Apr 14 2014
Life Begins At The Hop – 2 “Home-Brewed” Stouts
“I have learnt there’s a magical spot at the hop. Come with me to the church on the corner the hop.
There’s nuts and crisps and ccc cola on tap. A good time had by the boys and girls at the hop.
Tell me what do you say? Tell me what do you say?
I tell you, life begins at the hop, boys and girls.”
(“Life Begins At The Hop” – XTC)
(Video courtesy of “mondoprune” on You Tube)
Not that I’m stuck in some kind of Nick Hornby, High Fidelityesque mindwarp, but I do sometimes wonder “Who ARE my favourite British band of all time?” Once I accept that (Radiohead apart) there isn’t really a new UK guitar-based band that I have much time for, since…about 1980, I fall back on New Wave and pre-Punk rock music.
Almost every time, I end up with XTC. Never coming closer than a #10 single “Senses Working Overtime” (an excellent recent Pale Ale from Revolutions Brewing BTW) and a #5 album (English Settlement) in the UK – they never sold the volumes that their inventive pop music deserved in this country whilst enjoying considerable commercial success on the other side of the world (#1’s in Australia, New Zealand and – of all places! – Japan with “The Mayor of Simpleton“)
From “White Music” in 1978, all the way through to “Wasp Star” in 2000 (the companion piece – and guitar led counterpoint – to 1999’s utterly lush and orchestral “Apple Venus”), there’s barely a missed beat. The greatest of shames is though, that due to the overwhelming stage fright suffered by co-frontman Andy Partridge, they ceased to tour in 1982. A great loss on my part, as I never got to see the band live. They continued to record and (following a major dispute with their label Virgin which lasted 6 whole years) self-released “Apple Venus” & “Wasp Star” before eventually, sadly, the two mainstays, Partridge and Colin Moulding drifted apart.
Get onto Spotify and listen to albums like “Skylarking” & “Oranges & Lemons” or delve further to “Drums & Wires” or “Black Sea”. Still sounding great after 35 years.
Without trying to sound TOO self-deprecating, it never ceases to amaze me when people send me beer to try. It goes without saying, that it also gives me massive pleasure when this happens too! A wee while back, Connor Murphy – he of the justly lauded “Beer Battered” (and rather cheekily subtitled “The Manchester Beer Blog”! Fight! Fight! Fight!) – passed me a couple of bottles of beer that he had brewed himself. A few weeks later, I was the proud recipient of another bottle of self-brewed ale – this time from Dave Harrison-Ward of Macclesfield and the rather nice “home-brewing” blog “Brews Implosion“
Now then. This term “Home Brewing” and its derivative “HomeBrew” in no way does justice to the beers that people like these guys are making. Full malt mash, whole hops and a lot of inventive techniques and ingredients means that the beers made by the “Amateur Brewers” (my favoured term) of today, couldn’t be any further removed from the swill produced in the 80’s by the likes of my big brother, that led to lengthy seating on domestic thrones the length & breadth of the land!
In short – they’re making good stuff, which, if you’re not snoring already, you can read about ….now.
Guatemalan Insanity Stout – Macc Brew Co (Dave Harrison-Ward) – 5.8% abv – Coffee Stout (Recipe here)
I like Coffee Stouts being a fan of DarkStar’s excellent Espresso and having raved about Bad Seed’s amped up interpretation! But maybe next time, a little earlier than 9pm eh?
Black with a tan coloured head and good gentle carbonation giving up a very distinctive coffee aroma. This beer was really smooth and full-bodied thanks to the flaked oats in the malt bill. The initial chocolate malt sweetness leading quickly into a warming coffee bitterness which itself remains in the mouth for a while, coating the sides and eventually yields space to a quite hoppy coffee aftertaste which is more than pleasant.
A damn fine beer. Would willingly pay good hard cash for this. Just hope it doesn’t keep me awake! (It didn’t – I’ve recalled the hitman, Dave!)
Chocolate Orange Imperial Stout – Connor Murphy – 9.3% abv – (The name gives the style away, eh?)
With fresh orange peel and cacao nibs added in the secondary fermentation, AND my favourite hop in Amarillo, you know that this is going to be a “Ronseal Beer” right?
A deep black beer with a creamy tan head that is stubbornly clinging on! A full on chocolate & orange aroma! Really big body to this – as an Impy should be.
Holy shit! Can Orange be resinous? First flavour to assail is bittersweet orange with piney stuff following swiftly. Then we get to a bitter chocolate, then a roasted malt note, the chocolatey orangey sweetness carries throughout the beer and down the glass but isn’t cloying, just delicious, finishing with a surprisingly resinous orange herbal grassyness, like the best amarillo.
