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A Haunting Taste
Andrea Waterhouse
Raven about
Ale!
Andrea Waterhouse How to Get
Bladdered!
Kelpie is the name given to the creatures that, according to legend, live in the Lochs of Scotland ~ Nessie is the most famous of these. The picture on the pump clip (and bottle label) of Kelpie Organic Seaweed Ale is actually the Pictish symbol for one of these mythical beasts. The beer itself REALLY is brewed using seaweed (bladder wrack to be precise) that is harvested, usually in the spring, from off the Argyll Coast. Heather Ales and Craigmill Brewery Ltd can be found in an old 18th Century Watermill. The owners (Bruce and Scott Williams) used to own a homebrew shop in Glasgow and eventually opened a brewery of their own ~ they had found some ancient Scottish brewing recipes and wanted to try them out. The company now brews at two sites; one is at Strathaven (where the bottled beers are produced) and the other is the Craigmill Brewery (where the Cask beers are brewed). They are renowned for producing unusual and interesting beers using local Scottish ingredients. Their beers are also based on traditional recipes. These include Fraoch Heather Ale (4.1% ABV as a Cask Ale) which is brewed using Heather (Fraoch is Gaelic for Heather), Ebulum (6.5% ABV) which contains blackberries, and Grozet (4.5% ABV) which is brewed with gooseberries (Groseid is the Gaelic for Gooseberry). Kelpie weighs in at 4.4% ABV and, as well as the seaweed, is brewed using organic barley and malt, to recreate an old style dark Scottish beer. Up to the 1850’s many Scottish ale houses along the coast brewed their beers using barley fertilised with seaweed. This gave the beer a distinct flavour that Kelpie aims to recreate. Looks wise, Kelpie is a very dark, almost black beer that takes on a slightly chocolate brown hue when held up to the light. The cream coloured head is slightly foamy, but quite lacy and not very long lasting. The closest comparison I can give you is a cross between a stout and a brown ale ~ the taste and texture is a little stout-like too. The aroma is pretty strong, but not unpleasant. There is a slightly salty scent (reminiscent of sea air perhaps), but not fishy like I was expecting something associated with the sea to be. There is a whiff of coffee, a hint of chocolate and a pleasant roasted maltiness too. The final smell I got was quite earthy ~ it smells like it tastes; robust and unusual! Taste wise, Kelpie is rather interesting too. It is the rich chocolate flavour that dominates the brew, balanced out by roasted malt and a light hoppiness. The flavour develops a slight sweetness, giving way to a finish that is slightly salty. The after taste combines all these unusual elements, leaving you with a fresh and crisp flavour. It is certainly an unusual beer and quite an acquired taste, but once you have acquired it Kelpie is very moreish indeed. Kelpie is available as a cask ale and in bottles (not bottle conditioned unfortunately). You can always get some from the Heather Ales web-site www.fraoch.com. I certainly recommend that you give Kelpie a try if you see it on your travels. It wasn’t what I was expecting but it was definitely a welcome surprise! Andrea Waterhouse A Mild (G)ale
Gales Brewery supply 111 tied houses (all of which serve Cask Ales) and also provide beer to around 650 free trade outlets. Some of their beers you may come across include Frolic Bitter (4.4% ABV ~ a tasty beer served around Easter), HSB (4.8% ABV ~ a full-bodied bitter) and Winter Brew (4.2% ABV ~ a winter beer in the style of an Old Ale). Festival Mild was first created by Gales back
in 1990 to support CAMRA’s campaign to restore Mild as a style of beer. It
was called Festival because it made its first appearance at a Beer Festival,
but it was so popular that it became a regular fixture. It has won many
awards at Beer Festivals around the country so I was really looking forward
to trying it. It’s available as a Cask Beer and also in bottles; it was
advertised at Tesco, but I have yet to have the pleasure! The flavour of Festival Mild is predominantly
fruity. The initial taste that I noticed was blackcurrants and raisins, but
this was nicely balanced out by hints of chocolate, caramel and a soft taste
of roasted malt. I could also taste raspberries in there along with what I
can only describe as liquorice. There is a faint tang of bitterness in the
finish, but the aftertaste leaves I’m not doing myself any favours here because they’ll be less left for me if I tell everyone to have some! Hands off…it’s mine! If you have any comments, or suggestions for beers or pubs to try, email me at a.d.waterhouse@btinternet.com Andrea Waterhouse X-cellent B-eer!
