Masham - The Beer Capital of North Yorkshire

This blog post has been a long time coming. For anyone who knows me you have probably noticed that I am a bit obsessed with this small Yorkshire Market Town.

Situated just north of Ripon, a quick 15 minutes off of the motorway is the little town of Masham, if you have never visited the market town, or even heard of it then you will definitely have heard of its two famous Breweries. It is the home of Theakston & Black Sheep.

We first came across this wonderful place when we booked a weekend away 5 years ago, for me the decision was made on the promise of a brewery tour at the Black Sheep Brewery. The hotel we stayed at shares a wall with the latter brewery, even though it is a Theakston pub - take the tours where all is explained.
For the last 5 years we have stayed at the White Bear Country Inn, we even ended up having our Wedding reception here. Sue and the team are so friendly and will always make you welcome, so please pay them a visit...an overnight stay is approx £125 a room including (an amazing) breakfast. I'd like to be able to recommend a few restaurants in Masham, but we have never ventured away from the White Bear for a meal. Apart from the Wedding Breakfast and a Sunday Roast last year I have always ordered the same, Steak & Chips (with blue cheese sauce)...cooked to perfection, you would really struggle to have three courses.
Make sure you try the beer bread - it is served both at breakfast and for dinner and is like a sweet cake with a salty crust...its so good that our wedding guests ordered loaves to take home with them!
At the bar they offer a large range of Theakston beers, including the new craft range...on a recent visit I tried the new IPA and Barista Stout (cake in a glass...yum).

If you are just looking for a coffee, with a view of the market square then I suggest you head to Johnny Baghdad's for a spot of people watching, this is situated on the square next to the church. The markets run on most weekends, but head down early as it gets really busy.

Naturally if you are here you are more or less obliged to hit the breweries, the tours are fantastic. Personally we prefer the Theakston brewery tour & visitor centre as it is more 'oldy worldly' and ironically feels less corporate, when in fact it is Black Sheep who are more of a private firm (the Theakston family still own their brewery but have more corporate ties).
The stories behind these two breweries are fascinating - and the staff clearly love their products and have so much knowledge that you can't help but want to stock up in the shops. The only downside to the shops is that you can find their normal beers cheaper in the supermarkets...but I suppose you only pick up the beers that you can not find locally, the Black Sheep Imperial IPA is worth the money as is the Theakston Pale Ale & Distillers Cask!
In both visitor centres you can relax and enjoy the range of regular and seasonal beers. The Black Bull In Paradise (Theakston) is really cosy in the winter months...make sure you get a taster board, beers do not come better in any pub !

On a more recent visit to Masham we discovered that they have more than just beer on offer. Pop into Corks and Cases if you are looking for a bottle of wine or some spirits, surprisingly this little shop now has its on on site distillery offering it's own Masham Gin. The chap who I spoke to was really enthusiastically about his gin, it has a smooth aniseed flavour and matches perfectly with a bottle of Fevertree tonic water. Naturally this gin has had hops added as a nod to the towns famous export. I bought a bottle for both my wife and my mother in law....safe to say both bottles will soon need replenishing.

So in a nutshell, when you are looking for a day out, or even a weekend away, head out into the dales to my favourite place, browse the market, drink some beer and just take in the atmosphere of this wonderful place.

Beer In Vegas

Sitting at home in my pjs, trying to get over the jet lag all I could think about was our second visit to Las Vegas. From reading my first Las Vegas Blog it was inevitable that another visit was going to be on the cards...now that I am home all I want to do is head back to the 40 degree heat for an ice cold Bud Light! To make myself feel like I am still there I am going through all my photos and writing up on my new favourite bars!

On planing this years Las Vegas visit I was determined to only drink beer that I had not yet tried before, with the exception of Bud Light, as that was the best thing we could get by the pool.

Over the course of the week we never went to the same bar twice, we found some amazing places as well as a couple of average watering holes...the latter will not be mentioned.
So below are my recommendations of where to sit, relax and enjoy a cold beer in amongst the madness that is Las Vegas.


