Great Expectations

Picture the scene. You park your car up and set off up an unmade farm track which looks as though it has recently undergone an artillery bombardment. You have already noted the dodgy looking lane, but having done so, you are walking, which most do unless you are a farmer, or the milk waggon going to one of the farms; or have a complete disregard for the future of your car's suspension. You take in the air; your many welly clad children happily splash in the potholes. You may visit the monument set high on a hill with views over to Rochdale, Oldham and Bury and the Pendle Hills beyond. You say "Ooh look. I can see the  television transmitter at Winter Hill. My goodness is that Jodrell Bank over there in the Cheshire Plain? (it is)." You eyes drift downwards to the cluster of farms below. "I think there might be a pub down there" you chirrup. "Let's find out."

Then it all starts to unravel. For some. As you manoeuvre downwards, sinking up to welly top height in muddy fields, or plod through cow muck, you observe a little old pub with farms all around it, but with no made road on either side.  You enter and as your eyes become accustomed to the somewhat gloomy interior you realise that this isn't the shiny little gastropub you'd hoped for. Instead it is a fairly rough and ready local pub, with a single room - though you might be lucky and find the small snug open.  The bar is pretty well blocked by locals. A number of oldish men are sitting at a table by the door laughing loudly. They look up and say "Hello" as you enter. There are dogs everywhere. You realise that you have found: a) a hidden gem b) a nightmare pub with no redeeming features.

What happens next depends on you.  You can fight your way in and squeeze yourself and your offsprings into whatever space you can find. There isn't much for anyone. You ask about food but are told it is only toasties and then only if there is time to do them. (You observe that there is only one person behind the bar and you deduce that as the pub is rammed, making toasties might be a tad inconvenient and accept that fact gracefully). You order crisps and drinks for everyone and join in the merry throng noting that in fact there are several families there, the many dogs are friendly and that while the pub is fairly rough and ready, there is a splendid buzz of conversation. Nobody minds about your muddy boots, your children, or indeed you. You note that with the roaring fire, it is, though quite old fashioned, not at all unfriendly. There is a lot of laughter. And, when you settle down inside, it really is all rather cheery. You remember the benches out front and side and figure that should you visit in summer, you can sit outside with your pint and your other half and watch the world go by as your children caper about. You think "Actually this is not so bad really."

Or, you could write a horrible review of this dreadful dump on a well known rating site when you get home.

I suppose the general point is don't be too quick to judge pubs on a first visit or impression

Anyway. Sounds just like the sort of place I'd like to spend some time in. Wonder if the beer is any good?

Maris Otter Matters

A few weeks ago, I attended a night of beer tasting with a difference.  It was of the last thirteen winners of CAMRA's Champion Beer of Britain and was hosted by Warminster Maltings.  This was both a celebration of and a tribute to Maris Otter malt, which has been the malt used in no less than ten out of the last thirteen champions.  I bet you don't know which ones weren't, but don't worry, I won't keep you waiting.  Only Deuchars IPA, Haviestoun Bitter and Twisted and Rudgate Mild, didn't use it.

Another first for me was that it was held in the Bull at Highgate, a pub that I'd never visited, but which is pretty famous amongst London beer buffs.  It is also home to its own micro brewery, which could be seen from the area just to the left of the bar.  Now I must say that the Bull, whatever I might have been expecting, was hardly your traditional boozer.  In an affluent area, it was nonetheless warm and likeable, but no bare boarded ale house. Think more chintzy than that, but it seemed to have a good mix of customers amongst the assembled beer glitterati.

Beers were divided between the main bar, a specially erected stillage and a decent sized room with its own bar upstairs where most of us ended up.  Oakham JHB with its clean spritzy taste and touches of lemon it had an almost "radler" feel about it. Castle Rock Harvest Pale which was so good that you could see immediately why it had won the supreme gong. Surprisingly tasty and likeable was Triple F Alton Pride which a few of us hadn't rated that highly before, but which on the night was a beer to return to and one of the stars of the show.

I was lucky enough to have a ten minute chat with Warminster Maltings owner, Robin Appel, who is credited with almost single handedly rescuing Maris Otter from malty oblivion, when in the early 1990s, together with H Banham Ltd of Norfolk, he approached the then owners of the variety with the express purpose of rejuvenating it to satisfy the demand of the real ale market.  Much work was done to make it commercially viable once again and in 2002, Maris Otter was bought outright by H Banham Ltd and Robin Appel Ltd, which have continued to improve it to ensure Maris Otter preserves its original identity and will not compromise the traditional flavour of some of Britain’s finest beers. Robin was a very interesting host and I enjoyed his tales of JW Lees earlier generation of whom he spoke fondly.  I have the feeling that if Lees fancy returning to the Maris Otter fold, Robin would be quite happy.