Nice warming feeling as it sinks too. As an Imperial should! I’ve had this a while. It would probably age well.
Superb. Would happily pay good hard cash for this too! I’m not going to score these against each other, they are both fine beers in their own rights. Different styles for different stages of an evening. But both tug at my strings, being dark!
Both beers get the best thing that I could say. I’d willingly pay cash over a bar for both! Both full of flavour, with good body and mouthfeel.
Now don’t get me wrong. I know very little about what makes a commercial pro brewer, but, to my uneducated taste buds, these beers are wasted just being drunk by their makers in their own front rooms! Good effort fellas!
On that note…’til next time…
Slainte!
(Music & Title inspiration courtesy of a rather excellent pint of Revolutions Brewing’s “Senses Working Overtime” at Joshua Brooks. Music & Beer eh?)
(PS : The only competitor to XTC for me, being another band of the same era, but cut from a different cloth, Magazine)
May 27 2016
Manchester – A City United By Beer
Last week, I witnessed the historic collaboration between Manchester’s oldest and one of its newest breweries. A day I enjoyed hugely, for all kinds of reasons. The day that the festival beer was brewed for Manchester Beer Week – the brainchild of that impudent young blogging pup, Connor Murphy, a young man for whom some form of beery canonisation beckons.
That day can be read about here.
On the day, an alarming thought struck me. “This beer is supposed to be ready for a launch on 26th. A mere 8 days away. It can’t work”
But here we are. On 26th May. A mere 8 days later, invite in hand…..
(pic : http://www.rain-bar.co.uk/)
….to drink THIS beer. For the first time.
Being furnished with a couple of tokens on entry, the Arch-Nemesis & I headed for the bar. For a pint – naturally – of Manchester Fold. And settled down to the onerous business of chatting with beery pals of all shades.
It’s hard work this convivial drinking and chatting bollocks you know! With me, the chatting bollocks comes as standard.
I was pleasantly surprised to be remembered by both Michael Lees-Jones and Paul Wood from Lees and had excellent chats with both. I think that there were a few nerves as to how the beer would turn out – especially given it was being drunk only 8 days after the grain hit the mash tun!
After a brief intro from William Lees-Jones, Michael Lees-Jones (Head Brewer) talked and seemed genuinely thrilled as to how the beer had come out. It was obvious that he truly enjoyed the brew day and having a few of us around – showing us the old place. Lees don’t do brewery tours for the public, so that was a big thing for me too.
Then, a hoarse Paul Jones from Cloudwater (sounding like Vincent Price at his sinister best!) talked about their involvement in this historic beer and gave due and hearty praise to Connor for his efforts in not only putting together this collaboration, but for the whole Manchester Beer Week shebang. A truly impressive effort.
Given the reason why we were there, Connor made some very salient points about the divide that seems to exist between traditional beer and the more craft side, A divide that (and I agree here) seems daft. For all that more modern breweries may be influenced by the US scene, people easily forget how some of the pathfinders of the US brewing scene were influenced by traditional UK breweries.
(fellow blogger Mark chatting with Michael Lees-Jones)
The beer itself? Manchester Fold. A tawny coloured ale. It’s fair to say it’s as fragrantly hoppy as Lees have gotten. That’s the Cloudwater influence at work I think. It’s actually a bloody good beer. Full bodied for 4.8%, it’s really well-balanced and brimming with the fruity hoppy character of the Olicana hop. It really comes across as a Lees beer with a distinct Cloudwater stamp on it. And it works. So well.
It was certainly going down well last night!
Given that the consensus that it may have been “a bit green” after only a few days from the brew, this could be superb on the official launch day*. That said, there were 4 x 18 gallon casks sent to Rain Bar. This beer may have been good last night, but it will get even better over the weekend (if they keep it on that is!)
Really enjoyed talking with Michael & Paul Wood from Lees. Men with a true passion for what they do. Managed to a bit of plot hatching with the blogging Yoda that is Tandleman too (something you can savour at ISBF!) And it’s always a pleasure to speak with Connor, his talented Dad Eamonn (Just check those designs and that website – stunning), not to mention that Prince of men John Clarke and young Mr Johnson too!
*That launch party. Now in The Marble Arch on 10th June promises to be an absolute corker!
Historic Manchester beer. Groundbreaking Manchester event. In THE iconic Manchester pub.
A proud night for all beer loving Mancunians. Again, the boy Murphy done good.
I think Manchester is ready. Roll on Manchester Beer Week.
By • Uncategorized • 7 • Tags: Cloudwater Brew Co, Connor Murphy, JW Lees Brewery, Manchester Beer Week, Manchester Fold