This week in the Beersi Brewing League we see Everton host Arsenal, who have just ended an embarrassingly long period without a trophy with last season’s FA cup win over Hull City. Everton are the only Premier League team to have an alcoholic sponsor on their shirt, so they’ll have Chang Lager fighting their corner. Arsenal, who now reside on a bed of lies in North London, were originally formed 12 miles south in Woolwich, and so have the wonderful Hop Stuff brewery as their representative.
My first experience of Chang Lager was actually at Goodison Park, where I watched Everton take on the mighty Spurs in a goalless thriller that was without a doubt worth the 8 hour round trip, and all things considered the beer was pretty pleasant too.
To make the comparison between a mass produced lager and a microbrew slightly fairer, I have to say that as far as lager at football stadiums go, Chang was a welcome change. The standard at most the stadiums I’ve been to is Carlsberg, and it seems to have been brewed especially worse for football fans as some sort of punishment… perhaps the Danes are still upset about the 3-0 battering we gave them at the 2002 World Cup?
I love the traditional relationship between beer and football so I have a lot of time for Chang lager keeping this up, and even more so because they actually sell the stuff at the ground. This sounds like it would be obvious, but at the Carling Cup final in 2007, the beer on offer was Carlsberg.
Hop Stuff Renegade IPA
To start this section off I have to say that it’s incredibly hard for me to say anything positive about something that has come out of Woolwich; that possibility went straight out the window the first time I saw 11 red shirts line up against my lilywhites.
This was until I tried a beer from the guys at Hop Stuff brewery anyway, and in particular their flagship IPA, Renegade. When I first tried this in a pub in South London, I was skeptical because of the subtle Arsenal references on the pump clip, but after my initial long gulp, I was content with my decision to get a pint of it and happily admired the orangey/gold beer that was remaining in the glass, before quickly taking my second sip.
For the purpose of this article I ordered some Renegade online to refresh my memory (taste buds), and I was relieved that the sticky, citrusy, and piney tones all still come through in a bottle as well.
The Result
Unintentionally this has been a bit of a lengthy article compared to previously, so on that note I’m predicting a long and boring game up at Goodson Park this evening. Against everything I believe in, I’m giving Arsenal the win here; the IPA is a cracking beer and the brewery have a really good range on offer as well; besides, it’s not their fault they’re located in the same area a small club were formed all those years ago.
The Beersi Map locates everywhere I’ve had a pint in London. From the new craft beer spots that are popping up to the traditional pubs where you can grab a proper pint of real ale. Check it out here if you're stuck for ideas!
For the opening Premier League fixture of the Beersi Brewing League we have the Hammers hosting revenge hungry Spurs at Upton Park. In the claret and blue corner we have the East London Brewery, and on the North London side we have the Beavertown Brewery, who have just recently relocated a mere 2 miles from White Hart Lane.
East London Brewing was conceived by a husband and wife in 2011 whilst they were expecting their second child, and they’ve all been growing quickly since. The first beer they produced was the Pale Ale, which has gone on to become their flagship beer. For me this beer is a little chewy and a little too sweet, my tongue was left wanting some bitterness at the back to balance it all out, and I didn’t find the whole thing particularly easy to drink.
Now whilst I’m aware that a book shouldn’t be judged by its cover, I’m also incredibly shallow and find it really hard not to do it with beers. Sadly, the packaging of this beer is as boring as watching West Ham’s long ball football on Match of the Day every week, and it didn’t get me particularly excited to drink the thing in the first place.
Beavertown Brewery Gamma Ray APA
This part of North London means a lot to me. I’ve been visiting White Hart Lane with my family since I was 4 years old, and now my favourite brewery has moved to town and my affection has grown that little bit stronger. Gamma Ray is an absolutely cracking American Pale Ale with plenty of tropical and earthy hops, as well as a touch of sweetness that isn’t too overpowering.
The thing that makes me love this beer and brewery even more is that the can is so bloody cool. Beavertown dared to scrap the rule book with their new tinnies, and the outcome is amazing.
The Result
I take the articles I write here very seriously, so of course I’ll be leaving all club loyalties aside when predicting the result of this one. I’m going for a 6-1 win to North London’s Beavertown Brewery, with 2 own goals and a red card for West Ham.
