Last Friday I took up on the opportunity to brew beer for Moorhouses brewery in Burnley.
Moorhouses have been brewing beer in Lancashire since 1865. Last year the company made a brave and bold move into a new modern purpose built brewery. Sticking to their roots though, the new brew house was built directly next to the original one, looking out on to the Pendle hills.
I’ve brewed beer a few times now, in both small craft breweries as well as more modern plants. The interest for me in the visit was to see the merging of old trusted techniques with modern cutting edge technology. To be honest the promise of a hand pulled pint of Blonde Witch at the end of a Friday shift was quite a draw too.
Arriving at the brewery for 7am, to meet brewers David and Mark, first port of call was to check whether the beers in the fermentation tanks had slept well the night before. The guys had been working on a new brown ale, Peat Brown, using peat malts alongside the traditional pale and crystal malts. The aromas from the tank were wonderful, sweet, dark and indeed peaty; I’ve made a note to get a taste of it when it’s released.
In straightforward terms brewing beer is simple, Water + malt + hops + yeast = beer. The art of the brewer is to balance and blend the ingredients and add their own unique touch to the ale. What became apparent through the day is that Moorhouses are passionate about retaining the craft, hands on element, whilst using the new (technology stuff) to ensure the consistency of each brew is near perfect.
I started this with a view to talking you through the process, but it really doesn’t read well. So to simplify things, we set out to brew 100 barrels of Premier Bitter….and we did it. Along the way I learnt a lot, sweated a bit, and ended up rewarded with a pint of blonde as promised.
If you’re in store over the next weeks, why not try any of the Moorhouses beers on offer in store, I can vouch they were crafted with care.
Moorhouses Blonde Witch 4.5% 500ml £1.73
Moorhouses Black Cat 3.4% 500ml £1.55
Moorhouses Pendle Witch 5.1% 500ml £1.73
Moorhouses Premier Bitter 3.7% 500ml £1.69
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Inspired by a mid-week trip to Penrith, to visit some very happy hens, I’ve landed at the weekend with a box full of Laid with Love eggs (!) and a plan to finally make my own scotch eggs.
I understand it’s not summer and the chances of me taking a family picnic are thinner than my good (dog) friend Harry the Whippet; but seriously homemade scotch eggs are fantastic and I’m reckoning served warm with a spicy relish and a good pint of beer, they might just work on a winter weekend.
So first to the eggs, fresh from the lakes and laid with love by some of the most free and happy hens around; I personally saw one of them wink and smile as it crossed the field humming The Soup Dragons ‘I’m Free’ (be careful what you wish for lady chicken).
Laid with Love eggs come from free range hens reared on small family farms in the Lake District where they are free to roam in fields and woodlands. The yolks are particularly yellow because the hens are fed on a special diet enriched with Lutein from marigolds – it naturally makes their yolks yellower!
I’m following a simple recipe to make the scotch eggs…
1 x 454g pack of Booths Sausage meat
6 Laid with love eggs boiled and shell removed
1 Laid with love egg, beaten
8 table spoons of Booths breadcrumbs
1 bunch of finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and ground pepper
In a bowl season the sausage meat and add the parsley, mix well then separate the sausage meat in to 6 equal portions. Flatten the sausage meat and then cover the boiled egg pressing to ensure there are no gaps. Dip each sausage meat covered egg into the beaten egg then dip into the breadcrumbs until fully covered. Deep fry the scotch eggs for 10 minutes check the sausage meat is fully cooked and ensure the breadcrumbs are crisp and golden.
…and making sure I’ve a jar of Hawkshead Chilli Jam nearby, wonderfully warm.
And now to the beer; I’m thinking some of the best Pale ales will work a treat. Whilst again not the most wintery of ales; I’m looking for beer that is refreshing and will sit well alongside any spiciness. For these I’m looking no further than Little Valley Brewery over in Hebden Bridge.
Little Valley Brewery sits high on the Pennine moorland in West Yorkshire, brewing an inspirational range of beers. All the beers are brewed using organic ingredients and bottle conditioned to give wonderfully flavoursome, smooth ales.
My suggestion here is get in to store and try one (or two) each of the following, you won’t be disappointed.
Little Valley Organic Withens Pale Ale 500ml 3.9% £1.82
It’s light, bright and so very refreshing. Florally Cascade hops list the ale leave amazing hints of spicy orange and citrus. At 3.9% there aren’t many better session ales.
Little Valley Organic Ginger Pale Ale 4.0% £1.82
A light, fresh pale ale. A hint of citrus makes way to a lovely warming ginger taste. Alongside any spicy food, this beer will work a treat and head off any danger of a cold (not scientific but probably true).
Little Valley Organic Wheat Beer 4.5% £1.89
Brewed in the style of a true Belgian Wheat beer, light and smooth to drink. With citrusy flavours and hints of coriander, this beer is a real gem. At 4.5%; a little strong for session ale unless of course you’re in for the night.
Well I’m all set, so I’ll leave you now to enjoy.
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Let me start by saying welcome to the blog, blogging about beer is a good thing, indeed a very good thing. We get to share tales of discovery as we find new beers and trade interesting facts that at least we’ll find interesting. Sometimes we might disagree but what’s the worst thing that can happen here, its beer.
I think the best place to start is by raising a glass and saying goodbye to the detox. I’m not talking full blown debauchery; we’ll cover beer festivals later in the year. I’m talking a gentle toast and a couple of pints to get us back on level ground.
This month I have mostly been drinking stout, such a wonderful way to navigate January. Health benefits abound, albeit not all official, stout is believed to act in a similar way to aspirin reducing deposits of cholesterol, due to bring crammed full of flavonoids. Not to mention that many of the antioxidants found in fruits, green teas and wine are found in beers as well.
Stout works so very well in the winter months, dark in colour, deep in flavour, yet still wonderfully refreshing. This style of ale is best friends with so many of our warming winter foods, if you get chance try a pint alongside Corned Beef Hash Cakes (simply mix corned beef, mashed potatoes and onions, split the mixture up into patties then dip in flour followed by eggs then breadcrumbs, finally fry the patties in batches in a frying pan over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown, remember cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of your cake) it will honestly make you whole again.
A beer blog just wouldn’t be without some details of the best beers out there. Here’s my guide to the stouts that have been making me happy.
Titanic Stout 500ml 4.5% ABV £1.85
Great stout from the boys in Stoke. Roast barley and pale oats with an addition of wheat give the ale character and great flavours, lifted with the addition of three hops varieties. Lovely.
Dorothy Goodbody Stout 4.6% ABV £1.85
Time to reveal a deep love for all things Goodbody. I’m sure we’ll delve deeper into the wonders of Wye Valley Brewery some other time…until then this bottle conditioned stout really hits the mark. Wonderfully full bodied and refreshingly hoppy, at 4.6% it will warm you on the coldest of days.
My final recommendation fills me with wonderment, and leaves me thinking 2012 is going to be good year for beer,
Stringers Dry Stout 500ml 4.5% £1.99
New to Booths and arriving on shelf in three weeks times. Proudly independent, award winning beers, brewed in Ulverston. Stringers don’t rush putting this stout into a bottle and the result is a belter. Deep, dark, sweet malt and barley combined with Northern Brewer hops to give it an earthy, fruity finish. Remind me to talk more things Stringers some other time.
So that’s us started then. Speak soon……
John