Budweiser Beer Park

Situated at the Paris Hotel and Casino with one of the best views on the strip, the Bellagio Fountains, is the Budweiser Beer Park. This outdoor bar is both a bar, restaurant and night club...but we visited just before lunchtime as we were desperate for a cold beer. At this time of day we had the whole place to ourselves, which allowed us to get comfortable at the bar overlooking the dozens of draught beer pumps whilst still enjoying the view of the Bellagio.
As I could not decide on just having a single beer I opted for a Beer Flight (my first of many for the week). The bar was a great place to relax, in a brilliant central location...it was just a little overpriced, for a beer flight, 2x pepsi's and a pint of Bud Light we paid over $40...maybe this was why it was so quiet.


Breckenridge Vanilla Porter: Being a porter this beer had a nice level of sweetness matched with the smooth vanilla flavour. I regret drinking this in the heat of the desert, but I really enjoyed it...maybe better saved until the winter

Goose Island Sofie: This Saison beer was quite light, with a tart almost sour taste overpowering the normal saison fruit/spice mix. Reminded me of a Belgian Pale. It was nice to try something different from Goose Island, but I still prefer their Honkers Ale.

Elysian Space Dust IPA: This ticked the boxes for a general IPA, really hoppy but still refreshing. More of a session beer than the others, if I were to get a pint after the beer flight it would have been this.

Four Peaks Peach Ale: Now, I am not really one for fruit beers...that is usually my wife department, but I thought I would take a risk...wow I loved this! It was light, smooth but with a very subtle peach flavour...not too overpowering, but yet no where near the 'alcopop' taste of some fruit beers.

Yardhouse

On this years visit we spent a great amount of time at the Linq Promenade. Just away from the crowds on the strip, this street between the Flamingo and the Linq had a great atmosphere from its mix of bars, restaurants and shops...we visited several times as we became a little hooked on In and Out Burger! At the bottom of the promenade, just before you get to the High Roller is Yardhouse. As we walked in we were worried that this would either be packed wall to wall with party drinkers, or just a generic restaurant...it was neither. Yes, you could grab a booth and order some food but we decided to perch by the bar. I lost count on how many beer taps there were, unlike the small pump clips that we get back in the UK, each pump handle was an over the top logo/promotion for said beer...it looked great! The service at this bar was top notch, with Frank helping recommend what we tried. Only after my beer flight did they inform us that their 'House' beer brewed for them using their own recipe. Similar to Beer Park, I decided on a mix of different types of beer:

Belching Beaver Peanut Butter Latte Milk Stout: I was concerned that the Peanut Butter would overpower this stout, but it was just right alongside the creamy coffee and chocolate flavours. I found it to be a nice level of sweet, compared to other coffee stouts I have had in the past...if this could be bottled and sent to the UK it would be in line to be this years Xmas beer.

Tenaya Creek 702 Pale - This American Pale Ale comes from a small microbrewery based in Las Vegas (which is why I gave it a try). With quite a floral, hoppy flavour this is another beer that you could have a session on. I just wish that I had found something a little more adventurous from this brewery.

Pyramid Apricot Ale - Following the epiphany I had at the Beer Park I opted to try an apricot ale, this was a really refreshing summer beer...which is ideal for the weather in Las Vegas. This was more recognisable as a wheat beer than the last fruit beer that I had tried. Great served ice cold.

Yardhouse Belgian Tripel - I had forgotten just how much I loved Belgian beer as I drank this, I usually save strong belgian beer for the winter along with stout and porters. Considering the strength it was really smooth and had just the right level of sweetness for me. I have to say I am sad that I will not find this anywhere else, but it was defiantly worth the flight over!


Banger Brewing

The third of our Beer Flight visits brought us to Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas...this is the place to visit to experience the real Las Vegas away from the polished shine of the Strip. I had heard about this place whilst watching Olly Smith's 'Ale Trail' last year. On the outside it looks just to be a small bar, but as you enter you find giant glass windows opposite exposing their own micro brewery. There was a really great atmosphere in here that you do not find in the UK...and their food is cooked out by the front door by their own street food set up, what a brilliant idea! The staff were really knowledgable and really passionate about what they did, the American level of customer service really is a world above what we have back in the UK. Here I had a sample of their Sinister Whisky Imperial IPA, which tasted just like dropping a dram of whisky into a stout of Belgian dark beer...this had a real kick, but I decided against this for my beer flight as I had to somehow get back to the hotel.

