Graeme's adventures with beer

I got my hands on some ingredients at the weekend from the very lovely Rebecca of Hensting Brewery. I'm running a bit low on Homebrew stocks so I thought I'd whip up an attempt at a Black IPA. However, I've never created a beer from scratch before. Step in The Beer Recipator. But, I'd appreciate a more experienced eye on this before I commit to an evening of sterilising, cleaning, boiling, cleaning, sterilising!

Brewer:	Graeme Hilton		Email:	-
Beer:	Batch 5		Style:	Cascadian India Black Ale
Type:	Extract w/grain		Size:	19 liters
Color:	67 HCU (~27 SRM)		Bitterness:	97 IBU
OG:	1.052		FG:	1.012
Alcohol:	5.2% v/v (4.1% w/w)
Grain:	0.3kg British crystal 50-60L .25kg British chocolate
Boil:	60 minutes	SG 1.083	12 liters
	3kg Light malt extract
Hops:	40g Cascade (6% AA, 60 min.) 25g Kent Goldings (4% AA, 60 min.) 25g Challenger (7.6% AA, 60 min.) 40g Cascade (6% AA, 45 min.) 40g Cascade (6% AA, 30 min.) 40g Cascade (6% AA, 15 min.) 35g Challenger (7.6% AA, 15 min.) 40g Cascade (aroma) 25g Kent Goldings (aroma) 40g Challenger (aroma)

If this just looks mad, tell me. If it looks OK, tell me!

After seeing a slew of adverts on TV for weight reduction and reading a few too many articles telling us that we're all drinking too much, eating too much, eating the wrong things, exercising too little, etc, I decided to keep a diary of my drinking for a month.  I consider myself a moderate drinker, never drunk, sometimes tipsy.  I'll add to this post each day with the latest consumption.

Some background information on units.  The unit is the Government's chosen measure of alcohol.  It is the equivalent of 10ml of pure alcohol.  Half a litre of 4% beer contains 20ml of pure alcohol which is 2 units (0.5 x 0.04 x 10/1000  = 2).  A pint is 568ml, so a 4% beer gives us 2.272 units.  When listing pints served in a pub I'll have to assume they are 100% beer, and ignore the fact that most bars give measures somewhere between 95-100% due to the foamy head in the glass.  That's a debate for another day.
The Government's guidelines state that men should not consume more than 3-4 units per day, women 2-3 units. A binge is defined as drinking twice this amount in a single day.

Week One

Saturday January 1^st

(discounting the after midnight drinking from Hogmanay!)

Tesco - Finest Double American IPA - 330ml - 9.2% - 3.0
Holts - Humdinger - 500ml - 4.1% - 2.0

Day total - 5.0

Sunday 2^nd

Brewdog - 5am Saint - 330ml - 5.0% - 1.65
Holts - 1849 - 500ml - 4.5% - 2.25
Glenfiddich - 12yr old - 50ml - 40% - 2 (a miniature, before you say I've poured a large one ;) 

Day total - 5.9

Monday 3^rd

Holts - Maplemoon - 500ml - 4.8% - 2.4
Twinings - Peppermint Tea - cup - 0.0% - 0.0

Tuesday 4^th

Nowt!

Wednesday 5^th

Homebrew - Batch 4 - 500ml - 4-5% - 2.25(ish)

Thursday 6^th

A dry day.

Friday 7^th

Tesco - Finest Double American IPA - 330ml - 9.2% - 3.0
Brewdog - 5am Saint - 330ml - 5.0% - 1.65

Day total - 4.65

Week One total - 20.2

I'd say this was an average week for me. Let's see if the remainder of the month pans out the same way!  But I've got a long way to go to catch up with Rabid Bar Fly.

Week Two

Saturday 8^th

Hensting - Winchester Ramble - best part of three pints - 4.4% - 7.5

Sunday 9^th

Hensting - Winchester Ramble - about 2 pints - 4.4% - 5

Monday 10^th

Two mugs of hot blackcurrant and a camomile tea. Very metrosexual...

