I'm still embarassingly out of action on the Computer front and as you can appreciate the bar is mental at this time of year so very little time to post and no 'in situ' beer tastings for now...
However it would be churlish not to harp on a little about some of the stuff I've been drinking recently...
some 'special marbles'
In particular Marble's latest offering 'Special'. Marble are very close to my heart as firstly I think I was the first person to bring them to Leeds (only about 5 years back - please correct me if I'm wrong!) and also they make really great, incredibly informed, beers that are distinctive and forward looking whilst also remaining traditional in terms of 'flavour profile'...
Special is a Barley Wine, it's beautifully packaged and is brand spanking new. When the chaps over the Pennines told me about this a few months back I deemed it necessary to ask them when it was ready pretty much every week until it was... Just before Christmas.
It's corked and wax sealed, and once I got round that I shared a bottle with my missus... The nose is a very fresh, resinous hopsack affair. I touch of iron and a real soft, pink grapefruit aroma. The beer pours tawny brown and is quite light in body considering it's 10.7% ABV. Many barley wines can be syrupy which is not necessarily a bad thing but sometimes makes you not want another for some time (see lees harvest ale).
Which in itself is not necessarily a bad thing...
Anyhow the special has a plummy fizz and soft hops, building as you go, a touch of dandelion leaf bitterness (credit the missus for that) and a really silky vanilla note. Sod that it's actually creme caramel and then vanilla fudge.
Exceptional beer, well composed and potent. It's making me feel better about watching Oz Clarke, I wonder about his sanity to be honest, he always seemed rather hoity toi but composed but recently he seems to be completely soused and buggered up... Someone should tell him that he'll never be Floyd...
Anyway...
Marble are ace - they also brought out 'Decadence' which is a Imperial Stout, equally wonderful but I reckon that it needs a little time in the cellar so I'll come back to it...
I have also been drinking plenty of Anchor Christmas 2009 which is the best I've ever tasted (think pine resin and cola cubes!). Brooklyn Chocolate 2008-09 which is great and in my opinion better than this years offering. Tactical Nuclear Penguin which is daft but entirely refined actually and some pretty amazing 'jazz stout' from the Crown Brewery of which I will write more. Suffice to say Stu is brewing some extremely good stuff at the moment...
Later x
Whilst the classic IPA's of Burton are, on the whole, fantastic and moreover 'the originals'. The hop profile has been eclipsed in recent years by US brewers and their IPA's and doubles. Let me say now that the first time I had Double Dog I changed my staff training from...