EXCLUSIVE - POSSIBLY A WORLD FIRST - DOUBLE MAXIM BREAD

Do you remember Graham Kerr, the Galloping Gourmet ? He was a TV chef active in the 70's and one of his trademarks was drinking wine while cooking. Well I've just had a similar experience, except with beer.

There was an article in a Sunday newspaper magazine recently looking at beer flavoured bread recipes. Now I occasionally bake bread, nothing complicated , just from a bread mix. So I thought, why not have a go using beer instead of water. After all beer is 97% water.

Now this is not as daft as you think. It is believed the earliest brewing technique , in the Middle East and Egypt, involved soaking bread in water, then letting the wild yeast ferment the liquid into beer. There is already on the market a Banana Bread Beer brewed by Wells and Young

So, which beer then ? Well why not try  Double Maxim?

The instructions require 350ml of water, and as a bottle of the beer is 500ml , that leaves 150ml to do my Galloping Gourmet impersonation. 

1. Mix bread mix, olive oil and beer for 5 mins then leave to stand.
2. Finish drinking what's left of the beer.
3. Realise more baking left to do so open another bottle.

4. After allowing the dough to rise in a warm place, time for another slurp. 
5. Next, place bread in oven to rise for half an hour.
6. Have a few more sips.
7. When ready , remove bread from the oven. 

8. Finish beer off.

Now , given that Double Maxim is a brown ale, there was a definite brown colouring to the loaf - (no it wasn't burnt !) . And the taste ; well, all I can say is move over Nigella ! Went well with soup for our tea.

  

May try something darker like Old Peculier or a Stout next time.

A DAY IN LEEDS FEATURING WHITELOCKS ALE HOUSE

Well, I was drinking in a fantastic pub in Leeds at the weekend; the Whitelocks Ale House. So what was I doing in Leeds? Well every autumn Transpennine Express have an offer of cheap train tickets anywhere on their network for those over 55, Called Club 55. Travel is possible for only £19 (even less if blessed with a senior railcard).

So to take advantage of this offer, a group of 6 mates and myself decided to travel to Leeds. Now when I was working, I used to visit the city at least twice a month, but hardly ever had time to go for a pint. So I was looking forward to seeing the city again and its pubs.

We do a few of these outings a year and its customary to start with a Wetherspoons breakfast. As luck would have it, there was one inside the train station, with the imaginative name of (drum roll), Wetherspoons.

So after a fantastic breakfast, washed down with a pint of Moorhouse Pendle Witches Brew, it was time for our next pub.

Sadly, one of the group is a Newcastle United supporter, whose team  were going to be on the telly that lunchtime. I had a couple of pubs lined up (The Scarbrough and Head of Steam) next , but neither had a TV. A nice barmaid in theformer pub suggested the Griffin, just round the corner.

One of our gang compiles an excellent quiz, which we always enjoy in every pub we visit. So, finding some seats near a TV we started the quiz while the match was on. There were 2 games going on; in one part of the pub the locals were cheering as Leeds United beat Huddersfield, while we saw Newcastle beat Bournemouth 1-0. I had a couple of pints of Daleside Monkey Wrench which I could have drunk all day, but time to move on and find Whitelocks.

Featured in CAMRAs Real Heritage Pubs, this pub is an absolute gem. Mind you, finding it took some doing. Walking up pedestrianised Briggate, looking in vain for the pub. We had to double back to find it. A small sign on a wall indicated it was down a narrow alley off the main street. This reminded me of the Quakerhouse in Darlington, which is also tucked down a narrow alley between some shops.

This pub is the oldest in Leeds, and as luck would have it, was celebrating its 300th anniversary in 2015. All the pint glasses for real ale were commemorating this -  see photo  right (The beer in the glass was Saltaire Hazelnut Porter)

The pub has a long narrow interior and the bar has a copper top and its frontage is adorned with tiles. There are stained glass windows and also several old mirrors hanging up , one of which was for Robert Fenwicks Brewery, in Sunderland. **

There was an excellent range of ales dispensed from 10 handpulls including one,  from the North Yorkshire  Great Heck Brewery,  called Washington Red. I would like to think this is named after my hometown but for some strange reason it doesn't feature on the brewery's website. So unable to tell why it has that name.$$

For more info on Whitelocks click on here CAMRA Heritage Pubs

After a few more beers and continuing with the quiz, we then headed back to the Scarbrough Hotel. The building dates from 1765, becoming a pub in 1826. Settling down to continue and complete the quiz, I think I had a Loch Lomond Silkie Stout and a Redemption Rising Sun. I cant entirely be sure. (do the maths, these were pints 7 and 8)

All too soon it was train time. As is the case with these trips away,  we visit less pubs than planned (I blame the footy), a lot of beer was consumed, and someone fell asleep on the train - me this time. But a good time was had by all. 

