Beer

[leedswolf]

It's a decent drop though tbf Kenny.

 

[leedswolf]

Not really no. Because the Real Ales round here aren't race to the bottom Wetherspoons shite are they?

Yet Salopian Kashmir is a regular visitor at the Moon.

 

[Jabbawolf]

Tried a whole heap of craft ales over Christmas, yet the best pint was good, old Ubu, closely followed by Bushy's Humbug.

 

[machin05]

I see your point and this is where economy of scale comes in, if the product wipes its nose then yes it is worth keeping simply as a marketing and brand awareness tool. It is expensive but market awareness is key to promoting the lines that a brewer actually makes money on. The brewery isn't losing money on cask and it gets a greater market to aim at and sell its premium product to. That's the only way to grow and if it wipes its face (I phrase I truly despise) then it is sustainable, just not profit making.

I liken it to New Balance, I know New Balance run their cricket pads and clothing at break even becuase it wanted market awareness, brand kudos (for sponsoring England) and a greater market appeal so it can sell more fashion and running shoes. Cloudwater and others will have to think like that if they want to grow.

It's not quite the same with Cloudwater though. They have no problem with appeal and demand - everything they make sells out before it's even been brewed. They need to expand their brewing capacity in order to grow, and they can't afford to do that by continuing to put their beer into cask - if the same brew goes into keg they can sell it for more.

That's a concern if more and more craft breweries make that decision. Only people left making cask will be the local breweries with an estate of pubs (Bathams, Holdens, Titanic, Dark Star, Fullers etc.) and the conglomerate breweries and multi-national owned behemoths who have lucrative tie-ins with Pub-Cos (Greene King, Martsons, Morland). If that happens then cask will remain in stasis whilst the rest of the brewing world continue to develop, progress and innovate - which would be a massive shame.

 

[machin05]

A bit more of a balanced view on the current subject de jour - http://tandlemanbeerblog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/nothing-much-to-see-here-move-along.html

 

[Jinky]

Not really no. Because the Real Ales round here aren't race to the bottom Wetherspoons shite are they?

Speaking of Wetherspoons, you have to give them credit where it's due. I was in the Leamington Spa Wetherspoons over Christmas and they had a "real ale and craft ale" fridge. So I was in there drinking Dark Star Revelation. For a monster in the main pub chain business, at least their selection of beers is usually very good.

 

[machin05]

And a really interesting blog from the owner of Hardkott - http://hardknott.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/looking-forward.html

What I found worth reading was his reference to the FT article that Phil posted on here a couple of days ago.

I'm starting to wonder if the Government are moving towards revoking the beer duty break for smaller breweries in order to redress the balance heavily back into the favour of the big congolmerate and mulit-national PLC breweries and beverage companies.

I've been struggling to think why the Tories have effectively paid someone to recommend that the safe drinking limit be reduced to just 14 units a week on the basis of no new scientific research or data. The net result being a whole lot more people fall into the category of "drinking too much" - how can we pay for all the extra healthcare and support??? By taxing the breweries more. Easy way to do this? Revoke the tax break for the little guys. More tax income without pissing off their big rich chums - the ones who are complainaing about the "squeezd middle".

I could, of course, be talking completely out of my arse!

 

[machin05]

Last link from me about the subject (probably, maybe) - http://boakandbailey.com/2017/01/breakfast-debate-is-the-cloudwater-news-the-end-of-the-world/

 

[FrankMunro-371]

Speaking of Wetherspoons, you have to give them credit where it's due. I was in the Leamington Spa Wetherspoons over Christmas and they had a "real ale and craft ale" fridge. So I was in there drinking Dark Star Revelation. For a monster in the main pub chain business, at least their selection of beers is usually very good.

They have the same thing in their pubs in Hinckley and Nuneaton. And to be fair, they do sell a few of them. Though with so many guest beers, and now their "January sales", craft beer will struggle to make a big impact.

 

[Langers]

Speaking of Wetherspoons, you have to give them credit where it's due. I was in the Leamington Spa Wetherspoons over Christmas and they had a "real ale and craft ale" fridge. So I was in there drinking Dark Star Revelation. For a monster in the main pub chain business, at least their selection of beers is usually very good.

I was in there a week or so before Christmas. It is good in that one. There are some very decent Wetherspoons pubs around.

 

[Lycan]

I was in there a week or so before Christmas. It is good in that one. There are some very decent Wetherspoons pubs around.

I was in one a few weeks ago for a breakfast and they had Kelham Island - Pale Rider, Harviestoun - Scheihallion, Cairngorn - Trade Winds, Everards - Tiger, Alechemy - Ritual, Fallen - Odyssey, Gypsy Hill - Southpaw & Wylam - Remain in Light all on cask.

They give their managers free reign to get in pretty much whatever they want. This one obviously knew his shit.

 

[Jinky]

I was in there a week or so before Christmas. It is good in that one. There are some very decent Wetherspoons pubs around.

You were in the Leamington spoons? Random!

 

[machin05]

http://zythophile.co.uk/2017/01/04/cloudwater-quality-and-camra-dinosaurs/

 

[Langers]

You were in the Leamington spoons? Random!

Yeah - my girlfriends friend lives in Leamington so we had a day drinking there. Had lunch in Turtle Bay. It's a nice place is Leamington.

 

[FrankMunro-371]

Yeah - my girlfriends friend lives in Leamington so we had a day drinking there. Had lunch in Turtle Bay. It's a nice place is Leamington.

That has got me thinking how many of their pubs I have been in, - Hinckley, Nuneaton, Stoke, Lincoln, Louth, Grimsby and Wolverhampton spring instantly to mind.

 

[Jinky]

Yeah - my girlfriends friend lives in Leamington so we had a day drinking there. Had lunch in Turtle Bay. It's a nice place is Leamington.

That, it is. All of my best friends still live there, so I'm regularly up visiting. Funnily enough, I'm back up there tomorrow; but for a walk with all the wives/girlfriends & children, so I won't be sampling the local waterholes this time...

As for beer - most of my christmas run got drank by myself & the Mrs' dad over the festive period (think I've got about 10 x Neck Oil's left from the case of 24 I bought, but everything else went), so I made a quick trip to Sainsbury's after work last night, and whilst their selection isn't anywhere near as good as the local off license (or even the local Tesco), I did manage to get -

3 x Punk IPA £1.80 a bottle
3 x Elvis Juice £1.80 a bottle
3 x 5am Saint £1.75 a bottle
3 x Dead Pony Club £1.80 a bottle

 

[Boozad]

Smoke n' Barrels Summer smoked orange has just become my favourite Gose.

 

[Lycan]

Westbrook - Gose. Perfect example of a classic gose. Doesn't get better than this.

 

[leedswolf]

Wild Beer Zintuki.

 

[machin05]

Just had this:

It's got no hops, hasn't been boiled, fermented with wild yeast cultures for a big whack of sourness, aged in charred bourbon barrels and was mashed with white, green and black peppercorns.

Tastes incredible. Fizzy sherbert tartness, sweetness from bourbon and some balanced bite from the peppercorns. Rediculous beer.