Ale, Beer, Stout appreciation

If anyone is wanting to get into all grain brewing I highly recommend downloading this spreadsheet. It's a clever little thing that helps you get your grain ratios right so you get the right colour and alcohol content as well as telling you what your expected gravities should be. It also helps with your hop weights and timings so you get the right level of bitterness.

http://www.practicalbrewing.co.uk/main/calculators/beerengine/

3 for £5 in Morrissons

Had some of this quite recently:

Absolutely lovely, quite sweet but so damn nice. Definitely up there with the Partisan FES and the Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout as my favourite beers.

Anybody ever heard pf Gordon Scotch Ale? Apparently its for the Belgian market only? At 8%abv, its one I'd like to try. I think a visit to Mr.Lawrence is overdue. They might have it in their enormous beer list, if anyone does.

Anybody ever heard pf Gordon Scotch Ale

I was only reading about that beer today on the bbc How Australian is Foster’s lager on the marketing and country of origin of different brands

(Skip past the Fosters section on the link as this thread is about Beer appreciation)

@GA2G It's a great beer. Would be good to get hold of some. It's belgian isn't it?

@kingfisher This book
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WLCy1lMzL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU02_.jpg
tells a good tale of how and why the Brits favoured certain beer types and how marketing imbued different (often crap tasting weak lager) brands with style...and how attitudes have changed to the ale renaissance of today. Worth a read

Pete Brown writes this 1st book from the perspective of an advertising person, his more recent books are written with improved beer knowledge

^ really good read

Anyone heading to GBBF this year?
was thinking of heading up on hat day

I am tempted to book a holiday for this if I can convince some beer heads dont want to attend it on my own :P

Anybody ever heard pf Gordon Scotch Ale? Apparently its for the Belgian market only? At 8%abv, its one I'd like to try. I think a visit to Mr.Lawrence is overdue. They might have it in their enormous beer list, if anyone does.

I've had that before in Belg. I tend to go "ooh novel" and then remember why I don't normal buy it. I don't recall ever rating it.

Anyone heading to GBBF this year?
was thinking of heading up on hat day

Probably. Not sure what's going on though.

there will be drinking...

Anyone heading to GBBF this year?
was thinking of heading up on hat day

Planning to go Wednesday evening. Last time I went I think the some of the Sierra Nevada and a bunch of other stuff was all out, so getting there earlier this time.

Attention cheapskates!

While browsing for Polish sausage and stuffed vine leaves in Lidl, I discovered a brace from TSA Brewing, that I not tripped over before.

It's too weak and not hoppy enough for an IPA, but it is a reasonable "ordinary" pale ale: clean taste with a short finish, but lacks bite and a bit "meh".

Much better, at first at least: the first mouthful is full of flavour, but it's too fizzy (the head quickly disappears) and the tastes fizzle out, rather than layering, by the end of the bottle.

However, for £1.29 per 500ml bottle they're not a bad (88.65% of a) pint!

Anyone heading to GBBF this year?
was thinking of heading up on hat day

Me and OLC are going with a bunch from work on the Thursday

Awesome:

http://beerlabelsinmotion.tumblr.com/

Ha they are great

gifs thread?

4% IPA, no thanks.

4% a bit heavy sumo?
Good session abv

Oh yeah I couldn't handle that. Might have to make it into a shandy, or a red beer.

So, GBBF is upon us, anyone here going?

work bought our team tickets so I am going on friday around 14:30 :D

as said ^^^^^ I'm in on thursday

Anybody ever heard pf Gordon Scotch Ale? Apparently its for the Belgian market only? At 8%abv, its one I'd like to try. I think a visit to Mr.Lawrence is overdue. They might have it in their enormous beer list, if anyone does.

You can get it here http://www.beersofeurope.co.uk/gordon-finest-scotch-ale