My Little Leffe Adventure: Part 2

Who would have thought that a selection of 8 beers would last one person 4 months!
As you already know, at Christmas I received a cracking gift of mixed Belgian beers from the well known Leffe Brand. The selection included the bottles that we see everyday, some intriguing bottles from Belgium as well as two branded Chalices. As I write this blog my bar is now pretty much empty, as the selection was a Christmas Gift I was determined not to just drink them within a couple of weeks, but savour them for evenings when I wanted just one beer...and wanted to make sure that it was a good one!

In my previous blog I discussed the Blonde, Brun, Noel & Royale. With the Royale being the current stand out bottle. This blog will discuss the other half of my (now empty) Leffe collection.

But first of all for the elephant in the room. No, I am not talking about Delirium...but the Trappist beer argument that currently surrounds the brand. Earlier in the month I read an article about a man in the US who is suing Leffe for false claims about where it is brewed. The brand itself is very proud of its heritage, and with a recipe that has been used since 1240 wouldn't you be? However over the years, even though the recipe is the same it is no longer brewed in an Abbey. What the American is complaining about is that he was convinced to spend the extra money on the beer under the belief that it was still brewed in an Abbey and still essentially a Trappist beer. Without knowing the cost of Leffe in the US it is difficult to cast an opinion, but do you feel a bit put out knowing that this historic beer is actually mass produced by the same company behind Stella?
Personally, this knowledge has not changed my opinion of the brand. Their have been many great beers within my selection, however small batch Belgian beers still are a cut above - my favourite being De Dolle OurBier ! For a beer lover with many local craft beer stores in my area I am spoilt, however for many people who rely on supermarkets to stock up their bars Leffe (especially the Brun) is still a great tipple for the price, with Morrisons having regular promotions of 2x 750ml bottles for £5.00
So maybe it is more expensive than a bottle of Black Sheep, but due to its mass availability it is clear that it is a mass-brewed bottle of beer...does this put you off buying Leffe in the future.

So back to the beer. The other two Left's that you can find in the Supermarket are unfortunately the disappointing ones out of the selection.
I started with the Nectar, immediately you know this is a honey flavour beer...which is a new one for me. My honey&alcohol experience has up until now being limited to Jack Daniels Honey. This beer was a bit too sweet for me, their was a hint of the recognisable scent of a Belgium beer...however the honey was the only flavour I could get, and it was all a bit too much. Unfortunately I would not buy this again.

Whilst I was drinking the Nectar, Liz opted for the Leffe Ruby...as her tastes in beer tend to stay with fruit beers. We liked this beer, the sweetness was on par with many 'alcopop' ciders, but not as overpowering as the sweetness in the Nectar. As it is not very high in strength, this fruity offering from Leffe would be ideal for Liz having a beer session, although she does tend to stick to the Delirium Red...which is a whole different experience to the Leffe Ruby. We would buy this again from the supermarket, but only as Bacchus fruit beers tend to be a bit overpriced for what you get.

Moving on from the 'supermarket' Left's, next I had the joy of the Tripel! On pouring this beer, visually it just reminded me of a cloudier version of the Blonde with the scent being on par with the Royale. For an Abbey Triple it ticks all the right boxes for me, with a slight bitter taste buy with fruity sweet notes associated with the Blonde...the big difference being the sharp aftertaste. Even Liz enjoyed this one.

I had being saving the Ritual until last, at 9% this was a beer I wanted to savour. Was it worth the wait? Yes ! Similar to many of the other Leffe beers, the Belgian Blonde style is the basis of the. The taste was similar to the Tripel, but with quite strong floral notes to the flavour. At 9% it really does have a kick, both in the taste and in the aftertaste. I took my first sip and after enjoying the taste of the beer itself I was left with a warming sensation in the back of my throat, not dissimilar to that from a nice whisky...just less harsh. Out of all the beers in the 'Part 2' selection, this one was the best. If you see this online, or are in Bruges shopping for beer then do not be put off by the 'mass produced' stigma of the brand, pick up a bottle...you will not regret it.

In conclusion, as a brand I still do love the Brun, when ever it is at a good price I will always pick up a couple of bottles to stock up the old bar. I loved the fact that each of these beers had something different to distinguish them. Even though I did not 'love' them all, the tasting sessions that we have had over the past few months have been great fun and has made me want to buy full selections from breweries so that I can sample everything on offer and have many more beer 'adventures' one brewer at a time!
All in all, the stand out beer in the selection was the Leffe Royale (nothing to do with the matching chalice). this one was unbelievable in flavour...it really does deserve the title of 'Blonde Superior'

Enjoy ! - Sam

Pimm's Cider Cup

Is it nearly the summer yet?

