Winter ale

[DavieC]

Ive never tried the winter ale before so not sure how it will be until I taste it..I did enjoy mulled cider last year though.

 

[johncrobinson]

Mulled wine is nice,Never had mulled ale though.

 

[parpot]

I don't think it is that mulled at all, its just a really nice beer that you can tell is seasonal, the flavouring that comes with it says put in on day 4, I put mine in on day 7, you could always not bother with it!

 

[gar]

Parpot. Do the hop flavours come through?

 

[parpot]

Parpot. Do the hop flavours come through?

I can not say I remember, I just really enjoyed drinking it. I will have to have another one tonight to check and will let you know!

 

[chrisbjones202]

Mulled ale, sounds revolting, might have to give it a go later to be sure.

 

[An Ankoù]

Mulled ale, sounds revolting, might have to give it a go later to be sure.

I might knock some up too. Just to remind me to avoid it in future.

 

[Rodj]

And then there's mulled wine and mulled ale, isn't that supposed to be ordinary wine or beer warmed up and the spices added just before drinking?

I think mulled wine is exactly what you suggested. I've previously bought little "teabags" of mixed spices to add to wine which is then warmed gently. The instructions are very specific about the "gently" part and not allowing the wine to boil, and the type of pan you use (preferably clean enamel, I think). Every time I've had it it has been lovely, regardless of which (red) wine I've used, but the richer red wines seem to come out better. However that could just be personal taste. I've also experimented a bit with my own mixes, but it has never been as good as the commercial teabag spice mixes, possibly because I have never been sufficiently rigorous in creating the mix.
I recall stories of mulled ale simply being warmed ale, no spices involved. The way it was warmed was with an iron poker left in a fire for a while until it was good and hot, then plunged into a glass (or flagon, or whatever was used in those days) of ale. I've never tried it, and I can't get rid of the feeling that you'd end up with bits of ash and/or cinders in your beer. Sort of mulled ale flotsam and jetsam, I suppose.

 

[johncrobinson]

Re Roge those "little teabags" are nice,And i also recall the red hot poker buisness

As regards mulled ale perhaps members from Cornwall could enlighten us to a mulled ale drink called "che na grum"

 

[An Ankoù]

Just had two thirds of a bottle of Lidl (UK) Heatherwood's Winter Warmer. I''d been dreading this encounter for some years and was pleasantly surprised, Reading the blurb on the label, they add some kind of syrup to the beer, which tastes mainly of lightly spiced black treacle. Well, it works. Nicest winter warmer I've ever tasted. The other third went down the sink as I was ready for a proper pint.

 

[parpot]

Well, enjoyed another pint tonight, fruity but I can not say hoppy! Though throughly enjoyable

 

[Rodcx500z]

Not a fan of winter ale, but I love the coriander in a Belgium I put 15g in a 21L brew (blonde) crushed in a pestle and mortor its such a delicate taste at the end of each gob full last 15 mins of boil

 

[DavieC]

I'll have to wait a bit longer for mine,sg@1017 after 15 days so still a little way to go. Aroma is great,malty apple,cinnamon, if it tastes as good as it smells its a winner.

 

[Rodj]

As regards mulled ale perhaps members from Cornwall could enlighten us to a mulled ale drink called "che na grum"

"Che na grum" (che is pronounced, and means the same as, "she", "na" is a simple negative meaning "not", and "grum" is short for "grumbles", thus overall meaning "she does not (or will no longer" grumble").
It was an old and traditional way of making a drink to rid yourself of an undesirable female relative, usually (but not always) a spouse. The general principle was that you used a very big fermenting vessel made of copper, otherwise possibly in use as an illicit still, and filled it with water, hops, hemlock, and any other flavourings locally available. Then, having stunned (if desired and if suffering from excessive feelings of humaneness) the aforementioned SWMBO, you placed her gently in the aforementioned fermenting vessel and under it you lit a considerable fire. After several hours of boiling when the total liquid volume had reduced to roughly 50% of the starting volume, you could mash the vessel contents and sell it to the local village fishing fleet, which trailed it in sacks behind their boats to attract fish to their nets. This is believed to be the origin of the word "chum" used to describe this fish-attracting substance, as that is what it formerly was.
I understand that the practice has largely died out, but may perhaps still be practised in some of the remoter coastal settlements.
I have no information about the ABV.

