Variety is the spice of life

I went to the Belmont Cinema last night with the better half to see Pearl Jam Twenty. And a damn fine film it was too. En route we had some time to kill so popped in past the Aberdeen BrewDog pub for a quick drink (or two).

I do love BrewDog. I was somewhat obsessed with them a couple of years back. They helped get me into beer and appreciate small companies striving to do something different. Everyone loves an underdog after all (no pun intended). Increasingly when in their pub however, I find myself drawn towards their guest offerings on draught.

I used to love the old recipe Punk IPA (I was devastated when they changed it), that was the foundation of my BrewDog journey. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some of their other beers in equal measure too; namely their one off brews, 77 lager, Alice Porter and Zeitgeist. New Punk IPA I just cannot get into, each to their own though.

None of these beers were on draught last night so I plumped for a couple of guest treats. I love sipping on a new beer, trying something new and different. One observation I do have is the spiralling cost of these guest beers in recent months however. I understand they must cost a pretty penny to import but last time I was in there I can't remember a half of Stone IPA costing £3.50! Crikey. Similarly, they have a cracking selection of guest bottled beers, which unfortunately suffer the same fate. I do enjoy heading in with some friends to share a few exotic bottles occasionally (read: pay day), but for the vast majority of the punters these treats will be quite simply out of reach.

The BrewDog beers themselves on draught are very reasonably priced though, so all is not lost for the students and skinflints (myself midway through the month).

Where am I going with this? To the cinema! No, variety. That's what I'm meant to be talking about. Not just variety of drinks on offer, variety of pubs.

My other regular haunt in Aberdeen is the Snug Bar in Ma Camerons on Little Belmont Street. A proper old mans pub, awesome. This is where I go to watch the football, to speak to old mannies about football, to retire to after watching Aberdeen lose at football. I don't go here to drink over priced guest beers or indeed for top quality beers (I'll happily admit I don't mind a pint of Belhaven IPA at all though). I go here for the atmosphere and conversation/banter with friends, regulars and staff, and partly through habit. I love the place.

Do I find BrewDog bar has this same atmosphere? No, it can be full of complete tools, the staff are always top notch though and really make the place. Do they serve great beer, a resounding yes! I guess that is the beauty of drinking in different establishments. I love that BrewDog have no TV's (that way I can't see news filtering through regarding Aberdeen's latest defeat at the hands of some no-mark second division team). I also love that I can sit there, play Jenga for hours and sample a range of beers on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

I don't really know where I was going with this post, but felt the need to write it down. I'm looking forward to visiting the Snug bar on Saturday afternoon. I may even pop in past BrewDog on the way home.... well it IS on the way.

#BrewBake

Friday night. Pissing down with rain (I love summer, or is it autumn now?). What's this in my beer cupboard? A bottle of BrewDog Riptide that is approaching its best before date. And it just so happens BrewDog are having a little cooking contest! Good job I'm a budding Masterchef (chortle).

From Twitter: It's The Great BrewDog Cook Off. Yes, you cook something using a BrewDog beer & the top 5 will win a batch of the beer they used! #BrewBake

Looking round the kitchen.... what do I have: some flour, sugar, fruit and spices. I have little option. It's going to be some cakes for this cooking extravaganza, muffins I think. A little internet research later and I've cobbled together a recipe (of sorts) for BrewDog Riptide fruit muffins with flaked almonds:

Ingredients:

1 banana
Dried strawberries
Dried blueberries
Dried cranberries
250g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
100g caster sugar
2 eggs
80g of butter
Flaked almonds
Icing sugar to dust
1 bottle BrewDog Riptide

Method:

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PLENTY OF BEER TO DRINK TO KEEP YOU ENTERTAINED WHEN COOKING! FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS 'EXPERIMENT' I USED BrewDog 77 Lager.

Pre-heat oven to around 190C.

Melt butter in a pan and allow to cooooooool.

Put all the dried fruit in a bowl, and mash the living daylights out of the banana.

In yet another bowl sift in the flour, sugar, spices and other fun dried ingredients and give them a massive stir.

NOTE: I just found a bottle of hardcore IPA in the fridge.... these muffins could turn out horrific... onwards!

Where is the melted butter? Ah, in the sink. Add the eggs and Riptide and mix it all together then fire all the fruit in there, and have a little taste....

Gradually add the beer/fruit/butter/egg mix into the dry ingredients, and stir until mixed thoroughly.

I only have 1 muffin tray so had to make in 2 batches. Lightly butter the tray and fill up each compartment until almost full.

Bake for 20 odd mins. I tested them with a knife, if it comes out clean you are good to go.

