I've just had a brilliant couple of days away with family. I visited a beautiful pub near Stonehenge...
...and a Belgian café-bar. Fantastic stuff, although there's not much to write up in the tasting note department.
Beer Advice... Pushing the boundaries of taste.
Friday, 27 April 2012
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Catharsis?
I popped down to BrewDog today to have a chat with Max, who's running the Nottingham bar. He's worked in all the BrewDog pubs and shortly he'll be heading off to Manchester to help get their staff trained up for the opening of their latest bar.
Apparently my blog post on Sunday was picked up and emailed round BrewDog's bar managers - and it's worth bearing in mind that there aren't that many of them. For all the noise they make, they're still a small operation, certainly if you're just talking about the bar division. Apparently the post was taken in the manner it was meant. I was reporting what I thought was a genuine issue, not having a go at BrewDog, as I was accused of doing on Twitter.
Max reiterated what he mentioned in his comment, that he was surprised that the short measure issue arose, and it wasn't official policy to refuse to top up to the line of an over-sized glass. The blog post from Max's colleague Jonny is written in a personal capacity, although I'd like to think Jonny realises that topping up to the line is simply good customer service, and not a matter of legality. Max also told me that many of BrewDog's bar staff are new to the job, and amidst lots of instructions you get given in that situation, you are going to forget some of them. I can sympathise with that. I for one have never been at my best in my first few shifts behind a new bar, and I say that having worked behind enough to make it difficult to remember how many. If someone in a busy situation interprets an instruction such as 'Don't top these up to the brim' as 'Don't top these up at all' then they've made a mistake, it happens. BrewDog generally are also doing what Bitburger did years ago (hence the pic) with their oversize glasses; making them a bit smaller so it's easier to serve the correct measure and not leave a huge gap over the head.
A final thought. If pubs are going to survive at all then sooner or later a generation of younger managers has to take over, ones who aren't going to sit there and blame everything on the fact that women are allowed into pubs, or bemoaning having to think about a food offering, or repeatedly blaming the smoking ban, craft keg or whatever it is that becomes construed as the latest 'nail in the coffin.' Like them, loathe them, feel indifferent towards them as you will, but continuing a theme that's been discussed by other bloggers in the last week, I think BrewDog's bar division are going to switch far more people on to beer than stuff like this.* They'll make the odd mistake along the way, who doesn't? Their advertising silliness will more than likely annoy you at times, that's fine too, I recommend a healthy dose of taking the piss, it's one of our country's finer traditions.
* Or this... I could go on.
Apparently my blog post on Sunday was picked up and emailed round BrewDog's bar managers - and it's worth bearing in mind that there aren't that many of them. For all the noise they make, they're still a small operation, certainly if you're just talking about the bar division. Apparently the post was taken in the manner it was meant. I was reporting what I thought was a genuine issue, not having a go at BrewDog, as I was accused of doing on Twitter.
 |
| Dazed and Confused, or Communication Breakdown? |
A final thought. If pubs are going to survive at all then sooner or later a generation of younger managers has to take over, ones who aren't going to sit there and blame everything on the fact that women are allowed into pubs, or bemoaning having to think about a food offering, or repeatedly blaming the smoking ban, craft keg or whatever it is that becomes construed as the latest 'nail in the coffin.' Like them, loathe them, feel indifferent towards them as you will, but continuing a theme that's been discussed by other bloggers in the last week, I think BrewDog's bar division are going to switch far more people on to beer than stuff like this.* They'll make the odd mistake along the way, who doesn't? Their advertising silliness will more than likely annoy you at times, that's fine too, I recommend a healthy dose of taking the piss, it's one of our country's finer traditions.
* Or this... I could go on.
Sunday, 22 April 2012
'Would you mind topping that up please?'
Simon at CAMRGB HQ was on Twitter the other night mentioning that he'd heard complaints about short measures being given out at the newly opened BrewDog bar in Newcastle. He also said that one person had had a request for a top-up refused. This also happened to a friend of mine at the opening weekend at BrewDog Nottingham. When he asked for his beer to be topped up,
the bar staff refused, saying 'We've been told not to.'
I'm sure everyone's aware of how weights and measures legislation affects this sort of thing, and in the end I'd say this is just a matter of poor customer service rather than a sinister conspiracy.
