There's a locally made Cheddar gin. It's delicious - no mixers needed. Many flavours available. It is three times the price of normal gin, so kept for special occasions.
I know where the Adnams brewery is - I've visited it, but it was the first real ale I drank when I lived in Norwich, which is why I associate it with the city. Likewise Woodefords.
St Peter's range of beers is wonderful.
I know the name Lacons, but I don't think I ever drank any beers from them.
I was hoping to revisit the Reindeer - but it seems to have closed in 2018.
The Reindeer was open last night.....and they had two lovely Lacons beers on cask.
(spoke with the landlady - they will only be trading for another month in that location, following stalled negotiations with building owner + hope to move their excellent beer and music model elsewhere in the city)
Good news if you were a fan of Jennings beers, with that distinct hint of smokiness to the flavour - and a session-strength bitter with far more flavour than 3.4% suggests!
Ooh, have I outed another fan? @Erroneous Monk was another, though I've not seen her here for a very long time.
I'm of a certain age and into music...
I guess I am too! Though I'm definitely an HMHB fan - not as obsessive as some, mind, I've only ever seen them in Oxford, where there are plenty of places to find beers of above 5%.
Hola amigo Stercus what a great subject for a thread. I am of course reminded of that beautiful day with you both on the bank of the majestic Grand River with some home made tinto de verano.
It's chilly here on the costa - too chilly for tinto & lemonade - but I would like to share my riff on that summer staple
In a blender pour:
1/2 liter of not expensive vino rosado. The boxed kind is fine.
50 ml Limoncello or Grand Marnier or Cointreau
A healthy three or four squirts of fresh or bottled lemon juice
15ml sweetener of choice adjust to taste
Whirl together and pour over ice into a glass to half way full and top up with:
Soda water or
sparkling mineral water or
Fizzy lemonade or
Prosecco / cava / sparkling wine
I hope you will "try this in remembrance of me" - many hugs.
On new years day I went to Cologne (well, what I mean to say is I brewed a Klosch in my kitchen), 3 weeks ago I went to Dusseldorf (that is to say I brewed an Altbier...in my kitchen), tomorrow I will head off to Munich ( to brew a Helles...in my kitchen).
German beer is, alongside British and Irish beer, the best in the world. Last year my focus was on B&I, this year German.
Next? Maybe Bamberg for the distinctive rauchbier.
On new years day I went to Cologne (well, what I mean to say is I brewed a Klosch in my kitchen), 3 weeks ago I went to Dusseldorf (that is to say I brewed an Altbier...in my kitchen), tomorrow I will head off to Munich ( to brew a Helles...in my kitchen).
German beer is, alongside British and Irish beer, the best in the world. Last year my focus was on B&I, this year German.
Next? Maybe Bamberg for the distinctive rauchbier.
Prost!
Heron
German beers are certainly good, though I defy anyone to keep track of all the local brands. I suspect that a lot of the pils are somewhat identikit, but the more *interesting* ones can be very distinctive indeed - as you say, rauchbier! Even those "identikit " pils show up how shite some of the stuff we are flogged as lager here is.
Should you find yourself in Germany's flatter neighbour look out for Brouwerij T'Ij, which is literally in a windmill in old Amsterdam, and De Hemel in Nijmegen, which are very good.
Wouldn't say no to a Kolsch myself (even if productive toast cannot handle my efforts to spell it) right now!
We had a very good orange Garnacha this evening from Azul y Garanza, which makes wines from Garnacha grapes apparently grown in semi-desert conditions near Pamplona. I picked it up yesterday having previously encountered their semi-red/semi-rose “Clarete” wine also made from Garnacha. Good stuff.
Hola amigo Stercus what a great subject for a thread. I am of course reminded of that beautiful day with you both on the bank of the majestic Grand River with some home made tinto de verano.
It's chilly here on the costa - too chilly for tinto & lemonade - but I would like to share my riff on that summer staple
In a blender pour:
1/2 liter of not expensive vino rosado. The boxed kind is fine.
50 ml Limoncello or Grand Marnier or Cointreau
A healthy three or four squirts of fresh or bottled lemon juice
15ml sweetener of choice adjust to taste
Whirl together and pour over ice into a glass to half way full and top up with:
Soda water or
sparkling mineral water or
Fizzy lemonade or
Prosecco / cava / sparkling wine
I hope you will "try this in remembrance of me" - many hugs.