Get them cooled. Sprinkle with flaked almonds and icing sugar and get stuck in.

This recipe made 12 of these. I don't really eat cakes.

Anyone for a muffin and a beer? I think I'll try them again with Alice Porter!

I'm a bit pissed.

JOCKTOBERFEST!

BEER, BRATWURST & BANDS!

What more could you possibly require I ask myself? It would seem nothing. What am I babbling on about?

The Black Isle Brewery of course! I love the Black Isle Brewery. And all their beers (especially the organic blonde. I do love a good busty blonde... erm, I digress). So when I ventured up a few weeks back to visit the brewery and stock up on supplies I heard about this mystical jocktoberfest and was immediately hooked!

From the website:

***
Jocktoberfest will undoubtedly be the 'Greatest Scottish Beer Festival in the World'.

The princely sum of 'not a penny' will gain you entry and camping to live bands, organic food and unique beers from some of Scotland's finest breweries.

We are the Black Isle Brewing Co. and this is Jocktoberfest! Jocktoberfest at the Black Isle Brewing Co. on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th September 2011.
***

Sounds pretty great eh? And with special German brews from Tryst Brewery, Highland Brewing Co, Tempest Brewing Co, Fyne Ales and the Black Isle themselves it's certain to be a winner.

I'm banking on it pouring down with rain all weekend mind you, so I'll be bringing my wellies. See my T in the Park school boy error previously for details.

The brewery itself is located just over the Kessock Bridge in Inverness and with a recently opened shop, is a wonderful wee place to visit. Not only do they provide free tours and tastings they also have a range of beers / chutneys / glassware and merchandise for sale and a very friendly dog guarding the premises when a tour is in progress.

One thing that immediately struck me is how clean and pristine the whole place is. Especially in comparison with some other breweries I've visited recently! (who shall remain nameless).

Needless to say, I bought pretty much everything on offer and Jocktoberfest will be a good excuse to stock up again. I've already convinced several others to join me for the weekend and can't wait to be heading along the A9 (in the rain) to get the tent set up.

Oh, and don't forget to register to attend.

SAVE THE PLANET DRINK GERMANIC!

A step too far!

Ok, hands up, everyone has done it. What am I talking about? Getting WAY too drunk of course. I didn't mean to. How did it happen?

These past few weeks I'd been taking some well deserved time off the beer (I know, scandalous). I'd started a 3 week detox using Dr Joshi's highly recommended book. All good so far.

This plan bans all dairy / alcohol / red meat / wheat / gluten / fruit (except bananas) and a whole lot more. Did I find it difficult? No, not really. I enjoy cooking and eat pretty well as it is so loved whipping up some tasty new meals each night. What I did not enjoy was the weight loss and side effects I found myself experiencing.

I'm not exactly the biggest guy around, so to lose 3/4 of a stone in little over a week was a bit worrying. I also started to look pale, yellow, had no energy (played havoc with my already limited football prowess) and developed uncontrollable shakes in my arms and legs. My reaction. FUCK THIS! Two weeks is more than enough. I got right back on my usual, more balanced diet and have since felt my old self (whether a good thing or not remains to be seen).

Have I taken anything out of this exercise? Most certainly! I will be cooking far more balanced meals from scratch and keeping up the breakfast routine of water with a slice of lemon, a matcha tea shot (no this is not green cocaine despite how it may look) and a healthy balanced breakfast.

Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, getting too drunk. End of detox = celebration. Let's go for a Friday evening beer, shall we... shall we? Yes, why not. Why not indeed! Having forgone having an evening meal as I was only venturing out for 'the one' I sat myself down and proceeded to have a few sociable drinks and a few rounds of pub Jenga.

Several hours later I find myself a little confused in the little boys room wondering why my legs won't work after a lovely 'single fish'. Strange? I struggle my way back to my perch swaying around into people and decide immediately I must leave (wise move on my part). My head was fine, my body had given up the ghost. Does it end here? Of course not.

I use the beer compass to navigate my way home, then decide the ideal place to spend the evening would be snuggled up next to my friend the bathroom mat. In all fairness, she was very welcoming. Damn girlfiends and their iphones.

The moral of the story? Don't stop drinking. Your body will make you pay for it. Oh, and make sure you don't skip any meals. And no snacking in between.

I think I need a detox.

Dessert and Beer!

Following on from my virgin blog post here I decided to try and match beer with desserts. I am a big fan of dessert wines especially those from the Hunter Valley region in NSW. Sadly I don't get to visit often and can't take many bottles home to the uk so thought I'd turn my hand to dessert beer as an alternative!

