“Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard, but I think…
OH BONDAGE, UP YOURS! 1,2,3,4…”
(Oh Bondage, Up Yours – X-Ray Spex)
(Hooray For Tickety Brew!)
Just a quick celebratory note! For those who are unaware, Tickety Brew of Stalyvegas were recently contacted by lawyers acting on behalf of the conglomerate Halewood International – the owner of the Crabbies Ginger Beer brand. The substance of the contact was that Halewood had “trademarked” the phrase “TicketyBoo” and appeared to have issues when our own local micro-brewer applied to register their name as a trademark. This caused concern, and no little stress, for Tickety Brew’s owners who were not in any position to contest any potential “Cease & Desist” style demand.
It was heartening to see social media – in particular, Twitter – swing behind the brewing David, possessing, as it did, an empty slingshot! Just like the battle that Redwell of Norwich had with Red Bull (purveyors of over-sweet chemical swill), the beer-loving denizens of the social media platform showed their feelings and made them plain.
It is therefore extremely gratifying to note, it appears that sanity has ruled the day and Tickety will remain a small Greater Manchester brewer making tasty beer and that they can keep their name and distinct visual branding. Chuffed to bits for Duncan & Keri and will be reviewing their beers soon! Go visit their classy looking website for more details at http://ticketybrew.co.uk/
Right then, that’s settled!
If you have ever read one of these before, you will know what is comes next!……The format remains….
1. The Beer, 2. The Brewer, 3. The Strength, 4. The beer style, 5. The Price & Size (including discount, eg: for CAMRA membership, where applicable). 6. Where from, and, If a website for the vendor exists, the hyperlink to the shop / brewer website, just in case you are inspired enough by my ramblings to make a purchase! Here goes…
1. Hook Island Red – The Five Points Brewing Co (Hackney, London) – 6% abv – Red Ale – £3 ish (was a “swap”!) – Damian O’Shea (aka @TheAleManMcr) at Castlefield Market, Mcr.
A deep ruby red, this has a lovely spicy hop and toffee aroma. A lovely dark toffeeish caramelly (is that a word?) malt balanced by some terrifically spicy hopping with some nuttiness too in the mouth. Bit like a slicy (or even “spicy”!) rye beer this. A cracklingly bitter dryness in the finish for this beer from an increasingly impressive brewery. More soon!
(I can still hear the shriekings of Poly Styrene……!)
2. Identity – Revolutions Brewing Co (Castleford, West Yorkshire) – 6% abv – Extra Strong Bitter (XSB) – Part of a case from the brewery direct
X-Ray Spex were one of the second wave of punk bands. There first single was blast of feminist fresh air entitled “Oh Bondage, Up Yours” and as a 12-year-old music loving sponge, it rocked my world! A punk band in name, but with other influences at play – not every band would have a Laura Logic playing sax! Identity was a later single from their album Germ Free Adolescents and was similarly incendiary in musical style. Was truly saddened when Poly (Marianne Joan Elliott-Said) passed away in 2011. A true trail blazer and icon.
Anyway, reminiscing over!
Another musically themed beer (of course!) by those lovely boys at Revolutions, this is a tawny coloured beer with a generous white head and a floral hop aroma with a bit of toffee in there too. Full bodied with plenty of maltiness offset by some really nice dry bitterness an a nice spicy hop bite, I detected a gentle nuttiness which reminded me of walnuts too, really nice note. A fireside beer this…..I’m feeling a nice warm Yorkshire Dales pub on an autumn evening…I can dream can’t I? A proper strong bitter – not had one of THOSE for a while!
3. Bleddyn 1075 – The Celt Experience (Caerphilly, Glamorgan, Wales) – 5.6% abv – IPA – £2.29 (500ml) – Booths Supermarket, Chorley
An off-hand purchase from a swift pit stop, I’m SO glad I bought this! A golden to copper coloured beer with floral nose tingling spicy hops booming from the glass. In the mouth, a tongue-curling bitterness grabs and delights as bitter & twisted grapefruit flavours assail the taste buds supported by some lovely malty backbone.
But this is about the hoppage and, at this strength, I’m not sure that I have had a more assertive IPA. Given the OG (Original Gravity – an indication of the weight of malt goodies that go in the beer), I’m astonished it’s not sweeter than this! Crackling dry finish. A PROPER IPA. Lots of malt, LOADS of hops! (Classy website too – click the link above) A well earned 5*!
(Current reading material artfully displayed with a 5* beer!)
4. Simcoe (Single Hop) – Mallinsons Brewing Company (Huddersfield, West Yorkshire) – 4.0% abv – Pale Ale – £1.98 (500ml) – The Bottle Stop, Bramhall, Stockport
This wasn’t planned. At a friends BBQ last weekend, I took a 5 litre carry out of Kirkstall Three Swords Pale Ale (purchased from the ever excellent Beer Shop), but by departure, there was still some in the bag. A colleague offered this as a swap. Knowing Mallinsons beers like I do (and not having had this previously) I snatched his hand off!
