Beer of the Week

An offshoot of an idea by CB Saint in my blog thread; I may not manage to post every week, but will update it every week that I can.

Lervig - Big Ass Money Stout (Norway), 17.5% ABV

Big Ass Money Stout

I actually had this beer just before Christmas, but it sneaks in by virtue of being available at this week’s Craft Beer 100 festival at Craft Beer Co in Clapham.

I’ve had some pretty mental beers in my time but this imperial stout stole the crown. Then promptly shat all over the crown. Brewed as a collaboration between Norway’s Lervig and Evil Twin from the US, the aim was to create a beer that encapsulated the things Norway’s famous for. Therefore a syrupy, inky stout - in this instance representing oil.

Until reading up on ‘Big Ass Money Stout’, I had no idea that Norwegians were so crazy for frozen pizza - one brand, Grandiosa, sells 80 million a year. To a country with a population of only 5 million! So one of those was thrown into the boil, obviously. Norway’s also the richest country in the world, so Big Ass Money Stout literally had money added, post-fermentation (the same as dry-hopping, so er… dry-moneying?)

Plainly crazy then, but the brewers knew that and the gimmicks are layered upon a stunning beer. It’s very smooth, with almost zero carbonation, and has a high viscosity (for a beer). The taste certainly has an ‘edge’ i.e. it’s a little rough and ready. Somehow the high alcohol content is completely masked by the ridiculous depth of flavour; there’s lots of chocolate and a distinctly roasted character. It poured with a plum-coloured head, which I haven’t seen in 1200+ other beers.

Quite simply it has no right to taste this good.

Score: 4.75 (out of 5)

Buy it:
Out of stock online, but available at Craft Beer 100, 24th-28th March.

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Big Ass Money Stout sounds like Kim Kardashian meta tags

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San Miguel Pale Pilson ABV 5% technically a lager but you dont get real beer down here.

Pap please put above post on loop every week there is never much change in availble beer down here either.

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is ant trying to sell us all the beer that he has a vested interest in… Again.

If I was rich enough to have so much money invested in breweries that my portfolio included ones this obscure… Well, I wouldn’t be posting on here with you fuckers, would I? :lou_is_a_flirt:

Keep your wig on, Ant. Or should I say Trump?

Stella Black. Can’t tell you anything about it though, it takes me 48 hours to remember my name after drinking it.

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The one (#4 if being honest) I am currently drinking after a shity flight back from Geneve to LHR… dont give a fuck what it is… its cold and slowly relaxing me… I am no longer as vexed as I was previously with fucking eejits who still insist on trying to take 2ltrs of fucking cola, water, or ‘toiletries’ through security despite this being outlawed for years and there being signs everywhere…and dont empty pockets of change, take laptop or ipads out … remove belts… and generaly make this process 200x slower than it need be because they are fuckwits… probably the type that fucking clap when the plane lands…cunts.

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Like the unknown soldier the unknown beer a saviour to us all.

The rest could all go in Bearsys everday annoyances thread :lou_lol:

I own a Brewery. Honest.

Well, if I’m being accurate, me and my mate pumped a massive 100 quid each into The HopBack Brewery before it won it’s first CAMRA Best Beer Award.

The Return on Investment? Nothing money-wise, but 23 years ago they introduced a ShareHolders Meeting. Basically all registered shareholders go along and drink all the produce and any new or Limited Editions are shown.

My Mate goes every year and takes a day off the next day. Me? I’ve never been in the UK on the same date. Actually come to think of it my mate has never told me the date.

Hmm must have words.

Meanwhile Cloudy past sell by date ESB or Old Speckled Hen. Haven’t had time to go out to the hole in the wall for a month or so to stock up.

Meanwhile Pap?

To tie in with PS can you please just put this line on loop

Tsing Tao

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Originally posted by @areloa-grandee

The one (#4 if being honest) I am currently drinking after a shity flight back from Geneve to LHR… dont give a fuck what it is… its cold and slowly relaxing me… I am no longer as vexed as I was previously with fucking eejits who still insist on trying to take 2ltrs of fucking cola, water, or ‘toiletries’ through security despite this being outlawed for years and there being signs everywhere…and dont empty pockets of change, take laptop or ipads out … remove belts… and generaly make this process 200x slower than it need be because they are fuckwits… probably the type that fucking clap when the plane lands…cunts.

