SIBA Champions Beer Festival - Feb 10 - Feb 13, Nottingham

[luckyeddie]

It's on now, guys.

The venue is the CanalHouse (my local when I'm at work), Canal Street, Nottingham (200 yards from the railway station and about 100 yards from Broad Marsh bus station.

I was at the pub this lunchtime for a quick Chimay White (I allow myself one bottle of beer with my lunch because I want to work, not sleep, in the afternoon) and spent a thoroughly enjoyable half an hour chatting to one of the judges (the festival did not actually start until tonight).

Apparently the festival is a celebration of small, independent breweries, and there are 64 gold medal winning beers on this year. I shall be popping in tomorrow (Friday) lunchtime for a glass - and then perhaps a couple more after I finish work at 5:00 pm.

Oh yes - entry to the festival is free.

 

[robsan77]

just got back :drunk: :drunk: :whistle:

 

[robsan77]

.......... and now a late start to the day. Good job I am my own boss.

 

[Ceejay]

Woohoo! :drunk: How was it? Any beers stand out for you?

 

[robsan77]

thornbridge kipling was vey tastey. Also a 6.5% porter from elland brewery (although Iam sure technically its a stout). And orkney blast.

 

[luckyeddie]

I went on Friday lunchtime. Because I had to work in the afternoon, I restricted myself to just the two glasses. I hope my project manager appreciates the sacrifice I made on his behalf.

First off, I had a go at the Gadds Faithful Dogbolter (same recipe supposedly as David Bruce's classic). Frankly, I was bitterly disappointed. I had waited 11 years and 3 months to try it again (it was my all-time favourite pub beer) - and it wasn't a patch on my own Brown Porter which had had just 9 days conditioning. Perhaps it doesn't travel, but there was just no body to it. The hopping was fine, together with the liiquorice notes, but it left me feeling as though I'd not really had a beer.

The second beer I had made up for it though. Salopian Brewery's 'Prohibition' is a quite wonderful Premium Bitter, as hoppy as I like it (cheeks sucking in, eyes watering) and with fantastic grapefruity notes. If I can get down again on Sunday, I'm hoping there's some of this left. It was a first for me - I'd never tried this beauty before.

 

[luckyeddie]

just got back :drunk: :drunk: :whistle:

Do you go in the CanalHouse often, or just for the festivals? It's my local when I'm at work (just 300 yards from my office) and I usually pop in for a bottle of something German or Belgian at lunchtime most days. If you do, fancy meeting up for a beer one day (or evening) to exchange beer / brewing stories? The landlord / head barman is quite knowledgeable about beers too.

 

[luckyeddie]

thornbridge kipling was vey tastey. Also a 6.5% porter from elland brewery (although Iam sure technically its a stout). And orkney blast.

That's the 1872. If Dogbolter hadn't been on, that would have been my first choice for openers - it's excellent. It's a moot point, but in 1872 (when it was first brewed, hence the name), a dark Porter at a mere 6.5% would most definitely have been 'just' a porter. Stouts (or 'Stout Porters' as they were originally known) tended to start off at 7% plus. Of course, the fundamental difference for pedants is that porters use dark malts and stouts use roasted malts.

 

[robsan77]

just got back :drunk: :drunk: :whistle:

Do you go in the CanalHouse often, or just for the festivals? It's my local when I'm at work (just 300 yards from my office) and I usually pop in for a bottle of something German or Belgian at lunchtime most days. If you do, fancy meeting up for a beer one day (or evening) to exchange beer / brewing stories? The landlord / head barman is quite knowledgeable about beers too.

I live in west bridgford so mainly go to the stratford there. We have a nottingham brewers group where at least 4 - 6 of us regularly meet for a pint somewhere and a bottle swop. I'm bottling today for a "single hop saturday" in march sometime. I have brewed with delta and other brews include single Apollo, summit and progress, that I know of. Also the midland craft brewers are meeting at the crown in beeston soon too.

............... join us.. :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: ......... :lol:

 

[Aleman]

Of course, the fundamental difference for pedants is that porters use dark malts and stouts use roasted malts.

<pedant> Actually the standard grist for a porter was 1/3 Pale 1/3rd Amber and 1/3 Brown. Which says something about the malts of the day as the amber must have been diastatic, and I would bet that there was some activity in the brown. You try mashing a grist like that without some Biase or AMG today and you will get a sweet thick and chewy beer</pedant>

 

[luckyeddie]

I've duly joined your FB group, robsan77. I look forward to the next get-together.