The 2014 Beersi Brewing League starts on the opening weekend of the Championship, with Millwall FC hosting Leeds United. For the South London based Millwall, we have Kernel Brewery representing, and out of West Yorkshire we have the fantastic Saltaire Brewery.
There are a lot of breweries in this area now but Kernel are really running things in terms of popularity and arguably taste as well. The Pale Ale is a great go-to beer if you like your lively pale ales, and equally a nice starter if you're just getting into craft beers. It's beautifully hopped with tropical and citrusy flavours and has that bright orange colour that makes it look like liquid gold. At this time of year it's the perfect tipple for kicking back and watching Soccer Saturday, or even Soccer AM come to think of it.
Saltaire Kala Black IPA
I spent my student years in Leeds and it was here that I fell in love with real ale thanks to the Saltaire Brewery, so they do hold a special place in my heart. The Kala Black IPA is a great example of the tasty brews they're producing; it's cool and refreshing with a big American hop presence, but then you also get those harsher malty flavours coming through that make you want to stuff a whole cake made out of it in your mouth at once.
The Result
It's hard to separate these two beers as they're both really delicious, and if you see either of them in a pub it's likely that they'll be the best thing on the menu. Based on the fact that I could (and have) drink the Kernel Pale Ale until I can drink no more, I have to go for a high scoring 5-4 in favour of the guys from London.
To get us in the mood for the upcoming Premier League season to begin, as well as the potentially more thrilling Beersi Brewing League, I wanted to talk about beer at football stadiums, and ultimately how to make the most out of a bad situation.
Tip 1: Since realising that my body deserves better than tinned Carlsberg poured into a plastic pint glass, I've adapted to standing outside a newsagents in Tottenham High Road, making the most of the strong polish lager that's literally as cheap as the chips next door. Small newsagents that are commonly owned by non-Englishmen tend to have an international beer range on offer that's far more interesting than the supermarkets, (Extra tip: these also serve as the ideal place to pick up a couple of extra beers for the journey home) and better than the pubs which are jam packed and tend to have a selection similarly as bad as what's inside the stadium. The ironically branded pint below was handed to me in a pub before a game in Hull, with something that sort of resembled Stella Artois inside it.
Tip 2: Most stadiums sell a bitter that's hidden beneath the rows and rows of lager, so if you're in the stadium early soaking up the atmosphere, you could do much worse than trying what's on offer. It's often served out of a can, like the London Pride is at Spurs, but some have it on draught, John Smiths at Wembley for example. I fondly remember a cracking pint of Worthington's on a cold evening in Norwich that was soon ruined by a last minute penalty miss by Clint Dempsey. You do have to be careful not to be tricked though, somewhere in the midlands I was once poured Guinness from a can that was conveniently lined up beneath a non functional Guinness pump to give the impression it was on draught, at least they cared what I thought I suppose.
Tip 3: Journey juice. If you want to get tanked up for a game, it is essential to have at least a couple of beers whilst travelling to make up for the game time when we're prohibited from drinking. The benefit of this is obviously that you aren't restricted in what you choose to drink, but it also means the excitement can begin much earlier.
Despite the craft beer revolution being in full force, we're still a long way away from football stadiums getting in on the action. It seems crazy that with the amount of craft breweries in London, none of the London clubs bother acknowledging them, Tottenham based Redemption Brewery have a beer named after the team for gods sake! Anyway, until that day comes, I hope this helps you to cope a little bit longer.
Introducing the Beersi Brewing League, where I combine the beautiful game with beautiful beer. I'll take a fixture each week, pick two local breweries and make a prediction of the result based on the beer. Visit The Page Here!
Received this in my Beer52 monthly delivery, in both a can and a bottle, which I thought would make for a nice little comparison.
For an IPA it was a bit too sweet, which upset me a little because I was craving/expecting some bitterness, especially out of the can as I’ve become used to drinking Punk IPA and All Day IPA in this way, which are both deliciously hopped.
With the bottle it seemed like some of the flavour was trapped if you kept it in there, but then once poured into a glass it had lost some of its life; I didn’t have either of these problems with the can.
The tinny also tasted much fresher than the bottle, which explains why so many people are packaging their beers in this way these days.
