Category: Beer

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.

Mobberley Brewhouse

Located on Church Lane in the small Cheshire village of Mobberley, half way between the towns of Knutsford and Wilmslow, the Brewhouse is the former site of the brewery but is now open as a tap room and shop. Brewing having now moved to larger premises close to Manchester Airport. The Brewhouse offers tasting samples which you are then able to purchase in cans , or bottles, for consumption on the premises or take away. At the time of our visit there were five beers to sample, served by a very knowledgeable and helpful member of the brewing team.

The original brewing area can still be seen but is now used for barrel ageing.

Open tap nights are held on the first Tuesday of each month when you can come along and sample new releases, special seasonal beers and limited edition beers. They have also recently opened tap rooms in Knutsford and Stockport. Called Project 53 they offer their own beers as well as guest beers from around the country. They have also installed a pizza oven so you don’t have to go hungry while sampling the brews.

Orange Milkshake IPA 5.5%. Pours yellow, cloudy with a good white head. Very lively on pouring. Aroma is orange, tropical, malt and a touch grassy. Palate has nice texture with gentle carbonation and low bitterness. Flavour is orange zest, pineapple with a distinct floral component. This is a juicy beer but the flavours are controlled and well balanced. Very Drinkable.

Winter IPA Citra/Centennial 6.0%. Yellow, murky, no head. Nose is tropical pineapple, mango, grapefruit, lemon pith and a touch of orange. Palate is fresh and crisp with good carbonation and low bitterness. Palate is predominantly orange and pineapple. There is bitterness to the finish of lemon.

Red Cherry Saison 5.3%. Amber with a reddish tinge, slightly cloudy with a thin off white head. Aroma os cherry, malt, red fruits, vanilla and toffee. Palate has nice carbonation and low bitterness. Dry with bitter cherry on the finish. Drinking well and the finish is long.

Untamed. New England DIPA 9.0%. Orange/yellow in colour, murky and pours with a small head that doesn’t last. tropical nose of pineapple, mango, peach and orange. The palate is creamy, low bitterness, some orange, malt and finishes with a tang of bitter lemon.

Eleventh Hour. Toffee Cacao Imperial Stout. 10%. Pours as dark as dark can be with the thinnest of tan heads. Aromas of treacle toffee, caramel and chocolate. The palate has nice texture, low bitterness and gentle carbonation. It’s sweet but with nice balancing acidity, treacle toffee, vanilla, liquorice and chocolate. The finish is incredibly long.

Espresso Cosmic Coffe Stout. 7.2%. Dark, opaque with a deep tan head. Aroma is strong coffee, caramel and toffee. Palate is low bitterness, gentle carbonation and low sweetness. Flavours of coffee with a hint of vanilla/caramel. A simple easy drinking style.

Beast Mode Double IPA 8.0%. Pours yellow, cloudy with a thin white head. Aroma is pineapple, lemon, resin/pine. Palate has soft carbonation, low bitterness and has a nicely textured mouthfeel. Flavour is tropical with a nice grapefruit finish.

Juice Stream. Orange New England IPA. 5.6%. Yellow/orange, cloudy with a good white head. Aroma is orange, malt, grapefruit. Palate is low bitterness with a pronounced flavour of orange. Finish is a gentle bitter orange.

Dark Winter. 2017 Edition Coffee and Vanilla Stout. 4.6%. Barrel aged with cacao nibs in American oak. Dark, opaque with a dark tan head. Complex aromas of coffee, dark chocolate, treacle, vanilla and caramel. The palate has the gentlest carbonation and low bitterness. The flavour is dark chocolate and coffee. the finish is a lingering dark chocolate. Very good indeed.

Microbar Reykjavik

The Microbar is located at Vesturgata 2, close to Ingolfstorg Square in central Reykjavik.. Its not the easiest place to find as its set back from the road and is actually located underneath Restaurant Reykjavik. A small doorway, with a rather helpful sign above, leads to a downstairs bar.

There is plenty of seating here and although basic it is comfortable enough. The atmosphere is very laid back with a most impressive choice of music playing during our visit including Nick Cave and Tom Waits Altogether there are 14 beers on tap and much greater choice in bottles and cans. Prices are not cheap but then again no different to most other places in the city. Alcohol is generally expensive in Iceland. Happy moments are between 3 and 7pm where a choice of two beers is available at 1000ISK for half a litre.

They also do a range of merchandise, including t-shirts, if you are looking for a souvenir to take back home.

Segull 67 A brewery in an old fish factory at Siglufjorder in North Iceland. Two beers were on offer in the Happy Moments promotion. Segull 67 Session IPA 4.2%. Pours yellow, hazy with a thin white head. Aromas of orange, pineapple and a hint of banana. The palate is creamy, soapy with orange and pine. Low bitterness and gentle carbonation. Segull 67 Amber Lager 5%. Amber, clear with a light tan head. Aromas of malt, caramel and a hint of pine. Palate is quite full, good carbonation and low bitterness. Malty, yeasty with some floral notes.

Bruggsmiojan Kaldi began brewing in 2006 in Arskogssander on Icelands northern coast. All production is unpasteurised with no added preservatives. Kaldi Black IPA 6%. Black, opaque with the thinnest of tan heads. Gentle carbonation. Palate has malt with a touch of coffee, lemon citrus and a touch of grapefruit. Finish has a slight bitterness.

GÅ“dingur Tumi Humall IPA 6.5%. Located in Skagafordur in northern Iceland and brewing since 2011. This beer pours yellow with a slight haze and a thin cream head. Aroma is tropical, hoppy, malt and pine. Palate is slightly creamy, nice texture, low bitterness. Lemon citrus is the dominant flavour. Very drinkable.

With only a limited time available it was only a short visit but there is much on offer here to satisfy the craft beer enthusiast.