Having said that does serve as a reminder of a virtue of keg over cask from a stock-taker, or more particularly a pub company's, perspective. Casks are simply a lot more wasteful. Years ago I worked as an assistant manager to a guy who had moved back into running pubs having been a stock-taker for Scottish and Newcastle. This gave me an insight into how much more beer it's possible to get from an 88 pint keg as opposed to an 88 pint cask. Every now and again it's worth taking a mental step back and considering whether participation in the 'craft beer revolution' (or at least the 'un-demonising' of keg) might just be a case of 'Over 100% yield? Yes please.' It'd be paranoid to think it's always true, but naive to dismiss it totally.
I'm sure everyone's aware of how weights and measures legislation affects this sort of thing, and in the end I'd say this is just a matter of poor customer service rather than a sinister conspiracy.
Having said that does serve as a reminder of a virtue of keg over cask from a stock-taker, or more particularly a pub company's, perspective. Casks are simply a lot more wasteful. Years ago I worked as an assistant manager to a guy who had moved back into running pubs having been a stock-taker for Scottish and Newcastle. This gave me an insight into how much more beer it's possible to get from an 88 pint keg as opposed to an 88 pint cask. Every now and again it's worth taking a mental step back and considering whether participation in the 'craft beer revolution' (or at least the 'un-demonising' of keg) might just be a case of 'Over 100% yield? Yes please.' It'd be paranoid to think it's always true, but naive to dismiss it totally.
Saturday, 21 April 2012
Oak Exploration Summary
I thought I'd do a bit of a summary of my oak exploration. I might well be turning the beer/wine geek dial up past ten, but I'm just trying to get my thoughts clear on it in order to aid my understanding of how oak works.
Oak can easily overpower a subtle wine and I'd suggest that that this is no different to beer. If you brewed a simple, neutral-flavoured beer and matured it in a small, new oak, barrel, it's a simple fact that the flavours will be drawn more from the barrel than the beer.
Although oaky wines, ie. wines whose flavours have been overpowered by oak, aren't generally considered to be the best quality - and I don't mean faulty - that's not to say that there aren't people who will like them. 1 Again I think there's a direct parallel with beer. I'd suggest that here is a question as to what the goal is in brewing a beer which is going to take on so much oak character that whatever original flavours it did have are overpowered. Some oak-aged beers may well be well-made, in the same sense that mass-produced market leaders are free of faults, but that doesn't make them multi-faceted beers of character, and that's not just a subjective matter of personal taste.
Some of this seems somewhat incongruous when you consider that some of the world's finest wines, including many, if not all of the first growth chateaux in Bordeaux aren't averse to using new oak. However, as I tried to explain my understanding of it here, there's much more to this than a simple imparting of oak flavours. As is suggested in the Oxford Companion to Wine:
Now the plan for the weekend is to actually drink some of the stuff. I have it on authority from The Reluctant Scooper himself that BrewDog have got some oak aged beer on tap. Surely an appropriate starting point. Thanks for reading and I hope the wine references haven't put you off too much. Comments and observations are always appreciated.
1. Oxford Companion to Wine (3rd ed.) p. 491. I've also put the reference to 'oaky' as a tasting term in my post about oak chips and wine here. ↩
2. Oxford Companion to Wine (3rd ed.) p. 775. ↩
Oak can easily overpower a subtle wine and I'd suggest that that this is no different to beer. If you brewed a simple, neutral-flavoured beer and matured it in a small, new oak, barrel, it's a simple fact that the flavours will be drawn more from the barrel than the beer.
Although oaky wines, ie. wines whose flavours have been overpowered by oak, aren't generally considered to be the best quality - and I don't mean faulty - that's not to say that there aren't people who will like them. 1 Again I think there's a direct parallel with beer. I'd suggest that here is a question as to what the goal is in brewing a beer which is going to take on so much oak character that whatever original flavours it did have are overpowered. Some oak-aged beers may well be well-made, in the same sense that mass-produced market leaders are free of faults, but that doesn't make them multi-faceted beers of character, and that's not just a subjective matter of personal taste.