Sandia - To start with I tried their Watermelon Wheat beer - the best fruit beer of the trip. I was not surprised to learn that they add 200 pounds of watermelon into the wheat beer. It was so refreshing and fruity, you kind of forget it is a beer - if I had a pint of this it would have gone down all too quick.

Morning Joe - I was surprised that this was a light beer, as being a Coffee infused beer I had expected a stout...then I noticed it actually said 'kolsch' on the menu. The coffee flavour was very subtle and not made sure that the beer was not too heavy. For me this would not be a session beer, but great if you were to stop for 'just the one'

Perfect 10 - as with my other beer flights, I threw an american Pale Ale into the mix (just incase I disliked any of the others) - this smooth ale had all the signs of a general pale ale and really hit the spot.

El Heffe - This was actually the 2nd from the right in the picture, but I wanted to finish my blog on this amazing beer. This is their take on a Hefeweizen (german wheat) beer, I was a bit worried when I read that they added roasted Jalepeno, Serrano, Habanero and Green Peppers into the beer and had expected this to completely blow my head off. I was pleasantly surprised. The beer itself was quite mild and rather smooth, unlike other chilli beers that I have tried this was not just like drinking hot sauce. The taste of Jalepenos had an almost sweet taste to it, whilst leaving a small finish of heat. Alongside from the Yardhouse Tripel, this was my favourite beer of the week. I went back for another pint and matched it perfectly with their Mexican Loaded Fries...this Brewery needs to be top of your list if you are into craft beer and are about to head over the the fabulous Las Vegas

Cocktails in Vegas

This summer, the newly 'appointed' Mrs Tipple & I took a trip to the USA.
As this was our honeymoon we wanted to go all out, starting with 5 days in Las Vegas before heading over to the east coast for 5 days in New York.

They say everything is bigger in the US...they are not wrong!

On the run up to the Honeymoon a lot of time was spent researching the cities, sites to see, where to shop, where to eat...where to drink? The beauty of Las Vegas is that everything is so over the top, after 2 days it felt like the norm spending the morning in an Egyptian Pyramid at the Luxor before having Gelato on the streets of Venice in the Venetian.
On our first evening we ate at Diablo's, a Mexican diner situated between the New York New York & Monte Carlo Casino's. We visited on recommendation from friends...although the two for one beer voucher I had may have swayed our decision. Upon sitting down Liz ordered a Margarita (large!) whilst I browsed the beer menu. UK supermarkets and beer shops are full of US imported beer now, so I was familiar with most of the offereing's on the menu. I opted for a pint of what on the menu was worded as 'New Castle'...this turned out to be a pint of Newcastle Brown Ale...my quest to try new beer failed at the first hurdle! The fish tacos here was pretty good - however the nachos were amazing, the portion itself was enough to feed a family of four!

In Las Vegas you can walk down the strip with a beer quite happily, considering it was 24hour drinking we felt comfortable and safe at all times - with no idiot drunks ruining everyone's holiday.
Upon exploring the strip we discovered 'Fat Tuesdays'. Essentially, this is a fast food joint for cocktails. We walked in for a cold drink without realising where we were...the back wall was full of giant slush machines, with an option of various cup sizes...from a $10 16oz to giant $35 novelty yard sticks. We started our Fat Tuesday addiction with a Margarita. We chose to purchase these drinks for a bit of relief from the 30+ degree heat on the strip, for the money we expected a iced drink with a hint of alcohol...we were wrong, they were stronger than they looked!

