mr stout issue #2

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SWANNAY BREWERYHomely brewing at its best

THE CRAFT LOWDOWN // WHO’S BEHIND THE BEER // EIGHT DEGREES // FROG BEER // ÉIRE’S CRAFT BEER // FUN STUFF

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the brews you love

DISCOVER CRAFT BEER

// CHLOE LAWRIE(@ROTHWELLCHLOE)Last beer in the box & Sunday dinner... Stout & Crackling = Sunday bliss@Flavourly #TweetMyBeer

// TONY HARDING(@TONYJHARDING)Enjoying a @gosnellsmead courtesy of@flavourlyhq whilst listening to some early Bowie

// DANIEL SLATER(@SL8A88)Dry January was going so well..and then this arrived! @Flavourly #tweetmybeer #DryJanuary #nobodykeepsresolutions

// NATHAN BOOTH(@MRNBOOTH)First of 8 beers sent by @Flavourly. If this one is anything to go by, they will all be great. #tweetmybeer #rascal

// COLIN MCINDOE(@ARCTICMACKY)Thanks @Flavourly, Another box to help me along the way! #yearof500beers #TweetMyBeer

// MIKE OF THE JUNGLE(@MIKEOFTHEJUNGLE)#tweetmybeer My first order of these finely crafted beers! @Flavourly #latefestivetreat #beer

THE BREWS YOU LOVEOften, I spend my days scrolling through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, spotting all of the cool

folks who seem elated with their latest delivery from Flavourly! Why not join in the fun? You never

know — you may wind up on these pages next month!

USE THE HASHTAG #TWEETMYBEER AND TAG US!T: @FLAVOURLY | F: /FLAVOURLY | I: @FLAVOURLYHQ | E: [email protected]

3VISIT FLAVOURLY.COM

ISSUE #2

WHAT’S INSIDEISSUE #2

OH, HELLO THERE!A NOTE FROM MR STOUT

The Brews You Love 2

The Watering Hole 4

The Craft Lowdown 5

Five Questions for Swannay 6

Who’s Behind The Beer 7

The Best Brews 9

Naturally Adventurous 11

Paris, Je T’aime 12

Éire’s Craft 14

Get Colouring! 15

Hello to you, kind reader! I hope that by now you have all sobered up after a gloriously excessive festive season. Here in the Flavourly

office, 2016 got off to an exciting start – although Ryan has made me solemnly swear that I wouldn’t share the secrets and surprises we have in store! Instead, here are some things I can tell you.

This, the second issue of Mr Stout (how great to have a magazine named after yourself!) features an abundance of brewing talent from all across the country! Nay – the globe! I’ve stepped aboard a few ships and planes to take you to many places. To start: Ireland, where I met with Reuben Gray. He’s the Chairman of Beoir (Ireland’s version of CAMRA), and we discussed the rise in craft over on the Emerald Isle.

In other news, we bring you profiles of Eight Degrees Brewing Co in County Cork, as well as a look into the life of Brit led breweries in the Parisian suburbs with FrogBeer’s CEO Paul Chantler. Plus, all of those UK breweries you will come to know and love.

A packed issue, I assure you – and one that’s best enjoyed with your feet up and a bottle of craft beer in hand.

// Mr Stout

MR STOUT’S TRUSTY ASSISTANTS// Douglas James GreenwoodWannabe literary big-shot. Bearded lover of film, music and anything that tastes good. Still feels like a kid even if he doesn’t look like one. Can be found in the Flavourly.com office, using pens and paper instead of a laptop.

// What I’m drinking: HERETIC EVIL TWIN IPA // ABV 6.8%

// Will WrightDesigner, developer, photographer. Loves a good craft roasty porter. Creative, restless, curious, he photographs for as long as he can remember – to record the images, to document his way of seeing the world.

// What I’m drinking: SWANNAY BARREL AGED ORKNEY PORTER // ABV 8.5%

// Dan BurfordA self-confessed beer enthusiast and firm believer in ‘good people drink good beer’. Quite an elusive creature, can be found frequenting watering holes in either London or Birmingham. When not drinking beer, he can usually be found making it or writing about it.

