Beer In Pictures - Number 2 The Very Many Varieties of Beer

I like this poster, wonderfully diagrammatic. It really does float my hop.

Image Source: pop chart lab

Beer In Pictures - Number 1 What Should I Drink?

I'm too hungover to write this week so I'm introducing a 7 day series of beer related graphics I have randomly found on the intertubes. this one is particularly stunning because its a flow chart. I do so love flow charts.

Image Source: more design please

What Makes a Great Pint of Real Ale?

Finding a good pint of real ale is not always easy. Here are a few pointers to make life a little bit easier in finding a satisfying pint.

1) Having too many beers on draught can be a bad sign. This leads to beers that are not fresh due to some of the less popular beers being on tap for too long. Unless the pub is known for good ale. It would be advisable to stick to the well-known beers that would presumably sell quicker. Thus guaranteeing a fresher pint.
2) Always watch how the beer is poured. Serving real ale takes time. The swan neck hand pump works on gravity and has a piston inside. It takes a few moments for the piston to fill up after each pull. If you don't wait, air gets into the system. It leads to a poor head and adds oxygen into the beer which spoils the flavour of the beer. Brewers go to great lengths not to add oxygen to their beer as it leads to infection and beer spoilage.
3) The appearance of real ale should be clear unless stated to be a cloudy wheat beer. Also make sure there are no foreign bodies in the beer (if there are it could mean they don't clean their lines). In most cases the beer should also have a good head. A good tip is if you stick your finger in the head. There should be a nice amount of the head stuck to your finger. There are some regions where they do not like much head on the beer. A great beer will almost have a shine to it due to the crystal clarity.
4) As with wine, the aroma of the beer is also key. It can tell you a lot about the beer before tasting it. It can tell you quite simply if a beer is bad. If you detect vinegar or T.C.P.'s take the beer back as it's "off". You are looking for floral, fruity and resinous notes from hops. From the malt you should detect nutty, malty and caramel notes.
5) When you finally taste the beer you are looking for "beery" qualities. A good beer will have what we call a "start, middle and end". A good brewer picks his/her ingredients so that there is story to the beer. Generally you get the malt flavours coming through first. You may get a smoky flavour and some sweetness. As the beer passes over the tongue the bitterness of the hops will come through. Finally you will get a warming feeling and sometimes a little sharpness from the carbonation. Flavours you are not looking for are metallic and sulphury.
6) As you are savouring your ale. It will warm up as it is in your hands and from the ambient temperature of the surroundings. The flavour of the beer may change accordingly. It will make a bad beer more obvious to spot as the warmer the beer the more flavour can be detected. A good beer will often get better as it gets warmer as the flavours of the malt and hops become even stronger.
7) Finally if you start with a good head on your pint and it continues always the down the glass. It is a very good sign. It means the beer has been brewed without too much agitation in the process. The more processes a beer goes through the more it is moved generally leads to less head in the finished beer.

A good beer does need to be treated well. A good pub/bar will go through set procedures to serve a good pint. In the UK there is now a volunteer mark system. It is called "The Cask Marque System". Bars/Pubs volunteer to have their pubs assessed by independent auditors with good public houses receiving a pass and accreditation.

Do you love beer? Neil, the author of this article runs a site dedicated to the latest news and developments in real ale [http://www.neilsbeer.com].

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Andwell's Ruddy Darter

Through the swirling clouds of ruddy ale comes a clear vision of ruby red with a clotted cream head. Wheaty bread and hoppy fruit start to play on the palette and follow on with sweet raisin, redcurrant and blackberry. Dry but not bitter, welcoming but not warming Andwell's Ruddy Darter is punchy and pronounced. An excellent lunchtime or session ale that marries so perfectly with a packet of cheese and onion crisps, close your eyes and you can imagine this as the perfect accompaniment to a mature cheddar truckle and wheaty crackers for the perfect summer picnic.

Andwell's Ruddy Darter is a rich ruby ale with a fruity aroma. This Hampshire ale is named after a deep red dragon fly found in local rivers and wetlands. The ale, newest to the Andwell’s range uses malted rye to create its characteristic ruby glow. The flavours and aromas derive from a combination of English hops.