AFF
A happy memory, AFF! We'll try the recipe again in a few months. Meanwhile, the snow is about a foot deep where we all sat sipping that particular fermented fluid, watching the river and engaging in scintillating conversation while avoiding the mosquitoes.
I recently came upon a 2010 Bodegas Escudero Arvum Rioja at my local Grocery Outlet (for those in areas outside GO’s area, it’s a discount supermarket chain that carries items that are being liquidated by distributors). The shelf label showed a regular price of $105 a bottle, and it was being sold for $9.99. It is everything a mature (14 year old) red wine ought to be—silky smooth, with complex earthy notes but no loss of fruit character. After trying one bottle, I went back and bought several more. If you see it, grab some.
I recently came upon a 2010 Bodegas Escudero Arvum Rioja at my local Grocery Outlet (for those in areas outside GO’s area, it’s a discount supermarket chain that carries items that are being liquidated by distributors). The shelf label showed a regular price of $105 a bottle, and it was being sold for $9.99. It is everything a mature (14 year old) red wine ought to be—silky smooth, with complex earthy notes but no loss of fruit character. After trying one bottle, I went back and bought several more. If you see it, grab some.
Sounds like the people on "Antiques Roadshow" who buy a piece of tatty costume jewellery for 50p at a car boot sale and then find that's it's a piece by Faberge worth £50k.
German beers are good, even some of the bog-standard pils.
How about Belgian though?
I'm rather partial to Belgian beers as a special treat but only two or three times a year.
I'm soon (when half-term arrives) off to visit my parents in the town (sorry city) of my yoof.
I've arranged a get together of old friends. We normally end up in a pub which has a good selection of real ales and German beers including various wheat ones. It's always a very pleasant time as you can imagine.
I also like the Belgian options. Often the fact of being so strong means that they are not sessionable which coupled with their relative rarity does put them in the occasional treat category (Lidl have a very nice case which appears a couple of times a year).
The exception being witbeer (I brew a reasonable one).
German beers are good, even some of the bog-standard pils.
How about Belgian though?
I'm rather partial to Belgian beers as a special treat but only two or three times a year.
Belgian Beers are wonderful, and even more wonderful is the eclectic beer culture in Belgium.
I know a bit about the trappist beers from a beer perspective, but don't know a lot about the life and ministry of the religious communities that produce them. I called at Westvleteren a couple of years ago, and was aware of service to the young (preschool group) and elderly (lunch clubs) supported by the community, but on the day my main purpose was collecting crates of beer.
Somehow they seem like distant mountains to me. Has anyone here perhaps had a retreat to a continental trappist community?
For me it's standard British bitter ales in the spring and summer moving to stouts in the autumn and winter.
I will sometimes drink lager with meals in the summer but only reasonable quality ones but it's not something I do regularly.
@Heron, I do like Trappist ales buy know nothing of how their monasteries operate. I've only been on one RC retreat and that was an Ignatian one with the Jesuits. I'd imagine the Trappists to be more austere.
I managed to break my thermometer last week, dropping it into a glass jug while making photographic developer.
It's replacement arrived an hour or so ago. I just couldn't resist buying from a brewing equipment (hence its place in this thread) called Bigger Jugs.
I had the most marvellous week in Norwich, and though it seems that I tried a lot of beers, it was usually only a half pint at a time.
Firstly, imagine my delight when I found that the hotel the Convention was being held in served Woodforde's Wherry, and Adnams Ghost Ship in bottles.
Then I moved on to the middle of the city. I visited The Belgian Monk pub, where I asked for something dark and not madly strong - they came up with a Monks Stout that was awesome.
In the Murderers/Gardeners Arms, I was delighted to find they had Adnams Old - I hadn't had it for years, and it's just as good as I remember.
Down at the St Andrews Brew House, I tried their Tombland porter, which was very good. They also do tours of their brewery.
Sadly, the Reindeer was closed when I got to it, and I'd done so much walking by that time that I didn't want to go back. Next time.
Instead, I went to the Compleat Angler near the railway station, a Greene King pub where I had Wolfpack stout with my steak and ale pie.
Bliss! Sadly, I live on the other side of the country. One pub in Hereford often serves Broadside, but that's about it here.
However, I had such a good time at the Convention that I've already signed up for next year at the same hotel, so I'll do the same thing of staying over in Norwich for a couple of extra days at the end of it.
I had the most marvellous week in Norwich, and though it seems that I tried a lot of beers, it was usually only a half pint at a time.
