How Much is Too Much?

 Contained within the latest offering of new beers from Brewdog is the opportunity to buy their new ceramic growler design.
 It's limited edition, hand made, imported from the USA, holds 4 pints and looks totally awesome.
 The catch? It costs £75.
 Even with maximum EFP discount it still costs £60. Thats the price of 17 and a half pints of Dead Pony Club In Brewdog Aberdeen.
 I'm sure they will sell out eventually, but this scamp won't be investing his hard earned cash in this.
 Maybe it's because I prefer to do my drinking in the pub. Maybe it's because most of the Brewdog beers I would consider taking home in a growler, I can buy in bottles in my local supermarket.
 Maybe it's because I'm not the sort of guy who would want to take 4 pints of Tokyo* home to share with a friend.
 Maybe it's because, being ceramic, I would be terrified to use it in case I dropped it.
 Just to be clear, I actually want one, but I'm not willing to pay the price being asked.
 I'm going to spend my money on beer instead. I've heard good things about AB 11.

If you're a wealthy scamp and enjoy taking beer home from your local Brewdog Bar you can Buy it here.

Hoportunity Knocks at Brewdog Aberdeen

We had been voting for beer styles and added ingredients in Brewdog Aberdeen for a couple of weeks now in anticipation of yesterdays visit of the Brewdog Pilot brew plant and Lead Brewer Franz.

 The voting system (high tech chalk board) would not have stood up to scrutiny by international UN observers, but unlike the people of Zimbabwae after their last election the patrons of Brewdog Aberdeen were generally happy with the result. It was decided to brew a brown ale with added hazelnuts and honey.

Brewdogs "Brew Magic" Pilot Plant

 So on Sunday morning Franz, fresh from his holidays and extended layover in Paris, loaded the Brewdog van with the pilot plant and loads of hops and malt. He also went to the bother of taking filtered treated water from the brewery, not wanting the complications of the chlorine in the Aberdeen municipal supply.

The event started about 1.30, but as I had had a bit of a heavy night on Saturday I didn't it make for the start and by the time I arrived Franz had already mashed in.

Malt Bill

Me giving the mash a stir.



Brewing on gas with added magic. Note the Meantime keg being used as a "brewery ladder" It was still full of beer.



The hop varieties which were considered for this brew.



The silver bags are hops. Franz brought an awful lot of hops. Ruination Brown Ale anyone?



The hops that actually went into the boil.

 When I arrived Franz was circulating the wort through the mash and waiting for the water for sparging to reach the required temperature.



 After sparging twice we had 47 litres of wort, to which 35g of Green Bullet was added as the bittering hops.

Bittering Hops



Franz testing the quality of the honey.

The Brewdog Aberdeen team adding the Pacifica hops.

After the boil which went on for about an hour, 50g of Pacifica hops were added along with the honey, and nuts. I'm not sure the rasins were in the original recipe, but those which hadn't been munched at this point went into the kettle too.

 The brew will be heading back to the brewery for fermentation and should be about 7% abv when it is finished. I'm looking forward to tasting it, when it comes back to the Aberdeen bar.

All in all it was a very enjoyable afternoon, and I learned a great deal more about the brewing process.

Franz is a friendly easy going guy and is more than happy to share his brewing knowledge.

Brewdog are planning similar events for their Edinburgh and Glasgow bars and I would recomend anyone with an interest in brewing to try and make it along.

You can read the official Brewdog Blog post about this here

Ghost Deer

 Last Night I paid my shortest ever visit to Brewdog Aberdeen. Ghost Deer was on for one night only and I just happened to be on nightshift so I popped in for a (part)* growler fill on my way to work, rather than miss trying this record breaking 28% ABV naturally fermented blonde ale. The beer has been fermented using three types of yeast, with the brewers feeding the yeast "exotic" sugars to keep it alive, to obtain the 28% alcohol content.

 A lot has been written over the last week about Ghost Deer. I thought I'd wait until I'd actually tasted the stuff before sharing my thoughts.

The controversy this time is the method of dispense. Brewdog have revisited taxidermy and this beer will only ever be sold poured from the head of a stuffed deer.

