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A
Legendary Lizard!
From: InnSpire - Issue 58 –
December 2005
Earlier
in the year we went to the excellent Burton-on-Trent
Beer Festival, held in the beautiful vaulted Town Hall,
giving us a chance to try some really good beers.
Checking through the beer list in the programme, I
decided to start on a lighter-coloured beer, before
moving on to the darker ones.
Firstly I tried Golden Pippin - I know the brewery and
they are usually great - then went for a new beer (for
me):
 Golden
Salamander. The Salamander Brewing Company is
a relatively new business, founded in 2000 on the site
of a former pie factory (Dehner’s) in Dudley Hill,
Bradford, West Yorkshire. The building, dating back to
the 1870s, was derelict when they took it over but they
have since transformed it into a thriving concern. The
brewery produces 10 barrels and uses equipment from the
former Mitchell’s Brewery in Lancashire and the Hogs
Back Brewery in Suffolk. They produced their first beer
(Sleigher) for Christmas 2000 and have continued to grow
ever since. They now supply several Bradford pubs, free
houses in the surrounding area and Beer Festivals
nationwide. Many of their beers are named after
varieties of Salamander and include Axolotl (a pale easy
drinking beer at 3.8% ABV), Mudpuppy (an amber 4.2%
premium ale) and Hellbender (a stronger light-coloured
4.8% beer).
The legend of the Golden Salamander is celebrated with a
festival, held each year in central Slovakia (in the
mining town of Banska Stiavnica to be precise). The
story is linked with alchemy (the transmutation of base
metal to gold), gold mining and mythology. The
Salamander is the hieroglyph for fire and is also the
symbol for Sulphur and the Secret Fire. To quote from
the legend, ‘As the Salamander lives in the Fire so does
the Stone’. Golden Salamander beer is the colour of gold
and was brewed with the legend in mind!
Golden Salamander weighs in at 4.5% ABV and is brewed
using Styrian Goldings and Challenger hops. At this
strength it is just in the bracket of a Premium Ale or
strong bitter. As the name suggests, Golden Salamander
is a clear golden coloured beer. It has a small,
off-white head that doesn’t linger and just leaves a
faint lacing on the glass. The predominant aroma is that
of the hops, giving it a citrus (I would say mainly
grapefruit and lemon) and peppery (lightly spicy) scent.
I also found there was a slight aroma of toasty malt.
Texture is crisp, light and fresh and light to medium
bodied. The hoppiness that was present in the aroma
carries through nicely into the taste. It comes through
in a grapefruit and lemon zestiness, balanced out by a
slight biscuity malt undertone that is present
throughout. The beer starts off with a definite.....
[oops -
apologies to Andrea for our printing error in this
months issue of InnSpire - perhaps the printer had tried
one too many Lizards... oh well, here are the important
words that were missed out - oops...]
sweetness
but gets increasingly bitter, leading to a finish that
is very crisp and dry. What we end up with is an
aftertaste that is also extremely bitter and lingering.
It is a refreshing and certainly one for the hop fans!
I think that Golden Salamander is an excellent example
of a hoppy, light premium ale. It is certainly dry,
bitter and thoroughly hoppy. I think that it would
appeal to a wide range of drinkers and has enough
flavour to appeal to those who normally go for a more
robust darker beer. At 4.5% I would class it as just at
the edge of the Session Beer category, but advise anyone
drinking it to bear in mind that, even though it may
look like a low gravity beer (like Deuchars IPA at 3.8%)
it is stronger and should be treated as such. It was
refreshing and I found the bitterness worked really well
with the grapefruit and biscuit flavours: a good
all-round beer and especially suitable as a thirst
quencher on a summer’s day.
I have also found Golden Salamander as a guest beer in
my local Wetherspoons, where it was £1.59 a pint (their
current Guest Ale price). I think that it is a good
quality beer from a good quality brewery and is well
worth looking out for. The colour is appealing (it might
even tempt in the lager drinker) and it is a lovely beer
that I have no hesitation in recommending to beer
drinkers everywhere.
www.salamanderbrewing.com
Andrea Waterhouse
Drink it by the Galleon!
From: InnSpire - Issue 57 – October 2005
 Having just returned
from another wonderful excursion to Belgium, I thought
it was appropriate to review a bottled Belgian Beer.
