|
Post by Gyro on Sept 17, 2009 21:06:06 GMT 2
has always passed me by. Seeing as it's something they don't really excel at. Whisky, on the other hand, cannot be bettered, but beer, well ........... meh.
Until now. Get hold of some Williams Bros (brewed in Alloa) IPA. It is stunning.
They also do a lager, which is chilling in my fridge at the moment. But if it is anything like Harviestoun Schiehallion - a kind of cross between lager and pale ale - I will NOT be dissapointed.
|
|
|
Post by Big Iain on Sept 17, 2009 21:19:02 GMT 2
ohhhhh, put the red rag away!!!!
I think we have said before that the good and small Scottish breweries do not get distributed far from their homes. If you ever see the following then give them a go.
Caledonian from Edinburgh do a great range... 70 and 80 shilling, Golden Promise and a couple of others.
Belhaven from Dunbar do an excellent ale called Best, between an IPA and a dark ale
Broughton Brewery, from Broughton just South of Edinburgh do a great series of ales including Merlin, Greenmantle and various others. They like the other two have been bought over by the big boys and their distribution has been really curtailed. Greenmantle for instance used to be on tap in virtually every bar in the Borders if you go back 10 years or so. Now? Well I was just discussing with my Dad that neither of us can remember seeing it anywhere for a couple of years. Its quite sad really because any trip to play, or see, some rugby in the borders would be accompanied by a few pints of Greenmantle.
A slight tangent (you probably already know?). Scotland used to produce very fine stout but it was banned during the war because the ingredients were to scarce to waste (?) on dark beer. The last Scottish stout I saw was Gillespie's, and that was a few years ago now.
|
|
|
Post by Gyro on Sept 17, 2009 21:42:21 GMT 2
It's no red yag, yer big bollocks, just an observation. I've had Broughton (Greenmantle I think), I've never had a satisfactory Caledonian (although they had 80 Shilling in Sainsburys today and I didn't buy it. next time...), and I'm not keen on Bellhaven.
Arran Blonde is quite nice, and I'm sure there was another that was a tad underwhelming.
|
|
|
Post by Big Iain on Sept 17, 2009 21:50:03 GMT 2
trouble is that there are so many genuinely good beers down South that you are spoiled for choice. Give Caley 80 another go if it is still there next visit. That will tell me a lot more about your personal tastes.
|
|
|
Post by Gyro on Sept 17, 2009 21:56:42 GMT 2
I've not had 80 before, that was the point. Next time I'm in JS I will. Not sure I understand your last sentence, mind.
|
|
|
Post by Big Iain on Sept 17, 2009 21:59:04 GMT 2
That I would be able to discuss and recommend others depending on how you find Caley 80. Its my personal fave. I don't really drink a lot of beer nowadays though.
|
|
|
Post by Gyro on Sept 18, 2009 8:17:20 GMT 2
What sort of beer is it ?
Although in honesty, I'll try and often appreciate anything, be it a pale ale, porter, mild, wheat beer, lager, bitter, stout .....
|
|
|
Post by Big Iain on Sept 18, 2009 8:46:29 GMT 2
hmmmm, 80 shilling is a little darker and a little stronger in taste than IPA. Caley is a little sweeter (but not sweet).
|
|
|
Post by Baz Faz on Sept 18, 2009 9:08:40 GMT 2
Why is it called 80 shilling? Nothing to do with price, is it?
|
|
|
Post by Big Iain on Sept 18, 2009 10:41:17 GMT 2
It was to do with the original excise (sp?) duty payable for each batch of dark beer that was produced. The classifications used to be: 70, 80 and 90 shilling along with Heavy and also Special. It is quite vague for describing dark beers but you generally know what to expect.
|
|
|
Post by Gyro on Sept 18, 2009 13:35:40 GMT 2
Did you know that Stout is originally a LONDON beer, not an Oirish one ?
|
|
|
Post by Big Iain on Sept 18, 2009 14:44:54 GMT 2
Yup, the Irish did not have to worry about rationing and all that so no now they rule the world in that department.
