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Guest Tales is a beer blog by Richard and Alex. We’ll try to post often on the most notable guest ales and other beers we try. Follow us on Twitter: Guest Tales, Richard and Alex!
Filed under: Guest Ales | Tags: batemans brewery, celtic fc, christmas ale, criterion, rosey nosey, villareal fc, winter ale, winter warmer
The Criterion 10/12/2008
Today found the authors of this blog chained to work and working late: one stuck in a lab and one behind a desk. The glorious winter day unappreciated by either of us but for the occasional glance out the nearest window. One of us waited on rodents while the other sifted through three years of amateur landscape photography. Before long, the sun had disappeared and the photo-sifter realised he’d not yet left the house and the day was over. He sighed and filed a few more pictures, wrote a few bits and pieces and munched on the odd peanut M&M. A glance at the web told him his co-author – the one with the rats – was finally finishing work, 4 1/2 hours after sundown.
Rarely has a pint been more necessary.
The question raised: fancy thai and a pint?
Yes and yes.
We decided to meet at The Criterion, though with a get-out clause should the available guest ales be underwhelming. The rodent-herding-neuroscientist scouted the beers and reported back to the easily-distracted-oversleeping-wannabe-writer-wine-snob. The guest beers were both Christmas ales and of good provenance. The Criterion it would be, then.
I – the easily-distracted-oversleeping-wannabe-writer-wine-snob – arrived to find Alex – the rodent-herding-neuroscientist – nosing a dark amber pint filled almost to spilling point. He tried to find space among the legion of Celtic fans watching the 2-0 win over Villareal. I asked which he’d chosen: Rosey Nosey, from the Batemans Brewery.
I’ll be honest. I love Christmas in part because good brewers turn out some absolutely cracking ales to celebrate. Dark, spicy, nutty brews with high ABV and a slightly sweet more-ishness that gets the blood flowing back to the limbs numbed with cold. Winter warmers indeed. So I ordered a pint of the same and waited for a table to clear.
Unlike the first post here, we weren’t full of greasy food. We were ravenous. Does beer taste better when you’re hungry? Perhaps. That’s more Alex’s territory than mine though.
Richard - The pint shows a nice burnt amber colour, though holding it up to the light gives off a bit more red.
Roasted walnuts on the nose with a touch of spice and cocoa powder, along with a hint of sawdust.
The palate follows through from the nose – a wonderful nuttiness; walnuts and pecans with some dusty nutmeg, cloves and allspice lingering on the edges. Rich but very clean. The hoppiness keeps everything tight and refreshing. Not quite as unctuous as some winter warmers, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes the classic Christmas ales can be too gooey and sweet, hoping to shove all the richness, hedonism and indulgence of the holiday season into a single pint. Which often winds up being all one can handle of them. This is different, perfectly suited for a second or third helping. Lovely purity on the finish. Might have to go for another tomorrow.
****1/2
Alex - If, like me, you’ve ever left a glass of coke for too long, and the ice has melted to give your once dark soda a dilute reddish-brown, then you’ll no doubt be able to imagine the colour of this beer. As far as real ales go, this one pours with slightly more head than usual, but it’s by no means a ‘Marge Simpson’ of a beer. The nose is unbelieveably subtle, and I commend Richard for being able to get anything out of it besides the bog-standard malt and hops you’d expect from any old pint. This was my opinion after my first sip, as well, though I changed my mind after the second. A very delicate, light beer – particularly when compared to some other winter ales – the palate reminded me of spice cake, with hints of allspice coming through from start to finish. The hops carry a little fruit with them, perhaps black cherry. Everything about this beer leaves you wondering why they chose to make it a Christmas ale? I, for one, could not only drink these all night – I’d drink them all season. I’ll dock a point for not being bold enough in the palate, giving us a very pleasing 4/5.
Filed under: Guest Ales | Tags: aikmans, isle of skye brewing company, le chouffe n'ice, luvians, meantime london porter, red cuillin ale, talisker
Aikman’s – 29/11/2008
In retrospect the Chinese take-away may not have been a shining example of good planning. Over-eating during Thanksgiving definitely doesn’t just fill you up for the evening: two days later and Richard, Annie and I couldn’t even entertain the idea of eating leftover turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie – no matter how good they were the first time around. Take-away was the unanimously ratified solution, and as we walked into town to pick up our order, we discussed finding a decent guest ale about which we could write our first Tale. It was, of course, a fantastic idea, and so our musings shifted focus to who had good ales on around town.
Before we got to the Dining Room, we stopped into Luvians to pick up something to go with dinner. Richard, feeling the need for a winter warmer, picked up the fantastic Le Chouffe N’Ice – a strong beer with a relatively subdued, yet quintessentially Belgian, spicey palate – while I opted for a bottle of the ever-dependable Meantime London Porter – firm, grassy and a surprisingly good cleanser for Peking spare ribs.
Oily Chinese food, and 1.5 litres of beer – no matter how delicious each may be – led to an interesting dilemma: on the one hand, we were energised and excited to make progress on the long-discussed beer blog, but on the other we were so full from our short glut that DVDs and a comfy couch called to us like siren song. Nothing if not resolute, however, we set sail for Aikmans and never looked back.
Red Cuillin, by the Isle of Skye Brewing Company, was our selection for the first ever Guest Tale. It’s a fairly traditional Scottish Ale in terms of style, and weighs in at 4.2% ABV, but it has netted the brewer numerous awards in recent years.
Alex – This beer has a deep, red hue that blended in well with our varnished table. There’s a definite toasted quality to the nose that’s complemented nicely with a subtly fruity toffee note: imagine if someone left a chewy Werther’s Original in a bag of taffy for too long, and the flavours had blended. This sweet flavour comes out in the palate as well, though it’s a touch more Werther’s Original than taffy now and not as sweet as the nose might lead you to believe. There’s also a whisper of candied red fruits and toasted malt in the mid-palate, which you’ll have to really search for. The texture is soft yet heavy, with a light, velvety carbonation.
My overall verdict is a bit tricky. Based on its tasting, I would definitely order this beer again, but after finishing half of my pint I knew that this wouldn’t be a session beer for me. Whether it was because of the pre-game meal or the beer itself I don’t know, but I was too full after one to have wanted two of these back to back. With this in mind, I’m giving this a respectable 3/5: enjoyable, recommended and deserving of the awards it boasts.
Richard – I’ve a long history with this beer. Most fondly is swigging it in session at a wild wee bar/hostel in Kyleakin, on Skye. I ate good food. My friend ruled the pool table that night. It chased Talisker particularly well. Which is fitting, I suppose. But this is not a reminiscence note, sadly. It’s a here-and-now note. Or perhaps a slightly later then-and-there note…
The colour’s more amber than red. And red, in terms of beer, is a relative term. Lots of cream on the nose, with a spicy touch of hazelnut. Not as ‘red’ as I remember on the palate either, but fantastic vanilla richness in its stead. More-ish – toasted and a touch oat-y with that hazelnut from the nose coming through nicely, with a touch of spice. Excellent finish that isn’t too clingy – the ideal session beer.
**** out of *****
On an end note, I’m going to avoid Chinese oil bombs before real ale tastings in the future. Everything I tried after dinner tasted a touch like I downed it with a grease shooter. I think lager to reign supreme when it comes to food-beer matching in these situations – it strips the palate and refreshes.
Real ale needs a bit more space to breathe.
