Advent Calendar - 16th December 2014

Beer Advent Calendar
Camden Town Brewery - Camden Pils 4.6%
16th December 2014

Today is the three hundred and fiftieth day of the year, and the 16th December 1653 was the date that Christmas almost ended as that was the day the Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England. Actually I made that last bit up, well  part of it anyway as, even though Oliver Cromwell did indeed become Lord Protector on this day three hundred and sixty one years ago, Parliament had already passed an Act forbidding Christmas celebrations in 1644. 

I was looking on the internet for a beer fact for today but all that I could find was that in 2010 the Discovery Channel aired an episode of 'Brew Master' where Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione brewed a batch of 'Chateau Jiahu' a beer based on a 9000 year old recipe using fragments of pottery jars recovered from a village in central China, and travelled to Egypt to bring back to life beer from one of the earliest situations. I tried to link to that episode but it's protected by copyright, however you can buy the DVD for the whole series should you wish, and have a Region 1 compatible player. 

I've been looking on the internet a lot recently trying to find some inspiration for my blog during Advent and one thing that has amazed me is the amount of beer events there are on any given day in the United States. Seriously have a look, there's an incredible amount going on, from brewery open days to beer festivals, from talks on brewing to beer launches to bottle shares, everything you can think of. Admittedly the US is a big place but I'm sure you could find something nearby, but wouldn't it be great if there were activity of this level in the UK. Well my friends, the good new is there is, sort of, but where on earth would you find out about it?

The most obvious waty to find out about what's happening is to keep an eye on twitter. Follow the breweries nearby, and look who they interact with and maybe follow them too. In my experience you often see many of the same faces at these events, and the buzz tends to build a week or so before so look at what others are discussing. December, June and August are when a lot of these events seem to bunch together, often two or three on the same night in London so keep your eyes peeled.

The various CAMRA branches publish their own magazines or newsletters usually either monthly or seasonally and these can be picked up at local cask ale pubs, or even viewed online as many have their own websites. CAMRA's own monthly publication, What's Brewing, also carries listings for these branches events too.

If you live in Edinburgh, you would have been fortunate to be able to peruse The Beer Cast, Edinburgh's beer website, which publishes listings every Sunday for the week ahead. I used it myself a couple of months ago when I was up there for a week and managed to get to a Meet The Brewer event (Stringers at Holyrood 9A) and pick up on the remnants of a Bad Seed tap takeover at the Hanging Bat. London, or more exactly @CarsmileSteve has got in on the act recently with the London Beer Diary, a similar listings site where you can find out what is happening in the capital.

I hope I've highlighted some of the ways that you can find out what is going on in your area here, but if you have any other suggestions then please leave them in the comments section. Also if you're still not sure if you want to be involved or attend one of the events you've found then I urge you to go along and find out. It is my experience that beer people are the best people, but you don't need to take my word for it, come along and see for yourself.

Before you go searching for somewhere to rush out to though, here are the answers to yesterdays quiz questions:

1. Freeminer

2. Molson Coors

3. Horndean Special Bitter

4. Bishop Nick

5. Best Bitter Beer ( although it's sometimes referred to as ' Big Boys Beer')

There were no correct answers yesterday, so the prize of being mentioned rolls over to today, but before those questions, here is today's beer.

I wrote a little about the history of Camden Town Brewery in my Beers of London Series when I reviewed Camden Pale Ale back in April 2013, and it's a brewery I've covered again and again, reviewing Pete vs. The World and most recently their India Hells Lager just last month. We were given a bottle of this beer at one of the IHL events and I was very impressed, so I'm looking forward to reacquainting myself with it tonight.

Pouring a hazy golden yellow, it is unfiltered after all, and with a soft white head it has the beautiful citrus aroma of lemon and lime overlaid with some mango bite and a hint of white pepper spiciness. It moves softly over the tongue too with a tug of carbonation on the tip of the tongue heralding a sharp bitterness coming predominantly from lime zest and white pepper accented curacao orange juice flavours with flood the mouth and then fade quickly to wonderful finish. This tickles your tongue like a light lemon zest popping candy before it swiftly becomes an echo of arid lemony air. I like this beer a lot, as it has the softness of a plilsner with some delicious fruity, but still classicly dry peppery notes. This in itself is a fairly new beer from Camden Town, and if you like their beer then you're going to love it, so go and get yourself some. 

So after that tasty treat from my Ales By Mail Advent calendar, I'll give you today's questions.

