Wednesday Beer — The Cream Ale

Don’t laugh but apparently some people have been asking Anspach & Hobday whether their Cream Ale has lactose in it (as if the inclusion of lactose is some sort of craft beer Reinheitsgebot) — it doesn’t, but, being based on a beer style that was both pre-Prohibition and remains in the repertoire of a few US breweries, it contains flaked corn and oats. 

I first read about Cream Ale when Randy Mosher filed his review of Pelican Pub & Brewery’s Kiwanda Cream Ale for the first edition of 1001 Beers. The idea of this single-hop beer with a light colour and body but which Randy still thought good enough to be sampled intrigued me. 

Fast forward to 2015 and I’m driving between Seattle and Portland over six days for a travel feature and aiming to get to as many breweries as possible, which is how on a gloomy Monday lunchtime I arrived at Pelican’s Pub right down on the beach at Pacific City in Oregon (city is a bit of a misnomer as from what I saw the place looked the size of a suburb of Rhyl). Naturally, I ordered the Cream Ale, which was light and delicate with a moussec-like mouth feel. It was an excellent beer for lunch and dovetailed magnificently with a plate of fish tacos. 

As for Anspach & Hobday’s Cream Ale, I presume it’s the corn that helps to give it a lightness on the palate, while the oats add a smooth mouth feel. There is a floral and citrus nose, while the palate is herbal, delicately fruity and dry in the finish with a ring of bitterness continuing as if a visitor was pressing down insistently on the doorbell. 

This is a smooth and soothing beer, with a lot more character than I recall from Pelican’s Cream Ale. One other thing, The Cream Ale is a lightly hazy in appearance, which is a bit ironic as Cream Ale in the 19th century came about because US brewers wanted to emulate the brilliance of the lagers that were sweeping all before them (according to Jeff Alworth in his magnificent Brewery Bible). Next, I’d like to see a pre-Prohibition lager if anyone is interested in making one. 

1001 Beers updated version

If you have the updated 1001 Beers book that came out in the autumn and are wondering what new beers went in here’s a handy little crib list — I’m not going to say what came out, readers will have to work that one out themselves, but these are the beers that went in and the writers were Zak Avery, Pete Brown, Greg Barbera, Martyn Cornell, Evan Rail, Joe Stange, Tim Hampson and myself. 

