Perfect Pictish

Just a quick note to say, yes, the rumours are true. Due to literally some enquiries into the whys and wherefores of Ale-Affinity's untimely demise, I've decided to tentatively prod the dormant site with my foot to see if there's any life left in it.

I've spruced the place up a bit (do you like it?) and gone for a bit more of a grown-up feel, since none of us are getting any younger. However, don't expect an immediate flurry of activity, as I'm jetting off on holiday at the weekend and will be busy packing and organising beforehand.

I will, of course, be making time to hit The Bull later today for the much anticipated Pictish Brewery Showcase. There was a false start back in May, when Phoenix stepped in late on after Pictish were unable to ship what was required. Since then, the Rochdale-based micro have featured with some regularity on the bar and seriously impressed us all. I won't go into detail about the seven available beers, among them four single hoppers, as Steve 'Beer Justice' Williams has already done so more than adequately. I will just say that I'm a big fan of single hop variety ales. It's a great education into which hops give certain flavours and the few that I've been lucky enough to try from Pictish to date have been magnificent. My aim is to eventually get through as many of the 37 listed on their site as possible.

Having ventured up to Derbyshire with Mark Dredge on Tuesday, I'll be continuing to make the most of my time unchained from my office desk and will persist with public transport (both bus and train) in order to make the most of what's on offer. Wish me luck.

Bull Brewery Showcase №3 - Thornbridge

It's been quiet on here for a while, again. My apologies to our long-suffering loyal readership. My reasonable excuse this time is that I moved into a new flat on New Year's Day and have been desperately trying to get Internet access sorted ever since. You'd have thought I was asking for a satellite link up to the Moon. Three weeks on and I'm still in web limbo. I've also been poorly this week, having escaped the bloggers' Christmas epidemic. Pan-C can site no such mitigation, the lazy swine.

Anyway, there's just time to inform you of Showcase №3 from the Darenth Valley's №1. Not to be outdone by recent events at The Rake, The Bull proudly presents a hearty line-up from the fabulous Thornbridge of Ashford, Derbyshire. From Thursday 5th to Sunday 8th February the following seven ales will be gravity dispensed:

• Wild Swan 3.5% light session bitter


• Lord Marples 4.0% honeyed bitter


• Ashford 4.2% quadruple hopped brown ale


• Kipling 5.2% South Pacific tropical pale ale


• Jaipur 5.9% world beating IPA


• Handel 6.6% Belgian-style dark dubbel


• St Petersburg 7.7% Imperial Russian stout

I got far too familiar with the St Petersburg at the Rake on Saturday, waking up on my sofa at 1am having lost Jnr and somehow finding my own way back to my new abode. I look forward to respectfully tackling it again, as well as the new-to-me Handel and gorgeous Kipling.

As if that wasn't enough of a temptation, there should be up to five additional handpulled ales from Dark Star to choose from, as Garrett does his best to decide which of these micro titans deserves the accolade of his favourite brewery. He'll also host a lively 'Bingo Quiz' on the Thursday launch night, with some worthwhile boozy prizes sure to be on offer. The Bull's website has become something of an historic reference point in recent months, so be sure to check out their Facebook page for up-to-date information on future events and the ever-changing ale selection.

As soon as the various multinationals involved (that's you BT, Post Office and O2) have pulled their collective fingers out and finally hook me up, a near-full service will be resumed. Please leave your expressions of discontent/contempt for our poor showing below.

Dubbel

Bull Brewery Showcase №2 - Marble

Following on swiftly from the impressive lineup of Kelham Island beers last month, those nice people at The Bull have put together an equally enviable range from everyone's favourite Mancunian brewer, Marble.

After persuading them to hunt down a barrel each of Pint and Ginger (with the added bonus of JP Best) for their Handpicked Beer Festival back in early October, we are very pleased that they have felt compelled to return for more. I have never seen these beers in any pub in this corner of the country and this is testament to the lengths that licencees Garrett and Lynne are prepared to go in order to establish The Bull as the leading alehouse in the area.

