3/4/2018 0 Comments #northhopabzThe Final FlingOver the past weekend, North Hop descended on the AECC to celebrate its final fling as we know it. I was lucky enough to get invited along & attended the opening session on Friday night. Having been to North Hop previously, and its sister festival - The Spirit of North Hop last year, I was super excited for this. The list of breweries, food vendors & everything else made for such an awesome lineup. The BeerThere were loads of great beers at North Hop this year. There were beers from great local breweries I'd already had plenty of experience with like Brew Toon, Beer Story & Fierce Beer and then there were breweries that were new to me such as Out of Town Brewing & Top Out Brewery. It was great to have such a range of beers to enjoy throughout the night and also being able to chat to the people from the breweries themselves - they were all extremely friendly, sharing stories about the breweries & the beers. Overall, the beer of the show for me was Fierce Beer - Very Big Moose (Tonka), their 12.5% ABV imperial chocolate stout. This beer was immense...I had one sip of my friends beer & knew straight away I had to get one for myself. Unfortunately this was towards the end of the night, so my photography skills had greatly diminished, and I wasn't able to get a photo of the beer. Keep an eye out for a full review of this one in the near future. Other highlights for me included M'ango Unchained by Brew Toon, the new Outsiders IPA from Beer Story, Orange Pale Ale & Property IPA from Out of Town - I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more from these guys. A quick note on the creme brulee doughnut crush from Out of Town - I didn't get much doughnut taste in the beer, I would definitely be interested in trying this again to see if it is just a gimmick or if you can actually make out the flavours. My only regret is not taking my glass home! Every time I have been at North Hop I have headed out afterwards so on each occasion I have unfortunately had to leave my glass behind. The FoodThere was also some top notch food on show at North Hop with Aberdeen favourites Melt on hand with their epic cheese toasties. I opted for the classic mac & cheese with Kerry going for the haggis one. As always, they were awesome, and the perfect way to kick off the night. My only regret was not buying one of those cream egg brownies (seriously, what was I thinking?!). Aberdeen restaurant So...were there showcasing their "On Fire" street food menu. For me, the food highlight of the evening was their Firecracker loaded fries - they were EPIC. Perfectly seasoned crispy fries, topped with cheese, chillies & coriander. So... is a restaurant that I have crazily never actually visited. They often hold pop up events with their street food menu, and for whatever reason - I have never actually gone along. However, this will definitely change following my experience with these fries...they were SO damn good! Everything ElseAside from the awesome beer & food, there was plenty else to enjoy at North Hop including an array of awesome music throughout the night. Ranging from a piper in full highland dress kicking things off, a host of acoustic acts, before things being rounded off by the electric "Sweet White" who put in an excellent performance full of energy. Along with the fantastic beer selection there was also the first ever North Hop bar, which showcased a bunch of really cool cocktails served up by a team of local barmen. These cocktails were expertly made & looked great and whilst I never had any myself, Kerry had one and assured me it was great. Overall, we had a fantastic time at North Hop and I would like to thank the North Hop team again for putting on such a great event & for inviting me along. While it's a sad farewell for now, I'm incredibly excited to see how the next chapter looks - and if this is anything to go by, then I will be first in line 🍻
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19/3/2017 0 Comments Beer Review - Coffee & CigarettesBrewdog x BeavertownIs it possible to have too much of a good thing? Appearing out of nowhere in Westhill Service Station's latest newsletter, was a collaboration between Brewdog & Beavertown. Step forward Coffee & Cigarettes; a 12.1% ABV Imperial Stout, brewed by two of the biggest & best breweries in the UK today. Here's the official lowdown from Brewdog: "We invited Beavertown, who are at the very pinnacle of UK craft breweries, to a collaborative brewday. On a pre-dawn voyage of discovery with London's finest we stumbled into daybreak and uncovered renewed purpose with this imperial stout. Riffing on the theme of how to kick-start those early mornings brewers find themselves battling against, this beer is a smoke and caffeine-themed heavyweight aged in three different whisky casks. Each of those casks brings its own element into play – the peaty Islay, oaky vanilla Bourbon and spicy Rye all having an input. With molasses, caramel, raisin and mocha notes this beer is dry, peaty and roasty and will charge your glassware and soul both." I know, right? Well this beer is a whisky lovers dream.
Cracking open the bottle and you get a HUGE whiff of boozy coffee. Big smokey, peaty whisky aromas blend with coffee, vanilla & chocolate. The beer pours jet black with a foamy beige head. On tasting, you are instantly met with the taste of smokey whisky. Let it roll around a little, and the coffee and vanilla flavours start to show themselves. The whisky is almost too overpowering to begin with, but it is nicely balanced out with the sweetness of the vanilla, and a little chocolate. Overall I enjoyed Coffee and Cigarettes. The time spent in three different whisky casks definitely gives this beer an edge over other imperial stouts. I wish the big dogs would come together more often - especially these two. That reminds me, I have a bottle of New England IPA by Brewdog & Cloudwater chilling in the fridge...but more on that later. 4 out of 5 hops from me 🍻 11/2/2017 0 Comments Beer Review - Heavy WaterBeavertownHeavy breathing more like! That's usually me, when Beavertown release a new beer. This one is also made with cherries...I love cherries. I had a feeling I was going to like this beer. Again, picked up from the ever great Westhill Service Station, Heavy Water is a 9% ABV Sour Cherry and Sea Salt Imperial Stout. Described by Beavertown as; "Pitch black and thick like tar, masses of roast barley molasses, muscovado and brown sugar amp up this imperial stout so it lives up to its heavy name! Infused with sour cherries and sea salt". This sounds like a good'un. Beavertown aren't ones to lie when they describe a beer, and that continues again here. After you open Heavy Water and pour the silky stout liquid into a glass, you are met with a sour, chocolatey aroma. And from the first glug, the sour cherries kick in - wow! Combined with the salty stout that leaves you with a smooth malt finish. This beer was incredible.
This is another example of a Beavertown beer with with an exceptionally high ABV that is well hidden by the outstanding flavours. This does not taste like a 9% ABV beer - however, drink and few cans of it, and it will feel like a 9% ABV beer! I feel like I keep repeating myself every time I review a Beavertown beer, especially when it comes to can art; they knock it out the park again here with another awesome design. Overall, this beer is up with the best of the best that Beavertown have produced. I only wish I had more than one can of it! 5 out of 5 hops from me 🍻 www.beavertownbrewery.co.uk/ www.instagram.com/beavertownbeer/ www.facebook.com/beavertownbrewery/ 10/11/2016 0 Comments Beer52The Beer & Art BoxIt's that time of the month again; where I get another awesome box of beers delivered. This month the theme was beer & art, and I received some awesome looking beers by:
Ferment magazine has features on pairing beer with music, beer can/bottle art and a feature on Beavertown that I am looking forward to reading! As always, if you are interested in trying out Beer52, then you can sign up via my subscription link below...it will save you money 🍻
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