Strong Beer

The Yang was insanely bitter but was otherwise rubbish (because, I suspect, it was not at all fresh). Rip Tide (dated branding!) was brill as was Tsar (although it had this weird minty/root beery thing going on I think). Tickle Monster was great, but a little too flat, maybe a little too sweet and had bloody enormous lumps of yeast in it. Wyoming Sheep Ranch is easily the pick of this bunch. Had it few times over the years, keg at the Old Red Cow and a couple of bottles too. When fresh, it's an instabag. Can't find my bottle shot for it though :/

Beer Bottles Revisited

There's a spot at the end of my road, at the beginning of Crystal Palace Park, which is loosely fenced off from the public. In it, there are shipping containers, park benches, Victorian iron railings, old bins, tires, pillars from the old gates and all manner of outlying city space detritus (leather chairs, playing cards, beer cans, footballs, washing machines etc). It's a wonderful space between spaces. I've been there a few times now over the past year to photograph beer bottles for this blog and I'm fascinated to revisit the site over time to see the previous entries untouched by human hands yet ravaged by the elements and overtaken by the undergrowth. Have a look at my other blog (here and http://reverendmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/crystal-palace-14th-march-2014-2.html) to see more images of this great space which probably won't last for too much longer once the Zhongrong Group gets started.

Tesco Finest, American Double IPA (Brewdog Hardcore IPA)

9.2% of (Brewdog) IPA from Tesco for £1.99?? Yes please.

Brewdog, Libertine

Top drawer BIPA from Brewdog. I've had Libertine from a few places now (most randomly on my bro's stag out in Bratislava - on keg and in great shape), my first bottle didn't come until recently though. Perhaps not as exciting as the keg version (less obviously hoppy I think) but a worthy adversary to the hallowed Brodie's Dalston Black. Singly hopped with simcoe I discovered today! Another tick for that hop for me. Part of their core range now. FAO Sainsbury's: please stock this.

Brewdog, Jackhammer

Noteless once again for this West Coast IPA from Brewdog. I suppose you can know what to expect from this drink: full body encapsulating the marriage of pine + tropical fruit flavours (I've always found that WCIPAs tend to err more towards the hoppy, resiny side of the things, as opposed to, say, the fruitier Kernels or Partizans), not too fizzy mouthfeel and enduring bitter aftertaste. Simon over at CAMRGB said in a post that his version was bottle conditioned - I've had 2 of these now, my first had some very minute 'bits' in, the second was clear. (This post talks a bit about their brewing process which might explain some of the stuff floating in the bottle?)

Brewdog, Dead Pony Club

I'm a big fan of beers that have a lot of flavour but a low alcohol content - they enable me to have a delicious drink and to have the confidence that I'm well under my daily recommended allowance of alcohol (whatever that is). (Such beers make you wonder about what on Earth people like Carling and Fosters are bothering to do when Brewdog, Kernel and Magic Rock can make ales that are well under 4% abv which sometimes excel their stronger compatriots in terms of flavour.) This US style pale ale by Brewdog has a fat nose of refreshers, thoroughly carbonated but not a great deal of head. The initial bitterness didn't really last long unfortunately. These are now available in my local Sainsburys at a pretty decent £1.69. Although the Punk IPA sells more it seems (that part of the shelf is nearly always empty), I definitely prefer the (seemingly) more intense US inspired flavour of the Dead Pony Club.