FERMENTwww.beer52.com / Issue #7 / £4

NEW BEERRESOLUTION

LOOKING FORWARD TO 2015, AS WE LOOK AT HOMEBREWING , FOOD PAIRINGS AND OUR NEW

MUSIC FEATURE FROM PLUS ONE MAGAZINE

EXPERIMENTS IN THE GLOBAL CRAFT ALCOHOL MOVEMENT

2014: A CHANGE IN MINDSET?

HOMEBREWINGPLUS ONE MAGAZINE

JADE FARRINGTON LOOKS AT THE YEAR PAST, AND PREDICTS MORE OF THE SAME FOR CRAFT BEER IN 2015

Editor: Laurie BlackBeer Taster: Chris MillerProof Reader: Jade FarringtonBeer puns: Andrew ‘Beard’ White

JEN NICOSIA GIVES US AN OVERVIEW OFHOMEBREWING, WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON THE ROLE OF YEAST

OUR NEW YORKSHIRE FRIENDS GUIDE US THROUGH THE ALTERNATIVE MUSIC SCENE

CREDITS

P. 6

P. 8P. 18

SHE AND HEMVICTORIA AND JO OPEN OUR EYES TO BEER AND FOOD PAIRINGS - FROM CHEESE AND CRACKERS TO CHOCOLATE BROWNIE

P. 10

BREWERY PROFILESFEATURING KRAFTY BREW, FOURPURE AND OAKHAM ALES

— 3—

HELLO

Hello!

Everybody have a good Christmas? We hope that Santa was good to you and that your day was full of laughter, joy, mirth and copious amounts of craft beer.

Welcome to the first issue of Ferment in 2015, and we hope that this year is going to bigger, better and beer-ier than ever before. We’ve got upcomingarticles on homebrewing, the international craft beer scene, bar reviews and festival round-ups as well as regular features such as whisky corner and of course, profiles of the eight featured breweries each month.

For our new members, it’s great to have you on board! Beer52 are the largest and fastest-growing craft beer club, and also a recent winner ofStartup’s ‘Business of the Year’ Award! We aim to source and share eight stunning craft beers every month, from Barnsley to Belgium and Glasgow to Greece.

We’re still quite a small team, so are always looking for you to get in touch and tell us what you think. We’re active on Twitter and Instagram at @Beer52HQ and also on Facebook (who isn’t these days?). We’ve also recently launched a Fantasy Football league, with the Beer52 team currently (at time of print) sitting pretty at the top! Get involved and knock us off our perch using the code: 187343-712927.

We hope you enjoy this month’s features, and if you’d like to provide any comments, suggestions or contributions for future issues, just drop me an email at laurie@beer52.com.

Cheers!

Laurie Black - Editor

2014: A CHANGE IN MINDSET?

It would be fair to remember 2014 as the year craft beer really arrived in the UK. Fantastic bars like Manchester’s Port Street Beer House and countless London pubs have long served a knowingmetropolitan audience without stirring the consciousness of the mainstream beer drinker. As the year ended I’d helpedsuccessfully launch Firebrand Bar &Restaurant, a combo craft beer bar and American restaurant in my small Cornish town which had microbrewery kegsselling out on an almost daily basis. There is no Fosters, Carlsberg, Heineken orBudweiser on sale, just a relentless churn of the best brews from the likes of Flying Dog, Founders, Thornbridge, Dark Star and owners Penpont and FirebrandBrewing Co. And, touch wood, it’sworking. Lager drinkers are happily opting for a bottle of Camden Hells or pint ofFirebrand’s Prosaic Lager. Guinness fans are exploring the taste of Tamar Black from local brewer Holsworthy Ales; and pale ale drinkers are tripping overthemselves to make their way through the row of taps.

This willingness to do without well-known brands and try something different seems to be spreading itself through society.Supermarket profits are taking ahammering while farmers’ marketsincrease in number and organic food box suppliers struggle to meet demand.Customers care, perhaps more than ever, about where their food comes from and the quality it exhibits. But it’s not just food where we seem to be going back to basics. Big names like Abercrombie & Fitch are struggling, while vintage clothingemporiums can’t restock their shelves quickly enough.

It’s been argued that we’re afterauthenticity, but what’s authentic about an ‘American’ pale ale made in Sussex or a ‘vintage’ line fresh from the sewingmachine? I think we’re just fed up of the flawless, mass-produced, lowest-common-denominator drudgery. We want something different, regardless of itsgenuine credentials. And so we flock to that new porter from that backwaterbrewery in Arkansas – not because it’sauthentic, but because it’s different. Itprovides us with the new and ever-varied experiences giant corporations cannot. We just want to be spared from slick, soulless boredom. And that’s what makes 2015 so exciting.

