Original Gravity% issue 1 by Don't Look Down Media

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ORIGINAL GRAVITY O

/originalgravitymag

@OGBeerMag

issue 1

CRAFT BEER REAL ALES GOOD PUBS TASTING NOTES ARTISANAL SPIRITS + other nice stuff

FR EE

GOOD NEWS FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE GOOD BEER

ORIGINAL_GRAVITY

50 AMAZING BEERS Chosen by James Watt, Adrian Tierney-Jones, Michel Roux Jr + more

BEER ART

BRISTOL’S HOTSPOTS

BEER & MUSIC

Q&A: MIKKELLER

12 CRAFT BEERS OF CHRISTMAS £39.95- Includes gift case & tasting notes

M THES OM E 6 SPE CIALLY BREWED FOR REALALE.C

371 Richmond Rd, Twickenham TW1 2EF 0208 892 3710

Open 7 days: Mon 12pm-8pm, Tue-FRI 10am-9pm, Sat 10am-9pm, Sun 11am-7pm

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fine and uncommon craft beers and ales + brewery and beer stories / delivered to your o door monthly. Never know what’s coming J O I N - C U R IOU SB E E R . C LU B

Who is writing for the ﬁrst issue?

THIS is Original Gravity This is Original Gravity% “Good news for people who love good beer” is our, admittedly clumsy, tag line. We’re here to celebrate with you the very best in real ale, craft beer and artisanal spirits. You’ll get no whining here, just excellent journalism from the best beer writers, beautiful photography and wonderful illustrations. Inside you’ll find features, news and views, essays and photo essays, a beer traveller’s guide (this month Bristol) and tasting notes. This monthly print magazine is at the core of Original Gravity%, but we have huge plans. For the time being we’ve a website (originalgravitymag.com) and a downloadable digital issue from our website, all for free. We’re also on Twitter @OGBeerMag, facebook.com/ originalgravitymag, ORIGINAL_GRAVITY at Instagram and Google+. We’re completely free and distributed in pubs, bottle shops and tap rooms, for now, in London, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol and Brighton. We do need the support of our partners and we’ll support them. A collaboration if you will. But the writing is completely independent. Anyway, we’d love to hear what you think, so please get in touch at originalgravitymag@gmail.com.

Adrian Tierney-Jones Adrian is an award-winning freelance journalist, author and speaker writing and talking about beer, pubs, food and travel and how they all intersect. Books include Great British Pubs, 1001 Beers To Try Before You Die and Britain’s Beer Revolution (with Roger Protz). Contributor to The Oxford Companion to Beer and World Beer. Head of Judges for the World Beer Awards and also ends up on various juries in Italy and Belgium. Read his essay on page 14.

Chris Hall Chris Hall is a beer writer and blogger based in London. A member of the British Guild of Beer Writers, Chris is also the co-author of two issues of Craft Beer for Future Publishing: 365 Best Beers in The World and 100 Best Breweries in the World. He is currently working on Beer & Craft, a guide to the best bars and breweries in Britain, due out next year. In this issue he contributes tasting notes.

Sophie Atherton Sophie Atherton was the first woman in the UK accredited as a Beer Sommelier. She draws on 25 years of beer-drinking experience and 15 years as a journalist to write, broadcast and speak about beer. In this issue she contributes tasting notes.

Teninchwheels Teninchwheels is a Yorkshire-born designer and photographer who’s been a resident of East London for more than 20 years. A proud Timothy Taylor fanboy, he became a beer and pub blogger when nobody ever read his Vespa blog. To see more of his photographic work, please visit Moorstoneimages.wordpress.com Blog: Teninchwheels.wordpress.com Contact: teninchwheels@gmail.com. See his photo essay on pages 12 & 13.

Pete Brown Pete Brown is a British writer who specialises in making people thirsty. He is the author of five-and-a-half books as well as the annual Cask Report, and numerous articles in the drinks trade press and consumer press. He appears regularly on TV and radio, and is a judge on the BBC Food and Farming Awards and the Great Taste Awards. He is a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers, and was named Beer Writer of the Year in 2009 and 2012. Pete Brown writes about beer and music on pages 16 & 17.

STARRING Longshore Vodka Steven Seagull

WATCH IT NOW

scan here or visit adnams.co.uk

Some Finnish chaps (No goose was harmed in the PDNLQJ RI WKLV ÀOP

* As awarded by the IWSC 2014

The MASH

WIN

The ART OF BEER

...an exclusive Alec Doherty and Partizan print by going to orginalgravitymag.com and answering the question. We have one exclusive original Partizan print to to give away, plus two illustrations called ‘When I Grow Up’ also by Alec.

“IT’S LIKE MAKING AN ALBUM COVER!” ARTIST ALEC DOHERTY AND PARTIZAN FOUNDER ANDY SMITH ON THE ART OF THE BEER LABEL

PARTIZANBREWING.CO.UK ALECDOHERTY.COM

They are instantly recognisable and universally loved. Each of the labels is filled with jokes, timely comment, surreal suggestion and massive amounts of colour. Yes the Partizan bottle labels are among the finest and most intricate made in the world today. In this series of the Art of Beer we’ll be covering some of the world’s best beer label art, but we thought we’d start with the one that gave us the idea for the feature in the first place: Partizan. Pictured is Alec Doherty’s 100th label for Partizan (he’s now on around 145). It’s a surreal, and celebratory piece of artwork, and, like Alice facing her temptation, screams: Drink Me.

Each of Partizan’s beer styles has a corresponding art style, but each individual brew that Partizan put out is completely different as does each label, and when you’re working for an experimental brewer like Andy, that’s a lot of labels. Just think: a lemon and thyme saison, IPA with Belma and Liberty, and more than 150 more. “It’s become like a diary of what’s going on,” said Alec. When we spoke, Rick Mayall had just died, and Alec and Andy, being huge fans, included references to him on that label that day. “I’m inspired from everywhere and what’s happening on that day.”

Fittingly, we spoke to the ever-smiling Alec and Partizan founder Andy Smith under a railway arch at the tiny Partizan brewery in Bermondsey and cracked open a can of Beavertown’s 8-Ball (more great artwork on this).

“But it’s also a great way of distributing artwork,” adds Andy. “And we’re having a lot of fun with it. “You need to engage with beer, and you won’t know what to expect from each Partizan beer. Beer is social and it’s good fun to make beer and I hope that comes through on the label.”

“Each beer is completely different and of the moment and the art needs to reflect that,” explained Alex.

“It’s a bit like making an album cover,” adds Alec. And that must be the second best job in the world.

The MASH #3

Hop OF THE MONTH

We know, we know. Hop of the Month has Craft Wanker written all over it (@thecraftwanker), but it’s leaf that defines the very essence of your beer. It’s the part that gives the beer a taste like grapefruit, like citrus, like heaven. It would be sweet and cloying without it (as it used to be pre-1700s). The first hop is an American one. More than any other it’s defined the craft beer movement: Cascade (some are already describing it as passé, which is like describing bitter as a bit 1970s). So what are the characteristics? Its aroma is clean citrus while the flavour has grapefruit notes, with a hint of lemon, lime and orange. And best to try cascade in its full glory as a single hop in:

#1/ Marks & Spencer Cascade Pale Ale 5% This #trainbeer (!) is brewed by The Castle Rock Brewery in Nottingham. It’s certainly maltier than you’d imagine for this classic US hop. Easy sipping for the commute home. #2 / Sierra Nevada Pale Ale One of the original craft beers and still one of the best. Although it’s made with magnum and perle, it’s finished with a smack of cascade that showcases it brilliantly.

