FOOD AND DRINK

Sometimes I read about which food goes with which beer or wine. Mostly this information just washes over me buts here's a suggestion, based on last nights experience.

Onion Bhaji, Malayan Chicken Curry, washed down with three bottles of Maxim Brewery Maximus 

The curry was mild, which suited me, the beer was 6%, which also suited me.

Mind you , the next morning saw a major increase in the methane level in the earths atmosphere !

GREAT BRITISH BEER FESTIVAL EPISODE 2

Well its less than two weeks to go to the big day - The Great British Beer Festival at Kensington Olympia in London. My entry ticket has arrived in the post , saving me a massive £1. Now CAMRA make out you're saving £2 when buying on-line then sneak a £1 transaction fee on at the end of the process.(hmph)

This will be my 12th consecutive visit and every year the queues to get in are  longer and longer. I usually pay at the door so this is the first time I've paid up front, largely as a result of my experience last year.

I had travelled down alone to meet up with the guys inside the venue. I arrived early at 1145, opening time being at noon. I gave up looking for the end of the queue as it snaked westbound towards the M25 . Then I discovered it was for ticket holders only, so I had to find the queue where the great unwashed without tickets were queuing, to go in a seperate entrance. This didn't get opened till the ticket holder queue was gone. So for well over 15 minutes I stood there impatiently, bursting for a pee, and  conscious of the fact that beer, seats and tables would be disappearing fast.

Once in, glass and program in hand, I luckily managed to secure a table upstairs ready for when my drinking mates would appear later.

My thoughts now turn to food ; to be honest I'm always thinking about food. Now the eats in the festival, curries, pasties, hot dogs ,and other take away  fare,  are quite pricey. Last year I took a pack of four out of date mini pork pies ( 50p from Morrison's). Boy did I get the piss taken out of me , although I wasn't bothered,  as it meant more money for beer!

This year , after extensive market research, I  have invested in a single larger pork pie ( pictured ) , going slightly upmarket at 62p.

The next newsworthy item will be the announcement of the Champion Beer of Britain on August 11th.

Click here for Episode 3 :- GBBF Episode 3

CRAFT AND ARTISAN

The title of this suggests a comedy double act, but no - read on

There was an interesting letter in the latest edition of CAMRA's Whats Brewing newspaper this month- with apologies to non members. A writer called Nick wrote in to express some gripes, one of which was on the subject of craft beer.

Now this hot topic has featured regularly, and still does, in the letters pages over the years.. In my humble opinion he has encapsulated the whole debate with this statement

"Craft beer - its fancy keg as far as I can tell. Im sure some of its good but its not real ale- End of"

Nice one Nick !

Going slightly off tangent, after a few days break in Lincoln, on the way home very nearly passed The Pheasantry Brewery just off the A57 in Nottinghamshire. Located on a farm, they had a shop , a bar and a restaurant. The beer menu had the core ales plus seasonals which they termed Seasonal Artisan Beers. Artisan Beers ? Whats that all about ? Could this be the new craft ? We need to be told 

Check out their website http://www.pheasantrybrewery.co.uk/index.php/the-beers/seasonal-artisan-beers

End of.
 

A STEP BACK IN TIME

Every year on the last weekend in July the small market town of Leyburn in North Yorkshire holds a 40s nostalgia weekend. Visitors attend dressed up as soldiers, land army girls, wartime spivs, or just normal touristy gear. I threw something together along the lines of a Desert Rat, but on reflection looked more like a Desert Prat.  Vintage buses, trucks and traction engines make an appearance throughout the town. The pubs, of which there are  five plus a club , also get into the swing of the things with some bar staff dressing up for the occasion.

We travelled there by coach and were deposited in a large car park. Walking towards the Market Square  where the main action was we passed the first pub, The Kings Head. It was closed. The time was 1145 and it didn't open till noon. I thought " You've missed a trick here guys".

So after a look round the memorabilia and old vehicles in the market, and listening to a George Formby impersonator, it was into the first pub on the list , the large Bolton Arms. All beers were from North Yorkshire breweries, so had  Richmond Brewery Crusader and, Wensleydale Brewery Hurricane. 

Memory Break

Now the Wensleydale Brewery is about 5 miles from Leyburn in the village of Bellerby and I recall a visit for a brewery tour in 2011. There was about a dozen of us and after the tour, the obligatory tasting session began. One young guy chirps up - "I only drink lager". There was a brief pause as everyone turned to look at him as if he had grown two heads.. The brewery guide didn't miss a beat and just kept going. 

We were then told there was some wheat beer that had failed quality control so had been bottled to give away. Another brief pause there was a mini Boxing Day type scramble to grab what we could. I managed to secure two. I drank it at home later. It was a bit fizzy but OK. Ive not seen the beer since so maybe they just gave up on the recipe.


Anyhow, back to Leyburn. There was much to see, including the Wensleydale Railway - another one of my hobbies.  It was good see they got into the spirit of the occasion by having a train hauled by a Class 37 diesel  built in 1963 !

Before long the need for another beer came over me so back towards the Market Place and this time  The Sandpiper. Again a selection of Yorkshire ales from three breweries ; Wensleydale ( again) , York and Rudgate - their Jorvick Blonde was the one I went for. In the bar  there was a wonderful sexist sign above the bar under some whisky bottles declaring "Medicine for Men"


Finally , it was arranged that we meet in the Daleside Club for a buffet. My heart sank when  I saw the John Smiths sign above the door. But we were starving so in we went. It turns out they had on, which in my opinion,was the best beer of the day. - Yorkshire Dales Buttertubs , from a brewery in Askrigg, not far from Leyburn. There was also John Smiths cask but didnt bother with that.