BY JADE FARRINGTON, BEER52 MEMBER

— 5—

the new love triangle. it’s not cheating.

all the flavour. half the fat.

available at waitrose

KRAFTY BREWKrafty Brew specialises in quality craft beer and has been open to the trade and public since August of this year. It was started by husband and wife Marcus and Marina Doherty and with the help of investors and Head Brewer Mike Ward is starting to grow and flourish. Krafty Brew emerged from a passion of craft beer and the need to share this passion, as not only do they sell to trade but they are also set up as a ‘brew-it-yourself’ brewery. This means thatcustomers are able to come into the brewery and make their own favourite beer using the bestingredients. From beginning to end they can beinvolved in every step of making their beer.

Krafty Brew has a core range but always have a limited edition beer on the go, e.g., a Krafty Christmas Brew. The core range is made up of seven beers; Chocolate Stout, Grapefruit IPA, Sail the 7 Seas (seven hop IPA), Whiskey IPA, Kama Citra (hoppy, zesty IPA), Krafty Pils(Pilsner) and American Amber.

Stout drinkers aren’t surprised that they like this and non-stout drinkers are

surprised that they do. The chocolate and coffee flavours are well balanced

and not overpowering, just enough to give it a richness that makes it really

smooth and easy drinking.

ABV: 6.1%IBU: 18

@KraftyBrew

FOU

RP

UR

E

The Fourpure name makes reference to the brewery’s ethos, which is all about staying true to the principles of brewing andrespecting the four core ingredients used to make beer: grain, yeast, hops and water.

Fourpure produce a range of year-round core beers, with none being filtered, fined or pasteurised. The range includes a classicexample of six key styles of beer: Pilsner, Pale Ale, Session IPA, IPA, Amber Ale and Oatmeal Stout. Their edgy, experimental side is demonstrated in their Outpost Series, with Lady Grey IPA, Belgian Triple, Double IPA and Pumpkin Weizenbock. These areavailable in limited volumes, but is very much Fourpure’s opportunity to push the limits of creativity and innovation.

London has a rich history in producing dark beers, and we

love the smoothness imparted into a stout by the use of oats.

British Goldings hops with dark chocolate malt make this a

rich year round black beer.

ABV: 5.1%IBU: 30

@fourpurebrewing

— 7—

At Plus One Magazine we’re head over heels about exciting, creative music in all its forms. We’re also extremely passionate about lovely beer and the craft ale world. Over on our blog you’ll find weekly posts on these two combined topics, written by our team of enthusiastic reviewers. Albums, gigs, interviews, ales, breweries and other selective features are all there.

@PLUSONEMAGAZINE PLUSONEMAGAZINE.BLOGSPOT.COM

ALBUM: MENACE BEACH

‘RATWORLD’

facebook.com/menacingbeaches

Menace Beach are the latest beast to rear its head from the churning waters of the Leeds music scene, a scene which isintegral to the very fabric of the band. MJ from Hookworms, Sky Larkin’s Nestor Matthews and Matt Spalding of YouAnimals join the creative force of Liza Violet and Komakino’s Ryan Needham for debut LP ‘Ratworld’, which is set for release on January 19th. The band has just completed a tour with Pulled Apart By Horses, whose bassist Robert Lee is an erstwhile collaborator, as is Paul Draper of Mansun.

The follow-up to the ‘Lowtalker’ EP sounds something like a paean to the fuzz pedal recorded in a Californiagarage in the ‘90s by a band raised on Britpop – and it’s great. From thefrenzied ‘Lowtalkin’ (nothing to do with the earlier EP), to the swirling ambience of gentle slow-burner ‘Pick Out ThePieces’, the album is an accomplishedcollection of familiar sounds re-worked into fine indie-rock tunes, more often than not boasting killer pop hooks.

Credit: Joe Ponting

The band mostly serve up choice cuts of straight-ahead indie, doused in anirresistible fuzzy warmth; ‘Drop Outs’ and album opener ‘Come On Give Up’ bounce along on the back of infectious - if inoffensive - mid-tempo riffery. The energy is raised for album highlight ‘Elastic’, which displays the vocalchemistry between Violet and Needham to perfection.