Finally a word about the food which had been designed using what else but Maris Otter malt as an ingredient.  Maris Otter inspired Scotch eggs were superb and to my delight various haggisy nibbles were available too and for me a perfect accompaniment to the beers.

Food and beer matching? Scotch eggs and haggis.  Look no further.

The Bull is at 13 North Hill, Highgate, London N6 4AB. Easy five minutes from Highgate Tube.

A Word to the Weisse

I have written before about Schneider und Sonne, the renowned German wheat beer brewer. You can read my original article here, but I don't think I've ever drank any of their beers in the UK. Not until one night last week that was.

Much is written about the Port St Beer House and their beer tasting nights, but little of their older sister Common Bar, in the trendy Northern Quarter of Manchester. It was Common, an edgier, funkier, artier, music led type of place and haunt of pretty studenty young women and skinny, hairy, leery, gawky lads, that hosted a tasting of Schneider beers. This was held in what could be described as a back room, but since it looked out onto the street, plainly wasn't. In our room, the audience was mostly young by my standards, so think late twenties, early thirties, but no doubt regarded as a load of old crinklies by the eager young crew next door. They all looked pretty damned serious. Until the beer flowed that is. What a leveller beer is and what a leveller it should be.

This was billed as a "Beer and Cheese" evening and the cheesy part was hosted by a Swiss Cheese producer, but since there was no hand-out of what the cheeses were and the descriptions and names were rattled out at top speed, we'll pass on the cheese part for now and concentrate on the beer. Now Schneider only brew wheat beer, so all the beers were of that ilk. That's fine, because Schneider, unlike many other German producers have used their imagination more than a little, so subtle and not so subtle variations of the wheat theme were the order of the day. We started off, somewhat surprisingly, with their newest beer, a supposed "one off". Nelson Sauvin uses the hop of that name and is bottle conditioned in champagne style bottles. The beer is 7.3% and while some of the promised, flowers, kiwi and gooseberry could be detected, overall, I didn't think this worked that well. Still, interesting and more variations please.  The basic premise is a good one.

The beers came thick and fast. Next up was Mein Blonde, a traditional pale wheat beer that ticks all the boxes. Spicy, citrus, subdued clove and banana.  A bit of Bavarian summer in a cold and grey Manchester.  Kristall, is a filtered version.  Clear as a bell and refreshing enough. Maybe it is just preference, but it doesn't do it for me in the same way a cloudy wheat beer does.  Then my Schneider favourite and my drink of choice when I'm in The Weisses Bräuhaus in Munich. Original is said to be the recipe of the original wheat beer brewed by the founder. If so, it has been cleaned up in recent years and is now an outstanding wheat beer of great complexity. Bottle conditioned, it has the full banana, clove thing going without excessive sweetness, through to a bitter-sweet finish. A bit darker this one, but a cracker in every way for the wheat beer fan. I'm one in case you didn't guess!

An odd interlude then.  I don't believe I've ever ordered an alcohol free beer in Germany.  Mein Alkoholfreies is said to taste like "ripe corn fields, sparkling and malty-aromatic". Well, to me it tasted like unfermented wort, which is probably what it is. I wasn't alone. It was the only dumper on our table.   Back to normality then with Aventinus, a dark, luscious doppelbock; oh an somewhere in between (by now the beer was taking effect and the noise levels were a notch below cacophony) we had Mein Grünes, another fairly new beer. Organic and 6.2% this has delicious lemony citrus overtones and traditional wheat beer spice. Very easy going to drink and refreshing too. This is another great beer and one which I will be drinking next time I'm in Munich for sure.

Then the beer that knocked John Clarke's socks off.  Hopfenweisse is heavily hopped with American "C " hops.  It has a big booming taste to go with its big booming 8.2% alcohol.  It is wonderful and dangerously and deceptively drinkable. Schneider say "This extreme wheat beer shows how far wheat beer taste can go."  Indeed it does.

