Beer Thread

[Spanish]

21 hours ago, eddie said:

Good man.

There's a new Belgian Beer Cafe opened up in the Cathedral quarter in Derby. The Memsahib and I are going there for a few tomorrow afternoon - just for research, of course. I'll let you know what it's like and give you a few tips on your inevitable descent into Belgian obsession.

PS I had a pint of Titanic Plum Porter this afternoon, seeing as the cricket ended a day and three quarters early. Bloody lovely, proving at least one good thing comes from Stoke.

back in the UK last weekend and went to New Inn at Shardlow ; had a lovely pint of Titanic Plum Porter

[eddie]

5 hours ago, Boycie said:

Is that the worm that turned?

@Coconut can give you a good review on the selection.  I went Saturday too, only thing I could drink was the French Cider, which was nice.

The prices are a bit steep though.

I can forgive a few things, given that they have only just opened.

One of the joys of drinking Belgian beers is that the glass should be married to the characteristics of the beer. Unfortunately, all of the beers I tried were served in an all-purpose 'flute' glass, which is completely inappropriate for a dubbel. Fine for a saison, fine for a Flemish red (although it was too cold to bring out the full flavour of the beer), fine for the Memsahib's St Feuillion Grand Cru but not fine for the bottle of Tynt Meadow I finished the session with.

The chap who runs the place was eager to pick my brains, and I have tried to help with respect to refrigeration temperatures etc. I agree about the price - beers I could buy very cheaply were among their most expensive on sale, and beers which were somewhat more expensive to buy online were on sale for relatively cheaper prices.

From what I could see, the Memsahib and myself were the only people drinking Belgian beers this afternoon.

Anyway, enough negatives. The bar itself is spaceous, well-appointed, well-lit and very comfortable, and we will return in a couple of weeks.

Edited July 17, 2019 by eddie

[eddie]

3 hours ago, Spanish said:

back in the UK last weekend and went to New Inn at Shardlow ; had a lovely pint of Titanic Plum Porter

We did yesterday (ok, I did - the Memsahib had Hop House 13). It's a lovely pub, and one which we consider to be our 'local'. It's also a nice start point (or first watering-hole) for walking to the Steamboat at Sawley - about 4 miles along the canal and then the Trent.

[Inverurie Ram]

@SchtivePesley @eddie So what is the new Belgian Beer Cafe opened up in the Cathedral quarter in Derby, the one opposite Dolphin called? I can't see anything on the Internet regarding such, any links?

I'm on my way.............from misery to happiness today........

[eddie]

Just now, Inverurie Ram said:

@SchtivePesley @eddie So what is the new Belgian Beer Cafe opened up in the Cathedral quarter in Derby, the one opposite Dolphin called? I can't see anything on the Internet regarding such, any links?

I'm on my way.............from misery to happiness today........

It's called The Worm Has Turned.

https://www.wormhasturned.co.uk/

[eddie]

6 hours ago, Boycie said:

Is that the worm that turned?

@Coconut can give you a good review on the selection.  I went Saturday too, only thing I could drink was the French Cider, which was nice.

The prices are a bit steep though.

Is that a gluten thing?

A couple of pals of mine are gluten-intolerant, and can't enjoy the wonders of most Belgian beers, so I'm going to order a bottle or two of this in the next week or two and give it a taste test...

https://belgiuminabox.com/shop/special-experimental/8090-ginger-tipple-8-33-cl.html

[froggg]

51 minutes ago, eddie said:

Is that a gluten thing?

A couple of pals of mine are gluten-intolerant, and can't enjoy the wonders of most Belgian beers, so I'm going to order a bottle or two of this in the next week or two and give it a taste test...

https://belgiuminabox.com/shop/special-experimental/8090-ginger-tipple-8-33-cl.html

@Boycie Danger danger high voltage ?

[Boycie]

2 hours ago, eddie said:

I can forgive a few things, given that they have only just opened.

One of the joys of drinking Belgian beers is that the glass should be married to the characteristics of the beer. Unfortunately, all of the beers I tried were served in an all-purpose 'flute' glass, which is completely inappropriate for a dubbel. Fine for a saison, fine for a Flemish red (although it was too cold to bring out the full flavour of the beer), fine for the Memsahib's St Feuillion Grand Cru but not fine for the bottle of Tynt Meadow I finished the session with.