1. What is the name of the Trappist brewery that opened USA in 2013?

2. Despite it's medicinal pun, Koff Winter Porter is a true Baltic Porter, evoking the 19th Century tradition of an Imperial Stout, but in which country is the brewery?

3. Who is the owner and founder of the Sierra Nevada Brewery?

4. Which common style of beer derives it's name from the German word for 'storage'?

5. What is the name of the glass designed by Italian brewer Teo Musso in order to best showcase Italian beer?

I hope they're not too tough, best of luck with those, but now it's time for today's corny Christmas cracker joke.

I'm going to keep it traditional today, I hope you it makes you groan.

What do reindeer hang on their Christmas trees/

Hornaments!

Advent Calendar - 15th December 2014

Beer Advent Calendar
Salopian Brewery - Holly Bush 5.5%
15th December 2014

So we're nearly there, but not so nearly that it's heads down and eyes focussed on the prize, we all have our Christmas rituals, things we like to do and things we have to do this time of year. Maybe you like to go to a pantomime, visit a particular set of friends or relatives, and of course there are the inevitable Christmas parties.

My children had their after-school club party tonight, games were played and apparently much food was consumed, and they had to be picked up at a certain time in order to be brought home. My wife is a teacher, and it's her school play tonight so she has the car, so as it was up to me to collect them. Having an hour or so to kill before I needed to be there I took a walk down to The Olde Dog Inn in Herongate, Essex, the pub that I consider my local.

The Olde Dog isn't the closest pub to my house, I pass three others on my way there, however due to it's well kept cask beer selection it's a pub I've frequented for more than a quarter of a century. I used to travel to it on special occasions when I used to live in Barking, but for the last sixteen years I've been able to walk there in around forty-five minutes. We've taken our children there as they were growing up and over the years we've developed a good relationship we some of the longer standing staff. It feels relaxed, never threatening, a real home from home and we like it a lot.

Getting there involves a walk down some country lanes, but when I round the corner and see it's lights ablaze it always puts a smile of my face as I know a warm welcome awaits me. It's an old building, parts of it dating from the early sixteenth century, and with its exposed beams and open fires it looks it, but not in a shabby way as it's always well kept, tidy and spotless, but rather in a well loved and cared-for way. Pump clips from bye-gone breweries and bye-gone beers (we're talking twenty or so years, not centuries here) adorn the ceilings and there are just the right amount of other nick-nacks around to promote interest without making it look cluttered.

Tonight I only had time for a quick pint, so I took my glass of Dark Star Winter Meltdown and went and sat by the fire, the heat driving the chill from my bones and flushing my place pink in the process. As I sat there enjoying my drink it suddenly struck me how incredibly lucky I was to have a place such as this within such close proximity, and I also felt a little guilty. It would be ever so easy, particularly at this time of year with all the attractions and distraction, to miss out on nipping in to your local pub because you're too busy with this, that and everything else to find the time to do so. Had I done so tonight I would have missed out on an experience to treasure, one of life's true pleasures, and I'm very happy that I didn't. So if you've got a few hours to spare early one evening this week I urge you to call in to your local, I'm positive you won't regret it.

Now I feel all warm and cosy inside I'm off to get today's beer from my Ales By Mail Advent Calendar box, and set up a suitably festive picture. Whilst I do that here are the answers to yesterday's quiz questions.

1. Porter

2. 60, 70, 80 and 90

3. Joseph Holt

4. Boddingtons

5. St Peters, Suffolk

Congratulations go to Michael McGrorty who was straight back at me with the correct answers almost as soon as I posted my blog. Well done matey, some good knowledge there, but now we turn to the beer, and I have to admit I'm rather looking forward to this one.

Salopian brewery, based in Shropshire from whence it takes its name, have quietly been doing their thing since 1995, but my goodness they certainly do it well. Starting out in an old dairy building on the outskirts of Shrewsbury, I first came across them when I visited that city two years later and was pleasantly surprised to find a UK regional brewery producing a wheat beer and a smoked beer. Over the last couple of years they have started to gain reputation amongst discerning drinkers for the quality of their beer and readiness to adapt to modern styles. I haven't had this beer before so I think it's time I opened the bottle. 