Mikkeller

“Bringing together the finest food and the best craft beers in the world”

Beer BOOKS

Beer and Food / Mark Dredge

Subtitled ‘Bringing together the finest food and the best craft beers in the world’, this beautifully illustrated book is even more than its all-encompassing title suggests. It’s split into two main parts: a really useful introduction to beer styles, and then matching food and beer, starting with breakfast – breakfast burrito with Founders All-Day IPA? – and going through food styles. Finally some great recipes with beer. But the intro is a superb general introduction to beer making and tasting, and probably worth it for the beer tasting wheel alone. A beautiful book, lovingly made. Pair it with a sprightly saison! / pencilandspoon.com

Evan Rail / The Brewery in the Bohemian Forest

In a deep Czech forest sits a dilapidated brewery. After years of neglect, it’s bought and renovated. But in the layers of plaster, workmen find a book. A book of of recipes. Several years later the brews are made, and they become renowned as the best in the Czech Republic. So begins Evan Rail’s 60-page eBook The Brewery in the Bohemian Forest. It’s a long-form journalistic piece when Evan sets out to learn the secrets. It’s a lively book fizzing with the detail and narrative that will appeal to beer-lovers and anyone in search for a damn good story. / evanrail.com

Brew Britannia / Boak & Bailey

The recent history of Britain’s brewing scene has been remarkable in its rapid post-war decline, its long resurrection thanks to the efforts of CAMRA and other campaigners and advocates and, today, the incredible rise of the microbrewery and the beer. Much respected bloggers Boak & Bailey tackle the subject with aplomb, and relate the story with detail and an eye for the quirky anecdote. Just how the beer revolution came about is covered in this entertaining work, and will no doubt decorate the shelf of many beer lovers. / boakandbailey.com

Questions FOR... Danish microbrewery Mikkeller is one of the world’s most experimental, and respected, beer makers. Founder Mikkel Borg Bjergsø rarely makes the same beer twice (they are big on collaboration), but one exception is the Beer Geek Breakfast, an oatmeal stout made with French press coffee, and sometimes with bacon. It was released in 2006, and fired them onto the world stage (it’s an astonishingly flavoursome beer). Mikkeller started as a ‘gypsy’ brewer. It still doesn’t have an official brewery and uses breweries around the world to produce its beer. It also recently started making spirits, including a vodka dry hopped with Simcoe. It’s now sold in 40 countries, and there’s bars in Copenhagen, San Francisco and Bangkok.

Best CHRISTMAS BEERS

The craft beer scene now: is it the golden time or is there more to come? There is a lot more to come. The craft beer scene is on a constant rise and in many countries the interest is exploding.

/ Harvey’s Christmas Ale, 7.5% Voted ‘World’s Best Dark Barley Wine’ at the World Beer Awards 2012. This strong, dark barley wine is reminiscent of the strong ‘stock ales’ drunk during the 18th and 19th centuries. / harveys.org.uk

Which country is leading the way? The US is way ahead of us, showing what will happen in the rest of the world. Also, with craft beer there is still so many things to explore.

/ Wild Beer & Beavertown Rubus Maximus 5.8% Raspberries, long pepper, wild yeast & nine grains. / wildbeerco.com

What is your underlying ethos behind the beer? No compromises. Always do my best. Use the best ingredients and brewing at the best places. If I can find a better way I will go for it.

/ Waen Snowball Stout, 7% “Big coconut, chocolate and rum vibes. 7%, so a bit of an end-of-the-night number,” said @ KristianDando on Twitter). / thewaenbrewery.co.uk

Which of your beers most embodies what you do? All of them. Mikkeller is a brewery that like to experiment and go ways that nobody did before. But we also like to change existing styles, invent new styles and just do existing styles a little bit better than what has been done before. / mikkeller.dk

/ Oates Brewing Winter Solstice, 6.2% A deep, red beer made with the finest malts and English hops with bundles of winter character. / oatesbrewing.co.uk / Samuel Smiths Winter Welcome Ale, 6% “Should be contemplated before an open fire.” / samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk

The MASH

News SHORTS

Beer 101 THE PROCESS

1/12 How the hell does that sparkling glass of aromatic, flavoursome, giddyingly exciting glass of liquid in your hand turn from a bucket of grains, some water, yeast and a plant closely related to ivy turn into beer. Witchcraft or magic? Well, frankly yes. In this monthly series we’ll be taking you through every aspect of beer... In under 200 words. So, in brief. Hot water + malts (barley usually! but also rye or wheat) = wort. The starches in the malt become sugar (you can see where this is going). The sweet, malty water called wort is then boiled with hops. Hops adds the bitterness and aroma. Yeast is then added to ferment the sugar and turn it into the world’s most interesting alcoholic drink. Next month: malt, the soul of beer.

i/ Camden Town Brewery’s ‘game-changing’ IHL (India Hells Lager) was launched in November. / camdentownbrewery.com

ii/ Left Hand Brewing Company is expanding its distribution across the UK with James Clay. / lefthandbrewing.com iii

iii/ Thwaites Triple C was judged the best of the best at the Brussels Beer Challenge that took place in Leuven in November, beating 730 to the top spot. / danielthwaites.co.uk / brusselsbeerchallenge.com iv/ According to Cask Matters, the number of micropubs in the UK will reach 100 soon. / cask-marque.co.uk / micropubassociation.co.uk

Events DEC & JAN

v/ Purity Brewing Company’s seasonal beer, Saddle Black, has been re-launched in cask until April 2015 / indiebeercan.co.uk vi/ Harvey and Son and the folk band Bellowhead have launched a beer together called Revival Ale. / harveys.org.uk

vii/ Britain’s Beer Revolution written by Roger Protz and Adrian Tierney-Jones released / shop.camra.org.uk

Kerstbierfestival, Essen, Belgium (Dec 20-21) O.B.E.R. (Objective Beer tasters Essen Region) organises its Christmas Beer Festival every year. For two days visitors can taste about 170 Belgian Christmas and winter beers. This year some 170 different bottled beers will be available to taste, including 18 or 20 on draught. Hot served Gluhkriek will be available. / kerstbierfestival.be New York Championship Beer Festival, Rotherham (8-10 Jan) Rotherham CAMRA presents the New York Championship Beer Festival at the New York Stadium Rotherham. Admission is £5 and includes a free glass and programme. CAMRA members get free pint. 70 real ales plus cider continental bottled beers and wine. / rotherhamcamra.org.uk Exeter Festival of Winter Ales (16-17 Jan) Specialising in winter ales, this event held at the Exeter City Football Club features more than 60 beers and ciders. / eedcamra.wix.com Manchester Beer & Cider Festival (21 -24 Jan) One of the North’s biggest beer events will return to the Velodrome at Manchester’s National Cycling Centre. There are more than 500 beers, ciders and perries on offer. British Cycling’s Team GB Olympians will train every day. / manchesterbeerfestival.org.uk

19th Cambridge Winter Ale Festival Held at the University Social Club, Mill Lane, the festival features a range of local and national beers, with an emphasis on traditional winter beers, plus locally produced ciders and a selection of bottled beers from around the world. / cambridgebeerfestival.com

London Beer Week (16-22 Feb) Craft beer festival in partnership with Craft Beer Rising. Wrist bands available from ticketsource. co.uk.

