April, 2019 | Postcards From Here and There

Chester Craft Beer Festival 2019

What a difference a year makes. Last April the inaugural festival was blessed with perfect weather, warm and sunny and an ideal opportunity to get out the shorts and t-shirts.. Fast forward twelve months and we have storm Hannah to deal with. Driving rain, strong winds and a temperature of around eight degrees Celsius. Not ideal conditions for spending a few hours in a converted railway carriage shed that despite a roof is still very much open to the elements. Despite the weather the turn out was excellent though coats, scarves and hats were essential if you were to stay the distance.

Organisers Beer Heroes have put together a good selection of breweries, many of them from the north, with almost a hundred different beers on offer. So there was plenty to choose from in many different styles.

Top Rope. Run to the Helles. Dry Hopped Lager 5%. Golden in appearance with a slight haze. Aromas of lemon citrus, malt and resin. Low/medium bitterness. Palate is medium bodied with some nice hoppy citrus.

Kirkstall Brewery. Virtuous. Session IPA. 4.5%. Yellow, slight haze with a small thin head. Low/medium bitterness, nice carbonation. Flavours of lemon, malt and yeast. A crisp beer with a nice finish.

Fourpure. Hummingbird, Raspberry and Hibiscus Sour. 5.4%. Light red in appearance, hazy with a small head. Aromas of red fruits, raspberry, strawberry and floral notes. Nice texture and gentle sourness. Palate has lots of raspberry fruit. This has lovely balance and a great finish.

Cloudwater. A&W18 Marzen. 5.2%. Amber in appearance, clear with a good white head. Aroma is noticeably malty and biscuity. Low bitterness, gentle carbonation and nice texture. Flavours of malt and nutty biscuit. A nice finish.

Stone. Mojay. IPA. 7.6%. Light amber in appearance with a slight haze and a thin white head. Malty with some nice lemon citrus, biscuit and a hint of orange. Palate is low/medium bitterness with nice carbonation.

Gibberish. Passion Fruit Milkshake IPA. 5.2%. Yellow/orange, hazy and with a thin white head. Aroma is very fruity, passion fruit and pineapple with a hint of banana. Palate is low bitterness, gentle carbonation and a nice texture. Flavour is passion fruit with just a pleasant hint of sourness on the finish.

Gibberish. Jam Roll Poly Pudding. Wheat. 9%. Orange with a reddish tinge, cloudy with a thin off-white head. Aroma is a touch synthetic but the palate is much better with lots of red raspberry fruit, a nice texture and low bitterness.

Amundsen. Hop Circles. NEIPA. 7%. Yellow/orange in appearance, cloudy, nice off-white head. Tropical pineapple, mango and orange aromas. Low bitterness, nice texture and a good level of carbonation. Lovely balance with flavours of mango, pineapple, lime, orange and fruit salad sweets.

Northern Monk. Patrons Project. 13.03. Seismic Shift. NE Double IPA. 8.5%. Yellow, cloudy/murky, thin off-white head. Aromas are tropical with mango dominating and orange. Low bitterness and lovely texture. This shows perfect balance with bags of tropical fruit, lemon and a nice touch of sweetness. Excellent.

Northern Monk. Glory. Double Dry Hopped Triple IPA. 10.5%. Yellow in appearance, hazy/cloudy with a good white head and nice lacing. Aromas of mango, pineapple, passion fruit and peach. Beautiful creamy texture, low bitterness. The palate continues the tropical fruit theme with a nice touch of orange. This really is very nice but beware the ABV, it’s easy not to notice it.

Runaway. BA Gingerbread Stout. 7.3%. Dark, opaque with a small tan head. Medium bodied with a good level of carbonation but the ginger here is very understated.

Brew York. Stay True. Blueberry Milkshake Stout. 8.1%. Dark, opaque with a thin tan head. Aromas of dark fruits with a nice savoury note. Palate is medium with low bitterness. Flavours of dark berry fruits, coffee and chocolate. A nice tart sourness on the finish.

Brew York. BA Empress Tonkoko. Vanilla, Cacao and Coconut Milk Stout. 10.6%. Aromas of coconut and vanilla abound and give this a most comforting smell. This really is lovely stuff with beautiful texture supporting the flavours dominated by coconut and vanilla but with a nice touch of chocolate and a hint of caramel. Complex and well balanced.

Amundsen. BA Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookie. Imperial Stout. 10.5%. Dark and opaque with a tan head. Aromas of coconut, almond and caramel. The palate is low bitterness and there is creamy coconut, chocolate and caramel. Once again a complex and well balanced beer and a real winner.

5 Great Places for Coffee in Liverpool.

The demand for coffee currently has no bounds and for many it is an essential part of their day. While growth of coffee in the UK may have begun with the large commercial operations there is now an explosion of small independent retailers as customers have become increasingly discerning in their daily fix of caffeine. Liverpool is no different to other major cities, boasting a fine range of options for coffee drinkers. This in no way attempts to be a definitive list but is simply the places I particularly like.