It pours a murky ruby red colour with a soft creamy-looking off-white head and an incredibly fruity pine-edged aroma encompassing figs, dates, cherries and raspberries, all topped with a twist of lime zest. Prickly and slightly vinous over the tongue it unleashes a beautiful wave of cherry and raspberry caramel, thick and delicious, but this dries very quickly via some of the lime zest I detected in the aroma, until all of a sudden all that's left is the remnants of all those gorgeous flavours, and thankfully this lasts a long long time. This is a beer that is very up front in that all the good stuff happens right at the beginning, however there is no downside to this as all the flavours are so satisfying it's well worth the ride. It's simply wonderful.


So as I finish another cracking Salopian beer, here are today's quiz questions:


1. Name the brewery established in 1992 deep in the Royal Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, whose name refers to a local iron mine opened by two Oxfordshire bankers.

2. Which US brewery giant owns the Toby Bitter, Bass and Worthington brands?

3. The late lamented George Gale & Company brewery, closed by Fullers in 2006, used to brew a beer called HSB, but what did HSB stand for? 

4. And talking of brewery closures, Ridley's Brewery was bought and closed by Greene King in 2005, but has since been resurrected by the then Chairman's son. What is the new brewery called?

5. The Arkell brewery of Swindon used to brew a 3B beer, but what did those three B's stand for?

Quite a tough one today but I'm sure you're up to it, and now, because it's late and I don't want to hang around here's that dreaded Christmas cracker joke;

Why is it getting harder to buy Advent calendars?

Because their days are numbered

Advent Calendar - 14th December 2014

Beer Advent Calendar
Riley's Brewing Co - India Pale Ale 7.5%
14th December 2014

It's Sunday 14th December so only ten days to go to the big one now. It's also International Monkey Day apparently, who knew?

As it's a Sunday, traditionally a day of rest, I thought I'd do something a little different. Instead of writing today I feel that something a little easier on the eye is in order, so I've been flicking through my scrap books of beer labels and picking out some of my favourites. How many do you remember?

An eclectic mix I'm sure you'll agree. Some of the oldest are twenty years old would you believe, but there's also a few from last year in there just for good measure. Who would have thought that Shepherd Neame had so many different labels for their Christmas Ale, and I'm glad that they revived that tradition last year. I've spent a fun hour or so going through them all, and there are about a hundred more that I could have put in as I'm quite a fan of Christmas beer in all it's various guises.

So while I feel all nostalgic I'll give you the answers to yesterdays questions.

1. Black Sheep Brewery

2. Palmers

3. Wild Beer Co.

4. Jeffrey Hudson Bitter

5. A steam engine

I hope you got those. Clayton Chisholm managed three out of the five and as, unusually, his was the only response he gets the glory. Well done mate.

Today's beer from my Ales By Mail Advent Calendar is by Riley's Brewing Co., located in Madera, California and quite a rare thing to see in the UK. The brewery, founded in 2011, started out as a hobby for three unemployed friends meeting in Daniel Riley's garage for barbecues and beer. They started home brewing as more and more friends started to come over until eventually, after a puppy they should have been watching got loose in the house whilst Daniel's wife was out and she promptly banned them from the garage. Fortunately Daniel also owned a 12,000 square foot steel rental building so he and his two friends, Daniel Musso and Joe Holland, decided to open a brewery there, building everything, kettles, fermenters, pressure tanks, from scratch and by hand. There core beers Sancha, Wildcat, Vixen, Siren and Cougar may have a couple of dubious names, and labels to match, but they have had some rather good reviews. I have had their Double IPA at a recent Ales by Mail tasting event, with my Untappd check-in describing it as "nothing special, but not bad", so I'm hoping for something a little better today.

It pours a golden amber with a thin but nicely carbonated off-white head, and an incredible aroma of pineapple in syrup, mango, lime zest and surprisingly a hint of those banana sweets that have no banana in them at all. Thin and rather watery with a decent prickle of carbonation over the tongue, there's pine and pineapple, melon and satsuma, it's absolutely stuffed with sharp citrus flavour, maybe it little bit too sharp around the edges of the tongue, but it cannot be denied, this is one juicy beer, The finish is a touch oily and it doesn't dry out as you might expect but instead fades gently away with a flash of white pepper spiciness at the back of the tongue before those citrus flavours come back, most noticeably in the nose, and linger for some time. This is the kind of beer that improves the more you drink it, becoming more intense with every sip, it's certainly more than "not bad" it's definitely very good.



So, as I savour the last of this beer, here are today's quiz questions:


1. Old Freddy Walker from the Moor Beer Company in Somerset, won the CAMRA's 'Supreme Winter Beer' title in 2004, but what style of beer is it?