If you’d like to promote an event here or at originalgravitymag.com email originalgravitymag@ gmail.com

10/10 PERFECTION

Stanley Vacuum Steel Pint Ooh we like this. This Stanley thermos has been design specifically for beer. It’s a Thermos that will keep your pint of beer cold for four hours. No it’s not a Belgian tasting goblet, and yes it’s made from stainless steel, but this is a beer to load up with Founders’ All-Day IPA and enjoy with mates while the brisket melts on the barbecue. And there’s a bottle opener on the top. Of course. / shopstanley-pmi.com

CAMRA National Winter Ales Festival, Derby (Feb 11-14) Held in Derby’s stunning Roundhouse, this large festival features more than 400 real ales, ciders, perries, continental beers and mead. The Champion Winter Beer of Britain beers will be decided in four style categories: old ales and strong milds, porters, stouts and barley wines and strong old ales. / nwaf.org.uk

Craft Beer Rising (19-22 Feb) Taking place at the Old Truman Brewery, and now including a Thursday evening session. Prices between £17-20 include a £5 beer token, choice of glassware and a programme. / craftbeerrising.co.uk

vii

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The FEATURE

50 amazing beers We asked brewers, beer writers and chefs for the best beers they’ve tried in recent times. They are not all new, but they are all amazing. Here’s what they said.

Matthew Curtis WRITER

Fou’ Foune, 5% Cantillon This annually released apricot Lambic from Brussels’ finest is a masterpiece. Flavours of tangy apricot and barnyard funk waltz on the tongue, seek it out at all costs. India Hells Lager, 6.2% Camden Town Brewery Recently released IHL from Camden Town is a cascade of juicy new world hop flavours. It’s difficult to believe it’s a lager at all. Cuvée Noir, 10.6% Brooklyn Brewery It’s hard to pin down what makes this rich and complex Belgian style strong ale so wonderful. It may be pricey but it’s most certainly worth the investment. Of Foam and Fury, 8.5% Galway Bay Brewery Probably the best beer being brewed in Ireland right now. This pithy monster of a double IPA is as good as those being brewed by America’s best. Gamma Ray Pale Ale, 5.4% Beavertown This is my fridge staple, I literally cannot go without having this harmonious, thirst-quenching riot of grapefruit and mango in my house.

Steven Bentnall BEER O’CLOCK SHOW

Jessica Boak & Ray Bailey WRITERS

Teninchwheels WRITER / PHOTOGRAPHER

Halcyon, 7.4% Thornbridge Consistently excellent, with big tropical aromas and refreshing grapefruit flavours throughout. Refreshing from beginning to end and with an all-too-easy sticky bittersweet finish, this has become a constant ‘go-to’ beer.

Taddy Porter, 5% Samuel Smith It’s been around for years, and we’ve drunk it many times, but we’ve gained a new appreciation for it lately: all sweet cocoa and plummy fruits, it’s an often-overlooked classic.

Farmhouse IPA, 6% Lervig/Magic Rock Norway-Yorkshire alliance. Summery, clean and crisp with a crunchy, grassy, fruity bitterness up front fading into gently tart grapefruit, with a mellow zip of peach and spice.

Farmhouse IPA, 6% Magic Rock/Lervig We first tried this juicy, fruity, quirky hybrid of US and Belgian styles at the Sheffield Tap in the summer, and it felt almost like getting an electric shock. Intense, but also great fun.

Pale Ale Citra, 4.8% De Molen Subtly smooth with pine and floral highlights and a dry kick at the end. Exactly the right amount of restrained bitterness makes for a very satisfying beer. One to reach for if you’ve had enough of corrosive hop bombs.

IPA, 7.1% Five Points This new addition to the Five Points core range brings the London brewery into the IPA market. It’s a cocktail of tropical and citrus flavours that delivers a moreish bitter hit that is softened by a zesty finish.

Tripel Hop, 9.5% Duvel This combines the clean zing of classic Duvel with a palate-reviving curveball from a guest hop variety, different each year. The 2014 version, with Mosaic, has a high note of ripe orange fruits. Smog Rocket, 5.4% Beavertown Launched in cans this year but equally as great from the bottle or keg, Smog Rocket gives huge smoky aromas which follow through in the flavour but are softened by pine and citrus tones through to a thick bittersweet finish. ReAle, 6.4% Birra del Borgo An example of birrificio at its best, ReAle starts with citrus aromas before delivering a dry hit with hints of tropical fruits and lemon. There are hints of caramel sweetness and the dry finish drags you back in time and time again. Schiehallion, 4.8% Harviestoun This sweet, crisp lager from Scotland is one of the most refreshing beers around. Dry and grassy with hints of lemon on the finish, this is the perfect beer for any occasion.

Southwold Bitter, 3.7% Adnams We drank a lot of this on a recent trip to Southwold. At its best, on home turf, it shows just how distinctive traditional brown bitter can be: it’s almost weird tasting, with a distinct shrubby saltiness. Manchester Pale Ale (MPA), 3.7% J.W. Lees Perhaps as near as we can get to Boddington’s Bitter in its hey-day of 30+ years ago. Amber-gold, and full of crusty-bread notes and bright marmalade hops, it’s a cracking pint for a serious session in the pub.

Broken Dream, 6% Siren A beer to savour with a good book and a dog at your feet. A big, sweetish slug of rich dark chocolate, espresso, toffee and autumn woodsmoke. Lush and decadent, this wraps itself around you like a cashmere scarf. Black Pepper Ale, 5.1% Bateman Comes with a tiny bag of ground pepper to add to the beer. This bit of theatre actually brings an extra dimension to lift what is otherwise a pretty standard bitter. Palate-tickling, spicy – and yes, peppery – knock it off with a truckle of strong cheeses. Wild River, 4.5% Fullers Imagine a full-on Yank Pale Ale tamed by a traditional British brewer. Gentle hits of orange peel and marmalade with a stealthy, lasting hoppiness. Drink it all evening without getting daft.

The FEATURE

James Watt BREWDOG

Limoncello, 9.1% Siren What. A. Beer. This totally blew my mind when I first had it. It’s just lemons all the way through. All sweet and sour zingy zesty citrus, but still an IPA! The sour mash is an awesome twist and I have never known a beer to do its name justice like this does!

Cucumber Juniper Saison, 5.5% Brew By Numbers Perfect for summer, this is uber refreshing and so lovely and light. Saisons are ideal for drinking on a hot day in the sunshine, and the cucumber and juniper add a cool splash of freshness. It’s like a beery gin and tonic. Without the gin. Or tonic. Sculpin IPA, 7% Ballast Point Ballast Point is one of my favourite breweries. This IPA is an all out ideal India Pale Ale and rocks some super fruity fistfuls of grapefruit, mango, apricot and lemon. I had this with some super spicy jerk chicken on a BBQ; the bitterness just cuts through that heat and the fruity notes really compliment the jerk spices.

Slapstick, 5% Magic Rock This is a beer brewed exclusively for our UK bars by one of my favourite UK breweries. Magic Rock are mega cool, and this beer is a hopped up witbier with Amarillo and Cascade and added coriander and orange peel. It’s really light and refreshing with a hint of spice, and the Amarillo really accentuates the citrusy notes from the orange peel. Deliciously juicy. Imperial Coconut Porter, 7.9% Maui The last time I drank this beer it was out of a coconut on a beach in Hawaii. I can confirm that that is the ideal environment to enjoy this beer in. I was in the States filming season two of BrewDogs and we were hanging out with the guys from Maui. This really stood out as one of the most all-encompassing beery experiences of the past six months; all six senses were experiencing the beer and the beach and it just summed up summer and coconuty deliciousness (yes, I meant six).

Michel Roux Jnr CHEF

Peter Brown WRITER

sounds like a cliché of the current fondness for citra hops, but tastes beautifully fruity and balanced. Otto, Weizen Doppelbock, 8% Thornbridge A massive wheat beer that should bludgeon you with its banana, cloves and bubblegum, but because it’s Thornbridge, seduces you instead with its class and grace. 01|01 Citra Saison, 5.5% Brew By Numbers Citra and saison are the two most overhyped things in craft brewing right now, but together they help build the increasingly strong reputation of this exciting London brewery.