Tuesday 11^th

Youngs - Winter Warmer - 1pint - 5% - 2.84
Hop Back - Entire Stout - 1 pint - 4.5% - 2.56
Downton - Dark Knight - 1 pint - 4.1% - 2.33
Downton - Port Stout - 1 pint - 5.2% - 2.95

Day total - 10.68

Wednesday 12^th

Homebrew - Batch 4 - 500ml - 4-5% - 2.25(ish)

Thursday 13^th

Homebrew - Batch 4 - 500ml - 4-5% - 2.25(ish)

Friday 14^th

Homebrew - Batch 4 - 500ml - 4-5% - 2.25(ish)

Week Two total - 29.93

A bit more than last week.  I blame the quite excellent, but strong beers on Tuesday night.  If we take out Tuesday then I'm on the same level as last week.  Does this mean I have a 'normal' intake of beer, which is supplemented by social occasions?  I know this isn't a proper study as the subject (me) is aware of the study results as they go on.  This will sub-conciously influence my decision making when I go to the beer cupboard.  Still it's an interesting insight!

Week Three

Saturday 15^th

Chimay - Red - 330ml - 7% - 2.31
Brewdog - 5am Saint - 330ml - 5.0% - 1.65

Day total - 3.96

Sunday 16^th

Homebrew - Batch 4 - 500ml - 4-5% - 2.25(ish)
Homebrew - Batch 4 - 500ml - 4-5% - 2.25(ish)

Day total - 4.5

Monday 17^th

Nothing

Tuesday 18^th

Marstons - EPA - 568ml - 3.6% - 2.04
Ringwood - XXXX Porter - 568ml - 4.7% - 2.67
Ringwood - XXXX Porter - 568ml - 4.7% - 2.67
Marstons - EPA - 568ml - 3.6% - 2.04

Day total - 9.42

Wednesday 19^th

Nothing

Thursday 20^th

Brewdog - Hardcore - 330ml - 9.2% - 3.0

Friday 21^st

St Peter's - Winter Ale - 500ml - 6.5% - 3.25
Glenlivet - 18 - 35ml - 40% - 1.4

Day total - 4.65

Week Three Total - 25.53

Less than week two, but more than week one.  Guess that's the social events shining through again although the beer at this weeks outing was generally weaker.

Week Four

Saturday 22^nd

St Peter's - Cream Stout - 500ml - 6.5% - 3.25
Belhaven - Best - 1136ml - 3.2 - 3.64
Aberlour - 10 - 50ml - 1.4

Day Total - 8.29

Sunday 23^rd

J W Lees - John Willie's - 500ml - 4.5% - 2.25

Monday 24^th

None

Tuesday 25^th

Slaghmuylder - Witkap-Pater Stimulo - 330ml - 6.0% - 1.98
Palm - Palm - 330ml - 5.4% - 1.78

Day Total - 3.76

Wednesday 26^th

Homebrew - Batch 4 - 500ml - 4-5% - 2.25(ish)

Thursday 27th

Flowerpots - Stottidge Stout - 2.5 pints - 4.5% - 6.39
Flowerpots - Bitter - 1 pint - 3.8% - 2.16
Bowman - Swift One - 1 pint - 3.8% - 2.16 

Day Total - 10.71

Friday 28^th

Salisbury Beer Festival

All half pints.

Barum - Breakfast - 5.0% - 1.42
Brewdog - 5am Saint - 5.0% - 1.42
Downton - Port Stout - 5.2% - 1.48
Elgood's - Black Dog - 3.6% - 1.02
Keystone - Doorman - 4.3% - 1.22
Otley - O8 - 8.0% - 2.27
Quantock - Stout - 4.5% - 1.28
Sixpenny - Marley's Ghost - 6.8% - 1.93 

Day Total - 12.04

Week Four Total - 37.04

Admittedly a higher total than any other week, but take out the beer festival and it's not so bad.  Also, on Thursday I surpassed the 100 unit mark.  Glyn (aka @Rabidbarfly) made it to 100 units in a single week.  I guess I'm further up your list if you need a liver transplant.  Just three days left in the month and I'll add some statistical analysis of what's gone down my throat.