2. Reflecting ale taxation, Scottish ale was often graded using the old shilling currency to denote whether it was light, heavy, export or strong, but what were the four denominations?

3. Which Manchester brewery, established in 1849, uses the line 'For those who know bitter' to advertise it's beers?

4. Staying in the same city as the question above, which beer was called the 'Cream of Manchester'?

5. Which brewery uses a distinct shape bottle for it's beers, a faithful copy of a 1770s design by Thomas Gerald of Philadelphia?

And so, after a slightly more relaxed post than usual, here it is.

That groan-inducing Christmas cracker joke you (probably haven't) been waiting for;

What do you call someone who is afraid of being stuck in a chimney with a bag of presents?

A santaclaustrophobic !

Advent Calendar - 13th December 2014

Beer Advent Calendar
Bristol Beer Factory - Bristletoe 4.7%
13th December 2014

Now you may notice that this post is a bit shorter than those that preceded it and the reason for that is that I'm probably on the #CrimboCrawl I mentioned in yesterday's post. It may not be of course, because often as I start each days writing I have no idea where I'll be going with it, and I like that callenge. However, having come this far (halfway there!) I was determined to continue with a post a day as that's the way an Advent Calendar works.

I'm enjoying writing these posts and, as I mentioned above, because it is the halfway point I think it would be a good time to pause and take stock of where we are now and what may be coming in 2015.

I could be argued that we are living in the Golden Age of Beer at the moment. New breweries are opening seemingly weekly, not just in the US and UK but across the globe,with more styles of beer more readily available to be bought and drunk in more countries and bars than ever before. It would not be an exaggeration to say that each successive year for the past five or six has bought more riches for the beer consumer. These are indeed exciting times and it shows no signs of abating.

US style IPAs and Pale Ales still reign supreme and are now brewed with more varieties of hops than ever before, however I had to pick one hop that says 2014 to me it would be Mosaic. It seemed to crop up everywhere this year, in Duvel's annual Tripel Hop back in February, beers by Green Flash, Terrapin and Founders from the US, Adnam's Jack Brand Mosaic Pale Ale, and many many more.  Saisons were also a still very much in vogue as the year turned, although with palates ready for something a little different and perhaps more challenging this was really the year where Sour beer established a firm place in many breweries portfolios and in craft beer bars up and down the country.

Talking of craft beer, or more exactly the words 'Craft Beer' it seemed to be that in the second half of the year that it stopped being debated and argued over and just accepted as a common and universal catch-all term. I could well be wrong and it all flares up again next year, but maybe all that needs to be said about it has been said, and we don't really want to go over that well trodden ground again for fear of being trapped in mire.

Moving swiftly on I must just mention two more developments in beer in the UK 2014 that although not new in themselves created more than a few words to be written, and they were both about what the beer was matured or contained in rather than the beer itself. The first was barrel-ageing becoming more common and I must mention both Beavertown's Ger-onimo and Siren's Maiden in this category. I gather that many other breweries have beery treats currently slumbering in various barrels waiting to be awoken in the coming year, so plenty to look forward to there I hope. It also can't have escaped your notice that 2014 could have been called the 'Year of the Can', with Beavertown, FourPure, Thwaites, and Camden Town taking the plunge this year, and with Magic Rock starting to put it's beer into cans early next year this is a trend that is not going away any time soon.

So what of 2015?

Well I don't have a crystal ball, but I don't have to beer a clairvoyant to see more beer in cans, more barrel aged beers and more sour beers appearing up and down the country. I also think that we'll see an increase of awareness in the lesser known European beer styles as brewers start to expand their repertoire, improve their skills and explore new areas. We have already seen some Kolsch-style beers and BrewDog have recently released an Altbier as one of the four in this years 'Prototype' range, so perhaps some of the more esoteric German styles: Roggenbier, Dampfbier, Dinkelbier, Gruitbier or even Zoiglbier will make an appearance. Kvass or even braggot, a concoction of herbs and spices, beer and mead could also be avenues that are explored.

I won't go any further down this road as I think I've gone on enough but I will finish by saying that 2015 is looking like it could be even better for the beer lover than 2014 and we could be in for one hell of a ride. I look forward to sharing it with you.