This one goes by the name of Piraat (Pirate) and is
produced at the Van Steenberge Brewery. Brouwerij Van
Steenberge can be found in Ertvelde, in the Meetjesland
area of East Flanders. This region was the home to
around 660 breweries at the beginning of the 20th
Century, falling to 306 in the 1950s, with only 21 left
in Meetjesland. Sadly, the Van Steenberge Brewery is the
only one operating in Meetjesland today.
Van Steenberge began brewing in 1874, when the business
was set up next to farm. They started on a small scale,
but gradually built up and extended the brewing capacity
as popularity grew. They have recently invested in a
computer-controlled brewhouse, a water purification
facility, and a new mill & bottling plant, to bring the
brewery up to modern specifications and increase output.
Their beer range includes the wonderful Gulden Draak
(dark, dangerous and tasty at 10.5% ABV), the classic
Augustijn (an 8% Abbey beer) and Bornem Dubbel (a rich,
dark 8% beer).
Traditionally, strong beers like Piraat were taken on
long sea journeys. Their strength meant it could be kept
during voyages that lasted for months on end. It also
meant that the arduous voyage might pass a little
quicker - a beer that packed a punch ensured a happier
and possibly healthier crew (bear in mind the beer was
probably better preserved than any water they could
get). Piraat is brewed in the style of an IPA (Indian
Pale Ale) and also classed as a Belgian Tripel - brewed
using three times the standard amount of barley malts;
there is initially more starch in the brew which
produces more sugar after the brewing, thus more alcohol
after fermentation!
Piraat weighs in at 10.5% ABV and is ‘re-fermented’ - a
living beer that keeps on fermenting in its container.
This means that it gets stronger and the taste develops
the longer it ‘lives’ before opening. The brewery
recommends that you drink it within 2 years of bottling
- it should be pretty potent by then! It is a golden
amber-coloured beer that is opaque and a little hazy.
When poured it has a tall off-white frothy head, which
subsides gradually and leaves a good amount of lacing on
the side of the glass.
 Aroma is a little spicy with a moderate amount of malt
and a nice fruity element. There is also a slight
sweetness that reminds me a little of golden syrup.
Texture is quite smooth and creamy with a medium body.
There is a pretty good amount of carbonation - giving
the beer lots of little bubbles that dance around the
glass!
Piraat starts off with flavours of sweet caramel, honey
and tropical fruit. As you drink it gets more complex
and builds up to combine this sweetness with a malty,
bready flavour. The spiciness (almost like a pepper
taste) is present throughout, leading to a finish that
is hoppy and bitter. The aftertaste is quite long and is
crisp, dry and bitter. It is a well balanced beer that
has a strong kick. It is strong and the taste leaves
this in little doubt. Some people may not like it
because you really can taste the strength and the
alcohol! It is pretty powerful stuff and should be
sipped and treated with the respect a beer of this
alcohol content deserves. People tend to think that a
cloudy beer is a bad beer, but this isn’t always true -
an unfiltered bottled beer with sediment often appears
to be not quite clear. Please don’t let that put you off
enjoying a beer like this one.
I drank my bottle of Piraat in a Ghent bar called the
Waterhuis (I thought I should go there!), served in
typically fine Belgian style with the appropriate glass:
chalice-like with the Piraat logo and a picture of a
galleon on the side. It was poured correctly to give a
tall head and looked tempting on a warm evening. The
taste was as good as the presentation and the aroma was
inviting too. A 330ml bottle of Piraat set me back
around E2.00 (approx. £1.35), which I thought was good
value. I have seen it available via the old t’Internet
for around £1.40-1.50, although this is the price for a
case of 12 bottles. It is available in some of the
bigger supermarkets and specialist beer shops.
I liked Piraat and found it had a good complex taste and
was well balanced with a nice mix of sweet, bitter and
fruit flavours. I would certainly recommend you to taste
Piraat for yourself and enjoy. It maybe wasn’t as good
as some of the beers I have drunk (it wasn’t as good as
this brewery’s other creation, the marvellous Gulden
Draak), but it certainly had enough character to carry
it through.
By Andrea Waterhouse
The Greatest Reward Lies
in Making the Discovery
From: InnSpire - Issue 56 – August 2005
 It isn’t often that an
established brewer adds a new beer into their regular portfolio. There are
many seasonal or occasional brews out there, but generally once the core
brands are established that is how it stays. I was pleased, therefore, to
see that Fullers are brewing Discovery, which I got to sample during May’s
Barrow Hill Rail Ale Festival.
