Einstok Tasting Notes

In Depth Tasting notes on Einstok Beer

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Einstok Brewery boasts a 60 mile proximity south of the Arctic Circle. The bespoke, glacial-looking design of the bottle reflects this. I have in front of me 4 of these bottles, the contents of which having been happily consumed by myself and a couple of other tasters.

The beers that Einstok have kindly provided us with are wide-ranging and esoteric in style and flavour. There’s a couple of numbers that would work well within the summer months and would also be worthy of brightening one’s mood during this increasingly Autumnal period. Conversely, there’s a couple that would match the season well, molly-codling and warming the taster as they do in the same way that a room heated with an oak fire does.

It is with the two lighter beers that I shall start. It is common-place, if not fashionable, these days to find a wheat beer that is flavoured with X,Y or Z. It’s malleable in this sense; it’s sweetness and element of spice being susceptible to flavours that may off-set this in an additional flavour that is smoky, sweet or sour. It is for this reason that a few breweries have chosen the path of flavouring their ‘Wits’ with coriander seed and orange peel. As is tradition, the ‘Einstok White Ale’ 5.2% is cloudy in colour (an un-avoidable characteristic of its genre). On the nose, there is of course, citrus, though it is an accentuated, almost caricatured version of it that is perhaps more reminiscent of sherbet or fruit and barley waters of one’s youth. With this, there are the usual spicy elements of ginger and cinnamon in the mix that is characteristic of a good wheat beer.

After this, the ‘Icelandic Pale Ale,’ 5.6% which sits in the glass as a dark amber, almost tea-like (there’s an American influence here I sense). On the nose there is a harmonious level of household spice; ginger, cloves, nutmeg and the like. There is a strong malt quality to the beer that is paired well with tastes of confectionary, chewy toffeeness, citrus, subtle meaty garlic and even refreshing notes of mango and melon. With this kind of concentrated sweetness, there is also an air of the botanical that one will tend to find in a good American/American-influenced pale ale.

So, on to the two darker options; the two that in a more conventional way conjure up those images of a comfy chair within the confines of a cottage living room in Autumn or Winter England. I am well familiar with ‘Einstok Toasted Porter,’ 6.0% but do not pass up the opportunity to try it out on my guests and also to remind myself of it. Like any good porter or stout, the malt is prominent on the nose and furthermore, the roasted quality of the beer grabs the nostrils in a tremendously powerful grip. Those of us who know the qualities of a decent, continental Espresso will know this quality, those who don’t, will discover it. As far as taste goes, much of the same scents are translated in to the flavour of the drink. Along with this, my co-tasters witnessed added flavours of bourbon whiskey, oak and a creamy consistency. It is worth noting also, that a colleague of mine considers this drink to be an exceptionally good accompaniment to a well-made kedgeree.

The ‘Dopplebock’ 6.7% is characteristic of its type, an increasingly popular variety of beer with its roots in Germany but with global variants. It is a handsome reddish brown in colour with a lovely mixture of smokiness and sweetness on the nose. As with a lot of beers with a certain degree of strength of flavour, the taste is of the smell. However, the sweetness evolves in to a more specific taste of caramel and the smokiness in to more of an oak-like quality. It is thoroughly satisfying. In my case, the beer was enjoyed tremendously well with an earthy plate of mackerel, the bock enhancing the sea-breeze quality of the fish. This having been said, I can see it being enjoyed perfectly well with the likes of a good red meat, diner-style burger or quite simply by itself.

Einstok beers are becoming increasingly available in the capital these days with a large amount of craft beer bars, shops and outlets stocking them (strangely enough, I recently found a row of the toasted porters within the depths of a seemingly bog-standard offy in Shoreditch). And they are indeed worth looking out for with Einstok currently co-riding the wave of quality Scandinavian beer with the likes of Nogne, Mikkeller and Lervig Aktiebryggeri.

Go fish!

Lamb Brewery

London’s New Micro Brewer The Lamb Brewery

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Within the confines of Chiswick sits an array of high-end specialist shops, cafes and brasserie style restaurants. Anything from speculative health food products to French inspired haute cuisine are provided for the affluent area with a staggering amount of choice for what is still essentially, a London suburb.

It is within the depths of this area where one will stumble upon the Lamb Brewery. Decked out in a style half-reminiscent of a German Bier Keller and half-reminiscent of an English pub, the influences of the place are made evident.

