Un-Human Cannonball 2015, Magic Rock

My third year of UHC - I loved 2013 (murky and tropical), 2014 less so (blog post here - clear and piney) and for 2015, it seemed as though it was back to murk and Lilt which is absolutely fine by me. (In fact, I much prefer that style to the 2014 style.) Heavyweight body, but easy to drink with hardly any trace of booze save for a slight harshness. Bottle conditioned, which was a surprise (don't think the previous years were?). Big thanks to Manish for saving me a couple.

Magic Rock Brewing Co, Un-Human Cannonball

Noteless for this one from Magic Rock, but you already know what this tastes like right? There weren't as many woeful twitter tales of missing out this year and it seems that there are still a few kegs of this floating about, so I'm guessing that everyone who wanted a taste got one.

I was lucky ('stupid') enough to attend the Craft Beer Co N1 launch of this. I paid £20 for a bottle and got a tote bag too - money's worth for sure! Paid a fiver for a third too! Happy days! Sorry, that's a bit harsh. It's just that Manish got a case in and was charging only £12.50. (Forward slash face.) No one to get upset at but my geek-greedy self.

Anyway, it was a delicious drink, pine sap mayhem, felt like I was sinking my teeth up to the gums into a fleshy piece of bark. Controversially, I think I may have preferred the 2013 version, but it was a long time ago so I can't be sure. If I was flush and I saw this again on keg, I'd almost certainly buy it. And I will get the 2015 version.

Anyone want to buy an Un-Human tote bag for a tenner?

Magic Rock Brewing Co, Cannonball

Alot has been said about the calibre of this IPA from Huddersfield stars Magic Rock, and by people more fully versed in beer related wordery than myself. (This post by Matt Curtis is pretty good.) I agree with pretty much all of what's been said. Sweet tinge from the caramel malts is the perfect foil to the hop wallop in this: there's perfect balance all the way through. Negatives: in short supply and relatively expensive. Not being bottle conditioned is a plus though (for me). Getting a bit tired of the unavoidable yeastiness (however small) in my IPAs at the moment.

Magic Rock Brewing Co, Barrel Aged Bearded Lady

I think that this was the drink that really kick started a drive to sample imperial stouts for me. I drank my first bottle (perhaps somewhat incongruously at the height of summer. I've started to get into saisons as the winter is settling in, think I've got my season pairings back to front somehow...!), of this back at the beginning of August, way before I deliberately started to search out any other similarly styled drinks. After the Un-human Cannonball (bottles of that stored waiting for review + relatively 'special' photo idea) I kind of had the geek-greed for this special edition bottle, so I bought 2 just in case (courtesy of the good folk at Mr Lawrence).

It poured thick and opaque - almost purple. I'd never smelt anything like this before, bitter and dark chocolate, used coffee, liquorice and boozy aromas. The taste for me had all this plus some more wet coffee grounds, the faint tinge of whisky right at the edges, and some hard grape bits - possibly brandy-ish? Peppery smoked meat tinges??

Mouth feel very smooth despite decent carbonation, you could feel the alcohol slightly on the gums (I good thing I think) and a very gentle bitter after. For my 2nd glass from the bottle it was nice to have a Maoam on the side just to sweeten the edge off.

I've had more whisky-er impy stouts since this one (most notable the Kernel BA Glen Spey), but in it's 660ml presentation, wax seal and beautiful bottle graphics, this had an air of occasion about it that adds to the drinking experience. Of course the limited nature of it helped too, plus the hype online and on the Magic Rock website.

Having said that: there's a contingent of electronic music producers/labels that release very rare tunes on a very limited run of vinyl and this alienates those who will never be able to get hold of it. (The vinyl then inevitably appears on discogs at silly, well over-inflated prices). I saw on twitter that beer releases such as this one and the Un-human Cannonball from Magic Rock can have the same effect. I was fortunate to get both, but I think I'd prefer them to be more available, if only to drive down the price a little bit. (Obviously, the rarity adds to the desirability...a double edged sword I suppose.) £12 for 660ml of 10.5% liquid is certainly high. A similar amount of money will get you A Chateauneuf du Pape. It seems that's where we're at with this type of strong beer (leaving aside tax issues on creating beers above 7.4% abv). It is certainly a sting on the wallet, but I for one, am more or less content to pay these prices. For comparison, Kernel did a BA impy at £6/330ml, Mikkeller obviously take the piss even more (and on tap: Even More Jesus from Evil Twin at £13/pint...). Whatever, vote with your wallet I suppose.