Some of this seems somewhat incongruous when you consider that some of the world's finest wines, including many, if not all of the first growth chateaux in Bordeaux aren't averse to using new oak. However, as I tried to explain my understanding of it here, there's much more to this than a simple imparting of oak flavours. As is suggested in the Oxford Companion to Wine:
Within a given type and style of wine, the richest wines will absorb the most oak with positive effects. 2Finally back to beer. There are certain styles that seem more suited to oak ageing, and within those styles it is the beers with the most robust character that appear not only stand up to oak ageing, but flourish because of it.
Now the plan for the weekend is to actually drink some of the stuff. I have it on authority from The Reluctant Scooper himself that BrewDog have got some oak aged beer on tap. Surely an appropriate starting point. Thanks for reading and I hope the wine references haven't put you off too much. Comments and observations are always appreciated.
1. Oxford Companion to Wine (3rd ed.) p. 491. I've also put the reference to 'oaky' as a tasting term in my post about oak chips and wine here. ↩
2. Oxford Companion to Wine (3rd ed.) p. 775. ↩
Friday, 20 April 2012
Innis & Gunn
When I set out on my mini-exploration of a few oak-influenced beers it was because I'd amassed a bit of a collection, more by accident than design, and so I thought it'd be a bit of fun. I may have been mistaken. I honestly do try and avoid negative reviews, so I am hoping that this is the last one I do for a while, it being rather self-imposed because of the oak exploration idea rather than wanting to openly criticise a beer or, as it turned out, three, Innis & Gunn beers.
There is a plus, although it probably comes across as a bit of a backhanded compliment. The beers look good, which is presumably a big selling point (hence the otherwise unjustifiable clear glass), particularly the Original.
Original: Banana, caramel, vanilla. Some toffee and brown paper notes on the palate. Medium bodied. Drying oak finish. For me too many of the flavours and aromas come from the American white oak, and not enough from the original beer. I wasn't overly complimentary about the Tullibardine for the same reason, but it's actually better than this.
Rum Finish: Pours darker, the banana flavours and aromas are still there, but riper this time, as if more time's been spent in the fruit bowl. More tropical fruit and spice on the palate but apart from a bit of sweetness the rum doesn't really come to the fore. I'd suggest that this wasn't a cask from a really full on dark rum like the excellent Doorly's XO. The finish is confected, cloying and a bit unpleasant.
Winter Beer 2011: The banana is back. It's boozy, with a bit of a pithy bite - think mixed peel. It tastes somewhat synthetic, kind of carrying on from the confected character of the rum finish. It has a similar finish to that too. I definitely needed more body, and more spice.
So how to put a positive spin on this little exercise? I'd still give their recently released whiskey stout a go. From trying superb beers like Ola Dubh and some of BrewDog's Paradox range I'm beginning to think a richer, more robust beer simply stands up to oak better. To use a wine comparison. Oak use in white wine production has become a lot more sophisticated, leading to oaked whites that allow the fruit to come through rather than being like biting a twig. A lesson learnt in some brewing circles but not others?
There is a plus, although it probably comes across as a bit of a backhanded compliment. The beers look good, which is presumably a big selling point (hence the otherwise unjustifiable clear glass), particularly the Original.
 |
| Sorry, I forgot one! |
Rum Finish: Pours darker, the banana flavours and aromas are still there, but riper this time, as if more time's been spent in the fruit bowl. More tropical fruit and spice on the palate but apart from a bit of sweetness the rum doesn't really come to the fore. I'd suggest that this wasn't a cask from a really full on dark rum like the excellent Doorly's XO. The finish is confected, cloying and a bit unpleasant.
Winter Beer 2011: The banana is back. It's boozy, with a bit of a pithy bite - think mixed peel. It tastes somewhat synthetic, kind of carrying on from the confected character of the rum finish. It has a similar finish to that too. I definitely needed more body, and more spice.
So how to put a positive spin on this little exercise? I'd still give their recently released whiskey stout a go. From trying superb beers like Ola Dubh and some of BrewDog's Paradox range I'm beginning to think a richer, more robust beer simply stands up to oak better. To use a wine comparison. Oak use in white wine production has become a lot more sophisticated, leading to oaked whites that allow the fruit to come through rather than being like biting a twig. A lesson learnt in some brewing circles but not others?
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