Later in the week we discovered that our hotel (MGM Grand) had a Fat Tuesday outlet, and being cheaper than the main bar we visited frequently to keep us 'hydrated' whilst we fluttered in the Casino. For an extra dollar we were offered an extra 'shot'...this seemed to be at least 50ml of extra tequila...well worth the money!!!
Throughout the week we tried 'Hurricane (rum & fruit juice), Pina Colada, Amaretto & Whisky (strong!!!) as well as about 5 Margaritas.
As I mentioned earlier, Vegas was so safe and was a world away from Leeds City Center on a Saturday night, which was surprising given the reputation of Sin City. As a business model, Fat Tuesday was perfect for the Strip in the blazing heat of the desert, I couldn't see it working in the UK as people would just abuse it and make a mess in the streets...but if you are ever in Vegas, you need to try it!

Las Vegas is America's playground. It is full of shows and attractions that would keep you occupied for weeks, all before you even spend time in the Casino. We are definately not gamblers, Vegas was booked so we could experience the 'spectacle' of it all, the Eiffle Tower, the Stratosphere, the fountains at the Bellagio. When you are in the casino though you can not help but have a little flutter. The night before we left Las Vegas we decided to go out for a nice meal, spend time on the casino floor and just enjoy our final night. After a week of fast food it was nice to sit down at Grimaldi's Italian at the Palazzo and just enjoy a quiet pint of Sam Adams and a glass of prosecco (similar to in NYC, the measure of prosecco was enormous considering what we have in the UK). The pizza here is to die for, best order one to share between two though due to the size!


When we arrived back at the MGM Grand we spent an hour losing money on the slot machines before retiring to one of the casino's many bars. Whisky Down is a bar that I had researched several months before our visit to Las Vegas, open 24 hours it offers a bit of class in an brightly lit casino floor. Walking past it I imagine it to be similar to how old fashioned US speakeasy's were during the prohibition, or somewhere that a wealthy gambler could wind down with a cigar and a glass of Bourbon.  However tempted I was to order a large Bourbon and watch the world go by I found myself tempted by the cocktail menu. We ordered their signature 'Whisky In A Jar' which contained Old Forrester Bourbon, mint, watermelon & ginger beer $15. We also tried a 'Black Basil Smash' with Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum, honey syrup, lemon juice and blackberries for $14. Both drinks were really nice, but the stand out was the Whisky In A Jar...considering the quality of the drink we found the prices to be quite reasonable, especially due to its central Casino location. Next time we visit though I will try to work my way through their Bourbon shelf, neat with one cube of ice!

The above is just a small selection of the amazing bars and restaurants located in Las Vegas itself. This city is not just for the gamblers and party animals...but it is definitely a place for Foodies and surprisingly enough, a great place to relax.
We have already booked to go back - the trip can not come soon enough!

New York, New York - Beer in Manhatten

This blog post is very delayed - in a months time it will be 12 months since we spent our Honeymoon in the US.
When we were planning our trip New York was always top of the list, we went from New York to New York & Cuba, to New York and Mexico before we finally decided on New York and Las Vegas.

Both of us have been desperate to visit the Big Apple for many years - partly to take in the landmarks, but predominately to experience US food culture...which we have now ticked off our list.
Instead of looking for fancy honeymoon style restaurants we had street food in Central Park, pancakes in a 50's style diner and the largest slices of pizza we have ever seen from 'Dollar Pizza'.

As this blog revolves around the drinks that we try I will move swiftly away from the food, past all the touristy information and onto the beer!

It was the middle of summer when we visited the Big Apple, so we were constantly in need of a drink. The heat itself was not too bad but it was so 'muggy' that we were forever uncomfortable walking the sites without a drink in hand. As we had a huge list of sites and attractions to visit we spent most of the week running in and out of Starbucks for a cold brew coffee...I had mine with a vanilla cream which opened up a whole new world of coffee to me, luckily for us Brits this has now found it's way to the UK, it is amazing - a must try for any coffee fan.

Throughout our visit we visited many different establishments, many of them chain restaurants for a quick Bud Light or a margarita...so I wanted to just focus on our two favourite New York drinking spots. I really hope that the next time you head to New York you take our recommendation, it will be worth it.

Quite impressed with my photography here!
Look at the size of that Prosecco.

