November's dark compensations

It’s hard to believe that we’re almost a week into November now. It’s the 11^th month of yet another year, and like many that have gone before it, where has that year gone?  November is definitely my least favourite month, as it not only heralds the end of autumn and the start of winter, but it is the season of mist and fog, dull, overcast skies, often accompanied by a persistent drizzle, that almost imperceptibly soaks into one’s clothes and, along with the cold, seeps into one’s bones as well.  There’s something about November which makes people want to curl up in front of a nice warm fire and hibernate. 

This November, the temperatures have been unseasonably mild so far, although the same cannot be said for the amount of rainfall. It’s almost as if mother nature is attempting to make up for the shortfalls experienced over the summer months, but for those struggling at the thought of paying their heating bills, the mild weather does at least provide some respite against astronomically rising energy costs.

I've written several previous posts about November, and each time I've written pretty much the same things, so at the risk of not boring people, I won't repeat myself. What I will say is the month does have its some good points, and the best of these are the appearance of seasonal dark beers, such as Old Ales Porter's and other wintry delight's.

Unlike previous years, I’m somewhat ahead of the game, having already tracked down both Larkin’s Porter, and Harvey's Old Ale. Finding the porter on sale at the Nelson Arms, a couple of weeks ago, was both a bonus and a big surprise, as up until now, it had always been something of a tradition for Larkin’s to hold back release of this strong and satisfying dark ale, until Bonfire Night. That’s this weekend, and a brief visit yesterday to Lewes, was proof that November 5^th celebrations are very much alive and kicking.

According to rumour, Larkin’s are making their porter beer much more widely available, and there was even talk of it being on sale all year round. Personally, I can’t see much porter being sold during the summer months, as whilst it is undoubtedly good, it really is a beer that is far more suited to late autumn and winter drinking. However, with founder and owner Bob Dockerty now in his 80’s, there might be a change of policy at Larkin’s, with the possible aim of introducing the porter to a wider audience.

It was that visit to Lewes which, unsurprisingly, provided the perfect opportunity to enjoy a glass of Harvey’s delectable XXXX Old Ale. It was just a glass, as I was driving, but I used the visit as an excuse to call in at the Harvey’s Shop to drop off the dozen empty bottles I’d accumulated over the past year (Harvey’s are one of the very few UK breweries to wash and then refill their empties), pick up a few full ones and also get my 4-pint carry-out container filled with something dark and strong.

I dropped off Mrs PBT’s at the large Tesco superstore, overlooking the River Ouse, and then took a walk along the footpath that runs adjacent to the river, and into Cliffe High Street. This part of the town was obviously preparing for the following day’s November 5^th celebrations, with banners hung across the street, commemorating the 17 Protestant martyrs, burned at the stake between 1555 and 1557, during the reign of Queen Mary. The town marks this event alongside celebrations marking the discovery of the 1605 plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament, so the anti-papal theme, evident in parts of the town, come as no surprise.

Lewes can become very over-crowded during the bonfire celebrations, so much so that non-residents of the town, are actively discouraged from attending. The large windows of Harvey’s Shop were shuttered with plywood, as a safety precaution, although there were signs yesterday, stating that the premises were open for business as usual. Before calling in there, I walked a little further, to the John Harvey Tavern, opposite the brewery entrance, confident that this pub, which acts as the brewery tap, would have Old Ale on sale.

My confidence was not misplaced, and whilst the pub was pleasantly busy, both inside and out, I was able to get served at the bar, more or less straight away. As might be expected of the brewery’s showcase pub, there was a wide range of Harvey’s beers on sale, alongside the Old, but I only had eyes for the one brew. XXXX Old Ale is one of my favourites of this style of beer, although it is only available during the autumn and winter months (October – March). It is only normally available in Harvey's tied pubs but can occasionally be found the free trade.

A bottled version is also produced, and several off licences close to where I live stock the beer, but for some inexplicable it is brewed to a significantly lower strength – 3.6%, as opposed to 4.3% for the cask version.  The cask was on top form at the John Harvey Tavern, but as we’d driven to Lewes, I could only have the one. I’d also arranged to meet Mrs PBT’s at the supermarket checkout.  There was a good mix of casual drinkers and more serious diners at the pub, with some from both groups, sitting outside, enjoying the unexpected bonus of a sunny day, after all the recent rain.

I finished my beer and headed to the brewery shop. There was quite a queue of customers waiting to be served, so I joined them after first selecting a few bottles. When it was my turn at the counter, I handed over my two bags of empties, along with my 4-pint container. As well as Best Bitter and Old Ale, the seasonal Bonfire Boy was also available on draught. In my opinion, the latter is one of the best seasonal ales in Harvey’s cannon, so I requested that my container be filled up.

I only just made it back to Tesco’s in time, but the lady of the house was in a good mood, having procured several items that hadn’t been available locally. The store itself was very busy, presumably due to people stocking up ahead of the following day bonfire celebrations. The local council had been busy putting out traffic cones, to restrict most on-street parking, and the lady on the checkout informed us that the store would be closing at 4pm on Saturday. 