// What I’m drinking: EIGHT DEGREES SUNBURNT IRISH RED // ABV 5.0%

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the watering hole

DISCOVER CRAFT BEER

// Glasgow’s The 78Slotted inconspicuously down a side street in Glasgow’s Finnieston, this cafe bar is popular with everyone from local students to tourists

who flock from afar. Teeming with big, beautiful arm chairs, boxy wooden decor and often a roaring coal fire, this cosy spot offers

up a selection of seriously good craft beer and great vegan food to accompany it. Personally, this is one of my favourite spots! There’s

nothing quite like coming in from a cold, windy Glasgow to a warm, hoppy heaven! You’ll often catch me curled up in the corner by the

fire, drinking something from their brimming collection of Williams Bros. brews — bliss!

[ 10-14 Kelvinhaugh Street — the78cafebar.com ]

[ Glasgow’s The 78 ]

// Manchester’s The FontWhen I’m in the mood for something lively, I head to a Mancunian institute of sorts — The Font. Just a short stroll from The Ritz and The Palace Theatre, this buzzing bar is a renowned hideaway for students and those looking to escape the daily grind! Its walls are adorned with the paintings of local artists, and as it gets dark, DJs deliver some seriously good sets. Now, to the important part: the beer. It may not be the cheapest craft bar in the country, but you certainly can’t knock its selection! Featuring over 100 brews from as far afield as Hawaii (Kona) and New Zealand (Yeastie Boys) I was spoiled for choice! Keep an eye out — you can catch me on the dance floor at 1am with Beavertown’s Gamma Ray in hand![ 7–9 New Wakefield Street — fontbar.com ]

[ Manchester’s The Font ]

// London’s The Old FountainOpening its famous royal blue doors back in 1964, this Shoreditch

freehouse stocks the best brews from across the country and beyond! Surrounded by new bars itching to be the coolest in town, it prevails because it doesn’t need to try to be cool. Run by the Durrant family

since the day it opened, it’s known for being on top of whatever beer tastes best! Like the thought of a true American Pale Ale? Give

Brooklyn Brewery’s effort a go. Or maybe Magic Rock’s IPA, named Cannonball is suited more to your tastes? Either way — you’ll find

them all here. As it gets a little warmer, you can spot me up on their roof terrace, usually with a Partizan IPA in hand. Cheers to that!

[ 3 Baldwin Street — oldfountain.co.uk ]

[ London’s The Old Fountain ]

THE WATERING HOLEMR STOUT’S FAVOURITE TAP ROOMS

When the weekend arrives, I like to head out across the country and sample some

craft beer from these cool places!

// China chooses British beer for New Year

When David Cameron sat down with Chinese leader Xi Jinping last year and discussed boring economic issues over a pint of Greene King IPA, nobody could have predicted the boyband-style beer hysteria that would follow.

Back in Jinping’s home country, people flocked to bars and tap rooms in their droves, hoping to taste some of our country’s greatest craft beer. They were literally rinsed dry of all Greene King in a matter of days. And the demand that followed? Well, nobody could’ve anticipated that either.

In the run up to the Chinese New Year, over 50,000 crates of Greene King’s beer have made their way to the country’s shores. Their long-lived obsession with British opulence and finely crafted goods means that punters were willing to pay up to 40 times as much for it compared to regular Chinese lager! It’s all about the experience in the east, with business men now showing off a bottle of craft to their clients as if it was champagne!

It’s not just Greene King that are experiencing the surge either. Charles Well Brewery in Bedfordshire and St Austell in Cornwall are getting in on the action, with bottles being snapped up across the country. On top of that, a recently signed £150million deal to provide British hops to Chinese brewers could make craft beer one of our biggest exports this year!

// Study the ‘art of microbrewing’ in

American universities

Let’s face it, most of us spent our university days sloshed thanks to cheap, flavourless beer from the nearest off-license! However, a growing respect for the better brews in life mean that now you’re more likely to be sampling something crafted by a small-town sommelier instead of a pint of mass-produced muck.

With craft beer swiftly becoming a common feature on American soil, some institutions have set up courses to teach the skill of micro brewing! The University of Vermont is the latest, with their 12 week program starting in February. This snowy state seems like the ideal location for an experienced imbiber who’s looking to get a foot in the door. After all, they do have the most breweries per capita in the whole of the USA!

