Page 2 - Beer Guides

Best new beers of the week

 

Brilliant beers from New Zealanders Yeastie Boys and 8 Wired, plus a Scottish style beer from Weird Beard, great Siren beer and one of the best Thornbridge beers we've ever had

What a selection of new stuff this week. We love the tropical Kiwi hops, we love Kiwi beer, and all of the Kiwis we've met are supercool. This week a couple of New Zealand beers have landed at Beer Hawk HQ: Yeastie Boys Stairdancer and 8 Wired's The Big Smoke. So good!

Out of this world, is Thornbridge's Valravn, an unbelievably good black IPA at imperial strength. So good! Scotch away your worries about a wee heavy with Weird Beard's super tasty Don't Worry, Bee Heavy. A strong Scottish style beer, with a subtle peaty taste.

Weird Beard / Don't Worry, Bee Happy / 7.8%

A Wee heavy is a traditional Scottish beer, big on malts, a bit sweet and high in alcohol – it’s designed for a brisk Highland

 5 best new beers of the week

Modern Times / Fortunate Islands / 5%
Beer never fails to surprise. When you think you know a style, or have an expectation, beers from breweries like Modern Times are here blow them out of the water.  On the can, it says this is a wheat beer, but Fortunate Islands has more in common with an IPA: super hoppy and full of mango, tangerine and passionfruit characteristics from boat loads of Citra and Amarillo hops. The 60% of wheat malt, instead of defining the beer, adds depth, mouthfeel and a dryness that makes this so drinkable. Another flawless beer from Modern Times. PS: on their website is also the homebrew recipe for this beer. Cool.

Thornbridge / Huck / 7.4%
The DIPA is a thing and trust Thornbridge to nail another one. Huck is one of those DIPAs, clocking in at 7.4%, that gives off a warming alcohol glow, and is rich in melon, honey – it’s certainly on the sweeter

FIVE OF THE BEST NEW BEERS THIS WEEK

We've some pretty hefty beers in this week? Highlights include the return of a great AleSmith beer (yep, the Nut Brown Ale), plus delights from Mike Hess, Thornbridge, plus amazing cans from Verdant and And Union

Verdant / Pulp / 8%
The DIPA (a double IPA) is a thing. These extra strong IPAs are full of hop flavours, with a warming alcohol taste. Although a new brewery, Verdant are known for the fruitiness of their beer. Pulp! has it in abundancen (they guys describe it: "Think pulped peppery mango flesh drenched in candied grapefruit juice with a hint of dank"), but there's a dry finish that makes it easy drinking.   

Thornbridge / Valravn / 8.8%
This is a fantastic imperial black IPA from the master brewers at Thornbridge. It is the 'imperial' (read: stronger) version of Wild Raven. There's a thick malt body complemented by lively New Zealand and American

“O gude ale comes and gude ale goes,
Gude ale gars me sell my hose,
Sell my hose, and pawn my shoon,
Gude ale keeps my heart aboon.”

– Robert Burns, 1795

This is ludicrously exciting. Stone Xocoveza (8.1%) here, in our warehouse. Why are we so excited? Well this is simply one of the world's most joyous beers. This is a winter mocha stout (sold already?).

It is named after a traditional style of Mexican hot chocolate, as soon as the can is cracked open Xocoveza releases a heady aroma of coffee and cocoa, but an earthy, almost savoury undertone of spice and chilli peppers tempers the experience and prevents it becoming overly cloying or sickly.

In the mouth it's indulgent and silky smooth, and the palate - nay, your entire head - is saturated with pungent roasty aromas, cocoa and chocolate truffles.

Whether you’re trying to find a loophole in your “only drink on the weekends” New Year’s resolution or you’re really giving this dry January phenomenon a go, alcohol-free beers are a great way to help you meet your goals. While, admittedly, alcohol-free beers haven’t enjoyed the best reputation in the past we think they’ve come a long way thanks to new brewing techniques that keep flavour and body in the beer.

It's the astonishing range of flavours and aromas that make us fall in love with beers. Each of the four principal ingredients – malt, hops, water and yeast – offer an infinite range of aromas and tastes, and that's before we add in the fruits, herbs and spices. It's a complex beast so we're sharing something we find handy to organise our thoughts.

Obama is the first President to brew beer in the White House. Here's the recipe for the Honey Porter 

From dunkels to dubbels, porters to stouts, now is the time pop open those dark beers 

Three unmissable beers that showcase the best of US wild beers 

A West Coast IPA is the biggest, fruitiest, piniest, citrusy..er..est  type of IPA. It's a beer that bowls you over with a volcano of grapefruit, lemon, and pine. It's all about hops, hops and hops, with the malt having a say in a grainy, sweet contrast to all this fruit.

Flip through the history books of British brewing and you will discover a multitude of beer styles, some of which have long been consigned to the grave (anyone remember Dorchester Ale? I thought not). However, here is a small selection of the survivors and the newbies on the British brewing block...

-----

BITTER

This is the archetypal English beer, but what is it? A burnished copper-bronze in the glass, its nutty malts should come clearly through as well as an earthy hop character. Hints of spice and fruit too.

TRY: Salopian Brewery / Darwin’s Origin / 4.3%

This multi-award winning is a benchmark for the English bitter style, and full of character. 

PORTER

How to define porter? Dark, roasty, malty,

In part two of our USA Road Trip, we're heading east through Colorado, Michigan, Maryland and on to New York to meet some craft beer pioneers

We're celebrating the origins of craft beer with a (brief) look into the history of some of the best and long standing US breweries

Truth be told, we think Dads could be celebrated everyday. However, there's nothing wrong with doing something a little extra special for the men who gave us their all on a day reserved just for them. Whether it's for your Dad, your Grandad, Uncle or family friend, if there's a great man in your life we'd like to give you some inspiration for the best Father's Day gift around: Beer!

