New Leaf

My good friend and colleague Adrian Tierney-Jones has just informed me that Granville has just been bought by Creemore Springs which, in turn, is owned by Molson Coors.

HOWEVER, it is apparent that the mega-brewer takes a very hands-off approach to Creemore and is planning to be similarly distant with Granville. They've got a track record with leaving White Shield intact in the UK, and the fact that they are investing in an existing craft brewery rather than trying to create a 'fake' craft brewing brand like some of its rivals, is something I find more genuine.

I think it's got to be wait and see, they've proved they can do it both here and in Canada already, so here's hoping that it's only good news for this brewery and its fans.

Thanks for the heads up ATJ!

Celebrate Burn's Night with Whisky Beers!

After all the stress of the penultimate test match coming to a draw I thought I ought to do some work, so please find below the latest info on the next Meet the Brewer at lovebeer@borough.

Award-winning Scottish brewery Harviestoun, based in Alva at the foot of the rolling Ochil Hills, is renowned all over the world for its immensely drinkable beers and now you can meet head brewer Stuart Cail for an early Burn’s Night celebration in London this January 23, with a range of the brewery’s beers and a wee something to nibble on after in the form of the ‘chieftain o' the puddin-race’, Haggis, with tatties & neeps.

Always renowned for its innovation, the brewery is widely acknowledged to have produced one of the first blonde beers, in the shape of Bitter & Twisted, which helped kick-start the rediscovery of the delights of real ale by lager drinkers, and is still leading the charge on exciting beers to this day.

More recently beer (and whisky) lovers on both sides of the Atlantic have warmly received the various versions of the brewery’s complex and esoteric delight Ola Dubh. The name Ola Dubh means Black Oil, and is a gloriously dark, rich thick 8%ABV beer aged in different Highland Park Whisky casks.

The beer comes in 12, 16, 18, 30 and 40-year-old versions* and is ideal as a digestif or paired with strong cheeses like Stinking Bishop or Époisses (*the years refer to the age of the whisky casks the beer is aged in).

The tasting will also include Ptarmigan cask ale, the seasonal brew Haggis Hunter and a comparative tasting of the brewery’s award-winning Schiehallion in both cask and bottle format, much to the delight of co-proprietor of Tickets are just £15 and there are currently two tasting events scheduled, on Saturday January 23 at 1pm and 3.30pm, but tickets are already in demand by word of mouth alone, so more announcements may follow.

Tickets are available from Utobeer or the Rake (14 Winchester Walk, Borough Market, London, SE1 9AG) by emailing melissa@love-beer.co.uk or calling 020 7378 9461.

*this post is for my beer tasting business*

BEER BITES BACK AT BOROUGH

lovebeer@borough and top Scottish beer producer BrewDog have joined forces for a day of tastings on November 29 to herald the start of BrewDog week at the Rake bar and sister market stall Utobeer.

Beers will include such incredible concoctions as Zephyr - a 13% India Pale Ale (IPA) that has been in a grain whisky cask for 18 months with 30kgs of fresh strawberries - and the specially name Rake Raspberry Imperial Stout created from a 10% imperial stout aged in a Smokehead whisky cask with 25kgs of fresh raspberries.

But, don’t be scared, we’ll only be serving them in sensible tasting measures – alongside a selection of other BrewDog beers such as the much-loved Punk IPA, Hop Rocker, The Physics and Rip Tide.

Tickets are 30 quid and available from the Rake and Utobeer on Borough Market or by emailing me melissa@love-beer.co.uk

This post promotes a tasting at lovebeer@borough, which I am a partner in.