The Hop Press: The Weekend of Spontaneous Fermentation

I've written about the Weekend of Spontaneous Fermentation on my Hop Press blog. It really is a unique and wonderful beer festival. You can read the full post here.

The Hop Press: Dangerously Bitter

I’ve been lazy with my Hop Press blog recently but I’m back on it this week. Essentially it’s a re-hashing of a blog which I wrote early last year (an important post which made me realise that beer was more than just a taste experience) with a few tweaks. It’s about how bitterness is innately a warning of poison and how this increases the enjoyment of hoppy beers.

Here’s the full post.

What do you think? Am I a bit crazy here or is there something addictive about big hops that keeps you going back for more? That smack of bitterness which craves sweetness - the unending cycle of drinking for pleasure and ‘pain’ that makes a great IPA.

The Hop Press: Planet Thanet Beer Festival

It’s been a bit of a whirlwind the last few weeks and the blog seems to have been buried underneath a pile of other stuff. Thankfully I’ve still had time to go out drinking. I posted this little thing on the train home from the beer festival on Friday, but here’s a more detailed re-cap of my day at Planet Thanet.

The Hop Press: A Fast Cask

For this week’s Hop Press post I’ve written about Marston’s new Fast Cask initiative. I’ve basically taken Pete’s, Roger’s and the Publican's posts and squashed them together, asking the most important question at the end: if this works with yeast, could it work with hops and could we therefore got ‘cask hopped’ beer?!

Here’s the full post.

Hop Press: A London Drinker

I went to the London Drinker Beer and Cider Festival and I drank... This week’s post is about that festival, a mention of the forthcoming Wetherspoon's International Real Ale Festival (the signs are up outside mine already) and a happy endnote about the current and future state of beer and brewing in London.

The full post is here.

The Hop Press: In Dispense

This week’s Hop Press post looks at how some beers benefit from a certain dispense. For example, a 4% pale ale hand-pulled from the cask will very likely be better than the equivalent in a bottle, while a big US-style IPA will probably benefit from the extra juice given from a keg.

The post is inspired by drinking BrewDog’s new Hardcore IPA at The Rake. It’s a good beer and was dispensed from the keg, but in comparison to drinking similar IPAs in California, the temperature was just a little too warm to best show off the beer (or, the beer was a little too Hardcore for the English kegs). Then, out of the bottle it was different and worked well, maybe better.

Is some beer better from particular dispenses? Would something like Orval work from the cask? Would kegged Landlord appeal? Are some beers better from the bottle than draught?

Here’s the full post.

The Hop Press: Something Sour; Part of the Journey (Take 2)

This is the Hop Press post which mysteriously didn’t auto-publish while I was away and it’s about my new and growing love for sour beer. It also looks at a progression of beer drinking, which I think goes a little like this: lager, ale, dark ale, strong ale, imperial stout, big IPAs, sours, session beer and lager. It’s a list of the developing tastes of someone who loves different beers and a natural step from one to the next finishing up back where it all started with a new appreciation of the wonderful simplicity of good session ale or lager. Read the full post here.

The Hop Press: San Francisco Beers of my Week

I’m back! After a week of drunken (or hungover) posts, blurry pictures and general bleurgh, this blog should return to its usual state. As it’s Sunday it means something on the Hop Press (I did line a post up last week but it didn’t publish itself and is still in the draft folder, which is annoying). I wasn’t in much of a writing mood this morning so I put some words down about the best beers I had on my trip (and there were a lot of good beers). Here's the full post!

I think it’s fair to say that you can expect a few more posts in the next weeks about my trip. This one just lazily gets it rolling with a few favourites (and you know me, I like to list my favourite things).

The Hop Press: Something Sour; Part of the Journey

This entry to the Hop Press is rolled together last-minute and talks about my new love for sour beer (surpassing tongue-ripping, hop-heavy beers) and how I crave them in the middle of drinking sessions. It also looks at a progression of beer drinking, which I think goes a little like this: lager, ale, dark ale, strong ale, imperial stout, big IPAs, sours, session beer and lager. It’s a list of the developing tastes of someone who loves different beers and a natural step from one to the next finishing up back where it all started with a new appreciation of the wonderful simplicity of good session ale or lager.

This is set to auto-publish as I will be computer-less while in San Francisco (but I'll still be blogging via my blackberry). While we’re here, today is Superbowl Sunday. Apparently this is a big deal, like FA Cup Final Day, or something. Personally, I don’t get American football. The stop-starting bores the hell out of me. I think I’ll try and watch the game though, maybe I’ll learn something. Anyway... as long as I’ve got a good beer all will be well!