As it happens, an ideal opportunity arose, a meal with my parents. They would provide the starter and main courses (with accompanying wines, naturally), and I'd bring dessert(s) and appropriate beer(s) (with some help from the girlfriend).

After tasting the Young's double chocolate stout previously I imagined it would work wonderfully with brownies and ice cream. Disaster struck when I ventured out to buy a couple of bottles however. 'No longer stocked by Morrisons' was the response, boo and indeed hoo! I quicky got in touch with an employee at Young's who informed me it will be picked up by Tesco in August. She did however propose an alternative (Erdinger Dunkel), of which I duly snagged a couple of bottles (thanks Becca), along with a Cain's raisin beer for good measure!

I also picked up some Young's banana bread beer, to go with some banana bread (I know, ground breaking stuff). I didn't say this would ever be refined and classy. I then had the misfortune of having to slave over a hot stove for hours on end.

[Of course I didn't, I left that to the good lady friend while I attempted to play football. A womans place is in the kitchen after all. I made sure she did the laundry and dishes too].

So how did these combinations fare?

Starter
Prawn cocktail with Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc

An old classic, especially with fresh prawns from the local fish market. Alongside a fruity well balanced sauv b with lots of tropical notes, a surefire hit.

Main
Special cut Pavé Rump Steak with handmade wedges, onions and mushrooms. Served with a big meaty (no pun intended) Rioja from Spain.

First time I'd had Pavé steak and it was a sensation. Tender like a fillet but with all the flavour of rump. A good red always compliments a nice bit of steak too (that's as far as I'll go as I am not a massive red fan and have limited knowledge on the subject).

Dessert 1
Banana Bread + Young's Banana bread beer.

This was a winner from the off. Soft, sweet banana bread with a little butter washed down with banana bread beer? What's not to like? (unless you despise bananas). I have to say the Young's beer packed a good fruity hit but wasn't sugary sweet and cloying like Mongozo beer for example. You could still easily distinguish the malty aftertaste and it had just the right amount of sweetness.

7/10

Intermission
Cain's Raisin Beer.

I thought we'd better drink something a little darker before dessert number 2! This beer confused me a little however. The raisin / prune / fruit cake aromas and taste are all present but they seem almost like an afterthought to mask an otherwise dull beer. Pleasant enough, but nothing to write home about. I'll leave it at that.

5/10

Dessert 2
Triple chocolate brownies with local ice cream + Erdinger Dunkel.

Onto dessert number 2. As much as I enjoyed the Erdinger, it wasn't a patch on the double chocolate stout for the purposes of this tasting (as I had feared). Don't get me wrong it's a perfectly palatable beer, but one which is far more malty and biscuity as opposed to the luxurious smooth chocolate which I had hoped for. Curses.

As for the brownies? They were magnificent. Crispy on the outside, soft and gooey in the middle. If I'd had the double chocolate stout I'd have mixed some with the ice cream as it melted for maximum impact. Definately one to revist when I can get my hands on some more. I'm hungry now.

Beer: 6/10
Brownies: 9/10

All in all a fun experiment and one I'd like to improve on at a later date!

Some other beer / pudding combinations I'd like to try? Off the top of my head BrewDog Punk IPA would go well with fresh fruit salad and ice-cream i'd imagine. Or maybe BrewDog Alice Porter with apple pie? There must be some other beers out there other than BrewDog...

Anyone have any other favourite combinations?

UPDATE: I've since found Youngs double chocolate stout in Peckhams! Hurrah!

Tennents in the Park

TENNENTS LAGER! You deviant I hear you say. How can you drink that fizzy yellow piss? Woah, woah, woah, down boy. T in the Park, a fun weekend (if you forget about all the neds, rubbish Scottish weather and extortionate prices). And the glorious beer they serve, that delectable Scottish treat, Tennents. Yay!

Now, don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a pint of Tennents now and again (this event being no exception). Sure, it's a pretty run of the mill lager with no real outstanding qualities. I did however, have to douse a pint of it over some clown who was battering into everyone for no apparent reason, £3.90 well spent. He looked like he needed a wash anyway.

Now, back to beer. WELL, as I don't camp at T in the Park (landed gentry I'll have you know), and stay with friends in Alloa, it was the ideal opportunity to visit some breweries in the area and stock up!

A quick google search later and my list of potentials was massive, I only had a couple of hours on the Friday before setting off to Balado for the first crisp, cool, plastic glass of T though.

First stop, Harviestoun, a mere 1 mile away, result! The brewery itself is a bright, white, modern premises located in an industrial estate in Alva. I do enjoy Harviestoun beers and gingerly headed inside where I was greeted with display cases full of their beers and awards.