It's really time I got to on today's beer that Ales By Mail have put in their calendar, but before that here are the answers to yesterday's questions:

1. 1936

2. Guinness, Harp and Smithwick's

3. A magnet

4. Brains Brewery

5. O'Hanlons

I hope you got them all.

Now however it's time for the main event, and I don't mean the cracker joke, I mean the beer.

I first reviewed Bristol Beer Factory's Bristletoe in my Christmas Beer Blog last Deecember, commenting on the clever pun in it's name and remarking on it's sweet fruity flavour. Well it's been a year since then, so I think it's about time I gave it another go.

It pours a dark brown with no discernible highlights a tight beige head and an aroma packed with rich roasty coffee, burnt toast and hints of caramelised meat juice and raisin, it certainly seems nore robust than I remember. Surprisingly thin over the tongue with a wash of carbonation pushing outwards like a wave foam rushing up a beach, there is more roasty toastiness in the flavour, damp burnt toast, thin coffee grouts, and meat gravy that doesn't sound at all appetising but there's a tiny thread of liquorice that interweaves through all of these, combines with and then pulls the whole thing along rather wonderfully. The finish has more of the same with perhaps a little spiciness alongside it, an overdone hot cross bun maybe, but it leaves a lovely long-lasting ground coffee roast behind that I absolutely adore, and as I know it isn't a strong beer I'm straight back in there ready for another taste, this time drinking long and deep, savouring and enjoying the flavours once again. This isn't all like the beer I remember from last year, as I'm getting very little fruitiness at all, but to my mind it is much the better for that. Cheers.

If you'll excuse me whilst I finish my glass, here are today's beery quiz questions:

1. In 2004, the T&R Theakston Brewery of North Yorkshire re-claimed it's independence but two decades Paul Theakston had managed another independent brewery in Masham. What is it's name?

2. Which family owned brewery has brewed traditional ales at The Old Brewery of Bridport in Dorset since 1794?

3. Andrew Cooper and Brett Ellis are the founders of which Somerset brewery?

4. Oakham Ales brew a well-known beer called JHB, but what does JHB stand for?

5. The Hook Norton Brewery in Oxfordshire uses which special contraption to power it's brewing?

I hope you like those and I'm pretty sure that most of you will know those answers if you give them a little thought, but now I need to start getting ready as I've got to do half a days work before I get to go on that #CrimboCrawl.

I will however, leave you with a corny Christmas cracker joke as usual. A dangerous thing to do perhaps when some of you will be able to critique my choice, which is a bit more traditional, in person later this afternoon.

Nevertheless here goes:

Who delivers the presents to baby sharks at Christmas?

Santa Jaws of course!

Advent Calendar - 12th December 2014

Beer Advent Calendar
Fourpure Brewing Co. - Session IPA 4.2%
12th December 2014

It's Christmas Jumper Day!

I'm sure you all wore your Christmas jumpers today, and whilst you may not have looked particularly stylish (or maybe you did), at least you were warm. Another great way to keep warm, as you will already know and may well have done today, is with a glass of Winter Warmer in your hand.

The very name Winter Warmer conjures up in my mind images of olde coaching inns, a roaring fire and a dark frothy beer in a pewter tankard. Perhaps there's someone snoozing gently in the corner, their breath soft but noticeable above the murmur of conversation coming from the nearby tables. Suddenly the door opens and a couple bustle in, snow falling from the shoulders of their coats and hats as they make they way to the bar and order a couple of pints from the beaming landlord. It's a scene that gives me a sense of comfort and joy, particularly apt at this time of year.

Winter Warmer as a beer style is traditionally a malty-sweet Strong Ale, dark although not pitch black, and it may have a hint of spiciness. It is a variation of the Old Ale, fruity and sweet, often a blend of mild ale and a stock ale made slightly tart with a secondary fermentation of brettanomyces. Warm with alcohol, hence it's name, but with a low level of hop bitterness but a good hop character, Harveys Christmas Ale, Shepherd Neame Christmas Ale (particularly from the bottle) and Odell Isolation Ale are all good and accessible examples of this style.

No Christmas-time is complete for me without spending some time in the company of good friends with a glass of a Winter Warmer in my hands, relaxing, talking and laughing. It's something I should be doing around this time tomorrow when I'm on the Beer O'Clock Show Crimbo Crawl. It would be great if you could join us, I'd love to see you, so why don't you come along?

I hope that's put you in a mellow festive mood, it certainly has me, so whilst I fetch the beer for today from my Ales By Mail Advent Calendar, here are the answers to yesterdays quiz questions.

