Hype vs. hop

The sagacious Boak and Bailey have prompted a number of conversations of late concerning breweries which attract what may be considered an undue amount of attention compared to those stalwarts of British brewing who turn out well-made, palatable beers without having the plaudits of commentators bestowed upon them.

I was led to reflect on this discussion after having tasted three beers back-to-back recently, namely Buxton's Jacob's Ladder, Celt Experience's Silures, and Oakham's Citra

Whilst all three of these breweries arguably fall into the former category, Oakham also falls into the latter, which is... confusing.

Tasting the three beers reminded me of what's probably most important to me in a beer: balance.

That's not to say that 'extreme' beers can't be balanced; they most certainly can, as experiencing Knee Deep's Simtra, Bear Republic's Fastback Racer X3, and Russian River's Pliny the Younger earlier this year ably demonstrated.

Any beer, regardless of its style, can possess balance. The ceaseless quest for novelty in contemporary brewing can overlook this.

Oakham's Citra? That's a balanced beer.

Single Hop Cascade IPA (6.9% ABV)

No comment. No rating.

What was probably my first taste of Mikkeller goes unnoticed.

I think that's fair enough. Their darker beers are usually good or better, but Mikkeller pales tend to be pretty middle-of-the-road affairs in my opinion.

I've never been able to fathom why they're so highly rated overall.

Aktien Landbier Zwick'l Kellerbier (5.3% ABV)

No comment. No rating.

Maplemoon (4.8% ABV)

"I normally loathe 'flavoured beers' but a) bought this in error, and b) can't taste the maple (no offence, Canada), so: result"

No rating.

Where on earth did I get this from?

Export (5.4% ABV)

No comment. No rating.

Taylor's Tipple (4.5% ABV)

No comment. No rating.

I recognise the label from the entries of others, but haven't seen this since. I've no idea where I drank it, or whether it was draught or bottled.

Eschenbacher Urtyp (4.6% ABV)

No rating. No comment.

A Helles. Not that I'd have noticed in 2011.

Hansa Export (5% ABV)

No comment. No rating.

Must have made a big impression.

Old Peculier (5.6% ABV)

No comment.

I suspect anyone who has been drinking beer since the 1980s has a soft spot for a well-kept pint of Old Peculier.

It's certainly been a constant during my lifetime's enjoyment of the consolation of malt and hops.

Old Peculier first came to my attention when I was studying (occasionally) in Aberdeen in the late 1980s.

Theakston had quite a foothold in the north east of Scotland at the time, and their Best, XB, and Old Peculier could be found on hand dispense in several bars in town.

I recall our fledgling Real Ale Society holding an open night in the Union, charging a 50p or so to get in, and maybe adding 10p or so to the wholesale cost of the beer to us.

As this was still about 10p a pint cheaper than the Union bar, we were mobbed, and made a killing. Hip-deep in 50p pieces, we decided -- as you'd expect from a Real Ale Society -- to invest the profits in a free beer night for members the following week.

Such was the esteem that Old Peculier was held in, that we unanimously elected to buy six barrels of OP, and nothing else.

Since then, I'll usually have a glass of Old Peculier if we find ourselves in Theakston's territory. As reasonably regular visitors to the Lakes and dales, that's a fair few pints I've probably had over the course of the last 25 years.

Most recently, we were at the Old Dungeon Ghyll in Langdale this summer. We hadn't been there for perhaps a decade, but the place really hasn't changed a bit. Favouring the walkers' bar, I was pondering the pumps when apropos of nothing, the barman invited me to down a pint of Old Peculier on the house, providing I did so in one. Hardly a challenge. A further pint was drawn; I paid; we ordered lunch as if nothing had happened.

Shame that doesn't happen more often, really.

80

Hooky Gold (4.1% ABV)

No comment. Unrated.

There was a time back in the 1990s when I lived in Oxfordshire when Hook Norton was a go-to beer for me.

Those were the days when the brewery still had a bit of self-respect, and called its session bitter Hook Norton Bitter rather than Hooky. Although Old Hooky may still have been called Old Hooky. I don't recall.

Since those halcyon days, Hook Norton has succumbed to the caprice of whoever they hired to do their marketing, and now everything has become 'Hookified'.

What they've seemed to miss is that it's the drinkers who favour referring to beers in affectionate abbreviations, not the brewers.

I'm not sure how long Hooky Gold has been around, but nearly twenty years after the golden beer craze prompted by the popularity of Hopback's Summer Lightning, Hook Norton have jumped the shark.

Köstritzer Schwarzbier (4.8% ABV)

No comment.

There's not much to this style, really, but I've always found it comforting.

I think the first time I had a Schwarzbier was at Hallo Berlin when we lived in NYC.

Now, you can get a Schwarzbier in Spoons. There's progress for you.

80

Hophead (3.8% ABV)

No comment.

Hophead was a much better beer in 2011.

This period marked the apogee of my enthusiasm for all things Dark Star.

We would make regular trips to the charmless confines of the Partridge, Partridge Green, where I could consume the monthly special and seasonals with gusto, usually taking four pints of APA home to drink with L. in the evening.

Now, I can take or leave Dark Star.

They're not only coasting in terms of their new products, their QA has plummeted, and they've a strangely hostile attitude to micropubs, which they seem to give no leeway to whatsoever.

Dark Star are, in short, no longer One Of Us. They're One Of Them.