Those looking for nothing more than a reason to justify a pint on a Monday morning might want to look elsewhere, though. For the $4k price tag, you can expect to learn the ins and outs of marketing and operations in the industry. It might not be the cheapest way to drink, but you’ll be pretty damn proud once you’ve got the keys to your very own microbrewery!

// The Beer Kitchen to open in Dundee

Since setting up shop in the Scottish capital last summer, it would seem Innis & Gunn have enjoyed a busy first year in the food biz. Their restaurant The Beer Kitchen on Lothian Road features a selection of seriously good food as well as some of their own renowned craft beer. Lucky punters can grab limited edition brews that are exclusive to their restaurant, and have the opportunity to take some of them home too!

Described by visitors as “inventive” and “delicious”, it’s no surprise that the brewery’s success has led to them grabbing a spot in Dundee! The increasingly cosmopolitan city, recently awarded Unesco’s City of Design in 2014, has become a go-to place for great food, music and of course, braw beer!

The popular craft hangout, South Tay Superstore, will switch its signs over later in the year to become part of the growing Beer Kitchen brand. In the past, the Superstore has been known to attract some famous faces, with Jamiroquai and Model Aeroplanes all making impromptu appearances. Here’s hoping they’ll catch wind of the new look and show up in 2016 too!

5 DISCOVER CRAFT BEER5VISIT FLAVOURLY.COM

ISSUE #2

THE CRAFT LOWDOWNALL THAT’S GOING ON

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five questions for swannay

DISCOVER CRAFT BEER

That was in 2004. Fast forward 12 years and not much has changed! Except, for one, that the team has grown to accommodate the swarm of craft obsessives that come

through their doors for a drink! We spoke to the famous founder’s son, Lewis Hill, about all that goes on in this renowned Scottish brewery!

What one thing can you tell us about Swannay that you haven’t told anyone else?Hmm, I think we’re pretty open about stuff. Our headbrewer/founder/my father is, on the surface, a devout traditionalist and does not approve some of the beers that Lewis brews — some of which end up in keg. But, at our inaugural Orktoberfest in 2015, he was seen to be drinking and enjoying a pint of Lagunitas IPA and then later on raved about a pint of Lewis’s keg Oat Stout. Sadly, there was no one recording him at the time and the Monday after, he denied both of these occurrences.

We’re having a wander around the brewery, what kind of music might be playing on the Swannay radio?It depends who is in control of the boom box! Lewis is country with some hip hop thrown in; Butch is White Stripes and Chilli Peppers. I don’t think Steve’s music has a genre and Alex doesn’t appear to have any preference. If

Rob is around the only sound you’ll hear out of the brewery is three phase pumps and beading sweat.

Much like actors have a memory of the first film they ever saw, do you have an early beer memory that has always resonated with you? I remember sneaking through to the brewery and helping myself to small glasses of Red MacGregor and Raven Ale whilst growing up at the Orkney Brewery where we lived and my dad worked. The first real craft beer I remember is Anchor Liberty

and it was BrewDog Trashy Blonde and Punk IPA that made me realise what was happening in the UK.

Confess your sins! When you’re not imbibing craft beer, what would we catch you drinking?Recently, it’s whisky — from sherry cask beauts to big heavy peats!

Is there anything from Flavourly’s marketplace that you’d love to vouch for, or are itching to try?Eat 17 Bacon Jam please!

You can head to the Flavourly RateBrew to review some of their beers!

// Mr. Stout

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR SWANNAYHOMELY BREWING AT ITS BEST

It was in an old farmstead, on the rural Orkney islands that the first glimmers of Swannay Brewery

came to life.


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BLACKS OF KINSALE// BLACKSBREWERY.COM // @BLACKSBREWERYYears ago, Maudeline gifted her husband Sam a home-brewing kit for Valentine’s Day. As with most people who try their hand at making beer, the hobby swiftly turned into an obsession and has now formed a career for this couple! From the excellently named Knocknabohilly, not far from Kinsale, they’ve challenged the industry bigwigs with lovely tasting beer full of passion and personality. The duo have been ‘living the dream since 2013’ — it just so happens that you can taste just that in everything they brew!

