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GOOD NEWS FOR PEOPLEWHO LOVE GOOD BEER

CRAFT BEERREAL ALESGOOD PUBSTASTING NOTESARTISANAL SPIRITS+ other nice stuff

9

NZ BREWS / 59 BEERS FEATURED / SMOKIN’ BEERS / BRIGHTON TAP TAKEOVER

+ How to make a stove-top APA & BrewDog’s

Elvis Juice + Cooking with

beer

WHEAT&

SOURSharp lambics, tart goses, acidic

wheat beers: why it’s time to get

wild with the brews and surrender

your palate to the beers with bite

craft BEER, wine & spirits FROM BRITAIN & across the WORLD

VISIT OUR COMPLETELY refurbished shop WHICH includES A NEW ‘GROWLER’ SYSTEM FOR FRESH

take-home KEG beer, PLUS 8 FRIDGES

SHOP: 371 RICHMOND ROAD, TWICKENHAM TW1 2EF0208 892 3710 REALALE.COM

MONTHLY ‘FREE TASTINGS’ & ‘MEET THE BREWER’ EVENTS

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Issue 9 | Contents

Which sour beers are you most fond of?

Daniel Neilson

Matthew Curtis

Adrian Tierney-Jones

Gareth Dobson

Alan Hinkes

ORIGINAL GRAVITYContactdaniel@originalgravitymag.com01323 370430

Advertisingoriginalgravitymag@gmail.com01323 370430

Website: originalgravitymag.comTwitter: OGBeerMagFacebook: /originalgravitymagInstagram: ORIGINAL_GRAVITY

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© 2016 Original Gravity is published by Don’t Look Down Media. All rights reserved. All material in this publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without the written permission of Don’t Look Down Media. Views expressed in Original Gravity are those of the respective contributors and do not necessarily refl ect the opinions of the publication nor its staff .

Cover design by Judy Kneen for Original Gravity%.

BUY THE BEERS

You’ll notice we mention our partners who supply many of the beers mentioned.

Ales By Mail (alesbymail.co.uk): ABMBeer Hawk (beerhawk.co.uk): BHReal Ale (realale.com): RA

Th e Mash /p04 • Homebrew /p9 • Sour beers /p11 • Homebrew Club /p14 Cooking with beer /p16 • Tasting Notes /p19 • East Sussex /p20 • Your round /p23

IN SEARCH OF...beer brilliancebeer brilliance

Four years ago a friend of mine returned from Belgium with a bottle of Oude Gueze. “You’re into beer Dan,” he said. “You’ll like this.” I didn’t. I hated it. But my interest was piqued. I started learning more about its history, about the wild strains of yeast that bring lambics like this their ‘barnyard’ fl avours and spiky acidity. About the skill of blending. And then I wanted more – and more – giving bottles to friends who also hated it at fi rst, until I relayed the story,

added context and explained why it had such depth, such style, such glorious fl avours. A few weeks ago at Beavertown’s fourth birthday celebrations I gave a beer to Phil, a great mate of mine. It was the Phantom Sour, and it changed the way he drinks beer. Th e next day he bought every sour from Beer Hawk, and then Ales By Mail. Lambic beer has become his personal cause. And in this issue, it’s ours too. Adrian Tierney-Jones looks at the beauty and history of this

remarkable drink. Also, unexpectedly, we’re continuing the homebrew theme from the last issue and turning it into a regular section. I say unexpectedly because it was going to be a one-off , but hearteningly it seems brewing’s return to the kitchens of the country is bigger than we imagined. We’ve a simple American Pale Ale recipe you can do on your stove-top, as well as a Brewdog recipe. Get brewing!Daniel Neilson, Publisher and Editor

Daniel is the editor and publisher of Original Gravity%. He’s edited several magazines and books, including Time Out guides and national mags.

You may know Gareth Dobson as Tenichwheels from Twitter and his blog. He’s also the specialist beer and brewery photographer / beershots.co.uk

Alan Hinkes OBE is the only Briton to climb the world’s 8,000m peaks. He lives in Yorkshire and enjoys walking mountains and discovering beers.

Adrian Tierney-Jones is a journalist who writes about beer, pubs, food and travel and how they all intersect. / maltworms.blogspot.co.uk

Matthew Curtis is a London-based freelance beer writer, speaker and editor of Total Ales. Follow him at @totalcurtis / totalales.co.uk

“It’s obvious, but the Boon Oude Geuze was my fi rst sour. I hated it, and now I buy it in bulk.”

“Duchesse De Bourgogne. Tart with heart. Not for everyone, and not for everyday.”

“Sour beer is gnarly but nice. Newbies try mildly tart I Love You Will You Marry Me by Th ornbridge.”

“At the moment I yearn for Barcelona-based Garage’s Merlot Sour, the ghost of a wine barrel haunting the glass.”

“Rodenbach Grand Cru, it’s tart, vinous and majestic. A beer I come back to again and again.”

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T H E M A S H

Wheeeeeeeeee. Th at is the sound of your happy yeast sliding into the wort like kids on a swimming pool slide. At least, it is in the head of artist Grace Helmer. Elsewhere in the surreal scene, bad bacteria look on frowning while the happy yeast splash around safe in the knowledge that they’ll be making something beautiful: beer.

Grace told Original Gravity%: “As usual I started by doing a bit of research online, but by chance I ran into a friend who used to work in

a brewery, and he told me that it’s important to ‘keep the yeast happy’. Th at kind of sparked the idea of the yeast having a party, and that bacteria wouldn’t be allowed in.”

Th e work was jointly commissioned by Camden Town Brewery and design gallery Beach London as part of a show that during London Beer Week. Th ey invited a diverse range of artists and illustrators to visually explore each stage of the beer-making process, from mashing to maturation. Alec Doherty, whose amazing

Partizan labels we featured in the fi rst issue of Original Gravity%, tackled the subject of ‘whirlpooling’ [pictured above left ] by making “a kind of toy/sculpture out of wood, a bit like one of those optical illusion spinning tops. People can spin them around on the wall.”

Pete Sharp attacked ‘Filtration’ [pictured lower right], portraying happy robot cleaners sweeping up spent hops, while the fermentation stage was depicted by Cachete Jack [pictured top right] who drew the ridiculously appealing image of

someone happily bathing in a foaming fermenter. Rob Flowers clearly had fun, focusing on happy hops being fi red out of a hop cannon [above right], although Maria Ines Gul’s work [pictured above left ] is perhaps the most beautiful, showing the maturation period. We’d like to be maturing in that bottle. And we certainly won’t look at the beer-making process in the same way again. When we’re pitching yeast into our next homebrew, we’ll see them merrily swishing into the wort – perhaps with snorkels and rubber rings to hand. / camdentownbrewery.com | / beach.london

Th e ART OF BEERCAMDEN TOWN/BEACH EXHIBITION

T H E M A S H

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NEW ZEALAND BEERS

You know that can of Punk IPA you fi nished the other day? Well, some of that rich, tropical, passionfruit hoppiness comes from the wonderful Nelson Sauvin, a hop that speaks with a distinctly Kiwi twang. Th e same ingredient is also used in Th ornbridge’s delicious Kipling, while Montueka is another New Zealand hop emerging on more beer

labels. But what of the breweries themselves? Well, wow. It’s no exaggeration to say that 8 Wired’s Tall Poppy was instrumental in getting Original Gravity% up and running. It was a beer that we thought everyone needed to try. 8 Wired’s compatriots, Yeastie Boys, also have great widely available beers, while the likes of Renaissance, Tuatara, Th ree

Boys and Moa are pretty special too. It’s little surprise that New Zealand Craft Beer Collective events are oft en oversubscribed in the UK – oft en with help from the Kiwi-owned south London bottle shop Hop Burns & Black. Th e future for New Zealand breweries? Decidedly bright – anything but (ahem) all black, in fact. DN

/ Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier, 5.1%Schmokin’. No one forgets the fi rst time they drink this famous beer. ‘Liquid bacon’ and ‘campfi re’ have both been used to describe it. It’s powerful stuff : intensely smoky, but with a hint of malty sweetness that attempts to balance it out, and just about succeeds. Th is is a world classic beer, its origins wrapped in fables of fl aming medieval Bamberg cloisters and inventive spirits. / schlenkerla.de / Buy as BH, RA

Beer meets...CAMPFIRE

Th e 6 PACK

Before the 1800s, most beers would have had a smoky fl avour as a matter of course. Aft er the introduction of indirect-fi red malt kilns, however, these aromas and tastes made way for something cleaner… unless, that is, you prefer your beer with a hint of cinders. Th e addition of smoked malt adds depth to a variety of beer styles: Schlenkerla’s rauchbier is the classic, but others put it to great use too.