Ghost Deers first outing in Brewdog Edinburgh

As with the previous high strength beers from Brewdog a hilarious promotional video has been made, with the return of the dastardly sausage munchers, Hans & Wolfgang, and a special guest appearance of Jim Koch of the Sam Adams brewery, who brewed Utopias the previous record holder for a naturally fermented beer. A comment on an American blog suggested that Brewdog were being disrespectful to Jim Koch in the video, and were not acting in the colaborative way that US craft brewers do. I prefer to think that James and Martin are paying homage to Mr Koch as he is after all the guy who set the figure they were aiming to beat.
 You can see the video here http://vimeo.com/28692044

Will this provoke an ABV battle between Brewdog and Sam Adams. Utopias has been getting progressively stronger over a number of years now, but if the yeast can survive to produce 29 or 30% ABV remains to be seen. At least there can be no argument over whether this brew is actually beer.

So how does this beer actually taste. I'm not the greatest at describing aromas and flavours, but what I get is a very smooth whisky aroma and  flavour, not in the least bit harsh despite the 28% alcohol content. The mouth feel is substanial and despite all the added sugar, it isn't unpleasantly sweet. It is very very, perhaps dangerously drinkable stuff. It is actually quite viscous, and leaves oily legs on the side of the glass. It's not a beer you should want to drink a lot of at a time and is definitely a sipping beer. If you get the chance to try this beer I strongly suggest that you do. It will undoubtably be making an appearance at Brewdog Glasgow. After that I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if it paid a visit to Sweden, and was the Guest star at the opening of Brewdog Camden.

So have Brewdog as the beer monkey suggests jumped the shark? It all depends on your point of view I suppose. It seems to be fashionable in the beer blogging world right now to dismiss Brewdog as a bunch of immature schoolboys playing yet another prank. I on the other hand still find the marketing entertaining and amusing, but I suspect that Brewdog have played this hand one too many times now. Royal Virility Performance, managed to get some coverage in the Sun as well as few other national newspapers. Ghost Deer seems to have failed to get any sort of press coverage at all. The animal rights activists are strangely silent also, but then again deer are not as cute as squirrells!

 The deliberate creation of controversy no longer seems to be working for them as a marketing tool. I can't help thinking that perhaps the taxidermy has backfired on them and the fact that they have brewed a record breaking beer could have got them the publicty they desire on its own.

So where do Brewdog go from here? Do they turn the dial on the controversy machine up even further, until the national press gives them free coverage again, or do they maybe have to consider paying for advertising? Right now with the brewery capacity issues this isn't really a problem, but once the new brewery is up and running they will be eager to sell a lot more beer. They have after all about 4000 shareholders now who will be looking to see a return on their investment.


* I reckon a full Brewdog growler fill of Ghost Deer would cost somewhere in the region of £170. Would this be the record for most expensive growler fill too?

Dangerous Beer Brewed In Glasgow?

 I was surfing the net looking at beer related stuff today when I came across, the West Brewery website. On it they have a video which kinda cracked me up.
 Charan Gill MBE features in this video and it is what he has to say that amused me. The following is a transcript of his words.
 "What makes West such a good beer is the fact that it is Glasgow water. That's what I think. It's Glasgow water, it's good German products and Glasgow water mixed together. Brewed by a fantastic brewmaster who knows exactly what he's doing, who is passionate about his job and I think you know the combination is lethal" 

You can watch the original video here.

 I have not tried any of the West Breweries beers. The fact that I am still breathing proves that perhaps. Am I alone in thinking that having ones products described as lethal is a bad thing, unless you are in the business of making chemical weapons, rat poison or insecticide?

Riptide Muffins. Baking With Beer

A couple of tried and tested  tasty muffin recpies, with added beer flavour. Give them a go they are good.

Twisted Merciless Banana Muffins.

Twisted Merciless Banana Muffins



Really easy to make and tasty too.

This recipe makes 12 muffins. They’ll keep for a few days in an airtight container, but they are so good you won’t be able to resist scoffing the lot straight away.

Stuff you’ll need.

Some bowls for mixing stuff

Muffin trays

Muffin paper cases.

Ingredients.

75g melted butter

250g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

115g golden caster sugar

2 large, ripe bananas

2 medium eggs

125 ml Brewdog Riptide Twisted Merciless stout (depending on how mushy your bananas are you may need to add a little bit more)

Method

Turn on your oven to pre-heat 190C/ Gas mark 5 180C fan.Melt butter in bowl in microwave, place to one side and allow to cool. In another bowl mash the bananas well.

In a large bowl sift in the dry ingredients in order, and give them a quick stir. Make a well in the centre.

Add the eggs and Brewdog Riptide to the melted butter and beat in with a fork, add the mashed banana, and stir through.

Pour the mix into the well in the dry ingredients, and stir until you get a lumpy paste. (don’t over stir)

Set the paper cases into your muffin trays and spoon in the mixture until almost full.

Bake for 20-25 mins. Test with a skewer. If it comes out clean they’re done.