EIGHT DEGREES// EIGHTDEGREES.IE // @8DEGREESBREWINGComing together in a rare kind of harmony, ‘Kiwi’ Scott and Cam ‘the Aussie’ are two brewers doing what they do a little further from home than most dare to stray. Lured from the warmer weather by their Irish wives, the duo were sitting sipping craft one day, when it dawned on them: why wasn’t there a bigger craft brewing scene in Ireland? Leaving their jobs as accountants and water engineers, their successful microbrewery now sits in the shadow of the snow-tipped Galtee Mountains. From there, they’re brewing some seriously delicious beer. Its ideal serving temperature? Well, eight degrees of course!

HERETIC BREWING// HERETICBREWING.COM // @HERETICBREWIn the words of this infinitely smart team, “ordinary beer is boring — don’t drink it.” Calling upon their imbibers to embrace their inner heretic (or non-conformist), this Pennsylvania brewery specialise in producing some of the most razor-sharp, edgy craft beers on the US market today. Founded back in 2010, their hellishly good brews have adorned the shelves of bottle shops everywhere from the USA to Thailand — we’re just glad you can enjoy these devilish concoctions on this side of the pond now!

MENDOCINO// MENDOBREW.COM // @MENDOBREWConsidered pioneers of the craft beer game over in the States, Mendocino started out over 30 years ago and have been going strong ever since. In 1983, founders and former home brewers Michael

Laybourn and Norman Franks bought equipment from a recently closed brewery nearby, setting up their own shop and eventually

becoming the first brewpub in California! Now, they have breweries on both coasts to keep up with the crazy demand!

REBEL BREWING// REBELBREWING.CO.UK // @REBELBREWINGCO

It’s best to sample Rebel’s beautiful beerswhile sitting on the Cornwall coast,

watching the waves crash against the shore. After all, that’s where they’re based, and to this day it captures everything that’s great about their work. Founded in 2010, they

pride themselves on producing artisanal beers that provide a dynamic, eco-friendly brewing experience. These guys let nature

truly take its course, bringing some intense and frankly, inventive flavours from nothing

but the classic malt and hop!

ROBINSONS BREWING// ROBINSONSBREWERY.COM

// @ROBBIESBREWERYThey say the taste of a Robinson’s brew is

unmistakeable — unlike anything else you’ll find in Britain today. Having had more than a few sips myself, I’d have to agree!

With over 200 years in the brewing biz, this family in the North West continue to do

great things, with a staple selection of beers that mix old and new perfectly. Nowadays,

their brewery is home to the largest hopnik in the world — and they’ve made a collaboration beer with Iron Maiden! Not

bad for a family from Stockport, eh?

SWANNAY BREWING// SWANNAYBREWERY.COM // @SWANNAYBREWERY

Its surroundings may be quaint and really lovely to look at, but inside Swannay Brewery they mean business! Beer-making for the best part

of 10 years (they used to be known as Highland Brewing Co), they are recognisable faces around Orkney, known for bringing great-tasting

craft to eager imbibers from nearby towns. But their appreciated beer stretches much further than the length and breadth of the island;

Swannay is a name known by connoisseurs the world over! Having picked up almost 100 awards to date (including Best Cask Ale 2015),

2016 looks set to be a stellar year for the brewery.

WHO’S BEHIND THE BEERMEET THE PEOPLE BEHIND THIS MONTH’S FEATURED BREWS

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the best brews

DISCOVER CRAFT BEER

BLACKS OF KINSALEKPA KINSALE PALE ALE // ABV 5.0%Copper in colour and with a foamy meringue head, this Ireland-brewed APA is adored by pretty much all of Blacks fans. More sharp than saccharine sweet, its grapefruit and pear aroma is offset with hints of sea salt and sweet grain. Light and refreshing, things are a little more adult on the palate, with peppery hops dominating over a floral, honey-doused aftertaste.