 

[Rodj]

As regards mulled ale perhaps members from Cornwall could enlighten us to a mulled ale drink called "che na grum"

Hi John C, I've done a bit of research.
Che Na Grum, aka She Nac Rum, is/was a Christmas drink made by mixing hot beer, rum, slices of lemon, nutmeg and sugar, sometimes also with ginger.
I've never tried it, but it sounds like the right sort of thing to have when you come in out of the cold.
If you decide to experiment and try it, please tell us the verdict.
There is a 1929 book of old Cornish recipes (including drinks) contributed by Women's Institutes et alia at http://cornwallwi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Cornish-Recipes.pdf

 

[Rodj]

I've just been exploring that book a little. This sounds interesting....

MAHOGANY – A CORNISH DRINK
A mixture of two parts gin and one part treacle, well beaten together.

At a dinner given by Sir Joshua Reynolds on March 30, 1871, when Dr. Johnson and Boswell were among the guests, Mr. Eliot of Port Eliot mentioned a curious liquor peculiar to his county which the Cornish fishermen drink, made as above, and at Boswell's request Mr. Eliot "made some with proper skill" and it was greatly appreciated.
– Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch

 

[johncrobinson]

Had a quick look Rodj Looks very interesting thanks.

 

[An Ankoù]

"Che na grum" (che is pronounced, and means the same as, "she", "na" is a simple negative meaning "not", and "grum" is short for "grumbles", thus overall meaning "she does not (or will no longer" grumble").
It was an old and traditional way of making a drink to rid yourself of an undesirable female relative, usually (but not always) a spouse. The general principle was that you used a very big fermenting vessel made of copper, otherwise possibly in use as an illicit still, and filled it with water, hops, hemlock, and any other flavourings locally available. Then, having stunned (if desired and if suffering from excessive feelings of humaneness) the aforementioned SWMBO, you placed her gently in the aforementioned fermenting vessel and under it you lit a considerable fire. After several hours of boiling when the total liquid volume had reduced to roughly 50% of the starting volume, you could mash the vessel contents and sell it to the local village fishing fleet, which trailed it in sacks behind their boats to attract fish to their nets. This is believed to be the origin of the word "chum" used to describe this fish-attracting substance, as that is what it formerly was.
I understand that the practice has largely died out, but may perhaps still be practised in some of the remoter coastal settlements.
I have no information about the ABV.

Yes, it's a Christmas thing. We do the same to Brussels sprouts, except we don't sell them to fishermen, who prefer a fair wind.

 

[An Ankoù]

Hi John C, I've done a bit of research.
Che Na Grum, aka She Nac Rum, is/was a Christmas drink made by mixing hot beer, rum, slices of lemon, nutmeg and sugar, sometimes also with ginger.
I've never tried it, but it sounds like the right sort of thing to have when you come in out of the cold.
If you decide to experiment and try it, please tell us the verdict.
There is a 1929 book of old Cornish recipes (including drinks) contributed by Women's Institutes et alia at http://cornwallwi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Cornish-Recipes.pdf

Thanks for the link. Well into these old recipes. On one page cabbage broth and a bit later on a cure for sciatica. Can't beat it.

 

[johncrobinson]

Re:>An Anku, Yup i really love those old books i used to have a large collection from the early 20th cent, but lost them when i sold up.
There is another member here who likes to make wine from old recipies.I dont know if rules permit naming other menbers,But he seems really keen on the old country wines.