Pub Crawl - April 2013

My first trawl across London specifically to visit some of the best spots to get some decent beer.

Cask Pub and Kitchen: Half of a Thornbridge APA on Keg that I wasn't familiar with. Can't remember the name. Not a Chiron.

Bottle of Green Flash West Coast IPA. Had to be done really. Bye bye palette! Actually, I had a Magic Rock Simpleton next (a half hearted attempt to pace myself) and despite the Green Flash, I still managed to taste the signature Magic Rock amazingness in this extremely decent sub 2.8% IPA.

Next was the Cross Keys in Covent Garden. Unpleasantly busy compared to the relatively empty Cask Pub (to be fair, it was post work at around 6pm), we each had a single of pint of the Brodie's London Fields Pale Ale. After singing it's praises (and going to this pub specifically for this pint) I was slightly embarrassed to find it warmer than I'm comfortable with and tasting a great deal less amazing than it did at the Westow House Ale Festival. I know Justin takes immense pride in the beer he sells and I'm certain he makes damn sure that the Westow's pipes are absolutely tip top. This is why his London Fields Pale tasted like it ought.

A short walk away (via an aborted attempt to get a table at Bone Daddies) - the amazing Holborn Whippet, situated on the beautiful Sicilian Avenue for a burger and a couple of halves of Moor: Dark Illusion and Nor'Hop. However they dispense their beer, they seem to make Mr Hawke's beers taste even better - both drinks tasting amazingly smooth and delivered at the perfect temperature. What a difference from the Cross Keys! Been to this place a few times now, love it.

Up the road to the Euston Tap, a pub housed in one of the only surviving parts of the original, Victorian built railway station. Half a Magic Rock High Wire APA on cask followed by a half of Thornbridge St. Petersburg on keg - both brilliant. First time for me to have a Magic Rock on cask - the jury's out on a comparison with keg until I actually do a proper test. The St. Petersburg may have been the catalyst for my recent move away from hoppy pale things to darker drinks. Great pub btw - knowledgable yet low key staff, not too busy. Could've done with a bar stool by that point in the evening though.

The Craft Beer Co in Brixton was a short tube ride away from Euston. Half a Wild Beer Company Fresh from the keg. Describing the bottle in a recent post, I mentioned how this half on draft basically made me re-evaluate whether I actually liked the drink or not. I get the feeling that despite having the same name, the two drinks were actually very different. Anyway, either from hop-fatigue-syndrome, a ruined palette or simply just general tiredness, I'm sorry to say I didn't enjoy my last half of the evening.

One quick thought on the prices - whilst I absolutely understand the reasons behind charging £3.50+ for a half, it can be prohibitive. I love imported keg ales (and the UK ones) but it'd be great for them to be more 'democratic'. Having said that, I suppose the high price makes them a luxury, which isn't necessarily a bad thing: some of my most memorable experiences drinking a particular keg ale have been, I suppose, memorable by virtue of their being so rarified, as much as the taste itself.

All in all an enjoyable evening and I'm glad my mate James and I did it. 4.5 pints + a bottle, but I wouldn't have said I was drunk. Certainly not sober, but tactically interspacing the heavy hitters with session ales helped keep me compus mentis. I don't think I'll be 'craft crawling' again in a hurry though. I think I'd prefer to stay in one pub (destination pub or not) with an amazing selection and stick to it. Either that, or keep it organic - do it like the old days when I didn't care what I drank as such and went with the good company instead. I love tasting beer and I adore discovering new beer brands and flavours. Where I can, I'll always steer people towards a decent beer pub. But isn't 'going out for a drink' meant to be about the people you're with rather than what drinks the pub has?