Boak & Bailey's Beer Blog
We thought an ice cream beer float sounded like a good idea and others (notably Mark Dredge and Zak Avery) have raved about it.
As I was staying up to watch the Superbowl, I thought I’d give it a go with two of my favourite American imports, Brooklyn Chocolate Stout and Ben & Jerry’s.
And, do you know what? It was horrid.
The lovely dark chocolate roastiness of the beer became metallic and cheesy. The two ingredients cancelled each other out.
I had to pour it away.
Boak
We took a six pack of Anchor Christmas Beer to a family do just before Christmas, knowing that the host was keen on beer.
We then watched with dismay as a grumpy uncle poured a bottle into a glass and spent the next hour ignoring it while he read the paper. When he left, it was more-or-less untouched and had gone flat. Could he not have ignored a cheaper, less interesting beer instead?
“Have you got a nice stout?”
“Well, there’s the Dark Star, but that’s 10.5%. How about Anchor Porter?”
“Have you got anything south American?”
“Er…. Quilmes?”
“We want some sour beers. Have you got anything by Cantillon?”
“Yes, but it’s about £8 a bottle.”
“That’s fine. One bottle, two glasses, please!”
“Why are you having a lager again, mate?”
“Coz I want something cold and refreshing, with bubbles, that doesn’t make me feel like my Dad.”
“Goose Island IPA is cold and refreshing, and your dad wouldn’t like that.”
“Stop trying to make me drink your old man beers.”
“How long would you keep a barley wine for, in the cask?”
“Well, we keep ours for up to six years, but you could definitely keep it longer, if it was filled properly.”
“Oh, I know our filling techniques, and they introduce way too much oxygen.”
“What do you have that’s a normal strength and comes in a normal pint glass?”
Whilst eavesdropping, we also worked our way through a few beers, including Sierra Nevada Unrivaled, a rye beer with a hint of smoke that actually tasted how we’ve always imagined rye beer ought to. It’s a late contender for beer of the year — very complex and utterly delicious, with citrus hops and fruity, nutty, spicy flavours, too.
Doggie Style delivered an American style IPA (heavy body, lots of hops) at only 4.7%. It’s yer actual session beer, that.
Goose island Christmas Ale (7%) was a final treat. It was £9.50 for a large bottle. It was like malty golden syrup with a touch of orange. Nice, but not as nice as something like 1845. We wonder if some complexity got lost on the Atlantic crossing?
There are now several trendy bowling places in London, following the success of Bloomsbury Lanes which opened a few years back.
On Friday, we went with a bunch of mates to All Star Lanes, also in Bloomsbury/Holborn, and were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the beer on offer.
We’re huge fans of Brooklyn Lager, so we had a couple of those. We also tried Sierra Nevada Summerfest (Beer Nut’s not convinced; we weren’t impressed either) and finished with our beer of the week, Anchor Liberty Ale. We were also pleased to see Sierra Nevade Pale Ale and Brooklyn Chocolate Stout on the menu. All were priced at around £4 a bottle.
Sadly, but understandably, most people there were going for the cheaper option: a bucket of Coors Light.
There are also exciting looking cocktails, milkshakes and ice cream floats. Would a Brooklyn Chocolate Stout ice-cream float work? We’re sure Mark will get round to trying that soon, at any rate.
Anchor Small Beer is a great idea — a very weak brew (3.2% abv) made, in historical fashion, from the ‘second runnings’ of the mash used to make Old Foghorn Barley Wine. In other words, it’s a beer made from leftovers, which appeals to our green streak as well as to our instinct to avoid hangovers.
Good as the idea is, however, the beer itself is a bit disappointing, being very thin in body and with the bittering hops overdone so that it’s as astringent as over-stewed tea.
Here’s Tom’s review — he liked it more than we did. And the Beer Nut has just reviewed it, too, finding it a bit fizzy.