Original Königshofer Alt (5% ABV)

The first alt to put in an appearance in my personal drinking history.

I celebrated this historic occasion by making no comment whatsoever.

This was largely due to the fact that I'd no idea what an Altbier was in 2011.

I'd probably have explained earnestly to you that it was a 'special edition'.

Old Tom Original (8.5% ABV)

"An 8.5% winter warmer for a freezing, rainy June evening."

No rating.

I didn't really tax myself with these phoned-in comments, did I?

"Freezing, rainy"?

It was a dark and stormy night into the bargain, I've little doubt.

Cliché: the first recourse of the indolent.

Helles Landbier (4.8% ABV)

No comment entered.

Another inoffensive Helles.

DAB Export (5% ABV)

No comment entered.

Saccharomyces pastorianus finally gets a look in.

I was limbering up for a bit of a Teutonic taste-off later in the summer, I seem to recall.

Butcombe Bitter (4% ABV)

No comment entered.

I'll hazard one here, however: Oh! For shame!

Young's Bitter (4.5% ABV)

Another pint that passed without comment.

Probably another sombre sup at the Henty.

Doom Bar (4% ABV)

At least I had the good grace to offer neither a rating, nor a description.

I really got the SIBA 'classics' out of the way early on, eh?

Otter Bright (4.3% ABV)

"Henty Arms guest beer, May 2011," it says here.

The Henty was a better pub back in the day.

A certain pallor hangs over the place now; all the pints have a tang of sadness, bitter or no.

Circumstances change; life events take their course. I suspect it will never be as it was.

6X (4.1% ABV)

I must have second sight. Either that, or I am a predictable dullard. The next entry reads:

"At the Rising Sun, Nutbourne. The perfect accompaniment to their home-made Riser Burger. The only place I eat meat in a bun."

The latter is patently not true. I must have been feeling guilty about not having ordered something less prosaic.

And: 6X? Jaysus. Times must have been hard.

Gold Muddler (3.9% ABV)

Enthusiastically described by your humble servant as an 'ace session beer' at the time. I'd hazard I'd be able to muster less interest in it four years later.

The cryptic '#Riser' I take to signify the fact that this was consumed at The Rising Sun in Nutbourne. With a burger, I've little doubt. How refined.

And: who the hell are the Andwell Brewing Company? Do they still exist, even? ABC certainly hasn't appeared on my radar since.

Sussex Best Bitter (4.0& ABV)

In the unhallowed confines of The Lamb

80

Southwold Bitter (4.5% ABV)

This was being bottled at 4.5% ABV in 2011. A little less strong now, I think.

Bishops Finger (5.2% ABV)

Seeking ecclesiastical guidance.

Bengal Lancer (5% ABV)

While reading a Very Short Introduction to Statistics, apparently.

70

India Pale Ale (7.4%)

Yapton Beerex 2011

70

Bargee (3.8% ABV)

Yapton Beerex 2011

75

Funfair (3.6% ABV)

Yapton Beerex 2011

90

South Island Pale Ale (3.5% ABV)

Yapton Beerex 2011

85

Köstritzer Schwarzbier (4.8% ABV)

High-roasted malts prevail above the woody, crusty bread aromas and express themselves on the palate with hints of espresso grinds and bitter chocolate.

This excellent beer paired nicely with Black Forest ham - not surprisingly. I'd have preferred a little more alcohol behind the flavour profile, and need to see if I can find some 5.2-5.5% ABV schwarzbiers.

84

Brauerei Königshof Alt (4.8% ABV)

Pouring a solid mahogany in colour, this Alt brew features smoky, woody notes with a malty, rye bread taste and a dry finish.

Somewhat one-eye dimensional, however, with a thin mouthfeel.

71

Hofmann Helles Landbier (4.9% ABV)

Pouring a pale yellow with a characteristically snowy, very finely textured cap, this was a refreshing summer evening brew.

Light citrus and grass nose, with a broad but delicate spectrum of grainy lager malts on the palate. A crisp, dry finish for a pleasant if unremarkable brew.

75

Dortmunder Union Export (5.3% ABV)

This clear, light gold export has a ghost of hops on the nose, and a green, mildly astringent taste with light lager malts to the fore.

It finishes dryly and is vigorously carbonated, yet retains a gentle mouth-feel.

I have a number of German beers lined up to sample of different classes, and am faced with the question of how best to rate them. The scores presented therefore have to signify how characteristic the beer is of its type, but also how the brew ranks against those ales I have sampled over the preceding year.

In this regard, I'd imagine that a mid-80s score is about as high as many of these beers could realistically attain. Excellent though many of them are, in general they do not have the depth of interest that Belgian beers display, and to that end it would seem inappropriate to score them any higher.

81

Bink Bruin (5.5% ABV)

This Belgian dark ale is certainly characteristic of its class, pouring a near-black with a thick mocha-coloured cap.

A gentle malt and yeast nose gives way to predominant coffee, praline and cherry-pit flavours, with a hop-dry finish.

I really warmed to this beer. It would pair well with a not-to-sweet desert, although the predominant dryness means it could easily also go well with, say, a molasses-rich barbecue rib dish, or home-style baked beans with ham hock; a cassoulet or a stout or red wine-enriched beef or chicken dish, even. The lighter alcohol content works well; the only downside for me was the slightly aggressive carbonation.

84