1. A breed of draught horse (standing 15.2 - 16.2 hands high if you're interested)

2. Old Tom

3. Fuller, Smith and Turner's Brewery

4. The American Declaration of Independence

5. Beamish and Crawford

And we have a winner again as Andy Parker came back to me with the answers almost as soon as I'd posted my blog. Top marks matey!

So, onto tonights beer.

I featured the FourPure Brewing Company when I reviewed their Oatmeal Stout back in April this year. If you'd like to know a bit about them and what I thought of that then click the link I provided in the previous sentence, however for the purposes of this blog I'm going to move straight on to todays beer, and it's in a can.

Pouring a cloudy orange yellow and throwing a big white head the aroma coming from this beer is big, juicy and citrussy, full of wet pine, tangerine, pineapple and grated orange and lime zest, and it makes my nostrils buzz with excitement and my mouth water with anticipation. Sharp and prickly carbonation picks at the tongue releasing peach juice and orange pith flavours carried along on a wave of lemon edged tangerine and the merest pinch of white pepper. This dries quickly in the finish after a final flourish on the tip of the tongue, leaving a desolate palate devoid of everything except the ghost of lime zest past and the tiniest hint of crushed coriander seed. Such is it's ability to suck the moisture from you taste buds it immediately sends you back into the glass to experience it all over again. This is an astonishingly good beer for such a low abv and the fact that it comes in a light, portable can means you can take a flavour bomb with you wherever you go, and as it's cold enough outside at the moment then you won't even have to chill it. I've never been less that delighted by a FourPure beer, and even I've still not taken up their invitation to visit them that they extended to me back in April, I plan to do so early in the New Year. I can't wait to see what they get up to in 2015.

So as I put the can in the recycling and get today's joke ready I'll leave you with the now customary five quiz questions. Here goes:

1. The Felinfoel Brewing Company of Wales, brewers of Double Dragon, were the first brewery outside of the USA to introduce beer in a can, but what was the year?

2. Which three beers dominated the Irish beer market in the 1970s and were often referred to as 'The Holy Trinity'?

3. What is the trademark of the John Smith's Brewery?

4. Which brewery sponsors the Welsh Rugby team?

5. Eldridge Pope produced the last of it's Thomas Hardy's Vintage Ale in 1999, but which brewery in Devon brewed it from 2003 to 2008?

Bit of a mix there I think, so the very best of luck.

I'm not going to lie to you, today's joke is one that you may well guess the answer to if you think about it, however it is better than yesterday's.

Here goes:

Why did the orange take a prune to the Christmas party?

Because it couldn't find a date!

Advent Calendar -11th December 2014

Beer Advent Calendar
Firemans Brew - Redhead 5.5%
11th December 2014

Two weeks to go! Are you getting excited yet?

Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s I don't really recall alcohol featuring particularly in the Christmases of my formative years. I can remember the men going off to the pub whilst the women, mainly my grandmother, mother and aunt got on with the cooking. I think this was more because they were better off out of the way rather than getting in the way, although my father wasn't often among then as, having a car he was dispatched to collective relatives and subsequently take them home before he could relax, often with a large whisky rather than a beer. It was the annual New Years Eve party, planned with immaculate precision, that he would have a couple of beers at, and whilst my uncles open the industrial drum that was the 'Party Seven' he would often have a can of lager, Heineken I think, or perhaps a John Smiths bitter.

Sherry and port were the drinks that my grandparents favoured as they dozed restlessly in our most comfortable armchairs after the Queen's speech, which for some reason my maternal grandfather had to stand through, sometimes saluting much to our bemusement. As we grew older we would have a bucks fizz, champagne and orange juice, with our Christmas morning fry up, although we could never quite stomach the thick sweetness of the snowballs that my aunt would drink in quantity in the afternoon.

Inevitably, as soon as we were old enough or maybe a little before, Christmas Eve became the main Christmas drinking session, congregating with school friends in The Golden Lion, a fifteenth century pub situated in the centre of Romford in Essex, a tradition that continued well into the mid-nineties. In fact it was in the Golden Lion one Christmas Eve that I asked out the woman who would become my wife, so it holds many fond memories for me. Inevitably this excess would overshadow the big day itself on occasion, and we would rise later and later for our lunch with every successive year. One particularly memorable evening, I arranged to go to with a couple of friends to our nearest pub, The Royal Oak in Barking, for a few pre-Christmas lunch drinks. Despite having plenty the night before I duly arrived at the pub, downing three pints of Courage Best bitter before wending my somewhat wobbly way home. My mother had prepared a wonderful lunch which I somehow managed to eat most of before excusing myself from the table and heading upstairs for a lie down. That was the end of my Christmas day as I woke up fully clothed on Boxing Day morning absolutely ravenous. Needless to say I didn't do it the following year.