The band aren’t afraid to deviate from their winning formula however,grunging things up on ‘Tennis Court’ and bringing waves of headphone-bothering feedback into play on certifiedshoegazer ‘Blue Eye’. Theexperimentation keeps things fresh and interesting, and the only real bum note on the record comes in the form of the dissonant chorus of ‘Dig It Up’.

The wheel has certainly not beenreinvented on ‘Ratworld’, but that was never the point. The point was todeliver a record full of songs as retro as the old NES game from which the band took their name, and while that game was a duffer the album is anything but.

‘Ratworld’ is out on January 19th 2015 on Memphis Industries.

PLUS ONE MAGAZINE PRESENTS...

— 8—

Don’t be completely fooled by any ‘new band’ tag that gets attached to thisLondon based trio of noise-makers. While Horsefight may be at the humblebeginnings of their outputs, theirpedigree of previous, equally roaring incarnations (Yourcodenameis: Milo, Young Legionnaire) promises great things.

Loud, with driving song structures, and even the occasional vocal resemblance to Cardiff’s never forgotten Mclusky, this band are finely tuned thoroughbreds when it comes to making music. Their live experience has been tearing throughvenues in London, and hopefully is set on galloping up and down the rest of the country very soon. In January, twoblistering, face shredding tracks (‘Mum & Dad’ and ‘Adam & Eve’) will be online, hot off the back of last years single‘Derren Brown’.

We asked Horsefight what they’d be if they were a beer...

“We’d be a dark brew of Ommegang Three Philosophers, as it’s bloody heavy and also relates strongly to our philosophy asphilosophers.”

facebook.com/horsefightband

Credit: Pete Jackson

BAND: HORSEFIGHT

GIG: THE MARK LANEGAN BAND

London - Jan 28th (plus more dates across the UK & Ireland).

Mark Lanegan is still relevant,inspirational, highly creative andnecessary in music – over twenty years since fronting one of the best, oftenoverlooked grunge era bands, Screaming Trees. Since then he’s collaborated andappeared with a vast amount of artists across many genres - provided vocals for Queens Of The Stone Age, formed The Gutter Twins with Greg Dulli, teamed up with Isobel Campbell, Soulsavers, Duke Garwood and many more, as well as recording a string of his own albums, both solo and with the ‘Mark Lanegan Band’.

This relentless creative force released his latest record, Phantom Radio, in October 2014 and he and his band are nowplaying an eleven date sweep of the UK and Ireland, following with a Spring tour into Europe.

Dates, tickets and more at: marklanegan.com

Credit: Pete Jackson

Photos: Steve Gullick

— 9—

— 10—

One of the many areas in which Bristol excels - alongside balloon fiestas, harbour festivals and street art - is craft beer. New establishments are popping up everywhere, showcasing the weirdest, wackiest and, most importantly, tastiest brews from near and far. Some have been critical of this upswing, but it is 100% fine by me. You can be a fan of traditional pubs and also these new fangled craft beer hang-outs. I know this, because I am one, and many others are too!

Furthermore, as a budding connoisseur of all things hop, and a keen fan of having all my food and drink arrive on my doormat, when I saw that Beer52 were looking forpeople to review their beer delivery service, I was more than happy to volunteer. The opportunity to have eight different craft beers delivered to my front door was too good to pass up, and having previously given a beersubscription as a Christmas present I was really keen to try it out for myself!

After some extensive background work looking through all the beers, researching the styles and earnestlydiscussing food pairings, we chose the beer with a pig on the label. Because, pig. Setting aside the excellent,porcine themed label design, this is “Cerdos Voladores” from the Barcelona Craft Beer brewery: a zesty, fruity IPA of a style very much at the vanguard of the craft beer movement. As a fan of the city, I was keen to keep in the spirit of our Catalan chums and pair this with something typically Spanish. Hence, gambas et ajillo! That’s garlic prawns to me and Google Translate.

From my admittedly limited knowledge of beer and food pairings, I know that your typical IPA is said to best be accompanied by a spicy dish, and so we went for this chilli infused creation. I can confirm that the tastemakers don’t lie – the punchy, lemon-y flavours of the beer took the edge off the heat, whilst enhancing the sweetness of the dish. A light and refreshing lunch,especially when paired with a simple salad.

BEER & FOODWITH SHE AND HEM

I was flipping excited when they arrived, so much so that I spent several hours days researching andmeticulously planning and pairing the beers with the perfect food accompaniments to really make the most of the review experience. I roped my OH in to help with the cooking by promising to share of all the beers, and having prepped a little 4 course menu to spread over the day, here is how we got on.

