I visited Mills Brewing in Gloucestershire, set up to produce beer with ‘minimum modern intervention’. I was also lucky to taste a preview of their first spontaneously fermented beer.
What have I achieved in the past year?
After reading this post by Natalya Watson on what she’s achieved over three years working in beer, I was… Well I was slightly jealous and very impressed to be perfectly honest. Natalya is definitely a woman on a mission and I expect she will go far. Natalya and I qualified as Beer Sommeliers on the same day, so her post also …
Cloudwater: repeat recipes on the horizon?
Earlier this week I interviewed Paul Jones, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Cloudwater, for a magazine article. I ended up with much more material than I was able to use – including a couple of interesting outtakes I am going to share with you now. Constantly evolving, seasonal beers You know Cloudwater. You get the basic deal: no core range, …
Is The Experiment worth a go?
This is not where I’m supposed to be. On a sweltering late afternoon, in the middle of the longest summer heatwave for a generation, I’ve crossed London in entirely the wrong direction to take a punt on a new taproom opening in Hackney. I’m supposed to be meeting friends at Gipsy Hill brewery, but that’s not until later. The Experiment …
Duff Gardens coming to North London
It’s been a busy time for me recently. I qualified as a Beer Sommelier – which claims quite a bit of time and brainspace – plus I’ve been setting up a business. (Oh hai, you want a beer tasting, perhaps some training?) So I didn’t have much attention to spare when the rumour mill started up around Beavertown perhaps being …
Ales Tales 2018
Ales Tales, the only beer festival in the UK entirely dedicated to Belgian beer, returned for its second year on the 1st and 2nd of June. Drinkers in Hackney’s Oval Space were presented with a choice of 78 different beers from 20 Belgian brewers, as well as the usual accompaniments of food, live music, and merch. As beer festivals go, …
Palate, Palette, or Pallet
Let’s just clear something up quickly. OK? Palate: the roof of your mouth. Also your sense of taste. This is the one you usually want if you’re talking about how a beer tastes. Palette: the thing a painter uses for mixing up colours. So, by extension, a range of colours available for use. Could then conceivably be used to describe …
Off flavour training: how to get your head around bad beer
It’s time for something a little bit specialised today. One for the real beer nerds. If you’re interested in training for a career in beer, or if you’re a home brewer, this is for you. When you’re training as a Beer Sommelier or Cicerone, developing your palate is extremely important. It’s your main tool after all, so best keep it …
Duvel hopes to tap into new market
Belgian brewers Duvel Moortgat yesterday launched a new version of their iconic strong golden ale, Duvel. For the first time drinkers can now seek out Duvel on tap – although for now it is available only at two locations, The Draft House, Old Street, in London and The Canalhouse in Nottingham. We’re used to seeing beers on tap here in …
Loving the beer geek life: an update and future plans
I’m expecting quite a few new readers on the site today. If that’s you, welcome! I hope you like what you find here. Perhaps you’ve arrived here today after reading my piece for BeerBods on Unity Brewing Co’s Congregate Belgian pale ale. And perhaps you’re wondering “who is this dude, and why am I reading his stuff instead of Evil …