– Up and Coming / Brew By Numbers
There is a more literal interpretation than usual of the ‘up and coming’ title, Brew By Numbers is now (finally) coming up to Manchester and making itself at home in the PSBH fridges and guesting on keg. We’ve been waiting a while due to the level of demand for their beers in that London, where the brewery is based, but we’re happy to say it was worth the wait!
Dave and Tom have been brewing commercially since late 2012 and are happily continuing the Bermondsey custom of excellent beer with an interesting take on traditional tasty styles. Experimentation is key and now the guys have the benefit of a 12BBL brew house to keep up with the considerable demand for their beers, they are using their original equipment as a pilot kit for the development of new and exciting things.
BBNo are influenced by numerous styles and breweries, including Port Street staples The Kernel. They have an excellent range available and are big into saisons in particular, with an array of innovative takes on this Belgian classic. Similarly they have numerous recipes for smooth hoppy golden beers, both of these styles will be available on keg in PSBH in the immediate future. Another appealing offering from these chaps is a range of coffee porters brewed with single origin beans to better showcase individual coffees…
Basically the gist we’re getting at here is that these guys make great beers and have lots of ideas to make many more. Keep your eye on them and look out for the kegs coming soon to the bar.
brewbynumbers.com
– End of year review / Best Beers of 2013 – a collective poll
2013, what a wonderful year that was for us. Full of beer, new exhibitions and a successful summer of street food and sunshine, with Port Street Pop Ups welcoming Chaat Cart, Las Paelleras, Barnhouse Bistro and more, which led to the Guerrilla Eats residency at our bar in the ‘burbs The Beagle.
We hosted our second exhibition, Beeraphilistic and commissioned photographer Rebecca Lupton to take a tour of the beer festivals of Great Britain capturing the characters there. These characters ranged from volunteers who make these events come to life to the punters who have collectively propped up the bars, highlighting the passion and the spirit of the beer lover.
Speaking of beer festivals and beer lovers it was also our second IMBC which was not only bigger but better, if we do say so ourselves. We had a lot to prove and maintain after our inaugural year. We think, and hope, that we stepped up to the plate so to speak. IMBC 2014 will happen from Thursday 9th to Sunday 12th October, tickets go on sale on Sunday 1st April (no foolin’) so circle the dates on your calendars!
We hosted an international line-up of Meet The Brewers kicking off with the wünderbar Hans-Peter Drexler (Schneider Weiss) coming over from Germany and the delightful Bruno Carilli (Toccalmatto) visited from Italy. Eric Wallace (Left Hand Brewery) popped over from the U.S of A as part of our American Beer Festival. Last but definitely not least of our visiting dignitories, Yvan De Baets (De La Senne) joined us from Belgium for our Euro-tober fest.
From a bit closer to home we had Paul Seiffert and Terry Langton (Liverpool Craft), Rob Hamilton (Black Jack), Gareth Matthews (Mad Hatter), Rhys Powell and Eddie Lofthouse (Harbour), Evin O’Riordain (The Kernel), Eddie Gadd (Gadds) and Americans cum Britons included Jeff Rosenmeier (Lovibonds), the inimitable Byron Knight and Logan Plant (Beavertown). Thanks to all the brewers and all the MTB attendees!
So that’s enough reminiscing for now, what you really want to know is what’s coming up in 2014. Our third birthday starts proceedings on Thursday 23rd January where we’ll be launching our birthday beer brewed with Black Jack which in turn begins the plethora of Meet The Brewer’s that will happen this year with a few special events that won’t happen on a Monday (SHOCK, HORROR). Festival of Britain’s Beers launches on 31st March and runs to 13th April, there’s our American Beer Festival in Summer and later in the year Euro-tober and Old and Dark Festival. We’ve still plenty more to announce, but you know us, we like to keep our cards close to our chest, but we will have some lovely surprises to share with you!
To finish of 2013 we asked some of good friends to compile their favourite beers of the past year, if you would like to add your favourites in the comments section, that would be grand. Hope you enjoy lists?
