**** Official middle-aged man's Craft Beer thread ****

[Albion Dan]

Anyone tried their 35% beer called 'Tactical Nuclear Penguin'? (Great name for a beer eh?)

Brewed then aged in oak casks for a year followed by freeze distillation to get to the 35% mark. Looks like Marmite and is served iN 25cl measures at £5 a pop.

Me I'll stick to their Punk IPA, a super (albeit strong at 5.4% ABV) tipple.

TNBA

TTF

The penguin brew is a PR beer designed to get publicity for brew dog. Something they've Done very well. They also have a 40% called Sink the Bismark in response to a German breweries 30 something % brew and some other crazy beer called Road Kill which is actually sold in a dead animals body.

Their pub in Camden is decent though I must admit.

 

[Woodchip]

My first brew was a Newcastle Brown type......It didn't taste very similar but it was bloody lovely! Where do you get your recipes from?

This was a kit. "Tyneside Brown Ale" is the name of it. Nothing like Newkey Brown, but still drinkable, but with a slight diacetyl feel as I brewed it too early. Only my second ever brew, but I plan on going to DME very soon. The only problem is brew pots in NZ are bloody expensive.

 

[BadFish]

I shall look out for it. Sadly, AU beer here is blooming hard to find, and expensive, I guess the shipping costs crucify it. That said, it's worth it when I find it.

There is a real boom over here in boutique beer (I am assuming this is what is meant by craft beer) and i for one am bloody loving it. The only problem is when i am forced to drink mass produced crap it tastes like shit and gives me a head ache.

 

[BadFish]

This was a kit. "Tyneside Brown Ale" is the name of it. Nothing like Newkey Brown, but still drinkable, but with a slight diacetyl feel as I brewed it too early. Only my second ever brew, but I plan on going to DME very soon. The only problem is brew pots in NZ are bloody expensive.

We were lucky and found a couple of bits on ebay and at a garage sale.

 

[Woodchip]

We were lucky and found a couple of bits on ebay and at a garage sale.

I'm constantly checking trademe for cheap brewpots, but most of them are in Auckland, so you automatically stick on $20 for shipping. I reckon I may go small scale and just to 10-12litre batches in a 20l brewpot.

 

[BadFish]

I'm constantly checking trademe for cheap brewpots, but most of them are in Auckland, so you automatically stick on $20 for shipping. I reckon I may go small scale and just to 10-12litre batches in a 20l brewpot.

We used a 30l pot and a couple of 5l ones. Then kid of mixed it all together to ferment. I will let you know if it works!

 

[Woodchip]

We used a 30l pot and a couple of 5l ones. Then kid of mixed it all together to ferment. I will let you know if it works!

That was my alternate option. Make it in a 12l in a 20l pot and dilute to 23l with cool water

 

[BadFish]

That was my alternate option. Make it in a 12l in a 20l pot and dilute to 23l with cool water

We did grain in two 30l batches one after the other. The first sat in the fermenter while the second on boiled. Then we got the little pots and added the hops. Put half the mixture in an old wort barrel thing left half in the big pot and cooled them both in the bath before mixing them back together in the fermenter and adding the yeast.

 

[Cesar Chavez]

Seems to be continued confusion as to what craft beer is, generally I would say it is small to mid size independents creating a range of traditional and innovate styles, from across the whole spectrum of beers. It's not home brew as it is available commercially, although you could argue the smallest craft brewers aren't so far removed from that, and it's not real ale, although it can be cask conditoned. Probably easier to say what it isn't! And that would be Carling, Budweiser, Stella etc etc.

Here is a great example of what it is:

Port City Brewing - Port City Brewing Company

My local Whole Foods store sells craft beers by the pint, you can also fill up your growler and of couse get the regular bottles and cans. Once a month, Dave, head beer buyer hosts a beer tasting evening. Brings a whole new dimension to grocery shopping.

 

[Superphil]

There is a real boom over here in boutique beer (I am assuming this is what is meant by craft beer) and i for one am bloody loving it. The only problem is when i am forced to drink mass produced crap it tastes like shit and gives me a head ache.

Craft/boutique/micro, as far as I understand, all much the saem. My recent(ish) visit to Australia was topped off by the superb beers we found. Swan Valley has some good breweries, The Feral Brewery in particular I liked, Little Creatures was a delight, and the Indain Ocean Brewing Company makes an excellent blonde lager. Quite enjoyed a few bottles of Redback too.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Cask closed on the 7th June and the people running it opened the Craft Beer Company on the 15th, this is what Herr Tubthumper must have been talking about.

Correct.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Anyone tried their 35% beer called 'Tactical Nuclear Penguin'? (Great name for a beer eh?)

Brewed then aged in oak casks for a year followed by freeze distillation to get to the 35% mark. Looks like Marmite and is served iN 25cl measures at £5 a pop.

Me I'll stick to their Punk IPA, a super (albeit strong at 5.4% ABV) tipple.

TNBA

TTF

Yup I have tried it a few times. You can buy it in the Brewdog pubs. Looks like tar but tastes devine.

 

[sydney]

Quite enjoying Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

But if you want something quite remarkable, try this

i drink a lot of that (creatures) but the coopers pale ale is better or james squires "150 lashes"...trust me ,it's my pet subject.

 

[Superphil]

i drink a lot of that (creatures) but the coopers pale ale is better or james squires "150 lashes"...trust me ,it's my pet subject.

It all depends on what I can find here, there are many really good AU and USA beers, but findng them can be a challenge, that said, Waitrose sells Sierra Nevada more often than not, as for AU ones, have to look in the little independent offies, as I did yesterday and found a box of LCPA.

 

[sydney]

It all depends on what I can find here, there are many really good AU and USA beers, but findng them can be a challenge, that said, Waitrose sells Sierra Nevada more often than not, as for AU ones, have to look in the little independent offies, as I did yesterday and found a box of LCPA.

a box as in a carton.......are you the village alchie...?? x i don't mind if u are like......i am murdering the entire 08mvintage of shiraz at the moment.....my turds are purple....

 

[Superphil]

a box as in a carton.......are you the village alchie...?? x i don't mind if u are like......i am murdering the entire 08mvintage of shiraz at the moment.....my turds are purple....

Haha, I mean a case, a box of 24 bottles! Saw it in an offie, they only had one case, now that have no cases

Re: Purple poo, that might be a sign you've overdone it a bit!

 

[kevo]

This is a CRAFT BEER thread!

What's the diff between 'craft beer' and real ale? Serious question.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

What's the diff between 'craft beer' and real ale? Serious question.

I am not an expert and it seems to mean different things to different people. In my mind it implies it is brewed in small batches, is 'artisan' and the difference is real ale is cask and hand drawn and craft beer is similar but keg and dispensed with pressure. Some breweries release the same beer in cask and keg versions so the term can get blurred a little; some are unquestionably real ale, some unquestionably craft and a ton of great stuff in between which is debatable. Enjoy.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

What's the diff between 'craft beer' and real ale? Serious question.

Also, craft makes you a pompous bore, the other just a bore.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

I don't care what they call it - I'm just glad that after years of Bud / Miller / Coors controlling what beers you could drink in the States we now have as good a choice of beers as you have in the UK