Andrea Waterhouse Fisherman’s Friend Adnams Brewery was formed way back in 1872, when Ernest & George Adnams took over an existing brewery in the Suffolk town of Southwold. There has actually been brewing taking place on the site since the early half of the fourteenth century (in fact it has been traced back to 1345), so it was a good place to start a business. They were joined by the Loftus family in 1902 and have continued to produce some interesting and varied cask ales. Some Adnams beers you may have come across include the Bitter (3.7 % ABV), Broadside (4.7 % ABV) and Regatta (4.3 % ABV). I’ve tried the Bitter and the Broadside before and was impressed, so I was expecting good things from my pint of Fisherman. Adnams Fisherman weighs in at 4.3 % ABV and was originally produced to replace two of their existing brands ~ their Old Ale and Oyster Stout. In effect it is essentially a combination of these two styles. It is made (according to the manufacturers) using Maris Otter pale malt, Rye Crystal malt, chocolate malt and Goldings hops. These ingredients, along with Chocolate and Pinhead oats, combine to give and interesting, rich and full-bodied beer. Looks wise, it is a rather deep red in colour; almost like burnished copper. It settled quickly and, when held up to the light, it took on a slightly lighter clear copper hue. The aroma is distinctly hoppy, with a nutty scent from the roasted malt coming through. This mixes nicely with a faint chocolaty fragrance and a little whiff of spice. This combination actually reminds me of winter and the festive season. Taste wise, Fisherman is rather complex too. It’s a little difficult to allot it to one particular style of beer; it has the body, smoothness and character of a stout, and yet it retains the hoppy, refreshing and easy to drink quality of a bitter. The initial flavour I got was a repeat of the malty nuttiness present in the smell. This gave way to a slight bitter sweetness, rather like sucking a square of dark chocolate. There is a little hint of spiciness too that warms you up rather nicely. All this, together with a lovely combination of nuts, fruit and a little bit of liquorice thrown in gives you a cracking flavour. The finish also has these elements of chocolate, malt and hops. It has a complexity that is befitting of a full-bodied and character filled brew such as this. The bitterness of the beer becomes to come through more strongly towards the end, leading to a refreshing aftertaste and that subtle spiciness that leave your mouth feeling warm. The smoothness of the beer is also pleasant on the palate. Fisherman leaves you feeling warm, cosy and definitely wanting to get straight to the bar for another pint! That’s perhaps the only trouble; it is perhaps a little TOO easy to drink. Adnams Fisherman is unfortunately only available from October until the end of February. This is a real pity because I would be happy to drink it at any time of year; although essentially a winter brew it is refreshing enough to warrant a regular slot. Ours cost us £2.00 for a pint; the standard price for one of the Guest Ales at The Market Hotel. I consider this to be a fair price for a good and tasty beer ~ of course, I’d love to pay less, but this isn’t going to happen and I have paid the same price for distinctly average beers in the past. We had a few pints each that Wednesday night and thoroughly enjoyed them all. I’ll certainly be looking out for Adnams Fisherman again in the future and I recommend that you do the same…but time is running out this year, so be quick! If you have any comments, or suggestions for beers or pubs to try, email me here Andrea Waterhouse This webpage was last updated on Sunday, 07 October 2007 |
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In
September we went to the excellent Beer Festival in the brewing town of
Burton on Trent in Staffordshire. We went for the afternoon session and
spent a leisurely afternoon sampling a large variety of interesting beers.
The one that stood out (although I don’t think we had one we hated) was
Centurion’s Ghost Ale, produced by the York Brewery, based (not
surprisingly) in the old Roman city of York.
The
Orkney Brewery is based in the Isles of Orkney, just off the Northern tip of
Scotland, in an old Schoolhouse. Brewing started there in 1988 (by Roger and
Irene White) and since then they have produced an excellent range of bottled
and cask Real Ales. They export to the mainland and also to other countries
around the world (apparently they do a roaring trade in the USA!). 
Every
now and again a beer comes along that intrigues me. Kelpie Organic Seaweed
Ale is definitely one of these beers. The name is certainly interesting, but
so is the concept and the beer itself! Don’t be put off by the unusual name
and don’t be frightened of the fact that seaweed is a part of the brew ~
Kelpie Organic Seaweed Ale may sound odd, but it really is rather good
indeed! Rest assured that Kelpie may contain seaweed, but it definitely
doesn’t TASTE of it. 
George
Gale & Co Ltd dates back to 1847; when Richard Gale purchased a brewery and
an adjoining pub (called The Ship Inn). The business was expanded by
Richard’s son George and, following a major fire in 1869, the brewery was
rebuilt. The Bowyer family bought a major share in the brewery in 1896 and
they have stayed at the helm ever since. If you want to know more about the
brewery’s history then you can either visit the web-site at this address.
Bateman’s
Brewery is based in Wainfleet, Lincolnshire; just down the A52 from
Skegness. It is a small independent business that was set up, back in 1874,
by farmer George Bateman and his wife Suzanna. The present chairman, also
called George, is the founder’s grandson; keeping Bateman’s as a family
concern, despite threats of buy-outs from larger companies.