The reception staff were very informative, gave me a bit of background info and the all important prices. I was hoping they'd have some limited brews for sale, but had to settle on a case of 'Bitter & Twisted' and a few bottles of 'Ola Dubh' to put away into storage (no bad thing). I'd have arranged a tour had I been more organised.... next time gadget.

Anyway, onwards, to Williams Brothers! You'll never guess where this one was based, any guesses? 10 points to the man with the dog, an industrial estate in Alloa, hurrah! This proved ideal as we were picking up some friends here on the way to T in the Park (Alloa, not the brewery).

On arriving, there was an old school 'rustic' look to the place and as I battled my way to the reception it was loud and chaotic with machinery, people and bottles of beer everywhere! This was more of a straight in, no kissing visit. Still, it was great to see the contrast in the two breweries and I picked up a case of 'ginger beer' and 'birds & bees summer ale', which I hadn't tried before.

The next 3 days were spent drinking Tennents and Magners (I had to switch from Tennents as it was all too much, UGH). I did find 'Kracken Rum' though, which was lovely. If I'd kept drinking that I'd have had to remortgage the house though... savage prices.

On the music side of things, I saw some great bands along with some not so good. I'll stick with the great - Weezer, Foo Fighters, Big Country, Roddy Woomble, Jimmy Eat World, Twin Atlantic, Pendulum.

Just a pity it pissed down with rain on the Sunday and turned the place into a quagmire. And I didn't take my wellies as it hadn't rained on the previous days. Schoolboy error or what?

What better way to cheer myself up! Lets visit another brewery on the way home. Why not indeed. I chose Tin Pot Brewery (Bridge of Allan, TSA) for my last jaunt. This is located in the lovely wee town of Bridge of Allan, just on the outskirts of Stirling and what a treat!

A wonderful place. Open from 12pm - 5pm daily with free tastings, of EVERYTHING! I had about 12 beers by the time I left to drive home (only kidding, I made the girlfriend drive). I tried the following:

TinPot: GoldPot 70/-, ThaiPot, Rhubarb & Ginger, WitPot
TSA: 65/-, Glencoe Stout, William Wallace, Bramble, Double Espresso Stout
Ciders: Cider and Ginger Cider

The chap doing the tastings was also top notch and kept the party going with some 'interesting' tunes. I eagerly filled a box with a host of exciting beers to take home! The double espresso stout was unbelievable (and I hate coffee, 3 bottles of that little diamond please).

Pop along and visit this place if you get the opportunity, they have some very unique and interesting things going on.

Homewards to Aberdeen, but wait.... one final stop. I'd been meaning to visit here for a while now. Cairn O'Mohr is located between Perth and Dundee and make a range of fruit wines with ingredients sourced from around the area. Tastings? why not (couldn't make me play any worse at football that coming evening).

Without going into too much detail this was a weird and wonderful ramshackle place with intricate wood carvings everywhere albeit with a good selection of beers and the Cairn O'Mohr wines themselves. I enjoyed a thimble of most (some may be a little sweet for many people) and took a couple of bottles home to sample further at my leisure.

All in all a good weekend away, even though this post probably tells you nothing about ANY of the breweries! I had fun though.

Evidence of my purchases....

Porter + Stout = Fun

Transformers, Robots in disguise.... no wait, this is about beer, loosely. Still, Transformers is on in the background, which is no bad thing. Right, where to start. I'm certainly no beer expert, but do enjoy trying new and varied beers from around the globe so have decided to keep a record of sorts (I'm pretty forgetful).

Stouts and Porters and Transformers certainly seems a good place to start. Megan Fox, hello! I digress. Stouts and Porters used to be beers I had trouble appreciating but certainly have developed a soft spot for over the past year or so. They always seemed a little dense and scary to me, and were distinctly coffee tinged to my novice palate.

Also, I MAY have been horribly sick after a beer festival after too many dark beers once.... and I mean SICK (all over the girlfriends jewellery box and curtains, quite a feat).

I also had a little brainwave when trying these beers. I'd first taste them alone and then try with some dark chocolate (Green and Blacks 70% dark chocolate in this case) to see how and indeed if the beers altered in any way. Hands up, I stole the inspiration for this from a wine tour I had been on here in Australia. An outstanding winery (try the Rose, SENSATIONAL) who with a tasting of a particular Shiraz gave you chocolate cake which brought out some amazing flavours and aromas in the Shiraz.

Beer number 1 - Traditional Scottish Ales (TSA) - Glencoe Organic Wild Oat Stout - 4.5%

Little or no head on pouring, what does that mean? Who knows... I have no clue what I'm on about. The beer smells quite fruity with hints of Blackberry (I do like fruit), Liquorice and Porridge.