We enter the premises, long, bright, low ceilings and with the micro-brewery directly to the left, all on show. The bar (also very long) boasts a selection of guest cask and keg beers. There is a pride of place at the front of the bar though, for the beers brewed on site, cask and keg, the keg beers served via tall, handsome taps.

After asking for Johannes Lux (head brewer) at the bar, we are escorted to the beer garden preceding the bar, decked with benches and bags of spent malt to a huddle of three gentlemen laughing jovially with pints in their hands.

Rapturously, we are greeted by the multi-national group of men, one Irish, one German, one Russian (sounds like the beginning to a crap joke doesn’t it?). After a quick introduction, Johannes polishes off his cloudy wheat beer and retreats in doors to finish off cleaning the brewery. This leaves us in the welcoming company of Rory Dempsey (Manager) and Kirilc (General Manager) whilst the brewer sets about spraying the floors, head phones in and a Teutonic look of concentration on his face.

Rory proceeds in explaining to me, Johannes’ past in the brewing world. Born in Bitburg, the man started brewing when he was 15, a fact that partially explains his maturity in brewing despite still being in his early twenties. Along with periods in German breweries, notably Bitburger Braurei, Lux has worked in breweries from all over the world including the U.S.A and Africa. Johannes also worked for The Botanist Brewery at Kew Gardens where Rory argues that the young German honed his trade. Small catch though, Johannes whilst admiring the British cask ale methodology and products, wished to revert back to making the German style brews of his youth.

Though he was granted this when he joined Lamb Brewery, the selection of Lamb beers on offer, almost serve as a retrospective of the brewer to date. We start with a couple of beers from Johannes’ homeland. Served in long glasses we start with the Hefeweizen 5.5%. Whilst there is the characteristic freshness and slight sourness on the nose that one would expect to find in a German Weisse, there is a slight earthiness at work also that works well in cutting through the other two powerful fragrances. In taste, there is that freshness again only with notes of banana and ginger tingling the taste buds. As I look around the room, I see that the Hefeweizen is a popular order here and I am reminded of the increasingly popular demand amongst the younger crowd for this type of beer. It is no mystery as Johannes has made a very good example of a German Weisse in this beer.

Next up, we move on to the Pilsner 4.8%, with an added twist, a nod to Johannes’ brewing days at Bitburger. That twist is the addition of honey to the beer. Standing handsomely and clearly in the glass, there is indeed a strong pang of honey in the aroma of the beer that manifests itself in to the taste of the beer in a sweetness that does take one by surprise. It is though, not a sickly sweet rather than a natural-tasting, zesty one that enables the raw ingredients of the beer to survive. It is a beer that is thoroughly refreshing and one that is enjoyed tremendously well with the delicious minted lamb burgers with raita that we are
served.

We then move on to Johannes’ American Pale Ale 5%, a very popular genre these days rendering myself interested in seeing what his is like. The beer is reddish amber and on the nose has all the hallmarks of a zesty, sweet-tasting pale from the North American continent. After a bit of chitter chat with Rory, the beer is left by itself for a while and as can often happen, the elements start to tinker around with the beer which is a wonderful thing. With this time to settle, it assumes subtle notes of strawberry and toffee both on the nose and in taste. All in all, it’s a solid and reliable take on a beer with a growing fan base. It is enjoyed especially well with the herb baked cheese and bread that we are offered, a pairing that you can see yourself enjoying on a regular basis.

Finally, we move on to the Lamb Dark Ale 4.5% which entices me greatly, myself having a strong interest in people from different brewing cultures having a stab at cask ale. A real London beer, the dark ale can almost be seen as an homage to the original Lamb Brewery that closed its doors originally in 1922. It is a very good English best bitter with an element of cress on the nose, a savoury note that I have always noted upon in other earthy bitters of its type. There is also a scent of countryside soil and peat that is reflected in the colour, a dark amber. Whilst a lot of these odours are translated in to the taste of the beer, there are also added notes of rustic granary bread with a very slight bitterness towards the end.

This beer was enjoyed greatly with yet another generous offering from the kitchen that was a hearty plate of belly pork, mustard and cream sauce and cabbage, hearty fare for an Autumn evening.

The original brewery having been bought out by Fullers, to then rise from the flames 90 years later in 2012 makes the Lamb story a resonant one. Having been one of the big ‘players’ during the 19th century, the brewery is yet another in the movement against the behemoths of corporate beer. Most micro-breweries that can be described as such have either looked to the English past of cask ale, have looked overseas for inspiration in new brewing techniques or have done both. When asked whether they at Lamb are looking towards doing the same in creating tasty ‘gateway ales,’ for new, younger punters, Rory says no. Instead, he insists that there are still the solid offerings of cask ale for those that wish to have it, otherwise, with the exception of the American Pale Ale, they intend to create lagers and Weissen to take on the big boys with.