Yggradisil pale ale, 6.6% Black Metal Brewery Ignore the black metal branding (that is, if you find it off-putting like I did) and this is a really impressive pale ale from the Scottish borders. A perfect balance Bloody ‘Ell Blood Orange IPA, 7.2% of bitterness and sweetness, and a wonderful surprise. Beavertown Containing the zest and squeezed juice from 25kg of blood oranges, it actually delivers a while carnival Pamplemousse pale ale, 4.2% of fruit flavours among the resiny hops and bready Waen malt. Beavertown beers just keep getting better. A hoppy pale ale brewed with grapefruit juice –

Liefmans Cuvee Brut, 6% Brasserie Liefmans, Belgium This is an ale brewed with cherries only once a year in July. After brewing, freshly harvested and carefully selected cherries are blended in and the beer is cellared at the brewery. After a slow maturation of 18 months to three years, different vintages are carefully tasted and blended to create the final result which is a complex deep red ale with a refreshing balanced tart-sweet taste and intense cherry notes. Chateau D’Ychouffe, 9% Brasserie D’Achouffe, Belgium There are only 12,000 bottles produced for this unique beer halfway between a beer and a wine which is the result of a blend of 60 per cent of La Chouffe Golden Ale Wort and 40 per cent of juice of sweet dessert wine grapes from Chateau du Cros in the regions of Loupiac, Barsac and Sauternes. A delicious sweetness and balance will develop with ripe stone fruits, candied fruits and floral and exotic character. Fuller’s Vintage Ale, 8.5% Brasserie Fuller’s, London This ale was been brewed for the first time in 1997 and then produced every September. It is a bottle-fermented, unpasteurised ale which following the fermentation the beer will be conditioned in the brewery for a month and

then re-seeded with a fresh house yeast. This ale has to be treated as a fine wine, meaning that time will deepen both intense hop resins, spices and marmalade flavours and complexity balanced by a long persistent bittersweet finish. Innis & Gun Rum Finished, 6.8% Brasserie Innis & Gun, Scotland This brew is uniquely finished in oak casks that previously contained Navy Rum which imparts a sweet spicy flavour. It spends at least 60 days maturing in American Oak Rum Barrels and then a further 47-day maturation period will take place to mellow and integrates all the flavours. Intense aromas of brown sugar, caramel and toffee will develop with a persistent aromatic spiciness from the rum which will make an ideal pairing with red meat like venison and duck or mature cheeses. Meantime Pilsner, 4.4% Brasserie Meantime, London This is a truly fine lager which is a result of a long cold fermentation which will allow the beer to gets the time it needs for the flavour to develop and ripen. The use of a selected Pilsner malt will give a straw pale colour and the authentic German hops will contribute to enhance an extremely complex pine and spice flavours and a crisp, elegant bitterness.

The FEATURE

Logan Plant BEAVERTOWN Pivo Pils, 5.3% Firestone Walker I was lucky enough to serve our beers at the Firestone Walker Invitational a few months ago. Among all the amazing beers on offer, the simplest, most traditional stood out was Firestone Walkers’s Pivo Pils. Brilliantly crisp, pale and 5.3% with huge noble aromas. All I wanted to do was dive in and drink it all. Such a wellcrafted and perfectly executed beer.

“These beers are as much about the place I drank them as about what they tasted like.”

And You! @hoponthebike Magic Spanner, 3.9% Magic Rock Brewing Co My beer of the year (even though it’s not over) is @MagicRockBrewCo Magic Spanner. Unbelievable stuff.

Peter Joseph McKerry @PJMcKerry Justin Mason @1970sBOY 2 O’Clock Ordinary, 4% It poured bright, clean and fresh into the dragonfly etched pint glass and my senses were immediately filled with fruity caramel and echoes of dates, figs and hints of stewed apple. I was again struck by it’s freshness, those caramel flavours alone satisfying me, quenching my thirst, transporting me to a place I hadn’t visited for a very long time.

Whiskey Sour, 10.2% Siren I’m a fan of the standard Limoncello IPA (which is anything but standard) but by aging the beer in bourbon barrels Siren have made it gloriously rich. It pours a light amber with soft carbonation and the aroma is all about the whiskey, immediately invoking images of the southern states of America. And even more surprisingly (and indeed scary) is that you would not think in a million years you were drinking a beer with a 10.2% ABV. Kudos Siren, you’ve done it again.

Bod Bowditch @Tribod Middle Finger Discount, 7.2% Siren / To Øl Aroma hits you then tropical taste with a comforting blueberry middle & a woody/spicy finish. Flavour contrasts were amazing

Chris Hall WRITER Loki Lite, 4.5% Tiny Rebel Brewing Co The hop bill for this ‘All-Dayer IPA’ is 70 per cent UK Jester Hops and 30 per cent US hops, making for a huge tropical aroma and refreshing bitterness on a juicy and sessionable body. Lemon Phantom, 3.4% Beavertown Brewery The inspiration for this sharp and tart Berliner Weisse was a foil-topped can of San Pellegrino Limonata, and it’s frankly astonishing how alike this juicily sour lemon beer is. White Tips (White IPA), 4.5% Siren Craft Brew One of the most technically impressive beers made in the UK, White Tips is a stunning hybrid of American IPA and Beligan witbier that’s sweet, spicy, floral and endlessly refreshing.

Rach Smith @Lookatbrew Caribbean Chocolate Cake, 4.6% Siren Caribbean Chocolate Cake from @SirenCraftBrew was pretty epic.

Hogs Back @hogsbacksales Big Job, 7.2% St Austell I’m going to murder my darlings and say Big Job great combination and balance of alcohol, malt and hop – highly drinkable.

Adrian Tierney-Jones WRITER

Saison a la Provision, 6.5% Burning Sky Sussex Downs saison with a sweet, leathery, farmyard-like nose; in the mouth it’s delicate and yet brawny, refreshing and quenching, sour and sharp, slinky and sinuous. Exceptional. London Sour, 3.2% Kernel I enjoyed this at the brewery on a sunny Saturday morning. It’s appetising and brisk on the palate, juicy and generous in its mouth feel, gently sour, grapefruit-dry; an inspiring riff on the Berliner Weisse style. Bavaria’s Best Imperial Stout, 10% Schönramer Devoured with devotion at Berlin’s Meisterstuck sausage and craft beer bar. This is an involved dessert of a beer, deep Burgundy

red in colour, full of coffee, chocolate, spice and bitterness. Fasten Bier, 5.5% Schlenkerla Bamberg Easter beer discovered at Rome’s Ma Che Siete Venuti Afa. The nose is a wooden box that once held smoked herrings in an old Hansa port, while on the palate a gentle smokiness blends into subtle malt sweetness. Incredibly drinkable. Sour Brown, 7% Thornbridge A grand old master of a West Flemish brown from Derbyshire. It’s tart, vinous, earthy, sour and sweet, fruity as in cherry, currant and plum-sweetness, all wrapped up in a cedar wood dryness. Remarkable.