Lets begin with The Tavern On The Green. We discovered this bar after a morning at the Central Park Zoo, we walked what we thought was the length of the park up to the lake when in fact we had only managed to walk as far as the pond where Doctor Who was filmed, at this point we were gasping for a pint. When I say 'discovered' this bar, it really is not hard to find as it is the only bar within Central Park itself. Situated on the West Side of the park, about half way up. We did not get as far as inside the bar itself as it is more of a restaurant. But on arrival we found ourselves sat outside in the sun under a canopy of small chandelier like lights, I imagine it to be amazing at night. This bar seemed quite familiar to us, as it reminded us of the bars at home...just with sun! We loved the place so much that we made the long walk back on our last day for a final drink before our flights home.
Throughout the Honeymoon I was determined to stay away from anything I had tried before, so I opted for a pint of UFO from Harpoon Brewery (Massachusetts). This ticked all the boxes for me, it was a Belgian style wheat beer that had a fruity (orange) taste with a little spiciness...it matched the weather and the location perfectly.
As it was our Honeymoon I decided to treat my new wife to a glass of Prosecco, which at the time seemed like an expensive 'treat' however when it arrived we were amazed at the size of the glass. Americans really have the right idea when it comes to measures, we imagined it to be nearly twice what could be served in one of our own champagne flutes back home.
These drinks paired perfectly with a cheese and charcuterie board that we dined on, as it was too hot outside for a burger!

The second bar that I wanted to share with you was one that I had researched before I left the UK, it was also conveniently situated about 15 doors down from our hotel.

Delirium Red - a common sighting
on 'Tonights Tipple'

Beer Authority can be found on West 40th Street, it is not a dive bar, but not a high end bar either...think how BrewDog bars are styled in the UK and you will be on the right track. Home to nearly 200 beers this was our first stop when we dropped off our bags at the hotel, we missed happy hour but did not complain at the prices...it was very reasonable considering it's location. As the week went on this bar became almost our 'local', as it was so close to our hotel we would pop in for a beer on the way to Broadway, or on our return from dinner. Alternately if you are stuck for something to eat, head onto their roof terrace for a bite to eat...we recommend the Sliders!
The atmosphere in this bar really made us comfortable, it was not too crowded but had a sense of being almost a 'local' pub in the heart of such a touristy area.
We did not check out the spirits or wine menu as this place was built for the beer lover.
After spending what seemed like an eternity browsing through the menu I would say that the Bronx Brewery No Resolution IPA was my favourite find in this bar. Now I do enjoy an IPA, but this was really special...fruity but not too sweet and fairly hoppy. At 7.6% it was not quite as strong as Liz's choice...which I will now move onto.
Remember how earlier I mentioned how I wanted all the beer from our holiday to be new to us? Well this went right out of the window when Liz noticed that her much loved Delirium Red was on the menu, this strong (8%) Belgian Fruit beer can be seen on many of our Tweets and Instagram posts as we consume quite a lot of it. At $8 for half a pint it costs what it does in the UK, so we were happy.

I already have a list of bars to visit if we were to ever go back to NYC, but out of all the ones we tried last year Beer Authority and Tavern On The Green were the most memorable, and I would stop into both on our next trip - make sure you try them for yourself!

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

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

Friends Of Ham Ilkley

It's that time of year again, the festive season is upon us. For many of us that means catching up with family and friends who we have not seen in a while, more often than not with some form of tipple in hand.

For anyone who has read my previous blogs, or even followed me on twitter will notice that one of our current favourite places to drink is Friends Of Ham in Leeds City Centre. On Saturday night we had arranged for a family get together in Ilkley, where Friends Of Ham have recently opened up their second bar/charcuterie.

The Ilkley bar is instantly recognisable for those who have sampled Leeds. As you enter there is a rustic looking bar full of various beers that you hardly ever see anywhere else. To your right is the 'shop' side of the bar, where you can purchase your beer, cheese or meat to go! In the back and downstairs are rooms where you can sit and eat, however I can not say much about the rest of the place as immediately became settled on the large table by the bar. Now it is a small bar, so our family basically took up the whole place!
The main difference between Leeds & Ilkley is that the Ilkley bar is a little bit more 'polished', where the Leeds one seems very mix and match, Ilkley is smart whilst still keeping the rustic theme...I'm not sure which I prefer, but the Ilkley bar is clearly aimed at the local crowd, who may not necessarily drink in the Leeds bar.