— 11—

From such big flavours, there was really only one direction to go; bigger. The second beer we chose (and not just for the equally excellent label art) was “Ascendancy” from the Panda Frog Project, an experimental off-shoot brewery of North Tyneside’s Mordue. As a girl normally into her chocolate stouts, and one known to get a bit giddy at just the thought of a second round, I was a bitnervous about this higher ABV beast of a beer! Especially one described as a “Belgian Double IPA Weizen Hybrid”, I had no idea what to expect!

After being assured by the OH that it would be a good ‘un, we dove on in, pairing this big flavoured brew with an equally bigflavoured Teriyaki Chicken stir fry (with home made teriyaki sauce and garlic paste of course). I can confirm that the floral,tropical kick of the DIPA side of the beer was present and correct, a lovely thirst quencher after the spicy, marinaded chicken, and an appealing accompaniment to fresh crunchy peppers, bean sprouts, pak choi and redpeppers.

The “weizen” element (a traditionallyGerman style of hazy wheat beer, brew fans) gave the beer more body than I wasexpecting, and helped to soften the impact of that big tropical tartness. Unusual, but highly recommended.

And now we’re back in my comfort zone. For afters, we naturally opted for my go to sweet food of choice, the prince of puddings, the don of desserts, the sultan of sweets, the chocolate brownie. Paired, mostappropriately, with the delicious coffee-infused Toasted Porter from Iceland’sEinstok brewery, a brewery from which I’ve tried and enjoyed beer from before when visiting Iceland. It was a satisfying and waist expandingly indulgent way to end asatisfying and waist expandingly indulgent day.

As keen coffee fans (who, us?), we even add-ed a little local flavour to the brownie, stick-ing some of Extract Coffee Roasters‘Kiangoi in the batter. The porter was smooth and rich, and unlike a lot of similar beers, neither too heavy nor overpowering. As we head into winter, I can imagine settling down in front of a Christmas box set or two with a bottle of this, idly sipping over the course of a few hours.

— 12—

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE AN ARTICLE TO ‘FERMENT’, PLEASE EMAIL LAURIE@BEER52.COM. CHEERS!

Oh sorry, you didn’t think we were done did you? All that eating really made us work up an appetite, so a little more research later, and we found that you simply can’t enjoy an Oatmeal Stout without a good chunk of aged cheddar. So naturally, we followed this advice and opted for a simple, paired down snack of cheese and beer, using the Belhaven Brewery’s Scottish Oat Stout. The oatcakes, crackers, apple, pickles and chutneys just forced themselves on us, ok? Again, the tastemakers are on it with this – the velvet-y, silky texture of the stout was a nice base for the strong cheese. As a person not normally into such cheese, I was surprised and impressed! This was another delicious beer from the darker end of the scale, perfect for warming one’s cockles by the fire candle on a cold night.

Thanks Beer52 for expanding my beery horizons and for giving me a good excuse to getcreative in the kitchen! If you fancy having a little tasting session yourself and want a cheeky

discount code, just pop SHEANDHEM10 into the ‘got a special code’ box on the Beer52website for £10 off of your order. Also, if you would like any of the recipes for the food items

in this post, please get in touch!

KNOPS BEER COMPANYKnops Beer Company is located at Archerfield Brewery in East Lothian. Robert Knops studied Brewing & Distilling at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. After having a multi-faceted career with the big boys, in 2010 Robert decided to go independent and set up Knops Beer Company.

Using a fusion of art and science to brew a range of beers that are designed for flavour andrefreshment, Knops like to think of themselves as craft beer engineers. They take their inspiration from historical beers and have a broad selection, including a brisk and malty Scottish Ale, a hoppy and invigorating Pale Ale and also Black Cork: a dark and delicious beer with historicalconnections to Deacon Brodie.

Coming soon are their Limited Relase beers, with the first of these being Crazy Wrangel – a Belgian style wit bier brewed with bitter orange peel,coriander seeds and a hint of rosemary.

Aroma: Clean, slightly

woody, slight hints of

spice.

Flavour: Initial malt

sweetness balanced by

bitterness, light toffee

notes followed by a

lingering secondary

bitterness hit that is

refreshing rather than

overwhelming.

ABV: 4.6%IBU: 27

@Knops_Beer

— 13—

FIREBRANDFirebrand Brewing started with a pretty simple ethos: ‘we want to create beers that we want to drink’. Since being established in early 2014, the Cornwall-based Firebrand brewery has gone from strength to strength, with an excellent selection of beers that still adhere to the original mantra.