The six Marble casks on the rack from Thursday 4th through to Sunday 7th December will be:

• Pint 3.8%
• Ginger 4.3%
• JP Best 4.3%
• Manchester Bitter 4.3%
• Porter 4.5%
• Lagonda 5.0%

The Marble website seems to be pretty unidimensional and with ratebeer currently out of action too it would be a struggle for me to provide much background on the latter three of these beers. However, I was impressed during my visit to the Marble Arch this time last year, adoptive Manc Tandleman has long been a firm supporter and I look forward in particular to trying the rarely seen dark Porter and the Lagonda, which I understand is in the style of a traditional dry IPA.

Dubbel

Bull Brewery Showcase №1 - Kelham Island

This Thursday 30th October marks the start of what should prove a very popular monthly brewery showcase at the Bull in Horton Kirby, Kent.

Each month the pub aims to procure six highly sought-after and rare-to-the-area ales from one of Britain's best and most innovative microbreweries. The brewery's casks will be dispensed by gravity from a stillage and will be in addition to the pub's staple 5 or 6 ever changing ales behind the bar.

This month they're kicking off with the mighty Kelham Island of Sheffield. We're lucky if we get the occasional Pale Rider popping up in Kent and London but this weekend, in addition to regular brews Easy Rider and Pride of Sheffield, there will be no less than four specials:

• Harvest Gold 3.8%


• Conquistador 5.7% - Peruvian dark ale


• Grande Pale 6.6% - billed as Pale Rider on steroids

and what has to be the pick of the draw:

• Brooklyn Smoked Porter 6.5% - first brewed in Sheffield in 2006 by the much celebrated yankee brewmaster Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery.

The showcase runs from Thursday through until Sunday evening and there's even live music on Friday night.

Just try and keep us away!

Dubbel

Bladdered (again) @ the Bull

This October finally saw the arrival of the long-awaited Bull Handpicked ’08 beer festival. Dubbel, Jnr and I had excitedly been anticipating the event since landlord, Garrett, first approached us on a random regular Friday evening visit, enquiring as to where our real ale allegiances lay and which of this year’s brews had most impressed us. We rapidly reeled of a list of faves from notable British breweries including Thornbridge, Marble, BrewDog, and Beowolf.

The Bull is definitely my favourite watering hole. I was first introduced to the place in April this year and from my very first visit I’ve always felt warm and welcome in its homely and comfortable atmosphere. This really is a pub you can walk into and leave feeling content. As soon as you open the door the staff and the regulars will welcome you with open arms to their locals’ paradise. Landlady Lynne’s food never fails to impress me: generous portions, locally sourced ingredients, seasonal options, BBQ’s, hog roasts, fine home made crumbles - you name it - and if there isn’t anything on the menu that takes your fancy, Lynne is only too happy to go out of her way to be flexible with other options.

The Sunday roast this week again left me spellbound. Naturally, I had to select the largest option on the menu - a bit of everything! - beef, lamb, pork (and crackling of course). The home made roast potatoes were perfect with lightly cooked cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, stuffing, and a huge Yorkshire pudding. Mmmm.

Garrett is amazing in his knowledge and enthusiasm for breweries and beer sampling. He’s so positive in his ongoing aim of sourcing some of the best beers in the country and he never seems to forget any of them! Not withstanding his cellar skills, which are clearly exceptional based on the constant stream of crystal clear beer pulled from the pumps. If you were inclined to check the temperature you could guarantee every pint would be virtually spot on 13.5 degrees. The two proud owners together with the rest of their team provide the perfect concoction for our Ultimate Pub.

Anyhow, I digress. Back to the festival…

We were invited to a preview “tasting” session on the Thursday night. In actuality this was just a chance to get the beers flowing nice and early - I think the hosts were too excited! The first night was supposed to be a light one. If only my head felt the same way as I navigated my way to work on the Friday morning knowing only too well that it would only be a few hours before we could continue working through the select 20 or so beers.

Friday was definitely ‘a good effort’ and I woke up with my face stuck to the sofa on the Saturday morning but still eager to get back to the pub for midday to ensure we had maximum time for quaffing all day. Thank heavens I backed out of the originally proposed 20 pint challenge! We all left at the appropriate time. A finishing Dark Star Imperial Stout put pay to everyone’s plans for a late night. Officially 10.5% (although the consensus around the pub was that it was probably a fair bit stronger - 14% at a guess). YCC associate Rapid confirmed its soporific qualities after deciding that 4pm was the perfect time for a pint of it. Fortunately he’d perked up admirably well come darkness.