Ideal serving temperature: Cool (8–12ºC)

light dark

BLACKS OF KINSALEMODEL T STOUT // ABV 5.0%Dark enough to instil fear in a nyctophobic, this stout may look scary, but its sweet chocolatey scent says different. Tinged with coffee and a lick of vanilla, it’s surprisingly fizzy when it hits the tongue. Of course, there’s some more chocolatey-coffee goodness, but there’s a sharp hit of boozy cherries and perhaps even a little whisky to liven things up!


light dark

BLACKS OF KINSALEBLACK IPA // ABV 5.5%A broodingly dark IPA that exudes an eclectic aroma filled with florals, pine and hints of coal. Herbs and the soft citrusy flavours, such as grapefruit and orange come through when it hits the tongue, making way for the bitter, chocolate aftertaste that follows. A shining star in Black’s famous line up of IPA’s, pour it gently into a tulip glass and watch its tan head settle on top!


light dark

EIGHT DEGREESBAREFOOT PILSNER // ABV 4.0%No ugly ‘socks and sandals’ in sight here — this infinitely cool pilsner prides itself on its unorthodox free spirit. A soft and sweet granola nose meets Saaz and Hallertau hops to give it a kick of unruly spice. On the palate, oats and honey come through, paired with bread dough and rosemary to make this a lovely, left-field brew.

Ideal serving temperature: Cold (4–7ºC)

light dark

EIGHT DEGREESHOWLING GALE ALE // ABV 5.0%Consider this zesty APA a metaphorical kick in the teeth. Packed full of life-affirming flavours, it made me feel on top of the world! Nostalgic notes of orange rind and fruity bubblegum dominate the nose thanks to the Chinook hops, but it brings you back to ‘the now’ when it touches the tongue. Dark toast and marmalade round it all out; making it as much of an experience as it is a great beer!Ideal serving temperature: Cool (8–12ºC)

light dark

EIGHT DEGREESKNOCKMEALDOWN // ABV 5.0%Rich, robust and full of dark malts, this beer certainly ain’t one fer wimps! Taking the form of a classic Dry Irish Stout, its inky black pour carries a malty scent with hints of indulgent molasses. Sweet chocolate comes through in the flavour too. My advice? Drink it in the colder months, which if you’re from the UK means any time between January and December…


light dark

EIGHT DEGREESSUNBURNT IRISH RED // ABV 5.0%Like a Brit holidaying on the Costa Del Sol, this red ale is loud and proud — packed full of both flavour and scent. Toffee, spiced plums and cinnamon douse the nose in sweet deliciousness, before making way for a biting, malty palate. Nuttiness, spiced hops and sugar come through too, leaving things delicious and utterly unique.

Ideal serving temperature: Cellar (12–14ºC)

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[ Found a new favourite?Make sure you rate and reviewon Flavourly.com’s RateBrew!]

THE BEST BREWS


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REBEL BREWINGMEXI-COCOA // ABV 8.5%Like a chilly, night-time trip to the fairground, this milky imperial stout packs a flavourful punch! Beneath its beery, malt aroma lies the scent of moist chocolate cake and vanilla. They all carry over onto the flavour palate that brings in hints of dark fruit and liquorice too. Spice hater? The name’s deceiving! There’s only a slight peppery taste in its finish.

Ideal serving temperature: Warm (14–16ºC)

light dark

ROBINSONS9 HOP IPA // ABV 6.0%Undoubtedly brewed with the ‘hop-head’ in mind, this (obviously) hop heavy brew from Robinsons is intense and complex from the moment you crack off the bottle cap. Its aroma is blessed with sharp kicks of citrus and grapefruit that mellow out as they make way for flavour. Doused in delicious marmalade and with a slight hit of malt, this multifaceted IPA seriously stands out.

Ideal serving temperature: Cellar (12–14ºC)

light dark

SWANNAY BREWERYISLAND HOPPING // ABV 3.9%Pouring clear and golden with a slight froth to finish, this ale takes you to the Scottish isles in summer, crossing the water from one adventurous island to the next! Carrying classic zest and sumptuous caramel in its scent, it makes way for the hops and fruit salad flavours that dominate the palate. Bready malts and bitterness come in for the finish.


light dark

SWANNAY BREWERYOLD NORWAY // ABV 9.0%Pouring reddish gold and with a slight smidgen of white head, this lustrous barley wine makes a rare appearance here — but that only makes it all the more special! Cake mix, sweet spice and and stone fruits all carried in the nose, before the delicious 9% ABV booziness hits the tongue. Complimented by rich malts and a caramel-like aftertaste, this is one to savour and come back to.