Despite delivering straight to London to meetdemand, Joe and Chris are proud to be usingnaturally soft Cornish spring water, along with the finest British malted barley and hops from around the world. Their bold, edgy branding is consistent with the character of their beer, ensuring theirsuccess and popularity amongst a broad cross-section of beer drinkers.

Rye PA - Brewed with crystal Rye and Maris Otter Pale Ale,

this beer combines the spiciness from the Rye with bold US hop

flavours from Columbus hops, used with Centennial in the boil

and dry hopped for three days.

ABV: 5.5%IBU: 45 @FirebrandBeer

STOP PRESS!GOVERNMENT DEFEATED ON PUB TIES

Never doubt that a small group ofcommitted citizens can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that does.

To paraphrase Margaret Mead, the vote to unshackle tied publicans was achieved by the most disparate group of campaigners imaginable. From the Federation of Small Businesses to the licensees’ branches of Unite and the GMB, we got round what had to be quite a big table. No expenses, norefreshments!

Most remarkable of all were thepublicans. Being a licensee can be a lonely business, yet they cametogether in a way never seen before in order to defeat the pub ties which force them to buy particular beers from the big pubcos at well overmarket rates. Social media givespeople with common interests the ability to connect; and connect they did. Tenants of the biggest pubcos have been supporting each other through disputes that often drove them to the brink. In some cases bankruptcy, homelessness andill-health are the prices paid.

That personal edge has been at the heart of the campaign for change and the right for publicans to buy their beer of choice at a fair price.

Those cases, too, are what drove the vote. MPs spotted the industryscaremongering about pub closures for what it was. When they see good pubs go, they form their own view. When more and more pubs are being lost to supermarkets withoutplanning permission they get angrier still.

Enterprise Inns’ figures published the day before the vote, ironically, show it now leases 22 closed pubs to the likes of Tesco, such as the Maiden Over inEarley, Berkshire. And MPs see themicrobrewing revolution and hearresidents say: “Why can’t I drink that excellent ale in my local?” This vote has the opportunity to open up 15,000 pubs for small breweries and means you could soon be enjoying your favourite craft beers in pubco-owned pubs.

GARETH EPPS IS THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS CO-ORDINATOR FOR THE ‘FAIR DEAL FOR YOUR LOCAL’ STEERING GROUP AND A CAMRA MEMBER. HERE HE EXPLAINS HOW CRAFT BEER COULD SOON BE ON OFFER IN YOUR PUBCO-OWNED LOCAL FOLLOWING THE GOVERNMENT’S DEFEAT ON PUB TIES WHICH DOMINATED THE MEDIA AT THE END OFNOVEMBER.

— 14—

The campaign was launched in a pub closed by Enterprise Inns at hours’notice, and reopened as a free house after a community campaign. The launch cost a little over £1000 which was the main campaign expenditure. With passion, expertise and not alittle skill among our volunteers, who needs staff? We needed no othermotivation than blatant injustice. When I was elected to a council 14 years ago, my first task was tore-house a couple turfed out of their local after 30 years by a pubco. Sadly I’ve seen it happen all too often since.

There is more to be done. We need to stop the ridiculous planning loophole which allows pubs to convert intosupermarkets without permission, and CAMRA’s Pubs Matter campaign is designed to do just that. The pubcoindustry backlash has beenhysterical and will no doubt generate fresh myths to bust. But for now we can watch the Bill progress through the House of Lords, as theGovernment has said it cannotoverrule the will of Parliament. We can thank the 11 coalitionorganisations including of course CAMRA; the inspirational Lib Dem MP Greg Mulholland; rock solidLabour support led by Toby Perkins; and Minister Jo Swinson, without whom there wouldn’t have been a Bill at all.

Cheers!

— 15—

IF YOU’D LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE ANARTICLE TO FERMENT MAGAZINE, JUST GET IN TOUCH WITH THE EDITIOR

AT LAURIE@BEER52.COM. CHEERS!

— 16—

AUSESKENCerveses Ausesken is located in Olost, a small village in the heart of Catalonia.

At the brewery, they are sensitive to the environment and especially theirimmediate environment. That is why the fuel used in the production process isbiomass; clean energy obtained from cleaning and forest regeneration.

It is also important to reuse waste: they give draff to a nearby farmer to feed their cows, with hops and ash from biomassbeing used as a natural fertiliser for fields. The production process has a strongemphasis on craftsmanship, with the beers not being filtered or pasteurised. Fermentation gives natural carbonation to our beers, without the need to add CO2. Beer undergoes maturation for a month, in which sensory aspects such as taste and aroma are defined and outlined.