Tail end of the month

Saturday 29^th

Flowerpots - Stottidge Stout - 1/2 pint - 4.5% - 1.28
Black Sheep - Bitter - 1/2 pint -  4.4% - 1.25
Adnams - Explorer - 1/2 pint - 4.3% - 1.22

Day Total - 3.75

Sunday 30^th

Homebrew - Batch 4 - 500ml - 4-5% - 2.25(ish)
Tesco - Finest Double American IPA - a mouthful - 9.2% - 0.5*
*The remainder of the bottle went in dinner - lovely onion gravy

Day Total - 2.75

Monday 31^st

None

Monthly total - 119.20

Full analysis to follow in a new post hopefully.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit some of London's best hostelries.

I had completely forgotten that the Lord Mayor's Parade was also on, so the walk fro Waterloo station towards London Bridge was quite entertaining.  The riverside walk was only spoiled by some construction works which mean that you can't walk down the riverside between Hungerford Bridge and Tate Modern.  Finally got to Borough Market and was blown away by the sheer number of people.  Last time I visited it was a bank holiday and the place was dead.  Yesterday it was almost impossible to move through the market.  Round the back of the market, toward the river, is The Rake.  Thankfully it wasn't as rammed as the rest of the market which meant I could get a seat.

First beer was a Brewdog 5am Saint (kegged).  I was a bit sceptical when it was being poured.  At least half a pint ended up in the drip tray as foam.  However, it tasted good, but I'm not entirely sold on the gassiness.  That might be because I'm used to drinking it from bottles and have had it on cask a few times.  After that it was a taste of Lovibonds Henley Dark.  An interesting beer that I'll have to return to.  I think the 5am Saint had 'adjusted' my tongue so I'm not sure I was tasting it quite as it's supposed to be.  A final snifter was in the shape of O'Hanlons Port Stout.  That was a smooth, dark stout with a nice level of roastiness.  Just right to set me on my way to the next pub.

A long walk beckoned (I don't like the tube unless it's absolutely necessary) to get to Westminster where I planned to sample a few Badger beers on cask.  I've only had this brewers beers in bottles, so I was keen to try them on cask.  St Stephens Tavern, overlooking Westminster and Big Ben's clock tower is a Badger owned pub, so seems the perfect place to try them.  Unfortunately the Pickled Partridge was a bit below par, and while I was standing at the bar I only saw one other pint of cask ale being poured.  Everyone else was on lager, coffee or wine.

From there it was along Whitehall towards Covent Garden and The Harp.  A narrow bar with a huge selection of cask ales, draught ciders and sausages.  This was where I met the beer of the day; Dark Star's Green Hopped IPA.  Fresh hops really make the difference in this beer.  Huge flavours, high alcohol but somehow working together.  That was swiftly followed by a Hophead which, unfortunately, just wasn't up to the mark.  I think my tastebuds has suffered too much of an assault, so I won't blame the beer too much!

Another long walk as the tube was absolutely full.  All the way up to Euston station to meet and see off my sister-in-law, then a stop off at the Euston Tap with my wife.  Thornbridge Jaipur and Marble Manchester Bitter in excellent form.  I was surprised by how small the bar is.  Having read about the bar I had the impression that there would be a problem with the one loo being overused, but now I don't think they'll be able to get enough people inside to worry about that!

All in all a very nice ramble around the city.  I did take some pictures but they're all pretty rubbish as my cameraphone isn't up to the job in dimly lit pubs.

Which of these pubs have you been to?  What did you think of them?  Let me know in the comments.

Pete Brown has kicked up a discussion about beer dispense.  It all started with the opening of the Euston Tap and their use of air-assisted dispense of cask beers.  Cask beers are normally served via a tap in the cask (gravity dispense) or via handpump which sucks the beer out of the cask.  As there are no traditional handpumps it's not immediately apparent that the beer is cask conditioned or kegged.  This raised the question of "is it Real"?