They are also (often) the ones ranting on Twitter or FB that Security needs to be beefed up, you should put up more Electic Fences at the Border and introudce stop & search for all Muslims in the street…

Siren Craft Brew - Pompelmocello (UK), 6% ABV

Siren are one of those ‘safe’ breweries - not in the sense that their output is dull, but in the fact that you’re not likely to worry about handing over the best part of a fiver for a pint of their beer. Admittedly I find some of their more traditional beverages a mite bland but that’s more to do with the limitations of those styles. Their imperial stouts are particularly of note.

Pompelmocello is an IPA though. It’s taken me a long time to come around to hoppy beers - as somebody that has always preferered maltier flavours I initially found them far too bitter. In fact it turned out I’d just been drinking shite IPAs. Some of the best ones have an almost grapefruit-esque tartness and flavour; this has an additional spin with the addition of grapefruit zest.

I’m a massive fan of sour beers and I’d say that Pompelmocello actually straddles the line between one of those and an IPA. Or perhaps it’s just having an identity crisis. Regardless, I’ve never tasted anything like it. Strangely for an IPA there’s a kind of creaminess as well as the juiciness. There’s no overt or harsh bitteress, either in the flavour or the aftertaste. If anything there’s a sweetness countering the sourness - I’ve since learned the brewers added lactose for exactly that reason. Masterstroke.

Score: 4.5 (out of 5)

**Buy it: **

Overdraft Craft Ale Bar (Shirley), Bitter Virtue or online.

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Local to me in Fife… very nice :lou_smiley:

Brewdog - Ship Wreck (UK), 13.8% ABV

This was brewed as a collaboration with American brewery Ballast Point, but BP sold their company to a large distributor with no real interest in beer, so Brewdog cut all ties. However they already had ‘Ship Wreck’ - a collaboration with Ballast Point - ageing in whisky casks. So they did what any petulant child would do i.e. scribbling out Ballast Point’s name on the label and selling it anyway.

Fairly short review on this one as one flavour dominates: the whisky. Ship Wreck has been through both Speyside and Islay barrels, though I’d say it’s picked up far more of the smokey peatiness of the Islay. Comes with the slight sticky denseness that you’d expect from a strong double IPA.

So it’s either a strong 'n slow beer or an easygoing, gluggable whisky, depending on your standpoint. Well worth hunting out, though nothing revolutionary.

Score: 4 (out of 5)

Buy it:

Brewdog bars or their online store. Potentially Bitter Virtue.

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Wrong!

This was the beer of this week…

The accusations that we’re somehow in bed with Brewdog aren’t going away, chaps.

Not in bed with… but not quite sure about this current trendy ‘brewdog’ hype - sure nice beer, but anyone would think there was nothing but Kestral pissner prior to these guys. We are v lucky in that we do have a a vibrant and diverse brewing culture, but there are thousands of quality ales that have a richer and longer history than the more recent arrivals … just saying like.

Oh and please dont fall for the marketing ‘brand’ hype - ‘CRAFT’ beer For fucks sake - small breweries have bene ‘crafting fine ales’ for donkies… but some billy thinks hes a smart cunt marketing exec comes up with a ‘new’ term and all of a sudden its trendy to drink ‘craft’ beers - so how is a craft beer difefrent from any other beer brewed in small batches using traditional methods?

Its NOT.

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Originally posted by @areloa-grandee

Not in bed with… but not quite sure about this current trendy ‘brewdog’ hype - sure nice beer, but anyone would think there was nothing but Kestral pissner prior to these guys. We are v lucky in that we do have a a vibrant and diverse brewing culture, but there are thousands of quality ales that have a richer and longer history than the more recent arrivals … just saying like.

It’s a good point that you BREWDOG make, Gay.

I’d be the first to BREWDOG acknowledge that there are other BREWDOG beers available.

It’s just that none has BREWDOG the taste or depth as a nice BREWDOG pint of Brewdog Punk IPA.

Plus I’m not BREWDOG being paid by those breweries to BREWDOG promote their beers.

Those other breweries provide The Beer of the Weak.

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What is with this Brewdog nosh off - how about supporting the local breweries.

Vibrant forest is a good (newish) setup - defo worth going to their beer festivals - they had a sour beer last year which became surprisingly drinkable after forcing down the first half.

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