Month: November 2014

The Runaway Brewery – 5 bottles of Beer

Deeekos Beer, Brewers , , , , , , , , , ,

So this is the second in my series of beer bottle reviews.

I’d previously reviewed Shindigger’s three beers (which there were at the time) and now I’m going with another local brewer and their 4 5 beers.

So, as stated in part 1…..I state again, for the record, that I pay for my own beers and I am in no way affiliated with any of the breweries I review…

…though they do have a very nice t-shirt (which I don’t have either *cough*)

Ladies and gentlemen I give you…

Runaway Brewery

It is actually quite surreal to have been writing this over a period of a few week and then Runaway beers get national exposure they got on ITV’s “This Morning”

So why only four bottles in the picture below?

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Well, because at the time I only had four of them (duh!), but I had previously drunk their “Oktoberfest” (see below) at a venue in Manchester but hadn’t found it to buy and have at home.  Obviously this largely pointless paragraph is a waste of time writing and reading because I did eventually buy it so I could review it as part of this post, but I do like order.  I was going to drink them in increasing ABV, but again the out of step blue labelled beer spiked it.  I don’t like this paragraph, naughty wicked Zoot.

Get on with it…

So with the exception of Oktoberfest, I’ve had all the beers on keg (key-keg?) over the months the brewery has been producing, quite ubiquitous around the Manchester area at the moment and with a presence at many a beer festival too.

 Pale Ale (4.7%)

A well carbonated brew with good head retention, it pours clear and straw/light gold colour.  Citrus on the nose, light and crisp in the mouth with a citrus flavour and a bitter finish.

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IPA (5.5%)

The IPA was had slightly less fizz than the Pale Ale.  Pouring clear and a light amber colour it also maintained it head.  A rounded drink, biscuity, hoppy, bit of maltiness coming through too and less bitter in the aftertaste than the Pale.

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There, that is better, the full product range of the 5 beers.  Such a simple yet eye-catching logo, design and colour scheme.

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Oktoberfest (5.4%)

Story time – I was serving at the Indy Man Beer Con and (one of) the brewers came over (he’s always wearing the t-shirt – I say t-shirt, it might be an all over body tattoo, I’m not sure).  I mentioned that I’d had the Oktoberfest and that I’d also been to the real thing (well, the over subscribed Munich one).  My verdict was that it tasted was like an ale but tasted and drunk just like the lager efforts you get in Germany.

Cue the brewer doing a fair few fist pumps with his non-beer-glass-holding hand.

tooooohot

Oddly, at home, where I don’t chill my beer as much it had altogether different characteristics.  Pouring dark amber with a head worthy of any Stein, it had malty overtones on the nose.  The taste was more oak and woody than previous.  It has to be said I prefered it this way than the first time around.  Very smooth.

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American Brown Ale (5.7%)

This has been enjoyed on keg and cask (first time ever) at the Salford Beer Festival.  I actually did a #beermatch with this quite by accident.  Roast Chicken in a chili peppers, garlic and tomato sauce with pasta.

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It pours a brown shade of amber, less carbonation than the previous 3 but still retained its head well.  Malty aromas and malty, toffee/caramel taste with a very mellow finish.

Smoked Porter (6%)

Porters, probably still my favourite style of beer.  How does this one rate?

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It pours black and smooth, bit more carbonation than the Brown Ale but with equally good head retention.  The aroma is obviously smoke but roasted coffee comes through too.  A very light smoke, it lingers but is not overbearing, it allows the additional flavours of coffee and liquorice to come through.

 

So there you have five very good beers.  Five highly drinkable and moreish beers.  If I were to recommend one to try first it would be the Smoked Porter.

The only worry is the running out of colours for any new beers they might produce, but this core five more than suffices and are excellent examples of the 5 styles (well 4 if you are being picky) that they portray.

Look out for them.

Look out for the “t-shirt”.

 

As a side note, these are not to be confused with Green King’s “Metropolitan” range.

Never Poke Fun at a Pie Eater

Deeekos Censorship, General Crap , , , , ,

Thank you Dave Whelan, you have now put this song in my head…

 

A song Dave may well appropriate at face value.

Note to Dave; never say these things on a Thursday, the audience and panel on BBC’s circus-spectacle excuse for political debate ‘Question Time’ will go mental.

Dave Whelan, Wigan Athletic owner (and owner of their ground which he very kindly lets Wigan Warriors play their rugby league on) has made some very stereotypical remarks about Jews and Chinese people.

Well, more about Jewish people really, he merely said that he reckons everyone has called a Chinese person a “chink” from time to time.

He’s probably right.

Then again Dave also said there should be a minute’s silence before football matches following the death of Maggie Thatcher, so he clearly isn’t operating with a full squad.

What Dave has chosen to do is broadcast these rather antiquated views in a public forum and he will be vilified for them.

What Dave has also done is take attention off Wigan’s most recently appointed manager Malky Mackay.

MacKay is under investigation for a series of alleged racist/sexist texts and emails he sent and received.