Firstly, imagine my delight when I found that the hotel the Convention was being held in served Woodforde's Wherry, and Adnams Ghost Ship in bottles.
Then I moved on to the middle of the city. I visited The Belgian Monk pub, where I asked for something dark and not madly strong - they came up with a Monks Stout that was awesome.
In the Murderers/Gardeners Arms, I was delighted to find they had Adnams Old - I hadn't had it for years, and it's just as good as I remember.
Down at the St Andrews Brew House, I tried their Tombland porter, which was very good. They also do tours of their brewery.
Sadly, the Reindeer was closed when I got to it, and I'd done so much walking by that time that I didn't want to go back. Next time.
Instead, I went to the Compleat Angler near the railway station, a Greene King pub where I had Wolfpack stout with my steak and ale pie.
Oh, my, they still have a shop on the Unthank Road in Norwich. When I lived there, we had a flat just off the Unthank Road, and we used to go into that shop and have fascinating conversations about wine. They sold us some wooden wine boxes which I'm still using for shelving!
I must get my act together and order from their website!
We are expecting a friend from Sydney for @Clarence's birthday weekend. Her flight is delayed by 3 hours (actually, that's a tautology, Qantas, Sydney, and Friday afternoon in the same sentence already indicates long delay 🙄 ). So we'll have some of last night's French Onion Soup, without her, accompanied by a 2022 Hancock & Hancock McLaren Vale Shiraz.
The Best Bitter I put on some weeks ago tastes like a hoppier Leffe. I don't know why - perhaps the conservatory is so cold it's effectively lagered it. Never mind, still an acceptable pint.
The Best Bitter I put on some weeks ago tastes like a hoppier Leffe. I don't know why - perhaps the conservatory is so cold it's effectively lagered it. Never mind, still an acceptable pint.
We had a Cabernet Franc made by Stratus on Friday, Stratus being one of a relatively few wineries in Ontario to specialize in Bordeaux-styled reds - Ontario tends to look to cooler regions for inspiration. Well made but pricey and a bit corporate, for lack of a better word.
I had forgotten that this was today. Or even that there was such a day. Happily, I have unwittingly observed it. A 2023 Taylor's Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir (with chicken). Australian wines, by and large, are made to drink younger than Europeans might be used to.
I had forgotten that this was today. Or even that there was such a day. Happily, I have unwittingly observed it. A 2023 Taylor's Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir (with chicken). Australian wines, by and large, are made to drink younger than Europeans might be used to.
I failed. I drank beer.
A Timothy taylor in a pub with dinner.
Today I got in trouble with Mrs Twangist when I said I'd picked up a Belgian blond for 99p in aldi - it came in a can and was genuinely rather nice.
Spar seem to have more taste in beer than I'd expect from what is effectively a glorified corner shop. Last summer the one in Beaumaris had Brains Dark in stock, which was a welcome surprise.
We had a very nice New Zealand Syrah from Trinity Hill this evening. Nimble for Syrah and reminiscent of a good Rhone Syrah. It reminds me that generally I suspect we’re probably only getting an unrepresentative sampling of what NZ can do wine-wise in Ontario.
We had a very nice New Zealand Syrah from Trinity Hill this evening. Nimble for Syrah and reminiscent of a good Rhone Syrah. It reminds me that generally I suspect we’re probably only getting an unrepresentative sampling of what NZ can do wine-wise in Ontario.
The same might be said of Niagara and the rest of the world. Who, outside of that micro-climate, has sampled the nectar-like Henry of Pelham or Cave Spring?
Inspired by @Eigon, last weekend the Knotweed and I stopped in Saffron Walden when passing. As a result, last night we had an Adnams Old Ale each, and very nice it was too. Dark as a stout, but a very different drinking sensation.
The Kipper Family had a song about it - Bald General Coote.
The chorus goes: "He led his men with Courage bold, with Bullard's Best, and Adnam's Old,
Napoleon Brandy and Navy Rum, and now at last to the dregs we are come."
Meanwhile I went back to Spar to find they had sold out of this batch of Felinfoel Double Dragon, but they did have some Felinfoel IPA, which I will try later. They also sell Brains Dark regularly.
We had a very nice New Zealand Syrah from Trinity Hill this evening. Nimble for Syrah and reminiscent of a good Rhone Syrah. It reminds me that generally I suspect we’re probably only getting an unrepresentative sampling of what NZ can do wine-wise in Ontario.