/ 8 Wired, Tall Poppy, 7%Rich, oily, full of malty goodness, refreshingly balanced and with a spiky hop cut. But all talk of fl avours, aroma and mouthfeel overshadows what this is: one of the best beers we’ve ever had. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Buy. Now.

/ Moa Brewing Company, Sour Blanc, 6.4%From the Marlborough region comes this lively Belgian-style lambic. It’s sour for sure, but lightly so, leaving space for a deep wheaty fl avour. It’s aged in oak barrels and fermented with wild yeast. Th e resultant clean, dry fi nish refl ects the famous wines of the region.

/ Renaissance, Stonecutter, 7%Now here’s a style of beer you don’t see too oft en, least of all from New Zealand: a Scotch ale or Wee Heavy. Th is is a whopping, 7%, full-bodied, malt-forward beer, with a subtle smokiness to balance out the dried fruit and toff ee fl avours. Refreshing to see it in the brewery’s core range too. Hats off .

/ Tuatara, APA, 5.8%Coming in a quasi-reptilian bobbled bottle with a spying-eye bottle cap (tuatara are NZ lizards), this ‘Aotearoa Pale Ale’ off ers a confi dent strike of hops, showing a muscular side to NZ brewing. A huge beer. More!

/ Th ree Boys, Wheat, 5%Geologically there’s not a lot to distinguish between the Alps and New Zealand’s South Island, making the latter a fi tting place of origin for this faithful wheat beer. Th e added coriander and lemon zest lift it like salt on a steak.

/ Yeastie Boys, Gunnamatta, 6.5%It didn’t take long for beer-lovers to start paying attention to the excellent Yeastie Boys, and with beers like this super-fl oral Earl Grey IPA it’s clear they’re pushing worldwide boundaries at every turn. A beer like no other.

/ Th ornbridge, Beadeca’s Well, 5.3%Th e silky richness of a porter lends itself to the addition of a smoky depth that adds a savoury, umami delight. It is well showcased in Beadeca’s Well, Th ornbridge’s smoked porter. Here the smoked malts make it highly drinkable and in no way overpower the intricacies of the malt. / thornbridgebrewery.co.uk / Buy at BH

/ Beavertown, Smog Rocket, 5.4%And this is what this wonderful craft beer movement has brought us: Beavertown’s Smog Rocket, a smoked porter, in a core range. It’s more smoked than Th ornbridge’s version, but Smog Rocket is balanced with a milky sweetness, and the addition of US hops cuts through the smoke like cornichons in a charcuterie. / beavertownbrewery.co.uk / Buy at ABM, BH, RA

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T H E M A S H

RYE BEERS

/ Arbor Ales, Boomtown Brown, 5.3%

/ Black Market Brewing , Rye IPA, 7.5%

/ Buxton Brewery, Red Raspberry Rye, 4.9%

/ Wiper & True, Abbey Rye, 6.5%

Boom indeed. Th is is a powerful American Brown Ale, an increasingly popular style (in our fridge at least) which takes a malty sweetness and hops it up to 11. Th e rye adds a spicy savoury note. / arborales.co.uk / Buy at ABM

A new beer and a new brewery on us – but what a delight. Th ey’ve squeezed fantastic amounts of fl avour from the ingredients, which include 20% rye. We’re blown away, frankly. / blackmarketbrew.com

Th is is a Berliner weisse, a mildly sour beer packed with puckering raspberries. Th e fruit shines with a vibrant tartness and a tangy suck on the mouth, before nutty rye wades in urging another sip. / buxtonbrewery.co.uk

Th is is a fascinating beer (with an amazing beer label). It’s a Trappist-style ale, but gives shots of citrus, then stone-fruits, then a Belgian yeast sweetness. Who knows where it’s going next? / wiperandtrue.com

/ Five Points Brewing Co, Hook Island Red, 6%

Packed full of nutty rye, this red beer is one of those balanced masterpieces that leaves you wondering how they did it. Each sip layers fl avour upon fl avour, and the hops smell amazing. / fi vepointsbrewing.co.uk/ Buy at ABM

RYE BEERS

/ Beavertown, 8 Ball Rye IPA 6.2%If you want to taste rye loud and clear, this is the drink to try. It’s almost a modern classic, a supremely tasty beer full of lively hops and raspy rye. / beavertownbrewery.co.uk/ Buy at ABM, BH, RA

Like wheat and barley, rye is one of the world’s miracle grains. Perhaps unfairly, it’s oft en considered a poorer cousin: rye breads such as pumpernickel might be a little heavy but they’re hugely tasty, while rye whisky, popular in the US and Canada, is similarly enjoyable. Th is is a

robust grain that grows in poor soil conditions. It’s a workhorse – the John Deere or Tonka of cereals. And what happens when you put that in a beer? Well its monster wheels are oft en in danger of rolling over more subtle fl avours but, like salt, it also heightens the punch. You

won’t generally fi nd malted rye in delicate beers, but when it’s used it adds to the mouthfeel with a fl avour that oft en tastes nutty, a hint of oiliness and a lingering savoury fullness. Th e Germans knew all this a long time ago, with their roggenbier using up to a whopping 60% of rye

(beers are rarely more than 20% rye these days). Th e style has returned in the past few decades aft er a 500-year near-hiatus – inevitably, there’s now even the ‘Rye-P-A’. But instead of rolling your eyes, celebrate this humble little grain that adds a vertiginous depth of fl avour to beer. DN

“It’s a reference book at its core, but opens up a new world.”

Beer BOOKS

Th is book is subtitled: Th e History, Stories and Craft of Japan’s Artisanal Breweries. And breweries is indeed what they are – the process of making sake has far more in common with beer than wine. Rice provides the starch it needs to ferment, and making it requires great skill. Admittedly I knew next to nothing about sake, but this beautifully written and photographed book explains the fundamentals with style and clarity. It’s a reference book at its core, but opens up a new world. “Sake has its simplicities, paradoxes and history”, it states – and they’re all here. / gatehousepublishing.com

God’s Own Country is the latest subject in CAMRA’s excellent series of pub walk books by Bob Steel. Th ere are 25 fully illustrated walks across the county, each accompanied by Ordnance Survey maps and, of course, a great selection of pubs to hit along the way. Bob Steel is an amicable and knowledgeable guide touching on the human and natural history of the area, as well as the pubs. Th ere are also fi ve city walks in York, Sheffi eld, Leeds, Beverley and Hull. As regular visitors to Yorkshire, we see this becoming a constant companion. / camra.org.uk

Th ere’s little not to like about this brilliant book from the prolifi c beer writer Mark Dredge. “We have limitless options and possibilities when cooking with beer, whether it’s a simple stir-fry or an impressive dessert,” he writes in the intro, and with no less than 65 recipes on off er it appears he’s right. Expect everything from coff ee stout pancakes to Oktoberfest cheesecake and from IPA and honey cornbread to curried butternut squash and porter soup. We’ve published some of his excellent recipes on page 16. / pencilandspoon.com

Sake / Elliot Faber & Hayato Hishinuma

CAMRA’S Yorkshire Pub Walks / Bob Steel

Cooking With Beer / Mark Dredge

The History, Stories and Craft of Japan’s Artisanal Breweries

日本酒

泡盛焼酎

T H E M A S H

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Th e style has a rich complexity, oft en defi ned principally by the malt profi le that

gives it a toasty warmth.