The winter months do have their upsides, mulled wine, sloe gin and stouts...but it can not just be me who is craving for a bit of sun, is it?

So when we were out shopping the other day it was an easy decision to pick up a couple of the Cider Cups from Pimms. Like a lot of brands out their, Pimms are cashing in on the alcopop craze that is fruit ciders. Personally I am a real ale drinker, however Liz enjoys cider above all else so from time to time I do dabble into cider.

Previously I have talked about Kopparberg's 'Frozen Fruit' ciders, which were a bit 'meh' to say the least (as I wanted to add Gin just to make them feel like an alcoholic drink). So naturally I was a bit sceptical about the new offering's from Pimms.


We started with the 'original' Pimms Cider Cup 4%. On pouring this into our branded jam jar the smell took over our kitchen, I wish I had cucumber, strawberries and mint to hand ! Ideal over ice this 'cider' was very refreshing with the summery Pimms flavour that we all know and love. I use the word cider loosely here as there was no cider taste at all, but that to me was not a problem...this was essentially an alcopop designed to replicate the Pimm's and lemonade flavour, but as a pint. Liz really enjoyed this drink, it reminds us of our annual trip to the Great Yorkshire Show, where by 11am Liz has a glass of Pimms and I have a pint of Black Sheep to hand. For £2 a bottle I am quite torn as to whether I would buy this again or not, for 'something different' to drink this ticks all the boxes, the price is not too over the top either...but I wonder, will it not just be economical to buy a bottle of Pimms for the bar and mix it as it usually is made?

This next offering surprised me, sticking with the alcopop theme we have Plum & Red Apple 4%. The traditional Pimms summer flavour is present, but very much in the background. The fruit flavours of the Plum are not as sweet as you could imagine and very easily drinkable. We both enjoyed drinking this and would definitely purchase it again. Poured over ice (giraffe straw optional), it was slightly more refreshing than the first Cider Cup, but that is because it does not taste as strong.

These drinks are not for everyone, but if you see these in the run up to the summer it would be worth a try. Unlike the Kopparberg Frozen Fruit drinks, the Pimms Cider Cup's have more than a subtle strength to their flavour to put them one up on other AlcoPop's.
We were impressed and now counting down to Summer 2016 when it really will be Pimms O'Clock.

Saltaire Brewery: Imperial Stout & IPA

The other week I was having a little bit of a bad day at work, as were many of my colleagues. When it came to lunchtime I made the decision that we needed a bit of a pick up, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups were calling out to us.

One of the joys of living so close to work is that I can go home on my lunch break, so I popped into my local shop to grab some chocolaty goodies for the afternoon. My local corner shop is a Bargain Booze, and the owner knows of my boozy tendencies (he sold me a keg of Saltaire Ale last year for a camping trip), I walk in, pick up the treats, bypass the beer aisle and head to the till. I am then greated with 'have you tried these yet, I bet they are right up your street?' Next thing I know I am walking out with a couple of bottles that I have never seen before...which is surprising considering the brewery is so close. I picked up a bottle of Imperial Stout and Imperial IPA from the local Saltaire Brewery.

I have to admit I was just as curious as I was excited about these beers. First of all because I am a big fan of their Raspberry Blonde & their Triple Chocoholic and I was cautious whether something out of the ordinary would be any good or not. Secondly, I have sampled and enjoyed many Imperial Stouts...but never an Imperial IPA.

Lets start with the latter. SaltaireXS Imperial IPA 9.5%. This beer really hit the spot with me, as I have mentioned a million times that I have quite the taste for strong beer at the moment. The beer poured like the Leffe Royale, with a large head above the amber beer. The hops are right in your face as you go to take a sip. The flavours are as you would imagine, mainly fruity and hoppy...but I did get almost a spicy flavour towards the end. Even though their were quite a few bubbles whilst drinking this, it was very smooth tasting. As I drank the beer I was on my phone researching it...how had I not known about this? It turns out that it is pretty famous after winning two World Beer Awards. I may not be able to award this, but I did txt around my fellow beer lovers to spread the word. Could this beat my old favourite of the Saltaire Raspberry Blonde...maybe not I still associate the brewery with typical English pints down the local pub. But for the craft beer market, this is one to keep an eye out for.

