Goose Island BCS 2019 Launch

Tomorrow (Friday 29th Nov) is the official launch of Goose Island’s 2019 Bourbon County Stout (BCS). Get down to the Goose Island Brewpub in Shoreditch from 8.30am and secure your bottle because dannnnng this version is tasty AF.

I was lucky enough to attend the exclusive preview on Wednesday and I couldn’t get enough of it. So much so, that I’ve come home with two bottles (thanks very much to Tom’s Big Eats for gifting me your bottle).

This year’s BCS variant has been aged in 4+ year old Heaven Hill, Buffalo Trace and Wild Turkey barrels and I knew it would be a winner as it combines flavours I adore: dried cherries, rich cocoa, smooth caramel and vanilla, alongside a hint of leather and tobacco to add into the mix.

Here’s the video of the launch party (provided by Zeitgeist). It was great catching up with a few familiar faces at the event and to meet a few people for the first time, like the awesome Rhythm & Brews who shared a bottle of Magic Rock‘s Strongman with me!

At the event we also tasted Nemesis, BCS 2018 and the Sour Cherry and Tonka Porter which was magical. The right blend of tart and indulgent for me. Here’s a video of Andrew Walton, Head Brewer at The Goose Island Brewpub giving the lowdown on this particular beer.

 If you’re a BCS fan, what’s been your favourite variant to date?

Let the beer advent-ure begin

If you’re on the hunt for a beer advent calendar but aren’t sure which one to choose, I’ve created a handy guide below so you don’t miss out on that all important 1st December beer.

Countdown to Craft Beer Rising

Hands up if you have tickets for this year’s Craft Beer Rising? I can’t put my hands up because I’m typing but I will be definitely be there after missing the last few. So if you’re going on Thursday evening then you might see me, so please do say “hi”.

I’m Back!

I realise I’ve been an absolute slacker on the blog-front. The lure of Instagram got the better of me, with its ease and story function becoming my platform of choice for most of my recent beer-tinged exploits. I’m sorry.

However, I’ve decided to dust off my Wordpress and regularly submit articles to this blog. I promise.

Blueberry Addiction

I do love a tasty blueberry-tinged beer so if you have any recommendations beer buddies, then send them this way please.

When I worked for Marston’s I was lucky enough to go to visit Shipyard Brewery in Portland, Maine and sipping that Seadog Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale was an absolute dream!

My obsession grew on that trip – in fact, it blossomed beyond belief.

The blueberry beers I’ve had the delight of tasting lately are: Northern Monk’s ‘Blueberry Wild Ale’ and Deya/Odyssey ‘Beautiful Blueberry’. Both looked striking in their respective packaging but would the taste match the outfit?

As part of the Patrons Projects, Northern Monk’s blueberry delight is a collaboration with Alefarm brewery is certainly an interesting beer. With an almost reddy purple tinge when poured, it certainly got me salivating, while the blueberry and candy-esque aromas were very enticing. It’s taste wasn’t as sweet as I was expecting and this actually wasn’t a bad thing because it wasn’t overpowering and sickly as some blueberry beers often are.

The Deya and Odyssey collaboration was a little bit too reminiscent of Ribena for me, however my boyfriend/volunteer taster actually preferred this to the Northern Monk offering. This blueberry and mosaic IPA provided easy drinking but it really wasn’t as punchy as I’d hoped.

Onwards to the next Blueberry beers…

Counting down to the Beavertown Extravaganza

It’s only a few days now until this event and I really am beside myself. SERIOUSLY. How do I prepare for such an epic event? Normally if I’m going out to a massive meal or buffet extravaganza I’ll wear elasticated trousers but for this event what’s a girl to do?

There’s going to be 60 breweries offering their delectable beers and although every single beer on the list won’t all be on the taps simultaneously over the two-day extravaganza, there’s still a lot to contemplate. It’s an ‘all-in’ ticket meaning that you’ll have the chance to cram in 100ml of each tasty beer which is awesome because there’s nothing worse than having to drink a shedload of something that tastes like crap. I’m sure I won’t taste any rubbish ones though…

Right, so that’s the small taster-sized samples ticked but what about a strategy for which bars to hit first? The last Beavertown event I went to was ‘Beaver For My Valentine’ and beers were running out left right and centre whilst I was queueing at the bars. This is the main reason for getting prepped as if I’m running a beer marathon. I’ve got the app, printed off the maps and the handy beer excel list – you can nab all these now from here.