CAMRA is of the opinion that if a beer is served with the assistance of "extraneous gas"¹ then it is not "real" ale.  This dates back to the foundation of CAMRA as a backlash against the overwhelming rise of kegged beer, served with carbon-dioxide (CO₂ or E290). I'm not old enough to have been part of that, but there has been a similar rise in recent years of beers served with nitrogen (N₂ or E941) generally referred to as smoothflow or creamflow.

Serving beers with gas does at least two things to the beer.

1. It prevents oxygen getting into the keg and spoiling the beer.
2. It provides a specific mouthfeel;  CO₂ generally gives a bubblier feel, N₂ a smoother, thicker feel.

Now, these things listed as they are appear to be advantages.  And in the case of a well made beer with plenty of flavour it is.  However, it can also be used to mask poor beer by making it last much longer in the keg and making it feel (in the mouth) just like a fresh beer.  Keg dispense almost always includes a chiller element making the beer cold as it is dispensed. And, indeed cold, fizzy, liquid is what we're trained to consider refreshing from a very young age by Coca-Cola and Pepsi et al.  Unfortunately traditionally brewed British beer doesn't stand up to this treatment very well.  When kegged ale was first being promoted the large brewers seemed to take advantage of the dispense method by making the beers cheaper to produce and less tasty, but most people didn't notice, so they kept doing it, more, and more.

The keg method of dispense was making British beers taste very similar to each other, and to some people that was a very bad thing.  Regional variations in beer style were disappearing as kegged beer was shipped nationwide and served in "perfect" condition.  CAMRA was set up in 1971 to combat this rise of the keg and preserve traditional beers by promoting the traditional method of dispense.

Some people would say that that we have to move with the times, and indeed some brewers are (Lovibonds, Brewdog and Thornbridge) embracing kegged beer with spectacular results.  On the other hand there are the CAMRA old guard who remember the same technology ruining British beer forty years ago.

Innovation is good, but it has to be an improvement.

¹Note: I should point out that the Euston Tap uses air, not CO2, to assist the dispense of their cask ales.  I don't think the air comes into contact with the beer, therefore it's not classified as "extraneous gas".

Thanks to @eustontap and @mybrewerytap for keeping me right.  More complex than I thought!

Not a lot to report from tonight's CAMRA meeting. The main point if discussion was over the impending VAT registration of the branch. We're taking too much money from our beer festivals!

Speaking of festivals, Winchester Beer Festival is shaping up to be a good one http://www.winchesterbeerfestival.org.uk/ .

The pub where we had the meeting was on the iffy side of Ok. Several pints were exchanged as the beer was obviously off, but they continued selling it... bit daft with a room full of CAMRA members!

Roll on Thursday and the Regional Pub of the Year presentation at The Guide Dog.

Tonight is all about drinking safely.  Here's my top tips.
1. Don't fill the glass too full. An unexpected firework may end up with you more beery than you want.
2. Drink big, full flavoured beers. These will set off fireworks in your mouth, distracting you from the surrounding explosions.
3. Drink enough to deaden your senses, then you won't care about the noise.

My tipples of choice this evening have been Fullers Bengal Lancer, Brewdog 5am Saint and Hogs Back TEA.  My Brewdog AB:04 is waiting for me at the post office...

I learned a valuable lesson last night.

If you see a beer you want to try, don't wait till the next round - get it now!

I was at my nearly local pub last night and spotted Hammerpot Bottle Wreck Porter on tap.  As someone else offered to buy the first round I opted for the same as everyone else, Hopback Crop Circle.  About 15 minutes later (what can I say, I was thirsty!) I went back to the bar to discover that the porter was finished!

The replacement Hammerpot Shepherds Warmer was an interesting take on a spicy amber ale, but in the face of my disappointment, an unwelcome surprise.