On the first day of June, glorious sunshine beamed down on us, causing thoughts of beer gardens and country walks to embed themselves firmly in the front of our minds. As luck would have it, I was ideally placed to take advantage of such seasonal weather: I was staying near RSPB Minsmere on the Suffolk
Author: Molyneux
A Beer Renaissance
“Like wine, beer is beginning to interest a far wider audience. Unusual imports… “boutique beers”… specialities… traditional ales… the renaissance extends from Europe to North America, to Japan and Australia. Hundreds of new, speciality beers are being produced by scores of new breweries.” – Inside the front cover of Michael Jackson’s The New World Guide to
Gotta Catch ‘Em All – Beery Anxiety Dreams
I often have dreams about beer, in which I encounter rare, exciting new creations and collaborations, or weird methods of dispense (such as beer-gel sachets which you mix into water). More often than not, though, my beery dreams are about missing out: A while ago, I dreamt that I was in a Wetherspoons but there
Brew Britannia: The Strange Rebirth of British Beer
I came to beer relatively late in my drinking career thus far, having spent the years between fourteen and eighteen necking various different types of sugary, sticky rubbish. My eighteenth birthday was at the end of 2008, and my first legal purchase at the bar on that evening was, I believe, an Apple Sourz shot
Chorlton Brewing Company: Prototypes
I like to keep my ear to the ground, especially with regards to new local breweries, and a little while ago I discovered Chorlton Brewing Company via Twitter. They’re still in the process of starting up and going commercial, but I liked their vibe: “Fresh pale ale, roasty porter and wild fermented Lambic-style offerings”. Well,
Ilkley Pale and Sandham’s Flamin’ ‘Eck
Another instalment in the beer and cheese adventure! Today’s sampling brings us Ilkley Pale (4.2%), and Sandham’s Flamin’ ‘Eck. The Pale is straw coloured and has good condition, pouring with a lively white bubbly head. There are green peppers and floral hops on the nose, and it tastes almost savoury, full of clean freshly cut grass
Seven Sober Days
For a couple of weeks I had been plagued by toothache, which progressed into jaw ache/headache/neck ache so bad that I couldn’t go to work. After finally securing an emergency appointment with the dentist, he gave his grim prognosis: “Your wisdom tooth’s impacted and you have an infection. You need to take these antibiotics and
ShinDigger Brewing Co: An Interview
If you’ve been out and about in Manchester recently, you might have already heard the name ShinDigger, or even got your hands on a pint or bottle of their Pacific Pale (4.5%). I picked up a bottle from The Epicurean on Simon‘s recommendation and, later that afternoon, I settled down and poured myself a glass; it was
Un-Human Cannonball Launch; Port Street Beer House
On the morning of Thursday 10th April 2014, one topic dominated my Twitter feed: The launch of Magic Rock‘s Un-Human Cannonball 2014, the second year of their annually brewed triple IPA. Magic Rock‘s online shop released their stash of bottles at 7AM. If reports are to be believed, it sold out in 18 minutes, with other online
New Beer Shop: The Epicurean
Once upon a time, I lived above a pub. Then I moved to Brixton, where the Craft Beer Co was five minutes from my front door. When I moved to Manchester last year, one of my main criteria for flat-hunting was the close proximity of good beer; luckily, I discovered Burton Road, and on it, Mary