Subjective ramblings about beer, pubs and associated topics

Marston's Single Malt Pale Golden Ale

A similar bottle design to the rest of the Marston's range, but I feel that this beer does not quite reach the taste of Pedigree from the same brewery.

This ale is brewed with Golden Promise malting barley, which traditionally has been used in whiskey production. Brewed in Burton-on-Trent using traditionally coopered oak casks, to quote the label.

I applaud the effort, and the ale is nice. I would happily order a bottle if available, but I would not go out of my way for it. Let's see if other brewers start to specify the barley used - this is quite something else than the "unmalted cereals" used by some of the big brewers. (I'd rather have unmalted cereals with my yogurt than in my beer, thanks!)

Nice light brown color, good malt character - which is very appropriate, the aroma hops should play a secondary role in this kind of brew.

Two cheers for Marston's - the third is for Carrefour, which carries several Marston's ales in the Spanish branch I visisted.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 11:37 | link | comments

Why no beer programmes on television?

There's all sorts of new programmes about wine on TV and radio, but why don't Britain's ales ever enjoy the limelight, asks Richard Ehrlich in The Independent.

He continues: The idea of a Wine Idol, while it may not appeal to traditionalists, has certainly come along at the right time. Britain is set to surpass France in wine consumption, and, if current growth rates continue, will become the second largest consuming nation after the USA within a few years. I'm all for that, and all in favour of more wine on radio and TV.

But I'm also waiting to see beer get its moment under the lights. The supermarkets pay attention to it, as you'll see from three here sold by Asda. Yet beer sales are trending downwards. Wrong direction! Is there a Beer Idol in the house?

That is the situation in the UK, but I have yet to see any programmes in other countries taking beer seriously. In Belgium, perhaps?

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 13:48 | link | comments

So, on to some of the beers sampled in Gran Canaria. The local brew, Tropical, is available everywhere. They serve the bottled version in frosted glasses - they seemed to have thrown out the Italian ice cream from a freezer cabinet to make room for the beer glasses. The bottled variety, at 5,5%, does not differ from the canned version, at lest not to my palate. The draft Tropical, with tempting drops of water condensiong on the dispensing tower is not too spectacular, either - but it is just the thing to remove the salt and suntan oil from your lips.

Very similar is Dorada, brewed on the neighbouring island Tenerife. Easy to drink, no strong taste of any ingredient, refreshing in the heat. Perhaps a bit strong , but this seems to be the Spanish standard.

There is a Dorada Especial in golden cans with very little taste. Soemthing for teenagers who wnat something to drink in vast quantities, perhaps? More or less like an ice beer.

The tourists in the Canary Islands seem to a large extent to be Scandinavian, but there is no Norwegian or Swedish beer available. I can happily live without my Ringnes, but there should be a market here for some of the better Spendrup brews, for excample. The big brands like Bud, Carlsberg and Heineken are of cause available. 4 or 5 Finnish beers, lots of obscure German brands. If you look around, some supermarkets stock the superb Jever pilsner - more about that later.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 10:31 | link | comments (2)
beer, brewers, spain

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 13:56 | link | comments

The inspiration for this blog came while enjoying a pint of the local brew in sunny Gran Canaria last week. Some beers are really enjoyable at the right time and place, even if  they are not particularly sophisticated, have a proud history or are brewed in a tiny cellar below the bar. This blog is dedicated to beer enjoyment, and in additoin to my own samplings of brews I will try to draw on various sources.

I am Norwegian, but travel quite a lot in Europe and try to sample the local brew, both in pubs on the spots and in bottles and cans to take home.

There will be few lengthy articles here, I'd rather add shorter comments several times weekly.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 13:00 | link | comments