Fullers claim to be the
oldest brewer in London, not surprising when you consider that brewing has
taken place on their site for over 350 years. The company that we now know
as Fullers was set up in 1845 as Fuller, Smith and Turner.
Remarkably, in an industry that seems plagued with takeovers, the company
still has members of the founding family involved. The brewery prides itself
on producing excellent beers using traditional methods - and very
successfully too, as there aren’t many British brewers that have won
Champion Beer of Britain on FIVE occasions! The range of bottled and draught
beers is available in their tied estate and nearly 1,000 other outlets
nationwide. These include seasonal beers like Honeydew (a blond, organic,
honey flavoured beer at 4.3% ABV) and Jack Frost (a winter beer made with
real blackberries at 4.5% ABV).
Discovery is the first new, regular beer that Fullers have brewed for 25
years. It was launched on May 9th 2005 and joins London Pride, Chiswick
Bitter and ESB in their permanent portfolio. The intention is to craft a
beer that appeals to people who would generally go for lager, but still
retains the taste of a blond bitter.
Discovery is brewed using Liberty and Saaz hops and a blend of Carapils and
Pale Ale malts. As you have probably gathered already, Discovery is a pale
golden beer, with a very slight head that leaves a faint lacing on the side
of the glass. Aroma is crisp and fresh - it has a malty character, with a
hoppy, citrus twist and a slightly floral scent too. Texture is light and
has quite a soft mouth feel. It is a good, light and easy drinking beer.
For something of relatively low alcohol content (3.9% ABV) Discovery is a
surprisingly tasty beer. It combines a range of flavours and is refreshing
too. The Liberty hops give a citrus flavour and the Saaz hops add a
bitterness that continues throughout the pint. The malt (providing a
biscuity taste) is stronger at first - as you drink a pleasant lemon flavour
emerges, combined with a slight sweetness. This is balanced nicely by an
increasing bitterness that develops in the finish, lingering into the
aftertaste - not overly long - yet refreshing and a little fruity.
Discovery is one of those beers that will have a wide appeal: a good
balanced taste that will keep the beer drinkers happy and the lightness and
feel that will be a hit with the lager lovers. Although there are a lot of
flavours present in Discovery it is still quite a subtle and light beer. We
have drunk it at lunchtime and found that the flavours didn’t overpower our
meal, but we could still taste it - a very good combination! It is an
excellent session beer, ideal for lunchtime and summer afternoon
refreshment.
I’m pretty glad I discovered it and I hope you have fun finding it too!
www.fullers.co.uk
Andrea Waterhouse
A Drop of the Mild Stuff
From: InnSpire - Issue 55 – June 2005
 Those
of you who have read some of my other beer reviews will
know that I love dark beers and that stout, porters and
milds are my favourite styles of beer. As May was Mild
Month and I was on a quest to promote Mild and to try as
many different ones as I could. One of the Milds I was
able to find Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild.
Sarah Hughes beers are actually brewed in an old
Victorian Brewhouse behind The Beacon Hotel ~ a pub in
Sedgley, Dudley in the West Midlands. Brewing started
there in the 1860s, taking the name of Sarah Hughes in
the mid 20th century. The brewery closed for a while in
the 1950s, but started up again in the late 80s by Sarah
Hughes’ grandson. It is a tower style brewery and
produces bottled and cask ales for The Beacon Hotel and
a small number of other outlets.
They don’t brew a huge range of beers and, until
recently, that the Mild was only one I had tried across.
Some of their other beers include Sedgley Surprise (5%
ABV), Pale Amber (4% ABV) and a seasonal winter beer
called Snowflake (8% ABV).
This beer was first brewed in the 1920s and is a classic
example of a strong Black Country Mild. It is stronger
than most modern Milds and sticks faithfully to the old
recipe ~ which is a VERY closely guarded secret. A
lovely story says that the recipe was lost for a number
of years (around 30) and was finally discovered in an
old cigar tin. Don’t know how true it is, but it is a
nice tale all the same! Dark Ruby Mild weighs in at 6%
ABV and is a favourite beer at Beer Festivals around the
country ~ it has been a close contender for many awards
and medals too.
I would say that Dark Ruby Mild is a pretty good example
of a name describing a product to perfection. It is
intensely dark, almost black in colour, with a lovely
red tinge. It has a coffee coloured head that is quite
bubbly to begin with, but settles down quickly to form a
thickish covering. The aroma is predominantly malty with
a pleasant fruit smell ~ the fruit is almost wine-like
and seems to smell of grapes, plums and raisins. The
texture is rich and very full bodied for a Mild. It
feels smooth in the mouth and has a silky texture that
makes drinking a very pleasant experience.
