Uncategorized

Video: A Day with Sambrook’s Brewery, South London

20/12/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle Sambrook’s Brewery in Battersea, South London, is one of the UK capital’s most recent – and fastest growing – breweries. Set up in 2008 by former Deloitte accountant Duncan Sambrook with a little help from ex-Ringwood Brewery managing director David Welsh, Sambrook’s Brewery beer is found throughout South-West and East London, with brands such as Wandle and Junction. Sambrook attended the Brewlab brewing start-up course (University of Sunderland) prior to setting up his brewery, a course I myself attended this summer and have been experimenting in the kitchen with increased success since. Someone I met on the course mentioned he had volunteered at Sambrook’s Brewery so I got in touch and asked them if they would mind...

US Beer Review: Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale by Anderson Valley Brewing Co.

10/12/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle During the Summer Solstice this year I was conveniently positioned at that Mecca of mystical sun-worship, Stonehenge. It was fantastic despite the bus loads of cagouled camera-toting overseas tourists and the sea of packed lunches and flasks of tea spread out by the natives. Alas, the days are now short and dark and I find myself days away from the Winter Solstice. Ideally I’d be in County Cork by the Drombeg Stone Circle for this occasion but snowy Pennsylvania will have to suffice. My thirst for a decent beer remains unchanged and so it’s with some delight I stumble upon an aptly named beer from a brewery this side of the pond. Enter Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale...

Japanese Beer Review: Hitachino Nest Beer

08/12/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle There’s more to Japanese beer than Asahi (brewed under license in the UK by Shepherd Neame). I recently visited the JiBiru bar off Singapore’s busy Orchard Road shopping street and was instantly drawn towards the cartoon owl that represents Hitachino Nest Beer, showing how susceptible I am to the power of marketing (even though I work in the industry). The Hitachino Nest Beer line is crafted by the Kiuchi Brewery in Naka, Japan, which has been making beer, sake and shochu – another distilled Japanese fortified drink made from sweet potatoes, barley or rice which typically weighs in at 25% ABV – since 1823. Its signature beer is the Hitachino Nest White Ale, but it also makes...

US Beer Review: Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre

07/12/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle There are only three things I just can’t stand about Pennsylvania: they are December, January and February. Otherwise I have no complaints. So I’m always looking for something to lift the winter blues and tonight I think I just found it…. Typically at this time of year I should be sampling the Christmas ales with their predictably spicy palate. Tonight I passed that up in favour of a Belgian style dark beer from those brewing masters at Dogfish Head. I spotted it and had always wanted to try it. Bring on the Raison D’Etre mahogany ale! I tend to gravitate towards the Belgian dark ales as they lack bitterness and can be remarkably and pleasantly smooth. This...

Pub Review: Brewerkz, Singapore

03/12/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle When the mercury nudges 30°C in the humidity of Singapore, it’s time to cool off with a nice refreshing beer. Surely the best setting in town to do this is down at Brewerkz on Riverside Point, a colourful setting on the water set up by two beer acifionados keen to replicate the North American brewpub scene in arguably Asia’s most liveable city. The brewpub’s onsite system now produces more than 2,500hl of beer every year and the company has won numerous awards across the globe. Unfortunately, alcohol is not cheap in Singapore, so it’s important to drink the good stuff. I set about with a tasting palate to sample as much of the range as possible. Here...

US Beer Review: Snake Dog IPA by Flying Dog Brewery

24/11/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle It’s Thanksgiving Bank Holiday over here in the US. Most of the country are powering up on turkey and pumpkin pie in readiness for the shopping extravaganza of Black Friday, while ex-pats like me are left twiddling our thumbs. It’s the perfect time to try one last India Pale Ale (IPA) before the Christmas season kicks off and I’m back sampling the darker, heavier winter brews. Enter Snake Dog IPA by Flying Dog Brewery. The artwork on the bottle is enough to get you curious. I knew there was something familiar about the illustrative style of the label. It turns out that Flying Dog Brewery have enlisted Ralph Steadman to provide the artwork. Brits probably recognize him...

Beer Review: Whitstable Brewery Oyster Stout

15/11/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle I first came across this awesome little brew at the Bricklayers Arms Kent Beer Festival in Putney from the pump but now for the bottle. The Whitstable Brewery Oyster Stout pays homage to the North Kent town’s most famous produce. Oysters have been at the heart of Whitstable life for centuries and this beer is designed to partner oysters. I don’t eat shellfish so I skipped that part but the beer is strong enough on its own that I don’t know why you’d want to spoil it with an oily mollusc. It was pretty lively when I opened the bottle, fizzing over without any shaking. The lively head dies down quite quickly but some lacing remains. Pitch...

US Beer Review: Samuel Adams’ East West Kolsch

07/11/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle If you love to discover different beers but are at a loss as to where to begin, may I point you in the direction of this little gem? Introducing East West Kolsch by Boston Brewing Company (Samuel Adams). Kolsch is a style of ale which hails from Cologne, Germany. It’s traditionally less hoppy than other German pale ales and is strictly defined by the Kolsch Konvention, an agreement between the Cologne Brewers Association. In 2011 Samuel Adams attempted to put its own version of Kolsch on the map. In keeping with strict Kolsch brewing traditions, top fermenting ale yeasts were used and afterwards the brew was stored at cold lager-like temperatures to help impart a crispy after-taste....

Beer Review: Panther Fine Extra Stout

31/10/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle Bali Hai’s Panther Fine Extra Stout is the second stout I’ve tried in Indonesia following Storm’s Black Moon Iron Stout. I’ll be honest, for a country where the temperature rarely drops below 30°C I’m surprised that the stout style is quite so popular. India Pale Ale was, of course, designed for just this climate two hundred years ago, so how come all I can find in Jakarta stores is either generic, mass-produced lagers or random stouts? Anyway, my hopes were high for this one, given it won several Australian beer awards, albeit way back in 2005. All I can say straight off the bat is those Aussie judges must have been big Vegemite fans, because this is...

Beer Review: Ikea Öl Mörk Lager

25/10/2012

Follow @TheGuestAle Have you been to Ikea lately? Next time you do, make sure you come away with a bottle of its Öl Mörk Lager (Dark Lager). It’s surprisingly good! It’s a dunkel style beer brewed by the Krönleins Bryggeri in Halmstad, Sweden, a family-owned brewery that’s been running since 1836, so they know what they’re doing. (I should have re-named this article “How many umlauts can you get into a single English language post?”) It’s heavily carbonated, like a cola with a really active and bubbly head that lingers. The nose is distinctively charcoal from the heavily roasted malts. As well as a cola colour, it has a cola texture to match, and as the light head dissipates...

Page 3 of 25«1 234 5...25 »

Images

Latest features

What beer to drink in Brussels

US Beer Review: Anchor Brewing Special, San Francisco

Ads