Subjective ramblings about beer, pubs and associated topics

Pitfield 1837 IPA

The best IPA I’ve tasted? Lots of hops, so it is both fruity and dry at the same time. Some lemony taste in there, and spices, too. Cardamum and cinnamon, I would say. Lacy foam, and just the right amount of fizziness. I’d love to try a cask version of this!

The Pitfields Brewery is located close to Old Street tube station in London, and brew their beers from organic ingredients. The have a very impressive beer shop, too, which I will present in August. The 1837 IPA is brewed from a recipe from 1837 with 7% alcohol, and they have a number of ales in the same series – the strongest being the 1896 XXXX Stock Ale. Unfortunately there were limits to what I managed to drag home, but I’ll be back!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 17:21 | link | comments
london, england, ipa

A quote

Dave Barry: "Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 15:52 | link | comments
beer

Have a nice summer!

It is holiday time around here, I am going to Northern Norway, hoping for nice weather, fresh fish, ripe strawberries ... and cold beer.

I will post occationally, but don't expect much activity here until early August.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 07:46 | link | comments
beer, norway

"Energy beer" to be launched in the UK

According to the web site of trade newspaper the Publican, Anheuser-Busch (A-B) is launching its new “energy” beer in the UK in mid-July.
B^e is a Budweiser-branded, five per cent bottled lager mixed with caffeine, ginseng and guarana.

“We’ve had alcopops, are we now to be faced with beer-pops too?” says Mike Benner of CAMRA to the Publican. “Brewers need to put their collective resources into promoting decent beer to younger drinkers, not into gimmicks which will fall out of favour in a couple of years.”

I agree. (Which probably didn't come as much of a surprise!)

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 13:10 | link | comments
beer, england, bud

Adelscott

A canned French (Alsace) beer bought in Paris. Brewed with whisky malt, it says on the can, and it certainly tastes like that. Smoked whisky malt, that is, not the mellow Irish version. It has a sweetish taste, 6,6% and almost the aftertaste of whisky. Not a great beer, but special to be worth trying if you find a can – especially if you are a malt whiskey aficionado!  This is probably quite similar to the German Rauchbier, but I haven’t tasted that for some years - it resembles the Rogue smoke beer reviewed here recently quite a lot, but this has more of a whiskey tone. 

It seems like this is a beer that some people find really disgusting – there are some strong words in French and German on the web if you google

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 21:23 | link | comments
beer, france, rauchbier

Two rouge ones

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 21:29 | link | comments
beer, usa , bitter, rauchbier

Tied and tested: Jenlain

Bier de Garde Ambree, it says on the can I bought in Paris, and it has a rich amber color. It is a nice beer, and certainly a change for the dull lagers. It is bitter, almost sour, and sweet at the same time. There are lots of fruit and flowers in the taste - peaches sums it up. Alcohol content of 7,5% and it probably needs that to draw out the complex flavours. It needs the fizz in the can, too, when it gets flatter towards the bottom of the glass, it loses its balance. From the Duyuck brewery, I'll have to look it up.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 20:56 | link | comments
beer, france

New brews from the Midnight Sun

Mack Ludwig Hvete: A proper wheat beer and I nice summer refreshment. Lemony smell, but I feel that the aroma is a bit short. It is like all the ingredients are there, but in short measure. Unfiltered, so be sure to have a big enough glass to pour it all at once.

This is a welcome addition to the Norwegian market – wheat beers are few and far between here – but I must say this is no match for, say, the best Bavarian wheat beers. There is no daring here – a classic wheat beer which should find a place in the general market. Purist complain that this is canned, but I am not too worried about that. There are lots of splendid German beers in cans!

 

This is one of the two new brews from Ludwig - the micro brewery operation of Macks brewery in Tromsø, a brewer that also produces other beers – mostly lager – on a larger scale. Macks is located in the far north for Norway, and claims to be the northernmost brewery in the world. In addition to their new canned beers, they also brew and deliver to pubs - th one I know of is King's Cross in Trondheim.

Their other new beer is Ludwig Brown Ale, and this is an improvement. A nice color, and it manages to be malty and slightly bitter at the same time, if you get my meaning. This style is not my favourite – I prefer a British bitter to a brown ale, but this is a nice alternative to the brew from Newcastle . Nice packaging, too, with these bronze and gold colors. So, what’s next from Mack?

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 13:17 | link | comments
beer, norway, mack