Sadler's Ales and the new Hop Bomb

On Monday the 25^th of July I popped into the Windsor Castle tap house in Lye for a brief catch up with Chris Sadler, head brewer of Sadler's Ales. A little chat that became a delightful five hours of brewery goodness...

Sadler's Ales was first opened in 1900 by Thomas Alexander Sadler, the brewery supplied twelve tied public houses, the most famous being the Windsor Castle Inn, Oldbury which adjoined the Brewery. After 27 years brewing ceased but Thomas Alexander's son, John Caleb Nathaniel (known as Jack) made sure the alchemical knowledge of brewing was passed on to his future generations. The operation was restarted by the Sadler Family during the winter of 2004, 77 years after Thomas Sadler brewed his last pint and a new Windsor Castle was opened, now situated in Lye.

Sadler's brews a host of permanent signature beers along with a selection of interesting monthly specials, my favourites of which being their JPA: a light, citrusy pale ale that packs a greater punch than its 3.8% suggests and the incredibly rich Mud City Stout: a powerhouse 6.6% creation made with raw coca, vanilla pods and balanced by its complex malty character.

Throughout the day Chris and I worked our way happily through the Windsor Castle's tasty and varied ale selection complimented by a look backstage at the brewery itself and welcome snack interludes. It's worth pointing out here that the Windsor Castle isn't just the Sadler's Ales tap house but also serves freshly prepared homemade food too. The menu, as well as other information, is available on their website which can be found via my links section.

Chris Sadler has recently created a new brew, the aptly named Hop Bomb, 5% and labelled as a powerful Trans-Atlantic pale ale, it certainly lives up to its explosive title. This beer is literally detonating with expertly blended flavours both floral and hoppy. Grapefruit, melon and bitter pine wallop the taste buds in this delectable, uncompromising beer. If you see it on your travels, either in cask or bottle, you're definitely in for a treat.

Russia reclassifies beer

An important event unfolded yesterday; a giant of the drinking world - quite literally, again looked at taking steps into a totalitarian land of restriction and control. On the 21^st of July 2011, Russia's President, Dmitry Medvedev, signed a bill that officially classified beer as alcoholic. Previously anything containing less than 10% alcohol in Russia has been considered foodstuff. Now hold on, stop sniggering at the back for a second, lets look deeper into this. With beer sales soaring in recent years over the popularity of spirits due to a healthier image the Russian Government plans to restrict its hours of sale, restrict its advertising and has already hit the brewing industry with a 200% tax hike.

Russia has of course been here previously, from tsarist coffer-cramming kabaks to Mikhail Gorbachev's attempts at partial prohibition in 1985. Serpentine schemes concocted in the delusion that the problems that result from a society feeling the need to attempt to consume such large amounts of alcohol can be addressed by curbing the drink itself.

The powers that be would have you believe that the well documented problems in Russia can't of course be caused by whole populations griped in the crushing clutches of poverty, or also, as PricewaterhouseCoopers put it “The worlds most fraudulent economy”. No, not even the boot from the oligarchic class that developed in Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union, so determined to carve up everything for themselves, can be blamed here, it is all the fault of humble beer.

Instead of a brewed or distilled beverage which-hunt, maybe Russia should commend alcohol in its benevolent ability to alleviate the pressures of various portions of society living in dystopia. The friendly welcome and warm atmosphere of a drink with comrades or even a quiet simmer down with a drink in the comfort of oneself may be one of the few pleasures left allowing people to rise the next day, go to work and keep the cogs of all our stuttering economies going.

Typing this with a bottle of Baltika 6 Porter and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture firing out of the speakers, here's to you, drinking classes of Russia. Budem zdorovy!

Great British Beer Festival

My excitement is building substantially for this years CAMRA GBBF, otherwise known as the Great British Beer Festival. Held at Earls Court, London from the 2^nd to 6^th of August its become a regular feature on the calender for myself and my hardy drinking companions. Starting, predictably some might say, at the glorious Waggon and Horses, Halesowen for a breakfast bacon roll and an accompanying breakfast pint (a morning “brew” to set us up for the day) our coach takes us from the pub to the festival and back again, the usefulness of such a door to door arrangement should be plain to understand for anyone that plans to “indulge” at such an event.

The premier UK beer festival has a delightful array of beers and ciders from all over the country, as you would expect, but I take special interest however, in the “Bières Sans Frontières”. You see the same problems faced by new British breweries also apply to new foreign craft enterprises trying to squeeze into a market already subjugated by the ersatz producers. Luckily at the GBBF you can explore some really exciting brews you wouldn't usually get the opportunity to try without your passport handy.

Straying from beer for one moment I feel the need to mention the food that is available at the GBBF; a world apart from the usual rubbish you'd expect at a similar event. On offer here it's more like a farmers market and definitely worth soaking up the tasty ales with. Good food and good beer, what more do you need?

Check out the official website http://gbbf.camra.org.uk/home for more information and you can also book your tickets online too. Lastly, I'll be there Thursday so for those going earlier, don't drink all the good stuff before I get there...