Oh yes. The cheese.  I said I'd come back to that. Delicious though they were, they came in such minuscule portions that you couldn't really taste them with the beers. A touch more would have been nice and really have made it a food and beer matching.  No such complaints about the beer though. A  great night ended with a second shared bottle of the Hopfenweisse and we left having experienced what a great brewer can do with a style that most others merely produce to a single repetitive standard. Well done Schneider.  Our experience was enhanced by our two charming table companions, whose attractiveness to us was enhanced in no small way by generous donations of beer to three old soaks.

Young people today aren't all bad.

Beer of the night?  For me and my companions, it had to be Hopfenweisse.  My thanks to James Clay for their kind invitation

Beer Blotters

When we are asked by the venue management of the home of the National Winter Ales Festival what sort of food we want for the event, my mate Graham, the Organiser, always chirrups " beer blotters" - "something to soak up the ale"; or as I alternatively say and add, "something to put you on, not fill you up."

On Saturday, at the landlady's pub, which offers excellent grub, a punter said to her after perusing the menu, "I'd just like a plain simple roast beef sandwich - no salad, no garnish, no chips". This was produced, the landlady being an obliging sort. It set me thinking that the good old fashioned bar snack - the something to put you on - is pretty much an endangered species. If I'm in a pub, I often fancy a simple filled roll, or the like, but rarely is such a beast available. If the beer is good, or just if  I'm peckish, I want something that will stop me getting pissed, but not stop me dead in my tracks and prevent a few more pints. Isn't that something that the pub ought to want too?

In the West Midlands and some parts of the country, this tradition is safe. Filled rolls are common in the Black Country and in the West Midlands, the hot roast pork sandwich is widely available, reasonably priced and welcome. In Sheffield at the CAMRA AGM, the adjacent Thornbridge badged pub had an excellent roast pork bap (with a few chunky chips) for just under four quid. Perfect.
 
Are a lot of pubs missing a trick here in not providing reasonably priced snacks as well as full meals? I'd say so, but what do others think?

The photo was taken two years ago in the Black Country and the cob is the size of a baby's head!  That's a pint next to it.

It's Bloody Lovely!

My bread that is. To recap, a standard white loaf recipe of 500g strong bread flour, 3 tablespoons olive oil, half a teaspoon of salt, 7g fast acting yeast and 275ml of Sharp's Chalky's Bite.

Method: Measure flour, add salt and yeast and mix. Make a well and add olive oil. Mix in a large bowl, add beer ensuring all the sediment goes in too. Mix well with a spoon, then turn out onto floured surface and knead minimally. Shape into a ball and let rise on baking parchment for a couple of hours.

When twice original size, turn out onto floured surface, punch it down and knead gently for about 30 seconds. Shape into a ball and place in a lightly floured glass bowl and cover with oiled cling film. Place somewhere warm. When twice size again, bake in a pre-heated oven at bread temperature (usually maximum or around 220 -230C)for 35 minutes. Spray with a fine mist of water from time to time to create a good crust. When loaf sounds hollow to a tap on the bottom, it is ready.

Cool for at least an hour on a rack.

So, does it taste of beer? It tastes quite malty, slightly herbal and am I imagining a faint whiff of hops? I must try this with another kind of beer to see if that makes a difference, but boy does it taste great and as I have used this recipe before with water instead of beer, I can say without a doubt, the beer version is better. The crust is superb, as is the crumb and texture. I'm going to have some with pastrami I think, but no beer. Today is an alcohol free day.

I reckon though it would go well with any wheat beer.

Beer Bread

Something came over me and I felt remarkably creative this morning. I thought "I know, I'll make some bread for later." (I'll make lentil soup to go with it too, but that will be done this afternoon as it is so easy.) Now this being a beer blog, I wondered if I should use beer instead of water? Why not, so a bottle of Sharp's Chalky's Bite was dragged out of the cellar - well garage - and duly popped in. It is proving now. I did this by hand rather than my bread maker and following something I saw on TV, didn't over knead it, as after all it is a chemical process. Or so the theory goes.

My thinking was that being bottle conditioned should help the rise and being pale and flavoured with fennel should give an interesting taste. I haven't used beer before in bread making, but I'll keep you informed of progress.

Mustn't hurry this. Give it time I tell myself, but you know, I'm quite excited about it.