I'm sure you have lots of similar Christmas stories you could tell, and if you'd care to share it in the comments section at the bottom of this post I'm sure there's plenty of folk who'd like to read it, not just me. Take the plunge.

Talking of taking the plunge, I'd like to thank Andy Parker for picking up the gauntlet and being first with the answers to yesterday's questions. Here are those answers:

1. Broughton Ales

2. Bragget

3. Yorkshire Square

4. Lagavulin (or Calvados, I would have accepted both)

5. The Angel and White Horse

They were hard but Andy got them. Well done mate.

Now onto today's beer.

Founded by two firefighters, Rob and Ed in Canoga Park, California in the year 2000, Firemans Brew are an interesting proposition. Comprising of two distinct parts, On Duty Drinks comprising coffees and soda and an Off Duty Drinks section through which they sell their beer, although this is brewed for them at the Mendocino Brewing Company (part of United Breweries Limited and owners of the 'Kingfisher' lager trademark). Donating a proportion of their profits every year to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, they have three beers in their range: Blonde, a pilsner-style lager, Brunette, a German-style Doublebock, and todays beer, Redhead, a Red Amber Ale. Choosing hair colours, particularly those associated with women limited their options somewhat, but ignoring that let's see what the beer actually tastes like.

Pouring a deep ruby red with a thin but bubbly beige head it has an interesting aroma that seems to combines cherries and strawberries, brown bread crusts and cranberry in equal measure, but there's an underling creosoted wood note that brings the whole thing down a notch and throws it slightly off-kilter. It shuffles apologetically across the tongue, a confused ambling liquid dropping little globs of flavour, some good, some vague, as it does so. The good stuff is rich with fruity caramel with echoes of black cherry and chocolate, but there are also some unsettling gaps where the ghosts of bitter burnt sugar and some flat strawberryade lurk, and these become more pronounced the more I drink. The finish is neither one thing or another, perhaps fruity, perhaps caramel, perhaps ... and it's gone. This isn't a beer that's satisfying me at all, it's a beer I want to see the end of and move on. It's not a bad beer as such, it's just not a very good example of the style and I'm afraid it doesn't do anything for me at all.

So as I wash up my glass and grab my next beer (it's Brewdog's Dogma in case you're wonderingI, here are today's questions:

1. Adnams of Southwold used to brew a sweet ale called Suffolk Punch, but what is a Suffolk Punch?

2. Name the Barleywine launched in the early 1900s by Robinson's Brewery which takes it's name from the then brewery cat.

3. Which London brewery brews Chiswick Bitter?

4. Harvey's Brewery from Lewes produce a Thomas Paine Ales, named after Thomas Paine who worked as an Excise officer in the town, but which important document did he help draft?

5. Name the illustrious brewery established in 1792 in the Irish city of Cork which was celebrated for it's Irish Red Ale.

I've made them a little easier than yesterday, so let's see how you get on. First person with all answers correct get's a mention tomorrow so best of luck!

It's corny joke time!

Oh yes, I know you love this bit (because you've told me so) even though it probably makes you wince a little bit.

Let me see if I can make you wince some more.

What do call a flock of young sheep rolling down a hill?

A lambslide!

Advent Calendar - 10th December 2014

Beer Advent Calendar
Batemans Brewery - Rosey Nosey 4.7%
10th December 2014

In fourteen days time I know full well that I shall be frantically wrestling with the sellotape (other tapes are available I hear, perhaps I should have written 'gift tape') surrounded by wrapping paper as I try and fail to carefully wrap presents. I will of course have had plenty of time to do this, but as usual my total apathy will have meant that I've left it to the last minute again. I recall one year that I was incredibly organised and did all my wrapping early and wasn't nearly as much fun, so Christmas Eve it is again for this year.

A beer, preferably a strong dark one, is my solitary companion when I'm trying how to get the size of wrapping paper I've cut to fit around a gift that is tantalisingly a little bigger than I thought. I'm sure you do the same and I wonder, just because it's Christmas, whether you'll have a Christmas beer too. Todays beer from the Ales By Mail advent calendar would be a pretty solid choice, but with so many Christmas beers which one do you choose?