Bière de Garde means ‘beer to store’, and it was originally brewed in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region during cold months to allow

the yeast to remain stable.

FLAVOUR

HISTORY

Anatomy of... BIÈRE DE GARDE When we mentioned on Twitter we’d be featuring Bière de Garde there was clearly a lot of fondness for this strong French pale ale, and the comments were loaded with memories. It’s a reasonably rare style, but one that’s fi rmly rooted in a sense of place: it’s weekend trips to Lille, it’s camping holidays in Northern France.

It’s also a wonderful beer. As you’d imagine, coming from a region that shares a border and to some degree a culture with Belgium, it tends to be strong and malty. Th is is an honest, amber, spicy farmhouse ale; a beer with a subtlety to savour. No wonder it inspires a lot of aff ection. Hopefully we’ll see more of it.

STRENGTH

Bière de Garde tends to be a reasonably consistent 6-8.5%, but it doesn’t generally taste

that strong.

It goes well with the hearty and oft en rich food of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, particularly stews and roast pork.

It can be drunk at any time of year, but on a cold day its toastiness and peppery fl avours are especially warming.

Two world wars and a wavering border did nothing for the Bière de Garde style, to the point that it almost died out in the 20th century.

FOOD

/ Brasserie Des Sources, Bellerose, 6.5%Oh my, this is a fl avour-packed beer. Its peppery, warm, hoppy briskness lift s it above many of its contemporaries. / facebook.com/BelleroseUK

/ Jenlain, Ambrée, 6.5%Th is is a classic Bière de Garde. A golden, sparkling brew with a toasty malt profi le and a crisp-as-a-winter’s-day fi nish. / jenlain.fr

/ Brasserie Th iriez, Ambeer d’Esquelbecq, 5.8% A brilliant little brewery making an amazing range of beers. Th is is the classic – but try any of theirs. / brasseriethiriez.com

A beautiful amber and gold colour with a confi dent head on it. Best served with a plate

of charcuterie – ideally in a French farmhouse.

APPEARANCE

Any French ‘blonde’ or ‘ambrée’ might resemble this style. It’s sometimes similar to a Belgian saison, but generally less funky.

AKA...

WHEN TO DRINK

WEIRD FACT

Event FOCUS

Th e Q&A

THREE TO TRYTHREE TO TRY

6-8

Combine ten breweries with ten of Brighton’s best pubs you’ve got the makings of a pretty special weekend in this seaside city. Th e breweries are top-notch too: they include Fourpure, Cloudwater, Celt Experience, Mad Hatter and Brighton’s Laine Brewing, which is part of the outfi t behind the event. We’ll be there with two sour tastings on the Saturday. See you there. / taptakeover.co.uk

Th ere are four brewpubs in the group – does each one have a diff erent vibe?We have a diff erent brewer in each site, from Acton to Brighton, Battersea to Hackney, and no one beer in each is the same. Th ere are some similar styles across the four sites, but each brewer puts their own spin on them. Each brewpub also has its own core beers and their own seasonals too. It is just as important for us as it is for the customers to be able to try such a wide variety of beers.

What is the driving factor for Laine Brewing?Experimentation. We have such freedom to brew what we believe would make a good beer, and a support network behind us that believes in our vision. If one of my brewers has an idea for a beer, be it a change in methods or something weird and unique recipe-wise, we work on it and give it a go. We never lose that spirit of adventure, and that’s what makes beer fun, whether you are making it or drinking it.

What can people expect from Laine’s beers?An example of some of our beers this year, across the sites: Pink Grapefruit Sour, Black Rye IPA, Brandy Pudding Porter, various Saisons, IPAs, Stouts and anything else you can think of probably. All of the brewpubs serve our beer in cask, and on top of that we have just started putting a couple of beers into keg as well out of the People’s Park Tavern.

What are you most looking forward to from the Brighton Tap Takeover?Having such a great group of breweries in a centralised area can only mean one thing; one hell of a good party! Everybody is looking forward to this, and with good reason. Music, entertainment, food, Top of the Hops, Island Records party, Have I Got Brews For You, not to mention the main event; some of the best beers that have been produced this past year!/ taptakeover.co.uk

Nic Donald, Head Brewer, Laine Brewing Co.Brighton Tap TakeoverApril 8-10

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T H E M A S H

Perfect 10 Letter fr om... BEIJING

MEANTIME

We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw these fabrics from A Bushel Of Hops (abushelofh ops.co.uk). Th ey came about when Kent-based hop-grower Dorothy Hollamby decided she wanted to source some hop-inspired fabrics and found – well, precisely none. She resolved to design some herself, and these are the result. She’s made use of historical hop-picking scenes, as well as the detail of the cone itself. To see the full fabric range the link is via either the website page below or from wovenmonkey.com/designers/a-bushel-of-hops

/ See originalgravitymag.com for loads of beer events.

5 questions for...

What do you think sets Mondo apart?We’re a brewer driven company. Our decisions about what to brew, how to brew, when to brew, are all based fi rst on our experiences as homebrewers, then our professional brewing experience. We were attracted to the idea of creating a company based on our combined 15 years brewing beer in the kitchen at home, in professional settings, and participating in the ongoing discourse about the state of brewing around the world. It’s a way of thinking that puts quality, taste, depth, character and ingenuity fi rst.

What was the ethos you set out with?Our ethos was and is to produce great beer, make the styles we want to make, and do so in a way that reduces the carbon footprint of brewing in general. We also set out to contribute to our local community in a positive way, both fi nancially and ethically.

Does London infl uence the beers? Absolutely. London is a melting pot of culture,

Call me ignorant, but I didn’t arrive in Beijing expecting great beer. I expected great food, naturally (it had been twelve years since my last visit, and I was still getting pangs for the city’s pillow-soft pork dumplings), but beer? Nope.

Th e Chinese lager I remembered was generic, drinkable, end-of-a-hot-day type stuff . I’d previously been here in the stifl ing humidity of a fi erce summer. But Beijing was icy now, gripped by winter, the crowds on the street huddled in scarves, the moat around the Forbidden City glacial and solid. So I was glad I learned about the Slow Boat Brewery.

On that fi rst evening, it took me half an hour to fi nd. Th e brewery doesn’t seem to go in for signage, and it’s not easy wandering pitch-black hutong alleyways, jetlagged and trying to avoid being mown down by lightless cyclists, in search of a small door behind which someone apparently serves vanilla stout. When I fi nally located it, it opened onto a small but toasty tap-room, half-fi lled by a dozen drinkers and with twenty taps on show.

Th e barman-cum-manager was from Somerset, in the manner of these kind of ventures in these kind of destinations. I took his recommendation, starting with a pint of Tigers Fist IPA – a 5.7% beer with a deep mango aroma – before moving on to Th e First Immortal, a fresh, copper-coloured double IPA at 8%. My tasting notes from the evening extended to the scrawled words

language, and style from around the world. Th is is heavily refl ected in our approach to making beer. We take the collective experience of London’s beer culture and apply the styles we know and love from around the world, and then we brew what we like, what we think is good, what we think can be improved upon, and what we think is missing.

How do you see Mondo developing?We want to explore more traditional

“both are bloody good”. Th e night was freezing when I left , but I was warmer.