After much wallowing and some deliberation we opted to give the Sunday a miss. None of us felt it wise to tackle another day and what a shame! We missed Lynne’s hog roast which looked fantastic as it was being prepped the night before.

In terms of the ale selection Beowulf Dragonsmoke Stout (4.7%) was one of my favourite beers of the weekend; a full-on smoky dry-roasted stout with a rich bitter palate and a hint of chocolate which tingles the tongue. Their Dark Raven (4.5%) tradional mild with a heavy yet smooth and hugely fruity body was also a treat. Sadly we missed the Finns Hall Porter as it was stoically kept in reserve until the Sunday buffle*.

This was our first encounter with BrewDog Hype (4.1%), a beer which can only be described as BIG. A warm gold colour, the nose is full of a spectrum of fruit, malts and hops, the flavour is one of the richest, fullest beers I’ve ever had. Not one to be drunk all day! With some pints the palate adjusts as you work your way through and the overall taste sensation weakens – this just doesn’t and was one of the first beers to run dry. Punk IPA (6%) came runner up in the Beer of the Festival public vote and is a legendary beer for us. Each of our stashes are full of the stuff following Tesco’s recent giveaway introductory offer of 99p a bottle. However, straight from the cask it’s a different animal: a monstrously sweet, yet refreshing and tangy IPA in keeping with the rest of the impressive BrewDog range. We pray they don’t become too big and lose their way.

Dark Star Festival Best (4.5%) was a festival special literally consisting of 50% Festival and 50% Best Bitter. I was unsure about this one. Although a big fan of Festival, the Best is the only ale in the entire range I’m not sure I enjoy. Having recently tinkered with the recipe, it has improved but it still lacks the usual Dark Star wow factor. The two mixed together seemed to separate again on the palate, possibly because I was already familiar with the two ingredients. On the other hand, the Imperial Stout was worthy of celebration alone. This rich, gloopy, treacley Russian Imperial Stout is absolutely to die for and probably my personal Beer of the Festival - certainly the one that commands the most respect.

Other beers that really impressed were the eminently drinkable Marble Pint (3.9%) which was first to sell out despite its worrying sparkling yellow-green hue and another huge-hopper JP Best (4.3%). But a special mention must go to Thornbridge, whose Katipo (5.4%, pronounced Kar-ti-Paw) porter was dark but not too heavy and chocked full of peaty, ripe fruit flavour which we absolutely loved. However, the Beer of the Festival was rightly awarded to Jaipur IPA (5.9%) a modern-day classic and possibly the best IPA currently in production in the country with spice and a host of fruits offset by a rasping dry finish, it really was in world-beating nick.

Overall the festival was wonderful and an all-round great success. Garrett and Lynne have since revealed that they are planning to put their acquired stillage to good use with a monthly brewery showcase weekend. The first of which will hopefully be BrewDog in November. (Keep an eye on the blog for further updates) Brilliant news, and great to see that the hard work put into the festival hasn’t kerbed their enthusiasm!

Jimbo

*Buffle, v - best defined by Two Hats of Goldie Lookin' Chain: "I dunno if you've heard of buffling but it's to shy away from something, "You coming out for a drink? You coming out tonight?" "No, I'm buffling". Or you get in a fight "Aaaah, no buffling, no buffling."

Strong as a Bull

Sometimes it's a closely-fought wrestling bout in your mind: do you divulge and promote your undisputed favourite tucked away treasure of a pub to the world? After all, an unpretentious, warm and friendly, classic village pub like this deserves to prosper and be a source of pleasure to as many worthy souls as possible.

Or do you try your hardest to keep it a secret; your own personal, relatively quiet refuge away from the unpleasant realities of big city life? There aren't many places where you feel so truly welcomed and smugly satisfied.

As more and more of Britain's much beloved pubs continue to wither towards terminal closure, there are the odd few that have sprouted new life and are keeping the freehouse tradition alive.