The malts used by Andwell’s are supplied by Warminster Maltings which use malt barley grown in farms around the Brewery. Andwell’s ales also benefit from the locally-sourced water used in the brewing process. The water is rich in natural ions having percolated out of the chalk aquifers located beneath the Brewery.

The Ruddy Darter attains a wingspan of up to 6cm. The head, thorax and abdomen of the male are vivid red, while the female is slightly smaller, and is a golden-yellow colour with black markings. The Ruddy Darter can be found between the months of July and November.

The Ruddy Darter is to be found in temperate regions throughout Europe as far west as Siberia and as far south as the northern Sahara. Its conservation status is regarded as secure, and indeed numbers seem to be increasing in some locations such as central England. It tends to prefer quiet bodies of water that feature semi aquatic vegetation such as rushes and reeds.

Saddlers Yellow Mellow

Saddlers are an award winning family run brewery situated in Lye, near Stourbridge. The Windsor Castle Brewery is situated in the heart of England’s famous, industrial ‘Black Country’. First opened in 1900 by Thomas Alexander Sadler, the brewery supplied its twelve tied public houses run by the Sadler family, the most famous being the Windsor Castle Inn, Oldbury which adjoined the Brewery.

They brew a number of different ales and one of their 'signature' range is Yellow Mellow, a pale honey ale with a gravity of 4.1%

Yelow Mellow is as the name suggest pale lemon in colour, crystal clear with floral honey flavours mingling with a chalky, dry citrus twang. This is an eminently quaffable session ale with the scent of summer meadows, a very pale creamy head and a sherberty bitter finish. Lemon meringue pie hits the tongue and pineapples tease the nose.

Breweries in Suffolk

Although Suffolk was not historically a prolific brewing county, we are, since the takeover of Scottish & Newcastle by the Danes, the county with two of the UK's largest remaining brewers, Greene King and Adnams. Suffolk is also home to lots of smaller breweries whose styles range from the solidly traditional Bitters and Milds (one of the last bastions in southern England of this threatened style), through to exotic beers made with wheat, fruit and spices. So find out here which one is to your taste -

Adnams Brewery
This is a highly successful, traditional brewing company, set in the lovely seaside town of Southwold. Still Chaired by one of the Adnams family, the Company was established in 1890 and last year moved into a new multi-million pound, state-of-the-art brewery in Southwold. Adnams brews a distinctive range of authentic beers from the finest of ingredients. Each has its own fresh, unique and vibrant character that will appeal to the most discerning drinkers - drinkers who cherish individuality and seek out brands with personality and style. These beers are popular throughout the country in free pubs, and range from - Mild, Bitter, Extra, Broadside, and Seasonal Ales such as Barley Mow, Old Ale, Mayday, Tally Ho..... and the latest brew, Adnams Explorer. They also run their own pubs as well as two lovely Hotels in Southwold (see Crown Hotel and The Swan Hotel), and have recently branched out with kitchenware and wine with their highly successful Cellar and Kitchen Stores

Earl Soham Brewery (ESB)
This fun, young, brewery had been brewing in Maurice's old chicken shed behind the Vic since 1985. In 2000 ESB bought a bigger shed, the Old Forge building opposite the village green. With the help of old friends, the shed was turned into a brewery and it finally became productive in May 2001. We haven't looked back since! They feature the Victoria Bitter, a fantastic light, hoppy brew, all year round. They also produce at least 7 other ales at any given time.

The Kings Head
Located in Bildeston, a 15th Century Free House with its own micro-brewery located in the old stables at the back of the pub.The owners are real ale enthusiasts, active members of CAMRA and have been brewing real ale at home from the grain (not kits) for several years. The brewery is capable of producing 4 barrels (144 gallons) of real ale each run. Malted grain is supplied by Muntons a few miles away in Stowmarket (http://www.muntons.com/), whilst the hops are sourced from various suppliers as required by each recipe. Worth checking out to taste such brews as "Dark Vader", "Blondie", and "J.J.'s Lemon Bitter".

