Beer Advent Calendar Window 11 - Christmas Flying Herbert

The North Yorkshire Brewing Co. have been in production since 1989. They are a brewery that were popular with farm and/or fine food shops due to proudly stating themselves as entirely organic all over their labels. Also, coming from Guisborough, they were a brewery I saw a lot of in shops and supermarkets when I lived in the north-east.

There somewhat whimsical labels and cartoon characters make this brewery a favourite with people who know nothing of beer for present giving. I'm sure the majority of North Yorkshire's beers I've drunk have been from presents bought by others, I've not exactly been bowled over.

Still, I believe Christmas Flying Herbert - a 4.4% premium ale - deserves a stage and is behind Window eleven in this Advent Calendar.

"Snow Dad's better than No Dad"

North Yorkshire Brewing Co. - Christmas Flying Herbert premium ale 4.4%

This chestnut amber ale is perfectly clear and perfectly conditioned, with continual light carbonation. The scent is rather nutty, woody with a hints of wet wheat and a little peatiness. It's traditional. It's British. That is all I can think of with a wooden chewiness, fruity maltiness and roasted nut flavour throughout. It's well balanced, deliciously drinkable and not complex. Yet, it doesn't need to be. It's a beer that defines tradition and part of my post-craft feeling, because I'm really enjoying this. It's very well put together and is the sort of beer that I would have thoroughly enjoyed ten years ago in my early drinking passages.

There's nothing festive about this beer. There's nothing to excite; barely enough in the flavour to write a blog about. What this beer is, though, is a representation of balance and solid brewing that has been missing from some of the newer beers in this Advent Calendar.

Mince Pie Pairing Rating: 7/10 - as the beer doesn't have any of those mince pie flavours, a swig of the beer after a bite of pie brings out extra nuts and fruits in the glass.

Best paired with: a Christmas Eve in a traditional pub with good folk.

Comments

WHEN CELEBRITIES DIE - THE INFINITY OF PUBS

Recently I was stood outside Huddersfield Railway Station waiting for my Replacement Bus Service. I was eating much needed food from a nearby fast food outlet and contemplating my next move. Other match-goers had gone home but I had over 50 minutes to wait for my bus. We’d already been to a few of our post-match regular spots and so I was contemplating somewhere new or different to pass the time now. I stood in St George’s Square, behind the statue of Harold Wilson, and pondered where I should waste my next hour. And pondered and pondered. After deliberation that ate into much of my allotted time, I walked down to the familiar setting of The Sportsman, realising that there wasn’t anywhere different to go at all. But whilst I deliberated, I cast my eye over the currently scaffold-covered George hotel opposite the station; a place I had been in once with my Dad. It’s downstairs public bar had stood as a firm and available option to match-goers fo...

The Pubs of Stalybridge Part One: The Stalybridge Seven.

And a touch more ... Rififi Nightclub - once the town's cinema - has stood empty and unused for four and a half years This is the continuation of my posts of regular pub crawls to try and get myself in more pubs and discover more. Whilst I grew up in an old hamlet that most were quick to distance themselves from, my address clearly stated that we belonged to Stalybridge. However distant the town centre felt I was a Stalybridger, a Stalybridgian, a Stalyian: you know I don’t think I’ve ever heard us given a name before. I’m going with Stalyian. After a few moves around the country and through various relationships, I didn’t expect to find myself still local to the town in 2017. Whilst my address hasn’t stated Stalybridge for 3 years, I still spend plenty of time in the town – not least as it houses my “local.” To many in the north-west, it is famous for its nickname of Staly Vegas , that came about (as far as I’m aware) through its late Nighties-through-to-N...

Advent Calendar Window 14 - La Goudale de Noel

"Keep my distance, but you still catch my eye, Tell me, baby, do you recognise me? Well, it’s been a year, that doesn’t surprise me" La Goudale is an interesting French enigma. I searched for this under the label Brassee a L’Ancienne believing this to be the name of the brewery. After some fruitless searching, I learnt that this is not the name of a brewer, but rather a French saying that, roughly translated, means “Brewed in a Traditional way.” La Goudale is actually from the Brewery Gayant based in Douai, North-east France that aleso houses other well-nown brews such as Amadeus and La Biere Du Demon. The real reason I find them an enigma though is for the discovery the other day that two of their beers – the Abbey and Wit – are sold in Aldi. They are in 750ml bottles and are £2.49 and £1.99 respectively. Housed here, the repugnant snob in me thinks they look cheap and unappetising on these shelves and managed to slightly put me off my La Goudale...

Beer Compurgation

Search This Blog