If it were up to me, I’d tell Crafty Dan to stick to the can.
Within an hour of landing in Ibiza I was on a beach drinking Estrella, freshly poured from the beach hut behind me that had space for just one glistening pump. Not long after my second or third glass I started planning my migration to this wonderful island, with the ambition of starting the Balearic craft beer revolution all by myself. This had nothing to do with me not enjoying the constant stream of ice cold Estrella, I was just certain I’d found a gap in the market.
Unfortunately I hadn’t, and someone was a few steps ahead of me, so I had to put my lager down and check out the competition.
Isleña was the first glimpse we got of something other than mainstream lager, and with large billboards across the island claiming it to be the ‘beer of Ibiza’, you’ll find it in most restaurants and bars. The beauty of this beer starts and ends with the bottle though, as the stuff inside was pretty bland. It had a hint of spice and was slightly more malty than lager, but sadly it didn't offer an exciting alternative as I'd hoped.
The Ibiza Summer Ale from Ibosim is a genuinely good beer that would hold its own in any craft pub in the world. Made with only natural ingredients of the highest quality, it was full of hops and just what my tastebuds had been missing. It was super refreshing in the weather as well, so I had to go back for seconds, which was just as tropical as the first.
The bar lady warned us through an array of hand gestures that the Mossa Ale would fizz up when we opened it, and I’m glad she did because the bottle actually went crazier than a teenager on his first lads holiday. The beer poured dark red and tasted full of berries, which unfortunately made it a bit too sweet for me.
After the excitement of finding a craft beer bar and raiding their small range of beers, we never went back. My brother bought a few extra bottles to take back to the apartment, but I was content with San Miguel stubbies from the freezer. Despite my constant ambition to try new beers at home in the UK, here I was happy drinking glass after glass of whichever mainstream lager was on offer.
On my last day in Ibiza I was lying on the beach holding 2 plastic cups, one filled with Mahou and the other with peanuts, when I read this quote from Pete Brown:
“Life is simpler in Southern Europe, and it’s appropriate that the beer is too”
After hours spent trying to work out why I’d rekindled my love for lager here in Ibiza, Pete went and summed it up in one sentence.
Ice cold beers are hard to come by on those days spent in the park drinking tinnies from One Stop, unless you’re lucky enough to be in possession of a beer cooler that is. Even if that is the case though, I’m sure you still find yourself pining for a few frozen margaritas and no way to get them.
The answer to your problems may be closer than you think, with the Coolest beer cooler far surpassing its original kickstarter target of $50k. The Coolest includes solutions to all of the above problems, as well as a built in waterproof Bluetooth speaker, bottle opener, and integrated storage for plates and knives.
I've been in Ibiza for the last few weeks drinking too much lager, which explains why the site has been pretty inactive for a while now. I'll be back in the UK next week, but follow me on Twitter for more frequent updates
If you can't stand the impact your fridge is having on the poor polar bears, look no further than this environmentally friendly beer cooler to ease your conscience.
For just shy of $5,000 you could aboard a 14 day luxury craft beer cruise that sets sail down the East Coast of America in November, exploring a range of shore-side craft breweries all the way from New York to Miami, via the Caribbean.
Sound good? Read more at nydailynews.com
If you’re going to choose a hop for your single hopped pale ale, Citra is a pretty safe bet. Oakham have nailed it with this simple brew that tastes exactly how it should, like Citra. Distribution is good on this beer and it’s pretty easy to find, which is handy because it’s bloody easy to drink as well.
I’ve enjoyed the not so famous cousin of Brooklyn Lager on a few occasions now, and each time has been an absolute pleasure. Brooklyn East India Pale Ale takes inspiration from English IPAs of the past, before adding in the coolness of Brooklyn to create a (hip-)hop-heavy wonder that is a great ode to our across the pond friendship.
If you work in the Soho area and like a good beer, you're probably already excited about spending your week nights at the latest branch of this craft beer Mecca. If you're not local, you could do a lot worse than having this near the top of your pub crawl list the next time you're in London.
I've never been too good with maths and numbers so the naming convention of this brewery's line up is all a bit confusing for me, but if we disregard something that's ultimately unimportant, the beer really speaks for itself.