After a couple, ( or was it three ?) , it was time to empty the bladder and weave our way back to the coach , for the hour plus journey back home. A great time was had by all and already looking forward to next year.

   

BREAKING NEWS - NEW REAL ALE OUTLET IN WASHINGTON

I am pleased to report that the Cross Keys in Washington Village   -  that would be the original Washington , has been refurbished, or as we say up here, done out , and now sells real ale. There are 2 handpulls featuring a house ale called Cross Keys Pale Ale, from Camerons Brewery, and a guest. A recent guest was the omnipresent Doom Bar 

I am also pleased to report it was served in a dimpled glass !

Cross Keys Pale Ale

Now the pub itself is nearly 200 years old, making it one of the oldest in the area. I have many happy memories of the place , as I used to frequent the pub in the 1970s sometimes as often as four times a week. In those days there was no real ale and so, not knowing any better, used to drink McEwans Best Scotch in copious quantities. Back then I used to work shifts in Sunderland and recall leaving work every third Friday evening  at 945pm and dashing to the pub before last orders. I usually asked for 2 pints at once, the first of which never touched the sides. 

The pub is now open plan and tastefully decorated, adorned with pictures showing scenes from Washington in days gone by. Back in the 70s there was a separate bar and lounge. The manager, George, ran the bar, and his wife, Molly, ran the lounge. There was usually a group of up to 10 of us and we  drank in the lounge. We caused a riot most sessions  with jokes and raucous behaviour. But we spent that much money Molly tolerated us. 

As we got older and had families we drifted off to other places ( and in one case another country) so our visits became few and far between. I am pleased to say I sat in the same seat today as I did 45 years ago. OK, it was a different seat and had new covers , but it was in the same place, so I'm happy with that.

AN INTERESTING DISCOVERY

Usually when you have a clear-out, it’s to find some long lost photographs or some other memorabilia  So imagine my surprise and delight when, during a recent tidy up and painting job in our daughter’s bedroom,  I found hidden away a  box of four Bosteels Brewery Pauwel Kwak beers, along with a strangely shaped glass in a wooden stand.  She must have bought it on a trip to Brussels when she was at uni, then sneaked it back secretly. The expiry date on the bottles however was Nov 2012!

As she's now in Glasgow after a telephone discussion it was agreed I would be the guinea pig and try two of the bottles then give her the rest next time we met. 

I poured the first bottle into a normal glass, and, with toilet roll at the ready, had a sip. There was no adverse reaction as this 8% Amber beer with a fruity taste went down a treat.  Having braved the first bottle it was time to be adventurous and drink the second bottle out of the special glass. But let's not get ahead of myself. First, the reason for the glass shape and stand.

Historical Interlude 

Once upon a time in the 18^th century there was an innkeeper called Pauwel Kwak (it means Fat Paul), whose establishment was on a busy road in what is now Belgium. Now along this road travelled mail coaches that stopped at the inn, called De Hoow.  For security reasons the drivers couldn’t leave their coaches so Fat Paul had made beer glasses with a bulb shaped bottom and long neck to fit onto the driver’s coach. This gave them a well-earned beer break without having to leave their coach. 

 ( I’ve just realised typing this, presumably they couldn’t leave the coach for a loo break either!)

The beer was eventually discontinued but revived in the 1980s by the Bosteels Brewery,  which is less than an hour north west of Brussels. They also introduced the traditional glass and a wooden holder, or shoe, to support it.

 

So time for a drink then. Pouring the beer slowly into the long neck revealed quite a lively head.  At first it felt strange holding a piece of wood instead of a glass. It became interesting the further down the head went; the glass emitted a strange glooping noise, not unlike some hot mud springs bubbling up. 

 

Well, so far I have survived two out of date beers - no emergency toilet roll needed. The other two bottles are in Glasgow along with the glass. If they are not drank soon, I’m straight up there.

Historical information based on Pauwel Kwak entry in CAMRA book , 300 Beers To Try Before You Die

CONCERNING THE SMELL AND TASTE OF CHOCOLATE - AN APPRECIATION OF SPECIALITY BEERS

Having just consumed and enjoyed  a bottle of Saltaire Triple Chocoholic my thoughts meandered to some of the specialty beers out there. I always like to try these when I can, but I have drinking mates who decry these types of ales.

“Beer should be just beer, no putting in coffee, fruit, seeds or bats droppings!  Harumph!”

I disagree. As a regular beer festival goer, I frequently notice that it’s nearly always the speciality beers that go first. So what type am I talking about? Well, here are some examples which I have enjoyed.

Fraoch Heather Ale

Wells Banana Bread Beer

Batemans Mocha

Titanic Plum Porter.

Darkstar Espresso

The list goes on.

.

Usually someone will know I’m drinking one of these,  as my eyes tend to glaze over after the first sniff and then comes “Oh, that’s gorgeous” after the first sip.This performance is invariably met with a shake of the head from some fellow drinkers.

I DON’T CARE GUYS. 

These beers usually sell out quick so drinkers must enjoy them.

I’m heading for the Great British Beer Festival again this August so rest assured I will be seeking more like these – except perhaps the bat droppings.