Allow to cool in the trays on a wire rack for 5mins. Remove from tray and cool on wire rack for a further 5 mins.

If you can't get hold of Brewdog Riptide any good quality stout or porter can be used as a substitute, but then your muffins will no longer be twisted or merciless.

Pear and Dark Chocolate Riptide Muffins

These are just yummy and have the added advantage that if you eat four of them you’ve had one of your five a day.

Makes 12 Muffins. Will keep a few days in an airtight container. Yeah like they’re going to last that long.

Stuff you’ll need

Some bowls for mixing in

Muffin tray

Muffin paper cases

Ingredients

75g melted butter

250g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

115g golden caster sugar

2 medium eggs

175 ml Brewdog Riptide Twisted Merciless Stout

50 g dark chocolate chopped into chunks. I used Green & Blacks organic 70% cocoa solids

3 medium pears peeled cored and diced 5-10mm

Method

Turn on your oven to pre-heat 190C/ Gas mark 5. 180C fan. Melt butter in a bowl in microwave, place to one side and allow to cool.

In a large bowl sift in the dry ingredients in order, and give them a quick stir. Make a well in the centre.

Add the eggs and Brewdog Riptide to the melted butter and beat in with a fork..

Pour the mix into the well in the dry ingredients, add chocolate and diced pears and stir until you get a sloppy paste. (don’t over stir)

Set the paper cases into your muffin trays and spoon in the mixture until almost full.

Bake for 20-25 mins. Test with a skewer. If it comes out clean they’re done.

Allow to cool in the trays on a wire rack for 5mins. Remove from tray and cool on wire rack for a further 5 mins.

Serving Suggestion

Peel off the paper case and enjoy with a scoop of your favourite ice cream.





Birthday Eats In London

Last Saturday was my birthday. I'm now closer to 50 than 40 and starting to feel it too. As we were in London on holiday Tracy thought it would be a good idea to take me out for breakfast somewhere a bit special. We had toyed with the idea of going to Gordon Ramsay's Maze Grill for the buffet breakfast, but as we didn't get up early enough we decicded to go to John Torode's, Smiths of Smithfield instead.

After a somewhat tricky journey there, due to the circle line, and Farringdon tube station being closed we arrived.

We started with Boody Marys.  I ordered the Big Breakfast No3. Tracy ordered the Thick Cut Ham, Two Eggs and Chips. Both of us ordered our eggs over easy.

Mine arrived in a soup plate. Black pudding and mushrooms buried in the beans. Toast hidden under the bubble and squeak, half a grilled tomato and the fried egg, with a single sausage and single rasher of bacon placed on top.

The sausage and bacon were good. The thin slice of black pudding was thin but OK. Baked beans out of a tin, but hey they're just beans. Bubble and squeak was ok as was the tomato. Toast would have be better served on a side plate, and buttered. Mushrooms could have been tinned, and were being served out of a bath of watery liquid. I was expecting mushrooms sauteed in butter. Biggest disappointment was the fried egg.
 It didn't arrive over easy. The bottom of it was scalded and crispy, and it looked like it had been stuck under a grill to firm up the top. The yolk wasn't runny. If I was cooking a fried egg and it turned out like that it would have gone in the bin. Probably the worst fried egg I have ever been served. I wish now I had sent it back, made a scene and walked out. Annoyingly the poached eggs going out round about us looked lovely.

Tracy's eggs were just the same. The ham was good, but the chips were of the frozen variety. Yup Masterchef judge John Torode despite claiming to be passionate about the quality of food and almost obsess about where the produce comes from serves frozen chips. And what was worse they were the pale white, not in the least bit crispy sort of frozen chip too.

All in all a disappointing experience. Nothing like the quality I was expecting, from a celebrity chefs resturant. I had a bigger, more filling and better quality breakfast for half the price in a small cafe round the corner from our hotel the day before. I would go back there. I won't be going back to Smiths of Smithfield for breakfast.

On our way back to the tube station we just happened to pass a branch of Gaucho. I'd never heard of this chain of Argentinian resturants before, although Tracy had, and after a quick look at the menu we decided to book a table for that evening.

We arrived a little early, and were shown straight to our table. Menus arrived (with a torch) and we were given the chance to look at the meat board displaying the different cuts on offer, which the waitress described and giving recomendations on how they could be cooked.

Drinks were ordered. Tracy went for delicious raspberry based cocktail, I had a glass of Merlot.

We decided to skip starters which were mainly seafood, or empanadas.