ORIGINAL GRAVITY O

OUR PRODUCTS 1. PRINT PUBLICATION. The core product is Original Gravity%, a free monthly publication in a tabloid newspaper format distributed in more than 300 pubs, bottle shops and festivals around the country. 2. DIGITAL ISSUE. There’s a free online issue that is an exact replica of the print issue. Download it at originalgravitymag.com 3. WEBSITE. This is updated daily with news, views and idle gossip. It will also have beer reviews, destination guides, features, essays and video content. originalgravitymag.com 4. SOCIAL MEDIA. We’re on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Instagram. This presence is an important part of our business and partners. t. @OGBeerMag f. /originalgravitymag i. ORIGINAL_GRAVITY 5. ALMANAC. We’re producing a gorgeous, thick 168-page paid for magazine out in Summer 2015 showcasing the best writing, photography and art to do with the beer and artisanal spirits.

NEXT ISSUE Issue 2 – Out on February 1 Includes: FEATURES: 1. The Winter of Porters. Winter beers, history of porter, and then best new examples. By Adrian Tierney-Jones 2. The country’s best tap rooms 3. How to taste beer BEER TRAVELLER’S GUIDE TO... LEEDS The best pubs, bars, bottle shops and beers in the city PLUS - Events, news, views - Photo essay - Distilled: The very best artisanal spirits

ADVERTISING We’re a free publication. We believe that everyone should have access to all the information. This means we rely on advertising to support the project. This is where you can help. You buy space in Original Gravity% and you can use it for what you want. We produce a magazine that promotes beer. The rates are really reasonable. To inquire about advertising please email us at originalgravitymag@gmail.com We’re here because we’re passionate about beer and spreading the word.

6. MONTHLY EVENTS. We’ll be hosting monthly events in London, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol and Brighton. This will showcase the best beers and spirits from our partners. We’ve a highly experienced events team that already specialises in craft beer and real ale pop-up bars. 7. NEWSLETTERS. We’ll be sending out newletters by email focussing on the latest news and events. 8. BRAND EXTENSIONS. Also in the pipeline is an online shop selling artwork, glasses and T-shirts, a workshop tour with top writers and brewers.

WHERE DO WE DISTRIBUTE We’ll distribute 15,000 copies to more than 300 pubs and bottle shops that sell good beer in across London, and in Leeds, Bristol and Brighton. In six months, the plan is to also distribute in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham, Chester, Nottingham, Sheffield, Swansea and Cardiff. Oh and Eastbourne, because that’s where we live. We have a full list of distribution outlets on our website (www.originalgravitymag.com). If you can’t get one in a shop, you’ll be able to read it for free on a tablet version.

Photo ESSAY

Evin O’Riordan, founder and head brewer at the Kernel Brewery

There’s a beer revolution taking place in Bermondsey, and it’s all down to real estate. Under the railway arches, among the car mechanics, there’re half a dozen new breweries. We visited the first one, Kernel, to find out what goes on in the beer caves. / Pictures Teninchwheels (teninchwheels@gmail.com)

UNDER THE ARCHES

The ESSAY

WHAT EXACTLY IS ‘CRAFT BEER’?

Adrian Tierney-Jones visits some of the most experimental breweries in the country to find out what ‘craft beer’ actually means

Craft beer. We all know what it is don’t we? It’s, you know, a beer brewed by a small brewery, or brewed with an attitude or even it’s all about brewing with good materials and a broad brush of creativity. Or maybe you just wear a bandana, grow a big bushy beard and smoke a pipe. Maybe it’s more that we know what isn’t craft beer: for instance, there was Foster’s, whose adverts told the shrinking amount of people drinking their stuff that they had been crafting it since the 19th century. Or maybe it was Guinness who somewhere or other managed to get the word craft into an ad tagline. Meanwhile the recent emergence of certain family breweries with histories going back to the 19th century asserting that they too are craft beer has led to a few raised eyebrows. Everyone and their mother is craft beer now. This sort of craft promiscuity has led to a certain concern about the vagueness of definition. I was in BrewDog in February, on a press trip, and co-founder James Watt asked the small group of writers and bloggers who had been flown up to Aberdeen whether it was possible to get a definition for craft beer. Best comment I heard was from a fellow journalist: ‘bit late now, the horse has bolted.’ It certainly has. On the other hand, whether we have a definition or not of craft beer, I believe that we are in one of the most creative periods of British brewing — though I do know that there will be those who will quibble and wish to conjure up a time machine that would whiz us all back to the age of porter or when IPAs and stock ales ruled the earth, but I’m sticking with my view. How can one not fail to be excited when breweries such as Kernel, Wild Beer, Beavertown, Burning Sky, Alechemy and yes BrewDog are pushing the boundaries of what constitutes beer (and getting it right with the flavour side of things, anyone can push a boundary but you do need to make the beer drinkable). Breweries like these are looking backwards, sideways and forwards to produce stunning beers (and it’s not just all about shed-loads of hops either). And intriguingly enough while they’re doing all of this, they’re managing to keep within the loose definitions of what we call beer styles, the concept of which can be another craft can of worms, but that’s a discussion for another day. Take Burning Sky, which Dark Star’s former head brewer Mark Tranter set up in an old barn in the village of Firle, not far from Lewes. I visited him last November, when he’d only been brewing for a few weeks. Within the barn with its brand new concrete floor and assemblage of shiny stainless steel vessels there was also a quartet of 2500-litre oak barrels; a further 16 225-litre wooden barrels glowered in the corner, and there were another four on order. ‘These barrels are a statement of my intent,’ said Tranter and outlined his plans on how he would be producing all manner of beers that would then sleep the sleep of the just within these wooden wombs. To put my PR hat on for a brief moment, you could say that Tranter was adding a fifth element (or ingredient) to his beer alongside water (or liquor), malt, hops and yeast: that of time. It’s nothing new if you’re an American, Belgian, Czech or German brewer, but this is England where our most common beer bitter was initially called a ‘running beer’ because of the relatively brief period of production. The night before Mark had guided me through a selection of his new beers, including the pale juicy fruity session beer Plateau, the strong pale ale Aurora and the

rugged 7% IPA Devil’s Rest. All enlivened my palate and brought a smile of pleasure to my face. After that, we launched into a brace of saisons. The seasonal Saison l’automne was complex, dry and spicy, and a reflection of what had been just available in the hedgerows of Sussex: Tranter had collected a load of rosehips and after steeping them in boiling water added the juice to the fermenting beer. He told me that the saison’s base recipe would remain the same all the year round but its seasonal ingredients will change. Then there was Saison à la Provision, which although it had the same recipe as l’automne (lager malt, spelt, wheat, carahell, East Kent Goldings, Saaz, Styrian Goldings and Soriachi Ace), it was stronger at 6.5% (the former is 4.2%) and had no rosehips or anything from the hedgerows in it. Instead, Brettanomyces and Lactobacillus were added towards the end of fermentation, all of which gave it a leathery, lemony, bitter, orange, dry, bracing character. The beer also spends up to three months in one of the 2500-litre oak barrels. Since my visit Tranter has also produced a Flemish Red Ale, which will need at least 18 months in wood. For me Tranter’s approach and the beers he is brewing is the great shining light in the current British beer revolution — an almost restless sense of creativity and exploration. The best brewers (whether they call themselves craft or not) are curious, are driven by a sense of what would happen if they use a new hop variety, a different yeast strain or put their beer into wooden barrels (whether it once held whisky, red wine or is freshly made). Wood aging has always intrigued me and I guess cynics might think it a bit passé these days, but talk to some of the brewers engaged in this practice and you will discover the most noble of motives. For instance, Buxton’s head brewer Colin Stronge recently told me that for him, ‘barrel ageing is about pushing beer flavour forward beyond what can be achieved just by malt, hops and yeast and combining the flavours of wood, spirit, wine and beer to create interesting new flavours which we couldn’t otherwise achieve’. Then there’s Ryan Witter-Merithew at Siren, who says that ‘barrel aging is great fun and allows us to experiment’. I’ve always been sceptical when brewers announce that they are innovative (usually the marketing department has changed the label), passionate (I never hear slaughterhouse workers claim to be passionate about what they do) or are brewing some awesome beers (it’s a shame we don’t have something like a brewing Académie française, which could then ban the use of certain words). And yes some of this new breed of brewers do slip up and engage in unnecessary hyperbole, but I can forgive them their excesses. After all, all of us sometimes get carried away when we do something exciting with our lives. These guys (men and women) are making beer exciting, are celebrating creativity and making beer drinking an utter pleasure — and the latter point is something we should all remember when we’re worrying whether something is to style or whether it’s craft: beer is a pleasure not a duty.

