The Brewers Blog

Single Hop Beers (Or We’ve run Out Of Ideas…)

The Bloggering Brewer — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:06:17 +0000

Well folks, after several weeks of 2010 we have at least come up with a them for this year’s main range of special brews. And, with all the originality of of idea everyone else has embraced – and indeed an idea we have sort have dabbled with in a random way in the past, we have gone for Single Hop beers.

The basic concept is very simple – we will use the same basic recipe of Pale Ale malt, a dash of wheat, and a shot of Caramalt (for sweetness and a richer golden colour). Then we will add a different hop variety each time, using the same variety for both bittering and aroma. The volume of hop will be the same – so some brews will have a stronger aroma/hop flavour than others, to reflect the characteristics of the variety used. In terms of bittering, we will use the same basic calculation on each brew to keep the bitterness about level across the range, but even so, there will be variations that reflect the hop used. Each hop variety has a role in the beer – be it aroma or bittering or flavour, so some beers will be full of aroma, others will have a distinct flavour to the bitterness. Each beer will be 4.0%, with an OG of 1040.

The first brew was ‘Bobek’, a Slovenian variety suited to lagers, but still full of citrus/lemon flavours. Second will be ‘Nelson Sauvin’, a hop named for it’s amazing likeness flavour wise to the Sauvignon grape – something that should present itself quite noticeably on the finished beer. Indeed, if ever there was voted a hop to trump all hops, I suspect Nelson Sauvin would be the winner. Later beers will involve varieties such as Chinook, Cascade, Centennial, Willamette (all USA), Goldings, Fuggle, Beata, Bramling Cross (all English), and a number of European hops. There may even be a beer or two that will have a name that is likely to be unpronounceable whilst either sober or without the aid of a safety net.

There was a grand idea to feature an image of the relevant hop on each pump clip, but that is looking unlikely, but only because of a seeming lack of suitable images that we can confirm as being correct – or because most such images are actually great for plant lovers, but frankly boring on a pump clip. After all, one hop cone looks just like any other in most cases, and an image of one cone on a sheet of paper against a ruler (the standard it seems…) is nothing compared to a nice shot of a hop yard overlooked by distant mountains. Or in the case of some Kentish hops, Maidstone.

So folks, start your taste buds!

Several Lapwings Make A Spring…

The Bloggering Brewer — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:26:59 +0000

Despite the recent further unrequested batch of snow (that’s the cold frozen water sort by the way, in case you came here after Googling for Amy Winehouse or England Footballers), the first of this year’s Lapwings arrived late on Thursday (the 25th Feb 2010, for those reading on the BBC iPlayer). There are still here, albeit in greater numbers some 2 days later, so, I think I can officially announce that Spring may possibly have Sprung – subject to legal advice, a full safety audit, and a broader public debate with all key stakeholders partners allied to my seasonal prediction remit.

Indeed we are now in a situation whereby any nocturnal disturbance causes a squadron of Lapwings to scramble into flight, along with much vocal activity on their part. This in turn has disturbed the motley collection of owls we have built up over the winter (must have been a healthy crop of mice in the fields), which then manage to wake all sorts of creatures normal silent at night. Indeed I am certain my amateur ears have noted the warning calls of several bird species as a result, including (and I have listened to recordings on the interweb to confirm this) three or more Albatrosses, the rare Squirrel Herding Eagle, two Waldo’s Perturbed Finches, one (male) Greater Striped Turnip Baboon, and almost certainly a Walrus – which obviously is on migration.

All this bodes well for the coming year, and I will of course report updates at extremely random intervals, often several weeks later than intended.

In the meantime, we have a raft of new beers for folk to try (see what I did there? Seamless, wasn’t it.) , such as Bobek – a 4.0% golden beer brewed with Bobek hops. Bobek is the new name for Styrian Goldings, which are in fact a type of Fuggle. Whilst there is nothing wrong with Styrian Goldings as a name, it seems that since the political breakup of the area of East Europe once known a Yugoslavia etc, Styrian has become somewhat out of favour, so the hop formerly known as Styrian Goldings is now available under several names depending on the location it is grown in (the USA growers did the same thing for a while, so it’s not a new thing…), which may or may not include the likes of Bobek or Celeia. On the other hand, this may all be pure flannel, as there is some suggestion they may all be just a tad different. Agreement it seems, it hard to come by…

All this neatly leads on to another new beer, ‘Pure Flannel’ (did you spot the lead in…?) which is a 4.7% bitter (premium it seems is the word if you follow the laws of beer marketing), and is the first of a range of election themed beers (now the name makes sense, eh?) replete with suitable pump clips. Whilst of course our tongue is firmly in our cheek, there is a serious message to all this – we live in a democracy, and as such election times matter. Mostly though to those poor hapless muppets who will inevitably lose their jobs in public office. And we should spare a thought for the ensuing hardships they will suffer – albeit only for a few hours as they await a place on the board of whatever plc/bank/oil company they have been ‘sympathetic’ to over their time in office buying duck houses or employing a third secretary for their cleaners.

Oh, and don’t forget the budget, coming soon to a payslip near you. Will it be set for vote winning or debt clearance, any bets?

Brewing In The New Year...

The Bloggering Brewer — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:04:11 +0000

I suppose a quick update on the beer front is probably called for. After all, this here bloggery-ish thing is ...

Notes From Siberia...?

The Bloggering Brewer — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:38:26 +0000

just imagine a space alien landing in the UK in early January 2010. It's their first visit, and on reading ...

Can We Mention Christmas Yet...?