PS. The train back was late running. There were some quiz questions left over after we boarded and,  as the guard was handing out compensation  forms,  he let the quiz-master use the PA system to ask some questions. What the passengers in the other 2 coaches must have thought.....????

** Robert Fenwicks Brewery was located in Low Street Sunderland, where we have our Octoberfest !! Sadly it was bombed in an  air raid in 1943

$$ Update -
Washington Red has Simcoe, Citra, Columbus hops from Washington state, USA, with  hint of red from crystal malt

SUMMER DRINK IN WINTER

I don't know if you have seen the Theakstons advert about a drinker complaining about his beer not having any kumquat in it. Well , my daughter, returning from a recent holiday in the US,  brought me back some beer from Houston Texas which included a bottle of Spoetzl Brewery Shiner Prickly Pear summer lager

Now I  have had fruit flavoured beers before. As recently as our Sunderland Octoberfest, there was Darwin Orange IPA and Temptation Raspberry American and Cherry Belgian , not forgetting Titanic Plum Porter. Well here is another one I have just had, but a beer flavoured with prickly pears ?

I have done some digging and Spoetzl Brewery was established in the small town of Shiner in 1909. This therefore predates the so called US Craft explosion by a long way. I would have liked to have stated that Shiner is "On The way to Amarillo" ( as per the Neil Sedaka song), but its not - located approx halfway between Houston and San Antonio. "Is this the Way to San Antonio" doesn't quite make it when you sing it.

Sorry, back to the beer. Shiner  Bock is their flagship beer but they also produce seasonal specials. The prickly pear is a cactus found in Texas (see picture above)  and the brewer uses it to flavour this drink,  along with Citra and US Golding hops. 

So what does it taste like? Making sure there were no spines I  poured it out. The beer comes out as a deep amber colour. I am usually poor at sniffing beer ; the one fruit beer I can do is the aforesaid Plum Porter which  has a distinctive plum aroma -  I'm OK with that one. This beer had a faint fruity aroma, not too powerful.

There is some carbonation in the beer so getting used to the gasiness took a while. The initial taste was sharp, but not having eaten the fruit of a prickly pear ( have you ?) I had no idea if it was that or not. - Its a bit like having Ostrich Burgers or Kangaroo Steaks - how do you know ? Getting used to it, a cranberry flavour  kept coming onto my taste buds. I eventually got used to the bubbles and the fruit taste and finished the rest of the drink. 

During this I imagined lounging outside a cantina on a hot day in the desert, watching a tumbleweed roll past   and having this refreshing drink.Instead, as I type this, its cold and damp outside. Ah well.

  

This is about drinking summer beer in winter, for a winter drink in summer see this previous post ;- Winter lager in summer

  

ITS HALLOWEEN !

Well its that time of the year again when an American custom takes over for the day. I'm talking about Halloween. Actually its been more than just today, with the shops full of costumes for weeks to entice the kids. Inevitably, some pubs start selling more  Hobgoblin, of course.

So for me, there are three choices when the Trick or Treating starts:-

1. Switch the lights out and pretend you are not in.
2. Dress up yourself and jump out when the kids ring the bell and scare the crap of them.

3. Go to the pub.

While 2 is sorely tempting, Option 3 is the one.

Meanwhile this got me thinking. It may be an appropriate time to do some research on Ghost Pubs. There are several books on the subject, and someone with time on their hands has actually compiled a website ( see link):-

ghostpubs

Now I must admit I don't go for this kind of stuff myself, such as ghosts, extra terrestrials, Loch Ness monster etc. I even stopped believing in Santa Claus last week! I just thought it might be interesting to look at some examples of what has been claimed for some pubs in the immediate area.

Staff in The Black Bull, East Boldon have frequently seen the figure of a small boy sitting at the bottom of the cellar steps. And of course, despite the smoking ban, a stack of ashtrays suddenly fell over. Well they would if not piled up correctly.

Its claimed The Old Ship in Harton is haunted by a man who died inside the pub, He climbed on the stone to mount his horse (if you see what I mean), the horse kicked him and he banged his head on it.

I was curious about this so had a visit to see for myself. I was expecting this large meteor type boulder, but instead was confronted by what looked like a full black bin bag, or even a lump old frozen snow that had refused to melt. It's now used  as a dog loo apparently.

Now I've never been to The Lord Nelson in Monkton Village, and  it sounds very pleasant. Must visit, for the real ale of course, not the modern dressed phantom who keeps disappearing. Any excuse to avoid a round, that's what I say.