Th e brewery has been up and running since 2011. It imports its hops and malt mainly from Australia and the US, I was told, although makes use of local ingredients where feasible: organic honey from Yunnan, for example, and even Sichuan peppercorns.

It’s not the only innovative microbrewery in the Chinese capital. Two nights later I found myself at the Great Leap Brewery, located in an old courtyard building tucked away in another underlit maze of winding backstreets. Th is is the original: the

English styles of beer, barrel aging, and more participation in our local community over the next year.

Which other brewers are you enjoying?At the top of the list in England has always been Th ornbridge for us. We’ve grown fond of Cloudwater in Manchester too.

Read the full interview online at originalgravitymag.com./ mondobrewingcompany.com

city’s fi rst brewpub, in place since 2010. Here, again, were twenty taps, a Chinese-infl uenced beer menu and a thirsty clientele.

Th ere are plenty of memorable things for overseas visitors to do in Beijing. Stroll through the Temple of Heaven Park. Head out to the Great Wall. Climb the Drum Tower. But if you want my advice? Take time too to wander through the chilly hutongs until you fi nd the Great Leap Brewery. Pull up a stool, settle into a pint of smooth, chocolatey East City Porter and refl ect on the fact that a city of 21 million people always has the capacity to surprise. Ben Lerwill / @benlerwill

Mondo Brewing co-founder Th omas Palmer

COMPETITIONWe’re also giving away this

wonderfully hoppy apron. Just visit abushelofh ops.co.uk/ogcomp/ for details.

Great Leap Brewery

T H E M A S H

P9

DIY DogIt’s an unprecedented move for a brewery: to publish homebrew recipes for every beer they’ve ever made. More than 200 beers from BrewDog’s back catalogue have been scaled down to 20-litre recipes, everything from Punk IPA to the 32% ABV Tactical Nuclear Penguin and published on a downloadable PDF. BrewDog co-founder James Watt said: “Many of the classic BrewDog beers were developed during our homebrewing days, and we still use a homebrewing 50L system to develop new beers and recipes. Home brewing is ingrained in our DNA, and is a cornerstone of the craft beer industry. We have always loved the sharing of knowledge, expertise and passion in the

craft beer community and we wanted to take that spirit of collaboration to the next level with DIY Dog. Th e more people that home brew, the more craft breweries will pop up and help us in the fi ght against global mega beer corporations, making the future brighter for craft beer.”Th e canon is an utterly compelling prospect for any homebrewer – we happily wasted a couple of hours browsing the beers and fi nally setteled on publishing the recipe for one of BrewDog’s most recent beers: Elvis Juice V2.0. As James Watt says: “Copy them, tear them to pieces, bastardise them, adapt them, but most of all, enjoy them!” OK then… DN

Ingredients:Pale malt 750gMunich 60gCaraPils 40gCascade hops (40g total)Cascade pellets (20g total – optional)US-05 Yeast (Quarter of a packet)IBUs: 44ABV: 5.5%

You will need:• Large, stainless steel pan with lid 7 litre capacity (your brewing pan)• Cloth bag• Another pan to heat water in• Bucket• Th ermometer (probe/gun ones are best)• Demijohn with bung and airlock• Siphon tube• No-rinse sanitiser (star san is best)

STEP BY STEP:1. Fill your large pan with 3l of water. Bring to 66 degrees Celsius. Mix the crushed grains together in the cloth bag. Fold the edges of the bag over the rim of the pan, suspending the bag and submerg-ing the grains. Place lid on pan, and leave the grains steeping at 66 degrees for 75 minutes. 2. In the second pan, heat 4l of water to 76 degrees, ready for when the 75 mins end. Remove lid and bag with steeped grains from brewing pan. Start to bring the contents of the brewing pan to the boil. Put the 76 degree water in your bucket, then submerge/suspend the grain bag in the liq-uid, like a tea bag. Let the grains steep for 15 minutes, then remove the grain bag and discard grains. Add the liquid in the bucket to the brewing pan before it boils.3. Once the boil is reached, start a timer for 60 minutes. Aft er 15 minutes, add 5g of Cascade hops. Aft er 45, 50 and 55 minutes, add another 5g of Cascade hops. At

the end of 60 minutes, add another 20g of hops, and place lid on pan and leave for 30 minutes.4. In the meantime, boil a kettle, and rinse out the demijohn with boiling water. Pour boiling water through the siphon tube, to steri-lise. Fill demijohn with 1 litre of cold water, and add 2ml of star san. Swish the liquid around in the demijohn, then discard. Fill up a sink with cold water and ice. Using oven gloves, submerge your brewing pan in the cold, ice water in the sink and chill to around 26 degrees.5. Using the sterile siphon tube, siphon the now cooled wort from the pan into the demi-john, leaving a small amount of headspace. Add a quarter of a packet of S-04 to the liquid. Seal with bunger/airlock, and pour a tiny amount of sanitised liquid in the airlock. Gently shake the demijohn to aerate the liquid. Put demijohn in a warm area (20 degrees C) and leave for 1 week to ferment.

Elvis Juice V2.0Citrus Infused IPAABV: 6.5%IBU: 60--VOLUME: 20L, 5galBOIL VOLUME: 25L, 6.6galTARGET FG: 1010TARGET OG: 1060EBC: 25SRM: 12.5PH: 4.4ATT. LEVEL: 83.3%--MASH TEMP: 65°C 149°F, 75minsFERMENTATION: 19°C 66°F

Ingredients:MALTExtra Pale 4.50kg 9.91lbCaramalt 0.88kg 1.92lbHOPSMagnum 2.5g - Start (bitter)Simcoe 12.5g - Middle (fl avour)Amarillo 12.5g - Middle (fl avour)Mosaic 25g - End (fl avour)Citra 25g - End (fl avour)Amarillo 12.5g - End (fl avour)Simcoe 12.5g - End (fl avour)Citra 50g - Dry Hop (aroma)Amarillo 50g - Dry Hop (aroma)Simcoe 50g - Dry Hop (aroma)YEASTWyeast 1056 American Ale

Brewer’s Tip Shave of the surface of the citrus peel to unlock the highly aromatic compounds into the beer. Avoid putting any white pith into the brew as it will create an intense and unpleasant bitterness.

TwistAdd as much grapefruit and orange peel as you dare and FV for extra citrus twist

Not to be reproduced for commercial purposes.

In the second of a series of very easy stove top homebrew recipes that can be brewed in a demi-john, Brewtorial off er up this simple, but delicious American Pale Ale recipe.

Th is beer is: “Punchy resinous hoppy aromas blast from the glass; light fl oral and citrus notes riff against huge piney character. Showcasing Citra, Simcoe and Amarillo at their absolute best. A huge dose of grapefruit peel brings swirls of fresh pithy zest, accentuating the dry hops and building on the dry, biscuit malt base.

So you wanna brew, but aren’t sure where to start? Many people are hesitant to get stuck in because they believe the initial start up costs of home brewing are prohibitive. Also specialist shops where potential brewers can browse and get some good advice are still sparse. Not to worry. One of my favourite aspects of brewing at home is how easy it is to get going with minimal gear. Th en you can build up your arsenal of brewing paraphernalia as you build up your own experience.

For simple extract kits of concentrated wort all you need is a fi ve-gallon fermentation bucket, with or without tap. A thermometer and a siphon for bottling are good additions, and throw in a hydrometer if you wish to calculate the ABV of your beer. If you’ve dabbled with extract but want to try all-grain brewing then consider starting with a one-gallon kit. Th ese kits, like our Microbatch range, brew a smaller quantity of beer and are great for experimenting. Th ey make use of household items, saving on costs. You’ll need a 6-8l pasta pan (I’m half-Italian so I’ll assume everyone has one of these, no?) to mash your grain, a large sieve or cloth bag for

sparging and a 5l jug or mixing bowl for transferring the wort. One-gallon kits usually provide glass demijohns with bubbler and airlock for fermentation.