The chap who runs the place was eager to pick my brains, and I have tried to help with respect to refrigeration temperatures etc. I agree about the price - beers I could buy very cheaply were among their most expensive on sale, and beers which were somewhat more expensive to buy online were on sale for relatively cheaper prices.

From what I could see, the Memsahib and myself were the only people drinking Belgian beers this afternoon.

Anyway, enough negatives. The bar itself is spaceous, well-appointed, well-lit and very comfortable, and we will return in a couple of weeks.

Now don’t take this the wrong way Eddie, but shouldn’t they know all about the stuff regards temperature if they’re selling it as perceived specialist outlet?

The cider was £4.60 a pint if I remember right @froggg what’s a pint darn sarf?  Was nice though.

[May Contain Nuts]

2 hours ago, eddie said:

I can forgive a few things, given that they have only just opened.

One of the joys of drinking Belgian beers is that the glass should be married to the characteristics of the beer. Unfortunately, all of the beers I tried were served in an all-purpose 'flute' glass, which is completely inappropriate for a dubbel. Fine for a saison, fine for a Flemish red (although it was too cold to bring out the full flavour of the beer), fine for the Memsahib's St Feuillion Grand Cru but not fine for the bottle of Tynt Meadow I finished the session with.

The chap who runs the place was eager to pick my brains, and I have tried to help with respect to refrigeration temperatures etc. I agree about the price - beers I could buy very cheaply were among their most expensive on sale, and beers which were somewhat more expensive to buy online were on sale for relatively cheaper prices.

From what I could see, the Memsahib and myself were the only people drinking Belgian beers this afternoon.

Anyway, enough negatives. The bar itself is spaceous, well-appointed, well-lit and very comfortable, and we will return in a couple of weeks.

More or less mirrored my thoughts completely, although I wasn't paying attention to temperatures as I had enough time to let things warm.

Started with a Saison Dupont, wasn't expecting the £3.90 for a half, but happy enough with the £4.70 (or similar) for Tynt Meadow or £5.50 for a McChouffe. 

I only had enough change for the Tynt Meadow though, my main takeaway from it was that it was very good, but maybe a little too heavy on the liquorice, also that the 'Englishness' made it feel more like I was drinking a porter than what I'm used to in the style.

 

 

Edited July 17, 2019 by Coconut

[Boycie]

 

[eddie]

2 hours ago, Boycie said:

Now don’t take this the wrong way Eddie, but shouldn’t they know all about the stuff regards temperature if they’re selling it as perceived specialist outlet?

The cider was £4.60 a pint if I remember right @froggg what’s a pint darn sarf?  Was nice though.

Not taking it any way at all. I have 20 years experience of Belgian beers, drinking, keeping and even brewing my own. I have listened to master brewers and have learned a lot from people who are experts on yeast cultivation, together with ingesting every word spoken on the subject of Belgian beers, by the greatest beer writer of them all, Michael Jackson. I was a cellarman almost 50 years ago, when English beers 'from the wood' were precisely that (oak casks) and when I was younger and fitter I could thrawl a 36 gallon tub on my own. I lived in a pub for 10 years before I got married and still helped out in my father's cellar until he retired, but it was strictly part-time.

Temperatures are tricky - strictly speaking, every beer has its own perfect temperature, and that depends upon the characteristics of the beer that you are trying to enhance. A bottom-fermented beer (basically a lager) has to be cold because at room temperature, pilsners smell of fart (the yeasts actually release sulphur dioxide during primary fermentation. Some is removed during the 'lagering' process, but some sulphur dioxide - a trace - remains in solution even in the bottle. Warm it up, out it comes). The maltier the beer, the warmer the temperature at serving because you are relying on the olfactory system to bring out the complexity - an Imperial Stout can go right up to close to room temperature and be perfect. But there are exceptions. A Rauchbier is both smoky and malty, but it's also a lager with the SO2 problems I have already mentioned. The only way of knowing is to taste the beer at different temperatures - and a top 'specialist' Belgian bar might have 100* or more different beers. But you can't just serve the beer cold, then keep tasting it as it warms up because the effervescence and lacing dissipates with time.