Ooooh…where do I start on the taste? The main flavours
you will get are rich fruit, malt and hops ~ it tastes
strong and it is! The initial fruitiness mingles with a
caramel/toffee flavour, with elements of nuttiness from
the roasted malt. To start with it seems very sweet, but
this is replaced by an increasing bitter dryness that
comes through in the finish. The aftertaste is lingering
and has a pleasant fruit aspect, almost like drinking a
glass of port or fine red wine! The aftertaste also has
a soft malt flavour that is pretty moreish.
I was really impressed by the complexity and depth of
flavour in Dark Ruby Mild. All the various taste
elements are full, long lasting and well developed. It
turns much of what you expect from a Mild on its head
and really packs a punch. Just remember that, although
it is VERY easy to drink, it is a strong one and should
be treated with respect and caution.
I would say that Dark Ruby Mild is a must try Mild ~ it
is rich, warming and full of those lovely plum/ red
wine! It is a well crafted, well balanced beer and I
love the fact that it has a tradition and a history
behind it. I get the impression that if there were more
Milds like this one, lots more people would drink them!
So, I thoroughly recommend Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild
to anyone who appreciates a dark, rich tasty beer. Go
on…you know you want to! Sarah Hughes Brewery, Beacon
Hotel, 129 Bilston Street, Dudley, West Midlands, DY3
1JE
Andrea Waterhouse
Oink!
From: InnSpire - Issue 54 – April 2005
 In
July 1899 Highgate commenced brewing in an old Victorian
brewhouse in Walsall. Mitchell’s and Butler (M&B)
purchased the business in July 1939 and were just about
to close it down when history intervened! Germany
invaded Poland, war broke out in Europe and rationing
began. Due to this, the company realised they were
entitled to a larger hop ration if they kept Highgate
open (rationing was based on premises owned). The
brewery says that this was one of the only good things
to come from the war and that Hitler saved Highgate!
After a good few years, Highgate was taken over again
and became part of the huge Bass Brewing Company who
also tried and failed to close the site down. They tried
to make cuts but Highgate was saved by a last minute
buyout. Present times have seen Highgate in partnership
with Aston Manor Brewery and increasing their commitment
to Cask Beers. They now brew beers and ciders (bottled,
cask and keg) for sale all around the UK in
supermarkets, pubs and off-licences.
Some
Highgate beers you may see include the tasty Saddler’s
Premium (4.3% ABV), Davenport’s Original (a classic
malty beer at 4.0%) and Highgate Dark Mild (an extremely
tasty dark beer at 3.4%). However, we are looking at one
of the brewery’s other beers called “Black Pig” (4.4%).
With little background information about this beer
available, the brewer was contacted directly and he
confirmed that he created the recipe but it was named by
Paul Halsey, one of the brewery managers.
Highgate is located in the Black Country, so called
because of the thick smog from local industry. Walsall
was a centre for iron smelting and the purest type of
iron was called “black pig iron”, hence the name of this
mild ale.
The
beer itself came about after many of the customers in
local pubs liked to mix Highgate Mild and Old Ale ~ this
mix of strong and less alcoholic beers produced a medium
strength Mild style beer suited to winter nights. The
brewers thought it would be good to create a beer like
this themselves in October, November and December...
thus Black Pig was born! Black Pig is made using Pearl
(pale), Crystal and Black malts, maltose syrup and a
combination of Progress and Fuggle hops.
Black
Pig is a very deep browny red that looks almost black,
with a light coffee coloured head that is quite thin,
but lasts quite well. The predominantly roasted malt
aroma gives the beer a coffee and chocolate scent. There
are also hints of dark fruit lurking in there. The
texture is smooth and quite light bodied; this belies
the richness of the taste and, although light, it is not
a thin or watery beer. Black Pig is a well balanced beer
with a good mix of flavours. Initially the taste I got
was liquorice and chocolate. This soon progresses to
include toffee, caramel, dark fruits and the same
roasted malt that is present in the aroma. This all
leads to a finish that is hoppy and has quite a sharp
bitterness. The aftertaste carries on this bitter
flavour and is quite long and rather refreshing. All of
the tastes are pretty subtle ~ none are overpowering and
none are strong.