Once you’ve brewed a few recipes and have caught the bug then you are ready for fi ve-gallon all-grain brewing! First off you’ll need a ‘Hot Liquor Tank’, something to heat 30l of water. A tea urn, or Burco Boiler, does the job splendidly. With your water, or liquor, sorted you’ll need a ‘Mash Tun’. Th ese are specially modifi ed coolboxes with fi lters to separate the spent grain from the wort. Aft er the mash you’ll need a third vessel, your ‘Kettle’, where you will add your hops while boiling the wort. You can use your HLT for this step. Aft er the boil you’ll want to reduce the temperature of the wort quickly so a ‘Wort Chiller’ is vital. Th is is a simple coil of copper pipe circulating cold water that extracts heat from the wort. Th ese few pieces of gear can set you back £I00-£150, worth every penny for a lifetime supply of beer.

And then? Well, how big do you want to brew?! A whole exciting world of stainless steel vessels and a crash course in home engineering lies ahead.

Essential advice from the Home Brew Depot

Homebrew 101Equipment

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Stove-top APA

Elvis Juice V2.0 IPA

RECIPE CARD

RECIPE CARD

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F E AT U R E

P11

ULTIMATE

Why it’s become the brewers’ brew, plus nine great sours. By Adrian Tierney-Jones.

P12

F E AT U R E

Sour is the new IPA (unless it’s a sour IPA); it’s the new black; it’s the new kid on the brewing block, kicking a can down the road with the guile of Ronaldo; and in the wildest moments of fantasy it’s the new wine (Wild Beer’s Squashed Grape is a psychedelic mash up that includes grape must, the result is a lambic-like intensity of tartness with a vinous swathe of fragrant grape cutting through its middle). Breweries such as Wild Beer, Burning Sky, Chorlton, Brew By Numbers, Th e Kernel, Beavertown and even dear old Elgoods are all happy in making sour beers of one description or another.

So much beer, so much invention. Burning Sky’s Monolith, according to founder Mark Tranter, is ‘a stout like recipe but not a stout beer. It is fermented with ale yeast, Brett and lacto and aged in oak foudres for nine months. I guess it’s a black sour’. Brew By Numbers’ 3 Is a Magic Number was a sharp, palate puckering, tart and fruity sour while their Gose Classic is a traditional gose with just coriander and salt (thank heavens for that, I’m fed up with this wonderful beer style being stretched in all manner of directions).

Meanwhile Chorlton has gone the complete sour way, with their mission statement being: ‘We’re mostly concentrating on sour beers as we’re on a mission to expand the possibilities of what’s possible using

the four ingredients of water, grain, hops and yeast.’

So why is sour such a call to arms, a burst of bugle notes for every new (and not so new) brewer, a companion to the tattoo and sharp graphics? I would say, for a start, that there’s an element of experimentation and discovery, a what-would-happen-if-I-do-this when it comes to making some of the best sours. Of course, those who expect their beer to taste like the beer that fuelled Uncle Albert don’t like this sort of thing. Good luck to them.

Th is voyage, this journey, is also directed by the digging up of ancient brewery archives by home-brewers and bloggers around the world, Indiana Joneses such as Ron Pattison who have championed archaic (and oft en dead) beer styles such as Lichtenheiner, Grodziskie, Berliner Weisse and Leipziger Gose.

On the other hand sour is a diffi cult word to sell when it comes to beer — a beer that is sour by default is a recipe for gurning. We all know sour people. Milk turns sour when the boggart plays its tricks. On the other hand, sweet and sour sauce with pork, sour cream whisked into borscht and whisky sours add a lustre to life and the same goes for sour beer, when it is done right.

Not being a brewer, I prefer to leave the explanation of how a sour beer is

made to someone who knows about such things, so here’s what Wild Beer’s co-founder Andrew Cooper had to say when I spoke with him last year.

‘You can see the infl uence from the US new wave of sours especially with the kettle sours in the UK. We don’t believe in that approach, we’re trying to add layers of intrigue and complexity with time spent barrel aging and the beers are ready when they are ready. We defi nitely take inspiration from Belgium but we are in Somerset and we make Somerset sours with yeast and bacteria that is local to us.

‘Th ere’s massive mileage in sour beer because it’s so exciting on the palate. I drink more and more of it. I want to taste beers with layers of complexity and intrigue. We did the London Wine Fair in 2014 and had people coming up to us to taste beers like our sour dough beer; wine lovers get it.’

Ah America. I suppose you could say that it’s American brewers who are responsible for setting up sours as a style. As Cooper suggests, some are opting for the kettle sour way of doing things, a quick instant fi x of souring perhaps, though time is just as important to many of them. Last summer I visited a baker’s dozen of breweries in Oregon and Washington. All of them did IPAs, though many were making sour beers with time as the extra ingredient.

At Harmon Brewing in Tacoma, I sat down with head brewer Jeff Carlson and tasted Super Samurai, a 12% wood aged sour monster that Carlson said was ‘changing all the time’. It was winey and rich and umami-like, complex and fi ery, and possessed by the ghost of balsamic vinegar on the nose. We also tried a sour that had been aged in red wine barrels for two years. ‘It’s a Berliner Weisse with apples in the mix,’ said Carlson as I sipped it. It had a cider-like nose with hints of banana and Gewürztraminer and was dry and tart on the palate.

Making sours is brewing as exploration. Besides, palatable sour beer is nothing new — vatted porter in the 18th and 19th century would have had an element of sourness in its make-up. It’s just that for many years brewers forgot what they used to do, they lost the art of aging beer, they dismissed from their minds memories of how they used to blend old and new, how to let the right microbes in, keep the wrong ones out; they forgot that beers could be left to ripen, to grow old and elegant, ready to be embraced and engaged by a younger generation of beer. Sour beers are just one way in which this fog of forgetfulness has fi nally lift ed and enabled brewers to rediscover and improve on the past.

Sour beer? I embrace it. Will you?AJT

Th is beer is bad. Th is beer is sour. Th is beer has no redeeming features. Chuck it away or put it down the drain. Or we could rewind the conversation and hear things in a diff erent way. Th is beer is sour. Th is beer is beautifully elegant in the way it balances a gentle dissonance of sourness alongside the melody of sweetness and the percussion of bitterness. Th is beer has the

infl uence of time and acidity and whatever micro-fl ora the brewer has decided to let in. Th is beer is sour and all the better for it.

F E AT U R E

P13

Burning Sky / Monolith, 7.4%

Buxton Brewery / Red Raspberry Rye, 4.9%

Th ornbridge Brewery / Sour Brown, 7%

Moncada Brewery / Notting Hill Sour, 3%

Elgoods Brewery / Coolship Lambic, 6.7%Crate Brewery / Sour, 4.9%

Fourpure / Hoptart, 3.7% Kernel Brewery / London Sour, 3.2%

Wild Beer / Redwood, 5.8%

Magic Rock Brewing / Salty Kiss, 4.1% By Th e Horns / Sour To Th e People, 4.8%

Earthy and acidic notes on the nose, with a bittersweet, delicately acidic palate, plus hints of mocha before a tart and rich fi nish.

Fruity version of their Berliner Weisse: tart and stimulating with a glorious swoon of sharp raspberry notes.

A grand old master of a Flemish brown, which is tart, vinous, earthy, sour and sweet, fruity as in cherry, currant and plum-

sweetness and all wrapped up in a cedar wood dryness.

Th ere are huge amounts of fl avour and super sharp sourness despite the typically low Berliner Weisse ABV. Like. A lot. DN

Th e Fens meets Flanders with a tart and soft ly acidic beer, grapefruit-like in its embrace, daubed with a soft

sweetness and gift ed with hints of sherry.

