Now on Twitter!

Yes, that's right, this old git is on Twitter. Astonishingly, I have found a whole plethora of different breweries to twit at too... 

It's another social media platform for me to get well and truly on everyone's nerves!

Hope to see you there - @richthethirst 

Great British Beer Festival 2015 - Olympia, London

Organised by CAMRA, this festival will see over 55,000 thirsty drinkers through its doors, ready to sup and sample the huge selection of real ale and beers from hundreds of breweries across the UK and beyond. 

First held in Alexander Palace in 1977 - or 1975 if counting the unofficial Covent Garden foray - GBBF offers visitors a chance to taste well known, limited edition and new brews. 

Anyone who's anyone in this trade and serious about their real ales will be found gracing the floors of Olympia from 11th - 15th of August 2015.

Attending on Friday 14th August, Bobby - another fellow liver pickler - and I held our collective breath as we passed over the threshold and entered the biggest pub in the world, as in previous years it was a beautiful sight to beerhold.

I have to admit that the food again this year was out of this world and absolutely necessary in soaking up all the samples. My favourites were the array of pickled eggs and the hog roast baps on offer - delicious!

So, without further ado, here are our - albeit short - tasting notes from GBBF15....

First up, Fullers Golden Ale - Oliver's Island 3.8%

Delightful! An exciting harmony of citrus, floral hops and golden malt. A choice ale, refreshing and with a very pleasant aftertaste.

Marston Pedigree - New World Pale Ale 3.8%

A lovely hint of peach and apricot lead to a nice hoppy aftertaste. We both agreed that this is a definite session beer.

Sierra Nevada - Torpedo IPA 7.2%

Gorgeous beer! Super hoppy on the palate and a superb aftertaste. Delicious!

Cairngorm - Wildcat Bitter 5.1%

This was a very different beer. Our first impression were that it was a bit too complex, but a second sup and our palates were dancing on bitter hoppy sweet notes. A definite grower.

Harveys - Wild Hop 3.8%

Initially disappointed with this, but after a second and third taste it grows really well to a lovely balanced brew. Another recommendation for a session.

McEwans - IPA 4%

A decent initial taste, but the aftertaste was akin to cheap white chocolate. This maybe someone else's ambrosia, but not for me or Bobby. A gallant attempt but for us - try again.

Gwaun Valley - Blodwen 4.1%

A very good, hearty bitter, a slight hint of caramel on the finish. 

Canterbury Brewery - Itzamna 9.6%

This hits everything all at once. Like breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea and supper all in one beer. It's the sipping whiskey of beer! Coffee and chocolate flavours with a slight caramel after hit. Luscious - but you only need a third of a pint.

Greene King Ale - OHA 4.1%

Lovely beer. Lightly hopped via amarillo and citra variety. A very good session beer. 

Conniston - K7 4.7%

A decent, golden ale and good all rounder. Light hops, light bitter with a vibrant malty, citrusy aftertaste.

Hawkshead - Cumbrian Five Hop 5.2%

A well hopped golden ale, a lovely blend of English and American hops producing a great malt character and fine session beer.

Bollington - White Nancy 4.1%

A disappointing beer. Promising hops and full bodied taste. There is a hint of citrus but no hop flavour and no aftertaste. 

Glamorgan - Welsh Pale Ale 4.1%

Very nice ale, hint of citrus and hops, leaves you wanting more.

Sierra Nevada - Hoptimum 10.4%

This amazing brew is fit to burst with glorious hoppy flavour. It was easily our favourite of the day, absolutely delicious! Alas, it is only served in thirds, although for very good reason.

Brains - Reverend James Gold 4.1%

A lighter take on the classic Reverend James, this golden ale maybe lighter but pulls no punches. A delicious tasting ale. 

All for one and none for any

Akin to the Three Musketeers, but significantly older and less nimble with our cutlery, 3 good friends and a dog (yes the dog joined in too) set off on Brew Mission....

Stuffed to the gills with leftover Shepherds Pie, and homemade Apple Crumble, the tantalising strains of Andre Rieu stirring from the stereo, and wives vacated for the evening to avoid our inevitable flatulence, our faithful glass tankards at the ready, we began. For this was sampling night. 
 
Contrary to our usual tipple, we decided to sample and taste your everyday run of the mill lagers and beers that you can source in every supermarket, pub, bar and club across the nation and beyond. 

Dear Gods! You say. What on earth for?

I shall tell you. 

We just wanted to know and understand how and why these lagers and beers are still considered superior, even in this time where Real Ale and Craft Beers are so popular, and every Tom, Dick and Harry are jumping on the bandwagon.