I
rather liked the soft, subtle and balanced blend of
tastes in Black Pig. I am particularly fond of the
chocolate and liquorice flavours and the way they are
complemented by the sharp bitterness in the aftertaste.
There is enough flavour present to get your taste buds
working, but not too much so as to overwhelm your
palate. The fruit taste also works well with the hops,
making a good balance between bitter and sweet.
Black
Pig is smooth and really easy to drink. The texture is
pleasant, although I would actually prefer it to be a
little bit more full bodied if I’m being honest. That
said it did still make for a rather pleasant night’s
drinking indeed. To start with I thought there wasn’t
going to be too much there, but the contrast between the
chocolaty base and the bitter finish gave it depth and
interest. The way the various flavours developed and
intermingled was quite a nice surprise! I would
recommend Black Pig to anyone who wants a dark, tasty
but not too strong beer. It is a good quality, well made
session beer with a lovely flavour. Enjoy!
Andrea Waterhouse
Crouching
Tiger, Drinking Dragon
From
InnSpire - Issue 53 - February 2005
Roger and Irene White set up the Orkney
Brewery, in an old schoolhouse building in Sandwick on Orkney’s mainland
back in 1988. Due to increased popularity and demand the brewery was
extended in 1994. Many of the Orkney beers use traditional Scottish recipes
and their products have won many awards at Beer Festivals in the UK. All of
the beer is brewed using water from the brewery well too!
Some of the beers you may find include Skullsplitter (a strong barley wine
at 8.5% ABV), Raven Ale (a balanced session ale at 3.8% ABV) and Dark Island
(a tasty dark beer at 4.6% ABV). Orkney Dragonhead Stout is produced all
year round and is brewed to a traditional recipe. The picture on the bottle
label and pump clip depicts the front of a Viking longboat with a dragon’s
head on the bow. The picture is quite dark and atmospheric - this is
supposed to sum up the main qualities of Dragonhead Stout. The Viking
imagery also harks back to the Orkney Islands’ past and to their tradition
of brewing beer! It isn’t just me who rates it because it was also awarded a
Bronze Medal in 2002 at the Brewing Industry International Awards.
Dragonhead Stout weighs in at 4% ABV and is brewed as a dry stout. The style
is actually an Irish stout with the roasted flavours which people may
normally associate with Guinness. These beers are normally quite
full-bodied, are rather bitter in flavour and are generally not too strong.
The flavour and colour comes mostly from dark malts (often chocolate malt)
and roasted barley. Dragonhead Stout fits most of the criteria for this
style of beer.
Looks wise, Dragonhead is a very dark, almost black beer with a slight
reddish tint when held up to the light. The head is light brown almost like
a coffee colour, which is quite large and lasts well; lingering throughout
the pint and leaving substantial lacing on the side of the glass. The aroma
is predominantly malty with hints of coffee and fruit (I would say currants
or raisins). There is also a faint scent of caramel and chocolate, giving it
a bittersweet edge. Texture is medium bodied, rather smooth and with a
richness that suggests it is much stronger than 4%. There is also a small
amount of carbonisation present too, along with a dry, bitterness.
Dragonhead’s flavour, as in its aroma is
dominated by the roasted malt flavours. This is complemented well by a
complex mix of tastes that work well together and build as you drink. There
are elements of caramel, coffee and chocolate, giving way to a finish that
is nutty, fruity and full of bitter chocolate and roasted malt. Add to this
hints of treacle and an underlying flavour of hops and you will see why I
called this a complex beer!
The aftertaste is pretty dry and also bitter,
but also has a smoothness that is rather moreish. Dragonhead Stout is a
great example of this style of beer. It is flavoursome, well crafted, well
balanced and rather nice to look at. It puts the more famous Guinness firmly
in its place - if Guinness is the only example of a dry stout that you have
ever tried I thoroughly recommend
you try this one! Dragonhead has much more flavour and the blend of tastes
is much subtler and infinitely superior. It feels lovely to drink and is
refreshing too. The beer is quite difficult to find in pubs these days
though I was fortunate to get some at a local Wetherspoons. If you can’t get
it as a cask ale, try the bottled version from the brewery website or in
supermarkets. I hope you manage to find it because it is well worth the
effort! A much recommended beer and one that I will be looking out for in
the future!
www.orkneybrewery.co.uk
Andrea Waterhouse
This webpage was last updated on
Sunday, 02 September 2007
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