Darker Days are Coming

Following the success of my sell out 'Introduction to Craft Beer' tasting last month I've been invited to host another event by my friends at The Duke's Head in Highgate Village. We had a long hard think about what we wanted to do next and one idea that stuck was to present a showcase of dark beers that are ideally suited to the approaching long winter nights. As an added twist we thought that we'd pair each of the beers to a complimentary dish making the evening as much about great food as it is about fantastic beers. It is from these ideas that Darker Days was born...

The concept is simple; four exceptional dark beers, each a different style, paired with a complementary dish. With each course I'll provide a tutored tasting and a speak a little on the beer, its story and why I think it matches so well with the dish it's paired with. The menu looks a little something like this.

Hammerton Pentonville Oyster Stout - paired with oysters and kimchi prepared by the Bell & Brisket

Beavertown Black Betty Black IPA - paired with Bell & Brisket coffee-rubbed ale-braised brisket sliders Siren Shattered Dream Imperial Stout - paired with Batch Bakery chocolate stout brownies Trappistes Rochefort 10 - paired with a selection of Truffles Delicatessen cheeses In addition to this the guys from Hammerton Brewery based down the road in Islington will be along to tell us the story behind their beers. The event kicks off at 7pm with the first course being served at 7.30pm. 

Places are very limited and the online allocation of tickets has already sold out! Fear not, there are still a handful of tickets priced at £30 per person behind the bar at the Duke's Head. It promises to be a fantastic evening of great beer, food and chat and I look forward to seeing you there!

'An Introduction to Craft Beer' at the Duke's Head, Highgate

This event has now sold out

Nestled in the picturesque Highgate Village, The Duke's Head is part of a growing set of pubs that is transforming the area into yet another of London's great beer destinations. With ten hand pumps and ten keg lines serving a rotating line up of British beers and ciders from the likes of Brodie's, Magic Rock and Siren there's something here to keep even the most ardent beer enthusiast satisfied. If that's not enough to whet your whistle there's also plenty of bottled beer to drink in or take away, a fantastic selection of wines and spirits plus top notch grub from current kitchen residency The Bell & Brisket. With its deep grey walls, low yet warm lighting and an atmosphere that straddles the line between modern craft bar and old school drinking den it's fast become a favourite place of mine to spend a few hours.

I've teamed up with the folks at The Duke's Head to host an 'Introduction to Craft Beer' evening.

Tickets are £20 and are available here: http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/122014 but if you fancy checking out the pub first you can also buy tickets over the bar. 

The evening will consist of a tutored tasting through six different styles of beer each from one of London's innovative and talented young breweries. Keg, cask, bottle and can will all be showcased and food will be provided in the form of salt beef bagel sliders and fries. The evening will kick off at 7pm on Thursday the 25th of September. There are only 20 tickets up for grabs so don't delay if you're thinking about coming (you really should come!)

This isn't just an event for people who are just getting into beer.

If you have the even faintest interest in beer or are on the cusp of spiralling into total geekdom then great. If you've met me then you know I like to talk, a lot. If you haven't then prepare yourself for a frenetic aural bombardment with lots of arm waving. I'll be talking about what I believe to be the origins of 'craft beer', teach you how to taste beer 'like an expert' which I promise isn't as condescending as it sounds and of course most importantly you'll get to taste some amazing beers while hopefully learning something new.

I'm really into beer and I know all this stuff, what's in it for me?

Great! For starters you'll get to taste some really good beer, some you'll know and hopefully some you won't or at least might not have tried yet. The last thing I want this evening to be is a room of people being sat down and talked at. It'll be a small group and I want to get conversations going. Also this is the first time I've hosted a tasting so it's a prime chance to berate and heckle me or merely come down and give a fellow beer geek some moral support. Either way, it'll be loads of fun and the pub is licensed until 1am (although I promise not to keep talking that long). 

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On a more personal note when I started writing this beer blog almost three years ago I never expected that I'd get published and be asked to host tastings, it's certainly not the reason why I originally started writing this blog. It turns out that this is something I enjoy doing immensely and would like to do a lot more of. I've made some of my closest friends through beer and this blog and long may it continue. If you're free on the 25th it would be fantastic to see you and I promise you'll get your twenty quids worth.   

Competition Time - Win a copy of Boak and Bailey's Brew Britannia!

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED - THANKS TO ALL THOSE THAT ENTERED!

Good news everyone! If you enjoyed my review of Boak and Bailey's Brew Britannia - The Strange Rebirth of British Beer and fancy picking one up then you're in luck. I have a single copy of the book to give away courtesy of publisher Aurum Press.

In order to enter simply answer the following question by either leaving a comment below (Please make sure to leave your name and email address!) Or drop your answer in an email to matthewgcurtis(at)gmail(dot)com. 

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Which of these hop varieties generally has the highest alpha acid content?

a) Admiral

b) Amarillo

c) Centennial

d) Magnum

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In order to enter I must receive your entry by no later than the end of Sunday the 27th of July 2014 and I'll announce the winner the following Monday. Good Luck!

The following terms and conditions apply:

  • Entries must be received by no later than midnight on July 27th 2014 any entries received after this date will be invalid.
  • Entries must include a name and a valid email address in order to qualify. The winner will be picked at random and the judges decision is final.
  • Entries submitted via Facebook, Twitter, Vine etc or by anonymous commenters will be invalid.
  • Limited to one entry per person, I reserve the right to disqualify entries if I feel they are against the T's & C's.
  • The winner will be notified by email. If the winner fails to claim their prize within 48 hours then they will forfeit the prize and a new winner will be chosen. 
  • The prize will ship direct from Aurum Press.
  • The competition is open to the UK & Ireland only. 

Original photography by  Dianne Tanner.

Beavertown Twitter Tasting with Ales by Mail

Thanks to all those who joined in this tasting - see you all again real soon.

From 8-9pm on Wednesday the 16th of July I will be co-hosting a twitter beer tasting along with Ales by Mail and Beavertown Brewery. The beer we're tasting will be Beavertown's Smog Rocket smoked porter. Joining myself, Logan Plant from Beavertown and the team from Ales by Mail will be several fellow bloggers including Justin Mason, Craig Heap, Andy Mogg and Keith Kendrick who we will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.

In addition to this Ales by Mail are offering a both a free can and a free bottle of Smog Rocket so you can easily join in the tasting. Simply add both to your basket on the Ales by Mail site and be sure to enter to enter the code "smog" at the checkout to get the discount. Once you get your beers be sure to get them in the fridge and try to show restraint until the 16th!

To follow the action simply use the hashtag #beerybits and in using this hashtag you'll have the chance to win a case of beer from Ales by Mail worth £40.00 on the night.

Established in 2011, Beavertown recently completed a move from their former home in the East London borough of Hackney to Tottenham in North London. The move has seen them greatly expand capacity as well as install a canning line and a tap room that opened to the public last week. Smog Rocket is part of their core range of beers and packs in flavours of hickory smoke and dark chocolate while still remaining incredibly drinkable. It also pairs nicely with smokey barbecued beef ribs so if you were wondering what to have for your dinner on the 16th that might help you make up your mind!

I look forward to hosting you all on the 16th, you can find out further details on the Ales by Mail website here: http://www.alesbymail.co.uk/abm-news/ask-and-you-shall-receive