tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post8031900321530403669..comments2023-09-20T12:50:40.208+01:00Comments on Pete Brown: The Campaign for Good Brown BeerAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011702209832734676noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-91573643240796046812016-12-08T21:43:05.350+00:002016-12-08T21:43:05.350+00:00At Machine House Brewery ( https://www.facebook.co...At Machine House Brewery ( https://www.facebook.com/MachineHouseBrewery ) we make mostly English style ales and serve them on cask. We are doing this in hop-heavy Seattle, WA. I think we can definitely relate to your struggle regarding an English IPA. I find that many of our customers have an idea of what an English IPA should taste like, but to us, the style seems somewhat imaginary.Machine House Breweryhttps://www.facebook.com/MachineHouseBrewerynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-23445169384950868612016-10-23T18:57:01.156+01:002016-10-23T18:57:01.156+01:00I'm also starting to suffer hop fatigue althou...I'm also starting to suffer hop fatigue although I love the style of big hoppy IPAs we're currently getting festooned with by the new wave of craft brewers. I do hanker for some balance and championing hose style I cut my real ale teeth on as a young man (I'm 56, you know). Some have gone by the wayside or altered when brewed under licence by other breweries. Those that immediately come to mind are Gales HSB, beautifully complex and big malty character. I used to go on pilgrimages to Brighton's Basketmaker's Arms to get crates of their Prize Old Ale. <br /><br />Young's Special Bitter, big and hoppy in a way that British beers used to be. Not zesty or grapefruity but bold and with a firm malty backbone. Delicious. <br /><br />Finally, Harvey's Old Ale - beautifully rich, biscuity and chewy and perfect for the months ahead, We don't always have to supercharge the hops!<br /><br />Ian.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13806593766989619447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-1374708737945190042016-10-21T15:25:16.379+01:002016-10-21T15:25:16.379+01:00Incidentally, the Admiralty (by Admiralty Arch) at...Incidentally, the Admiralty (by Admiralty Arch) at this very moment have Imperial Stout (10.7%) on cask. Now THAT is a strong dark, traditionally British beer! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-78106929839063729582016-10-20T10:04:38.703+01:002016-10-20T10:04:38.703+01:00I suppose the next logical question is what are, i...I suppose the next logical question is what are, in your opinion, the greatest current exemplars of each style on the list?<br />AngusAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-47431417055798986992016-10-20T08:26:34.799+01:002016-10-20T08:26:34.799+01:00I love a hoppy IPA - think Old Empire or Proper J...I love a hoppy IPA - think Old Empire or Proper Job - but I'm tired of elderflower and grapefruit. I live in Sheffield so the world of beer should be at my feet, but I can go into a pub offering three or more IPAs and not one will have predominantly English hops. Surely a change in the tide of fashion must come soon?Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01759448161130667128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-78896603646300765932016-10-19T22:51:50.331+01:002016-10-19T22:51:50.331+01:00To me what's missing from your list is an ordi...To me what's missing from your list is an ordinary bitter - not golden, no American hops - of around 3.5% to 3.8%. Plenty of flavour and body, just not very strong. Like Young's and Brakspear's, when they were brewed in Wandsworth and Henley...Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-52129918034562095642016-10-19T16:56:15.684+01:002016-10-19T16:56:15.684+01:00Thanks Pete.
Great list.