The same might be said of Niagara and the rest of the world. Who, outside of that micro-climate, has sampled the nectar-like Henry of Pelham or Cave Spring?
Right, but you are comparing the small micro-climate of the escarpment with the output of an entire (even if relatively small) country.
We had a very nice New Zealand Syrah from Trinity Hill this evening. Nimble for Syrah and reminiscent of a good Rhone Syrah. It reminds me that generally I suspect we’re probably only getting an unrepresentative sampling of what NZ can do wine-wise in Ontario.
The same might be said of Niagara and the rest of the world. Who, outside of that micro-climate, has sampled the nectar-like Henry of Pelham or Cave Spring?
Curious how you encountered these… do they make it to the southern Hemisphere with any regularity?
Inspired by @Eigon, last weekend the Knotweed and I stopped in Saffron Walden when passing. As a result, last night we had an Adnams Old Ale each, and very nice it was too. Dark as a stout, but a very different drinking sensation.
Ghostship 0.5 seems a popular low alcohol offering.
At a very lunchtime visit to a hostelry next to the tourist attraction we were visiting I discovered more and different Timothy taylor offerings - most marvellous.
Today I've partaken of a very strong Belgian ale - the Gulden Draak
Inspired by @Eigon, last weekend the Knotweed and I stopped in Saffron Walden when passing. As a result, last night we had an Adnams Old Ale each, and very nice it was too. Dark as a stout, but a very different drinking sensation.
Ghostship 0.5 seems a popular low alcohol offering.
One of the other items bought in Saffron Walden was a 12-pack of that, because it's useful to have a low-alcohol option, and that one is rather nice. Slightly sharper than the full-fat version (we did a comparison one day when we had a bottle of each to hand), but still tastes like beer and doesn't change flavour for the worse halfway through the pint, like some of the other low/no-alcohol ones can.
Comments
The best one for G&T is Aldi's own, really nice.
The Reindeer was open last night.....and they had two lovely Lacons beers on cask.
(spoke with the landlady - they will only be trading for another month in that location, following stalled negotiations with building owner + hope to move their excellent beer and music model elsewhere in the city)
Mentioning % ABV... Anything under 5%, I don't want to drink it...
I'm of a certain age and into music...
I guess I am too! Though I'm definitely an HMHB fan - not as obsessive as some, mind, I've only ever seen them in Oxford, where there are plenty of places to find beers of above 5%.
It's chilly here on the costa - too chilly for tinto & lemonade - but I would like to share my riff on that summer staple
In a blender pour:
1/2 liter of not expensive vino rosado. The boxed kind is fine.
50 ml Limoncello or Grand Marnier or Cointreau
A healthy three or four squirts of fresh or bottled lemon juice
15ml sweetener of choice adjust to taste
Whirl together and pour over ice into a glass to half way full and top up with:
Soda water or
sparkling mineral water or
Fizzy lemonade or
Prosecco / cava / sparkling wine
I hope you will "try this in remembrance of me" - many hugs.
AFF
I'm on a germanic mission atm.
On new years day I went to Cologne (well, what I mean to say is I brewed a Klosch in my kitchen), 3 weeks ago I went to Dusseldorf (that is to say I brewed an Altbier...in my kitchen), tomorrow I will head off to Munich ( to brew a Helles...in my kitchen).
German beer is, alongside British and Irish beer, the best in the world. Last year my focus was on B&I, this year German.
Next? Maybe Bamberg for the distinctive rauchbier.
Prost!
Heron
German beers are certainly good, though I defy anyone to keep track of all the local brands. I suspect that a lot of the pils are somewhat identikit, but the more *interesting* ones can be very distinctive indeed - as you say, rauchbier! Even those "identikit " pils show up how shite some of the stuff we are flogged as lager here is.
Should you find yourself in Germany's flatter neighbour look out for Brouwerij T'Ij, which is literally in a windmill in old Amsterdam, and De Hemel in Nijmegen, which are very good.
Wouldn't say no to a Kolsch myself (even if productive toast cannot handle my efforts to spell it) right now!
A happy memory, AFF! We'll try the recipe again in a few months. Meanwhile, the snow is about a foot deep where we all sat sipping that particular fermented fluid, watching the river and engaging in scintillating conversation while avoiding the mosquitoes.
How about Belgian though?
I'm rather partial to Belgian beers as a special treat but only two or three times a year.
What a result!!
I'm soon (when half-term arrives) off to visit my parents in the town (sorry city) of my yoof.
