Beer, glorious beer!
I have recently had a birthday. It is the number that a computer programmer (in his youth) friend described as the perfect number as it is
Frances was having a little difficulty deciding on a gift so offered me the chance to buy a dozen beers at Plonk in the Fyshwick Markets. What a clever person she is: the perfect gift I have previously covered beers in my blog about our trip to England in 2010. Thus this gift was a chance to renew acquaintances with some and explore other paths.
In fact I got multiples of a couple of beers but here are some thoughts about the ones acquired.
Given the circumstances how can one go past a beer called "Old Fart" as a birthday libation? An excellent fruity Yorkshire red ale: no specific aroma (probably a good thing) but a lovely taste. Surprisingly I couldn't find this in my Good Beer Guide, nor could I find a website for the brewery.
India Pale Ale is always a reliable tipple. This sample was slightly fruitier than some, but would definitely have made a fine chota peg when the dhobi wallah had been misbehaving.
As shown by the sticker these are not cheap (which is why
The next night I went for the basic Greene King IPA (from Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk) for which the label is rather bland so no image was taken. Some what more bitter than the previous brews but still very drinkable.
Staying in Suffolk I next tried a product from Adnams of Southwold - possibly the brewery that persuaded the founders of CAMRA that there was life after Watneys Keg Red Barrel! As expected a very chewy red ale. A bit drier in taste than the Old Fart but very solid as one would expect with 6.3% ABV! Very excellent - one of the many good things we found at the Royal Norfolk Show!
More Suffolk, this time a Ruby Red Ale from the nice people at St Peters (whose tee-shirt from the Royal Norfolk Show I wear with pride, noting their slogan "Drink Different"). A much lighter beer at 4.3% ABV (than the Broadside) but still with a good serve of malt and hops. The label isn't flashy but I have included the image to show the bottle design which is a copy of a design from 1770 in Philadelphia.
(Adhering to this blog's thrust to become a major educational tool, but as a total aside, following the death of Steve Jobs the ABC TV program Gruen Planet referred to the Apple Computing slogan "Think Different". Clearly this is the reference in the St Peters slogan!)
I also - on a subsequent night - had a serve of St Peters Golden Ale. The bottle is the same as the above, but the label is yellow rather than red. The beer is slightly maltier than the preceding brew.
We now move back to Yorkshire and specifically to the small town of Masham. Our visit to that area is covered in a blog post and I have maintained my rage against Theakstones. Black Sheep Brewery however have produced Golden Sheep Ale
This seemed to me to combine the 'tang' of the Greene King IPA with the fullness of 'Old Fart'. An excellent drop. As I got 2 bottles of this, just as well I like it!
My final brew was also from Black Sheep. It is described as a strong (ABV 5.7%) Yorkshire Ale which is a fair call. A bit richer than the Golden Sheep, heading towards a stout. The name comes from two Norse words which have been adopted into the Wensleydale dialect to refer to a sheep that has fallen on its back and thus cannot get up. Clearly a prophesy of the effects of too much ale, as illustrated on the label
Since this post has pretty much been self-indulgent about my indulgences I will conclude this with a cartoon from the New Yorker sent to me by a relative.
- the number of squares on a chessboard; and
- 100 in octal (ie using 8 as the base rather than the decimal series based on boring 10).
Frances was having a little difficulty deciding on a gift so offered me the chance to buy a dozen beers at Plonk in the Fyshwick Markets. What a clever person she is: the perfect gift I have previously covered beers in my blog about our trip to England in 2010. Thus this gift was a chance to renew acquaintances with some and explore other paths.
In fact I got multiples of a couple of beers but here are some thoughts about the ones acquired.
- they are reserved for special occasions; and
- bulk beer still sells a few squillion slabs.)
The next night I went for the basic Greene King IPA (from Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk) for which the label is rather bland so no image was taken. Some what more bitter than the previous brews but still very drinkable.
More Suffolk, this time a Ruby Red Ale from the nice people at St Peters (whose tee-shirt from the Royal Norfolk Show I wear with pride, noting their slogan "Drink Different"). A much lighter beer at 4.3% ABV (than the Broadside) but still with a good serve of malt and hops. The label isn't flashy but I have included the image to show the bottle design which is a copy of a design from 1770 in Philadelphia.
(Adhering to this blog's thrust to become a major educational tool, but as a total aside, following the death of Steve Jobs the ABC TV program Gruen Planet referred to the Apple Computing slogan "Think Different". Clearly this is the reference in the St Peters slogan!)
I also - on a subsequent night - had a serve of St Peters Golden Ale. The bottle is the same as the above, but the label is yellow rather than red. The beer is slightly maltier than the preceding brew.
We now move back to Yorkshire and specifically to the small town of Masham. Our visit to that area is covered in a blog post and I have maintained my rage against Theakstones. Black Sheep Brewery however have produced Golden Sheep Ale
Since this post has pretty much been self-indulgent about my indulgences I will conclude this with a cartoon from the New Yorker sent to me by a relative.
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