On tasting it is initially quite malty like a mug of Horlicks, perfect for sending you off to sleep, with a hint of chocolate. On swallowing (ooerr) there is a big burnt coffee hit but the end result seems a little watery with little or no alcohol hit. A little disappointing if I'm honest.

Time for some chocolate I think (left it in the fridge, it's like a brick). If anything, after eating some of the dark, bitter chocolate it merely heightens how watery and weak this beer is... it simply doesn't stand up to that beast. I finished it anyway though.

5/10

Transformers watch - Megan is fixing a car, PHWOARRRRR.

Beer number 2 - Samuel Smiths - Oatmeal Stout - 5%

On pouring there is a foamy head which quickly disperses (hey, I'm getting good at this eh?). The predominant sniffs and smells seem to again be fruit based, with blueberries and prunes evident on my flaky palate. There is also a touch of smoke and sponge fruitcake (I'm hungry now).

The taste? Silky smooth with a hint of toffee and far fuller than the TSA, but still no massive alcohol hit (not necessarily a bad thing). This is very drinkable, raisins, mild coffee tones and some salty seaweed (on reading the label I learn it has seaweed finings, whatever those savage beasts are).

On consumption of some chocolate? Brings out the malty body a lot more and some floral tones. I still don't like coffee though, cup of tea any day, especially these.

6.5/10

Transformers watch - It is kicking OFF! Bumblebee is kicking the ass of a police car (which is unbelievable since he was a total lightweight in the original cartoons).

Beer number 3 - Youngs - Double Chocolate Stout - 5.2%

Surely this one will work? Caught my eye so gave it a whirl. The initial smell is without a doubt chocolate, duh! Smells almost like a dairy milk with burnt hints and a whole raft of fruits (prunes, plums, cherry). There is even the faint smell of treacle floating around somewhere in the back.

On tasting, again quite obvious, a vast chocolate hit which is quite creamy. It's very full bodied, almost like a meal in a glass (or perhaps a cold hot chocolate, or the milk that's left after a bowl of coco pops... you all like drinking that, don't lie).

One thing that becomes apparent is that this would be a great 'dessert beer'. I do like a good dessert wine, so I'll have to knock this one out sometime. Would work great with ice-cream, chocolate cake, brownies.

After a little solid chocolate..... well what do you think. If anything, ramps the taste up more, more bitterness yet still retains that silky, creamy taste.... I'm on a sugar high. A fun beer, if not very refined.

7/10

Back to the film - The autobots have just reduced Sam's garden to rubble. Optimus Prime even uttered the phrase 'my bad'.

Beer 4 - Harviestoun - Old Engine Oil - 6.0%

NEXXXTTT! I do like Harviestoun beers and am visiting the brewery tomorrow morning to buy some (I'm en route to T in the Park, would be rude not to). What we smelling here then? Lets bang them out - Figs, prunes, Fruitcake, Bourbon biscuit, cocoa, caramel, toffee. Lots going on, although I did have a bit of a boozy head on now.

The taste - Burnt chocolate, hints of rubber, with a bitter, lingering aftertaste. This I like though, so have no complaints. I'm getting hungry now (I had pork chops for my tea by the way, they were good).

Onto the ever diminishing chocolate. Most certainly enhances the bitterness, Awesome! Almost like a black IPA in places. Tasty, malty..... what am I on about? Sorry.

7/10

Film - BUMBLEBEEEEE!!!! NOOOOO!!!!! He's a bit fiesty that Sam. 'Bought a car, turned out to be an alien robot, who knew!' The wee joker he is.

Beer 5 - BrewDog - Riptide - 8%

Love them or loathe them (I love them) BrewDog make some interesting beers, and this is certainly no exception. I really love Alice Porter, but Riptide is one I've struggled to get to grips with.

The first thing that hits me is the massive fruit nose, all cranberry and hints of lemon. Little or no chocolate or coffee is apparent. In fact, it smells a little floral in places almost like Punk IPA or 5am Saint.

Given that this is the strongest of the drinks I've had tonight it's going to be a bit of a bad boy taste wise. You certainly get a big alcohol hit with a bitter finish at the back of the throat which lingers. I can feel it coating my throat, almost cough medicine like (but better tasting).

Better finish this chocolate too eh? Tasty! This actually seems to heighten the fruit and brings out an almost grapefruit hint, scary. Either that or I'm pissed. The bitter aftertaste is still there though, nice!

8/10

Film is almost over and Megatron is OWNING everyone. The swine!