light dark

SWANNAY BREWERYBARREL AGED ORKNEY PORTER // ABV 11.5%Aged for 18 months in Isle of Arran Bere whisky barrels and made with Orkney-grown barley, you’d be hard pressed to find a porter as Scottish as this one! That long ageing period has given it a brooding, deep brown pour that carries dark scents of chocolate-laced leather. That slightly sweet cocoa carries over onto the tongue too, where its offset with red fruit and a subdued whisky kiss.


light dark

MENDOCINO BREWINGROCK POINT IPA // ABV 4.5%As we shy away from the colder weather, this California-brewed IPA might be the perfect beer accompaniment for Spring! Carefully brewed with a mix of Pale and CaraBlonde malts (to name but two) and four specially selected hops, its golden pour carries a delicate, iced tea-like aroma. The booze kicks in when it hits the palate, but keeps itself sessionable with hints of mango and orange blossom.Ideal serving temperature: Cellar (12–14ºC)

light dark

HERETIC BREWINGEVIL TWIN // ABV 6.8%You’d be a fool to shy away from this blood red ale, as beneath its bold colour lies a brew that’s sort of scarily good. Intriguing scents of honey, blackcurrant and bergamot swarm the nose, making way for flavours of plum and caramel carried in its soft fizz. The ideal accompaniment to a slasher marathon, we’re pretty sure this Evil Twin is the better of the eponymous pair!Ideal serving temperature: Cellar (12–14ºC)

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mr stout

DISCOVER CRAFT BEER


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11

eight degrees brewing

TRULY EMBRACE THE ARTISAN

NATURALLY ADVENTUROUS EIGHT DEGREES BREWING

At the foot of the majestic Galtee Mountains in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, you will find an award-

winning, independent brewery…

I t goes by the name of Eight Degrees Brewing. Thanks to their location, they are blessed with crystal clear mountain river water that makes its way in to their their range of tasty ales and lagers.

Owned by antipodean duo Scott and Cam, the microbrewery is passionate about producing exciting and adventurous beers using only natural ingredients.

“Why the name?” I hear you ask. Well to put it simply, Ireland is located at eight degrees west (longitude) on a map - and it just so happens to be the perfect serving temperature for their beers!Cam Wallace and Scott Baigent set up Eight Degrees Brewing in June 2010. At the time, there was very little awareness of craft beer in Ireland — and even less of the Irish brews being made. Despite this, the lads were convinced that the market was about to shift.

In April 2014 they won a World Beer Cup bronze medal in Denver, Colorado for their Amber Ella beer, an ale crafted with an abundance of American and Australian hops. Seen by many as the ‘Olympics of Brewing’, it attracted over 4,700 entries, from 1,403 breweries in 58 countries. The Eight Degrees team grabbed their bronze medal in one of the most hotly contested categories — the American-Style Amber/Red Ale category. An achievement even more noteworthy, given that they entered an American style beer into one of just two ‘American-style’ categories — within an American awards process!

“The award is massive for us and will immediately open up export opportunities — including the United States,” Scott Baigent told me. “We never dreamed that a small three-year-old independent Irish craft brewery could achieve an accolade like this.”

Their Sunburnt Irish Red grabbed a silver star too — this time at Berlin’s Global Craft Beer Awards back in 2014. It also won two Gold Stars in the Great Taste Awards 2015, while their Howling Gale Irish

Pale Ale and Knockmealdown Porter made the shortlist just a year earlier — not bad for some brewing newcomers, eh?! Baigent was obviously a little taken aback by the sudden success of the brews they had spent so much time perfecting.

“We were thrilled to get the news about the Great Taste awards,” he said. “Winning three Great Taste stars on the first year that we entered is a real testimony to the standard of our beers.’Howling Gale Irish Pale Ale, which Flavourly has featured, was a favourite with the judges, who complimented it highly, calling it “effervescent with a wonderfully aromatic nose,” as well as “well made and attractive”.

Thanks to the support of both their imbibers and the likes of the Great Taste Awards, Eight Degrees Brewing are about to embark on their next adventure. With demand for their brews exploding, Cam and Scott have had to search the world over to find the most suitable, up-to-scratch apparatus!