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Name: Brian Dickson (Grove/Northern Monk)
1) Buxton – NZ Axe Edge
2) Oakham – Citra
3) Magic Rock – Dancing Bear
4) To Øl – Black Malts & Body Salts
5) Wild Beer / Burning Sky / Good George – Schnoodlepip
6) Tilquin – Oude Quetsche Tilquin à l’Ancienne
7) Amager Bryghus/Cigar City – Xiquic and the Hero Twins
8) Fyne/Wild – Cool as a Cucumber
9) Laugar – Aupa Tovarisch (Oporto Edition)
10) Lovibonds – Barrel-aged Sour Grapes
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
– Borefts Beer Festival
– Black & Tan-ing Unhuman Cannonball & Tsar Bomba at IMBC
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Name: James Buchanan (Thornbridge)
1) Struisse – Pannepot Reserva
2) Brewfist – Terminal Pale Ale
3) Narke – Gruit Braggot
4) Brooklyn Brewery – Fire and Ice
5) Steamwhistle – Unfiltered Steamwhistle
6) Thornbridge (I know, I know) – Imperial Raspberry Stout
7) Arbor – Why Kick a Moo Cow
8) De Molen – Single Hop Citra
9) Siren – QIPA
10) Rooie Dop – 24/7 Session Ale
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
One of the Brewers from Brooklyn took us on a tour and then fed us full of amazingly fresh beers or De Molen Festival!
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Name: Jay Krause (Quantum)
1) Rooie Dop – Double Oatmeal Stout Bourbon Barrel Aged
2) Roosters – 20th Anniversary IPA
3) Tegernseer – Spezial
4) Hawkshead – NZPA
5) Marble/@kempicus – Emancipation
6) Ossett – Citra
7) Thornbridge – Kipling
8) Summer Wine – Devil Loves Simcoe
9) Harveys – Imperial Extra Double Stout
10) Ayinger – Kellerbier
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year: Two for me this year:
– ‘Getting’ German beer on a stag do to Munich. Drinking Spezial in the Tegernseer bar, general jolliness in the Hofbrauhaus, St. Jacobus bock at the Forschungsbrauerei – bottom-fermented perfection.
– IMBC and the Leeds International Beer Festival, both were outstanding events and improved immensely from the previous years.
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Name: John Clarke (Editor of Opening Times)
1) Sadler’s – Mud City Imperial Russian Stout
2) Weird Beard – Marianna Trench
3) Toccalmatto – Uber-Pils
4) Blaugies/Hill Farmstead – La Vermontoise
5) Het Uiltje – Black IPA
6) Rooie Dop – Double Oatmeal Stout
7) Oakham – Citra
8) Fyne Ales – Sanda Black IPA
9) Cantillon – Gueuze
10) Cantillon – Lou Pepe Framboise
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
Tie between IMBC / Marble Arch 125th Anniversary Beer Festival/ Ghent Beer Festival
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Name: Rosie Setterfield-Price (Port Street Beer House)
1) Cantillon – Fou Foune
2) The Bruery – Tart of Darkness
3) Westbrook – Grumpy Old Time
4) Jolly Pumpkin – Madrugada Obscura (always and forever)
5) Mikkeller – Spontanrosehip
6) Toccalmatto – Zona Cesarini (on cask!!!)
7) Kernel – Raspberry Sour
8) SWB – The Devil Loves…(pretty much all)
9) To Øl – Black Ball Porter
10) Against the Grain – Pepper Yo Bretts
(Bonus beer = Pressure Drop – Wu Gang Chops the Tree)
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
Copenhagen…but without the sleep deprivation etc probably IMBC…it’s so close!
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Name: Arlo Attenborrow-Greenway (Port Street Beer House)
1) Jolly Pumpkin – Madrugda Obscura
2) Mad Hatter – Sour Saison
3) Mikkeller – It’s Alive
4) Brooklyn – Sorachi Ace
5) De-Struise – Ypers
6) Wild Beer / Burning Sky / Good George – Schnoodle Pip
7) Founders – All Day IPA
8) Hopcraft – Graveyard Eyes
9) Arbour – Yakima Valley
10) Magic Rock – Punchline Chipotle Porter
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
Breaking IMBC viginity. Brewing at Mad Hatter. Splitting a Jolly Pumpkin Bottle with Oliver.
