Beer and Metal

Mordue beer debuts at Trillians Rock Bar Newcastle

So, does beer and metal music really mix? That's a question I pondered over often during my university days. Back in the day many of my metal head mates were happy to settle on drinking anything with alcohol in it, and let's face it, trying to enjoy great beer whilst in a mosh pit has its practical difficulties.

Trillians Rock Bar has always been a well reputed venue amongst the region's metal fans. The dark, underground venue has played host to an almost endless number of great metal bands from Nile to Napalm Death. But it's never had a credible beer range. That is prior to last Friday when four Mordue hand-pulled ales were launched as a permanent fixture to the venue. I was also pleased that they managed to serve them well, and various leather wearing tattooed people gave myself and the Mordue crew good feedback on how they thought it was a good move by the venue.

From the side-lines it was almost like watching market evolution in progress. Metal fans drinking cask ale. I was already confident that the concept would work, as many metal fans seem like decent folk who like good beer, but end up just tolerating whatever tosh rock venues offer them beverage wise. But I can see the potential market here, and hopefully good beer will continue to thrive in Trillians and other Rock Themed venues.

Panda Frog Project 2014: Endangered Species

There is inevitable end point to any sequence of developments. The world of craft beer moves fast from new world styles to the biggest, boldest beers on the planet. At Panda Frog we believe there is an end point to this sequence, and this year, 2014 we are prepared unleash that end point to the world. A beer to redefine the boundaries of craft by taking craft to the next level. This is more craftier than craft, as far as craft can go. The very concept of this beer out crafts craft itself.

 

Behold...

 

Endangered Species.

 

 

Continuing Mordue's Panda Frog project we bring you the first of four Panda Frog beers for this year. Endangered species is a 6% strong mild that combines balanced quantities of English hops with caramelised and roasted malts to give a malty-hoppy, hoppy-malty, malty beer with a hoppy-malty finish. Sweet toffee, licorice and tobacco with peppery subtle earthy fruity hops to be a bit more precise.

Feel the wrath of my crystal malt!

 

Go on laugh... I can hear you sniggering now.

Moderately hopped to a none throat destroying 35 IBU this beer is dark, strong and old school to the core brewed entirely from English ingredients. Furthermore after primary fermentation this beer is dry hopped in a secondary vessel with (a moderate amount) of Fuggles hops before it undergoes a secondary fermentation in the cask (Fuck yeah!). This lets its flavours develop even further taking it to another level. Don't get me wrong, this is not craft, this is the level beyond. This is old school craft.

 

#oldschoolcraft

 

#pandafrog

 

Vive la revolution  

Stringers IPA with Hereford Hop

Mature cheddar cheese coated in roasted hops... With an IPA. Surely this has to be worth a blog post. Stringers IPA is a straight-forward, lovely IPA, with juicy Amarillo hops at the fore. Hereford hop is a medium to strong, slightly firm cheddar with bitter, dry English hops on the rind. The two harmonise together effortlessly with the dried hops adding that extra connection to the lovely resiny simplicity of this English style IPA.

This is a truly great beer and cheese combination worthy of any beer and cheese night. It's probably also worthwhile trying this cheese with various other IPA.

Rothaus Hefeweizen Zapfle

It's been a while since my last German Wheat beer. A dynamic beer style almost infinitely versatile with food, especially shellfish, big meaty dishes and Chinese cuisine. Rothaus Hefeweizen Zapfle
is a German wheat I have never come across. A bit less bold and boisterous than many German wheat beers Zapfle opens with light, sweet orange before soft banana and clove layers over a dry wheaty texture. It's quite easy going for the style, almost closer to some of the American versions I've tried. Could probably do with a few more of these for the summer.

Newcastle beer festival and Battle of the Beers 3

And we win again. Mordue brewery defend the BOB title with Apollo 40.



Here we go again, another award. Newcastle beer festival's Battle of the beers is a pretty much open annual competition where breweries from far and wide across the region lock horns hopeful for a shot at the prize. This year, with it being the 40th anniversary of the CAMRA branch the entrants this time were asked to enter a beer themed around 1974 or 40. Other than that no restrictions were given as far as beer styles, ingredients or alcoholic strength were concerned. Basically this was as open a brewing competition could get.

For the full list of entrants and winners see here. But I would be surprised if my Apollo 40 dominated the field by a long shot in the same manner X squared did last year. Anarchy at second had a formidable entrant with their 6% Belgian pale ale/wheat beer hybrid and Acton ales at third had an IPA that stood out with resiny citrus hops.

Yet none the less I felt we had a beer with complexity, charm and composure. I hoped it was bold enough to stand out as I was aware that any big ass stout or aggressive IPA would certainly grab a judge's attention more than this, humble balanced pale ale with it's caramel malt, orange and herbal notes from the six different hops used.

But as it turns out complexity and approachability were what the judges were after (despite the name, runner up Anarchy Punk Era is a beer packing in plenty of wheaty grain, banana and malt. Big and complex yet approachable). So none the less after meeting the Mayor of Newcastle again and getting lots of photos taken of myself and the Mordue crew it was good to hang out with the diverse set of characters that make up the region's brewing scene and try many beers.

 

Some of the highlights for me were Wylam's Silver Ghost Re-dux, a turbo charged hopped up version of the original regional classic. Magic Rock Ringmaster was smooth and harmonious as well as very hoppy, a lovely beer. Then we had Allendale Rye Pilsner, crisp and inviting with a spicy edge. Elland 1872 Porter (Champion beer of Britain) also turned up and was as always a class beer. But outside of them there were many interesting beers and the whole day was a great experience. This time we really out surpassed our expectations and are looking forward to entering next year's Battle of the Beers with Mordue as favourites. Obviously by then the scene will have inevitably changed a bit. But bring it on I say.