There are several alleged haunted pubs in South Shields, including the Alum Ale House (an Irish Prostitute called Giggle Meg), the Steamboat (a local old sea dog or a Tyne Pilot captain) and the Dolly Peel (press gang escapee). Now I've been in all three and have yet to be manifested (if that is the correct term).

One "ghost story" concerning the Jolly Sailor in Whitburn is the one about the landlady trying to pull a pint and the beer wouldn't come out!  Derrr !!

In the gents of the Havelock in Washington is a blackboard where punters who stand and relieve themselves can chalk comments (I wrote - I've just pissed on my trainers writing this). Anyhow, I've never seen anyone else doing any writing so maybe its the local ghost doing it, a former owner called Long John?

Over in Sunderland the bar of the Empire Theatre is supposed to have a poltergeist, which manages to cross the street and do his ghostly business (if you get my drift) in the Dun Cow. I'm guessing he does this because the beer is better in the Dun Cow!

On to The Copt Hill Houghton Le Spring. When visiting to do some research, one of the authors was told by a pub regular about the phantom cyclist that passes! Come on, a ghost bike? Who was riding it then, Sir Walter Raleigh?

In Newcastle, the sadly missed Cooperage on the Quayside had a ghost, now presumably claiming job seekers allowance. Another old pub, The Old George has been visited by the ghost of King Charles 1, with head still attached. I reckon that if he didnt have his head on, you wouldn't know it was him!

There are many other examples but I've spotted a couple of old pubs that miss out on this free publicity. One is The Washington Arms, directly opposite a churchyard. The other, dating from 1856 is the imposing Central Bar in Gateshead.  The latter sells itself because of the beer and actual building

As i said at the outset, I'm a sceptic. But I don't have a problem if people believe in these stories.  So  if you want read more , there's a couple of books to seek out :-

Haunted Sunderland by Rupert Matthews

Ghost Taverns by Darren Ritson and Mike Hallowell

And remember, Don't Cross The Streams **

Having decided on Option 3, we are off to our local JDW Autumn Beer Festival. The beer list doesn't mention any Halloween based beers so I may escape for another year.

** Ghostbusters 1984 

Nov 1st Update - Mrs Ken went down with heavy cold so no designated driver...went for option 1 but no one knocked. Drank Double Maxim and Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA instead  

UNDERNEATH THE ARCHES

During the summer I mentioned that I may have found the perfect pub, The Endeavour in Whitby. ( Read about it here ) the most perfect pub in UK ?

Well I think I may have found another one. Once upon a time, I worked for over 10 years in the Royal Mail offices behind Newcastle Central Station. The nearest pub was The Telegraph, which was usually full of smoking posties and keg beer, so any Friday lunchtime sessions we had  meant a walk into the city centre. 

Now that I'm no longer there and all the staff have gone, in May earlier this year news came of a new micropub opening , under the railway arches, just along from the old office. Called the Split Chimp and named after the wedge that is put under a cask of ale to tip it ( although why that would be called a split chimp Ive no idea).  

Anyhow, I called in for the first time recently and was really impressed. The place is small but comfortable. There are padded stools next to the window, with benches in the middle of the floor either side of 3 wooden barrels that act as tables. There are a few seats outside.

The pub has three handpulls and a keg font on the short bar. In front and under the bar is an extensive bottled beer fridge. The actual casks are behind the bar cloaked in cooling jackets . All handpulls were local ales.  I ordered a Tyne Bank Cherry Stout, and the beer temperature was spot on. Mind you, and this isn't the pubs fault, I couldn't smell or taste the cheery, but as a stout it was fine. 

When I ordered my pint I was actually asked if I was a CAMRA member and offered 10% discount. This is the first time I have ever been asked directly as most pubs who do offer this have to be asked first.

One feature I particularly like is the large chalk board occupying the part of one wall. It is covered in details of all the beers, bottled beers and wine. Importantly, all prices are shown in clear view, not hidden way stuck on a wall in tiny print. The next beers to be on are also indicated. The board is actually the door of a cupboard, which is the stock room for bottled beers. Next to this store is the single unisex loo, with a wonderful sign for the men to read.

There is an upstairs area , which I didnt investigate and outside is a well lit sign showing opening times. (I would check their Facebook page for these.)
   

During this experience, there was the occasional rumble overhead of trains passing over, which must be louder upstairs . This reminded me of another pub, the Knott Bar, under Deansgate Station in Manchester.

There is no TV, loud music or evidence of the dreaded lager ;  its just a place for conversation, which is fine by me. Good beer, clear pricing, CAMRA discount, whats not to like ? This is Newcastle first micropub and a welcome addition to the city pub scene. As Arnie once said "I'll be back".