Oh and don’t forget Greene King’s Strong Suff olk, which has its origins in 19th century blending with some claiming that the Rodenbach family got their inspiration from a visit (well that’s what I was told on my visit to Roeselare last year). Sadly it’s a beer that they don’t seem to be that interested in. I wonder why.

An amber and rich sour with added passion fruit and hibiscus. It’s a delicious beer, with deep malts and fl oral sprightliness. DN

Th is started life as a Berliner Weisse, mildly sour, but it has been dry hopped adding a citrus depth. Super refreshing. DN

Bermondsey’s take on Berliner Weisse produce a refreshing, tart beer. Versions have had raspberries and sour cherries added.

Bretty and berries on the nose with vanilla, acidity, tartness and acidity on the palate, refreshing, quenching and dry.

Normally I frown at tinkering with Leipziger Gose, but this version (with added gooseberries) is immense: vinous, delicately sour and lightly salty with a background hum of

sweetness and a fi nish that is dry, tart and crisp.

A sour mash beer, developed from the second mash of By the Horn’s Vintage Ale 2014. Lightly soured with a distinct sweetness.

Chorlton / Amarillo Sour, 5.2%A thirst quencher of the highest order with an engaging acidity

and Amarillo hop aromatics on the nose.

P14

P H O T O E S S A Y

P H O T O E S S A Y

P15

HOMEBREW HITSIf you’re reading this, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve fl irted with brewing your own beer. Almost everyone starts with a kit, and then oft en progresses to full mash. For some people, it’s a gateway into commercial brewing. So what do you do if you’ve outgrown your kitchen?

London Beer Lab is one of a number of open-source breweries where you can make your own beer on their impressive range of equipment. Th e Lab runs competitions throughout the year where the winning homebrew gets to be produced on the club’s larger pilot kit and then sold on keg at the King & Co freehouse in Clapham. Th ey also host workshops and talks. Original Gravity% was invited down to hear a talk by Beavertown supremo Tiago Falcone on the North London brewer’s experiments in barrel ageing. / londonbeerlab.com

Images: Gareth Dobson (beershots.co.uk)

P16

F E AT U R E

> RAWSOUR

1.

In his new book, Cooking With Beer, Mark Dredge plunders the fr idge for lagers, IPAs, Stouts and Belgian beers to use in cooking. Th ere’s a wildly diverse range of uses (ice creams, soups, breads and much more) for every occasion. Here are a couple of our favourites… Mark Dredge writes: “Cooking with beer is growing in popularity around the world, assisted by our increasing knowledge of beer and food and general culinary curiosity that naturally prompts us to use the huge variety of beers now available in the kitchen. Countless bars and brewpubs use beer in diff erent dishes; Michelin-starred restaurants cook with beer; and there are restaurants specialising in beer-infused food. Th ere are also websites and YouTube channels dedicated to beer cooking, and it’s going way beyond old classics, such as pies and stews, and creating a new evolution of what beer cuisine is and what it can be. And that’s exciting. Cooking with Beer features some of my favourite methods for cooking with beer; I’ve generally overlooked the classics and sought to fi nd some new ways of using beer in the kitchen.”

F E AT U R E

P17

2.

3.

SOUR BEER CEVICHE

COFFEE STOUT PANCAKES

FRAMBOISE LEMON CAKE

Recipes don’t get much simpler than this and yet its simplicity belies the excellence of this acidic, refreshing, Peruvian-inspired dish. Th e fi sh—a white fi sh like sea bass is best—is quickly cured using the acidity of citrus and sour beer, where Gueuze will give a tangy, peppery edge; modern “quick” sours (the Berliner-Weisse style) will give a tart, lactic edge; and a fruited sour adds in a nice bonus burst of fl avor. Just make sure the fi sh is the freshest you can buy.

This is a brilliant, boozy brunch recipe: the kind you can mix up and cook quickly, before taking it back to eat in bed. Use the strongest Stout you have, ideally one that’s brewed with coffee, where a shot of espresso boosts the roasted richness. I like to serve it with some sliced banana on top. Makes 6-8.

Lemon cake is delicious and this made me think: how could I possibly make it even more delicious? It wasn’t a big step to go from sour fruit to sour fruit beer. Let me modestly tell you that this is a brilliant cake to bake. The beer gives fruitiness and acidity, working so well with the lemon juice.

EAT IT WITH: Th e raspberry beer you use in this naturally works really well, though it can be a bit too much sour-on-sour with the sugar just muddling it up. Th e lateral-thinking option is to go for coff ee and the roasted bitterness and subtle acidity of a Coff ee Stout. To Øl Goliat Imperial Coff ee Stout, Dieu du Ciel Péché Mortel, or Siren’s Broken Dream are the top choices.

EAT IT WITH: Th e rest of the Stout you cooked with. Or open another bottle of Coff ee Stout. You might as well treat yourself to something good if you’re drinking beer with breakfast so look for Mikkeller Beer GeekBrunch Weasel, BrewDog Cocoa Psycho or Founder’s Breakfast Stout.

• FOUR GREAT DRESSINGS: See originalgravitymag.com for these extra recipes

Cooking with Beer by Mark Dredge, published by CICO Books (£16.99). Out on April 14. Photography by Alex Luck © CICO Books

DIRECTIONS1. Soak the onion in some iced water for 10 minutes to take the harsher edge off the fl avor.

2. Meanwhile, place the fi sh in a large serving bowl. Add all the other ingredients, apart from the avocado and coriander, and mix together gently. Leave to cure in the refrigerator for 30–60 minutes. Check the seasoning (adding more salt or citrus, if you prefer).

3. To serve, place the fi sh on top of the sliced avocado and sprinkle with coriander.

EAT IT WITHTh e sour beer you cured the fi sh in works best, where something such as Girardin is a nice choice for its balance of acidity and subtle sweetness. A good alternative is a cold dark lager—try something simple like Negra Modelo or a classic German version.

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C/Gas 3. Butter a deep loose-bottomed cake tin (around 8in/20cm in diameter).

2. Use an electric mixer to cream together the butter, fl our, sugar, and eggs in a mixing bowl until thick and smooth.

3. Mix in the remaining ingredients the gently stir in the raspberries before pouring the batter into the

cake tin. Bake for around 50-60 minutes (using a skewer to check that the cake is cooked through—it may need less or more time depending on how deep your cake tin is). Place on a wire rack.

4. While the cake is still warm, make the glaze by mixing together all the ingredients. Take a skewer and pierce small holes through the cake, then brush over the glaze.

1. Combine all the dry ingredients (apart from the blueberries) in a bowl and all the wet ingredients (except the maple syrup) in a second bowl. Combine the dry and liquid ingredients, mixing well until you have a thick pancake batter.

2. Add as many blueberries as you wish—a small handful per pancake is about right.

3. Heat a small amount of butter or vegetable oil in a large frying pan before pouring in some pancake batter. Cook the pancake for a few minutes before fl ipping it over and cooking it on the other side.

4. Once cooked, eat the pancakes straight away, drizzled with maple syrup, or stack them up and keep in a warm oven until needed.