The Write Stuff

It's nearly British Guild of Beer Writers do - my first one and I'm quite looking forward to it - though not to a night in my suit again. Since I wore one for thirty odd years (not the same one you understand), an evening in one doesn't much appeal any more. Suits, since I retired, are confined mainly to funerals, when really the attire isn't uppermost. Still, I'll put my best foot forward and see how it goes. I've been wondering about what beer we'll be served to go with our upmarket kebabs and a clue is offered on Stuart Howe's site. He mentions American style beer. Has he let a cat out of the bag? What is American style beer anyway? It suggests to this writer at least, hops, which is fine by me. I'll find out tomorrow. The lovely E will be accompanying me and is looking forward to meeting some of the writers of blogs she reads, so if you are there, be nice to her and me of course.

Of course this means a trip to London and a chance to see the Euston Tap for myself. I'm looking forward to that and expect good things. I also plan to recheck the Draft House, which didn't impress on my first visit, but which has had good reviews since. A return to the Jolly Butchers would be good too, now that the weather is cold and warm beer less likely, so a lot to pack in, as unusually, due to other commitments, we'll be returning on Saturday to the Grim North. Friday daytime will probably and inevitably involve a hair of the dog!

It makes for a busy day though today, but hopefully worth it. I've a feeling it will be.

Isle of Man Pubs

Returning to the Isle of Man is always good for me. It reminds me of my plooky youth, when as an 18 year old I came with my mates to drink beer (it was here I first encountered Watney's Red and Worthington E) and chase women, who unlike their Scottish counterparts, weren't wearing three of four layers of clothing, topped by an Arran jumper. This was back in the day when Douglas was as busy as Blackpool - well on a similar scale anyway - and when boats full came in daily from Ardrossan, Workington, Belfast, Dublin, Liverpool and elsewhere. Happy days.

One thing has changed. There is now little by way of wandering totty, visitors are fewer, there is a preponderance of Liverpudlians and Northern Irish bar staff (and residents) and far fewer pubs. (You see I can drag myself back to beer from my lusty reminiscences.) Such was my praise for the place after the CAMRA AGM, that my pub friends wanted to go. I did warn them it is a deeply unpleasant place when pissing wet, as it often is, but they insisted. Well we struck lucky. Sunshine from start to finish and a chance to explore the island and its pubs. We had a good time.

The Old Dog Inn was our favourite way back then, but it is long gone. The island is dominated by Okell's, owned by the ubiquitous local company of Heron and Brierly, who also have a stranglehold on pub ownership. (Bushy's is the other local brewery). Now I am generally against monopolies, but I have a sneaking admiration for H&B, who are up against it in many ways. With a resident population of only 80,000 and visitors dropping down to around the 350,000 mark, they have clearly closed a lot of pubs in an attempt to make things viable, but they did build a spanking new German equipped brewery for Okells which I toured a few years ago. I can certainly confirm it is a smasher and H&B's commitment to the IoM seemingly isn't in doubt.

In fact, even in Douglas, pubs aren't thick on the ground. You'd kind of imagine then wouldn't you that those that remain are wonderful examples of the genre? Sadly they are not. They mostly range between unspoiled dockside boozers which I love, but which most people won't set foot in, to relics from the 70's and 80's with largely indifferent beer and with vastly overpriced and doubtful food. Many appear attractive on the outside but with poor, brown, sticky interiors and a very unwelcoming atmosphere. H&B could do with having a think about how to overcome this. Maybe they need a Wetherspoons to take all the good for nothings into one central location? Hush my mouth.

But there are a few gems. I have always liked the Mines Tavern in Laxey with its simple bar and neat beer garden and views of the comings and goings of the Manx Electric Railway and good beer from Okells and Bushy's. After a trip to the top of Snaefell, it was a must visit. Sadly it is now owned by Okells and the beer range is restricted, but the beer was good. Unfortunately though, the food was ridiculously overpriced and poor. Another decent pub, this time in Douglas is the Queen's Hotel. Okell's again with guests from Across (as the Manx put it) and very good food, which though expensive is home cooked and generous.

Out in Port Erin, a pretty train ride away on the steam train, was the Falcon's Nest, full of genuine Manxmen rather than Scousers, Scots and Irish and with spectacular views over the cliffs and harbour. Bushy's Beer and guests from Across made a welcome change there. Bushy's Pure Manx Gold was the pick of the bunch, with biscuity malt and piquant First Gold hops.