Before I get to the beer I want to mention two great aspects of this bar. First of all the food, midway through the evening olives, bread, a cheese board and a charcuterie board appeared infront of us, at this stage in the night I was distracted by my beer so can not tell you the names of the cheeses, but lets just say there was enough for the 9 of us, with something for everyone...yum !
Secondly, after leaving the bar we all agreed that the staff were brilliant, they were engaging with us as a group...helped pick out which beers to sample, and generally made it feel like we had been going there for years!

So we now get to the beer! Following our trip to Bruges we have really acquired a taste for strong Belgian beer...so Friends of Ham is the right place for that. Liz, Julie and Becky were straight on with the Delirium...swapping between the sweet fruity 'Red' to the festive caramely 'Noel'. At £4.25 and £5.25 for half a pint it is not a cheap bar, but it really is not somewhere you go to get drunk. The Delirium Red was 8% and the Noel 10%, so you don't really mind paying the extra.

As you know, I will drink anything! However at this time of year I really enjoy stout & porter...and there is only really one person that I know who shares my beer taste properly, that person being the father in law. We started on a pint of spiced coffee porter each before we noticed that a couple of members of our party had a tasting platter infront of them...I was given an approving nod and knew what we would be drinking. Over the course of the night we had two boards, but we liked our selection so much we pretty much had the same board twice...which was made up of all the Christmas beer on offer. Our platter consisted of: Anchor Christmas, Highwire, Mary Christmas, Old Faithful, Black Chocolate Stout and Delirium Noel. For £10 for a platter, you can not go wrong!!

Out of all the beer on offer, the Delirium Noel tasted the most festive of them all, but the winner of the night had to be from Brooklyn Brewery. If you asked my what my favourite lager was, I would say Brooklyn. I have had their Pale Ale before but never before this evening had I tried their Black Chocolate Stout (10%). This Imperial Stout was quite sweet compared to the first beer of the night, with an intense chocolaty flavour, I also tasted hints of liquorice in it. This has topped my all-time favourite chocolate stouts...sorry to Saltaire and York breweries !

Due to our location, it is just as easy to access Ilkley as it is Leeds, so we will definitely be visiting again soon, if your in the area this is worth a try...just make sure you have a big budget, you dont want to run out of money before you have sampled all their selection!

Cafe Craenenburg, De Garre & 2Be - Our visit to Bruges

When you think of Belgium what do you think?
Beer and Chocolate...their two most famous exports.
So when Liz & I booked onto a P&O MiniCruise to Bruges we knew that we could enjoy a well deserved break full of beer and chocolate.
As this is a beer blog I will not bore you with a full account of our trip, but will just focus on two of the best bars that we found. However, in a nutshell we would fully recommend the P&O Mini Cruises...value for money and the town itself is beautiful, we will be visiting again soon!

This cafe/bar is well worth a visit

Lets begin our beer tour. We spent out morning exploring the town, after a couple of hours we were well in need of a coffee. The weather was great for November and the market was full of stalls from the Christmas Market. We found an empty table at the Grand Cafe Craenenburg, the waiter came out and we ordered our coffee...well we intended on a coffee and ended up with a couple of beers. The cafe/restaurant was clearly aimed at tourists, but felt really welcoming and a million miles away from town centre chain restaurants that we are all used to in the UK (in a whole day we only saw 2 brands that are found in the UK!).

Better than ordering Coffee!

Liz wanted a fruity beer, as she normally has cider back home we just asked for what the barman recommended, he brought her a glass of Belle Vue Kriek 5.2%, it had an intense cherry flavour, but was not too sour. As for me, my first drink in Belgium was a beer that can be found everywhere in the UK, but as it is one of my favourites I could not resist, Leffe Brune 6.5%, this having slight fruit notes but mainly caramel/coffee flavours that you would expect with a dark beer...thats what I love about belgian dark beers, they are easier drinking and not as heavy as english Stouts, but still pack in the flavour. Both drinks were served in typical chalice glasses and whilst sat on the
market square watching the world go by we both knew, we would be back!