21st Amendment Marooned on Hog Island 

2nd Shift Katy

8 Wired Sauvin Saison

961 Lager

Adnams Ghost Ship

Alvinne Morphe Extra RA

Ampleforth

Anosteke Blonde

Arbor Breakfast Stout

Badger Wandering Woodwose

Ballast Point Victory at Sea

 Bayerischer Original Gose

Beavertown Smog Rocket

Bell's Brewery Hopslam

Bluebird Bitter

Boulevard Reverb 

Boxing Cat TKO IPA

Břevnovský Pivovar's Benedict

Brewfist Spaceman

Brio Lager

Brodies Peach Sour

Buxton Black Imperial

Colorado Imperial Stout

Costa Rica's Craft Brewing Segua

Courage Russian Imperial Stout

Crazy Donkey

Dark Star Six Hop

DC Brau the Public

Dirty Stop out

Dochter van de Korenaar Belle-Fleur

Eggenberg Nakouřený Švihák

Emelisse Russian stout

Evil Twin Cowboy 

Evil Twin Hipster Pale Ale

Feral Hop Hog

Freedom Pioneer

Gruut Brown

Gypsy Porter

Hardknott Vitesse

HB Festbier

Heavy Seas Below Decks

Hogs Back OTT

Hopfenstopfer Citra Ale

Hoponious Union Jack’s Abby

Pretty Things Jack D’or

Kacov 12˚

Kagua Blonde

Kagua Rouge

Kernel Export Stout

Keserű Méz

La Trappe Quad

Lindemanns Gueuze Cuvee Rene

Magic Rock Cannonball

Marble Chocolate

Modus Operandi

Narwhal

New Albion/Sam Adams pale ale

Nomád's Karel,

Oakham Citra

Oskar Blues G'Night 

Otter Creek Copper Ale

Page 24 Réserve Hildegarde Blonde

Perennial Black Walnut Dunkel

Perennial Hommel Bier

Pivovar Matuška's Raptor

Pivovar Matuška's Weizenbock

Sam Adams Latitude 48

Sharp’s Quadruppel Ale

Sharps Cornish Pilsner

Shepherd Neame Generation

Ska Brewing Modus Hoperandi

Southville Hop

Telenn Du

Thomas Creek Up the Creek

Thwaites 13 Guns

Tilquin Oude Quetsche

Toccalmatto Grooving Hop

Troubador Magna

Typhoon T8

U Medvídků's Oldgott

Uinta Crooked Line Tilted Smile

Únětice světlý ležák

Urban Chestnut Zwickel

Vivat blonde

Von Trapp Golden Helles

Windsor & Eton 1075 Conqueror

Windsor & Eton Republika

Yakima Red 

Books

Books books books. Having worked in journalism and publishing for more years than I care to remember I know that autumn is a key time for getting books out. Christmas is around the corner, but we’re not caught in its headlights yet so there’s plenty of time to get people prepared to buy books throughout the next three months. So this autumn, there seems to be a torrent of beer (and cider) books coming out: we’ve had Roger Protz’s 300 More Beers, and now there’s Ben McFarland’s Boutique Beer, while Jane Peyton has been really busy with School of Booze and Beer O’Clock; having seen some PDFs of the pages back in the summer I’m also looking forward to Pete Brown’s World’s Best Cider, written in conjunction with Somerset Levels snapper Bill Bradshaw; there’s also Stephen Beaumont and Tim Webb’s Pocket Beer Book, a conscious echo of Michael Jackson’s similar publications during the 1990s and beyond perhaps? 

I’ve probably forgotten someone, but it’s time I blew my own trumpet. My first update of 1001 Beers is also out and it features 90 new beers that have been written by Tim Hampson, Evan Rail, Greg Barbera, Martyn Cornell, Pete Brown, Zak Avery and Joe Stange. The beers include ones from Kernel, Tiny Rebel, Beavertown, Brewfist, 8-Wired, Jack’s Abby (a particular favourite of mine), Buxton, Oakham, Vivat, Ska, Heavy Seas, Sierra Nevada (Narwhal), Evil Twin, Oskar Blues, Matuska, Nomad and Keserü. I’m really pleased with the selection and wish it could have been double or even triple — which says how much the beer world has changed in the last three years. While I’m on the podium can I also bring to your attention to Tim Hampson’s World Beer, into which I was drafted as an author along with Stan Hieronymous and Sylvia Kopp earlier on in the year. 

And further more can I bring your by now lack of attention to the beer tasting and extemporisation I shall be doing at the Three Tuns during the wonderful Bristol Beer Week on Monday October 7, followed by a Rake bar event with Hardknott Brewery on Wednesday October 9; then it’s Hook Norton on Friday October 18 and finally there’s something planned with Meantime in November — it’s like being in a band again, though the furthest we got from Cambridge was Peterborough.

If you like Hop Monkey IPA then you’ll be happy it’s a 1001 Beer…

1001 Beers You Must Try Before You Die is in the shops next week (it’s been out in the US since March) and Hop Monkey IPA is just one of the beers. As its editor I’m naturally proud of it but I’m also aware that it’s yet another list of beers. On the other hand there are several reasons why I think it’s a worthy and worthwhile addition to an ever-growing canon of beer books. They are:

• It is a beer book that should stretch right across the board in its appeal to beer lovers. If you want debates over the intricacies of beer styles, the ins and outs of branding and what beer women should have sloshing around in their elegant glasses, then you should look elsewhere (though I didn’t know about the origins of Carlsberg’s Elephant beer until I read Jeff Pickthall’s review). It’s an attempt to tell the story behind these 1001 beers, but also get the reader to start licking their lips and call for a glass pronto.
• It has the work of over 40 beer experts throughout the world — many of whom are authors in their own right. You have a variety of viewpoints, there is no party line apart from my insistence that the writers talk to the readers. Navel-gazing ‘whither beer’ articles are out, but authority, celebration and gastronomic suggestions are in. 
• It celebrates some of the world’s greatest beers at the current time — over 40 Italian craft beers, a good handful of Swiss superstars, lots of US beers, plenty of Euro gems, Brazilian and South African craft newbies, plus of course the guys from down-under. There is also a handful of some of the world’s most well-known and best-selling beers. Regarding the latter: look at the title, these are beers to try even if you discover why you shouldn’t try said beer again.
• Lots of nice pictures of glasses of beer and their bottles. 
• Book is divided into colours rather than beer styles or countries — amber, blonde, dark, white and speciality (ok the latter is not a colour, but you get the drift). 
• It looks good on the coffee table.
• It’s also rather weighty so you can take it to the pub and with the imminent release of Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood, it will deflect any arrows that impressionable folk who have seen the movie might start flinging about. 