The Hop Press: San Francisco Baby!

On Thursday I fly to San Francisco for a week of drinking beer, but I’m guessing you already knew that... This week’s Hop Press post is asking for local knowledge, trying to find the best places to go, the best places to eat, things like that.

I’ve got a map of all the main and well-known bars, breweries and stores and I’ve got an idea of my itinerary and the events I will be doing for Beer Week (which has the most amazing line-up of beer stuff going on). I just want to know the insider news on where the best burgers are, who does the best breakfast, the best place to drink a beer and chill out, and so on.

I’ve made a list of my must-find beers too. The top 5 (because I’m sad and geeky enough to do that), in no particular order, are: Pliny the Younger (it’s released once a year for about a week and I’ll be nearby when it launches so of course I will be having this), Pliny the Elder (it’s awesome and I want to see how it is from the keg), Anchor Steam (the beer which is integral to the kick start of craft brewing in America), Racer 5 (the beer I was drinking the night of the BGBW awards and the day after, so I want to drink it at the brewpub) and any Russian River sours, hopefully Supplication (just because). It’s not a ridiculous list and it’s not unachievable. Beyond these I just want to drink whatever is good in wherever I am.

If you know anything that I should know before going out there then tell me about it!

The Hop Press: Changing Expectations

I’m not here right now. This is set to auto post, as is the Hop Press post, so fingers are crossed that it all works out (if it doesn't then it won't get fixed until Monday). Currently, as this posts itself, I should be in Beer Ritz with Zak and a bunch of beer bloggers. This comes after a big one in Sheffield and before a big one in Leeds.

This week’s Hop Press blog is about a shift in expectation that comes after drinking good beer. You see, I want most beers to be a life changing experience (or at least for them to be very good) and that’s foolish. It should be more about the moment of the drinking and I’m sure we’ve all had crappy beers but enjoyed them (or at least remembered them) because of the moment. Not every beer will blow my mind so I shouldn’t expect it to. Not every pale ale will be pumped with tongue-tingling hops but it will have a subtle flavour to it that needs appreciating.

The thing is, if everything is levelled and it just comes down to the beer in the glass, I want it to be a good one and I’m not afraid to throw it away if it isn’t great – there’s so much good beer to be drunk!

The Hop Press: Beers to Talk About

This week’s Hop Press blog is about the beers which make you talk. I specifically refer to Westvleteren 12, Tactical Nuclear Penguin and Calcutta IPA, the beer Pete Brown had brewed for Hops and Glory. To quote myself, because it’s easier than re-writing, ‘Having [these beers] in your glass is a tangible experience; there’s excitement to them, delicate underlying tension, a sense of wonder. These feelings come from the rareness, history, age or the story (of the actual beer or a personal story of your own) of the beer.’

The full post is here. Tell me what you think. And what beers have made you talk?

Last week, when I was working on this BrewDog Dinner, I also shot a video of Tactical Nuclear Penguin. Here it is.

The Hop Press: Beer and food: Because it’s worth it

Sunday means a post on The Hop Press blog. There’s some really good articles over there written by a variety of beer writers, so it’s well worth checking out, especially if you are interested in the US beer scene.

Today’s post is about pairing beer and food and is a simple overview of the tricks which beer can play that makes it a great companion to your lunch.

The full post is here.

Anyone had any good food and beer pairings recently?

The Hop Press: What’s outside the glass is important too

In his New Beer’s Resolution post, Reluctant Scooper writes about how place, time and company impact upon beer enjoyment. This is massively important and it’s pretty central to my latest Hop Press post. You see, attaching a numerical value to a selection of criteria based on a sensory experience is not easy, yet at the same time all you need to do is decide how much you like something and then score it accordingly (if you aren’t ‘rating’ then the same idea applies and there is still some kind of subconscious process in which you decide how much you like what you are drinking: How drinkable is it? What does it taste like? How refreshing is it? Shall I get another or choose something different?).

I care about what is outside of the glass: the mood of the drinker, the kind of day they’ve had, what the weather is like, the kind of thirst they have, who they are with and where they are. All of this is important. Drink a bottle of ice cold lager in your garage on a rainy February afternoon and it’s probably going to taste crap. Open the same beer on a hot tropical beach in the middle of summer and it’ll taste wonderful. Likewise, a barley wine shared with friends after a long, enjoyable dinner will be better than a lonely bottle drunk while watching TV in the evening when you are full of a nasty cold (that’ll clear the system!). Sharing experiences also attaches extra texture to the memories we have of something. You’ll remember the barley wine with friends because of the fun you had. You might not even like the beer that much as a taste experience, but as life wraps around the glass it becomes more enjoyable.