I am a big fan of Fuller&...Thanks Pete.<br />Great list.<br />I am a big fan of Fuller's beers and was recently lucky enough to be in their central Croydon pub when they had Vintage Ale on draft (which was awesome) plus in the Jack Horner, Tottenham Court Road when they had 1845 on, which I think is generally classed as an old ale? In fact we started my Stag day with an 11am tour of Fuller's before spending the evening on the other side of town at Hammerton's who have stout, the weaker pale and several IPA's of varying hop level (their second anniversary N7.7 IPA was superb that day), but also have started experimenting with German styles and a Peruvian Chicha rather than the pure British styles route. We somehow managed to get through the core ranges and some specials of both Brewers! <br />I think Mild is a highly underrated style. As you have indicated in the past, the use of malt can give a great fruitiness in its own and different way. Dark Star Victorian Ruby Mild is worth a look...<br />Thanks again,<br /><br />AngusAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-22137174533354401792016-10-19T16:12:03.129+01:002016-10-19T16:12:03.129+01:00I was going to say it's pretty close to Fuller...I was going to say it's pretty close to Fullers, which I think is the nearest top perfect I know. But I think it's some of the ones I listed as seasonals/occasionals that I'd really love to see more of. And of course this is an idea range which means that some of the beers within that range are indeed widespread. But others aren't. You see a lot of people doing the hoppy spring ale or the zesty summer ale, but I don't see as many barley wines or brown ales as I'd like.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03011702209832734676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-15105499863024920302016-10-19T16:06:21.208+01:002016-10-19T16:06:21.208+01:00Pete, that sounds like a description of Adnams'...Pete, that sounds like a description of Adnams' core range. Or Fullers. Or Castle Rock. Or Nottingham Brewery. Or indeed almost any other decent regional brewery you might care to name.<br /><br />Most of the pubs I go in up and down the country stock a range very similar to this and hit at least 4 out of your 5 ideal draft beers. <br /><br />Surely you must have been in quite literally hundreds of pubs with something close to you ideal range, no? pynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-80761465017664970762016-10-19T15:22:40.683+01:002016-10-19T15:22:40.683+01:00That's a great question Angus! And one that I&...That's a great question Angus! And one that I'd love to throw out to anyone following this thread. I guess the difficulty is, it would be difficult for any one brewer to come up with a full, perfect list, because there are quite a few. So purely for shits and giggles, here's my desert island brew list:<br /><br />Core range:<br /><br />A 3.8% golden/pale ale, that's allowed to use American hops in the mix<br /><br />A 4.2% best bitter - a nice balance of firm, malty backbone with a bit of darker malts, and a nice Fuggles/ Goldings hop mix<br /><br />A rich, dark, strong or 'old' ale north of 5% ABV<br /><br />A 4.1-4.5% porter or stout<br /><br />A 5.5-6.9% IPA, on keg rather than cask, because beer ranges and styles aren't fixed in aspic and this is now once again part of a good British line-up<br /><br />Seasonal/occasional:<br /><br />Spring ale - pale, hoppy and zesty<br /><br />Mild<br /><br />Pale, lemony summer ale<br /><br />Autumnal brown ale<br /><br />Special annual release bottled barley wine<br /><br />Rich, treacly winter warmer/spiced Christmas aleAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03011702209832734676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-82424780226177654892016-10-19T13:46:32.631+01:002016-10-19T13:46:32.631+01:00PS. Congratulations on getting all three books don...PS. Congratulations on getting all three books done. AngusAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-2627180677510052962016-10-19T13:45:07.069+01:002016-10-19T13:45:07.069+01:00Dear Pete,
Focussing back on what the article was ...Dear Pete,<br />Focussing back on what the article was about, may I ask what would be the definitive list of styles you would like a Brewery to have in their arsenal if they were seeking to exemplify traditional British ales please?<br />I am only commenting as anonymous due to my technical incompetence.<br />With thanks and best wishes,<br /><br />AngusAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-30071333324024499132016-10-19T13:29:10.513+01:002016-10-19T13:29:10.513+01:00What you choose to promote, and which breweries an...What you choose to promote, and which breweries and pub operators you choose to give your custom to, are your business.<br /><br />But if you are putting yourself forward as some kind of objective, serious beer writer, then to ignore Sam Smith's because you disagree with some of their policies is on a par with a geographer choosing to ignore Israel in a general survey of the Middle East. <br /><br />And haven't the likes of Punch and Enterprise done some pretty reprehensible things in their time?Bradshaw's Ghostnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-77237877132893708302016-10-19T12:59:51.677+01:002016-10-19T12:59:51.677+01:00Funnily, I was about to write a post on a similar ...Funnily, I was about to write a post on a similar theme myself … ach well, I might still do it anyway …Martyn Cornellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16843357962176591317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-51241037848991893362016-10-19T08:56:27.989+01:002016-10-19T08:56:27.989+01:00I don't want this thread to get overtaken by a...I don't want this thread to get overtaken by a discussion about 'what's wrong with Sam Smiths? So I'm going to give my reasons and keep it brief. <br /><br />Every single thing I hear about Humphrey Smith - about the way he runs his pubs, treats his staff, deals with people in the industry - leads me to the conclusion that he is a thoroughly unpleasant man. <br /><br />But I made my personal decision to boycott Sam Smiths for as long as he is running it when he sued the Cropton Brewery for using a white rose