The Bloggering Brewer — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:44:35 +0000

Well, the 2009 Christmas beer has now been brewed, and should be on sale in early December. For those thinking ...

Know Your Units...

The Bloggering Brewer — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:03:23 +0000

You'd have to be pretty distant from reality (ie like a city banker or cabinet minister) not to have heard ...

Tanking Along (Part Deux)...

The Bloggering Brewer — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:45:10 +0000

Well folks, it's here. Delivered at 0800 - 1030 on Oct 22nd 2009. Yes, despite the best efforts of Somalian ...

A Funny Thing Didn't Happen On The Way To The Shoe Shop...

The Bloggering Brewer — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:15:30 +0000

You know what they say about men with big feet. Yes, 'Big Feet, Big Problem With Attitude Of Shoe Shop Staff (Well, Most Of 'Em)'. For the hard of thinking, I'd better warn you...

Blowing Ones Own Trumpet...

The Bloggering Brewer — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:40:45 +0100

Earlier this year, we proudly received, from CAMRA, their Champion Best Bitter of East Anglia award for our Britannia. This ...

Almost Haunted…?

The Bloggering Brewer — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:52:34 +0100

Now, no-one reach just yet for a endlessly screaming female TV presenter with a slightly camp Scouser by her side, ...

Tanking Along...

The Bloggering Brewer — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:14:03 +0100

Regular watchers of this blog, the website, and/or visitors to our small (but perfectly formed) temple to the world of ...

Ooohh, Look What I Found In The Hedge

The Bloggering Brewer — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:47:26 +0100

It's that time of year again it seems (no, not talking about the seemingly bi-annual posts to this blog) – the time of year when it becomes a good idea to poke around in a hedge for a hop leaf...

What Does Locale REALLY Mean...?

The Bloggering Brewer — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:06:15 +0100

In pubs across the land, little badges are appearing on hand pumps promoting locally brewed beers, under the CAMRA 'Locale' ...

On The Website Front..

The Bloggering Brewer — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:17:40 +0100

As the more observant will have noticed, the website has had something of a ‘tweak’ over the summer. Nothing major, just things moved around a bit, some coloured bits and a few more pictures. Still no fancy animations, pointless games or other nonsense. Partly because I can’t help thinking....

Six Million Pubs A Week Closing!

The Bloggering Brewer — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:16:38 +0100

What? Really? Well of course not, I’m just training to be a headline writer for the national press. The truth – at the moment, depending on your choice of source – is nearer 7 or so. Now that is a lot...

We Have A Facebook...

The Bloggering Brewer — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:22:13 +0100

Now don’t get excited, and certainly don’t ask me why, but we have a Facebook...

Bird Rearing...

The Bloggering Brewer — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:37:57 +0100

Well, obviously it’s that time of year, and so all the local animals have paired off, and started producing offspring.

Of Assistance & Iron Dukes...

The Bloggering Brewer — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:56:06 +0100

Well, what a busy time. So much for the sodding recession! Whilst our beloved MP’s have been attending to their dry rot, backed-up moats and unruly wisteria, we have had our two busiest months ever...

News Of The Brews, May 09

The Bloggering Brewer — Fri, 01 May 2009 09:53:10 +0100

Just a quick update on the beers to look out for from us in May...

Agincourt 4.0% - a pale ...

Twitchers Corner...

The Bloggering Brewer — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:10:08 +0100

Given that spring is upon us, it's not surprising that life is getting active, and birds a-plenty are arriving to ...

Smile, It Could Have Been A Lot Worse...

The Bloggering Brewer — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:05:28 +0100

So, duty went up. Surprise surprise. But consider this - given the high increases of recent budgets, and the fact ...

Take Courage, Courage

The Bloggering Brewer — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:40:01 +0100

As you may or not know, there are a whole raft of things you can’t do, say, suggest or even obliquely hint at when advertising alcohol. For example you can’t...

As Sweet As Sugar....

The Bloggering Brewer — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:56:40 +0100

Like many folk, us here has been glued to that Apprentice show thing innit, on the BBC. In fact mate, ...

Squadron Scramble!

The Bloggering Brewer — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:36:45 +0100

It is fast approaching 92 time again - indeed we expect to have 92 Squadron landing at the more discerning ...

Toads Away!

The Bloggering Brewer — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:59:01 +0100

In a sure sign, that despite all the doom, gloom and 'end is nigh-ing', the world is functioning as normal, ...

Get Down The Fox & Hounds…

The Bloggering Brewer — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:03:53 +0000

Just a touch to the west of Haverhill there is a village called Steeple Bumpstead – a village that lives up to the sort of images I imagine that name conjures – little old cottages with chaotic colourful gardens, twisting back streets, etc etc. It’s the sort of village that

Larking About...

The Bloggering Brewer — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:16:42 +0000

So what did you do Saturday? Well I had to work. Well, I say work. What I was supposed to ...

Are You A Gobby Hobbit….?

The Bloggering Brewer — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:06:56 +0000

Well, it seems you might be if you are at all interested in cask beer (which is, I presume, why you are here reading this), and most definitely if you are a card carrying CAMRA-ist: http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news.ma/article/82346

Minimum Pricing? Bring It on! Maybe…

The Bloggering Brewer — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:38:04 +0000

On first thoughts, the much discussed spectre of minimum alcohol pricing, as formally suggested by Sir Liam Donaldson (Chief Medical Officer, presumably of England, or at least a small village within these shores) is a very good thing...

Down On The Farm…

The Bloggering Brewer — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:46:37 +0000

It’s early March (I can tell this from the using the angle of the sun to read the date on the calendar, an old trick I learnt some weeks back), and this can mean only one thing.