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Normally I just stroll up and enjoy but I’ve learned my lesson and I’m reminding myself: “fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. I know this seems geeky but who the hell cares if I get to sip some of those kick ass beers on my wish list?! The beer list goes live on the app on Tuesday 5th Sep too. Woo-hoo!

My comfortable shoes are at the ready – the location is huge, have you seen it?! Last time I went to the Printworks was for Star Wars Secret Cinema and although this time I won’t be bartering my way to a ticket to Alderaan, I will certainly be busting a move to get some tasty ales that are on my ‘beer-lust-list’ in my glass before the day is out.

12 targets on my ‘beer-lust-list’

  • Lervig ‘Orange Velvet Milkshake IPA with Mango Mandarin and Lime’
  • Warpigs ‘Totally Fucking Entombed AD Bourbon Barrel Aged Imp. Stout’
  • Buxton x Omnipollo ‘Blueberry Slab Cake Ice Cream’
  • Brouwerij Kees ‘StrawberryFields Chocolate milkstout with strawberries and chocolate’
  • Modern Times ‘Devil’s Teeth Aged in Bourbon Barrels w/ Maple Smoked Pecans’ and Cocoa Nibs
  • Garage Project ‘Two Tap Flat White’ – Two beers. A shot of Imp Coffee Stout topped with a velvety smooth nitro Milk Cream Ale
  • Loverbeer ‘LALE Barrel Aged Sour Ale with Cherries’
  • To Øl ‘Dangerously Close To Stupid Amounts Of Guava Imperial IPA w/ Guava’
  • Hawkshead ‘RAINBOW PROJECT Hawkshead + Modern Times Mojito Kettle-soured IPA’
  • Cellarmaker Brewing ‘Manhattan Barrel Vastness of Space Cocktail Barrel Aged Imperial Stout’
  • Brewski ‘Passionfeber IPA’
  • RAINBOW PROJECT Beavertown + Jester king ‘Rex Apiary Bier de Miel’

So that’s a sneaky look at a section of my beery targets and if you see me at the bar ask me about swag. Yes that’s right I’ll have badges! 😉

See you there beer buds.

Beer Travels – Havana

I’ve had a bit of a break from blogging – a lot has happened in my life over the last few months (I won’t go into all this now) and things overtook my writing time and time again. Well now I’m back and hopefully you’ll enjoy the new content I’ll be adding to this little corner of the internet. 

Earlier this year I was lucky enough to get my ass to a few places on a crazy jam-packed trip – one of these places was Havana. Though there are many problems with hunting down beer in Cuba; one being that there’s often beer designated for tourists (namely Cristal) and some more tastier beer which the locals love – this was the stuff I was trying to sniff out! Both Cristal and Buccanero weren’t really hitting the spot to say the least! Check out the reviews on Rate Beer if you need further evidence.

So, apart from sipping copious amounts of Havana Club what were the beer highlights?

Well, first up there was Plaza Vieja a Microbrewery tucked away in the corner of a lively part of Havana. This location is a magnet for tourists so try to be selective about when you arrive – there could be a wait if you’re banking on getting a table for more than two of you. If you have patience, it’s well worth a visit.

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Extremely crammed, there was a little wait for a decent seat when we arrived. It might not have been the greatest time to visit because it was absolutely teaming it down with ran when we arrived so everyone was eager to get inside. A band serenaded the guests as is normal in Havana but there was definitely an increased vibrancy about this place with folk having dance offs outside! At one point I even got roped in……

If you go make sure you invest the 12 CUC for the cylinder of beer – only in choices of dark, light and black. We opted for the light option and although it wasn’t amazing this really was one of the times I’ve been most thankful for a sip of beer! The cylinder held 6 pints and was excellent value… we were definitely tipsy when we stumbled out. The food wasn’t great but to be honest we only found one decent place to eat in the whole of Havana – if you’re going to graze go for the skewers.

A few days later we took a long stroll to Cerveceria Antiguo Almacen de la Madera y El Tabaco, which is in the South East of Havana on the docks. As the name suggests this hanger style Microbrewery is situated in an old tobacco factory and has a pretty nifty looking taproom. After days sipping Cristal this place seemed like it was sent from heaven.

If you have time to visit one beer hot spot in Havana then choose this place. Although we arrived in the day where the atmosphere was more chilled, the set up  is certainly impressive.

Beer comes in light, medium and dark and when it arrived it was lovely and cold. If you love your snacks BBQ style, then the food offer here will be right up your street too.