emblem on a beer called Yorkshire Warrior, which they launched in 2008 to help raise money for the Yorkshire Regiment's benevolent fund. When Smith launched the action, the beer had already raised £10,000 for the fund, but he insisted they stopped selling it, on the grounds that it was 'confusingly similar' to the white rose used on Sam Smith's labels and would therefore damage his custom. The white rose is the county symbol of Yorkshire and the emblem of the Yorkshire Regiment. The version of it used on Cropton's beer is the flag of the Yorkshire Regiment and clearly no attempt to pass off their beer as a Sam Smith's beer. The white rose on the Yorkshire Regiment flag and the Cropton beer looks quite different from the design on Sam Smith's labels, and anyway, I was unaware that a commercial company could 'own' a county symbol outright, rather than a particular expression of it, but there you go. Humphrey Smith didn't care about that and insisted that the brewery stopped its efforts to help the families of servicemen killed or injured in Afghanistan. <br /><br />Earlier this year Smith then gave another example of what kind of man he is during the terrible floods that swept through the north of England last New Year, and destroyed the bridge in Tadcaster, dividing the town in two. The council proposed building a temporary footbridge until the main one could be repaired. This would have required one end of the bridge to be built on landed owned by Smith. He flatly refused permission for this, on the grounds that it wouldn't look nice, and that if he allowed it, it might become permanent. He also insisted on being able to approve the plans for the repairs to the main bridge.<br /><br />Both these matters were eventually settled, but only after causing a great deal of rancour and distress, which I think he actually seems to enjoy, though that's only my personal opinion.<br /><br />I don't want to give a penny to such a man, nor do anything that helps promote his business. That's my personal decision. It's not 'sticking my head in the sand' or 'being lefty,' it's protesting his behaviour in the only way I can. If such behaviour doesn't bother you, fine - it's a free country. But it really bothers me.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03011702209832734676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-4244268673167678212016-10-19T07:54:05.758+01:002016-10-19T07:54:05.758+01:00Even if you have ethical reservations about Sam Sm...Even if you have ethical reservations about Sam Smith's, shouldn't you be willing to recognise quality in their beers rather than putting your head in the sand and refusing to acknowledge their existence?<br /><br />And can any global brewer be said to be totally innocent of dodgy business or employment practices *anywhere* in the world?Bradshaw's Ghostnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-38322702511024326892016-10-18T16:55:44.956+01:002016-10-18T16:55:44.956+01:00Absolutely agree. I love malty beers all kinds, b...Absolutely agree. I love malty beers all kinds, but they're so difficult to find now. It's just pale ale and IPA everywhere. Number of times you go into a pub with oodles of handpulls and find most of them are golden ales... Oh and a cider.<br /><br />Now don't get me wrong. IPAs and pales have their place. But brown ales, stouts, barley wines can offer so much. Please, brewers, please, give them a go!Andrew Bowdenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16537107239353802646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-64789659670020709612016-10-18T13:38:41.793+01:002016-10-18T13:38:41.793+01:00What's a brown ale? How is it systematically d...What's a brown ale? How is it systematically different from a dark mild, a porter, or a bitter? Plenty of beers are both brown and ales, they are just not labelled as such.<br /><br />and what is a scotch ale? Wikipedia says its strong (around 6-7%), dark and sweet. Well I could name you 20 beers like that, many of which are available in your local supermarket.<br /><br />I think you're confusing a change in naming practice with the dying out of a style. pynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-22113426435395740162016-10-18T13:36:58.256+01:002016-10-18T13:36:58.256+01:00There's a lot of breweries making great brown ...There's a lot of breweries making great brown ales all over the place. I'm in Oxfordshire and we've got loads of fantastic breweries here and in neighbouring counties.<br /><br />The problem is the zeitgeist has been for the American influenced beers for a few years now and people have just stopped looking.<br /><br />But they're definitely there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-34509297486529271792016-10-18T13:35:50.061+01:002016-10-18T13:35:50.061+01:00I am constantly frustrated that the beer lists I a...I am constantly frustrated that the beer lists I am forced to choose from almost never contain a decent Best Bitter. One of fairly young female members of staff quite literally danced behind the bar when she tasted the one barrel of Otter Bitter that I had managed to get hold of.Rob Winnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-72590658749476155222016-10-18T13:03:36.519+01:002016-10-18T13:03:36.519+01:00Hi Pete just wondering about the "ethical rea...Hi Pete just wondering about the "ethical reasons" you mention regarding Sam Smiths? I know a bit about the brewery and it's owner, Humphrey Smith, so not terribly surprised but wondering if you'd care to elaborate or point me in the direction of an article where you have already? Cheers Scott (Hobart, Tasmania).tassieblatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14235560478899486609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-86741752410357058332016-10-18T12:35:05.125+01:002016-10-18T12:35:05.125+01:00Spot-on. I would go so far as saying the big hop t...Spot-on. I would go so far as saying the big hop thing is boring now. It certainly is to me. I crave the more modest British styles you mention. These days I eschew overtly crafty establishments because of the hop tyranny. Subtlety and complexity is the future!Jeff Pickthallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06343140031285101096noreply@blogger.com