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17-02-2011, 08:13
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http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9wvYoIlKHDs/TVzR6CYAXrI/AAAAAAAABfY/703UIXcLJew/s320/the+harp.jpg (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9wvYoIlKHDs/TVzR6CYAXrI/AAAAAAAABfY/703UIXcLJew/s1600/the+harp.jpg)

The Harp (http://www.harpcoventgarden.com/) is CAMRA Pub of the Year (http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=333589)


Hooray! It’s a great little boozer with a great selection of beer. I was planning on going there this weekend but I might skip it now as I’ve got a feeling it’ll be a bit busier. Congratulations to a deserving winner.




CAMRA reinforce all stereotypes


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_beUPREX9cw/TVzR7AXiWAI/AAAAAAAABfc/SPaeN0W_Ymc/s320/the+harp+camra.jpg (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_beUPREX9cw/TVzR7AXiWAI/AAAAAAAABfc/SPaeN0W_Ymc/s1600/the+harp+camra.jpg)


This one image tells the world media that only old men drink real ale. It should have been a celebration of the best of British pubs, a chance to show that pubs are great, particularly ones like The Harp which serves great beer. Instead we get this image. And these ones (http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=295817) (I also got the one above of The Harp, which is much lovelier - they are all taken from the CAMRA website, but they are also on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=283006&id=256056404862)). All the hard marketing and PR work to try and appeal to younger people or a broader audience has been wasted. Couldn't they have found a token 20-something from somewhere?!




Fyne Ales (http://www.fyneales.com/) Jarl is delicious!


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QN7dJPKbLFg/TVzT6bfPA9I/AAAAAAAABfg/pUgeu2GtK5o/s320/fyne+jarl.jpg (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QN7dJPKbLFg/TVzT6bfPA9I/AAAAAAAABfg/pUgeu2GtK5o/s1600/fyne+jarl.jpg)


I loved it at GBBF last year and it’s taken me until last week for me to find it again, getting a really good pint in the excellent Southampton Arms (http://www.thesouthamptonarms.co.uk/) (where BrewDog 5am Saint was also excellent from the cask). Then I had it in the bottle and it was even better. Imagine all the fruits in the world condensed into one great beer, fresh and tasty and at 3.8% you can have a few of them. Fantastic. The Fyne website is selling them (http://fyneales.com/acatalog/Beer.html). I like Fyne a lot, they make some great beers.




Thornbridge release Italia (http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=123480677721928)


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lHWcNiOG6xc/TVzT62ycp_I/AAAAAAAABfk/g_1ohxLz6ew/s320/thornbridge+italia.jpg (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lHWcNiOG6xc/TVzT62ycp_I/AAAAAAAABfk/g_1ohxLz6ew/s1600/thornbridge+italia.jpg)


A lager brewed with Birrificio Italiano (http://www.birrificio.it/). It’s 4.7%, pale, clean and crisp, a soft body, a lasting noble bitterness hangs around while some playful herbs and fruits (mint, lemon, red berries) come out. I’ve been waiting for this one for a while and I like it a lot – I really hope they brew some more lagers.




Thornbridge also bottle Wild Swan (http://www.thornbridgebrewery.co.uk/thornbridge-beers.php#swancask)


Not many beers under 4% work well in bottles. Fyne Jarl is one which does. Another which I had this week is Thornbridge’s Wild Swan. I didn’t know what to expect but it’s really good – pale gold, lots of elderflower, lemon and gooseberry. It’s like a ray of summer sunshine on a cold February evening. MyBrewerytap (http://www.mybrewerytap.com/buy-real-ale/beer-by-brewery/thornbridge-brewery.html) are selling the Thornbridge bottles - sell also the pick n mix (http://mybrewerytapblog.blogspot.com/p/beer-geek-pick-mix.html).




BrewDog launch IPA is Dead (http://www.brewdog.com/blog-article/ipa-is-dead0)


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H6j8NfEQX18/TVzR3Qg56II/AAAAAAAABfQ/svf1Vch7AnE/s320/IPA+is+Dead.jpeg (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H6j8NfEQX18/TVzR3Qg56II/AAAAAAAABfQ/svf1Vch7AnE/s1600/IPA+is+Dead.jpeg)


Bramling X. Citra. Nelson Sauvin. Sorachi Ace. All 7.5%, all 75 IBUs. It’s a fascinating look at hops, particularly trying to get the IBUs all the same and then following it up with lots of late hopping. Bramling X is peppery and punchy. Citra is fruitilicious. Nelson Sauvin is a kick to the uvula. Sorachi Ace is divisive, lemony and floral, subtle and different. As an experiment of hop profiles, it's really interesting to try them, particularly for a hop geek like me. But I do feel like a cliché when I say that the Citra is the best (Citra is too cool).




BrewDog release Punk IPA in cans (http://www.brewdog.com/blog-article/can-it-up-punk)


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qoMfnchVWiQ/TVzR46mB_6I/AAAAAAAABfU/JjL-NakJWcI/s320/punk+cans.jpg (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qoMfnchVWiQ/TVzR46mB_6I/AAAAAAAABfU/JjL-NakJWcI/s1600/punk+cans.jpg)


I’ve got some (not quite as many as pictured above). I can’t wait to drink them.




The Red Cross loves Dogfish Head!


A rogue drunken tweet (http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/red-cross-beer-twitter-feb-16-2011) was accidentally sent by the tweeter of the Red Cross, talking about drinking Dogfish Head and #gettngslizzerd (http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23gettngslizzerd). She sent it from the work account instead of her personal account. Whoops. Dogfish Head have turned it into a PR goldmine, encouraging their fans to donate to Red Cross. The Red Cross also dealt with it (http://redcrosschat.org/2011/02/16/twitter-faux-pas/) pretty well. It’s a good, fun story for beer!
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