Brodie's, Dalston Black

Finally, finally, finally. Having already eulogised about Brodie's beers in this post I figure it will suffice to say here that this one hit the spot. One point of note though - the best before date was mid-February and I drank it just recently, so it wasn't too fresh I guess. Still had knockout aromas and bags of tropical hop character though. I'm lazy so if you don't know what to expect from this beer, read one of Matt Curtis' early blog posts here.

Brodie's Fabulous Beers, Kiwi IPA

It's slightly telling (and possibly a bit sad) that I can easily recall every instance where I've had a Brodie's beer. The Westow once had Dalston Black and the London Fields Pale on tap (keg and cask respectively), both were incredible. (Occasionally, I'll see the Dalston Black in Ales By Mail, but by the time I get round to making my order, they're all sold out.) The pipes at the Cross Keys weren't too clean (I'm guessing) when I visited, so my London Fields there wasn't too great, and I was only able to have the Mofo Stout in Copenhagen. Pint of Citra (at 5%+) in Brewdog Shoreditch. Apart from the Kernel collab (had in a couple of different incarnations) this bottle (1 of 2 purchased) of Kiwi IPA is the only bottle of theirs I've tried. Beyond intense hoppage to inhale and chew on in this; the pungent and viscous pine sap flavours were in ascendency over citrus for me (contrary to other Brodie's I've had surprisingly). Super full body and savagely, savagely bitter.

I think these beers are only brewed out the back of a pub? Hence there being so few of them available. A shame, I try to snaffle these up whenever I can and I always order them on tap over anything else when I see them. Their collborating with the big boys Kernel and Mikkeller is no surprise: James Brodie's beers are world class. Hope I can one day go to a Bunny Basher, failing that, just a trip up to Leyton would suffice.

Great interview with James Brodie talking about his his beer ethos on the (now defunct) London Beer Blog here.

Kernel Brewery, Black IPA

Reappearance of Kernel's black IPA. Nice enough. I've put one down for Christmas, by when I suspect the malts will have almost certainly taken over. Not so much in the way of hops here. There was a metallic mouth feel at the end of the aftertaste. I preferred the collab with Brodies.

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?

The Kernel Brewery + Brodie's Fabulous Beers: A Scanner Darkly

First had a swift half of this at The Old Red Cow after a job at Fabric. Such a delicious collaborative black IPA from Brodie's and Kernel. Large tropical nose, chewy malts after the juicy glug and lovely lacing down the glass. So, so satisfying. I've had a few of this modern type of ale - Magic 8 Ball (also on keg at the Old Red Cow), Black Rocks, Black Marble, Brewdog's Libertine and Black Betty. Who does it best? The Brits? (I don't think I've had an American BIPA?) I had this after a bag of chips. I love this drink alot - I went back to Oddbins in London Bridge and snapped up a load more.