Comments on: The rough with the smooth http://boakandbailey.com/2010/03/09/the-rough-with-the-smooth/ Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:27:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Beers of the week 2010 | Boak and Bailey's Beer Blog http://boakandbailey.com/2010/03/09/the-rough-with-the-smooth/#comment-2132 Beers of the week 2010 | Boak and Bailey's Beer Blog Sat, 01 Jan 2011 09:39:32 +0000 http://boakandbailey.com/?p=2889#comment-2132 [...] Thornbridge Exposed (strawberry peppercorn stout) [...] [...] Thornbridge Exposed (strawberry peppercorn stout) [...]

]]> By: Kelly Ryan http://boakandbailey.com/2010/03/09/the-rough-with-the-smooth/#comment-2131 Kelly Ryan Sat, 27 Mar 2010 14:22:47 +0000 http://boakandbailey.com/?p=2889#comment-2131 Cheers for comments all, happy you enjoyed the Exposed. Will likely brew it again. We've only brewed one batch of Halcyon this year, so can't say it's a consistency thing regarding brews that are out there. We did release some as normal Halcyon and some as Green Hop Vintage 2009 Halcyon in cask. Agree that this brew has a little more residual sweetness than some in past, but wouldn't say it was syrupy. This beer though, does tend to get quite cloying if the cask is open for more than 3 days (the joys of living above a Thornbridge pub!!), so guessing this may have been responsible. I'm the first to admit that we don't get our new beers right first time every time, yet we work bloody hard on quality control and consistency. Always a challenge with small batch brewing and seasonal variation on ingredients. The example of Jaipur is a good one. We use a lot more hops now, we have an amazing hopback at the new brewery that amplifies the hop character and we actually use different hops than the original brew almost 5 years ago due to our perceived changes in the hop flavours and aromas. We introduced Centennial a couple of years ago and it has improved the beer beyond doubt in my mind. We now also use Warrior, a fantastic high alpha hop that has been fun to experiment with and decide if the flavour and aroma it gives improve the beer. At this stage, we think it does. Don't be fooled into thinking beer should always taste exactly the same every time... I know you won't! The challenge for us as brewers is keeping the flavour as close as we possibly can and we'd never dream of just using a certain hop or malt just because we historically have used it. For us it's about picking the best ingredients that we can and never compromising here. John is correct in saying Ashford-in-the-Water is right next to Thornbridge Hall. At one stage, our monthly new brews were named after bedrooms in Thornbridge Hall, hence Jaywick, Ashford, Ramberg, Moorfield, Windrush, Silverdale etc. This is why we chose Ashford as a name... love it or hate it, I can think of a lot more rubbish cask ale names... With regards to Ashford, we wanted to hybridise the mild/bitter/brown ale style with some New World hops and good drinkability. We use 9 different malt varieties, each one chosen to give a certain character to the beer... a bit of coffee, a bit of digestive biscuit, underlying caramel, some dry bitter chocolate. It's my favourite Thornbridge cask beer, though I am a bit partial to all of them!!! Really appreciate all of your feedback, Cheers and beers, Kelly Cheers for comments all, happy you enjoyed the Exposed. Will likely brew it again. We’ve only brewed one batch of Halcyon this year, so can’t say it’s a consistency thing regarding brews that are out there. We did release some as normal Halcyon and some as Green Hop Vintage 2009 Halcyon in cask. Agree that this brew has a little more residual sweetness than some in past, but wouldn’t say it was syrupy. This beer though, does tend to get quite cloying if the cask is open for more than 3 days (the joys of living above a Thornbridge pub!!), so guessing this may have been responsible.

I’m the first to admit that we don’t get our new beers right first time every time, yet we work bloody hard on quality control and consistency. Always a challenge with small batch brewing and seasonal variation on ingredients. The example of Jaipur is a good one. We use a lot more hops now, we have an amazing hopback at the new brewery that amplifies the hop character and we actually use different hops than the original brew almost 5 years ago due to our perceived changes in the hop flavours and aromas. We introduced Centennial a couple of years ago and it has improved the beer beyond doubt in my mind. We now also use Warrior, a fantastic high alpha hop that has been fun to experiment with and decide if the flavour and aroma it gives improve the beer. At this stage, we think it does.

Don’t be fooled into thinking beer should always taste exactly the same every time… I know you won’t! The challenge for us as brewers is keeping the flavour as close as we possibly can and we’d never dream of just using a certain hop or malt just because we historically have used it. For us it’s about picking the best ingredients that we can and never compromising here.

John is correct in saying Ashford-in-the-Water is right next to Thornbridge Hall. At one stage, our monthly new brews were named after bedrooms in Thornbridge Hall, hence Jaywick, Ashford, Ramberg, Moorfield, Windrush, Silverdale etc. This is why we chose Ashford as a name… love it or hate it, I can think of a lot more rubbish cask ale names…

With regards to Ashford, we wanted to hybridise the mild/bitter/brown ale style with some New World hops and good drinkability. We use 9 different malt varieties, each one chosen to give a certain character to the beer… a bit of coffee, a bit of digestive biscuit, underlying caramel, some dry bitter chocolate. It’s my favourite Thornbridge cask beer, though I am a bit partial to all of them!!!

Really appreciate all of your feedback,

Cheers and beers,

Kelly

]]> By: leigh http://boakandbailey.com/2010/03/09/the-rough-with-the-smooth/#comment-2130 leigh Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:04:15 +0000 http://boakandbailey.com/?p=2889#comment-2130 ...came back to this thread just now - I totally agree regarding curry and wheat beers! so refreshing!! glad to hear its not just me. …came back to this thread just now – I totally agree regarding curry and wheat beers! so refreshing!! glad to hear its not just me.