In a rare moment of pure genius on a recent Real Ale Trail, Sid, AKA Athos, decided to set a challenge for us to review a selection of the big brands and see how they fare in comparison to our preferred quaffing liquor.

It had taken us just one trip to the supermarket to collect the ten lager beers for us to try and, making rudimentary scorecards out of an old napkin we went about our way and opened the first can...

This lager - apparently favoured by Australians for reasons known only unto themselves - on first glance resembled an effervescent urine, perhaps of the genus Macropus. One quaff was enough for us to confirm that indeed the contents of the tin were practically unfit for consumption, however, we finished our glasses and pressed on.

The second lager, a cheeky number brewed with tequila and citrus was an ungainly hue and smelled of the limeade pop we were all fond of as children . Whilst we were sure that this brew would be a hit with the youth and ladies, we concluded that we'd all have to be desperate in the extreme before supping on this offering again. Undeterred, we continued on this godly mission, positive that we would find a redeeming tipple.

A few lagers later and Pete, AKA Porthos, was complaining of nausea and Athos had donned a trilby and was threatening to order kebabs from the takeaway. This suddenly became an almost impossible task.

The dog, AKA Dogtanian, made an appearance half way through our lager and kebab fuelled haze and even he looked disgusted at the resultant scraps left in the takeaway cartons, but bravely we slogged on....

We discovered the perfect compliment to doner meat, a beer affectionately known to the young men on my estate as 'wife beater'. We concurred that the dirty penny like flavour and fizzing mousse cut through the heaviness of the minced cat strips we were throwing at our faces.

Burping and belching we finally threw in the towel, 3 lagers short of our full quota, as we could take no more.

Athos and Porthos were wildly out of control and arguing loudly over the merits of mayonnaise with chips, whilst Aramis here, had Dogtanian in a headlock professing my undying love for the faithful hound as it slobbered all over my face.

Our good lady wives returned, aghast at the state of their worse halves and the kitchen which was strewn with empties, polystyrene cartons and perhaps even a casual vomit in the corner.

Then and there, we took a solemn vow to never again repeat the night and to leave the mundane to the young with their sweet and equally mundane palates. Athos and Porthos sauntered off into the night, surfacing late the following morning with thick and thumpy heads. Aramis promptly vomited and then fell asleep  on the bathroom floor, rattling the house with snores and bottom burps.

All for one and one for all....

Fraoch Heather Ale, Williams Brothers Brewing Co.

5% ABV with heather, bogmyrtle and ginger.

According to the Williams Bros. Brewing Co, the notes are:

'A light amber ale with floral. peaty aroma, full of malt character and a spicy herbal finish.'

I came across this luscious brew on a trip to Edinburgh back in April 2012. After wandering Old Town and exploring the Castle with a couple of regular old codgers we were ready for the knackers yard and headed for our hotel on the Haymarket. Realising what a trek that was and requiring food and libations, we stopped by a very trendy looking bar called Mercat Bar & Grill. The staff were wonderful and friendly, taking pity on the three old gits who looked ready to be carted away in a private ambulance. They were forthcoming with their ale selection and we all agreed to try 'Fraoch' on recommendation along with a side order of their Haggis cigars with whiskey marmalade, telling Pete, the fussy eater of our band of merry men, that Haggis was Scottish for mince.

And so arrived our ale, served with goblet glasses that would look at home in Hogwarts (I've got grandchildren, I know all about Harry Potter). 

We eagerly decanted the lovely light amber coloured nectar and took a good sniff. After a slog about Edinburgh it was a delight, lovely floral tones, like the catch of a beautiful perfume on a breeze. Then the peaty element came through, richer with a subtle spice.

Then the taste, light and refreshing with a hint of sweetness, giving way to a bolder, complex flavour, further floral notes and a smooth after taste. Unlike the mother in law, there is no bitterness with this brew and the lovely complexity invites another taste.

It perfectly complimented the hot Haggis cigars that were served along side, which even Pete found moreish.

This is a finely crafted ale and has become one of my regular favourites.

CAMRA

Hello there! I am Richard The Thirst. An ageing, hairy rocker who owns too many pairs of jeans and camping chairs.
I am passionate about good quality real ales, and this is the aim of my blog. To offer my thoughts and experiences as I sup my way through the wonderful world of brew, pickling my liver as I go.
I hope you can forgive an old man and his technological non-wizardry. I may resemble Gandalf, but I don't have any magical powers when it comes to computers!
Thanks for indulging me, I hope you find my future posts informative and helpful.

'There is no such thing as a bad beer, it's just not to your taste.'