– Copenhagen – A Family Outing by Rosie Setterfield Price
Once upon a time Port Street, Common and the Beagle sent their champions forth to make a foray into the far away land of the Danes for the Copenhagen Beer Festival. They were intent on the researching of excellent beers and breweries, selflessly putting themselves in the way of danger (largely in the form of flight related traumas and hangovers) to better enhance their beery knowledge and thereby (if possible) improve upon the repertoire available to their valued customers.
Despite many woes and much hardship (some of us really don’t like flying, cyclists in Copenhagen are somewhat vicious and the ginger contingent may have gotten sunburnt to some extent) they were victorious! Hereafter follows the tale (in beers) of one adventurer’s journey…
– Begyle / Jonny Quest (Black IPA) ***
– Den Gale Brygger / IDUN Spontangaeret (Paradise Apple Sour) ****
– Amager / Gluttony (DIPA) ***
– Cantillon / Fou Foune (Apricot Lambic) *****(*******)
– Revelation Cat / Boon Dry Hopped Warrior (Lambic) **
– Boon / Boon to be Wild (Lambic) ****
– Mikkeller / Beer Geek Breakfast (Coffee Stout) ****
– Jolly Pumpkin / Madrugada Obscura (Hoppy Stout) *****
– Mikkeller / Invasion (Farmhouse IPA) ***
– Jester King / El Cedro (Belgian Hoppy Sour) ****
– Port Brewing / Wipeout (IPA) ***
– Lagonitas / New Dog (Pale Ale) ***
– Xbeeriment / #44 (Whiskey Barrel Aged Imperial Stout) **
– Mikkeller / Spontandoublueberry (Blueberry Lambic) *****
– Kernel / London Sour Raspberry (Sour) *****
– Three Floyds / Dark Lord (Imperial Stout) **
– Amager / Lambicus Raspberry **
– Boxing Cat / TKO (IPA) ****
– Boxing Cat / Sucker Punch (Pale Ale) ***
– Anchorage / Andromadous (Belgian Black Sour) ***
– Against the Grain / Golden Sower (IPA w. Brett) ***
– Kernel / IPA Columbus ****
– Firestone Walker / Union Jack (IPA) ****
– Mountain Goat / IPA ***
– Westbrook / Grumpy Old Time (Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Sour Ale) *****
– Not De Molen/Merciless / Untamed Forces (Sour Ale) ***
– Stillwater/ Existent (Black Saison) **
– Surly / Pentagram (Sour Ale) ***
– Jester King / Das Uberkind (Sour Ale) *****
– 8 Wired / Hop Wired IPA **
– Brodies / Romanov (Imperial Stout) ****
– Mikkeller / 1000 IBU (DIPA) ****
– Spiteful / GFY (Imperial Stout) ****
– 3 Fonteinen / Oude Geuze ****
– Amager / Envy (IPA) *****
KEY – Brewery / Beer (style) * Rating
Words by Rosie Setterfield Price
Pictures by Duncan James Sime
– Toccalmatto – Year of Madness
We continue the ‘year of madness’ with two new offerings from Toccalmatto, they will both be on our taps very soon indeed.
Stray Dog
An English style bitter with a twist, it pours a translucent mahogany colour. On the nose there are hints of grassy/herbal hops. On the palate you have a slight fruitiness, grassy hop presence and a finish of breadiness.
Bruno is utilising Challenger, Styrian Goldings and Citra hops to create a very drinkable premium bitter with notes of citrus and peaches. Stray Dog is dry and light but with a lingering bitterness in the mouth. At an ABV of 4.2% it makes for a great session beer!
One Shot Alice
A Collaborative 5.5 % ABV “Red Rye Hoppy Saison” brewed with Bruno’s friends Gazza Prescott and the Spanish guys of Marina Cervesa Artesana Blanes.
Alice is inspired by a song of Sisters of Mercy so they decided to name the group of this collaboration, The Brothers of Myrcene.
Alice is made with a small percentage of Rye Crystal malt using the Belgian saison yeast. It is very hoppy and they have used Sorachi, Stella, Simcoe, Galaxy and Marynka hops in late and dry hopping. It is a fairly dry beer; it is balanced yet quite complex and has a very good bitterness with fruits and resinous tastes by the hops.
– Festival Of Britain(s Beers) Limited Edition T-Shirts
Due to the success of our Festival Of Britain(s Beers) we have decided to commission a limited edition t-shirt.
They are available in small, medium, large and extra large. Screen printed in blue on a lovely grey t-shirt.
You can wear you t-shirt with pride as you sample some of our fine beers. They are priced at £12 each, to purchase please visit our establishment, or we can post one out to you if you are not in Manchester. Please email jamie@aplacecalledcommon.co.uk and we will arrange payment.
Design by Steve Hockett
– Up and Coming / Mad Hatter Brewing Company
This is the brand new and rather exciting brewery of Gareth Matthews a veteran home brewer of 20 years who finally saw the light and fled academia to start a microbrewery in Liverpool. His brand new and rather dinky brewery on average produces approximately 7 casks a week. Be assured that what his beers lack in quantity they make up for in quality with his favoured styles being those of the massively hopped persuasion or big stouts and porters. Port Street has had the excellent fortune of being the first to have his beer on draught this week we have his IPA (on at the moment and going very fast!), Mild, ESB and Rye Amber and look forwards to getting his beers on keg and in bottles too soon.
Gareth produces and plans to produce a wide range of beers with a number brewed with some exciting ingredients. Some that we at Port Street are looking forwards to are his ‘Imperial Porter’-the staff have already tried this and it’s a doozy, ‘Rhubarb and Rosehip Wit’-a refreshing and rather tart wit, ‘Gooseberry Fool’-a sour gooseberry beer, and ‘Minimal Difference’-black IPA with Cascade, Centennial and Columbus. But there are many more and Gareth has big plans regarding the sour side of life-fabulous stuff! In his own words “In terms of beer, I am glad to be around in a time when many brewers are making inroads into the world of experimental, thoughtful, truly artisanal techniques that refuse to conform to rigid style guidelines.” This is an apt description of both Gareth’s outlook and the kind of beers we can look forwards to getting from him.
For more information, head over here – www.madhatbrew.co.uk
Artwork by Emily Warren – www.thestealthyrabbit.blogspot.co.uk