Beer Compurgation

"Let all your memories hold you close No matter where you are You're not alone, because the ones  We love are never far If Christmas is in your heart."  For the first time in two and a half years, there is one deviant from the continuous array of different Christmas themed beers in this year’s Advent Calendar. It comes in the unlikely form of a Christmas Mead from Lyme Bay and it was hiding behind Window 12. I’ve long been fascinated with old styles of drink that have often come close to dying out, though most usually see an inevitable resurgence. I think much of this interest stems from my fascination in Ancient History, born in my early years whilst reading the Adventures of Asterix . There are certainly more than one or two references to Mead in those stories. Since the evolution of the honeybee nearly a million years ago, they’ve faced an ongoing natural battle against wild yeasts that would infect their stores of honey and begin fermenting it. The honeyb...

"Now I think we collectively as a people Should rise against this corporate jolly noise And tell the world 'Let's buy some piece and quiet for a change' Before we spend it all on fucking toys" I'm finding it difficult to write about this beer as the reindeer on the label is likely to take my soul if I say anything negative.  I'd like to tell you about Oakleaf Brewery from Gosport, Hampshire being founded in 2000 and how I've never come across any of their beers before but I'm afraid that I might be saying it all under duress as those evil eyes watch me from the bottle as I take each sip from my glass. I'm not sure what this Reindeer's "delight" is but I can only assume it comes from harvesting souls or coming around on Christmas eve to kidnap humans to feast on for the next 365 days. This reindeer is humourless, soulless and lifeless, which is ironic when we consider the beer...  Oakleaf - Reindeer's Deligh...

"Good luck, I wish you well.  For all that wishes may be worth.  I hope that love and strength, are with you for the length Of your time on earth" Brouwerij Van Den Bossche is a brewery in East Flanders, Belgium I know best for their astounding Buffalo Stout that is probably my favourite Belgian Stout, a style not talked about enough on these shores. Into their 4th generation of brewers, the beers from their Pater Lieven range - inlcluding a blonde, brune and Wit beer - could be described as being a little traditional and not too stand-out by their own right. I've only ever sampled them once though and it's high tide I returned to them soon.  However, to the main event quickly today. Window Ten of the Advent Calendar featured a beer purchased last December.  Kerst Pater - Special Christmas Beer - 9%  Mocha colour with a ruby tinge, this beer evokes images throughout rather than tasting notes. The smell reminds me of the busy, candlelit, Be...

Should I be angry?  Are assumptions and ignorance really something I should be enraged by?  Or should we shrug it off?  Recently, I considered compiling a post of “overheard in the pub” comments since I had a keen fortnight with an endless number of gems to post about. The stream of amusing yet enraging pub nonsense seemed to be coming out of fellow customer’s mouths at a generous rate.  Overheard in the Grove, Huddersfield :  “I’ll just have a Guinness.” I’m not sure they do Guinness.” “Hiya mate, can I have three Guinness’ please?”  “Is there no regular bitter?” “We have Magic Rock’s Ringmaster. That’s a light bitter at 3.9%.” “Alright pal, two of those with a lemonade top.”  “What have you got that’s like Foster’s?”  Overheard in Stalybridge Buffet Bar:   “Ooh, I might get that Thornbridge.” “Woah woah, don’t be too hasty, there’s a lot of choice in here. Let’s look at the whole selection. Yep,...

Advent Calendar introduction is here.  "They looked up and saw a star Shining in the east, beyond them far  And to the earth it gave great light And so it continued both day and night."  The day this beer appeared in the calendar, I had been sat in Stalybridge Buffet Bar drinking Great Heck’s Mount Mosaic . It was bloody delicious, a really decent, sat at the bar at tea time, interrupting commuters and acting like you own the bar kind of 4.5% bitter. The sort of brew you could quickly have a couple of before home (like I fortunately did) or the kind that you can sup ten pints of before you realise it's 10 o'clock in the evening, you have 38 missed calls and the only food you're going to get this evening will come in a paper bag and still be sat half eaten on the kitchen counter the following morning. Why am I sharing this enjoyment of a beer that isn't the one featured for Window 9 of my Beer Advent Calendar?  Because Shankar IPA is good....

"But who here would ever understand,  That the pumpkin King with the skeleton grin,  Would tire of his crown, if they only understood He'd give it all up if he only could." The series of “Bad Elf” brews from Ridgeway Brewery have appeared in this calendar every year since its inception, this being the final beer I haven’t tried. Appearing like the uglier version of Wychwood’s Hobgoblin, I’ve never held out much hope for the taste of these. But these elves have been more Legolas than Azog the Defiler so far. So far… Ridgeway still remain under the eye of former Brakspear brewer Peter Scholey. Scholey has long had a love/hate relationship with beer – I assume. Whilst he’s happy to insult you with his Ridgeway IPA and Bad King John , he is happy to give you his Ridgeway Barley Wine , to remind you that he has actually tasted beer and sometimes likes it. The Christmas collection from Ridgeway is no acception. Whislt Scholey wants you to burn your Christmas tre...

"When you were putting up the lights this year,  Did you notice one less pair of hands?  I know this shouldn't be a lonely time,  But there were Christmas' when I didn't wonder how you are tonight Because there were Christmas' when you were mine" Shepherd Neame.  The brewery that started it all. I suppose it is strange to imagine that there was a time when the clear bottled, unconditioned, liquidised malt burps presented by this brewery in bottles were a pinnacle of great beer for me. Like many, the famous oldest brewery in this country were a solid foundation of my love of beer. I was never a convert; I loved “bitter” and “ale” from the beginning of my drinking days. But some were sought after and, being the famous big southern brewery, Shepherd Neame weren’t seen on cask in my parts as often as you would think. This is where my frightening memory comes in once more, as mentioned in Window 4 . I am going to share with you my very, very spec...