/ Adrian Tierney-Jones / Illustration: Lauren Taylor-Heaton

DISTILLED

SOUTHWOLD Spirits Breweries of any size have a workmanlike atmosphere. It’s stainless steel and wellies, tubes and spin cycles. Magic is made in breweries of course, but distilleries; distilleries have an inherent beauty to them. Gleaming red coppers, that to 21st century nostalgists look like a steampunk pipe organ, or, in the case at Adnams, part of a Jules Verne contraption to plunder the mineral riches from the centre of the earth. Three great towers rise several storeys high, regular port holes allow for inspection, but there’s clearly an aesthetic quality to it. The designer of this distillery relished their task. I wondered at it a while, and then the view over the impossibly quaint Southwold as the red sun caught the lighthouse through the expansive window. “There’s no way these surroundings don’t influence product,” I said to Ruth Goldsmith and head distiller John McCarthy. “It’s certainly a beautiful place to work,” Ruth replied. “Anyway, let’s go and have a drink.” Leaving the distillery we went into the lab and John’s workplace. On one wall were framed award certificate: Bronze Medal for its Triple Grain Whisky, Silver Medal for an Absinthe, International Wine & Spirits Competition Gin Trophy 2013 and, most coveted, the Vodka Trophy and Gold Outstanding medal winner at the International Wine & Spirits Competition in 2014. Not bad for a distillery that only got going in 2010, and a head distiller who was an engineer (albeit in a brewery) until his initial training in 2009. Along the far table sat four little, and lovely, spirit infusers. It’s in these little copper pots where John plays Willy Wonka. Ruth heads for the cabinet under the sink filled with bottles of Adnams’ Absinthe or its new Pomme Pom, an apple spirit. Others are plain bottles with handwritten labels on them: Akvavit, or chocolate vodka. We pop open a few bottles for a sniff and a swill. “Try this,” John offers. “It probably won’t make it into production but I like it.” It’s the Akvavit, savoury and warm. I resist the absinthe and shuffle through the bottles. This, I thought, would be a fun place to work. So how did an engineer make one of the best ever vodkas? “Luck!” John says. But pushed for more he explains that distilling is a very precise process, well suited to an engineer. “The most important thing is the natural ingredients in the first place,” John adds. All the base spirits are produced in Southwold with locally grown malted barley and other cereals. The initial process is done in a very similar manner to beer. “I enjoy making the gins, and that’s probably what I’m most proud of,” John says. “More taste and balance comes into it. Making absinthe is fun too.” Adnams have been brewing beer since 1872, on a site that has seen brewing for many more years. And until recently had a great reputation for quality and consistent. And then came along Fergus Fitzgerald and a sprightly team of brewers, staff, and distillers Adnams moved forward with aplomb, with respect to their past, and turned out a new range: the excellent Dry-Hopped Lager, a Mosaic Pale Ale and, my favourite, a Crystal Rye IPA. After seeing the lab, Ruth takes me into the cellar. Inside there are dozens and dozens of barrels. “Rye whisky!” she exclaims. “We’re planning to release it in 2015. There are other experiments down here too, we’re in a lucky position that we can wait until we are 100 per cent happy with them before releasing, there’s no hurry.” Also planned are sherry and fortified wine matured whiskies . They’ll probably win something too.

The 2nd FEATURE

Do guitars TASTE OF HOPS? Can sound influence the taste of beer. Pete Brown explores why some music is better suited to particular beers

The 2nd FEATURE

Have you ever been on a train and felt it start to move, before realising a second later that it’s the train on the next platform that’s moving in other direction, and you’re still stationary? Have you ever seen a ventriloquist, and wondered how the sound really seems to be coming from the puppet’s mouth, not the person’s, without pausing to reflect that the sound you’re hear is coming from neither mouth, but from the speakers at either side of the stage? And have you ever fallen in love with a beer on holiday, then brought a few bottles home to find that its beautiful balance of crisp, biscuit malt and citrus hops has morphed into wet dog and cardboard? Of course you have.

Our five senses are not as straightforward as we think. In fact there aren’t even five: there are at least seven, without even counting the paranormal sixth. And they don’t work in isolation: they interact, help each other out, sometimes even deceive each other, or the brain. A few years ago, scientists at Heriott Watt University asked a group of people to rate a light, spritzy wine and a bold, heavy wine on how good they tasted. Other groups were asked to taste the same wines with musical accompaniment. One group was played Nouvelle Vague’s cover version of Depeche Mode’s ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ – a bubbly bossa nova version that, in its own way, could be described as light and spritzy. Another was played Orff ’s Carmina Burana (or the Old Spice ad music if you’re of a certain age), which could, in turn, be described as heavy and bold. The Nouvelle Vague group scored the white wine 40 per cent better tasting than the control group. The Carmina Burana group rated the red 66 per cent better. When I read about this, I decided it would be excellent fun to start matching beer and music on similar principles. Before beer, music was my first love. I always thought I would grow up to be a music writer, but I began a career in advertising instead, which led to me becoming a beer writer mostly by accident.

beer and music in an intuitive, loose sense. Wheat beer just feels right with folk or alt-country. A clean, crisp, well-made lager, all angular precision, is reflected nicely in the bright, brittle music of Kraftwerk. And I’ve lost count of the number of people who have said of Trooper, the Iron Maiden beer launched last year by lead singer Bruce Dickinson and Robinson’s Brewery, “Oh – I thought it would be really dark and strong.”

flavour from the same beer. This also works in relation to other senses: if two drinkers were to have the same beer but one in a cold room, one in a warm room, or one from a plastic beaker and the other from a stemmed, branded glass, or one had the beer dyed with brown food colouring and the other in its natural blonde state, it’s likely they’d have different flavour perceptions.

Why? “Well… because it’s metal, isn’t it?”

Music is one of the most emotive forces on the planet. It changes how we feel, so it can certainly change how we taste. And it’s not random – experiments consistently show that bitterness, for example, ‘sounds’ low and smooth, while acidity sounds high pitched and melodic, and sourness is dissonant and atonal.

We can all make these associations. And many of us will broadly agree on them. But when I started matching beer and music at beer tasting events, I soon learned there’s much more to it. --Neuroscience in its current state is a very new discipline. We actually know very little about how the brain works. In the last twenty years or so, scientists have figured out how to map the brain and work out which bit does what job. If we were to hook, say, a trained beer taster and an enthusiastic novice up to brain scanning equipment and give them each the same beer, we would initially see the parts of the brain that deal with flavour and taste engage – in a broadly similar manner in each subject.