Ausesken Beers began its activity in 2009 with an annual production of 120 hL,producing for nearby specialised shops and restaurants. At present ourproduction is 300hL in 2013, with growth forecasts of up to 25% in 2014.

SAVOURSandy Kirkpatrick first got into beer and brewing after a weekend trip to Belgium in 2009. He was completely amazed by the quality and variety on offer, and fell in love with the culture and attitudetowards beer. On his return to the UK, he noticed – much to his disappointment - that the market at the time tended to focus on American styles rather than the styles he had found in Belgium.

It took Sandy a few more years to buck up the courage to quit his job, put thebusiness plan together and work outexactly how he was going to do it but in March 2013 he brewed the first batch of Blonde. Practising ‘gypsy brewing’initially by borrowing the brewingequipment at Oxford’s Compass Brewery, they now have a core range of three beers: Blonde, Saison and Dubbel as well as their flagship beer, the ‘Champagne-style’Sparkling Beer Brut.

Savour’s passion for beer and brewing comes from Belgium and this is reflected in the style of beers that they make. The emphasis is placed on brewing beer that is balanced, has exceptional flavour and is beautiful to drink.

Nose: A fruity aroma with hints

of spiced orange and coriander.

Palate: Smooth, medium

fullness with citrus notes.

Finish: Pleasantly sweet

biscuit malt with a gentle

bitterness emerging.

ABV: 6.5%IBU: 25

@SavourBeer

On the nose we have citrus

fruits, green fields and notes

of spice. Possesses typical

acidity of wheat beers but

includes a hoppy bitterness.

Overall quite complex and

pleasant.

ABV: 4.6%IBU: 20

@ausesken

— 17—

OAKHAM ALESOakham Ales is one of the most respected names in craft brewing with a worldwidereputation for its innovative approach and for the quality and consistency of its brews.The brewery’s superb beers have won over 200 major awards.

The brewery’s signature brews are light gold in colour, hoppy, full of flavour and refreshing -contemporary beers appealing to a wide range of consumers worldwide

Production Director John Bryan makes regular trips to the USA to select the hops used in their beers - ensuring that Oakham Ales stay at the very forefront of craft ale brewing.

The brewery is located in La Rioja, in the town of Nalda. A uniqueenvironment that leverages the high quality of water in the area, raw materials and latest technology to satisfy the palates of discerning brewers.

The unique selling point of Ceriux is their use of concentrated grape must, providing aromas more commonly found in wine - another important product of this magnificent region. Each Ceriux has its own personality rich in nuances.

Ceriux Rubia - refreshing, complex,

long-lasting with cereal and citrus

aromas and a balanced bitter finish that

lengthens its taste.

ABV: 5.4%IBU: 21 @CervezaCeriux

CERVEZA CERIUX

The featured beer in this month’s Beer52 box is the Green Devil IPA, a winner of Champion Cask Ale at the 2013International Brewing Awards.

This follows the success in 2012, being crowned the SIBA East Overall Champion Beer.

Green Devil IPAAn amazing hop harvest

aroma with tropical fruit

bursting through. Smooth

and fruity starting with

passion fruit, pineapple, and

mango developing into

lemon, limes and a citrusy

bitterness. Finishes with a

crisp refreshing dry

aftertaste.

ABV: 6.0%@OakhamAles

HOMEBREWINGJEN NICOSIA FROM SEATTLE TALKS US THROUGH HOMEBREWING, AND THE ROLE OF YEAST IN PRODUCTION.

@JENELIZJENELIZHOMEBREWS.TUMBLR.COM

Statistically, beer is great. Apparently, craft beer is better. Consumers have been drinking it, multiple versions of it, by the barrel. The craft beer revolution isopening the door to a whole new world of flavours, aromas, ingredients, and colours of brews. With this, a new generation of home brewers has surfaced. Whether for hobby, sport, career or general interest, the home brewing experience allows the beer connoisseur to step up their game andextensively identify what is wrecking their palates. There are two primaryfactors the brewer focuses on during the beer making process – wort (the liquid made up of water, hops and either extract or grain) and yeast.

The life mission for a clan of yeast is to consume as much sugar as possible,excrete alcohol and carbon dioxide, and then hibernate while we drink up their remnants. It is the yeast that determines whether a beer is considered an ale, lager or weizen based on how each strain reacts during their fermentation cycle. Within these three ‘categories’ are many strains to choose from which establish overall style and taste. For example, a lovely Christmas Ale could have been made from American Ale yeast creating a clean, crisp profile or Scottish ale yeast for a heavier, stronger version.

