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Cakes'n'Ale

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  1. Tony Smith, Ed, Reg Hardware
    Pint

    Cakes'n'Ale

    Pending the arrival of a Cakes'n'Ale section all of its own - there's more to life than all this technology nonsense - we'll start here... with Steel Toe Stout from the Ska Brewing Company (http://www.skabrewing.com/main.html).

    Rather nice, slightly sweet American dark beer, brewed to an English Milk Stout recipe, apparently. Not as smoky as US dark beers sometimes can be - though that's not a bad quality IMHO - with some pleasant coffee flavours. Bit of chocolate in there too.

    Tasted at Byrons Hamburgers, Haymarket branch (http://www.byronhamburgers.com/), which I'd recommend for its grub alone, if not for the excellent - and just revised - craft beer menu.

    Anyone know of a UK distributor of Ska's brews?

    Trivia Fact #99: Ska is based in Durango, Colorado. I once spent a night there when a blizzard stopped me reaching Denver across the Rockies. Pleasant town, I recall. But effing cold that night.

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    1. jake Silver badge
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      Preemptive post (was: Re: Cakes'n'Ale)

      Yes, us Yanks *can* build good beer. It ain't just BMC here on the left side of the pond ... See this post of mine.

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      1. Anonymous Coward
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        Anonymous Coward

        American IPAs

        Colder, hoppier, stronger and much tastier than their UK counterparts. Sierra Nevada is maybe the best known and you can now get it in Sainsbury's - Yay! Bit pricey though.

        But yes, America does great beers - and they are readily available all along the west coast.

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        1. jake Silver badge
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          Re: American IPAs

          Sierra Nevada is pretty much my goto when I'm on the road East of the Rockies. It's not bad, for a mass-produced beer.

          That said, there are locations all across the US that have preserved plant sugars well worth sampling. I always ask a local where to eat when I'm in a strange place ... and ask the chef there for suggestions on local brews & vintages. I'm rarely pointed in the wrong direction.

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    2. Al Taylor
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      Re: Cakes'n'Ale

      Durango - I remember that.

      Seem to recall the tyres on the rental car had frozen flat the following morning. I did genuinely fear they'd find us on the side of that f**king mountain the following spring.

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  2. jake Silver badge

    Dogfish Head's "Indian Brown".

    A Scotch ale crossed with American brown ale, brewed with a similar hops bill as an IPA. No detectible fusals, esters, or aldehydes[1]. Just good, clean flavor. Worth sipping from "ice cold & fizzy" through "room temperature and flat" ... This one's tasty all across the board! Makes good pot-roast, chili, and whole-wheat bread. Remember to keep it out of direct sunlight ... it skunks fast.

    Worth a try, if you can find it. Recommended.

    [1] Unlike all of the "Sam Adams" line ... that shit always gives me a headache the next day, even if I just drink one 12oz bottle and nothing else but water.

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  3. Tony Smith, Ed, Reg Hardware
    Pint

    Über Alles

    A trip to Morrisons this weekend furnished me with three genuine German weissbiers: Schneider Weisse, Erdinger Weissbier and Franziskaner Weissbier. I love weissbier, with its cloudy looks and cereal taste - though there's a bit of citrus in there too.

    I have to mention that I generally have the latter when travelling in Germany, so it's a bit of a favourite of mine. Very smooth - nice and wheaty too. Just right, IMHO.

    http://regmedia.co.uk/2012/04/04/beer_1.jpg

    Of the other two, the Erdinger has a more 'organic' taste - the Schneider more 'industrial'. I'd recommend the former.

    http://regmedia.co.uk/2012/04/04/beer_2.jpg

    http://regmedia.co.uk/2012/04/04/beer_3.jpg

    PS. Morrisons appears to be building a decent array of international bottled beers. Worth a look.

    REJECT the 'Brewed in the UK under Licence' FAIL

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    1. jake Silver badge
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      Re: Über Alles

      Not fond of Wheat beers, myself. But then if we all liked the same beer, the world would be a very, very boring place ...

      I also totally reject the "brewed in X under license" fail ... and in fact, I completely refuse to drink so-called "imported" ales here in the US. Invariably, they are artificially skunked ... Old Peculiar with a skunky background has to be tasted to be believed. Narsty.

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      1. Anonymous Coward
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        Anonymous Coward

        Newcastle Brown Ale - and Bass

        Both easier to find in San Francisco bars than in pubs in the south-east of England.

        Newkie Brown is undrinkable IMO.