• ½ RED ONION, FINELY CHOPPED• 250G FRESH WHITE FISH, CUT INTO ½ IN (1CM) CUBES• ½ RED CHILLI PEPPER• JUICE OF 1 LIME• 50–100ML SOUR BEER• ½ TEASPOON SEA SALT• ½ TEASPOON GROUND CORIANDER• 2 AVOCADOS, SKINNED, STONED, AND SLICED, TO SERVE• HANDFUL OF FRESH CORIAANDER, TO SERVE

• 175G BUTTER (AT ROOM TEMPERATURE)• 200G SELF-RAISING FLOUR• 175G CASTER SUGAR• 3 EGGS• ZEST AND JUICE 1 LEMON• 50ML FRAMBOISE*

• 200G RASPBERRIESFOR THE GLAZE• 50G CASTER SUGAR• JUICE OF 2 LEMON• 50ML FRAMBOISE* (*OR ANY SOUR RASPBERRY BEER)

• 225G ALL-PURPOSE (PLAIN) FLOUR• 1 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER• ½ TEASPOON SALT• ½ TEASPOON GROUND CINNAMON• 3 TABLESPOONS SUGAR• 1 EGG, BEATEN• 2 TABLESPOONS NATURAL YOGURT

• 150ML MILK• 100ML IMPERIAL STOUT • 1 SHOT ESPRESSO (OPTIONAL, BUT GOOD)• 1 PUNNET BLUEBERRIES• BUTTER OR VEGETABLE OIL, FOR FRYING (I LIKE TO USE COCONUT OIL)• MAPLE SYRUP, TO SERVE

Beer style:

Beer style:

Beer style:

SOUR

COFFEESTOUT

IMPERIALSTOUT

IlkleyDark Star

Burning SkyTh e Prince

We nowhave cans!W

e’re delighted to announce we now have cans of APA and Revelation on our shelves and

out in the wild! Buy online at:

darkstarbrewing.co.uk/shop

Open as a dining room every weekend, and available for private hire, the upstairs room at The Prince can host 45 people seating / 60 people standing.

TA S T I N G N O T E S

P19

Is Cloudwater Britain’s most exciting brewery right now? With beers like this, could be

Packs a fr uity, fl avoursome, alcoholic smack to your taste buds, with tropical undertones

A white chocolate stout that works.. well

Th is slightly sour, slightly salty gooseberry gose was one of last year’s highlights

A romancer of a stout as they used to be

Th is ‘hoppy black beer’ is an excercise in balance, and better for it

From Mexico’s cinco de Mayo brewery is a beer that defi es the styles and still shines

A confi dent wheat beer fr om the Scottish Alps

So here we are with Cloudwater’s latest and most melodious expression of their Double IPA. It’s a bruiser of a beer, big and bold, yet light on the palate and incredibly drinkable. Th e nose is savoury, leafy, pungent (asafoetida perhaps?) alongside the aromatics of a carton of fresh orange juice emptied into the air; there’s a big mouth feel, with orange, pineapple, papaya, tea and even spice making their presence known before the lush and sensual fi nish. With one sip I returned to the mini road trip I took along the Pacifi c coast in Washington and Oregon last year and half expected to hear sea lions making a right royal noise as I continued drinking this magnifi cent beer. Cloudwater are making some of the most appealing beers in the UK right now. ATJ / cloudwaterbrew.co

Th e fi rst time I supped this golden beer was on draught in the Hawkshead Brewery Pub, which is now in Staveley, near Kendal, Cumbria. I remember thinking wow – as my taste buds imploded with a rich fruity hoppiness combined with a deep mellow maltiness. I wanted to sink a few pints but knew that the 6% would see me off . Since then I’ve tried the 330ml bottled NZPA, which seems to be unpasteurised. Th is excellent beer is the creation of Head Brewer Matt Clark, who hails from New Zealand. So no surprises there then, it does what it says on the bottle: bursting with the fl avour of New Zealand hops. See page 5 for some Kiwi beers. Alan Hinkes / hawksheadbrewery.co.uk

Th is is a stout as in strong rather than the darkness of a killer’s thoughts moments before they strike; it’s copper coloured, veering towards burnished gold, and the brewery calls it a white chocolate stout, which seems to make sense on tasting. It’s silky sweet and luscious, lubricious and lucid in the way that the fl avours and sensations (sweet chocolate, milky mocha, creamy mouth feel, spiky bitterness) all work together. It’s a homely and luxurious beer, comfortable and a bit of a treat, though not without some steel in the way the bitterness at the back of the throat keeps a balance amidst all this smoothness. Th e Milky Bar Kid of childhood legend just grew up and swapped his pop-guns for an AK47. ATJ / ilkleybrewery.co.uk

Magic Rock’s Salty Kiss was in my top fi ve beers of 2015 – perhaps even my top three. It’s a gose, a top-fermented beer originating in Germany and notable for its saline sourness. Magic Rock’s take on the style adds subtle spikes of gooseberry. It’s also got sea buckthorn in it, which I admit is not a taste I readily recognise. Either way it’s a beer that keeps on giving, developing continually sip by sip and throwing in unexpected fl avours: salt, a strike of wheatiness, and of course that gooseberry. Th e best news is that this is part of Magic Rock’s core canned range being shipped around the country. Yep, a gooseberry gose, in a can, all over the UK. Th e gods of beer are spoiling us. Rejoice! DN / magicrockbrewing.com

Now here’s a treat, an Imperial Russian Stout, a dark dancer of liquorice, coff ee beans, hazelnut, cola, stewed plums, chocolate and roastiness gyrating away on the tongue. Hark to the sprightly carbonation, alongside a chewiness, a and a lubriciousness, all of which combine with the complexity of fl avours and aromas to create a magnifi cent beer. Th is romancer of a beer harks back to Courage Imperial Russian Stout, one of the great lost beers of Britain (even though Courage fi rst brewed it in the 1960s it still acquired a mythological status in its shortish life), and it’s entirely appropriate that Ridgeway’s Peter Scholey worked on Courage’s fi nal version at John Smith’s in the early 1990s. Buy two, lay one down: my bottle of 2014 was even more luscious. ATJ / ridgewaybrewery.co.uk

We admire Purity Brewing. Everything they do is very carefully considered and their product is consistently excellent. In the hop wars that are taking place (OK, it’s not a thing, but you know what I mean), Purity remain admirably restrained. I think they used to call it balance. Saddle Black is a black IPA, or ‘unfi ltered hoppy black beer’ as they bill it, and it’s now in a can. It is, predictably, wonderful. Th e Cascade and Chinook bring an orangey spike to the toasty malts and the dryness of the rye, while the canning means that those hop fl avours remain fresh and alive. In an era of big hops, this ‘hoppy’ beer strikes the right balance. You could argue they are ahead of the game with this. DN / thornbridgebrewery.co.uk

Belgian-style Ale apparently, but I reckon it’s closer to a witbier given the coriander spice and pepperiness on the nose, accompanied by a fresh spritziness. A sip and my certainty is cast-iron as evidenced by the juicy oranginess, white pepper, a full mouth feel and a dry and juicy fi nish. What I really love is that the edge-of-palate sourness somehow brings out the juiciness, making this beer a gulper, a beer not to tarry over, and with a brief glance the glass is once again in need of replenishment. Th is beer style is very much ignored these days unless of course it has loads of hops thrown at it, but it’s a beautiful Belgian style that this Mexican brewery has captured the very essence of. ATJ / cc5.mx

We don’t want to get buried in defi nitions of beer styles too much, but a wheat beer, hefeweizen or weissbier should have a spiciness of cloves, a fruity hit of bananas and a dry grainy balance. It should also transport you to the Alps, whisking you off to that mountain hut you once ended up in aft er a long climb. In other words, it’s important that a wheat beer is evocative as well as tasting wonderful. Wooha ticks the beer style boxes with confi dence, admirably leaning on the drier side. And evocative? Being no stranger to the Munros of Scotland, we’re oft en wishing for a hefeweizen aft er a day of peak-bagging. With luck we’ll see this beer in the mountain towns of Scotland too. DN / woohabrewing.com

Cloudwater DIPA V2 [9.2%]

Hawkshead BreweryNZPA [6%]

Ridgeway IMPERIAL STOUT [4.5%]

Purity SADDLE BACK [6%]

C5SAGA BLANCA [6%]

Wooha Brewing CoWHEAT [6.4%]

Ilkley Brewery WESTWOOD STOUT [6.5%]

Magic RockSALTY KISS [4.1%]

Brouwerij Boon OUDE GEUZE BLACK LABEL [7%]