That’s almost it for the time being, certainly on the beer front, although I am slowly replenishing my stock of bottles and cans ready for the approach of Christmas. I’d deliberately allowed stocks to run down over the summer months, and with foreign trips few and far between this year, there’s been little coming in from overseas. My visit to the Harvey Shop was just the beginning of this re-stocking exercise, and I’m looking at several other options for home drinking, including one or two of those 5 litre mini kegs. In the meantime, I’ve got a few pints of Bonfire Boy to get stuck into, so until the next post, it’s farewell for the time being.

Is less best, or is it just style over substance?

Following a link on social media the other day, I came across the story of what to me, seemed an interesting concept. It concerns a brewpub in America, called Sacred Profane Brewing, which has been described as the anti-hype brewery. I shall come on to the reasons for this name shortly, but for the moment I want to write about what I see as the total geekery, that is an almost a given feature of the majority of craft beer bars, especially those on the other side of the Atlantic.

Driven by sites such as Rate Beer and Untappd, no self-respecting craft outlet seems complete without offering a myriad of different beer styles, including some that pioneering beer writer Michael Jackson, could only have dreamed about. It's more likely that Michael would have had nightmares, rather than pleasant dreams, over some of the “horrors” seen in many craft beer outlets today. I’m talking here about New England IPA’s (murky, rather than just sightly hazy), Pastry Stouts, Fruit Sours, Black IPA’s, and all the rest of the over-hyped nonsense, viewed by many in the craft beer movement, as “must stock” beers.

If ever there was a case of the Emperor’s New Clothes, then the extremities chased after by those who, absolutely must experience the latest sensation in the world of beer are it, but as with every revolution there comes a kick-back, a reaction if you like against the absurdity of those obsessed with pushing the boundaries way beyond that which is sensible, or indeed normal. It’s somewhat ironic therefore to discover that a rejection of all this hype should have arisen in the land of its birth – the good old US of A!

Sacred Profane Brewing certainly wear the anti-hype mantle well, at their brewery and taproom in Biddeford, Maine, as visitors to the company’s bar will be offered just two types of beer, either a light, or a dark lager. You can almost imagine the howls of anguish from craft beer afficionados, when they discover the limited range available. Some allegedly have asked, how can the brewery not produce a juicy IPA these days and still stay in business?

Sacred Profane use a tank system designed and built in the Czech Republic, to store and dispense their beers. It’s a system that allow the person behind the bar to control the type of “pour” being used, as the way the beer is being poured changes not just the drinking experience, but the mouthfeel, and even the perceived bitterness experienced by the consumer. It follows the common Czech saying that “the brewer brews the beer, but the tapster makes the beer.”

I’m not going too far into the technicalities here, but the system at Sacred Profane has been described as the first in North America, conceived and custom-designed to make the best of these Czech style beers. It took workers from the Czech-based LUKR several days to install, and cost $80,000 – so not exactly small beer!

The investment seems to be paying off, as both beers have been well received, and are are currently scoring over 4 out of 5 on Untappd, thereby confounding the cynics who were critical of the limited range. Sacred Profane owner, Michael Fava, describes the pubs’ two lagers as straightforward beers in a straightforward place. Michael runs the brewpub with his partner Brienne Allan, and the pair took their inspiration from the "tankovna" pubs of the Czech Republic. In these establishments, tanks of fresh beer displayed under a glass bar or in a prominent position in the bar room, act as a pub’s centrepiece

Such places are becoming increasingly more common in the UK, but as Sacred Profane’s experience demonstrates, are still a rarity in North America. Despite being experienced brewers, Michael and Brienne spent several weeks in the Czech Republic earlier this year learning how to pour this unique Czech style of beer, becoming tapster-certified under the tutelage of Pilsner Urqell’s experts. I witnessed this system in operation at two of the European Beer Bloggers Conferences I attended. 

The first time I experienced this system was in Dublin, in 2014 and the second in Brussels, a year later. On both occasions, the Czech company, who were one of the main sponsors of the conferences, had brought one of their Tankovar cellar tanks, pumped full of un-pasteurised Pilsner Urquell, across from Pilsen for us to enjoy. Needless to say, the beer was excellent, and we were entertained with a demonstration of how to perform the perfect “pour,” by Pilsner Urquell Master Brewer Vaclav Berka.

Along with the tank of beer, Pilsner Urquell had brought over a mobile bar, complete with integral cooling unit, a traditional, side-lever operated font, plus a glass rinser, all in order to demonstrate the perfect pour. Traditionally, there are three different types of pour in the Czech Republic, all of which were demonstrated to us. Basically, the process is all about controlling the amount of gas in the finished beer, and this not only affects the size of the head, but also alters the mouthfeel of the beer.

I won't go into further detail here, as I've already written about it in the past. If you are interested, please click on the link which will take you back to an article written following that visit to Dublin in 2014, and as a result of the demonstration I witnessed. I also seem to have veered rather off topic, as my original intention was contrast the vast array of choice available to today’s beer drinkers, to the situation that existed when I first started visiting pubs.

 That will have to wait for another occasion, but in the meantime do consider the paradox brought about by an over-abundance of choice and remember even keg beers have a shelf-life, and over time can lack the freshness and vitality intended by their creators, becoming stale, oxidised and unpleasant to drink, instead.