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  4. Andrew Orlowski (Written by Reg staff)

    US hops over here on the cheap

    There are a few UK brewers using US hops to create American-style IPAs. My pick is:

    http://www.brewdog.com/product/punk-ipa

    Malts: Marris Otter Extra Pale Malt

    Hops: Chinook, Simcoe, Ahtanum, Nelson Sauvin

    Tesco and Sainsbury's do it, 4 for £5.50. I haven't found anything as good at anything like that price. and it's very good.

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    1. jake Silver badge
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      4 for £5.50 is considered inexpensive?

      What size bottle is that?

      I can purchase 6 packs of 12oz (354ml) microbrews for about a buck a bottle ... and that's good beer, too ... the cheap stuff is ~35 cents a 12oz can, or less on sale.

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      1. Citizen Kaned
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        Re: 4 for £5.50 is considered inexpensive?

        our beer is often much stronger than the stuff in the USA though. american beer is often classified as 'fizzy piss' here :)

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        1. Anonymous Coward
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          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Re: 4 for £5.50 is considered inexpensive?

          Sure - but we are comparing like for like here.

          Standard size beer bottles in UK are 330ml - about 11 US fl.oz.

          There isn't that much difference in beer prices in general between UK and US - but American IPAs are sold in the UK as craft, specialities - and hence they are sold at premium, compared with lagers and bitters.

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        2. jake Silver badge
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          @Citizen Kaned (was: Re: 4 for £5.50 is considered inexpensive?)

          Might want to actually read this thread, Citizen.

          I can purchase a 22oz bottle of 8.2% ale within walking distance of pretty much anywhere I need to spend the night here in California ... for under US$4.00. With the exchange rate hovering around 1.57 US dollars to the GB pound ... well, do the math.

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        3. Tony Smith, Ed, Reg Hardware
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          Re: 4 for £5.50 is considered inexpensive?

          As opposed to the stuff micturated out of your average UK pub's lager tap, presumably...

          Genuine US beer - even from the big brands - is better than the stuff sold under its name over here.

          Same is true of Stella, Kronenbourg, Heineken, Grolsch etc.

          Why do the Brits - well, the lagerboys - put up with this watery, no-taste stuff? Answer: they clearly don't care about flavour.

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          1. jake Silver badge
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            @Tony Smith, Ed, Reg Hardware (was: Re: 4 for £5.50 is considered inexpensive?)

            "Why do the Brits - well, the lagerboys - put up with this watery, no-taste stuff? Answer: they clearly don't care about flavour."

            And is probably the reason the entire ignorant pissing contest exists in the first place ;-)

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      2. Tony Smith, Ed, Reg Hardware
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        Re: 4 for £5.50 is considered inexpensive?

        Maybe but you don't get taxed to buggery like we do over here.

        Think the beer here is pricey? You should see what they charge for gas

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    2. Tony Smith, Ed, Reg Hardware
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      Re: US hops over here on the cheap

      Brew Dog now has a tied pub in Camden - corner of Greenland St and Bayham St.

      http://www.brewdog.com/bars/camden

      Their Punk IPA and 5AM Saint are both bloody good.

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    3. Anonymous Coward
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      Anonymous Coward

      @ andrew Orlowski

      Nice choice, Brewdog's Punk IPa is my beer of choice at the moment, really good flavour profile on it.

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  5. jake Silver badge

    The wife & I split a 12oz bottle ...

    ... of Anchor Brewing's "Old Foghorn" barleywine this evening ... it's the first of a case that I purchased back in 1992.

    Oh, my fucking gawd/ess ... Brews built to age are wonderful when aged properly!

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  6. Shane Phillip Maher Irish Poet And Bard
    Pint

    Beer and Wine

    Anyone ever tried Irish Craft beers ? Why does nt a pint of guinness taste the same anywhere here but Eire , is it because of the lack of flow ? Why is it so difficult to find good European wines in Ireland and why in God's name are they so bloody expensive in a European Union founded on the free movement of goods , capital and labour etc . Philosophically speaking why are we being continually screwed and here in Ireland we've been shafted for thousands of years and still no sign of an orgasm ( on our part anyway ) . Maybe this stuff is too heavy like the deep chocolate gateaux I made earlier nice but got to get back on an enviromental treadmill , real running that is . Great lager weather here at the moment looking forward to being on the beach in Ballybunnion tomorrow . Just rounding off the night / morning with a nice pinotage .

    Have a nice day y'all .

    Slainte mo chairde go mbeirimid im beo seo in aimsair aris .

    Slan go foil.

    Shane.

    BTW Anyone read 'The Shack' any comments ?

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