Since we imposed ourselves (as out-of-town regulars) on The Bull in Horton Kirby early this year, we have witnessed a very good pub grow to become truly great. In the last 10 months, we have seen Licencees Garrett and Lynne:

• introduce real ciders and perries and acclaimed American and Continental bottled beers in addition to the excellent ever-changing cask ales from microbreweries nationwide


• arrange pub outings to the Dark Star brewery and Chappel beer festival


• host numerous beer festivals, parties and live music evenings


• launch a website and Facebook group, keeping regulars up to date with developments and upcoming events


• serve up a treat of fine, locally-sourced homecooked food (including special steak and fish nights, lamb and hogroasts and barbeques galore)


• justly pick up the local CAMRA Pub of the Year award, a title dominated by the Cock Inn at Luddesdowne for the past 3 years

There's even a cracking view of the Darenth Valley from the peaceful back garden and the rarity of an adorable pub dog, Chloe, completes the homely, familiar feel of the place. We have never left without a beaming smile on our faces and count our lucky stars that we have a place of this standard within reasonable distance (about a 25 mile round trip from home down the A20).

Happily, far from resulting in complacency, the Pub of the Year status seems only to have spurred the owners on to achieve greater things. A sixth handpump is waiting to be installed on the bar and there is sometimes an extra ale available on gravity. The keg beers have been refined with Stella and John Smiths ousted in favour of imported Löwenbräu and Dark Star Natural Blonde lager. Garrett even has plans to commence brewing on site in the New Year.

This weekend The Bull is hosting its Handpicked '08 Beer Festival, sourcing beers from the corners of the country that you simply do not find in Kentish pubs. There are also a couple of exclusives, including a seldom seen cask of Dark Star Imperial Stout at 10.5% ABV and a festival special also from the Sussex micro. As self-professed aficionados we were given the opportunity to assist in the selection of the ales - so if you don't like the look of these then you've got us to blame!

Beowulf Dark Raven (4.5)

Beowulf Dragonsmoke Stout (4.7)

Beowulf Finns Hall Porter (4.7)

BrewDog Hype (4.1)

BrewDog Punk IPA (6.0)

Brewster Hophead (3.6)

Brewster Hop-a-doodle-doo (4.3)

Dark Star Hophead (3.6)

Dark Star Festival Special (4.5)

Dark Star Imperial Stout (10.5)

Marble Pint (3.9)

Marble JP Best (4.3)

Marble Ginger Marble (4.5)

Newby Wyke Sidewinder (3.8)

Newby Wyke Riverside Special Bitter (4.8)

Purity Pure Gold (3.8)

Purity Pure UBU (4.7)

Thornbridge Lord Marples (4.0)

Thornbridge Katipo (5.4)

Thornbridge Jaipur IPA (5.9)

As well as this impressive beer list, there will be a further 5 ciders and perries, a barbeque, live music, birds of prey display and another mouthwatering hogroast on the Sunday. The atmosphere is sure to be terrific and attendance is strongly advised.

The festival runs from Friday through to Sunday and the nearest train station is Farningham Road on the London Victoria line. I imagine we'll be there more often than not, so do come and say hello if you spot us.

Dubbel

Bank Holiday Festivities

August Bank Holiday weekend is always a busy time for beer festivals; the extra day's midsummer trade is an irresistable excuse for landlords and ladies up and down the country to have a good old fashioned knees-up. In case you are yet to decide where you'll be spending the weekend drinking, here are a few events that have hit the YCC radar:

If the GBBF is Britain's #1 beer festival (in terms of sheer number of beers) then the Peterborough Beer Festival is not far behind at #2. Not strictly a bank holiday festival, the event kicks off on Tuesday and runs through until Saturday 23rd. The beer list has been announced and looks very impressive indeed. I counted 22 festival specials, plus of particular note, no fewer than five from the excellent BrewDog range - including what is possibly a festival premier of cask Speedball and another as yet unnamed beer of unknown strength.

Pan-C and the Beer Monster will be scooping the place out on the opening day and will report back here with their impressions. If you are planning on heading down, do note that the festival has irregular opening hours (Tuesday trade session 3:30-5:30pm, open to public from 5:30 and shut between 2:30 and 5:30 on Wednesday and Friday afternoon).

A little further west down the A47, tooth-rot fans will be flocking to the Swan & Rushes in Leicester for their Cider & Cheese Festival. 16 ciders and perries and 16 cheeses sourced from a wide range of suppliers from the west of England, plus 9 ales, including what is tipped to be the last surviving cask of Oakham Warthog in existance. A pokey 13% when it was first unleashed a year ago at Peterborough, it has been maturing away quietly in the cellar and it's anyone's guess how potent it is now. A warm atmosphere and like-minded beer (and cider) lovers are assured and on Saturday 23rd, Two Gentlemen Play the Pops will entertain the punters in their flatcaps and tweed - an act that must be seen to be appreciated!