After scouring almost every corner of the earth, the pair found some excellently crafted, German manufactured Kaspar-Schulz brewing equipment. One hitch, though: it wasn’t found in Germany

— it was found off the coast of East Africa! That, my friends, is where their adventure in hauling this heavy equipment back to Ireland begins!

Eight Degrees joined up with an Irish crowd-funding platform named Link Finance, to raise the money they needed to bring this shining, beautiful brewery from the sunny coast of Mauritius to good ol’ Irish Mitchelstown! It arrived via the Indian Ocean piece by piece, each one unloaded in the winter snow before being put together by this team who feel it was more than worth all of the effort!

// Dan Burford

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the craft beer wanderer

DISCOVER CRAFT BEER

I t was an unusually mild day in winter, and after the long train journey I couldn’t help but feel a little thirsty. Thus, my search for the best craft beer in the country began. Little did I know that such

delights could be found amongst the ‘rues’ and ‘arrondissements’ of the French capital!

Thankfully, I didn’t need to look for long to find such delightful brews. Crossing the River Seine, I came across FROG XVI — a bustling bar (funnily enough in the 16th Arrondissement) that was serving up craft. As I grabbed a spare seat by the bar and began to sample Tha…Wack! — a delicious, earthily scented dark beer with a distinct tropical kick, the lady polishing glasses said something to me: “That’s award-winning, you know. The world’s best black IPA.” The thing is, despite the grandiosity of what she had just said, I didn’t even question her statement. It was lovely — and I was desperate to try more.

As imbibers with good taste sampled brilliant beer around me, I wondered where this delicious liquid had come from. It turns out, brews like this are made daily in FrogPubs all across the city as well as Toulouse and Bordeaux! Even in the bustling pub I was standing in, beer was being made. The best part? I was in the ‘la-dee-dah’ city of light: a place stereotypically seen as being perhaps a little conceited. Frog XVI, on the other hand, was cosy and welcoming. I had never felt more at home!

As I savoured the last drops of my new favourite Black IPA, I ran into Paul Chantler — FrogPubs’ CEO and proud ex-pat. I complimented him on his team’s fantastic work! “French people had an image of English beer as warm, flat and about as appealing as mint sauce on lamb,” he tells me. “But that’s gradually changing.”

We talk about the birth of FrogBeer in 1993 and the brewpub that started it all. Chantler, alongside his Icelandic co-founder Thor Gudmundsson, considered opening a place that would cater to beer-thirsty English ex-pats. Intent on hauling real English casks across the Channel, the pair soon realised the potential logistical problems. Their solution? To brew it themselves! And so, French and British culture collided with the opening of The Frog & Rosbif — a light-hearted dig at two shared stereotypes. I understood the frog reference, but Rosbif? “Allegedly, because English people go bright red in the sun,” says Paul.

Craft beer is having its moment right now. Every other day, either on British shores or across the pond, a new microbrewery pops its head up, desperate to get noticed. Back in 1993, nobody had to try to revolutionise the brew in order to grab attention — especially not in Paris. FrogBeer had the stage, front

and centre, and didn’t fight to be the best in the area. Modestly, they already knew that they were. Paul recognises the rise in obscure craft beer, but doesn’t believe it has played a part in their success. “We only brew beers that we really care about,” he stresses. “We’re not

PARIS, JE T’AIMEHOW FROGBEER CHANGED FRENCH PERCEPTION OF THE LIQUID NECTAR

On a recent trip away from Flavourly’s slightly chillier Edinburgh warehouse, I found myself sitting

in the shadow of the Tour Eiffel in Paris.


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interested in just being different or radical for its own sake. We spend quite a lot of time trying to understand exactly how we want the beer to turn out before we begin work on the recipe.”

I admired his no nonsense attitude. After all, it’s hard to argue with the numbers: over 1 million delicious pints drank in their pubs every year; nine of them dotted in locations across the country. The pints they serve? Recognised and awarded for their taste and sheer quality! Their fan favourite dry stout, cleverly labeled ‘Dark de Triomphe’ balances creamy flavours of honeycomb with bitter chocolate, courtesy of Carafa malts. Its nutty nose sends visitors to the pubs into a beer-induced stupor; startlingly delicious and worthy of second and third sips.

