The Beer You Are Drinking Right Now

[GrandOiseau]

Tonight I am drinking Troubadour Obscura, It's from the Belgian brewery "The Musketeers" who disappointedly on their website tell us very little about themselves. Their beer list shows us they have 8 beers in the Troubadour range. Breweries that do this always confuse me a little because for a start the 'range name' often seems like the brewery name and second there seems to be no commonality within the range. Anyway from the same said website here is the official blurb:

Troubadour Obscura is a mild dark red-brown beer with a balanced Belgian twist. Immediately after the first sip of this beer, the difference with other Belgian dark beers becomes apparent. The solid taste of malt originates from the combination of four different malts used in the brewing of this beer. Discover all the different notes: chocolate, coffee, vanilla… Troubadour Obscura is the perfect match to complete a dinner on a winters eve.

I am getting the vanilla for sure. Not so much coffee but then I don't like a strong coffee taste. Some chocolate bitterness, yep. Bit of acidity on the palate. It's complex but it is very nice.

Another piece on the website says:

The first thing that comes to people’s mind when they hear the word ‘stout’ is a very heavy tasting dark beer that does not go well with eating. With Troubadour Obscura, we wanted to offer an alternative to the sweeter abbey beers by combining flavours of an English Porter or Stout in a dryer, maltier dark beer. Four sorts of malt used in the right balance lead to various flavours, just right for a game dish or stew.

It's certainly not sweet and it's not far off a strong old style light mild. I'd buy again and would be interested to try some of the other Musketeers/Troubadour beers.

[redsturgeon]

troubadour magma is delicious..

John

[BrummieDave]

Very impressed by Lagonda IPA which, from Marble Brewery in Manchester, I could equally have posted about on the 'Pub recommendations for Liverpool and Manchester' thread.

It's a not too strong, not too hopped, not too citrusy, modern keg IPA, and perfect for a hot day. I had it on draft, but it's available in bottles too.

[JMN2]

not too hoppy I hear..a beer needs to be crisp and dry and as hoppy as possible.

[BrummieDave]

not too hoppy I hear..a beer needs to be crisp and dry and as hoppy as possible.

Then you should like it, as Marble describe it thus: An India pale ale with a golden malt base complimenting a quadruple addition of hops. All of which precede a floral and bitter finish. A proud contemporary classic, just like its name sake the 1927 Lagonda.

Perhaps I didn't notice all those hops, it wasn't my first pint of the evening! I just wanted to post how much I'd enjoyed it, as I'd never had it previously.

Enjoyed some Wildbeer Fresh Pale Ale on draft last night, now that is very hoppy.

[JMN2]

not too hoppy I hear..a beer needs to be crisp and dry and as hoppy as possible.

Then you should like it, as Marble describe it thus: An India pale ale with a golden malt base complimenting a quadruple addition of hops. All of which precede a floral and bitter finish. A proud contemporary classic, just like its name sake the 1927 Lagonda.

Perhaps I didn't notice all those hops, it wasn't my first pint of the evening! I just wanted to post how much I'd enjoyed it, as I'd never had it previously.

Enjoyed some Wildbeer Fresh Pale Ale on draft last night, now that is very hoppy.

I'll take my comment slightly back, I have had twice I think a beer that was too hoppy, not the floral aroma and flavour but the front end bitterness, it was like sucking a wire brush. Not pleasant.

But I don't like the current trend of mangos and papaya, del monte fruit coctail without any bittering hops.

[DiamondEcho]

Goin' on a road-trip tomorrow over to the Black Sea. Hoping I might find some local beers of interest on the way.

[GrandOiseau]

Sunday had Hacker-Pschorr Weisse £2.45 from my collection - nice quality wheat beer. Quite classy and worth trying if you like your wheat beers.

Tonight Wild Beer Sourdough £3.64 which is a bit pricey for a 3.6% ABV beer! But it as it was conceived of 6 months before the brewery opened, uses a 58 year old sourdough culture and has been ageing in oak barrels for 4 months I guess I can cut them some slack. It's a Berliner Weisse style beer and I have to say right up my street. They are right when they say it has "lovely gentle rounded fruity sourness" though someone new to the style may not feel the same. It's a barely yellow/golden hazy beer with a lemon, zesty, sharpness. Recommended.

[Skotch]

2 that I have been drinking at my local most recently have been Titanic Brewery's famous Plum Porter - bloody lovely for the cooler evenings this week, and Longhorn unfiltered IPA (5%) from Purity Brewery in Warwick. It seems to be a standard keg offering in most Everards pubs, but is an eye-watering £4.50 a pint (£1 more expensive than most other beers in my local). I would have thought that as a keg beer, its shelf life is unlimited and therefore not subject to spoilage and the need to sell it quickly, so commanding a lower price? Or am I just a Fool for thinking this?