 I ordered a Bife de Lomo (Fillet). Tracy chose the Grilled Pork Matambre which came with mango chutney.
A side of chips, sweet potato chips with chorizo, and  a mixed leaf salad were also ordered. The waitress seemed a little shocked that I didn't order a sauce to go with my steak, but I don't feel the need to add flavours to good quality beef.

A bowl of bread arrived along with, small bowls of sea salt, ground black pepper and a salad dressing. The small rolls were a treat as they contained gooey cheese in the middle

 Our mains arrived. My plate consisted of a large piece of steak in the middle of the plate, and wow it was good. Cooked to a perfect medium well as ordered, it was tender, juicy and tasted amazing. Probably the best steak I've ever had. Easily cut with a normal table knife, and not one scrap of waste on it either. It was perfect.

Tracy's pork was grilled to perfection too. Tracy tends to eat only small portions of meat normally and will quite often order the vegetarian option when we eat out. She cleared her plate on this occasion.

The sides were good also. Admittedly the chips were pobably frozen again, but were crisp, brown and scalding hot. The sweet potato version, came with delicous crispy little chunks of chorizo. I didn't have any of the mixed leaf salad as I was firmly in meat and potato mode, but it looked good.

Overall an excellent meal, and my only grumble, would be the low level of lighting, which required a torch to read the menus.

The farmer in me couldn't resist asking the question, why in a steak resturant, were the cattle hides used for decoration all from dairy cattle. The waitress didn't know they were, but said that they were supplied by a Dutch company, which explains why the hides are from Friesian Cattle. The beef she assured me was all Argentinian, Aberdeen Angus.

Brewdog Three Pubs Challenge.

I came up with the idea for this a while ago, on the Brewdog Bus of Bedlam to Edinburgh, for my first visit to the Brewdog bar in the Cowgate. The Glasgow bar had just been announced on the blog, and I thought it would be fun to visit all three bars in the same day.

With the AGM in Edinburgh, the official opening of Brewdog Glasgow, and it being the first day of my annual leave I thought this was too good an opportunity to miss. So I got online, sorted out the train tickets and spent some time on Google maps as I don't know that part of Glasgow at all.

I woke before my alarm on Saturday morning, despite only having been in my bed for 5 hours. Working shifts for Royal Mail really mucks up my sleep patterns. The upside was that I had enough time to get the bus into the station, and didn't have to waken Tracy to drive me there.

I was on the train in plenty of time, unlike one poor lassie who missed it by 10 seconds and was left standing on the platform.

Arriving in Edinburgh I was a bit confused as to how to get out of the station due to the building work going on there. I finally emerged out into daylight, and headed over to the Cowgate bar. They weren't yet open, as it was still just 11am, so I headed down to Holyrood 9A, for a second breakfast. I had an excellent pint of Black Isle porter with what turned out to be a tasty fry up as well. Service was good and I stayed long enough for a half of Anchor Steam Beer, before heading back to the Brewdog.

A free half of Punk, IPA on arrival was  gratefully received as James and Martin positioned themselves on stools on the bar to start the business part of the AGM. In the usual Brewdog style the business talk was combined with beer tasting. Prototype 17, EFP 11, and Juniper Wheat. The beers were paired with free pizza.

I'm not going into great detail with the business side of stuff, But basically turnover is up, profit is up. They still can't brew enough beer to meet demand. Planning for the new brewery is going well. More staff Have been taken on. Nikola as brewery manager. Who is implementing efficiencies, which mean they will brew more beer with the existing equipment. Martin Dempster is doing logistics and computer stuff. More staff in the brewery, so that every part of the operation, can be done simultaneously.

Equity For Punks II is going well. International Punks are now able to buy shares. About a third of the target has been raised and it isn't even payday yet.

We had an apology for the standard of sevice from the online shop, and measures are being put in place to improve things there.

The Camden bar project is progressing, and expect an anouncement on a Manchester location soon.

We were asked for ideas for new beers we would like to see. I came up with a fairly crazy idea, which I'm not going to get into here. There was also a request for the return of Storm. I've never tasted Storm. It is apparently, the marmite of beer. You either love it or hate it.

Some good news was revealed concerning guest beers. Refridgerated containers full of good stuff are on the way here from the USA. These beers will arrive younger and fresher than they have ever been seen in the UK before. Ballast Point as well as a return of Maui Brewing was mentioned here.

The boring business and legal stuff, was agreed in a quickfire manner, so we could get on with drinking a couple more beers. Another free half of Punk, and a half of Alice Porter. We also got to meet Dr Gonzo, the other Brewdog. Bracken was too busy plotting the downfall of Molson Coors, or chasing a stick to attend.