|
|
|
Post by Gyro on Sept 18, 2009 14:57:49 GMT 2
It fell out of favour in this country LONG before the war(s). 1700's it was top, but then Bitter came along and because almost anybody could convert a room of their house to sell beer like that, stout sort of died out.
|
|
|
Post by Big Iain on Sept 18, 2009 21:19:44 GMT 2
hmmmm, I know that many breweries up here were banging out the stout until the war. maybe just on a smaller scale than I had thought?
|
|
|
Post by Gyro on Sept 18, 2009 21:22:02 GMT 2
No, it wasn't that they STOPPED making stout, it's just that with the popularity and famous side of Guinness, many people mistakenly think it is originally an IRISH brew, thass all ..
|
|
|
Post by Gyro on Sept 18, 2009 21:23:03 GMT 2
There's a really good London brewery called Meantime, and he endeavours to make beers as original as possible, mostly following recipes that are 200+ years old. They make a stout which is essentially pretty much what the first ever stout was like.
|
|
|
Post by Big Iain on Sept 18, 2009 21:27:19 GMT 2
dare I ask if they are based in Greenwich? Since London has been mentioned... I will miss my weekend trips in to the big city now that I am in the boonies again. I used to love having a beer in bars like the Cheshire Cheese and such down at Fleet street. I loved to think of people like Charles Dickens and Dr Johnston having a glass or two in there. And the champagne bar in St Pancras too. Only for wine ponces like me though.
|
|
|
Post by Gyro on Sept 18, 2009 21:28:44 GMT 2
I think they may be, yes. Or did you know that ?
Hang on, I'll check ....
|
|
|
Post by Gyro on Sept 18, 2009 21:29:22 GMT 2
Oh, haha, I just understood what you meant. That's the first time I've made the connection.
HAHAHAHAHA !
Time for more beer ....
|
|
|
Post by Gyro on Sept 18, 2009 21:31:14 GMT 2
MEANTIME LONDON STOUT 5.4% ABV
International Beer Challenge 2008 - 'World's Best 50 Beers' London Stout not Irish Stout
'A Stout' originally just meant a strong beer, so in theory you could have a Stout Pilsner or a Stout Pale Ale. In practice it was applied to the Porter style, so therefore meant a stronger Porter.
As the porter style declined in England in survived in Ireland and Stout Porter became abbreviated to just Stout, and, as is the way with beer styles the strengths gradually declined. With the modern revival in interest in Porter the consequence is that Stouts are now lower in alcohol than today's Porters.
Now associated with Ireland, Stout is, as the son of Porter, a London drink although the Irish version has diverged suggiciently from the original to warrant being judged a style of its own.
Meantime London Stout is made in the original London way, with an 100% malt grist including the original brown malt and no roast barley. This gives the beer a more velvet mouthfeel and greater vanilla notes than Irish alternatives.
It also pours without making you wait.
Available in 500ml bottles and 30l keg
|
|
|
Post by Gyro on Sept 18, 2009 21:31:42 GMT 2
|
|
|
Post by shrjeff on Sept 19, 2009 12:02:20 GMT 2
anybody besides me tried the highland brew... sheepshaggers gold from aviemore?...
|
|
|
Post by missalaska on Sept 19, 2009 12:31:10 GMT 2
We have Scottish microbreweries in Cape Town and Knysna, although they are independently owned now, they still trade under the same name Mitchell's Brewery and produce the same range. They do a lovely 90 Shilling (had only ever had 70 80 and Heavy before) and also do a stout, however the Knysna brew taste a weeny bit nicer - must be the water. Their lager and bitter are bit wishy washy. Despite being a microbrewery, Knysna Mitchell's say they are the second largest in the country (after SABMiller!).
|
|
|
Post by Gyro on Sept 19, 2009 22:04:21 GMT 2
The county I live in has the 2nd largest number of breweries in it than any other in the entire UK.
AND I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND A JOB WITH ANY OF THEM ... !!!!!
|
|
|
Post by missalaska on Sept 20, 2009 15:32:24 GMT 2
Have you tried gyro?
|
|
|
Post by Gyro on Sept 21, 2009 7:03:02 GMT 2
Yeah. I looked a while ago at setting up my own Brew Pub, but as a non-celebrity with no big pockets you can't make the figures work.
|
|