Moving onto the Imperial Stout. I am always a little biased with stouts & porters as they are my favourite. Generally when the weather gets colder I try to stick close to stouts as my taste buds crave the chocolaty and caramel flavours. Before Christmas I discovered Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout at Friends Of Ham in Ilkley. Both myself and the father in law agreed that it was the best stout we had tasted in a long time. Safe to say that the Brooklyn is now one step down on my list of favourite beers. An Imperial Stout is always an acquired taste...compared to the IPA the stout has quite a familiar taste, as the 8.9% is more suited to this type of beer as opposed to an IPA. On pouring this beer the colour of the head was a caramel colour, above the darkness of the beer itself. On tasting the beer it was like treacle in a glass... I am in love!! It had a real sweetness to it, which I think it important in stouts and porters as I find some coffee stouts, and sometimes chocolate stouts to be a tad too bitter...making it hard to drink more than a pint. The sweetness of this made me want to just pour it over icecream...or replace Guinness with it in my next Guinness cake!

If I were to choose between the two beers I have to say the Stout was by far the favourite. I would recommend the IPA any day of the week, but would probably pick up a Belgian Blonde instead ... Although saying that if you do see it, try it! As for the Stout ... I have already sent a mass txt message around urging my fellow beer lovers to pick up a bottle, or two ! If Saltaire carry on with this mainstream then it will certainly be a regular fixture in my bar...can someone bring me another ?
- Sam

Fuggle & Golding Ilkley

If there was one good thing that the Craft Beer 'Revolution' has brought us its the rise of the Craft Beer Shop.

I know that many of the big supermarkets do now offer a great selection of different world beers, M&S being the best in my opinion. For a beer lover such as myself, one of the highlights of beer shopping is to find new and unusual brews. However the main issue with that is that you tend to be stuck with the internet (big delivery fees) or subscription websites. Now I am a fan of beer subscription sites, as can be found here, however the big issue I found was that even though I like trying new things there are certain types that I know I do not like, e.g. sour beer.

Luckily, the rise in popularity of small batch breweries has lead to an increase of specialist beer shops. This is such a great thing, as it is unbelievable to fathom just how many small batch brewers their are in the UK. I know the internet helps, but without these type of shops small brewers would be restricted to fairs and food festivals. If you want something cheap and familiar then the supermarket is where you need to be, but why not pay that extra bit of money to support small businesses and expand your beer pallet! Up until recently we have only ever enjoyed picking up random beer from the House of Trembling Madness in York. However now we are very fortunate to live in an area where I have two available within a short drive of my house.

Yesterday Liz & I were toying with the idea of going out for tea. We wanted to go out, but could not figure out where. On driving through Ilkley we decided to just head home and get a takeaway...but that was not before a quick stop into one of our local beer shops...definitely not a wasted journey.

As you drive towards Ilkley town centre it is difficult not to miss the lit up Brooklyn Brewery sign in the shop window. Fuggle & Golding is a small family run shop that specifically sells craft beer, it does not matter what type of beer you are looking for...they will have something to suit every taste. Upon entering the store you are greeted by a shop counter that doubles up as a bar. One of their USP's is that you can pick up a Growler bottle from them and refill overtime you visit.

As you walk through the shop their are bottles of beer stacked up high. Predominantly the shop is filled with cans and bottles of English breweries...delivering a huge range of different types of beers from all over the country. At the end of the shop their is a section dedicated to world beers (mainly American and Belgium brews).

Thinking back we must have spent a good 15 minutes browsing...I was spoilt for choice. Liz's decision was easy, as she is a fan of fruit beer her choice is always minimal, so she picked up a bottle of Delirium Red & Timmermans Kriek.
Determined to try something completely new I scanned the shelves, funnily enough I spent the other evening tweeting with North Union Brewery about where to find their beers, and in the first fridge their selection was infront of me. Because of my current taste for Belgian beer I picked up a bottle of their Dubbel 8.5%. I really enjoyed this beer, it was slightly watery for my taste, however that was the only downside...the flavours took me back to sitting out in the market square in Bruges! I will make sure I try their other beers soon.

I also picked up a bottle of Ilkley Brewery White Chocolate Stout 6.5%. Even though I was determined to find a new brewery I couldn't resist picking this up...essentially it is something new to me as I have never tried this beer, but Ilkley Brewery is a firm favourite...their Mary Jane IPA is growing in popularity, look out for it!

When we returned to the 'bar' to pay they had a reduced section...so like picking up an impulse buy chocolate bar I ended up adding a can of Decadence Stout 5.5% to our order. Considering the Delirium was nearly £4 (which was expected) I do not think that £14 for 5 beers was a bad price...especially considering the percentage of some of the beers.

