Operation Black Phoenix Thunder

Although originally intended as a beer name, Operation Black Phoenix Thunder could be more widely referred to as a collaborative project; to put forth a one off exclusive brew of imperial/export porter or stout specifically for The Great Exhibition of Prize ales at Kirkstall Brewery. The single cask in existence is to be sent alongside other regular and seasonal beers for the festival on may the 2nd. 

But sadly, despite the original beer name for our imperial Porter gaining some popularity, a rethink from more authoritative figures resulted in the more sensible (but in my opinion not as good) name; Batavia to be chosen.

A collaborative brew between myself and Rooster's own master of the stock, brother priest of the yeast Jamie; Operation Black Phoenix Thunder required the use of the 100 litre trial kit for a project that was both fun and challenging in equal measure.

 

Recirculating wort in the mash tun prior to runoff.

Brewing on a very small scale, from my experience has always been way more fickle compared to brewing on a full scale commercial brew kit. So Operation Black Phoenix Thunder from the start was more about getting the basics right. 

Wort runoff from mash tun to kettle. 

After I designed and assembled the grist for the export Porter Jamie's skills and experience on the small brew kit ensured the brew day went fluently. Jamie has used the trial kit many times and frequently brews on the Roosters 10 barrel kit, showcasing his impressive ability to get inside and clean out the smaller sized vessels despite being the fattest member of the production team.  

Whole leaf WGV hops enter the boil.

After various back and fourth estimations on what the extract efficiency might be, and whether or not extended boil times or sugars would be needed; the wort produced on the day fermented out very nicely to a whopping 7.8% abv. 

Transferring to cask.

The resultant Porter was very smooth, chocolatey and impressively refined for it's big abv, with plenty of weight of body behind it (much like Jamie). I will be looking forward to hopefully trying this one at the Heritage beer festival this weekend.   

Back up north for the 47th Newcastle Beer Festival.

Newcastle beer festival is an event on the calendar that is rarely missed. Back in my younger years it was the first beer festival I ever went to and I distinctly remember being near the front of the que to get in on day one. These days I'm just grateful to make it and get the glass. 

For me Newcastle beer festival is still one of best beer festivals around. The banter is always class, it has the usual live music and small array of quirky stalls selling other stuff and then their's the nostalgia factor of seeing all the old brewers like Allendale, Cullercoats and Northern Alchemy that I got to know from way back when. More importantly they do a pretty good job at picking a diverse line up of beers and this years 47th Newcastle beer festival was no different.

 With a hit list too big to cover in the one day. This years starting point would be none other than this years Battle of the beers (Best Bitter category) winner; Hadrian and Border Things Can Only Get Bitter ESB at 4.5% which had a very pleasant balance of floral hops and caramelised malt with nuances of forest fruit. 

As opposed to having one overall winner (like in the competitions earlier days) battle of the beers is now awarded over two categories/beer styles by two different brewers. This was a rule brought in to hinder the probability of a single brewery winning overall champion year on year and making the outcome too predictable (smiling right now). 

 The other category (Chocolate ale) was won by Thirsty Moose Cocoa Swirl 4.2% which was worth a try but wasn't really my kind of thing. Then again I have rarely been a fan of the chocolate stout/porter formula.  

The rest of the day went splendidly, featuring an impressive array of beers including Durham Brewery 13 Heavens 4.3% which was very light and clean with fruity tropical notes to the fore. The Glasgow based Simple Things Peated Brown ale (5.5%) was big and smooth with lots of peaty, toffee, fruity wholesomeness and Allendale's new collaboration IPA with US based Suncreek; Sun Squishy IPA 6% was very grapefruit forward and uncompromising. 

The Newcastle university student ran Stu Brew have been know for some pretty adventurous beers over the years. Panic Masters, a 4.5% pale/speciality ale fermented with Kveik yeast and dry hopped with Ahtanum and Loral hops was certainly worth a try. It has an interesting profile of sweet fruity-floral then dry sherbert going on and to me it would probably be better on keg. In a similar fashion Northern Alchemy Nothing to be feared 4.3% Nettle tea ale was another peculiar number. The words; botanical, sweet, vegital and musty come to mind, very alternative but certainly pleasant. 

 

One of my favourite beers of the festival was Vaux Charles Street Brown 4.6%. A characterful US hop driven American Brown ale. Lot's of hop pine, caramel malts and a dry roasted malt finish. This was a class beer but the beer of festival for me was from the upstairs keg bar; Otherworld Rosy at 7%, A multi-faceted barrel aged fruited sour beer. Think the lightness of fresh cherryade meeting serious deep bourbon like oaky notes. Drinkability meets depth and class.

It was good that the majority of beers were still available despite it being day three. But sadly this year no Daleside or Rooster's beers were on offer. None the less that pretty much sums up the highlight of this years Newcastle beer fest. Although I didn't manage to catch up with as many old faces as I would have liked, or got to try all the beers on the most wanted list, it was a class day overall.    