A beer that was bullion gold in colour with a fabulous zingy mango aroma from a light white foam head. A marvellous mouthful of mango, grapefruit and lemon pith drying the tongue and refreshing the mouth simultaneously. Tara Mallinson and Elaine Yendall have – for me – absolutely nailed low gravity single hopped pale ales. This is as tasty a low gravity pale ale as you can get (IMO) – get some, and in the words of Drake “Thank me later”!
5. Fade to Black – Weird Beard Brew Co (Hanwell, West London)- 6.3% – Black IPA – £3 ish (was a swap) – Damian O’Shea (aka @TheAleManMcr) at Castlefield Market
If you live close to Manchester, go see Damian on a Sunday at Castlefield Market, (but check on Twitter, he’s not there EVERY Sunday!), a top bloke selling some amazing beers. Including this little beauty!
Black. Always a good start in my book! Latte coloured head with a candied citrus nose with sugared grapefruit. Some deep coffee in the background strangely supporting zippy citrus. This beer has the texture of a creamy stout or porter with some belting hoppy fruitiness. I know that, for some, Black IPAs may be a bit of a stretch, but trust me, allow your mind to be bent by beers such as this and you will NOT regret it! Trust me!
Right then – Beer of the Month time again!
Draught? – Hmmm….. in with a run up the stands rails is…..Imperial Lord Smog Almighty from Beavertown Brewery at 10% abv. This was the monster produced from under Logan Plant’s magicians hat at the end of the recent MTB at Port Street. Blew me away. Notes here…http://beersmanchester.wordpress.com/2013/08/20/beavertown-brewery-meet-the-brewer-port-street-beer-house-19082013/
Bottled? – A tricky one this, with 4 5* rated beers this month. But, decisions need to be made! (“Ip, dip, doo, the cat got the flu…..”) Oh bugger it…… Old Engine Oil (Engineers Reserve) a 9% abv by Harviestoun Brewery. Porter created for Those Damn Yankees! Read here if you want…http://beersmanchester.wordpress.com/2013/08/16/bottled-ales-august-2013/
Right! That’s it for this month. I’m off camping by the banks of the Severn next week so, unless I come across something truly outstanding, media silence may be the order of….
And if you see a whale clad in T-Shirt & Jeans floating down the Severn, hook me out, there’s a love!
On that note…’til next time!
Slainte!
Aug 24 2013
Bottled Ales – August 2013 Pt 2
“Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard, but I think…
OH BONDAGE, UP YOURS! 1,2,3,4…”
(Oh Bondage, Up Yours – X-Ray Spex)
(Hooray For Tickety Brew!)
Just a quick celebratory note! For those who are unaware, Tickety Brew of Stalyvegas were recently contacted by lawyers acting on behalf of the conglomerate Halewood International – the owner of the Crabbies Ginger Beer brand. The substance of the contact was that Halewood had “trademarked” the phrase “TicketyBoo” and appeared to have issues when our own local micro-brewer applied to register their name as a trademark. This caused concern, and no little stress, for Tickety Brew’s owners who were not in any position to contest any potential “Cease & Desist” style demand.
It was heartening to see social media – in particular, Twitter – swing behind the brewing David, possessing, as it did, an empty slingshot! Just like the battle that Redwell of Norwich had with Red Bull (purveyors of over-sweet chemical swill), the beer-loving denizens of the social media platform showed their feelings and made them plain.
It is therefore extremely gratifying to note, it appears that sanity has ruled the day and Tickety will remain a small Greater Manchester brewer making tasty beer and that they can keep their name and distinct visual branding. Chuffed to bits for Duncan & Keri and will be reviewing their beers soon! Go visit their classy looking website for more details at http://ticketybrew.co.uk/
Right then, that’s settled!
If you have ever read one of these before, you will know what is comes next!……The format remains….
1. The Beer, 2. The Brewer, 3. The Strength, 4. The beer style, 5. The Price & Size (including discount, eg: for CAMRA membership, where applicable). 6. Where from, and, If a website for the vendor exists, the hyperlink to the shop / brewer website, just in case you are inspired enough by my ramblings to make a purchase! Here goes…
1. Hook Island Red – The Five Points Brewing Co (Hackney, London) – 6% abv – Red Ale – £3 ish (was a “swap”!) – Damian O’Shea (aka @TheAleManMcr) at Castlefield Market, Mcr.
A deep ruby red, this has a lovely spicy hop and toffee aroma. A lovely dark toffeeish caramelly (is that a word?) malt balanced by some terrifically spicy hopping with some nuttiness too in the mouth. Bit like a slicy (or even “spicy”!) rye beer this. A cracklingly bitter dryness in the finish for this beer from an increasingly impressive brewery. More soon!
(I can still hear the shriekings of Poly Styrene……!)
2. Identity – Revolutions Brewing Co (Castleford, West Yorkshire) – 6% abv – Extra Strong Bitter (XSB) – Part of a case from the brewery direct
X-Ray Spex were one of the second wave of punk bands. There first single was blast of feminist fresh air entitled “Oh Bondage, Up Yours” and as a 12-year-old music loving sponge, it rocked my world! A punk band in name, but with other influences at play – not every band would have a Laura Logic playing sax! Identity was a later single from their album Germ Free Adolescents and was similarly incendiary in musical style. Was truly saddened when Poly (Marianne Joan Elliott-Said) passed away in 2011. A true trail blazer and icon.