Castletown Brewery is long closed, but the town itself is extremely attractive with its enclosed harbour and ruined castle. The famous pub here is the Sidings, right by the Steam Railway station and with excellent beer, both from Bushy's and from Across and its own Bushy's brewed version of the long gone Castletown Bitter. It is a nice, neat pub with a sheltered beer garden and possibly the best beer on the island. Best beer on the island? Well maybe not. A close challenger is the Rovers Return in Douglas. A sort of bikers pub, with an eclectic mix of customers and excellent Bushy's beers plus guests. Oddly far more welcoming than most pubs. Here we watched England's demise in the world cup, and drank Bushy's Pure Gold. Lovely. Apart from the result that is.

A last comment about the pubs. You certainly aren't welcomed with open arms. Quiet reserve from the native Manx and mumbling indifference from most of the imported staff is the norm, but once you get out of Douglas, there is something for everyone on this lovely island. I doubt if the beer will disappoint too much, though Okells is firmly in the Family Brewer's malty camp, but be sure to take lots of money! In good weather, picnic stuff from M & S is, sadly, a better bet than food in most pubs.

Top tip: Spend the extra few quid and stay in the Hilton. The breakfast will obviate the need for poor lunches elsewhere.

Sailing By - From Tuesday, October 02, 2007

I have just returned from a night out at the Rain Bar, hosted by JW Lees our local brewer. The idea was to put beer up against wine in a foody menu.The event was compered on the beer side by Garrett Oliver, Brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery, New York and a local wine guru, flying the wine flag. Beer won, unsurprisingly given the fact that almost all the guests were beer buffs of some sort. The menu was superb and the concept interesting. All in all a very informative and for me, different night and it was nice to get an invite.

I left full of food, wine and beer at midnight and stumbled into a taxi. Radio 4 was just finishing as I got into bed, hence the title of this posting!

Food with Beer

I've just read Woolpack Dave's latest post on the above subject. It's a good post with a lot of sensible things said, particularly when he says "But I'm a beer writer, I can't say these things. Surely fine dining food must be able to match with beer?" He goes on to say "We need to think in the same way as the sommelier in a great restaurant. We need to think about what is bold enough to stand up to great food, what can match and compliment to provide an integrated experience. Without this approach we are still going to find a great gulf between the beer and restaurant trade.". Now you might well say as I first thought, "This is pretty obvious and none the less true for that". But the more I thought about it, the less convinced I became. In a fine dining experience, I rather fancy that most experienced fine diners know the sort of wine they like to accompany food, whether or not that wine is actually the best match. I also rather fancy that most do not rely on the sommelier for advice. I certainly wouldn't. I don't have an unlimited budget and wouldn't want to be a hostage to fortune, nor be embarrassing myself by whispering. "only up to £25" ( or whatever) when seeking advice.  I suspect reliance on sommelier advice is a very top end trait only. 

When we extrapolate that situation to beer, it becomes more complex still.  At least in a fine dining restaurant, you can be reasonably sure the wine list is well chosen and the descriptions accurate. It isn't then that difficult to make an informed choice. When you substitute beer for wine, the matter becomes rather more complicated, as the list isn't so likely to be so well chosen - the expertise just doesn't exist in the restaurant trade and frankly, those who like beer with fine dining meals, are likely to jib at someone else's choice. There are many other factors too, that to my mind militate against it, not least of all lack of serious demand. But that needn't be the end of it.

Moving back down the scale, to pub, bistro or home dining, things become easier.  A nice stout might sit well with a steak pie. Or an IPA just might cut through a curry and a good crisp, well made pilsner would suit most roast pork dishes very well. One will have one's own preferences, but at that end of things, you can afford to experiment. You can't really at the other.  There to me is the difficulty. You would need a level of expertise at the selling end, together with a willingness to experiment and pay through the nose at the buying end, for this to work on any grand scale, which it really won't. This bird is not going to fly, though individual restaurants could make it work to a limited extent and at least offer choice.

Now, paraphrasing Dave, I'm a beer writer too and would like to see more availability on restaurant menus of beers that generically go with food; say a decent wheat beer, a top class, stout, a spicy Belgian, a proper pilsner, a hoppy and bitter IPA and a strong barley wine. The list isn't exhaustive, but it would be a good start.  Regretfully not all will be British - the diversity just doesn't exist at the top end. Beer is a long way behind wine, we need to walk before we can run, but we do need to push this.  Many beers are indeed a fine accompaniment to food and in his penultimate paragraph, Dave suggests a way forward. It is a good one.

Finally on a further note of agreement, barley wine and good cheese - there's a splendid match.

Photo nicked from Garrett Oliver's site, but that's OK. See next post which is reproduced from my personal blog, dated 02/10/2007. He gets a nice mention there.