Penguin??

First it was Burgess Merideth then Danny DeVito but it seems the Penguin is still at large. Will Batman catch him?? Or will BrewDog finally realise that the Penguin was a lame super hero, Tactical Nuclear or not. The Sea Lion shits all over Penguins in the Animal Kingdom, how long till someone brews something stronger and calls it a Sea Lion??

I guess it depends how long the tickers keep buying into the hype. First it was extreme beers, then cask conditioning. Is Freeze distillation the latest craze?? Stay tuned and take total blessed care.

CAMRA = Fail

"I blame Camra for single-handedly holding back innovation in British brewing" - James Watt, Founder and Head of Stuff @BrewDog.


Full article can be found here.

Cash for Comment

As most of you know I am a big fan of cash for comment. That is receiving goods for free and saying nice things about them to provide promotion for a company looking to advertise its wares. This results in a win-win situation where I get some freebies and someone gets free advertising. It's shameless I know, but I have no morals anyhow. Earlier in the year I went along to the launch of BrewDog's black lager Zeitgeist and got pretty pissed on BrewDogs dime. Anyhow the time has come to return the favour and promote Zeitgeist once more.

As I'm lazy I will just post James (BrewDog's Head of Stuff) email for you guys to consume.

Our zeitgeist website is now up and running. And I want to help your blog readers so you can help me get our online concept working well.

www.zeitgeistbeer.com

There is a very unusual hook behind the Zeitgeist website. The blog will not be updated by us, but by the customer!
We want to give up ownership of the blog, website and brand to the people who drink the beer.
The idea is to create a whole alternative community online on the zeitgeist site.
People can blog on www.zeitgeistbeer.com about anything: beer, art, film, culture. They can upload movies, pictures and say anything they want. The idea would be that the discussion has an alternative vibe which ties in with the non-conforming message of the beer.
This is a brand controlled by the people not people not a brand which controls them.

It is not our blog. It is not zeitgeist’s blog – it is your blog!

All someone has to do to be able to blog is to buy some beer for our online shop.

The idea of having an open blog, updated by the consumer is a new and radical approach and is going to need a bit of a push to get the awareness going on it. This is where you can help a little!
I have a 70% discount code SHEEP all set up for you to give to your readers on your website so not only do they get some great black lager at an unbelievably price they also get to be one of the first people to update the blog!

Ok, yes you are reading that correctly. If you buy from the www.zeitgeistbeer.com website and use the SHEEP promo code you get 70% off. Now get out there and buy some excellent beer and post your thoughts on the blog. I would if I could guarantee that I would get the beer and drink it all in the next week or so before I get back to Sydney. BTW, I was chatting to a mate in Sydney who claims that Punk IPA is $18 (~£9) a pint back home. WTF - this is highway robbery!

Busy Bee

I have been pretty busy of late and have no time for blogging. This also means that I have had no time for drinking either! Today marks a significant unloading of projects for me which should hopefully see me back on track again next week. I also have an important announcement which (fingers crossed) I should be able to make some time next week. (I'll give you a hint, it's exciting and will change the shape of this blog, well the content anyway!)

I would also like to add that my local Tesco now stocks Anchor Steam. Yesterday I made the most of my stuck at home/tube strike situation and picked up a few bottles of Punk IPA, SNPA and Anchor Steam. I plan to drink these tonight.

Triple A

Not anti aircraft artillery, but the beer style. I am not limiting myself to Belgians either. Over the last couple of weeks I have been drinking an unusual number of Tripel's and Triples. I am not really a big fan of the beer style as I don't really like the coriander and funky fusal alcohol tastes which define the style. Some people describe these flavours as complex, but they aren't really and are more artifacts of sloppy brewing techniques and warm fermentation's. Anyway Here is a list of the beers that I had;

- Westmalle Trappist Tripel 9.5%

- Brakspear Triple 7.2%

- La Trappe Tripel 8%

- Kasteel Triple 11%

OK the Brakspear beer has nothing to do with the Belgian offerings and had a really nice almost sultana style sweetness and chocolate nuttiness that was really nice. I actually ate some Cadbury's Fruit and Nut with this one - it was a good match for all you food and beer pairer's.