Anyway, reminiscing over!
Another musically themed beer (of course!) by those lovely boys at Revolutions, this is a tawny coloured beer with a generous white head and a floral hop aroma with a bit of toffee in there too. Full bodied with plenty of maltiness offset by some really nice dry bitterness an a nice spicy hop bite, I detected a gentle nuttiness which reminded me of walnuts too, really nice note. A fireside beer this…..I’m feeling a nice warm Yorkshire Dales pub on an autumn evening…I can dream can’t I? A proper strong bitter – not had one of THOSE for a while!
3. Bleddyn 1075 – The Celt Experience (Caerphilly, Glamorgan, Wales) – 5.6% abv – IPA – £2.29 (500ml) – Booths Supermarket, Chorley
An off-hand purchase from a swift pit stop, I’m SO glad I bought this! A golden to copper coloured beer with floral nose tingling spicy hops booming from the glass. In the mouth, a tongue-curling bitterness grabs and delights as bitter & twisted grapefruit flavours assail the taste buds supported by some lovely malty backbone.
But this is about the hoppage and, at this strength, I’m not sure that I have had a more assertive IPA. Given the OG (Original Gravity – an indication of the weight of malt goodies that go in the beer), I’m astonished it’s not sweeter than this! Crackling dry finish. A PROPER IPA. Lots of malt, LOADS of hops! (Classy website too – click the link above) A well earned 5*!
4. Simcoe (Single Hop) – Mallinsons Brewing Company (Huddersfield, West Yorkshire) – 4.0% abv – Pale Ale – £1.98 (500ml) – The Bottle Stop, Bramhall, Stockport
This wasn’t planned. At a friends BBQ last weekend, I took a 5 litre carry out of Kirkstall Three Swords Pale Ale (purchased from the ever excellent Beer Shop), but by departure, there was still some in the bag. A colleague offered this as a swap. Knowing Mallinsons beers like I do (and not having had this previously) I snatched his hand off!
A beer that was bullion gold in colour with a fabulous zingy mango aroma from a light white foam head. A marvellous mouthful of mango, grapefruit and lemon pith drying the tongue and refreshing the mouth simultaneously. Tara Mallinson and Elaine Yendall have – for me – absolutely nailed low gravity single hopped pale ales. This is as tasty a low gravity pale ale as you can get (IMO) – get some, and in the words of Drake “Thank me later”!
5. Fade to Black – Weird Beard Brew Co (Hanwell, West London)- 6.3% – Black IPA – £3 ish (was a swap) – Damian O’Shea (aka @TheAleManMcr) at Castlefield Market
If you live close to Manchester, go see Damian on a Sunday at Castlefield Market, (but check on Twitter, he’s not there EVERY Sunday!), a top bloke selling some amazing beers. Including this little beauty!
Black. Always a good start in my book! Latte coloured head with a candied citrus nose with sugared grapefruit. Some deep coffee in the background strangely supporting zippy citrus. This beer has the texture of a creamy stout or porter with some belting hoppy fruitiness. I know that, for some, Black IPAs may be a bit of a stretch, but trust me, allow your mind to be bent by beers such as this and you will NOT regret it! Trust me!
Right then – Beer of the Month time again!
Draught? – Hmmm….. in with a run up the stands rails is…..Imperial Lord Smog Almighty from Beavertown Brewery at 10% abv. This was the monster produced from under Logan Plant’s magicians hat at the end of the recent MTB at Port Street. Blew me away. Notes here…http://beersmanchester.wordpress.com/2013/08/20/beavertown-brewery-meet-the-brewer-port-street-beer-house-19082013/
Bottled? – A tricky one this, with 4 5* rated beers this month. But, decisions need to be made! (“Ip, dip, doo, the cat got the flu…..”) Oh bugger it…… Old Engine Oil (Engineers Reserve) a 9% abv by Harviestoun Brewery. Porter created for Those Damn Yankees! Read here if you want…http://beersmanchester.wordpress.com/2013/08/16/bottled-ales-august-2013/
Right! That’s it for this month. I’m off camping by the banks of the Severn next week so, unless I come across something truly outstanding, media silence may be the order of….
And if you see a whale clad in T-Shirt & Jeans floating down the Severn, hook me out, there’s a love!
On that note…’til next time!
Slainte!
By BeersManchester • Uncategorized • 0 • Tags: Beavertown Brewery, Black IPA, Bleddyn 1075, Damian O'Shea, Extra Strong Bitter, Fade To Black, Five Points Brew Co, Harviestoun Brewery, Hook Island Red, Identity, Imperial Lord Smog Almighty, Imperial Smoked Porter, Mallinsons Brewery, Old Engine Oil (Engineers Reserve), Pale Ale, Red Ale, Revolutions Brewing, Simcoe, strong porter, The Ale Man Mcr, The Bottle Stop, The Celt Experience. IPA, Tickety Brew, Weird Beard Brew Co