So whilst in Ilkley next, I recommend to grab a burger at the Yard, a couple of beers in Friends Of Ham and a visit to Fuggle & Golding for something to have whilst at home. It really is a professional looking set up and I wish them all the best in continued success!

As I write this I have not yet opened the White Chocolate Stout or the Decadence Stout. So follow me on twitter for my verdict on these beers.

p.s - apologies for the pictures, they are not my best. But at 7:30 last night we were the only people in the shop and I didn't want the owner to wonder what I was doing :-)

My Little Leffe Adventure: Part 1

Christmas morning, slowly opening the gifts in my stocking, I had one eye on the presents in front of me and the other on the giant box in the middle of the living room.
Following our trip to Bruges Liz had clearly listened to my statement of '2016 will be about strong bottles beers as opposed to pints'. The box, subtly labelled 'beer' brought a huge smile to my face. Inside I found two chalices, a general Leffe chalice ... and a special Leffe Royale chalice. Surrounding these glasses I found a variety of different bottles of Leffe...oh how spoilt I am.

Who knew there was so much to Leffe?

As you probably already know, in the UK Leffe consists of Ruby, Blonde, Brun (my favourite) and sometimes Nectar. Even if you visit a specialist beer shop I have never really seen any different variations, I suppose that is down to the fact that Leffe is mass produced and widely available therefore it is not classed as 'craft'
and not stocked in specialist stores.
Honestly, I thought that the Leffe range only consisted of the above, so imagine the look on my face when I discovered a variety of very strong Belgian beers!
I have decided to split this blog into two parts, as to me these are 'special' beers in my bar and I really do not want to rush into finishing them...unless another box from Belgian Beer Factory arrives on my Birthday!

So let us begin, I started with the festive offering (yes I know it is February but I made sure I tried this over the Christmas period). The Leffe Noel (6.6%) was a ruby to brown colour when poured, it really did look the part in the chalice. On first taste I had a strong hit of caramel, it is almost a sweeter version of the Brun. As far as being 'festive' goes I have to say I do prefer the Delirium Noel. However the Leffe Noel does still have a great flavour which is not overpowered by the strength of it. I would certainly buy this again as a treat away from the Brun! Better than a lot of Xmas beers on offer, but the best can be found here!


As one of my Leffe chalices was branded as 'Royale' I decided to pick out the bottle of Royale 7.5% as the next beer to test in my little Leffe adventure. The Leffe Royale is brewed with three different hops, upon pouring the beer it smells and visually looks similar to the Blonde...I suppose the clue is in the name on the bottle 'Blonde Superior'. The Royale has less of a floral taste than the Blonde and the strength of the beer gives you a really warming aftertaste. This really is a special beer, it is not something that you could have a session on however if you just wanted to relax in front of a log burner on a sunday evening then this is the beer for you. I really can not wait to pick up another couple of bottles of Royale!!!!

What do I try next?

Now to two of the Leffe beers available in most supermarkets.
Surely the Blonde is the most famous beer from the Leffe Brewery. Many years ago when I was a typical Carling drinker I remember buying Leffe for the first time, embarrass to admit this but the first time I bought it was to take to a German Christmas Market themed house party...I was shamed when I realised it was Belgian not German! The blonde is a very easy drinking beer, with quite the floral smell and taste. After drinking the Royale I do not think I will ever be able to enjoy this as much as I once did :-(
Leffe Brun! My 'go to' Belgian beer of choice when I want to enjoy a dark strong beer on a budget (2x 750ml bottles for £5 in Morrisons at times). I generally pick this beer if I am in the mood for a dark beer, but not quite in the mood for a Riggwelter or bottle of Old Peculier. For a dark beer the Brun has quite a lot of fruit notes alongside the caramel/coffee flavours. What else can I say, I love the Brun.

After writing this blog I can still see two familiar bottles, the Nectar and the Ruby, they are hidden behind a couple of other 'special' Leffe's...in a few weeks once I have savoured these beers I will share what is in the bar, and whether they are worth paying a premium to purchase them online from Belgium.

-Sam

Belgian Beer Delights!

First of all I have a confession. This blog should not really be under 'Tonights Tipple', but rather 'Last Months Tipple' as I may have forgotten to hit the publish button!

Not bad for a days shopping

Recently we took a trip across the North Sea for a day of Beer and Chocolate in Bruges. The day was spent sampling the offerings of several different bars, markets and shops. I have already documented where we drank...and where you should visit if you were ever to visit (as can be found here).