Actually the Brakspears Triple was remarkable similar to two Belgian Bruin ales I had;

- Trappist Achel Bruin 9.5%

- Gordon Finest Scotch Highland Ale 8.6% (this is actually Belgian!)

So there we have it, a bit of a consolidated ticker post. To summarize - Belgian Tripel's were pretty shit, most of the Kasteel one went down the sink. The Brakspears Triple and the Belgian Bruins were nice - even though they had rather extreme abv's. I should note that I had a few BrewDog punk IPA's last week and appreciated the weakness and sessionability of it's 'modest' 6% abv.

Swill Golf

OK, I have covered Pub Golf before, but here is a new one from the lads at BrewDog - Swill Golf.

In the embedded video, watch James and Martin use their new product 77 Lager to hit mass produced generic lager for six, literally.

The Sun Shined (Briefly)

On Saturday, the Sun made a brief appearance in London and prompted us to escape our flat. We (the Mrs and I) decided that we are going to try and tick off our to-do lists over the next few weeks before - fingers crossed - heading back to Australia.

Anyhow we decided to check out the British Museum and marvelled at the Rosetta Stone, Cleopatra and some old coins before grabbing some lunch at the Cafe in Russell Square. The food was ordinary and the Sun also decided that it had enough and decided to hide behind the clouds again. We gave up and performed a quick lap around the Brunswick centre before heading back to the flat.

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I was pretty quick to get amongst my beer stash and went for BrewDog's definitive Cult Lager.

This beer is described as a statuesque pilsner, but comes across as just another US style IPA which happens to be brewed with a lager yeast. It's not a bad beer, but I was expecting more than this unbalanced offering.

Craving something a little more German, I reached for a bottle of Schlenkerla Weizen. After my positive experience with the Marzen a few weeks ago, the wheat offering was well up on my tick list. Again, I was a little disappointed. It's not a bad beer as such, but it does lack the body and maltiness that makes the Marzen stand out. By this stage a "Come Dine With Me" omnibus was starting which lifted my spirits. I have the formula for this show sussed out now. There is always a house wife, a single guy, a single girl an older singleton (either sex) and the token homosexual guy. I think the producers have their formula perfected as this mix of stereotypes always produces the best bitchiness and drama resulting in compelling television.

After "Come Dine With Me" I decided that I was in an IPA kind of mood. Not that I was feeling bitter (excuse lame pun), but I needed a beer with a little bit more kick in it alcohol wise to survive the comic relief crap that appears in just about every media form at this time of year. Don't get me wrong - I love the concept and I support the charity, but they take it a little bit too far. Really after a day of culture in the British Museum the last thing I need is to see a 7 foot Welshman wearing a shit eating grin, trying to make lame jokes while Z grade celebrities sing and dance and make twats of themselves. Just wear a red nose like everyone else. Anyhow the IPA of choice was Snake Dog IPA from the Flying Dog Brewery. An excellent beer and potentially the best beer I have had yet this year.

Anyhow after the wife went to bed, I stayed up and channel surfed between Lock up with Sly Stallone, Fortress with Christopher Lambert and a show with the interesting title of "Sex: How To Do Everything." The sex show was rather funny and featured people dressed up in Micky Mouse costumes getting it on. Apparently they are called 'Furries' and its a new form of fetishism. I think they are freaks. I don't need a TV programme to tell me how to get busy in the sack. Anyhow, I used this time to sample a bottle of Sam Smith's Imperial Stout. It was an OK beer, but failed to live up to it's reputation. Is it just me or does everyone agree that Sam Smith's beers are pretty ordinary in both bottle and draught form? Anyhow, after the stout I gave up on channel surfing and joined the wife in bed. At least the Sun came out today, but bring on summer.

Feel the Schwarz

Last night after work I met up with a mate of mine Rodney whom has just moved to London from Sydney. Rodney is one of those mates who even if you only see him once every couple of years, it feels like you were only chatting to him yesterday. Anyhow, Rodney likes a bit of a schizzle over a few beers so I dragged him along to the media launch of BrewDog's new black lager - Zeitgeist. I won't harp on too much about the event as basically just about every other blogger has posted about it. The beer is pretty damn good though, and I was excited about drinking out of a bottle - a taboo issue in the UK, but common practice in the Antipodes. Chatting to James, BrewDog's head honcho bossman I had the hop and grain bill guessed after the first couple of ice cold sips. I like my beer cold, and it's the way a good lager should be. James was sporting a rather cool BrewDog tattoo on his arm. I was telling everyone that it was real, so I was a little embarrassed later on when he revealed that it was a stick on. I still thought it was cool, but cooler still he gave me one. I'm going to put it on my neck at the next CAMRA sanctioned event I go to.