Boon is restrained and elegant. Black Label takes these qualities to extremes

If you ever have the privilege of meeting Frank Boon you’ll soon realise that he craves the same universal success for lambic and geuze as we’re used to with liquids such as Champagne and Prosecco. It’s logical why he covets this status for the beer his brewery produces. Geuze is nuanced and crisp, with a cradle of fl avours evoking green apples, barnyards and freshly bundled bails of hay. It’s the true Champagne of the beer world. For me Boon geuze is considerably

more accessible than some of the geuze from other producers such as Drie Fonteinen or Cantillon. Where these can be intensely sour or funky, Boon is restrained and altogether more elegant. Its latest release, Black Label, takes these qualities to their extremes. Oude Geuze Black Label is bone dry, with a sourness more like fresh lemon juice than the funk found in a lot of

spontaneously fermented beers. Th e crackling eff ervescence prevents this sourness from becoming too sharp and aids the beer in maintaining its subtle tartness. Black label is certainly a complex beer – but the real beauty of it is that enjoying it requires very little thought at all. Matt Curtis / boon.be

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B E E R T R A V E L L E R

BREWERIES

1. 360 Degree Brewing A fairly new brewery that has their sights set on moving serious amounts of beer, and with brews like this, why not? Unit 22, Bluebell Business Estate, Sheffi eld Park, Uckfi eld, TN22 3HQ (01825 722375) / 360degreebrewing.com TRY: West Coast #50

2. Beer Me BreweryImpressive Belgian beers made on a 2.5 barrel kit in a Belgian restaurant in Eastbourne. 11-23 Grand Parade, Eastbourne, BN21 3YN (01323 729967) TRY: Blonde

3. Brighton Bier CompanyTh is brewery just keeps getting better and better. A Japanese collab with tea a recent highlight, as is the namesake award-winner. Grab it at the Brighton Bier Dispensary pub. Unit 10, Bell Tower Industrial Estate, Roedean Rd, Brighton, BN2 5RU (01273 567374)/ brightonbier.comTRY: Brighton Bier

4. Burning SkyWell, isn’t East Sussex lucky – this has been voted one of the best breweries worldwide. National accolades keep coming too for the brewery focussing on hop-forward beers, saisons and barrel-aged beers. Superlative. Place Barn, Th e Street, Firle, BN8 6LP (01273 858080) / burningskybeer.com TRY: Saison à la Provision

5. FILO BreweryHastings stalwarts still brewing near the pub where they started, and still turning out some great beers, including a superb Best. First In Last Out pub, High Street, Hastings, TN34 3EY (01424 425079) / thefi lo.co.ukTRY: Croft ers

6. Franklins BreweryFranklins turn out thoughtful cask-conditioned ales (kegged beers are on their

way) with New Zealand-hopped pales and rye beers among the traditional favourites.Pebsham Farm Industrial Estate, Pebsham Lane, Bexhill, TN40 2RZ (01424 731066) / fr anklinsbrewery.co.uk

7. Gun BreweryWe fi rst visited this brewery as they were starting up and now we’re seeing them everywhere. Rightly so, these beers are packed with fl avour. Nice work guys! Hawthbush Farm, Gun Hill, Heathfi eld, TN21 0JY (01323 700200) / gunbrewery.co.ukTRY: Scaramanga Extra Pale

8. Harveys BreweryTh e heritage of Harveys of Lewes began in 1790, and the beers they make are masterful and utterly unique. Th e Best is the best example in the world and the Imperial Stout just an incredible brew. Bridge Wharf Brewery, 6 Cliff e High Street, Lewes, BN7 2AH (01273 480209) / harveys.org.uk TRY: Anything

9. Hastings BreweryWe’ve a lot of love for Hastings, their powerfully hopped beers powered early issues of Original Gravity%. Th ere’s an inventiveness too – try the delightful Slovenian Brown. Unit 12 Conqueror Industrial Estate, Moorhurst Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, TN28 9NB (01424 572050) / hastingsbrewery.co.ukTRY: Mosiac Pale

10. Laine BreweryKnown to most Brighton-dwellers, this brewpub turns out some some wonderful

beers and we’re looking forward to trying more at the Brighton Tap Takeover in April. North Laine Public House, 27 Gloucester Place, Brighton, BN1 4AA (01273 683666) / drinkinbrighton.co.ukTRY: Brighton Pale Ale

11. Long Man BreweryWe’ve been following the fortunes of Long Man for a long time, enjoying their APA, but it’s the Craft y Blonde lager-like pale ale that really caught our attention. Church Farm, Litlington, BN26 5RA (01323 871850) / longmanbrewery.comTRY: Craft y Blonde

12. Th ree Legs BreweryIt was the stunning labels that fi rst caught our attention but these guys are producing a tight range of lovely beers. Burnt House Farm, Udimore Road, Broad Oak, Rye, TN31 6BX / thethreelegs.co.ukTRY: Dark

13. Two Tribes BreweryA collaboration with Island Records showcased the quality of this Sussex brewer who favour collabs and we’re looking forward to more at the Brighton Tap Takeover. Jubilee Estate, Foundry Lane, Horsham / twotribesbrewing.comTRY: Island Records Session IPA

PUBSLEWES14. Th e Snowdrop InnOur favourite East Sussex pub outside of Brighton. Burning Sky on tap and in the fridge, plus plenty more to choose from. Lovely place too. 119 South St, Lewes, BN7 2BU (01273 471018)

15. Gardeners ArmsA wide selection of ales, mostly local, in this cosy High Street pub. 46 Cliff e High St, Lewes, BN7 2AN (01273 474808)

EASTBOURNE16. Th e DolphinA pleasing selection of carefully-curated beers, mostly from local breweries, including Downlands and Gun Brewery. 14 South Street, Eastbourne, BN21 4XF (01323 746622) / thedolphineastbourne.co.uk

17. Th e EagleAlways a good vibe at the Eagle, partly thanks to the diverse selection of beer. It’s nearby sister pub, the Dew Drop, is famed for its burgers.57 South Street, Eastbourne, BN21 4UT (01323 417799) / theeagleeastbourne.co.uk

HASTINGS18. Th e CrownA very highly-regarded pub in Hastings, that serves craft beers, real ales and good food. 64-66 All Saints St, Hastings, TN34 3BN (01424 465100) / thecrownhastings.co.uk

19. First In Last OutSpiritual home of the FILO Brewery (it’s still very close) that is ultra fresh, plus guests. 14-15 High St, Hastings TN34 3EY (01424 425079) / thefi lo.co.uk

COUNTRY20. Sussex OxBeautiful country pub, incredible views of the South Downs escarpment, with an ever-improving selection of beer on keg and cask. Milton Street, BN26 5RL (01323 870840) / thesussexox.co.uk

21. Ram InnA cosy country pub in the same village as Burning Sky, which is oft en on tap. Walkable from Lewes or via the nearby Glynde station.Th e Street, Firle, BN8 6NS(01273 858222) / raminn.co.uk

22. Plough & HarrowLots of Long Man beers that travel less than half a mile, plus Burning Sky and other guests. Th e Street, Litlington, BN26 5RE (01323 870632) / ploughandharrowlitlington.co.uk

FranklinsBeer Me Brewery Th e Crown

360 Degree Brewing

Two Tribes Brewery

Th ree Legs Brewery

FILO Brewerey & Pub

Hastings Brewery

Burning Sky

Th e Snow Drop Inn

Th e Sussex Ox

Long ManTh e Ram

Plough & Harrow

Gun Brewery

LEWES

BRIGHTON

BEXHILLEASTBOURNE HASTINGS

COUNTRY

COUNTRY

Harveys

Gadreners Arms

Th e Dolphin

Th e Eagle

Brighton Bier

Laine Brewery

EAST SUSSEX

A L M A N A C

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