]]> By: Kieran Haslett-Moore http://boakandbailey.com/2010/03/09/the-rough-with-the-smooth/#comment-2129 Kieran Haslett-Moore Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:44:22 +0000 http://boakandbailey.com/?p=2889#comment-2129 The Thornbridge beers we had at Kellys tasting were wonderfull. The Halcion we had had been fermented with a Saison yeast which had certainly given some pretty interesting character to the ale, it was anything but sweet, dry hoppy and full of funky blue cheese notes. Raven is wonderfull. As were JK's homebrews when I judged them at the nationals. Clever brewery clever brewers. The Thornbridge beers we had at Kellys tasting were wonderfull. The Halcion we had had been fermented with a Saison yeast which had certainly given some pretty interesting character to the ale, it was anything but sweet, dry hoppy and full of funky blue cheese notes.

Raven is wonderfull. As were JK’s homebrews when I judged them at the nationals. Clever brewery clever brewers.

]]> By: John Clarke http://boakandbailey.com/2010/03/09/the-rough-with-the-smooth/#comment-2128 John Clarke Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:15:03 +0000 http://boakandbailey.com/?p=2889#comment-2128 Ashford (or Ashford in the Water to be precise) is where Thornbridge Hall is located. Hence the name, I guess. Ashford (or Ashford in the Water to be precise) is where Thornbridge Hall is located. Hence the name, I guess.

]]> By: Paul Garrard http://boakandbailey.com/2010/03/09/the-rough-with-the-smooth/#comment-2127 Paul Garrard Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:34:28 +0000 http://boakandbailey.com/?p=2889#comment-2127 Thornbridge world domination hasn't yet reached East Anglia which is a shame as I am partial to a drop of Jaipur. Soon perhaps. Thornbridge world domination hasn’t yet reached East Anglia which is a shame as I am partial to a drop of Jaipur. Soon perhaps.

]]> By: The Beer Nut http://boakandbailey.com/2010/03/09/the-rough-with-the-smooth/#comment-2126 The Beer Nut Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:39:17 +0000 http://boakandbailey.com/?p=2889#comment-2126 Flensburger Weizen is my current curry beer: not too big or estery. Flensburger Weizen is my current curry beer: not too big or estery.

]]> By: Mark, Real-Ale-Reviews.com http://boakandbailey.com/2010/03/09/the-rough-with-the-smooth/#comment-2125 Mark, Real-Ale-Reviews.com Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:28:06 +0000 http://boakandbailey.com/?p=2889#comment-2125 I kinda agree on the curry/IPA thing. I have tried a few different IPAs with curry and for me hops and spice don't work too well on many occasions (depends on the curry). I've taken to stout with thai green curry and good ol' lager with 'Indian' curry. Any particular wheat beer you recommend? Anyway, I won't be taking notes, just want something refreshing to wash it down with and I feel compelled to try Jaipur, and even more so Kipling. I certainly agree Ashford isn't their best name and I'm sure you'll be able to work out my favourite Thornbridge name so far! I kinda agree on the curry/IPA thing. I have tried a few different IPAs with curry and for me hops and spice don’t work too well on many occasions (depends on the curry). I’ve taken to stout with thai green curry and good ol’ lager with ‘Indian’ curry. Any particular wheat beer you recommend?

Anyway, I won’t be taking notes, just want something refreshing to wash it down with and I feel compelled to try Jaipur, and even more so Kipling. I certainly agree Ashford isn’t their best name and I’m sure you’ll be able to work out my favourite Thornbridge name so far!

]]> By: Lars Marius Garshol http://boakandbailey.com/2010/03/09/the-rough-with-the-smooth/#comment-2124 Lars Marius Garshol Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:53:42 +0000 http://boakandbailey.com/?p=2889#comment-2124 * The Beer Nut > I don’t for a second trust my own opinion on Jaipur (it was from the cask at > Copenhagen in 2008), My only experience with it was also there, and I didn't feel it lived up to the hype, either. > which is why I want to try it again. I never see it, though. Same here. :-( * The Beer Nut
> I don’t for a second trust my own opinion on Jaipur (it was from the cask at
> Copenhagen in 2008),

My only experience with it was also there, and I didn’t feel it lived up to the hype, either.

> which is why I want to try it again. I never see it, though.

Same here. :-(

]]> By: Bailey http://boakandbailey.com/2010/03/09/the-rough-with-the-smooth/#comment-2123 Bailey Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:41:14 +0000 http://boakandbailey.com/?p=2889#comment-2123 Everyone -- thanks for sharing your experiences of Thornbridge beers and especially Halcyon. It does indeed sound as if they might have a consistency problem. I'll certainly try another Halcyon if I get the chance. Mark -- <a href="http://boakandbailey.com/2007/11/19/who-decided-that-ipa-went-with-curry-just-because-of-the-name/" rel="nofollow">don't get us started on curry and IPA!</a> They don't go! Have a nice wheat beer instead. John -- and Ashford is quite a crap name. I look forward to their follow-up, Ebbsfleet Tropical Wheat Lager. Everyone — thanks for sharing your experiences of Thornbridge beers and especially Halcyon. It does indeed sound as if they might have a consistency problem. I’ll certainly try another Halcyon if I get the chance.

Mark — don’t get us started on curry and IPA! They don’t go! Have a nice wheat beer instead.

John — and Ashford is quite a crap name. I look forward to their follow-up, Ebbsfleet Tropical Wheat Lager.

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