Speaking of CAMRA, I was rather taken back by the reaction of several CAMRA members to the beer. Do they realize that this beer is not 'real' ale, actually not ale at all? It certainly is well outside their remit. Even old Protzy was getting in on the action. My guess is that they (CAMRA types) attended because the beer was free and they could escape a JDW boozer for an evening. I am also proud of the BrewDog guys for giving something away for free - They are Scottish aren't they? There was plenty of tickers making notes, intellectualizing and the like, but I just got on it and appreciated the beer for what it is. A good solid sessionable lager - hopefully a glimpse into the future of keg beer in the UK.

Anyhow after leaving the BrewDog event, Rodney and I smashed down roast beef bagel's from one of the fine establishments on Brick Lane and headed home. Whilst in my inebriated state, I ran into a friend from my university days and spent my whole tube ride across London waffling my special brand of verbal diarrhea. Yes my friends, Zeitgeist bestows the gift of eloquence, much the same as the Blarney Stone. Magical stuff.

Spring is near

Whilst walking to the tube station this morning, I noticed that the bulb flowers have started to bloom and all the trees have new buds starting to form. The tree outside my office window which I watched die back only a few months ago is now covered with the white buds of the new bloom. I am not a green thumb by any means, but for some strange reason I get excited (and no not sexually) by all this. I think there are a number of reasons. The first being that I like that things get bigger and better over time. Spring brings a feeling of renewal which leads to anticipation of good times and warmer weather. Of course this is an illusion as come mid-September everything dies and it gets cold and miserable again. One type of plant interests me more than others. This is the hop plant, the all important grass which seasons and preserves beer. I can visualize it now, thousands of rhizomes awakening all over Kent, Europe and North America with their buds preparing to break the ground an reach for the sun. Will this year see the end of the 'world wide hop shortage'? Will there be a new variety discovered that will transform brewing forever....... You can see why I get off on this stuff.

On a sadder note though, 11000 miles away in New South Wales my own modest hop garden is reaching maturity and the bines are starting to die back. I have tasked my Dad to pick this years harvest, dry them and place them in the freezer so I can use them upon my return - whenever that may be. My hop garden currently consists of 18 bines, but this will most likely be doubled next year. As our family farm is in the Monaro region of NSW it is far from ideal/commercial growing conditions, but perfectly acceptable for my requirements. The picture above was taken by my Dad on New Years day last year and these particular cones are from a Columbus bine.

Whilst it is not ideal for hop growing, It is a very good apple growing area though, and I plan to commercially grow cider apples in the future, but that's another story. Plus, I don't really like cider!

Tonight I am off to the launch of BrewDog's new black lager - Zeitgeist. I have not had a beer since Sunday, so I am frothing for a pint. I hope it's all it is cracked up to be.

Brew Dog Punk IPA

Yes, another 'Tesco pick up', the cool looking graphics and alternative anti-marketing on the label of this beer sealed teh deal and it made its way past the disapproving gaze of my wife and into the trolley.

For the uninitiated, Brew Dog are a relatively new brewery located in Fraserburgh on the north east coast of Scotland. They have a few simple rules and basically they brew for taste and flavour rather than to what the market wants, a bold game but one that seems to be paying dividends for them.

Their simple rules;

- To only use the finest fresh natural ingredients.
- To put no preservatives, additives or any other junk in your beer!
- To always make amazing quality premium beers and promote them in a way which makes people smile!
- Not to try and pass off gift tags as ‘special mini Christmas cards’

Punk IPA (6% abv) seems to be their most 'standard' offering. Its pretty much a stock standard American pale ale with strong tropical hop flavours and an intense and lingering bitterness. I really rate this beer so if you come across it in your local Tesco, do yourself a favour and check it out. Even better if you find it on cask!

An awesome beer: website