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Name: Becky Rothwell (Common)
1) Pressure Drop – Wu Gang Chops The Tree
2) Ommegang – Hennepin
3) Oersop – Sergeant Pepper
4) Redchurch – Great Eastern IPA
5) Hitachino Nest – Real Ginger Ale
6) Weird Beird / Sad Robot – Saison 42
7) Founders – All Day IPA
8) Brewfist / Beerhere – Caterpillar Pale Ale
9) Summerwine – Mokko
10) Beavertown – 8-Ball
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
Boozy Friday Night & Sunday Afternoon at IMBC
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Name: Claudia Asch (Port Street Beer House)
1) Crooked Stave – Surette (Copenhagen Beer Celebration)
2) Kernel – Double Citra
3) Firestone Walker – 16th Anniversary (CBC)
4) Wildbeer / Good George / Burning Sky – Shnoodlepop
5) Brooklyn – Black Ops (late bottle vintage)
6) Lovibonds – Barrel Aged Sour Grape
7) Mikkeller – Spontandouble Blueberry
8) Summerwine Brewery – The Devil Loves Simcoe
9) Toccalmatto – ReHop
10) Marble Brewery – USA Reserve Ale
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
Copenhagen Beer Celebration
IMBC (slight bias of course)
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Name: Euan Summers (Port Street Beer House)
1) Westbrook – Cap ‘n’ Skoons
2) The Bruery – Sour In The Rye
3) Founders – All Day IPA
4) Jolly Pumpkin / Maui – Sobrehumano – Bottle only
5) Hopcraft – Graveyard Eyes
6) Weird Beard – Little Things That Kill
7) Against The Grain / Demolen – Bo + Luke
8) Howling Hops – RIPA
9) Pressure Drop – Wu Gang Chops The Tree
10) Blackjack – Springheel Jack
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
Going down to Blackjack, making a pumpkin beer, then selling it as part of a Halloween film screening with Optic Films. Good beer makes everything better.
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Name: Iwan Roberts (Common)
1) Summerwine / Common – Nathan Grindall
2) Quantum / Common – Quiff Ale
3) Mikkeller – Koffespontan
4) Mikkeller – Drinking In The Sun
5) Hopcraft – All of them
6) Oscar Blues – Dales Pale Ale
7) Kernel – Rasberry Sour
8) Mikkeller – Spontin Double Blueberry
9) Toccolmatto – Sister Venus
10) Any Cantillon
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
Copenhagen Beer Celebration, IMBC, Drinking San Miguelo with Garratt Oliver, James Murphy, 2 Many DJs and Ben from James Clay – he’s a dude.
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Name: Jonny Sture (Common)
1) Mikkeller – Spontan Peach
2) Magic Rock – Salty Kiss
3) To Øl – Dangerously Close To Stupid
4) Kernel – Double Citra
5) Blackjack – Pilsner
6) Weird Beard – Mariana Trench
7) Hopcraft – Mosaic Plus
8) Brewdog – Blitz Bermed
9) De-Molen – Mout & Mocca Bourbon
10) Siren – Liquid Mistress
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
London Craft Beer Fest (Don’t sack me)
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Name: Nick Johnson (Hopology)
1) Beavertown – Black Betty
2) Oud Beersel – Oude Geuze
3) Saison Dupont – Dry Hopping 2013
4) Verhaeghe – Duchesse De Borgoune
5) Het Anker – Gouden Carolus Classic
6) Beavertown – Blood Orange IPA
7) Red Willow – Shameless
8) Senne – Zinnebir
9) Moor – Amoor
10) Siren – Q IPA
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
When my first customer walked in said “wow” and bought some beer!
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Name: Peter Milne (Customer)
1) Pressure Drop – Wu Gang Chops The Tree
2) Brewfist – Green Petrol BIPA
3) Thornbridge – Imperial Raspberry Stout
4) Brodies – Apricot Sour
5) Quantum – NZ light
6) Brewfist – Czech Norris
7) Summerwine Brewery – Devil Loves Simcoe
8) Tiny Rebel – Urban IPA
9) Kernel – Raspberry Sour
10) Kernel – Citra IPA
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
Pressure Drops ‘Wu Gang Chops The Tree’ – extremely balanced, a masterpiece. Too many brewers making ridiculous beers.