Closer to the capital and The Bull in Horton Kirby (nr. Brands Hatch), Kent is also marking the occasion with live music in the garden (weather permitting) from rock and blues guitarist Roger Betts on Saturday 23rd and Matt Brooks on Monday 25th. Throughout the weekend, the landord promises to treat us to a selection of his own personal favourite ales, with the likes of Dark Star Hophead, Champion Beer of Britain 2008 Triple fff Alton's Pride, RCH Pitchfork and Red Squirrel Springfield IPA all featuring. There will even be a semi-gynormous hogroast on the Monday.

The Bull is a mile's stroll from Farningham Road station (trains direct from Victoria every 30 mins) along the river through the picturesque Darenth Valley and is well worth a look.

Dubbel

Kent's Only Brewpub

Deep in the heart of greenest Kent sits the idyllic village of West Peckham - about as far removed from its South London namesake as you could possibly imagine. With a population of around 350, the community is centered around the village green, home to West Peckham Cricket Club, on a tranquil no-through-road. Dotted around the green, you can see the village's history before your very eyes. St Dunstan's Church with its 9th Century tower and, on the opposing side, odd cone-shaped structures, possibly part of an old mill from years past.

But the jewel in the green's crown is the village pub.

An inn has stood on the site of The Swan on the Green since 1526 and whilst various extensions have been added over the years, parts of the building date back to this era. The most notable addition was the creation of the Swan Microbrewery at the rear of the pub in 2000, making it the first and only brewpub in the county. Over ten cask conditioned ales and top pressured beers make up the core range and specials also compliment the portfolio.

On our recent visit five cask ales were on sale: Fuggles Pale; Ginger Swan; Trumpeter Best; Cygnet; and Bewick Swan, alongside the tank conditioned Swan Blonde. Jimbo and I managed to work our way through the handpulled range and we were both delighted with the quality on offer.

The seasonal Ginger (3.6%), far from a smack-in-the-chops, brutish ginger ale, was subtly spiced and easy drinking for a summer evening. The Bewick (5.3%, pronounced Buick), the strongest bitter in the range, has a sweet and creamy chocolate body counterbalanced by a Target and Goldings hop finish and would make a perfect aperitif to a hearty dinner.

However the best of the bunch had to be the Cygnet (4.2%). This deep golden-brown ale is complex with a predominant caramalt palate and the winning addition of juicy Cascade hops. It really was a belter and worth the half hour journey time alone.

Sat outside the front of the building watching the sunset over the green, keenly supping away, you really wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world.

Swan beers are only available at the pub, which is a bit of a shame as I truly believe the Cygnet and Bewick would compliment any festival lineup. They are clearly limited by capacity but, based on the wares sampled, I would be reluctant for the brewing setup to be changed one bit. Plus their exclusivity only serves to make the pub more special. They were advertising 18-pint minipins behind the bar, although sadly only the Fuggles and Trumpeter were available to take away, in our opinion two from the weaker end of those available that evening.

If the Swan has a ‘fault’, it’s that it can be described as “gastrofied” – a sin that I don’t find as irredeemable as some other bloggers. A large proportion of the pub’s interior is dedicated to dining, not a problem on a warm summer’s day with the benches out front but perhaps more restrictive for winter drinking. The food is of a gastronomique nature; a top-notch rib-eye steak with salsa, sautéed potatoes and string beans will set you back around £15. Mains are at least a tenner and starters around £6-7. A glimpse at the classic motors, including a Lamborghini Diablo, in the car park was an indicator of the target demographic. There is, however, a good selection of bar snacks from crisps and a variety of nuts to olives and even beef jerky.

We found the service to be very friendly and professional too. The pub was busy for a Tuesday night and in terms of table space was operating at near capacity. The barmaids were apologetic for our short wait times at the bar and explained that they were two members of staff down. They worked hastily throughout the evening to ensure each party left with a smile of their faces.

We certainly did.

As we pulled away, taking one last glimpse of the picture postcard scenery an unusual thought escaped me: it’s not all that bad living in England after all, is it?

Dubbel