London gets another great beer venue with The Old Brewery

A gleaming Italian-built micro brewery stands at one end of the high-ceilinged room and the warm smell of the mash pervades the air. On the walls a time line encircles the room and notes significant dates in beer and brewing. The bar stands, a host of taps waiting to issue beers from Meantime — welcome to the Old Brewery at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, Meantime’s latest enterprise, a brewpub that will serve great beer. A couple of weeks ago I had lunch here with Meantime’s founder and inspirational brewmaster Alastair Hook to talk about lager for a feature I  was writing. I also got a brief tour of the Old Brewery, but promised not to write about it until the launch, which was today. From what I saw this is a thoroughly modern space and a great showcase for Hook’s marvellous beers. It will also be wonderful for food: I had Herdwick mutton and potatoes with anchovy juice, accompanied by a crisp and clean glass of Meantime Helles, which cut through the unctuousness of the mutton and cleansed the mouth. Afterwards we went to the cellar, where Hook told me about the Meantime Kellerbier which will be stored in a polythene bag in a tank; the tank will be pressurised to aid the dispensation of the beer, but no extraneous CO2 will touch the beer, so it’s real ale I was told. I like Alastair and I like the beers he makes. He’s a pioneer — he was doing filtered and unpasteurized lager beers years ago while ask him about dark lager and he will point out that he brewed Franconian Dark Lager in 2002, several years before BrewDog claimed that the first one was Zeigeist. It’s easy to forget that Meantime has been around for 10 years and having proved a point with lager his IPA and London Porter showed that he wasn’t a one-yeast pony. He can sometimes come across as an abrasive chap, but I find him inspirational to talk beer with (just as I do with John Keeling and the Thornbridge guys) and totally lacking in bull. I asked him if he had mellowed and he replied ‘I’ve always walked the walk,’ which I took as a no. So if you have a chance I would recommend a trip down to Greenwich and the Old Brewery as London gets another good beer venue.

Sometimes the familiar ones are the best

Sunday lunchtime at Woods, lad with PSP (kids in pubs, help!), missus looking at local hate hack in MOS, I with beer. It’s London Pride, a rare sighting in this area. Will the marvellous barman hands over a fresh cask, tapped at 2pm, so get first pint. Bright and brassy in the glass, topped by a loose head that wouldn’t pass muster up north. A couple of former Londoners at the bar take great joy in saying ‘pint of Pride’, as do I after a couple. It’s lovely, a gorgeous drop, ringing hop notes on the nose (think hops rubbed in hands) and and then the biscuit, cracker fresh malt notes, bloody lovely. Better pint of it than I have ever had in London, though Carlos and I muse over the joy of ESB (which I am told is coming). There’s also Burton Bridge Mild, and a couple of Vale beer in the cellar — are the latter two any cop?

1001 Beers please

Received advance copies of 1001 Beers today. I think it looks wonderful and makes me want to have a drink right now (a Lagunitas Pils followed by a Victory Storm would be dandy). Another beer book? Yes, but on the other hand there are 1001 beers inside and 300 words (plus tasting notes) on them from the likes of Pete Brown, Stan Hieronymous, Randy Mosher, Stephen Beaumont, Lisa Morrison, Joris Pattyn, Conrad Siedl, Ali Gilmour and many others as well as myself (I wasn’t going to leave off writing some of my favourites as well as doing the whole editor’s schtick…), so it’s more than just another beer book. I like the cover as well, it gets across the thing of beauty that is a fine glass of beer, but in a cool, modern way. (end of blowing own trumpet)