I like to think that I could have been a great publican, but I decided, from an early age, that pub life was not for me. It's probably for the best - I would have been insufferable - just imagine me pouring someone's dubbel into the correct goblet, then watching the customer just swig it down in one. I would be down their throat screaming "Sniff it, you ignoramus. You're meant to sniff, sip and swirl before you swallow. Now get out of my bar, you Philistine!"

*Delerium Cafe in Brussels has over 2000 different beers

Give him time to make mistakes and learn from them.

[eddie]

4 hours ago, froggg said:

@Boycie Danger danger high voltage ?

Is that a @Duracell gag? If so, well played, sir.

[Boycie]

7 hours ago, eddie said:

Not taking it any way at all. I have 20 years experience of Belgian beers, drinking, keeping and even brewing my own. I have listened to master brewers and have learned a lot from people who are experts on yeast cultivation, together with ingesting every word spoken on the subject of Belgian beers, by the greatest beer writer of them all, Michael Jackson. I was a cellarman almost 50 years ago, when English beers 'from the wood' were precisely that (oak casks) and when I was younger and fitter I could thrawl a 36 gallon tub on my own. I lived in a pub for 10 years before I got married and still helped out in my father's cellar until he retired, but it was strictly part-time.

Temperatures are tricky - strictly speaking, every beer has its own perfect temperature, and that depends upon the characteristics of the beer that you are trying to enhance. A bottom-fermented beer (basically a lager) has to be cold because at room temperature, pilsners smell of fart (the yeasts actually release sulphur dioxide during primary fermentation. Some is removed during the 'lagering' process, but some sulphur dioxide - a trace - remains in solution even in the bottle. Warm it up, out it comes). The maltier the beer, the warmer the temperature at serving because you are relying on the olfactory system to bring out the complexity - an Imperial Stout can go right up to close to room temperature and be perfect. But there are exceptions. A Rauchbier is both smoky and malty, but it's also a lager with the SO2 problems I have already mentioned. The only way of knowing is to taste the beer at different temperatures - and a top 'specialist' Belgian bar might have 100* or more different beers. But you can't just serve the beer cold, then keep tasting it as it warms up because the effervescence and lacing dissipates with time.

I like to think that I could have been a great publican, but I decided, from an early age, that pub life was not for me. It's probably for the best - I would have been insufferable - just imagine me pouring someone's dubbel into the correct goblet, then watching the customer just swig it down in one. I would be down their throat screaming "Sniff it, you ignoramus. You're meant to sniff, sip and swirl before you swallow. Now get out of my bar, you Philistine!"

*Delerium Cafe in Brussels has over 2000 different beers

Give him time to make mistakes and learn from them.

What I meant was hadn’t he done any research before deciding to be specialist outlet?

[eddie]

2 hours ago, Boycie said:

What I meant was hadn’t he done any research before deciding to be specialist outlet?

I've no answer to that.

[Bwash_Ram]

Just discovered this little demon, lethal stuff cant sneck too many.

Got quite a strong malty/barley taste

 

[DarkFruitsRam7]

 

As you know, my forays into beer are quite rare. However, I’ve just picked this up from a SuperU in Lyon. I bought what works out at 5 pints of 4.2% for €3.50 in total. Not bad!

It’s actually nice and refreshing, though I imagine the proper beer drinkers on here will think it’s poo!

[May Contain Nuts]

Back at The Worm Has Turned before a gig at The Flowerpot.

Started with a McChouffe (had a few times before) and now onto my first taste of eddie's favourite, Bourgogne Des Flanders. Wow, that's lovely, smooth as anything.

Oh and they've now got some Jeff Hendrick (Straffe Hendrik) Quadruple in, not sure on the price yet though.

Edited August 2, 2019 by Coconut

[May Contain Nuts]

Turns out it's £7, which is less than I thought it may be and at UK bar prices for something they'd probably have to import, not bad at all.

[TuffLuff]

Footballs back! Here’s to Saturday train journeys and buying cans from M&S that are a little too expensive for comfort 

[TuffLuff]

Had a week in St Ives, always liked the local brewery beers here but this Dynamite Valley brewing company was a welcome discovery. Quite a few choices but the TNT IPA was comfortably the best.

One for @eddie, a lovely Belgian beir huis called the ‘Beer Huis Grand Cafe’ has opened up here with a lovely selection of Belgian beer and food. Just a short walk from the beach too, sadly I didn’t venture much past a vedett whilst here.