Bottling with Beavertown Brewery

Bottling Beer with Beavertown Brewery

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It was in a hung-over stupor that I hopped off of the bus in Haggerston and shuffled wearily along Downham Road towards Duke’s Brew and Que headquarters of the now eponymous Beavertown Brewery. Although tired after a night out with a selection of Mikeller’s back catalogue, I was looking forward to a day of labour intensive bottling, curious as I was in the process involved and looking to shake off my malaise.

Logan Plant and James Rylance (above) were accommodating and pleasant as ever when I entered, even in light of an evident cock up in that I had not in fact been expected, I don’t know what happened there but it did turn out that I would be needed after all, another fella having unexpectedly dropped out. After hoovering down a coffee and one of James’ pains au chocolats, James, his friend Jimmy and I proceeded to their brewing/bottling site located approximately 5-10 minutes’ walk from Duke’s.

On account of its un-becoming exterior, I instantly found charm and was excited by the idea that one of the best beers brewed in London is given it’s final touches in a place that appears so modest. The interior follows suite and reminds me of Logan’s brewing facilities on site at Duke’s evoking the sense of a true creative hub with bubbling vats emanating curious citrus scents, wet floors and a genuine feel that this is a place where chaos sometimes reigns supreme, always though resulting in the quality of product that we have come to expect from Beavertown.

I shall not bore you with an intricate A-Z run through of the whole process but I shall say that it was a big bottling operation on the day, resulting in 40 completed boxes of 24 X ‘Gamma Rays,’ all by means of relatively limited equipment in relation to the huge demand that the brewery is generating (incidentally, to keep up with this, the brewery will indeed soon be up-grading its facilities. I shan’t say where as I’m not sure if I’m meant to).

Highlights of the day included chatting with both James and Jimmy (above) with whom I apparently share a mutual interest with in independent cinema. It was a true pleasure spending my time with thoughtful individuals such as these who are clearly enthused in creating a quality final product and furthermore polishing off a couple of bottles with them at the end of the day.

When those new premises are completed, one can feel safe in the assertion that none of the experimentation and dedication in producing amazing tasting beer will be sacrificed. Beavertown Brewery machine marches on.

Fullers Brewery Review

Tasting Notes and Review of Fuller’s Beer

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Love them or loathe them, the eponymous Fuller’s brewery of Chiswick is a bona-fide London institution. Established in 1845, the brewery has consistently churned out droves of traditional tasting English ales that has secured its reputation as the capital’s flagship brewery. Indeed, it can be argued that the criticism that the brewery receives is primarily a result of this consistent familiarity within the population of London and subsequently, the rest of the country. Either way, Fuller’s have been kind enough to send London Cocktail Scholars a selection of their range to, in some cases try, and in other cases, re-try.

Firstly, London Pride 4.7% which as we all know is by far and away the most familiar of the familiar and a beer whose name is synonymous with the name of the brewery. A nutty brown in colour, there is precious little that I can tell you about ‘Pride’ that has not been remarked upon before. On the nose, there are vague berry notes particular to the English hop varieties that the brewery use and the taste follows suite with biscuit malt notes, bitty tastes of butterscotch and concluded with a very light bitterness. Essentially, the occasional derision bestowed upon London Pride can be seen as a result of its most frequent consumption in the form of a bottle; a conditioning process that appears to negatively affect the body and taste of traditional English ales. Having said this, on the occasions that Pride is available on draft or cask, it is perfectly fine. In short, London Pride is what I would describe as a good default beer when there’s not the desired range of other beers on offer.

Next, we move on to the Bengal Lancer 5.3%, a ballsier offering that possesses palpable notes of berries, citrus, apples and pears on the nose, that are then counter-balanced with a mild maltiness that settles the fruit flavours down. Conversely to Pride and as more of an IPA, there is a greater emphasis on the hops within Bengal Lancer that possesses the zesty notes of pink grapefruit, still remarkably underpinned like in the smell of the beer with a slightly earthy character that offers the drinker equal levels of sweetness and bitterness. Another one of Fullers’ immediately available beers, Bengal Lancer too translates really well on draft when it is available.

