Fursty Friday – Week 8

As a rule I tend to stay away from fruity beers. A taste of honey or hint of chocolate are OK. I was reminded of them during the recent series of The Apprentice when they had to concoct their own flavoured beer. The end results of chocolate orange (A Bitter This) and rhubarb and caramel (Rhubarb & Riches) failed to impress and Lord Sugar finally had the legitimate excuse to admonish the contestants about “piss ups” and “breweries”.   

Anyway this week’s pint is Forest Fruits, with the smell of bramble berries, and comes from the Wychwood Brewery.  And the verdict: well, remember that medicine you used to have to take as a kid....

Fursty Friday – Week 7

A few months ago when I went to visit former colleagues at City of York Council they’d not long moved into swish new office accommodation (converted railway company premises and a former station) on Station Rise.

It was a move designed to make for an improved and more efficient working environment and to save money rather than having staff scattered all over the city. I must admit I had rather a soft spot for my old basement office at St Leonard’s Place even with its limited views of passing buses and people’s feet!    

It’s mere coincidence that the new office block is just round the corner from the York Brewery on Toft Green and no coincidence at all that I’ve chosen this week’s pint as Yorkshire Terrier as yesterday was Yorkshire Day. Apparently one of the original brewers at York used to take his little terrier dog into work and tied him up to the mash tun. The dog also gives its name to the pub in Stonegate, where, on occasion in the past, I enjoyed the odd pint or two of said brew.

Fursty Friday – Week 6

It was this inquisitive little fellow that inspired the name of this series of posts. In a week where both the UK and here in France we’ve seen temperatures soar into the 30s this bottle has been put into chill for a refreshing end to the week.

Hall & Woodhouse Brewery

Fursty Friday – Week 5

It’s back to the Black Sheep Brewery for this week’s pint: Yorkshire Square Ale. Named after the brewing vessels used at Masham the bottle features a square black sheep, apparently named Paul after the brewery’s founder.

For a real ale review click on the video below.

 

Fursty Friday – Week 4

In November 2009 when the Derwent and Cocker rivers burst their banks one of the places hit was Jennings Brewery (left) in Cockermouth. The water was waist high and casks floated out of the brewery with some ending up in Workington. Production temporarily moved to Wolverhampton and Burton, but Jennings was able to re-open early the next year.

This week’s pint is Cocker Hoop, a name “derived from ‘Cock-a Hoop’, an old custom of removing the cock (or spigot) from a barrel and resting it on the hoop of the cask before commencing a drinking bout”.

 

Fursty Friday – Week 3

Summer’s officially here, apparently. Though you wouldn’t know it. This week here in the Poitou-Charentes we’ve had downpours, thunderstorms and hailstones heavy enough to punch holes in plastic guttering. More English weather than what we’d expect in France.

How appropriate then that this week’s pint is an English Pale Ale from Marston’s, described as "refreshing, lighter blonde ale with subtle citrus flavours and a delicate bitter aftertaste."

Fursty Friday – Week 2

Last winter was bad news for bees. Too much rain apparently. Friends of ours that have a hive sadly lost the lot.

Those clever little honey bees have their own particular dance, the waggle dance, to let their bee chums know the direction and distance to the nearest choice selection of flowers (I’m paraphrasing here!). There’s a taste of honey in this week’s beer: Waggle Dance from Wells & Young.

The weather has been dry and sunny this week apart from a heavy downpour yesterday. Fortunately the sun’s out today so I can put my feet, sip my beer and leave the hard work to the bees in the garden. 

Next week an EPA.

Fursty Friday - Week 1

When I’m asked “what do you miss about Britain”, my response will inevitably include “a pint of beer”. Yes I know I’m in France and supposedly surrounded by vineyards (in fact the nearest are about 30 minutes away) but you can’t beat British beer.

Before we emigrated our regular Friday night after-work tradition was to pop to our local, the Warton Arms in Woodmansey, for a drink. Here in France we try to continue that tradition. Weather permitting, during the summer months, this libation takes place under the pear tree. My Friday night tipple of choice is often a glass of red wine but now and again I open up one of the bottles of bitter purchased on trips back to the UK.

Well summer’s finally here, it touched 30 degrees today, and each Friday I’ll be posting my “Furtsy Friday” pint.  Today it’s the always reliable Black Sheep - "crisp, dry and bittersweet". The glass was bought at the Black Sheep brewery in Masham. If you ever visit it why not pop into the cafe and try a slice of fruit cake, some Wensleydale cheese and a pint of Black Sheep. You can’t beat it.

Santé!