On the boat Liz & I sat with a glass of Leffe Brun discussing what we wanted to see and do on our brief visit to Bruges. We agreed that when it came to souvenirs we should bring back chocolate for Christmas. However when it came to talking about beer we made a decision that we would just bring back a couple of glasses for our bar and use the beer budget to sample as much as we could in the bars that we discover! That idea did not last long, as you will see below.

Prior to our trip I did a little bit of research as to the best places to buy beer & beer glasses in Bruges. Considering that every other shop had window displays that will entice any beer lover I was determined to just visit the best on offer, which is only right considering we only had one day to visit the Christmas Market, tourist sites and chocolate shops.

A small corner of the HUGE 2Be shop

If you read my previous blog about Bruges you will be aware of 2Be Bar and the 'Wall of Beer'. As you walk into '2Be' you first see a huge beer emporium before you see the bar. I am not exaggerating when I say that we spent around half an hour exploring this shop...it was so vast, with little stairwells heading down into the cellar and different rooms dedicated to different styles of beer. The Delirium merchandise available was to extensive you would think that they owned this shop!

Liz's Mort Subite 4%

Liz purchased the Mort Subite Kriek beer (Kriek seems to be her go-to beer now) with a matching glass for the bar. Similar to the Kriek Boon & Belle Vue fruit beers, this was quite sweet but a world away from the alcopop fruit ciders that we are used to in the UK (more fruit beer please Morrisons!).

Due to the 'subtle' Delirium promotion in 2Be I decided to pick up a bottle of the Delirium Noel. It would have been wrong not to come back from Belgium in December without a festive tipple. We both loved this beer! This dark beer had an almost red tint to it, which matched the fruity flavours in the glass. After the fruit flavour hits you their is a sweet caramel flavour which really warms you up...a typical Christmas beer, but with the signature strength of a Belgium beer...10%. It turns out that Friends Of Ham Ilkley have this available in December, we shall be having an evening on that soon!

The moorish Delirium Noel 10%

http://www.thebottleshop.be 

The second beer shop we visited seems to be the 'famous' beer shop in Bruges...it was mentioned more than any other in my research. Now walking just off of the main market square you really can not miss this place, as it is called 'The Bottle Shop'. What a place ! One day my aim is to open up a Delicatessen and serve cheese and meats, I have always said that I would have a dedicated beer se
ction, following this trip I may end up taking ideas from this shop. It was different to 2Be as the shop is just one big open plan area with bottles stacked all the way up to the roof. The choice really does put all the UK Beer shops (that I have visited so far) to shame!
What really made this place stand out was the staff, whilst at the till we had a long chat with the sales woman, who became very excited upon our purchase of OerBier...she even admitted that she stocks up by visiting the brewery as opposed to just buying it from where she works, it sounds like a brewery worth visiting!
In this store Liz stuck with her fruit beer theme and picked up a bottle of the Delirium Red, honestly I think this choice was swayed by the chalice covered in little pink elephants. Although once we opened it we were glad that we had purchased it. Honestly, for me this is the king of the Belgian fruit beers. Similar to the Noel, the strength is key, at 8% it really hits the spot. Their is a sweet cherry taste to this, but the sweetness means that for me personally I could only have one or two glasses...where I feel like I can drink the Noel all night, or at least until the 10% strength sends me to sleep.

As mentioned earlier I picked up the OerBier from De Dolle Brewery. I made it a personal mission to find this beer, as I have had this before many years ago and could not remember the name of it, hence why I have not had it since. Walking into the Bottle Shop I spotted the little yellow mascot of the beer, straight away a bottle and a matching glass went into my basket. Similar to the Gulden Draak that we sampled in De Garre, OerBier is a strong dark beer 9.5%. Unlike English Stouts and Porters this beer is more sweet than bitter. The flavours were caramel (noticing a trend here) and the fruit notes were definitely raisins...for the next dinner party we have I would have this as a dessert beer!
If you have a taste for dark beer and fancy something a little different than Mackesons Stout then call your local beer shop and see if this is available.

2015 for me has been primarily a local beer year, looking back on my twitter feed it is full of Ilkley, Saltaire, Leeds, BlackSheep, Theakstons and more recently Roosters beer. I have always picked up small, high strength beers in order to sample what is out there but then stuck to a local pint. After spending the last month drinking only 330ml dark beers I think I will dedicate 2016 to trying expand my palate with high flavour, high strength beer. Anything you recommend I should be trying in 2016?
- Sam