To switch things up a little bit, I decided to move away from the paler beers and on to the London Porter 5.4%, a very dark brown in colour that filters in to a burgundy red at the base with a rocky head on top. On the nose, there are the appropriate notes of chocolate and coffee, albeit with a soillike muddiness that is ultimately very pleasant. In the taste, there are flavours of prune, dates and nuts with a slight sourness that gives way to notes of dark treacle, molasses and coffee again. Tied together with a lenient bitterness and consistency that sticks lightly to the gums, this is a wonderful Sunday afternoon beer. In fact, that is precisely when I tried it, an afternoon that trundled smoothly along with the wafting smell of my friends bacon sandwich and the wittering sounds of the tennis on T.V.

So, back to the paler but by no means lighter side with the 1845 6.3% that is most probably my pick of the bunch. Possessing the balmy, bready whiffs of granary bread and really strong malt, the 100 days in which the beer is matured pays dividends. In the taste, that bready, malty, cress-like quality is mixed wonderfully well with the rich flavours of prunes, plums and predominantly fig (a fruit that could almost be seen as a microcosm of the beer itself, earthy and sweet at the same time). So, we’re basically looking here at a very good best bitter that has been given a massive pair of bollocks and all of its flavours accentuated. I had this beer with some harmless little fish fingers but there is not a Ploughman’s lunch that couldn’t be improved by this beer; quite simply, it’s very, very good.

Finally, I moved on to what could be described as the luxury item of the quintet, the Fuller’s 2011 Vintage Ale 8.5%. As can be established by its name, this beer has been matured since last year, the flavours and scents developing day by day in to something that would constitute an excellent father’s day gift (oh, wait, that was Sunday!…Shit!). A damned pretty beer, the colour is perhaps worth the money alone; a dark, golden amber like treacle, mixed with diluted raspberry and copper. A safe assumption based on the description of the beer would suggest a strong, boozy smell and in this respect, the Vintage Ale holds know surprises as it delivers precisely this with fragrances of Southern French Armagnac, caramel and dried fruits. And then the taste, whilst maintaining the alcoholic notes from the nose becomes a kind of who’s who of what kind of things that you’d expect from an IPA with a gravity such as this. Whilst it displays the typical flavours of peach, marmalade and candied fruits, there are the interesting flavours of marzipan, syrup and sugar plums that are evened out with the more savoury essences of light coffee and smokiness all of which leaves a chewy consistency that leaves a fine film over the gums and a candied after taste that still retains a short, sharp bitterness.

People will naturally think of the stalwarts of London Pride and ESB when the Fuller’s name is mentioned. Scratch the surface though and there is a veritable treasure trove of a back catalogue if one is willing to look in to it, an endeavour that I can guarantee will be worth your while.

Craft Beer Rising 2013

There are gentle, solitary snowflakes fluttering down that lilt in the streetlights as Steve, Hannah Vernon of ‘Duke’s Brew and Que and I walk down Brick lane as we remark on our respective experiences of that remarkable East End Street. It is a pretty evening indeed as we shuffle towards our venue for the evening that is the inaugural Craft Beer Rising festival at the Truman’s Brewery building in which a selection of the nation’s / continent’s best breweries have congregated to show off their stock to a burgeoning London crowd that is eager to try it.

Thankfully hustled in before the large crowd that line the width of the now defunct brewery, amidst the frosty cold, i remarked early on that there is a complex blend of people that illustrate a true dichotomy of the new beer-drinking populace of the Great British capital; indeed, I am not the only one wearing a red, woollen hat and a kaftan scarf. After sussing the labyrinthine depths of the place, we soon got round to sampling a few of the beers that were on offer and for sake of simplicity, I shall go through them chronologically…

…starting with an effort from Chapel Down Brewery. Initially known as purveyors of English wine, Chapel Down have started producing a range of beers from proper beer country, AKA Tenterden in Kent, that always possess the prefix ‘curious,’ in this case, ‘Curious IPA,’5.6%. Possessing an under-whelming sense of English hop variety on the nose that is toned down and farm-yardy this results in  a beer that does not possess a huge amount of character on the nose. Furthermore, this does not translate terrifically well in the taste of the stuff either. Although there are a few, sharp, vineous notes of the champagne yeast and a biscuit-like after taste that I have tasted 1000 times over, there is regrettably little that I can say that is remarkable about this experimental Kentish beer.