Mauldons Brewery
In 1795 the Mauldon family of Sudbury first became involved in brewing, for in that year Anna Maria Mauldon began brewing at the Bull Hotel in Ballingdon on the outskirts of Sudbury. As the business prospered, additional pubs and hotels were purchased and in the early 1800's the brewery moved to larger premises in Ballingdon Street. The brewery is well established, and using only traditional methods and quality materials supplies a range of premium real ales throughout the country.
While the recipes remain the same, some artwork on the pump clips has been designed to include reference to Charles Dickens who has a history with Sudbury. It was in 1834 that Charles Dickens the young reporter for the Morning Chronicle, was sent to Sudbury to report on the corrupt dealings of some of the town councillors who would meet at the Rose and Crown Hotel. Sudbury was named Eatanswill in Dickens' Pickwick Papers.

The Old Cannon Brewery
The Old Cannon in Bury St. Edmunds doesn't keep it's brewery hidden away at the back--rather the miro-brewery makes a stunning central feature in the pub bar. This makes it unique in Suffolk and well worth a visit. People often assume the magnificent stainless steel mash tun and boiler are for show but they are, in fact, in use every Monday for brewing a line of regular beers including Old Cannon Best Bitter (3.8% abv); Blonde Bombshell (4.2%) and Gunner's Daughter (5.5%). In addition, Old Cannon produces various seasonal ales.
Originally known as The St Edmund's Head, the pub opened in 1845 with its own adjacent brewery - known locally as 'The Cannon' - built two years later. Brewing ceased in 1917 and Greene King subsequently closed the pub in 1995. The brewery was converted into five comfortable bed and breakfast rooms and - after a short spell as a photographer's studio - the pub reopened in 1999, restyled as The Old Cannon Brewery, complete with unique, state-of-the-art, stainless steel brewing vessels housed in the bar itself.

With such a huge range of available breweries, and a great selection of pubs that carry them, Suffolk is a fantastic place to visit for a Real Ale experience. For more on pubs, breweries, and things to do in Suffolk, check out the Suffolk Tourist Guide

Will Averill [http://www.willaverill.com] is a freelance travel and entertainment writer and administrator for the Suffolk Tourist Guide, a complete online guide to Suffolk accommodation, travel, and entertainment.
From Luxury Hotels for a romantic weekend, to days out with the children, or even office team building or client hospitality, you'll find just what you want here in Suffolk. Use the Suffolk Tourist Guide to find all you need to know and Click straight through to make a booking.

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The Rise of the Nano Breweries!

While the above title might be reminiscent of bad sci-fi movies or sound like something straight out of a quantum physics lab, neither interpretation is right. Nano breweries are the newest trend in the craft brew world, and are going to be a force to contend with in coming years. So, what the heck is a nano brewery and why should it matter to you?
Simply put, nano breweries are very, very small operations - often no more than a guy brewing up beer in his garage for sale. Technically, nano breweries are smaller than microbreweries. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) cites a nano brewery as making 200 gallons of beer per year if there are 2 adults in the household, or 100 gallons if there is only 1 adult in the household. As you can see, they're small - they really do deserve the nano designation.
Why should you care about these tiny little breweries, though? Actually, you'll find that the "nano" term is being bandied about with ever-greater abandon. You'll even find nano brew fests popping up around the nation. For instance, Rogue put on a nano brew fest in August of 2010 in the Portland area. Another, the Nano Beer Fest, was put on by Fanno Creek Brew Pub in Tigard, Oregon.
The Rogue nano beer fest brought out 25 different small brewers, while the Fanno Creek event saw 15 different brewers offering their beverages for consumer enjoyment. What's the real story, though? Perhaps the real issue here is that nano breweries are to today's world what microbreweries were several years ago. While the industry has started using "craft brewing" more than micro brewing, nano breweries hearken back to the roots of the movement in general - a guy brewing beer in his garage.
The results of these tiny operations can be amazingly tasty, and with names like Red Fury Ale and Russian Imperial Stout, there seems to be quite a variety of different brews to sample at events like this. Moreover, these festivals and events are probably going to be the only place that you can get your hands on nano brewery products, as they're not really available for purchase on a large scale. Given the success of just the two events listed above, you can probably look forward to some nano-scale festivals coming to your area in the coming months, so you can get a firsthand sample of brewing innovation.

Dustin Canestorp is the Founder and General of the Beer Army. Join the ranks of the Beer Army at http://www.BeerArmy.com. Take a stand and let the world know your position. If you are going to drink, drink BEER!

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