--Musical analogies never fail when writing about the beer scene: you could substitute the words ‘craft beer’ for ‘real indie’, and the arguments are pretty much identical. The four ingredients in beer work together to exceed the sum of their parts in much the same way as the classic line up of a rock band. I’ve not yet gone as far as to try to work out whether water is drums or malt is bass, but guitars are definitely hops. Beer and music inarguably belong together in a contextual sense: many of our most celebrated bands learned their craft playing sweaty gigs in pubs, and a gig or festival isn’t complete without a warm, overpriced can of Red Stripe. This closeness of context makes it very easy to pair

Then, in the trained taster, the parts of the brain that deal with knowledge, memory and learning would kick in, as that person accessed their store of knowledge built up over the years. Then they’d start to talk about hoppy and malty character, perhaps naming the style, and so on. Without that store of knowledge, the novice would engage other, deeper memories in search of context and description: specific sense memories perhaps, or associations that initially seem random, but are triggered by previous experience, mood or emotion. So while the trained taster may feel a strong, hoppy beer evokes pine forests, the novice might believe it smells of, say, parma violets. These two aromas are nothing alike. But the different ‘cognitive priming’ in each person produces different interpretations of

Add all this together, and you can create some fascinating experiments. My current favourite is a side-by-side tasting of Chimay Blue and Beavertown Smog Rocket with two different pieces of music – Debussy’s ‘Clair de Lune’ and Jimi Hendrix’s take on ‘All Along the Watchtower’. It’s subjective to some degree – if you love Hendrix and hate Debussy, you are ‘primed’ to think both beers taste better with Watchtower, and vice versa. But increasingly when I do this, participants insist the flavour of the beer actually changes with the music: Smog Rocket is far too harsh on the palate with Debussy next to the mellow smoothness of Chimay – which then becomes bland and tasteless as Smog Rocket starts to make sense with ‘Watchtower’. The science is still very new and uncertain. But it does exist. The truth about taste and aroma – and all our senses – is that we experience them in the brain, not with our mouth, nose, eyes and ears. The mouth and nasal cavity only pick up data from flavour compounds. This data means nothing until the brain interprets it, and the brain doesn’t do this in isolation – it processes everything at once. Much of what we think of as taste is in fact aroma. A great deal of ‘sound’ is informed by what we see. And Duvel really does taste even better when you accompany it with ‘Debaser’ by the Pixies. Beer and music are two of the finest creations of human civilisation. It’s no coincidence that they’re even better when you put them together.

MORE BRILLIANT BEER MUSIC MATCHES

& Rock

Roll

Rolling Stones ‘Gimme Shelter’ with BrewDog Tokyo* An intuitive match that’s all about cocksure swagger and pomp.

Folk

First Aid Kit ‘My Silver Lining’ with Camden Gentleman’s Wit A folky, countryside vibe given a knowing twist of modernity.

Soul

Adele ‘Someone Like You’ with Lagunitas IPA The sombre piano picks up the hop bitterness, while the soaring vocal melody hammers home their citrus fruit.

Indie

Joy Division ‘Unknown Pleasures’ and Robinsons Old Tom Both brooding, intense and powerful – and both created in Stockport.

e Grim

Dizee Rascal ‘Bonkers’ with Rodenbach Grand Cru A match that’s all about unsettling yet ultimately engaging dissonance.

Tasting NOTES Bristol Beer Factory BELGIAN RYE (7 )

Thornbridge BAYERN (5 )

Anspach & Hobday THE PORTER (6.7 )

Five Points Brew Co FIVE POINTS PALE (4.4 )

Innovative Belgian rye beer from one of Bristol’s leading breweries

One of the original craft breweries has a hoppy riff on Bavarian pale lager

From underneath the arches in Bermondsey comes this new brewery’s rich take on porter

Perfectly balanced American style pale ale

The label says speciality and pale rye malt; the hops are Saaz, Centennial, Amarillo and Cascade while a Trappist yeast strain has been embedded during the fermentation process: welcome to BBF’s Un/Limited series, which also includes a Double IPA. A warming aroma of freshly baked rye bread in co-habitation with hints of baked banana curls up from the amber-bronze liquid. Take a sip, a swig even. Discover the banana notes courtesy of the yeast, the fieriness of the alcohol; meanwhile the rye brings a warm baker’s shop spice to the party and the finish lays down a carpet of alcohol and rye-inspired spice that keeps on coming. Buy two, drink one, keep one. Adrian Tierney-Jones / bristolbeerfactory.co.uk

Thornbridge’s brewers have always thought outside the box, whether it’s about aging beer in whisky barrels when it was still novel or having a go at producing their own versions of classic beer styles. Tzara took on Kolsch, while Otto cuddled up to Weizenbock. Bayern as the name might suggest is Thornbridge’s bravura stab at Bavarian pale lager, though with more hops that most Bavarian brewmasters would countenance. The result is a dream of a beer with the sort of soft carbonation that makes me think of Kellerbier, a gentle lemon breeze on the nose, citrus subtlety on the palate, an arch of refreshment and the sort of dry finish that the late comedian Dave Allen was an expert at when concluding his monologues. Adrian Tierney-Jones / thornbridgebrewery.co.uk

From beneath the billowing espresso-flecked head of foam of this noble porter there emerges a darkness of a nose with swirls of creamy chocolaty and mocha coffee, plus an undercurrent of ripe, ripe plum. There’s more of the darkness on the palate engaging with a creamy, smooth mouth feel, plus a hint of acidity that bumps up engagingly with the dry finish. Drink deeper and you’ll find more: peppery spice in the middle of the palate, while as the beer warms up, hints of a luscious rich orange peel take their place on the aromatic podium. This is class in a glass that is all the more astonishing as it’s produced by one of the smaller and newer brewing outfits on the railway arch scene in Bermondsey. Adrian Tierney-Jones / anspachandhobday.com

Many a pale ale, be it of the India variety or otherwise, promises that perfect balance of zesty tropical fruit and lip smacking bitterness but too few deliver. Five Points Pale Ale however, hopped with Amarillo, Centennial and Citra, ticks all the right boxes. A dark gold beer offers a strong resiny, aroma of hop leaves and grapefruit which sets you on the path to a pithy bitterness perfectly aligned with a cereal aftertaste. Step up a new go to beer for fans of Goose Island IPA or Dead Pony Club. Sophie Atherton / fivepointsbrewing.co.uk

Gyle 59 STARSTRUCK (6.6 ) rye beerwith from onestar of Bristol’s leading A spicy beerInnovative fromBelgian Dorset quality breweries Based on their porter, known as The Favourite, this is a dark beer with an open secret. The clue is in the star shaped motif on the label: it’s spiced with star anise. A bold ingredient for a beer it’s used subtly and cleverly here. The beer starts with a soft, chocolate-

coated hoppy bitterness which leads to further layers of flavour opening up as you drink, like flower petals to the sun. Dark fruity hops entwine with tangy chocolate – think a posh bar of fruit and nut – until you reach the star anise, the flavour of which increases

a little as the beer warms and the more you drink. Plenty of food matching potential with this brew. Try it with chilli con carne, beef stew or a hefty steak. Sophie Atherton / gyle59.co.uk

Brooklyn Brewery CUVÉE NOIR (10.6 )

Oliver’s Cider AT THE HOP (6 )

Beavertown Brewery 8 BALL RYE IPA (6.2 )

Flying Dog UNDERDOG ATLANTIC LAGER (7 )

Bourbon barrel aged stout evoking the glamour of a New York night

The UK’s first dry-hopped cider – it’s hard to imagine anyone making a better one