  

  

Harrogate Beer Festival 2025.

Last weekend was the 2025 annual Harrogate beer festival. A two day event at The Crown Hotel, Harrogate organised by Harrogate Round Table. Aside from being a great showcase of mostly Yorkshire beer, Harrogate beer fest is a great social event. My only mistake this year was going on the Friday night, when most people I knew went on the Saturday. I did think about going back for the Saturday session. But the combination of the Saturday morning hangover and having just got back from a week in the far east (Tunstall beach, Hull) ensured all enthusiasm to do so was minimal. 

Plus I am over fourty now you can't expect too much from me regarding commitment to drinking. Being officially old.

 

Non the less this year was probably most memorable as the first major reveal/showcase of the new Daleside Brewery re-brand, all the new pumpclips on display. Both Roosters and Daleside having a fairly big range of beers on offer.

  

The Amity keg bar.

Starting things off this year I ventured to the keg bar to opt for Amity Brew Co Conchord. A 4.2% NZ pilsner, crisp and fresh with vibrant gooseberry and sweet fruity, floral hops contrasting it's bone dry finish. An impressive score of two and half (out of five) in the beer review logbook marked a solid start to the evening. 

Daleside Stout (4.2%) is quite a rare seasonal and I felt had to be tried at some point. I don't get to try literally everything that gets brewed at work like in the old days. A nice, straight down the middle roasty stout with a medium bodied rounded feel much how I remembered it. 

Bingley Brewery Hannah Green was a subtle but nicely rounded 3.6% blonde ale. Nice, nuanced fruity hops. Yet Darkland brewery Tower Blonde (3.8%) had a distinct grassy note difficult to describe. Stubbee Pineapple (4.6%) had lots of sweet tropical flavours but not the kind you associate with hops.  

Ranking high in the public opinion front was Titanic Cappuccino (4.5%). Which pretty much did what it said on the tin. Lots of sweet roasted malt and coffee with an all round light drinkability. Nice, but not my kinda thing. What stood out more was the local classic Harrogate brew co Nidd Mild that was on impressive form. A 3.7% traditional dark mild with lots of roasted malt coffee-chocolate dominating, leading into the subtle underpinning of traditional hops.  In my opinion this was better than the keg version that won gold at SIBA beer X last year. 

I did get to sample some of the other Daleside beers available for quality control purposes. They are all now brewed on a different kit to years gone past which makes it interesting. Another highlight of the evening was Phoenix Brewery Wobbly Bob 6%. An old school strong ale tasting like it's straight out the 90's. Bold with nuanced fruit and malt throughout. This one pretty much brought a close to the evening. 

All in all it was a great night. As busy as it usually is. Am very much looking forward to attending again next year. 

The Winding Wheel Beer Festival, Chesterfield.

The famous crooked spire.

Last weekend was a great opportunity to venture out of town on a beer hunting adventure. On a road trip organised by my old man we ventured beyond the borders of Yorkshire and into the lesser known wilderness known as the midlands, to a pleasant market town called Chesterfield. 

Chesterfield is a splendid place, not too posh, nor too Northern, but to basically sum it up; It has the famous crooked spire (see above). Thornbridge Brewery beer is nearly everywhere and there are very few charity shops. But I digress..  

Beer festival ground floor.

The annual Winding Wheel beer festival is a CAMRA event encompassing three floors of The Winding Wheel Theatre in Chesterfield. The beer list was pretty extensive with the majority of beers from breweries I had never heard of. Thornbridge Brewery have a separate cask and keg bar. 

Given we were joining on the second day of the festival the beer range had been thinned out a bit. The new highly sought after Thornbridge The Union, 6% IPA  on keg had sold out. Sadly so had a fair few others on the hit list. However, despite this a pretty diverse array of quality beers were still available. 

Thornbridge bar.

The first beer to grab my attention was from a Blackpool based micro brewery; Pool Brewing That's Just How I Feel. Mango, pine and citrus dominate the palate and the mouthfeel of it was fairly heavy for a 3.8% blonde. Then wandering onto the middle floor, Hang The Elephant Van Milder at 5.4% was a strong mild with character. Rich and chocolatey with oily coffee and liquorice throughout. 

After this Neighbourhood Brew Placebo was a 4% blonde ale with a soft grainy feel and some spicy citrus notes. It almost had some resemblance to an American wheat but on cask. Wickham House Jester at 4.5% was amber hued and closer to a classic British pale ale. Plenty of fruit and malt. 

For the grand finale of the evening Brampton brewery Menin Gate was the obvious choice. It's not often you find a 7.4% Belgian style Dubbel on cask. A class beer indeed it's deep amber depths opening with boozy apples and pear. Lots of caramelised malt and winter fruits lingering in the finish.

After this it was time to say goodbye to the Winding Wheel Beer festival. It's always great to visit new places and break the habit of going to the same beer festivals every year. Thank's again to my old man for organising the adventure.