I've arranged a get together of old friends. We normally end up in a pub which has a good selection of real ales and German beers including various wheat ones. It's always a very pleasant time as you can imagine.
I also like the Belgian options. Often the fact of being so strong means that they are not sessionable which coupled with their relative rarity does put them in the occasional treat category (Lidl have a very nice case which appears a couple of times a year).
The exception being witbeer (I brew a reasonable one).
I used to like wheat-beer but I've gone off it for some reason. Mrs Gamaliel liked it, but I don’t think grief has put me off. Our tastes change.
Belgian Beers are wonderful, and even more wonderful is the eclectic beer culture in Belgium.
I know a bit about the trappist beers from a beer perspective, but don't know a lot about the life and ministry of the religious communities that produce them. I called at Westvleteren a couple of years ago, and was aware of service to the young (preschool group) and elderly (lunch clubs) supported by the community, but on the day my main purpose was collecting crates of beer.
Somehow they seem like distant mountains to me. Has anyone here perhaps had a retreat to a continental trappist community?
Thanks
Heron
For me it's standard British bitter ales in the spring and summer moving to stouts in the autumn and winter.
I will sometimes drink lager with meals in the summer but only reasonable quality ones but it's not something I do regularly.
@Heron, I do like Trappist ales buy know nothing of how their monasteries operate. I've only been on one RC retreat and that was an Ignatian one with the Jesuits. I'd imagine the Trappists to be more austere.
It's replacement arrived an hour or so ago. I just couldn't resist buying from a brewing equipment (hence its place in this thread) called Bigger Jugs.
Firstly, imagine my delight when I found that the hotel the Convention was being held in served Woodforde's Wherry, and Adnams Ghost Ship in bottles.
Then I moved on to the middle of the city. I visited The Belgian Monk pub, where I asked for something dark and not madly strong - they came up with a Monks Stout that was awesome.
In the Murderers/Gardeners Arms, I was delighted to find they had Adnams Old - I hadn't had it for years, and it's just as good as I remember.
Down at the St Andrews Brew House, I tried their Tombland porter, which was very good. They also do tours of their brewery.
Sadly, the Reindeer was closed when I got to it, and I'd done so much walking by that time that I didn't want to go back. Next time.
Instead, I went to the Compleat Angler near the railway station, a Greene King pub where I had Wolfpack stout with my steak and ale pie.
However, I had such a good time at the Convention that I've already signed up for next year at the same hotel, so I'll do the same thing of staying over in Norwich for a couple of extra days at the end of it.
Sounds marvellous
Adnams have a number of shops: https://adnams.co.uk/collections/adnams-stores?page=1. I've only used Woodbridge, Harleston and Hadleigh. They also sell online.
I must get my act together and order from their website!
.
Sipping on a Grasevina from Croatia as dinner cooks. Good stuff - not going to change anyone’s life but tasty and well-made.
Sounds like a win
Various local ales were quaffed my favourite was Colchester brewery's "Sweeny Todd" a very nice amber bitter.
A Timothy taylor in a pub with dinner.
Today I got in trouble with Mrs Twangist when I said I'd picked up a Belgian blond for 99p in aldi - it came in a can and was genuinely rather nice.
The same might be said of Niagara and the rest of the world. Who, outside of that micro-climate, has sampled the nectar-like Henry of Pelham or Cave Spring?
The chorus goes: "He led his men with Courage bold, with Bullard's Best, and Adnam's Old,
Napoleon Brandy and Navy Rum, and now at last to the dregs we are come."
Meanwhile I went back to Spar to find they had sold out of this batch of Felinfoel Double Dragon, but they did have some Felinfoel IPA, which I will try later. They also sell Brains Dark regularly.
Right, but you are comparing the small micro-climate of the escarpment with the output of an entire (even if relatively small) country.
Curious how you encountered these… do they make it to the southern Hemisphere with any regularity?
Ghostship 0.5 seems a popular low alcohol offering.
At a very lunchtime visit to a hostelry next to the tourist attraction we were visiting I discovered more and different Timothy taylor offerings - most marvellous.
Today I've partaken of a very strong Belgian ale - the Gulden Draak
One of the other items bought in Saffron Walden was a 12-pack of that, because it's useful to have a low-alcohol option, and that one is rather nice. Slightly sharper than the full-fat version (we did a comparison one day when we had a bottle of each to hand), but still tastes like beer and doesn't change flavour for the worse halfway through the pint, like some of the other low/no-alcohol ones can.