[blacklion1725]

Went to the Peterboat (Leigh-on-Sea, a couple of miles inland on the Thames Estuary from Southend) yesterday. They had a big tent set up and were doing a mini beer festival fora few days (first day yesterday). You could try-before-you-buy which was handy as I didn’t care for many of the 40 or so offerings. I’m not sure why people think beer should taste of lemons or oranges – I’d rather it tasted of beer. I don’tmind a hint of this or that but some of them are so overpowering I don’t think you’d know it was beer if you had a blindfold on. A lot of them are so over-hopped as well, not pleasant to drink. I’m all for variety and small/micro-berewers (some great ones in Essex and especially Kent) but a lot of stuff getting produced now is borderline undrinkable for me.

[Dave Rice]

I deliberately bought some sour beers from Beer Hawk as I’ve tried some European brewed ones in the Wildman. Lambic, Gose, Beliner Weisse and Flanders Red are well known ones. The one I remember most from the Wildman is a sour Saison (Belgian farmhouse beer).

I haven’t tried the Rodenbach Red (Flanders) or Sofie (Saison) yet and I’m keeping the Timmermans Kriek (cherry Lambic) for when my daughter comes back from Uni as she loves Krieks.

What I have tried are the British and American ones and their idea of sour is to load them with citrus and / or salt. Not unpleasant  but one a night is more than enough and the only one I’d go back to is the (Bristol) Wild Beer Sleeping Lemons and then only on a hot summer day in their bar on the docks.

I guess the Belgians have just been doing it for much longer and know what they’re about. Lambic is a bit of an art form in that it’s left exposed to react with wild yeasts and it has to be between +8 and -8 centigrade so that limits the brewing season.

[Dave Rice]

#2 son coming home for his birthday this weekend. He lives in Leeds now so we tend to push the boat out a bit when he visits as it’s only a couple of times a year. Anyway, looking at somewhere to go for Sunday Lunch and saw this on the drinks menu at the local gastro pub and immediately thought of you BL:

SIREN SOUNDWAVE IPA
This hazy orange IPA has a zesty lemon aroma followed by flavours of grapefruit, mango & peach, subtle bitterness and a clean, moreish finish. Soundwave carries her drinker to the west coast, to the golden shores of California where craft ale is nectar.

Pretentious? Moi?

They do a cracking roast though and always have something drinkable on the hand pump and usually Doom Bar too.

[RSB]

@ricedg Oh no, hope he has not succumbed to being a Leeds supporter. ?

Americans: Over Sexed, Over Payed and Over here, Wat Wat!

[blacklion1725]

Dave that sums it all up.

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