Here’s the full post.

I’ve written about the taste of memories before. There’s a similar idea behind that post.

The Hop Press: I rate beer

I’ve come to a decision and committed it to my latest Hop Press post... I’m going to start rating beer. For a year I will ‘rate’ and enter the score into Rate Beer for each unique beer I drink. I started on Christmas Eve (I was going to start on 1st January as that’s the most logical starting point but I’ve had too many great beers over Christmas that I didn’t want to miss out) and will continue until the end of 2010.

I have my reasons: I want to be able to look back at what I’ve drunk come the end of 2010; I want to understand the rating process and how easy/difficult it is and the pros and cons of doing it; I want to see if I become obsessed with raising my total or if I get disillusioned and disinterested in doing it after a while.

I haven’t entered any rates yet but I’ll start soon – I have a few ready to go in. The Hop Press post also asks: if you rate, then why do you do it?

Here’s the full post.

The Hop Press: Opening the special bottles

This week’s Hop Press post is now up. As it’s nearly Christmas and I’m planning on opening a few nice beers to share with family and friends, the post is about the special bottles which are saved up for certain moments or special occasions and how the actual opening of these bottles becomes a real and tangible event.

I’ve written about my beer hoarding before and how I just buy bottles and squirrel them away waiting for an 'event' to warrant their opening. It’s left me with a nice looking beer cupboard, that’s for sure, but I really should get around to drinking them, because, after all, the opening of them is an event in itself (and the drinking is good fun too). I’ll definitely be opening a few nice ones over Christmas and New Year.

Here’s the full post.

Maybe I should make my New Year's Resolution: Just open the bloody bottle and drink the thing!

The Hop Press: Fantasy Christmas Drinking

Tomorrow I’ll be posting the beers that I will hopefully be drinking on Christmas Day but this one for The Hop Press is about the fantasy line up of beers that I wish I could be drinking - you know me, I always want to drink what I can’t get, the special bottles that are rare and famous and ‘Best’ listed – I’m a fickle, thirsty beer geek.

What would your fantasy Christmas Day of drinking involve? Rare bottles, favourite casks, festively themed beers? You also get presents - a weekend away and one bottle of beer, plus you can choose the movie you watch on the day.

The full post is here, complete with my choices.

The Hop Press: A pint of imperial stout, please

This week’s Hop Press post is inspired by the Old Ale festival at The White Horse, Parsons Green. You see, the smallest measure of beer they served was a half pint and I don’t really think a half pint of 11% beer is all that sensible in the pub, especially when there are so many other (strong) beers you or I want to drink.

I think that so much of British drinking revolves around the pint glass but as the beers change the glasses need to also. I like third-pints but we don’t see them anywhere, plus I’d argue that they are seen as emasculating to your usual pint drinker (it’s a mentality-thing based on the principal that beer is served in a pint glass. Full stop). There was recent move to introduce a two-thirds glass but personally I think making the third-pint more visible would be better.

The nature of British beer is evolving and I think the vessels it is served in needs to evolve too. What do you think? Are you happy with a half-pint of imperial stout at a beer festival or would you rather it was served in a smaller glass? Or do you just want a full pint and be done with it.

Here's the full post.

I’ve only scratched the surface on this one. It’s a big area to look at, encapsulating the drinker, the drink, the history, the culture; it needs to look at who drinks what and the changing beer scene plus it needs to take into account the beer geek side of things… and the whole thing is wrapped up inside a ‘please drink responsibly’ banner.

The Hop Press: Trashy Beer

My post is now up on the Rate Beer Hop Press. Last week it was about the best beer you've ever had or your favourite beer, this week it’s about your trashy beer. The one which you shouldn’t love but you just do. It’s probably one you grew up with, a beer which comes fully loaded with great memories. It’s important because beer is more than trying to find that perfect beer or the next great scoop or one of those famous, rare bottles. Beer is what we make it and sometimes a crappy, trashy beer can taste better than anything else in the world.

Here’s the full post.

And tell me, what’s your trashy beer? Mine... read the blog to find out. Although if you’ve been reading this blog for a while you might be able to guess.

The Hop Press: *That* Question

My first proper Rate Beer Hop Press post is now online. It’s about that question, the one which I’m sure we’ve all been asked many times before: What’s the best beer you’ve ever had? Or, what’s your favourite beer? Or, what beer would you take to a desert island? Or any variation on that.

The full piece is here. If you'd like to comment then I don’t mind whether you did it here or there. My Hop Press page is here.