You could visit your local off-license who may have a selection of the more well known breweries Christmas offerings and maybe a few surprises, or you could stay at home and shop online if you want something a little more specific or exotic. It's hard to decide what you want when faced with all that choice however; will it be a rich and luxurious or sweet and stuffed with festive spice? You could look online of course fro specific reviews or, as I have done for many years, peruse Don Russell's excellent 'Christmas Beer' book.

Published in 2008 'Christmas Beer' is a book of two parts, with the first being 'The Story Of Christmas Beer' chronicling the evolution of the Yuletide brew alongside Christmas itself evolving to become the festival we now, including a section on how it is celebrated in other countries. The second section 'The World's 50 Best Christmas Beers' lists the author's favourite festive beers, and considering it's six years old, and all that has happened in beer in the intervening years, it stands up rather well. It's not just US beers either even though this an American book, with plenty of European breweries beers being included, and it's not just fifty beers either as it goes on to feature a further ninety-eight as well as some beer inspired cocktails. Some of those included are inevitably no longer with us, the much missed George Gale Christmas Ale being one of these, but you may be surprised to see offerings from Nogne O and Mikkeller in the list, who knew 'Santa's Little Helper' was that old?

It's a book I've had since the year it came out, but I read it every December and it never fails to delight me. I've featured it in lists of my favourite beer books and the good news is that it's still available to buy and you don't have to look too hard to find it. I will be featuring my favourite beer books of 2014 in a future post, but I thought I'd mention this one separately as I'm such a big fan. I hope you'll excuse my indulgence.

And now it's time for the answers to yesterdays quiz questions.

1. Chinook

2. Pinkus Muller Brauerei and Munster

3. Fermentation

4. Stein

5. Ralph Steadman

I was a little disappointed with the lack of response to yesterdays quiz, so we'll say no more about it and move on. Just try a bit harder today please.

It's fair to say that Batemans Rosey Nosey is probably one of the most often spotted Christmas-themed cask ales, with it's flashing red nose pump clip literally acting as a beacon, drawing your gaze as you scan what's available. First brewed in 2002 using Maris Otter pale, crystal and wheat malts and English Goldings hops I note that the abv has steadily declined from 5.0% to 4.9% to it's current 4.7% over the years, so let's see what it tastes like.

Pouring a clear russet colour with a thin off white head, it has the aroma of pineapple and raisin, honey and lemon, as well as a thin thread of fruitcake maltiness woven through it, but it's all a little muted and there's a touch of astringency that's making me hesitate before I drink it, but drink it I shall. Full and remarkably plump feeling over the tongue, a huge wave of golden raisin and tinned prune flavours burst in the mouth, sweet rich and delicious and though I've had this beer many times I'm nonetheless astonished by how good this is tasting. Theirs a hint of coffee cream sponge I that comes in at the end of the fruitiness and takes you through to the finish which is slightly woody, but woody as in: varnished wood and wet logs, strangely calming and familiar rather than 'twiggy' and jarringly unfinished. This is a very polished beer with a very British taste but with enough character to be remarkable and familiar enough to feel comfortable, and whilst it's not great it is nevertheless rather good.

As todays beer is a very British beer from a very British brewery I thought it only fitting to choose very British questions for the quiz today. So, thinking caps on, here they are:

1.Which brewery brews Scottish Oatmeal Stout, issued with labels depicting the brewer's grandfather, Robert Younger who founded the Younger's Brewery in Edinburgh?

2. Which style of beer did King Arthur reputedly serve to his Knights of the Round Table?

3. What do you call the northern English method of fermentation that forces the liquid to circulate between upper and lower chambers, thus training the yeast to work slowly, resulting in a well-bodied creamy ale?

4. JW Lees of Manchester issue a much sought after Harvest Ale every year, but what casks was the 2003 vintage matured in?

5. The Samuel Smith Old Brewery of Tadcaster in North Yorkshire was established in 1758 to serve a particular coaching inn. What was the name of that inn?

Best of luck with those, let's see who's first with those answers today.

Of course it's now time for that cracker joke.

Let's see if I can plumb depths lower than I ever have before, a new low in Christmas jokery.

Here goes:

How do you make an apple crumble?

Show it a picture of it's family tied up in your garage