THE PERILS OF OVER INDULGENCE - GETTING LOST IN MUNICH.

In 2002 my boss said "Do you want to go on an all expenses trip to the famous Oktoberfest in Munich?"  Stupid question. This was all to be paid for by a German company,  that starts and ends with an S, so the answer was "yes please".

Since 1810, the worlds oldest beer festival has been held on a large open space in Munich called Theresienweise. This annual jamboree lasts for 16 days and in 2002 was from 21st September to 6th October.
  
I don't recall the actual date we were there but it all started as an overnight stay in a hotel near Heathrow (I was on the cokes!). The next morning saw us on a Lufthansa flight bound for Germany. Stepping out of Munich Airport into the fresh Bavarian air, we were soon transported to our hotel in the city centre. 

We made our way to the festival, which was a half hour walk, later that  afternoon. It was set out as a large showground, with some huge marquees as beer tents. Inside were long tables and benches and a stage. Soon the drinks flowed freely, too freely as it turned out. Drinking many beers and joining in rousing choruses with an Oompah band made for a raucous night. I was amazed that some of the frauleins who served us could carry 12 ( TWELVE) heavy glasses of beer.


I have absolutely no idea how much I had to drink, or indeed how strong the beer was, but needless to say we all had a good time.

At the conclusion of proceedings I made the fatal decision to pause on the way out to purchase some souvenirs, namely a T shirt and two steins (one being for a missing colleague). Thankfully, passing on the lederhosen ! As a result I became separated from the rest of my party. So retracing my steps out of the Oktoberfest showground, I headed back to the hotel, but got lost and ended up outside Munich Railway Station.

Now I have since forgotten  the name of the hotel, but how was I to know there were two in the city with the same name?

I hailed a taxi, babbling the hotel name. Now after 10 minutes even I could figure out we were heading in the wrong direction. Burbling something to this effect, the driver slammed on the brakes and did a quick u-turn. Now during this manoeuvre the meter was flying round. In my befuddled state I realised I would not have enough money  to pay the fare, having stupidly invested half my euros in souvenirs.

At the right hotel at last , I counted out my fare  in vain. Now I tried to study German for 2 years at school but as I was by this time incapable of speech in English, I can only imagine what came out my mouth was total gibberish. Handing  over all my money, I then  tried to explain to the stony faced taxi driver  I was going to retrieve some more cash.

I vaguely recall getting out of the hotel lift on the wrong floor and trying to get into the wrong room. Finding the right floor and room eventually, I retrieved some Euros  and made my way back to the lifts and down to reception, to find the driver had driven off! I then noticed my colleagues had arrived ahead of me and  were watching this performance from the hotel lounge. Schweinhunds!

Next day everyone was suffering from a collective hangover.  Hardly anyone spoke, either during breakfast, on the coach to the airport, in the airport, on the plane or on the tube back into central London. It must have been one of the longest hangover recoveries in history.

PS For any fashion enthusiasts, despite it being 13 years old, I occasionally wear the T shirt, ( but have never drunk out of the stein)

OCTOBERFEST TAKE DOWN DAY

Well, 10am Sunday morning sees a dozen hardy souls standing around outside the (locked again) Bonded Warehouse in Sunderland. The Sunderland & South Tyneside CAMRA Beer Festival finished last night. If you wish to recap on previous days, follow these links :

OCTOBERFEST SET UP DAY 1

OCTOBERFEST SET UP DAY 2

OCTOBERFEST - THE DRINKING DAYS

Now perhaps you have been wondering about this place , so here are a couple of photographs. The building has some historical significance and warrants a blue plaque. Note the past connection to beer.

After about 15 minutes standing around outside  , I spotted a lone figure running from the direction of the Wearmouth Bridge. It was the guy with the keys !

Soon we were inside raring to go. Last night after closing time the team had take down the racking and removed the chillers, casks and handpulls. All that remained was to strip down the bar and carry everything downstairs and out to the by now,  three waiting vans. The pictures show getting from this   ( left) down to this (right)

Maxim had arrived for the mostly empty casks. It was so much easier loading these than unloading earlier in the week, although I still struggled with the wooden ones. Thanks to Mark for turning up , presumably on his day off, and helping us out this way.

The rest of the stuff was loaded into the other two vans, and exactly 60 minutes after we started , we all set off back to the lock up garage to unload everything for storage till the next time.

Despite a fraught start , I really have had a great week. Met some characters and some old friends,  experienced a unique feature with the floor surfing ( see previous post ),  had 12 of the 30 beers ( halves !), and , unheard of for me, 2 perries and a cider.

Well I hope these 4 posts have given you an insight into what goes on behind the scenes at a beer festival, run entirely by volunteers.

So here's to next year