Now for the award winner: the equally wittily titled ‘Inseine’! Grabbing a Gold Medal at 2015’s World Beer Awards, this bitter has been with FrogBeer since the very beginning. Dominated by Styrian Goldings hops, it features a light mouthfeel and a flavourful palate of caramel sweetness.

With winning brews under his belt in 2015, Paul seemed excited to see what the new year had to offer. It spells exciting expansions, new brewhouses and more members in their brewing team. “We’re looking for people who share our ambition to be excellent creative and technical brewers,” he tells me. I expressed my wishes to try out the process myself, but apparently my incredibly short stature and lack of hands-on experience rules me out. “I’m an excellent imbiber! A taste tester!” I yelped eagerly, before I reminding myself that I’d be on the train back home to the Flavourly warehouse in a few hours. I wonder if Paul misses home, and the abundance of brewing that goes on there.

“In French we have a word — “terroir” — that we use to describe the importance of the environment in which a product is grown or made,” he replies. “The notion of ‘terroir’ in brewing is probably most appropriately used in the context of water. We’ve just finished brewing a range of six historical British beer styles, and as we researched these we found that a key determinant of the [unique nature] of these beers was the type of water that was used.” Using some research and an almost-intrinsic beer knowhow, the FrogBeer team recreated these famous styles with an impressive likeness to the originals. “It is all a bit geeky, but it was great to see the positive reaction that these beers generated,” he admits. “It just shows that there is currently a real interest developing in France for intelligently-crafted and accessible beer styles!”

As I sample a few more brews and head for the station, I lift my hat and bid Paul and FrogBeer farewell. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more from them soon!

// Mr. Stout

13 DISCOVER CRAFT BEER

14

éire’s craft

DISCOVER CRAFT BEER

With lots of new microbreweries opening their doors recently (many of them featured in this month’s Flavourly box), I spoke to Reuben Gray, Chairman of Beoir (Ireland’s CAMRA-style

organisation) about what we can do to keep the scene in shape!

Reuben, we’ve seen a huge rise in craft beer over the past couple of years, both in its production and the drinking of it. Why do you think this is?There are so many reasons! People travelling to the UK and USA are coming back and looking for something different. The artisan movement is another. Beoir’s work at raising awareness to consumers about independent Irish breweries [plays a part too], as does the work of Irish beer writers and bloggers.The recession had a huge effect [on the craft beer boom]. When a beer costs €5 in a pub but the same beer in a supermarket costs less than €1, they see no value for money. However, when a craft beer in a pub is €5 and the same beer in a shop is €3.50, they see value for money in the pub! As a result, the craft beer pubs saw numbers boom while traditional pubs saw numbers plummet.

How long do you think this love for craft from regular beer drinkers will last?For as long as people drink beer really. All we are seeing is a re-normalisation of beer drinking habits. People in the media often think of craft beer as a fad but in reality, big commercial beer is the fad. [Mass produced beer] is only a couple of hundred years old whereas small, locally produced beer has been around for between 6 to 10 thousand years — perhaps even longer.

In Ireland, we will hit a barrier due to population. We currently have about 75 physical microbreweries, but we believe we can accommodate between 100 and 150 — but only if they start to export a lot more. Some of the larger microbreweries do export, and there is an increasing number of newer breweries exporting around the world. For now, I would say 100 is the magic number before we start to see problems.

What can drinkers do to support the craft beer industry? Not just craft beer but beer in general needs the support of consumers everywhere - all alcohol is under attack. Beer more so than others because of its media driven association with certain types of people displaying ‘anti social behaviour’. The media loves negativity so only ever report negative aspects of beer and not the positives. This can be seen most when looking at beer and health. We only ever hear how bad beer is for us but we never hear all of the health benefits one gets from moderate consumption!I’d advise people in all European countries to join their respective beer consumers’ organisation and get involved. In the UK, that’s CAMRA and in Ireland it’s Beoir. Both organisations along with 11 others make up the European Beer Consumers’ Union (EBCU) which represent 13 European countries and about 250,000 members across Europe.

To find out more about Beoir or your local organisation, head to Flavourly.com!

// Mr. Stout

ÉIRE’S CRAFTA CHAT ABOUT BEER FROM THE EMERALD ISLE

After spending centuries under the thumb of commercial breweries, Ireland’s array of craft beer is

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mr stout issue #2

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