#OPENit........

                                                                       






Now this isn't going to be a traditional blog post there will be no pictures, the pictures of that night only deserve to stay in my drunken stupor of good food and even better beer, but what i will share with you are my thoughts and hope that my words will bring you on the journey that the group of us went through for #openit. When the idea was thrown out on twitter by @rickfurzer about getting together with a group of beer like minded people over some food I was all over it almost confirming my spot automatically. Over the next few week I probably confirmed then rejected then wavered and finally pretty much got told I was going by the man in question so needless to say my journey to the dinner was filled with smooth patches and many bumps along the way. I even had to go see the fine people at the grove to hopefully find some treasures lurking deep in their vast cellar so I could at least so my face to the dinner with some dignity. Finally I was able to locate a couple of bottles of beer that I hoped wouldn't get sneered at and laughed at by the group of vast geeky type people that I was wanted to make a good first impression on so that I could be invited to yet another function. The menu went like this:

1. Potted duck, toasted rye bread, rhubarb and vanilla compote
2. Smoked haddock fritter, tarragon mayonnaise, watercress
3. Crispy pork belly, black pudding, celeriac and mustard salad
4. Chargrilled skirt steak, celeriac puree, shallot and red wine butter, crispy mushroom
5. Chargrilled bananas in rum with toasted marshmallows and white chocolate ice cream
6. Cheese board: Smoked Ribblesdale (goat), Old Yorke (ewe), Wold Blimey (blue), Coverdale (hard), Inglewhite, Blackstick Blue, Stinking Bishop (washed rind)

All washed down with some fantastic stonking like beers first course we had Lambics to match the savoriness of the duck, beers included were a couple of Goose Island and and Upright Brewery beer that I had never heard of brought by Zak Avery.
Second course we popped the corks and tops of a couple of real good saisons that complemented the fritter almost perfectly. Saison and fish go very well together that a friend of mine just proved in his blog @leighgoodstuff with the Summer Wine Lime and Coriander Saison.
Third was a succulent pork course that was paired with  some massive tasting beers that didn't drown the flavour of the pork a big bottle brought by @misterfrosty a Mikkeller Stella 1 stole the show and did not disappoint.
Fourth course was a perfectly cooked piece of skirt steak which seems to be becoming a very popular cut of meat over here which is fantastic because the amount of flavour you can suck up with this cut of meat is surprisingly fantastic, so up came the big bad ass barley wines.
The dessert course was by far the one that surprised me the most because of the beer that was provided, now I have never had the privilege of sampling the Bourbon County Vanilla (shame I know) is was immense dark and absolutely wonderful couldn't have asked for a better beer to go with a recipe my wife makes quite often.
Finally came the cheese boards I am in the minority in the cheese category because and I agree it goes well with beer I just don't like that many cheeses I think I need to open my pallet to different types so I'm not closing the door on the idea of beer and cheese I just don't have the experience to put my words to paper. The highlight of the cheese boards for me were not one but two beers the first being a Firestone Walker 14th anny and the unreleased Kopi Kat brewed by the guys at Summer Wine Brewery, Rick himself and the man with the tache @Danielvane which is going to be released in 2 versions one coming soon and another being launch down south sometime soonish.

The craziness continued with a small walk down to Mr. Foleys and the beer there just got stupid but once again I'm sorry but I'm keeping most of these to myself unless you were following my tweets the night of then you already know but the star of the show was a beer brewed 83 years ago which wasn't great but wasn't bad it was still drinkable and no one got sick.

A big thank you goes to Create restaurant that helped put the menu together and the chef was on top of his game the entire night not one complaint was made when the food got put in front of us.
The guest list included
Rick Furzer- @rickfurzer
Paul Tuffnell- @tuff86
Zak Avery- @zakavery
Dean Pugh- @deanfromfoleys
Mark Fletcher- @fletchthemonkey
Andy Parker- @tabamatu
Jane- @i96jms
Gavin Frost- @misterfrosty
Daniel- @Danielvane
Andy- @SWBAndy
Ben Hodgkinson- @cptcheerful

other joined us at Mr Foleys with their own range of beers Rob @BGRTRob from Hopzine, the man behind the cloth @Ghostdrinker, @tunks86, and the one and only @juffage.