De Garre, blink and you miss it.

Following a hotdog and a wander around the Christmas Market we searched for De Garre. Now when I say search, I mean search. This bar is situated down an alley which if you do not know what you are looking for you will walk right past it. It's like the Diagon Alley of the Beer world. Walking down the alley we did question whether we were in the right place, this being due to the uneven cobbles and the fact we were venturing down a dark alley. Luckily we were in the correct place.
De Garre is like a traditional english country pub, as you walk in you are greeted by the barman, the room itself is tiny with maybe 8 tables inside. As all the tables were full we ventured up the old wooden staircase to the second floor, where once again we found a small bar and about 6-7 tables. We  took a table next to a group of old english blokes who we laughing and made sure we knew they had been drinking strong belgian beer for 3 days!

Just a sneak peak of the huge selection
of beer on offer in De Garre

Once again we were undecided as to what to drink, the menu was full of a variety of different beers to match all pallets...I have to admit though that the menu was a little overwhelming. At this stage we looked to our english friends in the corner for a recommendation. We were torn between the house Tripel and the house Dark beer...so as their were two of us we ordered one of each. What arrived were two small doorknob shaped glasses full of foam above some deliciously strong beer. These were served with a small portion of cheese.

Best two beers of the trip, in the best bar.

The house triple is actually named after the bar itself. At 11% the amber ale was full of flavour, it did not taste as strong as it was...which could have lead to us drinking a lot without realising how hard it would be to walk after. I chose to try the house dark beer, Gulden Draak 10%. Brewed at the same brewery as the house ale, Gulden Draak was surprisingly fruity considering it was a dark beer. Our drinks were accompanied by a small helping of cheese. If we had more time to spend in Bruges we would have likely stayed here for a couple more rounds...one thing to note is that due to the strength you are limited to 3x beers each! At 9 euros for the two drinks I thought it was a bargain, considering the strength of the beer.

Wall of Beer !

Our trip to De Garre was followed by a shopping trip. We had decided that we would purchase a couple of beer glasses for the bar, as I do not own any form of beer chalice...I have been jealous of my twitter friends for some time. The shopping trip lead us to the 'Wall of Beer', the clue is in the name here! Down an alley we found a long glass cabinet filled with bottles and beer glasses from hundreds of different Belgium beers.

View of 2Be from the Canal

 As we reached the end of the bar we entered 2Be Bar. We had noticed this place earlier in the day as we noticed beer drinkers in a courtyard overlooking the canal and made a point of deciding to have our last beer there. The bar itself was very modern (in comparison to De Garre), but kept a slight traditional feel due to the old building that it was situated in. Looking at the menu I was undecided, Liz ordered a medium glass of Kriek Boon 4.5% which was very similar to the Belle Vue cherry beer that Liz tried in Craenenberg. As I could not make my mind up I ordered a sample platter. For 10 euros I enjoyed 4x small beers alongside some chorizo and peanuts. I sampled all four then drank in order of least - favourite. Now when I say 'least' I do not mean that I didn't enjoy it, because I did, it was just the least enjoyable of the four. I started with the Blanche de Namur 4.3%, this was a smooth wheat beer that had a sour aftertaste...similar to Hoegaarden, the sour aftertaste was not too overwhelming and left you wanting more. After this I had some of the Kriek Boon, which is what Liz ordered (see above). I have to admit, I found it difficult to choose my favourite of the last two, the strongest of the four Paix Dieu 10% was an abbey triple which similar to the De Garre beer didn't taste as strong as it actually was, it would not be out of place in a craft beer pub in the UK. They did make a point of telling us that this is only brewed during the Full Moon !!! As I write this I have now decided, the Gouden Carolus 8.5% was my favourite...surprise surprise it was a belgian dark beer, from this I found it to be not too sweet but with an subtle caramel taste...Yum ! it is no surprise that this was voted the best dark beer in the world 2012 by WBA.

One happy beer drinker!

So there you have it, a run down of the beer from our trip. We are already talking of going again with friends for my birthday next year. For the money, the P&O day trip is a bargain.

-Sam