Craft beer

[Dave T]

We have loads of Craft Ale Bars/Pubs in Edinburgh and I really enjoy trying a glass of random stuff. 

Couple of queations - how does Black IPA work? Had one recently and didnt enjoy it tbh.

Also I was surprised to read on the back of a bottle that I was drinking Bitter - are we effectively drinking Bitter and Mild like old men used to???

[Robin Evans]

French beer.... craft or otherwise .... is mainly pizz

[Bob8]

55 minutes ago, Dave T said:

We have loads of Craft Ale Bars/Pubs in Edinburgh and I really enjoy trying a glass of random stuff. 

Couple of queations - how does Black IPA work? Had one recently and didnt enjoy it tbh.

Also I was surprised to read on the back of a bottle that I was drinking Bitter - are we effectively drinking Bitter and Mild like old men used to???

Black IPA and IPL's are clearly odd descriptions, but I am OK with them. 

I was being shown round a brewery by the owner, who looked very apologetic and the IPL description, but it conveys exactly what it is.  Equally, Black IPA suggests a dark version of an IPA which is pretty much what it is.

Compared to some to the BS around craft brewing, I consider those to be fine.

[tonyXIII]

1 hour ago, Dave T said:

We have loads of Craft Ale Bars/Pubs in Edinburgh and I really enjoy trying a glass of random stuff. 

Couple of queations - how does Black IPA work? Had one recently and didnt enjoy it tbh.

Also I was surprised to read on the back of a bottle that I was drinking Bitter - are we effectively drinking Bitter and Mild like old men used to???

Oi! Some of us old men would still drink mild or bitter, given a chance.

 

[gingerjon]

15 minutes ago, tonyXIII said:

Oi! Some of us old men would still drink mild or bitter, given a chance.

 

I would love to walk into a pub and see some Mild available ...

[Bob8]

3 hours ago, Dave T said:

We have loads of Craft Ale Bars/Pubs in Edinburgh and I really enjoy trying a glass of random stuff. 

Couple of queations - how does Black IPA work? Had one recently and didnt enjoy it tbh.

Also I was surprised to read on the back of a bottle that I was drinking Bitter - are we effectively drinking Bitter and Mild like old men used to???

Just to add, by writing "drinking Bitter and Mild like old men used to?" you are showing your advancing years.  Young drinkers will not have memories of lots of old men drinking mild.  For them, it is a historical drink rather than an old one.

[chuffer]

bitter is a type of ale, some are pale (and so could also be called a pale ale, but they are different from an indian pale or American pale ale, which tend to be stronger and more hoppy

[Dave T]

27 minutes ago, Bob8 said:

Just to add, by writing "drinking Bitter and Mild like old men used to?" you are showing your advancing years.  Young drinkers will not have memories of lots of old men drinking mild.  For them, it is a historical drink rather than an old one.

Haha busted!

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, gingerjon said:

I would love to walk into a pub and see some Mild available ...

I suppose that was my question, are some of the dark ales knocking around just mild?

[Tongs ya bas]

7 hours ago, Futtocks said:

I'm sure one of our resident class warriors will be along soon with a claim that this is miles better than "all that expensive poncey stuff".

When I was at uni, one of these and or a Smirnoff bottle filled with water was a passport to any party in the city. Although there was nothing more dispiriting than sipping half a plastic cup of the stuff discussing marxist theory or Jimi hendrix's use of the wah wah pedal with some earnest fresher in an air force overcoat.

[Tongs ya bas]

3 hours ago, Robin Evans said:

French beer.... craft or otherwise .... is mainly pizz

I don't mind a drop of leffe

[chuffer]

58 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I suppose that was my question, are some of the dark ales knocking around just mild?

I haven't seen many knocking about but my mate who's a CAMRA member said there's a bit of a resurgence. I like the malty, ruby beers which would be more like the mild of yesteryear but a lot of the dark ales kickin about are probably brown ales, porters or black ipas with bit more hops/bitterness than traditional milds

[Robin Evans]

44 minutes ago, Tongs ya bas said:

I don't mind a drop of leffe

Belgian init?

[tonyXIII]

Although mainly a 'bitter' man (take that as you will), I always liked a pint of Chesters Mild. Variously known as 'lunatic soup' or 'chemical soup', it was a very palatable dark (lots of caramel?) mild which you usually regretted having chosen the following morning. My own 'mother's milk' was Boddingtons Bitter. Pre-1975ish, it was pure nectar, post the Whitbread take over, it was ######! Another bitter I really liked was Robinsons. Haven't drunk it since about 1976. Anyone know what it's like now or where I can get a decent pint of it in Yorkshire? (Yeah! I know! Stupid question.)

 

[Futtocks]

49 minutes ago, Tongs ya bas said:

I don't mind a drop of leffe

Leffe is Belgian, I think. My corner shop's just started selling it and, although it isn't my favourite Belgian beer, it is a step up from the stuff usually available from that shop's limited range (mainly Eastern European lagers).

[Padge]

IPA is a style of beer designed to have a long barrel life. It had to survive the journey to India, hence India Pale Ale, It was a stronger ale to help in its keeping as it travelled by ship to India.

 

[chuffer]

5 minutes ago, tonyXIII said:

Boddingtons Bitter. Pre-1975ish, it was pure nectar, post the Whitbread take over, it was ######!

 

I have heard a few say this

[shaun mc]

Went to Australia a couple of years ago and tried to source stuff other than Tooheys, Carlton, Coopers etc. There is a very good selection of Australian beers to be had, more in bottles than draught.

In Sydney - The Lord Nelson pub/hotel was worth a visit (more than once!) and has a brewery on site. 

Lots of places sold James Squire, much of that was good on draught. Little Creatures Pale Ale is very good if you can find it on draught. More common in bottles, and can get it in the UK

Fantastic restaurant in Airlie Beach that has a great selection of Aussie beers to go with its food, as well as an off-licence next door that you could spend hours in if you love your beer

 

 

[Padge]

4 minutes ago, chuffer said:

I have heard a few say this

I'll say it, Boddingtons used to be beautiful. 

[chuffer]

what on earth did Whitbread do to it? Thankfully I the original recipe and so might give a clone a bash

[Padge]

1 minute ago, chuffer said:

what on earth did Whitbread do to it? Thankfully I the original recipe and so might give a clone a bash

Kegged it, an accountant thought it would taste the same if it was cheaper.

[Robin Evans]

15 minutes ago, Padge said:

I'll say it, Boddingtons used to be beautiful. 

35 years ago maybe

[shaun mc]

Didn't drink much of the original Boddingtons, but it reminded me of the original Jennings bitter - very malty

And probably Whitbread didn't just leave it to an accountant to close the brewery, its wider management will have taken those decisions

[Tongs ya bas]

29 minutes ago, Robin Evans said:

Belgian init?

Aye it is. As you were. I once spent a blissful afternoon at a seafront bar in collioure. I had a couple of bottles of leffe and a little bowl of olives. The sun gave the place a lovely liquid, molten feel. Unforgettable. That is why I associate leffe with France. 

[Padge]

7 minutes ago, Tongs ya bas said:

Aye it is. As you were. I once spent a blissful afternoon at a seafront bar in collioure. I had a couple of bottles of leffe and a little bowl of olives. The sun gave the place a lovely liquid, molten feel. Unforgettable. That is why I associate leffe with France. 

Collioure is a beautiful little place to sit and enjoy a beer.