After the meeting I got talking to a father and son from Cardiff, who had come in for a beer, and had had no option but listen to what was being discussed. I was astounded when I was asked if 3 or 4 thousand pounds, would be a big enough investment. The son who is about 20, had a load of savings in the bank that was basically earning nothing and he and his dad thought that EFP would be a good investment. Read the propectous, consult your IFA, and we'll see you at the next shareholder event.



A beacon of non-conformity in a monotone corporate desert

 A couple of the other shareholders,Steve and Chris were heading over to Glasgow too, so we headed back to Waverly and got the next train to Queen Street. A nanokeg of Punk on the train later and we were there. Out the door to Buchanan Street subway, and a short noisy tube journey to Kelvinhall. Up the stairs turn left out the door (follow the signs for Kelvingrove Art Gallery). A short walk and you are there. Ridiculously easy to get to and with a great view.



The Glasgow pub is about 50% bigger than the first two. Massive windows on two sides of the building, letting in loads of light. This is no dark and dingy drinking den. The look is the same as the previous two bars, exposed steel, brick, and reclaimed wood. The only difference is the floor. The original flooring was uncovered during the renovations, and was considered to good looking to cover up again. Despite the fact that it wasn't officially open yet, it was busy.

First up was Stone Sublimely Self  Righteous. A beer with a name to match my mood. I do after all own a  very small part of this pub. I got talking to a few of my fellow drinkers in the bar, and found out they were drinking their way down the Brewdog beer list on the board. As good a way to get to know the beers as any. They were on Hardcore and enjoying it.

Next was a Demolen Op & Top. Not a beer I've had before. A decent enough half pint.






The view from inside the bar (Photo by Brian Christie)

  It was good to see Bruce, Neil, and Lynn again. All three started their Brewdog careers in the Aberdeen bar. Bruce is in charge of all the bars, Neil and Lynn have moved to work in the Glasgow bar. Also visiting from Aberdeen were Fiona and Lynne, resplendent in mini-kilts, cut off Brewdog t-shirts and pom poms. The Brewdog Beerleaders. Fiona and Lisa were also doing all three pubs and had started with a swift half in Aberdeen. They left for Edinburgh before the official opening

The Toilet Doors. Getting the right one should be easy.



Official Opening. (photo, by Neil Thomas Douglas)



A Beacon for Great Craft Beer (photo ripped off from Brewdog James)

James and Martin arrived and the bar was heaving by the time it was officially declared open.  Laura (marketing manager for the summer) and Nikola were also there. I asked Nikola if a mega brewery (he came over from the darkside) could brew beer as good as Brewdogs. The answer was easily, if they wanted to. Lends weight to the argument that accountants not brewers are in control.

By this time I had to get going for the train back to Aberdeen. I always find it hard to drag myself out of a Brewdog bar before closing time, but I didn't have an option if I was going to make it back to  the Aberdeen  bar before it closed. After retracing my steps back to Queen Street I had time for a quick burger before the train home.

After an uneventful journey back north, and a wee nap I arrived back in Aberdeen, met up with Tracy, and headed to the Gallowgate, and Brewdog Aberdeen. The place was busy as usual. A half pint of Lost Abbey Devotion ale, followed by a half pint of Alice Porter.

The Brewdog Beerleaders Return to Aberdeen
(photo By Brewdog Aberdeen)

Fiona and Lynne arrived back about a half hour after me, having started and finished in Brewdog Aberdeen.

I was hoping to be the first to complete the Brewdog Three Pubs Challenge, I wasn't. I wasn't even the second. That honour goes to Lee, another Aberdeen regular, taking full advantage of his free train travel privileges, and the Glasgow soft opening. In joint second were Fiona and Lynne, the Brewdog Beerleaders, who started and finished  in the Aberdeen bar. I came in a dismal fourth place. I can claim to be the first, after the Glasgow pub opened officially, but thats just me sulking.

What I do know is I won't be the last.

 As the Brewdog bar empire expands, doing them all in a day will be that much more of a challenge, and there will be lots of scope for lots of fun, in the future, and while it is easy getting good craft beer onto a train, getting a can of Punk through airport security isn't going to happen. Time for the Brewdog marketing team to speak to Stelios perhaps.

If you live In the Aberdeen area and would like a free trip to the Glasgow bar on the 6th of August, Email mark@brewdogaberdeen to book your place.

If you want to become an Equity Punk, own part of a Rock'n Roll Brewery, and drink your beer in your pubs you can invest here