Most of you excellent types who are reading this (I do love you for taking the time to check out such an obscure blog) will have noticed that I recently brought in a sizeable haul of American craft beers for our marvelous little shop in the middle of nowhere (aka Bare, Morecambe). Read more about what's available from the US here.
Since they arrived, we've been working overtime to keep replenishing the shelves in the beer room, and have been excitedly shipping off mixed cases for customers around the country via courier (get in touch if you'd like to order some, we take payment via Google Checkout for now). No complaints thus far either! A few of the beers were new to me, and represented something of a wild gamble on my part. Who else is ordering dozens upon dozens of cases of beer from the States, on the sole recommendation of a bunch of online beer critics (read complete strangers)? Still, I was bloody excited about them to say the least, and promptly rushed the Great Divide stuff home to try myself. Great Divide Brewery, it turns out, is one of the best in the world (I should start playing the lottery)! Not only do they reckon their beers are good (go figure), but they've been rated one of the top 10 breweries, globally, not once, but twice! RateBeer.com AND Beer Advocate put them head, shoulders and torso above the rest of the pack. Wish we'd been able to get more of their range now to be perfectly frank, but I think I terrified the rest of our company quite enough with all the stuff I bought in the first place. They have a vast line up of regular and seasonal beers, including some inventively original stuff. They're also mad keen on beer and food matching, even hosting beer vs wine dinners! I really like these guys now, and fancy trying my hand at some of this myself. If you have a restaurant not too far from us, get in touch and lets toss some ideas around for a kickass event together. But anyway, I digress. What's here to go at (for now) I hear you cry? Get to the damn point man!First up: Titan IPA - £2.75
We're talking some serious hops served straight up on this one. Punchy, assertive and aggressive, this is a beer that takes no prisoners. It's rammed full of flavour, and provides fantastic refreshment. We're talking citrus fruit, pine, and lots of hops. Winner of various medals on more than one continent, it pairs terrifically well with stuff like Thai curry and grilled halibut. Wine drinkers, think of this as the Sauvignon Blanc of beers. Crisp and aromatic. Second: Belgica Belgian style IPA) - £3.09
So I'm immediately thinking about Flying Dog's Raging Bitch (their 20th anniversary mashup) which was immensely gutsy and in-your-face with its style. Belgica isn't far off, but feels slightly more mellow, and rounder. Plenty of coriander and ginger involved, and lots of citrus and spice. A nice twist on one of my favourite beers of the last 12 months. If you're into wine, start thinking Gewurztraminer. Aromatic again, but much more unusual flavours that will be a real surprise on first tasting. Drink it with Thai stuff again, perhaps mussels or crabcakes, or even a good bit of turkey. Lastly (*sob*): Hades Golden Belgian Style Ale - £3.19
Coriander was immediately up on my palate again with this, backed up by some intriguing spice and lots of malty richness. A much deeper, more brooding beast than I expected of a golden ale, it's got a lot of character, and is very distinctive. Rich and complex, this was I really sipped and savoured, pondering the fate of the world with a dismissive nonchalance (actually I was distracted trying to score a hot date, and completely forgot about it for half an hour, but that's another story). Rated a top 25 beer of 2007 by Beer Advocate, it's got some serious pedigree to it. Chuck it down the hatch with some lovely rich creamy cheeses and a hunk of bread. Or take your time over it with a plate of fresh mussels. Whatever floats your boat.
And that's all we've got at the moment, sadly. I'm firmly determined to get whatever else we can from these guys though, 'cos there stuff is fantastic quality, and really pushes the envelope. Keep your eyes peeled for more, and in the meantime, get a few bottles from us. E-mail me at wineyardanddeli@gmail.com to discuss what's on offer, or alternatively, you'll find me on Twitter pretty much constantly, and on Facebook almost as much. Shipping's £10, £5 if you spend £50+, and free if you order over £100 (team up with a couple of friends and you'll be sorted, no problem.
Since they arrived, we've been working overtime to keep replenishing the shelves in the beer room, and have been excitedly shipping off mixed cases for customers around the country via courier (get in touch if you'd like to order some, we take payment via Google Checkout for now). No complaints thus far either! A few of the beers were new to me, and represented something of a wild gamble on my part. Who else is ordering dozens upon dozens of cases of beer from the States, on the sole recommendation of a bunch of online beer critics (read complete strangers)? Still, I was bloody excited about them to say the least, and promptly rushed the Great Divide stuff home to try myself. Great Divide Brewery, it turns out, is one of the best in the world (I should start playing the lottery)! Not only do they reckon their beers are good (go figure), but they've been rated one of the top 10 breweries, globally, not once, but twice! RateBeer.com AND Beer Advocate put them head, shoulders and torso above the rest of the pack. Wish we'd been able to get more of their range now to be perfectly frank, but I think I terrified the rest of our company quite enough with all the stuff I bought in the first place. They have a vast line up of regular and seasonal beers, including some inventively original stuff. They're also mad keen on beer and food matching, even hosting beer vs wine dinners! I really like these guys now, and fancy trying my hand at some of this myself. If you have a restaurant not too far from us, get in touch and lets toss some ideas around for a kickass event together. But anyway, I digress. What's here to go at (for now) I hear you cry? Get to the damn point man!First up: Titan IPA - £2.75
We're talking some serious hops served straight up on this one. Punchy, assertive and aggressive, this is a beer that takes no prisoners. It's rammed full of flavour, and provides fantastic refreshment. We're talking citrus fruit, pine, and lots of hops. Winner of various medals on more than one continent, it pairs terrifically well with stuff like Thai curry and grilled halibut. Wine drinkers, think of this as the Sauvignon Blanc of beers. Crisp and aromatic. Second: Belgica Belgian style IPA) - £3.09
So I'm immediately thinking about Flying Dog's Raging Bitch (their 20th anniversary mashup) which was immensely gutsy and in-your-face with its style. Belgica isn't far off, but feels slightly more mellow, and rounder. Plenty of coriander and ginger involved, and lots of citrus and spice. A nice twist on one of my favourite beers of the last 12 months. If you're into wine, start thinking Gewurztraminer. Aromatic again, but much more unusual flavours that will be a real surprise on first tasting. Drink it with Thai stuff again, perhaps mussels or crabcakes, or even a good bit of turkey. Lastly (*sob*): Hades Golden Belgian Style Ale - £3.19
Coriander was immediately up on my palate again with this, backed up by some intriguing spice and lots of malty richness. A much deeper, more brooding beast than I expected of a golden ale, it's got a lot of character, and is very distinctive. Rich and complex, this was I really sipped and savoured, pondering the fate of the world with a dismissive nonchalance (actually I was distracted trying to score a hot date, and completely forgot about it for half an hour, but that's another story). Rated a top 25 beer of 2007 by Beer Advocate, it's got some serious pedigree to it. Chuck it down the hatch with some lovely rich creamy cheeses and a hunk of bread. Or take your time over it with a plate of fresh mussels. Whatever floats your boat.
And that's all we've got at the moment, sadly. I'm firmly determined to get whatever else we can from these guys though, 'cos there stuff is fantastic quality, and really pushes the envelope. Keep your eyes peeled for more, and in the meantime, get a few bottles from us. E-mail me at wineyardanddeli@gmail.com to discuss what's on offer, or alternatively, you'll find me on Twitter pretty much constantly, and on Facebook almost as much. Shipping's £10, £5 if you spend £50+, and free if you order over £100 (team up with a couple of friends and you'll be sorted, no problem.
If you want to find out more about this fabulous brewery, go check out their excellent website like your life depended on it: http://www.greatdivide.com
No comments:
Post a Comment