– Up and Coming / Hopcraft
Every once in a while, pretty much just by chance, you taste a beer that you have never heard of before, have no idea who brewed it and your jaw drops. Recently I was lucky enough to have one of those experiences here at Port Street with a beer from a fairly new brewery named Hopcraft.
Hopcraft Brewery in Pontyclun, South Wales, has been in full production for almost half a year now and has been in the public eye since mid 2012. It is a partnership of Tom Barlow and Steve Lewis from Pixie Springs and Gazza Prescott from Steel City in Sheffield. Together they have opened up a new 10 barrel brewery to fulfil their needs, a place to make Pixie Springs beverages on a bigger scale, and also for Gaz to have a place to make crazy hoppy liquids.
Considering they’re relatively new, Hopcraft have made quite a number of beers. As their name suggests they’re not afraid of using hops liberally and have a tendency to use them well, a good example of this is their highly drinkable Mosaic Plus, this is a common theme throughout their beers. The guys have also made some pretty exciting, quite different beers such as Graveyard Eyes a Sorachi Aci porter that has wowed staff and customers alike. As they are already demonstrating a high proficiency in their hop use and a pioneering attitude towards making new and interesting beers it seems highly likely we can expect more good things from this brewery.
– Up and Coming / Burning Sky
Burning Sky. Kind of Old Testament apocalyptic, no? Death raining from the sky, that sort of thing. Well you’d be quite wrong to think that. Actually, if you did, shame on you. It’s more like a Slayer song title.
Amongst other things, Burning Sky is a song by Paul Weller-led erstwhile Mods, The Jam, who split up and then Paul Weller, for some reason, formed the Paul Weller-led The Style Council. He now makes solo records under the name ‘Paul Weller’. He’s a caution, that one.
Burning Sky is also a skydiving collective that jump out of planes over spectacularly tedious hippies/hipsters-in-the-desert festival, Burning Man. Their parachutes are, alas, in tip-top condition.
More important than any of these, though, if you are a lover of beer, at least, Burning Sky is the new brewery from Dark Star co-mastermind and all round good egg, Mark Tranter, very ably assisted by Tom Dobson.
Now, anyone who knows beer surely knows the Sussex brewery Dark Star, which started life under the Evening Star pub in Brighton in 1996. We’ve sold them here at Port Street since we opened, such is their quality and consistency. There were bemused stirrings on the Internet when Mark announced he was leaving to pursue other ventures. What would it be? Where would it be? How long until it opened?
All these questions were answered earlier this year when, in typical understated fashion, Mark announced Burning Sky would be starting up in the autumn, located on the Firle Estate in East Sussex, upon which Mark also lives (he’s not a big posh sod with plums in his mouth, though, he just rents a cottage there). They are based in a converted stable in a tiny village with a crazy (in a good way) vicar.
Burning Sky are ‘Artisan Brewers and Blenders’. Blenders. That’s what excited me most of all. It suggests one of my favourite types of beer, the sours of Belgium. I was lucky enough to visit the brewery just after it was finished, but before brewing had commenced. They had a test batch of the Saison a la Provision that I willingly accepted a sample of. Well, a half. And then another half. It’s remarkable, it really is. Fruity, tart, slightly spicy – everything you’d expect from a Saison, and the best I’ve tasted outside Belgium.
Anyway, all this bluff and nonsense is leading up to our announcement that we have taken delivery of five of their beers – Saison a la Provision (6.5%) in keg, Saison L’Automne (4.2%, with rosehips – keg), Plateau Pale Ale (3.5%, cask), Aurora strong Pale Ale (5.6%, cask), and Devil’s Rest IPA (7%, cask and keg). We’re very excited about this development, and we hope you are too. They’ll be on sale in the near future, so keep an eye on our Twitter feed, @portstreetbeer, where we’ll be posting when they go on sale.