Moose Coffee.

American influenced and so much more than a coffee shop. It has been serving coffee and fantastic food for over ten years now and is something of an institution. Always busy and it is easy to see why. There are so many reasons to visit and the coffee is always good.

Moose Coffee. 6 Dale Street.

Open Monday – Sunday 8am-5pm.

Root

This may well currently be my favourite place. The atmosphere here is always relaxed and is a great place to stop for a while and relax. You could be excused from thinking you had walked into an advert for Apple such can be the number of customers hard at work tapping away on their laptops. This is a place of great charm and you will want to return time after time and the coffee is so good. It has an intriguingly shaped communal table as well as plenty of regular seating. You can also have your coffee outside if the weather is good.

Root Coffee. 52 Hanover Street.

Open Monday – Saturday 8.30am-6.30pm, Sunday 9am-6pm.

Bold Street Coffee

Back in business again after a period of closure in 2018 the only problem is it’s so busy no matter what time of day you choose to visit. Thats no bad thing of course because it tells you everything you need to know, the coffee is really good here. Located at the very top of Bold Street near the bombed out church it makes an excellent stop off for those en route up towards the cathedrals and The Philharmonic. Don’t be put off, its well worth the wait.

Bold Street Coffee. 89 Bold Street

Open Monday-Wednesday 7.30am-6pm, Thursday-Friday 7.30am- 10pm, Saturday 8am-10pm and Sunday 9.30am-10pm.

92 Degrees

92 degrees can lay claim to being the first combined roasters and coffee shop, opening in 2015. A favourite haunt of students from nearby Liverpool University it is always a great place to visit and they never seem to serve a bad cup of coffee. Despite its popularity you can always find somewhere to sit and its a great place to relax after a few hours seeing the sights in the Georgian Quarter of the city.

92 Degrees. 24 Hardman Street.

Open. Monday- Friday 7.45am- 7pm, Saturday 9.30am-7pm and Sunday 10am-6pm.

Filter & Fox

Another great location that is so much more than a place for a great cup of coffee as they also have an excellent selection of cocktails and wines.. Indeed their website claims that they have cured almost as many hangovers as they’ve caused!! Filter & Fox offers a welcome break from the crowds of shoppers on nearby Bold Street, it is often an oasis of calm and great place to while away the time while thinking what to do next on a visit to the city.

Filter & Fox. 27 Duke Street

Open Monday- Sunday 8am-8pm.

Visiting Faro

Faro is the capital of the Algarve in Southern Portugal and its largest city. It can trace its origins back over 2000 years and was occupied by the Moors for 500 years. For many visitors it is the gateway to the region because of its international airport but not everyone chooses to spend time here. It is a shame as it has a lovely old town that is well worth exploring and it makes an ideal base for visiting other parts of the Algarve as it has good transport links.

The Old Town.

The Old Town (Cidade Velha) is a wonderful place to wander aimlessly around its cobbled streets and just see where it takes you. It isn’t very big and you can easily take in the sights here in an hour or so.

Cranes nest on some of the buildings of the old town down by the water front. They make an amazing sight. As they leave and return to the nest on fishing trips.

Ria Formosa

The Ria Formosa is the coastal lagoon which divides Faro from the Atlantic Ocean. It was made a National Park in 1987 and it is of great ecological importance as a refuge for countless species of coastal birds. The waters here are flat calm and relatively shallow. A number of companies offer tours departing from the quayside in Faro (not the marina). You can read about our experience here.

Ilha Deserta.

The Ilha Deserta (deserted island) is a short ferry ride from Faro. It is deserted because no one lives here but it can still get very busy, especially in the summer. It is a beautiful island and lovely to visit off season when there aren’t so many people around.

The Marina.

The marina is only small but is a very popular place and is great for photos.

Eating and Drinking.

Epicur is a wonderful wine bar located at Rua Alexandre Herculano 22. It is only small but has a superb selection of Portuguese wines and some excellent small plates. The staff here are incredibly knowledgeable about both the food and wine and very helpful. I can’t recommend this place enough.

Close to the marina is Boheme (Avenida da Republica) which is a super little craft beer bar. With seating inside and out it makes a great venue for a beer after a day spent sightseeing. The beer selection is excellent with a plenty of choice either on draught or in bottles. The prices are very reasonable also.

Columbus Cocktail and Wine Bar (Praca Dom Francisco Gomes 13) is a very popular place for both locals and tourists. It offers a great range of cocktails as well wines and small plates. Not a restaurant as such but it serves excellent small snacks.

For me a trip to the Algarve would not be complete without sampling the grilled fish and there are plenty of restaurants to choose from. Do check opening as many are closed on Sunday.

Faro is well worth a visit and it can easily be done in a day trip.