After exploring the venue for a little while longer and finding a largely blue-lit, expansive room thumping out 80s soul tunes, we manage to find Thwaites Brewery’s corner of the room and in tow, the pleasant company of head-brewer, Ian Bearpark who instructs us to try firstly, the ‘Wainwright’ 4.1% that is light, hoppy and honey-like in flavour whilst perhaps not possessing a huge amount on the nose.

The ’13 Guns’ 5.5% is a different kettle of fish altogether though, a ballsy homage to American I.P.As, the sheer bolshiness of New World hop varieties like Centennial, Citra and Amarillo smacking me in the face with a great wallop. Altogether, it was all a very harmonious melange, smooth and delectable with a clear amber body, firm-white head and a lot of fruity sweetness with a stewed-like quality of a good marmalade.

A beer festival can be a dis-orientating place, stall to stall vying for your attention. In a random process that can only be likened to blindly throwing a dart at a board, we landed on ‘Signature Brew’s’ stall that was placed within the corner of the big, blue room with the loud music. Based in Hackney, Signature have started to specialise in creating a set of beers that are personalised to a set of musicians and bands that aim to dispel the idea of only getting ‘shit beers at gigs.’ If the appeal of the brewery becomes big enough, then one can feasibly see them reaching their aim creating a set of instant classic beers with a stalwart range that covers a thoroughly palatable and well-hopped lager in ‘Enter Shikari,’ 5% a potent to a ballsy IPA packed full of citrus and berry fruitiness in ‘Dry The River,’ 7% that retains a meaty quality in its strong, yeasty after taste.

We moved on next to a couple of offerings from ‘Bath Ales,’ hailing precisely from that historic place but regrettably not offering anything quite as luxurious as the Roman baths located within that city. I started with a half of ‘Gem,’ 4.1% that I suppose can be described as a sort of bitter that is a tad on the gentle side, possessing a very light butterscotch flavour on account of the English hop varieties used whilst remaining firmly generic on the nose and rest of the flavour.

The ‘Dark Side Stout,’ 4% follows suite unfortunately with precious little on the nose other than vague caramel and its main selling point apparently being that ‘it’s smooth’…bit like Guinness then.

After feeling a little disappointed by our venture with Bath Ales, we decided to revisit an old favourite in Thornbridge Brewery of Bakewell, Derbyshire. Starting with ‘Tzara,’ 4.8%, I experienced a decent stab at a traditional Cologne Kolsch recipe in which the malt that is native to that region was show-cased marvellously in what can be called a decent all-season lager.

Conversely to this was Jaipur 5.9% that given its spicy, citrus nature is deserving of its exotic title refreshing as it is with notes of grapefruit, lemongrass and summer berries; consistently one of my favourite beers, I cannot recommend it enough.

A brief dalliance at the Off Beat Brewery stand of Crewe, Cheshire lead to us trying a zingy effort from them in their ‘Dotty DIPPA,’ 8.4% that after a few would no doubt send you precisely that. ABV aside, Dippa is a lovely imperial IPA with a boozy kick that leaps from the glass, grabs your nostrils and does not let go. The flavour is delightful too, possessing almost savoury notes of blackberry whilst maintaining a tart nature to the beer that carries the whole thing through.

I recently reviewed a nice selection of beers from Hog’s Back Brewery and remarked that their one short-coming may be in their lack of variety. Thankfully I was proven wrong this evening when I was presented with a half pint of ‘Snout’ 3.8% that is billed as a ‘dark winter stout.’ I was at the risk of sounding pernickety when I wondered to myself whether there was any other kind of stout but this is beside the point, this effort re-proving that ABV doth not maketh the flavour. With a yeasty scen that is potent, there are notes of malty chocolate in the flavour that results in a beer that although not particularly ground-breaking is thoroughly pleasant and one that I would most probably go back for.

As a loud, electronically motivated announcement signalled last orders, I managed to squeeze one last half in before departing and chose ‘Double Chocolate Stout,’ 5.7% by Young’s Brewery and was pleased to finish on a smooth, subtly rich stout that possessed all of the hallmarks of the Cadburys chocolate used with a creamy texture and fruity undertones that resulted in a beer that ended the evening perfectly after I’d used up my final token value on takeaway bottles.

A few cigarette breaks throughout the course of the evening had reminded my companions and I that the cold was indeed still there, but after a few days of illness on my part, I had forgotten the benefits that a couple of drinks within you can do when faced with a frosty February chill. A hell of a lot warmer than when we first arrived, we poodled back off in to the midnight darkness, a warm feeling in our bellies and a satisfaction in having attended this first ‘Craft Beer Rising.’