest of my wife’s two nieces. To spare embarrassment, I won’t reveal the lady’s name, but she works as a sales representative for a local builder’s merchants.

Not many people will have heard of Covers, where the “o” is pronounced as in "Dover," but the company is a family-owned Builder & Timber Merchants with 15 depots, spread across southern England. Covers works with the building trade and is also open to the public, and last year the company celebrated their 175^th anniversary. To commemorate this significant anniversary, Covers commissioned Powder Monkey Brewing of Gosport, Hants to produce a special brew, and it was a three-can, promotional pack of these beers that I received as a present, on Boxing Day.

The beers are packaged in appropriate 440 ml cans, designed with a typical “tradesmen” look, so as to appeal to builders, carpenters, plumbers and other tradespeople who make up the bulk of Covers’ customers. The beer itself is a “Tropical Pale Ale” with an abv of 4.6%.  Tasting notes on the rear of the can, describe the contents as “A soft and tropical beer with pillowy mouthfeel from oats in the malt body. There are dry hop additions of Galaxy and Idaho hops, which combine to create passion-fruit aromas, with notes of pineapple and peach.”

The beer was certainly heavily focussed on the aforementioned fruits, but my main gripe was its hazy appearance. It is obviously intended to be that way, as the bottom strap-line invites consumers to “Store Cold. Drink fresh. Naturally hazy.” An unfortunate statement, as I am becoming increasingly averse to beers that are designed to be hazy – naturally or otherwise! In addition, I can’t imagine your average bricklayer, chippy, roofer, or sparks, being over-enamoured at receiving a glass of murk. This is a shame, as the beer itself is very good – especially when first poured, and before the sediment has entered one's glass.

So, what about the brewery behind the beer? Powder Monkey Brewing started up, in 2019, and based themselves in an old Naval Gunpowder Store in Priddy's Hard, Gosport. The name Powder Monkey relates to the boys and girls who carried the gunpowder to the guns on board ships. The company produce a wide range of beers across a multitude of styles, although I can find no reference of the commemorative Covers beer on their website, nor indeed on Untappd. It was a good idea, and a nice thought too, from Eileen’s niece, although I will be interested to learn what her customers thought of the beer.