[redsturgeon]

On Tuesday night for my usual "poker and beer" session I had this one from my local Red Cat brewers. Hand pump from the cask

http://www.redcatbrewing.co.uk/beers/grapefruit-crush

Described as:

A deliciously zesty un-fined beer using fresh grapefruit rind and lactose to add a little body and soften the mouthfeel. Spicy tropical aroma and lingering finish.

Style: Milkshake IPA ABV: 4.5% alc.

IBU (estimated)
28

Malt
Low colour (lager), cara hell, flaked torrified oats, wheat malt + lactose.

Hops
Cascade, Chinook, Citra, Galena, Warrior.

Yeast
Red Cat regular house yeast, US05 variant.

Allergen advice, contains:
Barley, oats, wheat.

It is delicious...at 4.5%, slightly stronger than my normal 3.6% session Red Cat Prowler but after the first pint I could not stop ordering a few more.

Fortunately the poker still went Ok for me!

John

[GrandOiseau]

2 that I have been drinking at my local most recently have been Titanic Brewery's famous Plum Porter - bloody lovely for the cooler evenings this week, and Longhorn unfiltered IPA (5%) from Purity Brewery in Warwick. It seems to be a standard keg offering in most Everards pubs, but is an eye-watering £4.50 a pint (£1 more expensive than most other beers in my local). I would have thought that as a keg beer, its shelf life is unlimited and therefore not subject to spoilage and the need to sell it quickly, so commanding a lower price? Or am I just a Fool for thinking this?

Plum Porter is an excellent beer for sure.

As for your question this article suggests that the answer is keg beer is more expensive than cask because drinkers will pay more for it.

The slightly more complex answer casks price has been down by the big producers. Craft keg by it's nature is a different market in terms of producer and audience which allows it to sustain an at least partly artificially high price.

[redsturgeon]

In my local there are usually about ten offerings on tap for a beer drinker.

Two lagers, two standard Greene King beers hand pumped from casks in the cellar, two or three local beers from small craft brewers also hand pumped from the cellar. Two or three craft beers tapped straight from the cask.

All prices are similar...although tbh I would not know exactly since I just run a tab that I settles once a month, it's about £4 per pint.

It always amazes me though with all that wonderful beer available, all my poker playing friends drink boring keg lager...philistines!

John

[BrummieDave]

During the mini heatwave last week I saw Wildbeer Yadokai on draught, a strong (13%) beer, described by the brewery as "Sake-inspired, Yuzu, Sea buckthorn, and Seaweed".

It was dangerously drinkable, but I limited myself to a half, and reminded me of Snakebite (made with Strongbow and Special Brew!).

[AleisterCrowley]

St Peter's organic bitter.
Nice bottle (and I know they're a carefully manufactured 'brand' aiming to give the impression of a long history, whilst being founded in..1996)
Not too bad, a bit too 'brown' for me

[redsturgeon]

Ok so maybe not drinking RIGHT now but one for later this evening.

A parcel arrived containing my favourite Caribbean Chocolate Cake Beer from the great Siren brewery. Yum!

No name to say who had sent it but a quick bit of Holmesian stuff told me that the only person who knows this is one of my faves is my old mate Graham!

Cheers Graham. With friends like you, who needs enemas!

John

[BrummieDave]

Was there any room in the box for any Soundwave? Got to be one of the best new beers IMHO.

Last night, to celebrate Waitrose now stocking Beavertown's three staples, I had a can of each: Neck Oil, Gamma Ray, and Lupuloid, all brilliant and just what I needed for a Friday!

[redsturgeon]

Was there any room in the box for any Soundwave? Got to be one of the best new beers IMHO.

Last night, to celebrate Waitrose now stocking Beavertown's three staples, I had a can of each: Neck Oil, Gamma Ray, and Lupuloid, all brilliant and just what I needed for a Friday!

No Soundwave but I love that too...I can send my address...my birthday is next week!

John

[AleisterCrowley]

I had a fine bottle of Undercurrent last night, and regularly buy Yu Lu (luckily Windsor Waitrose stock both)

[JMN2]

Lanchester beer festival tomorrow and Sunday but it's raining now and the footpaths might be muddy, I was going to combine some walking and drinking.

[redsturgeon]

A few bottles of Hogsback TEA on Thursday night at the Ivy, very pleasant.

Last night drank some bottles of Redcat Sun Valley Saison while dining al fresco* in the middle of Winchester which was very very good. (the beer and the dining)

John

* Talking of which I am off the "the common people" festival today in Southampton featuring Lily Allen.