Finally beer is changing its credentials, from being
depicted a masculine, boozy, beardy man drink to a much loved and crafted
tipple for everyone.
I’m not ashamed to say that I love beer and would feel
extremely lost without it in my life.
For anyone who has met me they have always been surprised by how
I am the complete opposite from what a beer drinker/lover would be described
as. For one I am not a man, I am not old (well not quite) and I do not have a
beer belly.
For my love of beer is for why I started this blog and I’m extremely
happy to have met like-minded beer loving ladies, female beer sommeliers and
plenty of incredible female brewers.
From start to finish the whole process of beer is almost
magical and now with so many micro breweries, craft beer establishments and
beer festivals popping up all over the UK we must all feel very proud and privileged that we are now a nation of some of the best beers world wide.
Of course I am not saying that we are using pure British
ingredients to create pure British beer as many modern brewers are now using
new world hops from the likes of America, Australia and New Zealand, but they
are also turning these hops into something completely new and exciting.
I’m very proud to say that I’m originally from Derby a small
city in the midlands, which was once maybe forgotten about as a city of good
beer, but now some delightful little breweries are putting Derby back on the
beer map.
In fact some of my favourite beers of choice at the moment
are from Derby.
I was lucky enough to be invited to The Dancing Duck Brewery
in a warehouse just a little out the town centre of Derby.
The very lovely husband and wife (Ian and Rachel) founded
the brewery in 2010 and have grown from strength to strength ever since.
I have persuaded my beer supplier to get in a good selection
from them and now they have at least 6 of their brews, which are heading to
London each week.
My favourites from Dancing Duck
have to be AY UP (a delicious well hopped PA 3.9%) and Abduction (a well
rounded IPA 5.5%) both great beers, with exciting flavours using new world
hops. I took my dad on the tour with me and it was really inspiring for us both
to see what they have achieved and dedicated their lives too. They also have a
couple of pubs near by The New Zealand Arms and the Exeter Arms both proudly
representing a wide array of Dancing Duck Beer.
My dad wanted to add that his
favourites were also Abduction and the Dark Drake (4.5% Oatmeal Stout). My dad
is now a regular at the New Zealand Arms and is enjoying supporting the brewery
and enjoys a manly pint or three every week.
But Seriously if you haven’t had the
pleasure of trying a beer from these guys then please make it your next pint.
Places that are bringing Dancing Duck to their pumps are, all good boozers in
Derby, Burton, Leicester, Effra Social in Brixton, London, Westow House Crystal
Palace London and many more to come. Find out more about them here. www.dancingduckbrewery.com
Just to name a few of my other
favourite beers and breweries creeping in from Derbyshire are as follows
·
Buxton Brewery (Moor Top, 3.6%, they use the
American Chinook Hops, citrus, hoppy bitter flavours). www.buxtonbrewery.co.uk
Thornbridge in Bakewell (Jaipur 5.9%, rather a
head blower, but citrus, hoppy, dominant, with a taste of honey) Ladies love
this one. www.thornbridgebrewery.co.uk
Why not try a beer from the Black Iris Brewery,
which is based in a live music pub called the Flower Pot just out the centre of
town. (Iron Gate Stout, 5.5%, mega rich flavours, with Pacific Gem hops from
NZ).
'North vs South'...
So moving swiftly on to another
part of the country I will be forever loyal too… London!
London is now home to so many
fantastic microbreweries and these breweries are really taking the lead in
craft beer production and creating a new, trendy cool scene for all who
welcomes it. Craft beers are still
rather new and experimental to us Brits, with it only being 3-4 years ago
before these started to hit our taps.
London beer especially has never
created such a stir as it has in recent years with an impressive array of cool,
laid back bars and restaurants, with a very further West influence who are not only pouring perfect pints of local beer but are
producing their own out the back.
‘Britain's real ales have often had a whiff of Middle
Earth about them: a dated, hobbit-y appeal unredeemed by packaging emblazoned
with Viz-style cartoons and crummy puns. The beers may have been delicious but
dodgy branding and lackluster marketing limited their appeal’
I have now had the chance to hit
up some of these bars/pubs/restaurants and taste some very impressive beers that I just
can’t stop talking about.
The top of my Brews would have to
come from these London Breweries mainly dotted around the back streets of North
and East London.
The Kernel Brewery, Bermondsey
The Kernel brewery was founded by Hackney
resident Evin O'Riordain, now 37, who started brewing in 2009. Evin had a
background in food and drink, including three years at Neal's Yard, and a
little home-brewing experience, but it was a trip to an American microbrewery
that spurred him to start brewing on a larger scale. The Kernel's base under
the railway arches in Bermondsey is as simple and unassuming as their packaging
and they are wary of the hype that has built around craft beer. A
self-described 'beer fascist', Evin will not sell beer that is more than eight
weeks old because it loses its fresh, hoppy aroma.
Beavertown Brewery at Duke’s Brew & Que
‘Byron
Knight, 43, and Logan Plant, 34, joined forces in November 2010 with the aim of
converting Dalston pub The Duke into a beer and barbecue joint; the result is Duke's Brew and Que and it's home to
Beavertown Brewery. It was 18 months in the making, and they've only been brewing
since December last year. Byron, a former wine sommelier and life coach from
LA, handles the restaurant side of the business while Logan from Stourbridge
looks after the brewing’.
Camden Town Brewery
‘Jasper
Cuppaidge, the 37-year-old founder of Camden Town Brewery, came
to London from Australia on his gap year 15 years ago, but got drunk and missed
his flight home. He decided to stay and eventually bought his own pub - the
Horseshoe in Hampstead. Dismayed by London's dismal range of locally brewed
beers, he vowed to make his own, and the first batch was brewed under Camden's
railway arches in September 2010. Since then Camden Town Brewery has gone from
strength to strength’.
Crate,
Hackney Wick
‘Crate Brewery was founded by Tom and Jess
Seaton and Neil Hinchley, three long-term residents of Hackney Wick. By a
canal, it's an airy pizza restaurant with an attached microbrewery. It's only
been open a month, but with few pubs in the area it's become a welcome local
for the growing number of artists and creative’s that are moving into this part
of London’.
and now some hoppy sop...
It
really is so good to see that the beer scene has completely done a 360, not
only is it inspiring to hear that so many young worldly individuals are
creating incredible brews but that they have made beer drinking cool again and
not only for men but finally…finally for women. Let’s give these talented and
inspiring brewers from all over the world a big cheer!
I
could indeed waffle on for hours and hours about how amazingly delightful beer
is and how it deserves respect as a leading brand and product, but I will let
you head down to your nearest finest pint pouring establishment and let you
decide for yourself.
The
face and taste of beer is changing and with the help of a multi culture society
and our over seas friends there really is know better time to experience some
of the best beers ever made.
