Come On You Hatters!
I hope you have a good many cans - everything counts in large amounts!
Sheffield market has now reopened, so I called in today for some essential supplies from Beer Central, a shop that is so small that only one person is allowed in at any one time. It's a little expensive, but fortunately their beers from local breweries like Peak Ales and Ashover are around the £2.95 mark, so I usually balance one or two of those with something excessive like Mad Dog 48th Chapter Imperial Porter 10% 33cl £4.95. Four bottles and two cans set me back £23.10. I've managed to squeeze them onto my beer storage shelves in my cupboard-under-the-stairs.
Speaking of which, having ordered a delivery yesterday from both Williams Bros of Alloa and Allendale Brewery (of Allendale), I may have to install another shelf soon.
If you've been following my "blind tastings" you may recall that two Allendale IPAs won my first(#257) and second(#356) tastings, so I've ordered some of those and a few others to keep them company - free delivery! Williams Bros charge £8 for delivery, but the beers are pretty cheap and in my opinion very good.
Last edited by sheffield hatter; 23-06-2020 at 16:28.
Come On You Hatters!
I'm finally making a start on my stash from Beautiful Beers, which arrived on 8 June. I've had four of them cooling their heels in the fridge for a week or more, and will go for at least three of them this evening in ascending order of abv percent. (The fourth is a 10% Grimbergen, which I may also do tonight - I'll see whether I want any more after the 7%, 7.5% and 9% have done what they do - or maybe keep it back for another time.)
My order was seven beers, two of each for a total of £47.70. (IIRC delivery is free if the order is over £45.) Prices ranged from a Fruh Kolsch 4.8% 50cl for £2.95 to Grimbergen Brune Optimo 10% 33cl £4.45.
First up tonight is La Trappe Bockbier 7.0% 33cl. Described on the label as a "unique seasonal product - the world's only trappist bock ale", it pours with a big creamy head, which has lasted very well. There's a big aroma escaping from the glass as I pour, mostly malt and yeast, I reckon. The flavour is complex, with treacle, tobacco and rusty nails competing for attention. There's a moderate carbonation which doesn't impede the flavour at all and the mouth feel is silky. I've been very restrained, because of the alcohol content (as I type, it's 40 minutes since I poured!), but this beer is actually very easy drinking, with a nice bitter finish. I'm looking forward to drinking the second bottle of this one, and if I order again from BB I'll definitely get some of this, if it's still available.
Come On You Hatters!
An after work chill out beer, North Brewing Co Lost Cosmonauts, a cracking beer from a cracking brewer.
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"Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer."
-W.C.Fields
I'm now onto my second Belgian beer from my Beautiful Beers stash: Averbode Abbey Triple 7.5%. This one is completely different from the La Trappe Bockbier. I poured it into my Orval glass, but it's a bit yellower than Orval. And very bubbly. Any head very quickly dispersed, and for about 10 minutes loads of very big bubbles kept on coming to the surface. The aroma reminded me of salami - I've been vegetarian for nearly 40 years, but I remember that smell: garlicky, meaty, herby, fatty. After all that, the flavour was a bit indistinct - probably due to the bubbles. It's quite fizzy on the tongue, though the bubbles have now (about 20 minutes after pouring) diminished to moderate. As the temperature rises and the bubbles become smaller, there's a grassy, garlicky flavour coming through, reminiscent of the "salami" but not so strong. There's a bit of a dry aftertaste, but nothing to get me excited about drinking the second bottle of this one.
Come On You Hatters!