Yeast are quite temperamental andrequire specific conditions to give offcertain flavours like esters, banana taste, clove or that really sour astringency you find in a Belgian style. In order to make a great beer, the primary job of the brewer is to create the perfect environment for yeast to produce the desired product. How can brewers be so manipulative?

Yeast activity is influenced by theconditions of the wort as it is theenvironment they live in during theirfermentation cycle. Many factors can be manipulated including sugar content,fermentation temperatures and hopadditions. Brewers provide sugars for yeast to eat by steeping grains to release glucose, maltose and other proteins, or use the syrup version of this called ‘extract’. Most home brewers use extract syrups as it is much easier and less timeconsuming. Recipes include the amount of extract needed to provide enoughsustenance for the yeast to functionproperly and produce enough alcohol. Okay, so the extract and grain sugar are what yeast eat, now what?

— 18—

The extract or sugar water from the steeped grains is added to water and boiled for at least 60 minutes to sterilise the ingredients. As previously stated, yeast are very sensitive and any kind of bacteria can cause an infection in the beer, causing ‘off’ flavours so cleanliness is important. One way to combat infection is to add hops at the time the boil starts as the hopresins provide a sterilising compound that releases throughout the boil and keeps the wort stable. Other hop additions are used to provide aroma, bitterness and flavour to the final product. Some may even add hops after the wort is cooled, called dry-hopping, to give a really robust ‘hoppy’flavour like that of an IPA. Now that the wort has boiled for at least an hour and the hops are added, it is time to quickly cool the wort to the appropriate temperature, pour it to the fermenter and add (or ‘pitch’) the yeast.

Overall, the process is quite simple: boil water, add extract, intermittently add hops, pour to fermenter, add yeast, wait, pour to bottles, wait, drink – though, with true dedication to each individual step, it can also be quite complicated. Either way, home brewing is a great way to dive into the beer and experience the making of the greatest product in the world!

— 19—

Brooklyn Brew Shop’s Everyday IPA Beer Making Kit contains all of the ingredients and equipment needed to make one gallon of delicious craft beer in your own kitchen. Brooklyn Brew Shop offers an entire line of stylish, space-conscious andreusable brewing kits andingredient mixes for seasonally-inspired beers, such as Chocolate Maple Porter, Jalapeño Saison,Oatmeal Stout and more.

BROOKLYNBREWSHOP.COM$40.00

WH

ISK

Y C

OR

NER

Last month, we looked at the most misunderstood aspect of whisky: age. This month, we’re going to feature arguably the most overlooked factor: maturation.

Maturation, unsurprisingly, refers to the process of whiskybecoming older and more mature. By law, this is always done in oak casks and for a minimum of three years. Indeed, it cannot be called ‘whisky’ unless this is the case. As we explained last month, thecommonly-held myth is that the longer it has been matured, thebetter the whisky. Although true in some cases, the real question to be asking is HOW the whisky has been matured.

In over 90% of cases, the new make spirit is placed into casks made of American White Oak (quercus alba), which will impart light, sweet flavours. Usually, the casks have previously held bourbon, so the bourbon characteristics of vanilla and honey are soaked into the wood, before being passed on to the spirit. The reason why thispractice is so common is because it is by far the cheapest option. In the US, casks are only allowed to hold bourbon once – resulting in thousands of barrels being available for whisky producers to use.Indeed, the cost of an ex-bourbon barrel is typically around £70.

The main alternative to this is for casks made of European Red Oak (quercus robur), with the majority coming from Jerez in Spain and having previously held sherry. The wood will therefore impart rich, spicy flavours such as dried fruits, cinnamon or darkchocolate and the whisky will take on a dark mahogany colour. However, there is a price to pay for all this depth of flavour and complexity: around £700 per barrel, to be precise.Macallan are a good example of a distillery ignoring the cost to ensure quality, with a high proportion of their whiskies having been solely matured in ex-sherry casks. Lesser knownexamples include Glenfarclas and the outstanding Glendronach (pictured).

In addition to sherry and bourbon, distilleries are increasingly us-ing various ex-wine casks to mature their whisky. A good example is Edradour, which uses casks seasoned with Port, Marsala, Sauternes and Chardonnay to name but a few. In the last few months, a key trend that has emerged is the use of ‘virgin oak’ – maturation in new casks that have not held anything previously, resulting in sweet,delicate flavours.