Thanks for making it a very enjoyable time and I hope to do it with all of you again. Until next time guys hope its sooner rather than later.

Lets Talk About The Summer Wine Guys!

    As I was sat at work today I had a little taster of a new seasonal ale, Polestar from SW brewery and I thought to myself have I ever had a really bad beer from these guys?

I thought and thought and thought, there were beers that were not to my taste, but I don't think I’ve ever had a beer that didn't come across as clean and crisp regardless of my personal opinions of the taste of the beer. Now I’ve tried from what I can tell pretty much every single beer from Summer Wine and can think back and remember almost each and every one of them which is a feat in itself. I was first introduced to these brews one day at work when the first Nerotype hit the pumps and have tried every single once since and I must say they all have flavour, they are all different, they all keep you wanting more and want to make you seek out these beers when going in and about the pubs of Leeds. First came the Simcoe then a came Columbus followed by Bravo and finishing with Herkules which shows the guys at Summer Wine are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of brewing and that's something to be admired and respected. Herkules has yet to hit the pumps at the Foleys but it should be on soon and I for one am looking forward to the last brew in the series.

They have also an Imperial Stout coming on board in the coming weeks called Cossack, I for one am pinning high hopes on this beer and hopefully I will not be let down because I am a lover of stout and porters. If this beer comes across with the crispness of the other beers in their range then we are all in for a treat.
 

They are also doing a bit of an experiment with kegged beer they recently had a launch of their 7cs IPA which has pretty much every hop that starts with C put into and drinks more like a 5 percent abv than the 7 it’s labeled. I will admit when it first hit the UK craft brew line at Foleys I for one was not as impressed as everyone else but it has grown on me like a good whiskey, give it time to mature to the line and gain some body we know and love from kegged beer and damn it they have done it again. Nick at http://beerprole.wordpress.com/ has said everything there was to say about the 7Cs IPA so go and take a gander at his take of the innagural keg at Foleys.

Now on to my two favorite beers from these guys the Barista Stout and the Teleporter. I tried the Stout for the first time a couple of weeks ago at Cross Keys Leeds after a heavy night of drinking the night before, this was just was the doctor ordered as they say. Strong expresso flavors infuse this beer with that coffee flavour that just kicks you in the face and says "Oy get over that hangover and start the day off right". After this beer I felt that my hangover was gone and I could get that second wind I was looking for to finish my American friends trip off on the right foot. Now I’m not saying at all in the least this is that hangover cure that we all look for when we made that lovely decision for that last pint, but it does bite the hair of the dog back in that special kind of way that lets your body know who the boss. Now with the teleporter this is my Eleanor (if you’ve seen Gone in 60 Seconds you know what Im talking about, if you havent then just ask and I will explain.) Everytime this beer hits the pumps all I can do is have a small taster of the goodness that is this 10 malt porter. I first saw it last November in a pub that I cant remember but I said to myself tomorrow I’m coming back and getting a pint of that black goodness, but being a new dad that was put on hold. Then boom 2 weeks ago it hit the pumps at Foleys and I thought I was in luck but this happened and that happened and by the time I got back to Foleys alas it was gone. I will find you and I will drink you and I will review you when the time comes Miss Eleanor.


So in closing I know that if you guys stay passionate about the beer and brew because it’s something you love to do, then people will be looking for your beer for years and years on end. Seriously you guys just keep doing what your doing keep innovating and keep inventing and your bound to take over a little portion of the beer lovers market.

Note: As of writing the final Nerotype has hit some pubs in the north and has graced the UK Craft Keg Line at Mr Foleys in Leeds.