You know, private stuff.

It is quite easy to sound like you condone any type of derogatory behaviour if you defend anything that the apparent majority (for “majority” read social media, and old media trying to keep a grasp of being relevant).

I don’t wish to be seen as two wrongs making a right, but who hasn’t received a racist/sexist email/text?

Worse yet, who hasn’t laughed at them?

We have reached a point where too may dots are being joined together.  The baying mob and tabloid-frenzy hysteria of the 60’s-90’s has been replaced by the twitter twitch-hunt and the Facebook group feeding frenzy.

People have lost perspective.

Scientists landed a probe on a comet and all people talk about is that one of the guys (Dr. Matt Taylor) was wearing a dubious t-shirt.  A t-shirt made for him by a female friend, but that isn’t good enough, this man needs to be humbled in a very public way and so he was.

We’ve reach a point where calling a woman ‘darling’ is being viewed as one step away from committing a sex crime.

Where the mere knowledge of racial slurs is akin to wanting another Holocaust or lynching.

We don’t judge anyone anymore by the sum of their person and their acts, we are now coerced into judging people based on the “lowest” thing they have possibly done, said, or most worrying of all, thought.

What MacKay sent and received may be discriminatory, but if what we say in private is how we are judged, who is going to be left to cast the first stone?

A sponsor (premier range) has all ready pulled sponsorship from Wigan – shall we throw open their emails and texts and see what we find?

Dave Whelan has spoken in an ill-judged way, quite how he came to making those statements is a mystery, what will now happen is people will try to force a private business owner to sell his own business.

Dave Whelan is a doddery old man (no defence) who has said something daft.  Nothing sinister, he hasn’t invoked a blood libel.

This isn’t to condone his words, this is merely to find some perspective.  A perspective that a great many people seem to be losing regularly.

 

Seriously, I will post beer/brewery/festival reviews next…

If Paddington Bear got Myleene Klass pregnant could he discuss abortion with his Sleuth while singing anti-terrorist songs?

Deeekos Censorship, General Crap , , , , ,

A sleuth is the collective name for a group of bears.

This post is about censorship – not some weird sex scenario.

So in the past few days we’ve been treated to various forms of censorship, by a what I myself would see as all sides of the political spectrum.

Paddington Bear

Paddington film: BBFC changes advice about ‘sex references’

The British Board of Film Classification (C formerly stood for Censorship) have given a PG certificate to Paddington Bear, originally based on ‘sex references’, which in this case is the tried-and-tested comedic scenario of a man dressing as a woman and an unsuspecting male flirting with said cross-dressing male.

After a bit of a backlash they’ve changed said “sex” to “innuendo.”

Of course innuendo is a personal thing, that is the nature of it, you either get it or you don’t.  Much has been said about previous cartoons which are praised for being accessible to both adults and children because the perceived adult jokes would be too oblique for children.

Of course a state approved censors job is to provide (and I agree) helpful guidelines via certification of films (though mission creep is trying to extend it to video games and internet videos) for parents to decide what is suitable for their children to see.

What is apparent in this case is the upgrade of certification because of its risqué nature of said scene.

Having said that I’m sure there are sections of society that thinks cross-dressing, even for comedy effect should never be allowed to ever be viewed by children.

Myleene Klass

I work, I don’t see afternoon TV, but ITV seem to have a debate show where talking heads air their views with increasingly state supporting indoctrinated views.

Myleene Klass (a talent show winner who has reinvented herself as numerous things over the years to stay in the spotlight) coached to high heaven took Labour Leader Ed Miliband, surprised at this verbal assault and clearly wishing to employ Klass’s (to many s?) coach,  to task about his mansion tax proposals.

I’m not hear to discuss the pro’s and con’s of this proposal, but what has followed is a change.org petition to have Klass removed as the face of Littlewoods because of her stance against increased taxes of what is generally assumed to be ‘the rich’.

Yes, because having an opinion is a reason to lose a job.

Abortion (the debating of it)

Oxford Abortion Debate Between Two Male Journalists Cancelled Due To “Security Concerns”

The censor – Niamh McIntyre – makes her case

I like to think I’m “pro-choice” – what a woman does with her body is her business alone.

But to be against free-speech and open debate because only men are involved is a truly pathetic stance to take.

It also sets a precedent that if you aren’t of a specific ‘group’ then you aren’t allowed to discuss any issue as it apparently “doesn’t affect you” – so fuck you Plato, Socrates and your ilk, your philosophising and debating is a poison you’ve introduced to the world and must be eradicated.

Fan Chants

English FA apologise for anti-IRA singing during Scotland game

The gentrification of football continues unabated as the FA apologises to terrorists offended by a few songs.

Wouldn’t want to offend those that murder civilians with words now would we, let alone words set to a catchy tune.

So whether you are an animated bear, a talentless talent show winner, a man, or a moron who watches soft millionaires kick a round ball let it be known that I, as a member of only 1 of the 4 listed categories will not deny you you’re right to have an opinion and to broadcast it.

Beer reviews will follow….