In summary, the main issue regarding maturation should be HOW, as opposed to HOW LONG. If the answers are ‘well’ and ‘for long enough’ respectively, you’ve got yourself a treat.

Next month we’ll look at smoky whiskies with a special emphasis on Islay, and introduce ourselves to the maltman’s friend, peat.

— 20—

SPIRITS: OLD SALT RUM

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO UPGRADE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO INCLUDE SPIRITS, JUST LOG IN AND CHANGE YOUR PACKAGE IN YOUR BEER52 ACCOUNT.

This month we’re thrilled to be featuring Old Salt Rum from the English SpiritDistillery. After a bit of confusion about our spirits package, we can say that for the time being, things are going to stay as they are!

The English Spirit Distillery is a small batch, privately-owned distillery based in Dullingham, near Cambridge in the UK. They are the first distillery of their kind in England.

Their batch size is typically 80 bottles or so. All hand-distilled and filled. Care andattention to taste and detail are paramount, so when they end up in your glass you will be assured that you are drinking the best that can be bought at that price. Theirelegance and finely-balanced notes, mouth feel and finish make for sips to savour with friends and family.

Old Salt Rum

The distillery makes the only rum that is fermented and distilled in the England, from molasses. A truly exceptionally rum. They selected a range of mouthwatering molasses and raw cane sugar to form the starting delight of the rum. Aromasinclude the whiff of hot treacle, syrup puds and much more. Dig deep and there is such complexity, enough to challenge a fine malt.

Molasses and raw cane sugar are not yeast’s best friends. They take a good old time to give themselves up forfermentation and even then it is a long fought battle. Some things are certainly worth waiting for and Old Salt Rum is one of them. When the final yeast bubbles have come to pass they wrestle the old devil into their naturally-intended destiny, our fine copper still. The aromas are nothing short of exceptional.

The Old Salt comes off the still at about 71% ABV, and she is cut with precision, leaving only a perfect heart. This is knocked back to a spot-on 42% ABV. She is a rare devil and we’d like everyone to have the chance to taste this incredibly fun and complex, rich sip.

Look for rich bitter treacle, silky smooth caramel, dark cocoa notes, vanillasmoothness and a lingering smile.

— 21—

BEER52.COM IS NOW THE WORLD’S LARGEST AND FASTEST-GROWING CRAFT BEER COMMUNITY. THERE’SSO MANY WAYS TO GET INVOLVED:

TWITTER: @BEER52HQ AND #BEER52OLYMPICSFACEBOOK: LIKE US AT FACEBOOK.COM/BEER52HQINSTAGRAM : @BEER52HQWORDPRESS: BLOG.BEER52.COMFANTASY FOOTBALL: JOIN OUR LEAGUE! 187343-712927

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

BEER52 OLYMPICS!

— 22—

If you’ve missed the hubbub of activity on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, we’ve recently launched the Beer52 Olympics - an idea which is designed to ensure that the best

beers are recognised and celebrated.

However, we need your involvement! Each month, upload a photo (here’s one we prepared earlier) of your top three beers, arranged in a jolly podium-esque fashion. This can be done on Twitter and Instagram (@Beer52HQ) and also on Facebook (facebook.com/beer52HQ), but

please remember to use #beer52olympics.

At the end of the month, we’ll have the thrilling task of adding everything up,before announcing the overall gold, silver and bronze medal winners!

Each year, as a special treat, we’ll then compile all the gold medal-winning beers into one super-duper Beer52 box.

Sound good?

On your marks, set, GO!

IN YOUR BEER52 BOX, WE HAVE...

BREWDOG EDINBURGH’S ‘BEER SCHOOL’

NEXT MONTH...

— 23—

PLUS FOUR OTHER BEAUTIES!

AND YOU GET

YOUR FRIENDS GET

£10 OFFTHEIRFIRST BOX

£10

Our most generous o�er reserved for friendsof Beer52 members. That’s only £1.75 a bottle!

A FREE BOXFOR EVERY3 FRIENDS

If you have 1,000 friends, that's 28 yearsof free beer, ripe for the picking indeed.

DRINK UNLIMITED FREE BEER FOR LIFE

INVITE YOUR FRIENDS

SHARE YOUR REWARD CODELog in to your Beer52 accountand share your code online.

UNLOCK OUR BEST OFFERYour friend will get £10 o� their �rst box and free delivery.

UNLOCK A FREE BOX OF BEERFor every 3 friends that you sendour way we’ll send you a free box.

HOW IT WORKS1. 2. 3.