A spicy, jammy and citrusy explosion of flavour in a no-holds barred IPA

Light and snappy, a subtly complex lager with refreshing bite

If renowned brewmaster, and writer, Garrett Oliver puts a beer in a 750ml bottle capped with a champagne cork you know it’s going to more than a little special. As you pop the cork, and start to pour, a gentle waft of orange reaches your nose followed by the sweet, unmistakable boozy fragrance of bourbon and then a tiny hint of good quality Cuban cigars. Effervescent carbonation lifts the bourbon flavours immediately to your tastebuds. It subsides as you swallow leaving dark bitter chocolate, prunes and figs in its wake and just a ghost of the whisky. The spirits of vanilla and coconut rise up down the second glass. Sip it, contemplate it, get to know it. Sophie Atherton / brooklynbrewery.com

Tom Oliver is not just my favourite UK cider maker; in the industry he is liked as much as he is respected. Dry-hopped ciders originated among the new wave of craft beer-centric cider makers in Oregon and Washington State, where they’ve probably added hops to everything from toothpaste to coffee by now. At the Hop is superior to any American effort I’ve tasted. It’s complex and powerful, with hints of sweet fruit compote and sharp citrus, and a gentle bitterness coming up behind. It doesn’t taste like cider with hops in it. Rather, it tastes like a completely new drink, with a new palate, something that has as much in common with wine as cider or beer. Outstanding. Pete Brown / theolivers.org.uk

One of Beavertown’s signature brews, this IPA with rye added to the mash has five varieties of American and New World hops added to it . 8 Ball is a deep, reddish, russet colour, with a massive off-white head full of pepper, jammy pudding and pine aromas, sharpened by a note of freshly squeezed orange juice. The first sip is very jammy and stickily sweet, with a throat-tickling spiciness from the rye malt. The bitterness and hop character develops in waves, at first seeming full of grapefruit and lychee, then orange and pepper, then twisting into a spicy, fruity booziness like rum punch. It’s a complex and rewarding beer that offers as much as you want to take from it. Chris Hall / beavertownbrewwery.co.uk

As uncharacteristic as this crisp, clever lager might be for hoppy ale and brewers Flying Dog, it’s one of the best lagers you can get in a can. It’s simple and refreshing as well as subtly complex and rewarding. It’s a gloriously bright gold colour out of the can, with a full and foamy head. The beer’s aroma has a punchy, herbal and floral character, edged in lemons and sage. The unusual malt bill, using rye and wheat as well as barley, gives Underdog a wonderfully rounded, softly sweet body for its fairly low strength. That ever-soslight spiciness from the rye find its way into the sharp and crisply bitter finish, where herbal hops come in, snapping and popping. Chris Hall / flyingdogbrewery.com

Beer TRAVELLER

Beer traveller’s guide to...

BRISTOL

The independent spirit is fierce in Bristol. From the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft, to the brewers refusing to play the game, there’s always something very fascinating happening in the city. Original Gravity’s team know the city very well and if you’re a beer lover, this is where to go... Jump on a train and see for yourself.

BARS & PUBS

picks the brews himself on a whim. Fortunately, he has taste, plus an eye for the quirky. As well as cans of Flying Dog Raging Bitch in the fridge, and Ordnance City brews (the one that looks like a bomb), and Buxton on tap. 4-6 North St, 0117 923 1656 / thesteamcrane.co.uk BREWERIES

The Farm The setting couldn’t be more idyllic for this St Werburgh’s pub. Set among the natural bowl of allotments, The Farm exudes a calm, alternative vibe, punctuated in the evenings by the most eclectic selection of bands in the city. Don’t miss. Hopetoun Rd, St Werburghs, 0117 944 2384, / thefarmpub.co.uk The Cadbury This Montpelier pub, is one of the most independent minded pubs in Bristol. You’ll find exclusive Bristol art on the wall, a bewildering array of events, and some good real ale on tap. 0117 924 7874, 68 Richmond Street, Montpelier, The Urban Standard Wiper & True on tap along side a perfectly good Chimay Gold, this is a bar that isn’t afraid to hit the on-trend sweet spots (Mac ’n Cheese with truffle oil features, of course), but it’s a lovely spot and the constantly changing beers list is reason enough to keep returning. 35 Gloucester Rd, 0117 942 4341 / theurbanstandard.co.uk Crofter’s Rights What a space. It screams craft, and backs it up with substance. Among the exposed brick edifice is a very wide range of taps serving up at least a couple that you’ll never have seen before from across Britain. Scottish beer featured heavily when we visited. (Happy face). Add in a wide range of community events and food from local kitchens and hey, you’ve a scene. 117-119 Stokes Croft, 0117 231 0079, / croftersrights.co.uk BrewDog Bristol It’s a BrewDog bar so yes, there’ll be plenty of their own and some jitteringly good guest beers (Mikkeller tap take over when we visited), and the occasional nod towards local beers. It’ll be rammed – join the fun. 58 Baldwin St, 0117 927 9258, / brewdog.com/bars/bristol The Beer Emporium Descend into the depths of Bristol (via a fairly swanky lift if you like) and before you opens up a crafty cavern below. Under the arches is a long bar with a long list of beer on tap (often more than 30) including classics from Stone, perhaps a Belgian beer, or some hard to find rarities. Oh, and more than 380 bottled beers at the last count. An essential stop. 15 King St, 0117 379 0333, / thebeeremporium.net Small Bar Chalk board menu? Tick. A glass-fronted fridges with a bewilderingly enticing selection of rare beers? Tick. 25 taps serving local (ish) beers? Yes please. It’s a high concept place that remains grounded because of the simple passion for the beers available. We like it here. 31 King Street, / smallbarbristol.com Steam Crane Among the antique chandeliers, boot sale mirrors and enough sofas to set up DFS circa 1964, are happy people drinking happy beers. The bar manager

Ashley Down Brewery Ahh we love Ashley Down Brewery, and its owner Vince. His uncompromising stance on fashion and locality – don’t expect this anywhere outside Bristol (despite what his accountant says) – makes for a truly well balanced beer, rich in that secret ingredient missed by many brewers: Love. Lo-fi maybe (beer is still delivered on a trolly, by Vince), but great. Be sure to ask for a tour. @ashleydownbrew TRY: Vanguard, a mild with soul. Wiper & True These labels promise the world, and they almost always achieve it. Its highly hopped beers are flecked with subtle touches of flavor. The conception is immaculate and delivery spot-on. In a good bottle shop near you soon! / wiperandtrue.com TRY: the Amber Ales are tasty affairs and always changing. Bristol Beer Factory Few deny that BBF can turn out a great beer, and occasionally a genre-defying instant classic (yes, I’m talking about the Belgian Rye; see p18). They not only manage to keep consistency across their beers, but find time to be creative too. TRY: Belgian Conspiracy, a peppery beer with a hoppy aroma. Arbor Ales Arbor is a well-respected Bristol brewer that grew from an homebrew set up and can now be found across the country, but the best place to try them is at their own pub in Bristol, The Three Tuns (78 St George’s Rd, Avon, 0117 907 0689). arborales.co.uk TRY: Breakfast Stout. BOTTLE SHOPS Corks of Cotham The owner here truly cares about his beers, despite this being ostensibly a wine merchant. The selection swings from South-west beers (Wiper & True, Rocket Science) to some international classics (Founders, Left Hand, Brooklyn). 54 Cotham Hill, 0117 973 1620, and North Street, / corksof.com Grape & Grind One of two unmissable places on Gloucester Road (also handy for The a Urban Standard), this is the upmarket wine spot that also excels with local beers. A huge range of beers from Bristol Beer Factory, Wiper & True, Arbour and Moor make up a great place. 101 Gloucester Road, 0117 924 8718 / grapeandgrind.co.uk Brewers Droop Great name, great place. This is the polar opposite of upmarket Grape & Grind and is mainly a homebrew merchant with a rather incredible selection of international beers. 36 Gloucester Road, 0117 942 7923 / brewers-droop.com