We love our Dad's Beer Gift. This cheerful box set includes three beers from our very own collaboration with the award-winning Durham Brewery. If Dad likes his Real Ale in a bottle then he'll surely give his approval for these three bottle-conditioned British beauties:

The Dad's Best Pale Ale highlights a delicate blend of English hops alongside a distinctive bitterness. It's a wonderfully drinkable treat for the world’s best Dad. The Guv'nor is a ruby-coloured bitter and is a bit bolder with its gorgeously complex maltiness that still draws attention to some fine English hops. Finally, your

Left your Christmas shopping til the last minute? Don't despair! You've still got time to order a brilliant beery prezzie or stock up on lovely libations for Christmas day. For guaranteed delivery before Christmas, make sure you get your order in before midnight on Thursday 17th December for Standard Delivery, and before midnight on Saturday 19th December for Express Delivery; don't forget that Standard Delivery is free on all orders over £50! No idea what to buy? We've put together a few suggestions featuring some of our best selling gifts...Beautifully presented in an elegant 75 cl bottle, Deus Brut de Flandres is the perfect beer to crack open on the big day. After being brewed in Belgium by Brouwerij Bosteels, Deus is transported to the Champagne region of France and re-fermented in the same way as Champagne, before being cellared for nine months. At 11.5% ABV this magnificent beer pours pale gold and effervescent, with floral hops and light biscuity malts. Serve chilled

Looking for a festive present for the ale enthusiast in your life? Sounds like a job for the Twelve Beery Days of Christmas! You can sing along if you want, we won't judge...

Sometimes, for whatever reason, you might need to buy non-alcoholic beverages, but that doesn't mean you have to be stuck drinking orange juice! We here at Beer Hawk have hunted out some of the tastiest alcohol-free beer available so you can still enjoy the malty, hoppy goodness that we all love.

We've already taken a peek into Belgium's rich brewing culture, but we simply couldn't ignore the weird and wonderful sour side of Belgian beer. Spoiler alert: there's going to be lots of wild yeast floating around!

Tendrils of fog creep through the dark streets, curling round the ankles of figures in masks and robes as they stomp through flurries of fallen leaves calling out "Trick or treat!" Yes, Halloween is just around the corner, and you can bet that we've got some treats in store for you...

Now a popular and widely available beer style, saisons were originally brewed in little Belgian farmhouse breweries for the seasonal workers (the 'saisonniers') who were hired in to work on the farm during the busy summer season. As the farm workers were entitled to about eight pints of beer a day(!), saisons were brewed to be refreshing, hydrating and not too strong, around 3 - 3.5% ABV. In recent years the strength of a typical saison has shifted upwards, and Saison Dupont, which is widely regarded as the quintessential saison, is 6.5% ABV.

Say it with me: "Belgian beer". A phrase which conjures up thoughts of quality, heritage, and - well, let's be honest - a fairly high ABV! Belgium is well known for its blonds, dubbels and tripels, among others; of course, we already know that the Belgians make a good witbier. Beer is very important in Belgium, and most Belgian breweries have their own custom glasses designed to enhance the aroma and flavour of the beer. Ornate chalices are undoubtedly elegant, but the most eye-catching contender has to be the Kwak glass, which comes balanced in a wooden stand.

Oh Germany, land of beer! Maggie told us all about Oktoberfest yesterday and gave us a recipe for some classic pretzels, so let's carry on with our celebration of German beer. Make sure your trusty stein is full to the brim, and let's dive in...

Here in Britain we have a unique brewing heritage, and I think that it's fair to say that beer is a big part of our national identity. We now have over 1,400 breweries in Britain, which means that we've got more breweries per head of the population than anywhere else in the world! Most of those breweries are brewing ale (top-fermented beer) rather than lager, although these days you can easily find good British lager, especially with the recent interest in hoppy lagers such as Celt House Lager and Weird Beard Faceless Spreadsheet Ninja which have all of the big citrus flavours you'd expect from an IPA alongside the crisp, clean character of a lager.

When you think of British beer, you'll probably think of a foaming pint of amber bitter, although bitter is a notoriously difficult term to define! It originated as a casual name for pale ales, which were hoppier and therefore more bitter in flavour than other common beers such as milds and porters, and covers a broad range of strengths

Now, we all know that beer style choices needn't be entirely weather dependent - a stout is for life, not just for Christmas! - but I must admit that on a hot sunny afternoon, a glass of wheat beer often feels like the only sensible choice. From classic Belgian witbier and German weissbier to unusual modern twists, wheat beer can be a marvellously diverse style to explore.

By going to the pub with the gents or stopping by the off-licence on the way home from work, your Dad's been hinting all year long that he really wants beer for Father's Day. That, as opposed to a new tie or a "this coupon entitles bearer to one free car-wash so long as there isn't something good on the TV or I'm otherwise busy" gift.

Have no fear if you know nothing about beer, this guide will give you some tips on how to pick the perfect beer gift and have you rocketing to the top of the inheritance list amongst your siblings. Besides, he deserves it, doesn't he?

How to Choose Something He'd Like

• First thing's first: take a look at what's already in the fridge. This is the no-brainer; buy him more of what he already likes!

• Pay attention to what he drinks at the pub. Often, his favourite cask ale is available in a bottle and lagers almost always are.  If he already

Oh boy--this opens a can of worms. Either this brings about images of massive cleavage on a pump clip or a froo-froo beer cocktail with an orange garnish. Nevertheless, the concept of "lady beers" isn't something that brewers should be embarrassed about.