Meantime IPA

75cl bottles of beer, a truly fantastic idea. They're great for sharing, and in the case of both the Punk IPA I had the other week (which I am pleased to say was back in tip-top form) and this one, they're even better to share with someone who wasn't that keen and so let me drink it.

For me Meantime brewery are ticking all the boxes. They're making good, well-packaged beer, which is widely available. I love reading about the weird, the wonderful, the eye-wateringly expensive, and the hard-to-find, but unfortunately that's often as close as I get. However it's reassuring to know that even in those monuments to mediocrity, the British supermarkets; decent, flavourful beer is getting a look in.

The IPA pours a coppery-orange colour. On the nose the Meantime IPA's fruit was restrained at first; grassy nuances of tropical and citrus fruit were there, but I served it pretty cold which I think subdued things a little. The punch came on the palate in the form of an explosion of pithy bitterness. For me some IPA can end up with so much forward tropical fruit that they end up being a bit cloying, more like pop than beer - or maybe Um Bongo? This has far more complexity, the biscuity malt doesn't just feel like an afterthought, although taking away some of the sweetness does seem to make it moreish and disguise the alcohol. Ah well, that's what Friday evenings in front of the rugby are for.

7.4% abv (75cl). I got this from Sainsbury's, I think I paid about £5.50 for it.

Meantime Chocolate Porter

Despite outward appearances this blog hasn't become sponsored by Meantime Brewing Company, but of the last few beers I've had in bottle, two of the ones that have captured my imagination just happen to have come from them. I've also got a whacking great big bottle of Meantime IPA awaiting my love and attention, so don't be surprised if they pop-up again.

On first pouring I got more of the porter aromas and very little chocolate. I though it might just be too cold, having just come out of the fridge, and so I left it in the snifter to get a bit of air and warm up a bit. I'm very glad I did. The aromas dramatically changed as the beer warmed, by the time I actually took a sip I felt like I'd been dipping my nose in chocolate for a while - I did rope in the assistance of a 'thirst-quencher' in order to enable resisting temptation. It's a lovely luxurious beer, the chocolate isn't overly sweet, meaning it stays drinkable rather than cloying. I'm not a massive chocolate fan, but I really enjoyed this, the chocolate and fudge-brownie complementing the porter elements rather than overpowering them and the balance is preserved. This is further helped by the dark chocolate laden bitter finish. 

6.5% abv. This was a gift from my wife. I was very grateful; as I was grateful for her generosity in helping me with the tasting notes. Her verdict: 'I'll have that again as my drink at Christmas.' Praise indeed. I thought the bottle warranted a mention too. I really like the Burgundy/Champagne touch in the bottle shape, it's eye-catching, which I suppose is just the ticket if you want your beer to make its way to someone's home rather than sitting on a supermarket shelf.

Meantime London Pale Ale

I've really been enjoying some understated hop-driven offerings recently; beers like the Great Newsome Pricky Back Otchan and the newest of Gwaun Valley's beers, the Bitter Ale. I don't mean spectacularly, in-your-face hoppy like the Jackhammer I had in BrewDog Nottingham the other night, which was great, but hardly the most sophisticated of beers. These are beers where the flavours are that bit more difficult to pin down, potentially all the better for that if you're enjoying a quiet contemplative bottle at home rather than a pint down the pub, where sometimes you want the flavours to leap up at you so you can get on with your conversation.


The Meantime London Pale Ale definitely fits into this category. I'm not sure if it's a traditonal or a modern beer. It's bitter, but it's not a brown bitter. It's pale ale, in the original sense of 'not dark' but it didn't really have the feel of either an American pale ale, or a more traditional Burton ale. I'm even conflicted as to whether it's a good thing that these beers are popping up in some supermarkets. Maybe I should just concentrate on enjoying it? There's plenty to enjoy after all. Lot of juicy, zesty, citrus fruit to back up that mown-hay bitterness and malty texture. (4.3%. £1.65 for a 33cl bottle in Sainsbury's)


Briefly returning to BrewDog. I also had a schooner of Libertine; the new black IPA that's going in as part of their core range. Despite problems I've heard from various sources about erratic Punk IPA quality and continued problems with their supply chain, BrewDog are still doing something right at least - this really is a superb beer. One cheeky query though. A brewer I know would like to know if it's BrewDog who've bought up all the Simcoe hops? If it's Simcoe that's responsible for the Libertine then can you please share? I for one would like to see more of this sort of thing!

TTT: Flying Dog vs. Meantime

It's been a while since I did my first Transatlantic Taste Test so I though I'd have another go. I fancied something a bit lighter after all the heavy beer I had last week - I think Sam Smith's Imperial Stout was the lightest one I had! Flying Dog Old Scratch (Amber lager) and Meantime Union (Vienna style amber lager) seemed a reasonable enough pair to compare so away I went.

Said it before but Steadman rules!

Appearance-wise the big difference was in the head, which was noticeably darker in the Old Scratch, the copper hint contrasting with the white of the Union. The Old Scratch had more of a reddish hue and there was a slight haze to the Union. On the nose the Old Scratch had a dusty aroma that I normally associate with Belgian tripels, backed up with toffee. There was more spice on the Union, hints of ginger and more green, aromatic hops.

On the palate they're both pretty restrained, as you'd expect from lager - these aren't big pithy hop-bombs! Having said that there is a more definite hop bite in the Old Scratch, balanced out with a gentle caramel malt and biscuit flavours. The Union is softer and more nutty with brioche and fresh bread flavours.

Picking between the two? Well they're both good, and particularly in the garden on a hot summer's day (you remember the summer, we had it last week?) either would go down a treat. So I'd say a commendable score draw, although I think if I absolutely had to choose it'd be the Meantime because I think the high alcohol of the Old Scratch means it's not quite got the Union's balance - it's potentially a bit subtle for 5.5%.

Flying Dog Old Scratch, 5.5% abv, £1.99 (355ml)
Meantime Union, 4.9% abv, £1.39 (33cl)
Both prices are from the Beers of Europe website.

Meantime London Stout

This was my beer for the 'Open It' weekend. Although I've not really had it that long, there's not much that I've had much longer either. I have wine going back to the days I first started in Oddbins down in London, but I tend to buy beer to drink (revolutionary concept there eh?). I am fascinated by the ageing process though, and I keep meaning to get some beers cellared for a longer time. I'm sure I'll get round to it at some point!

There's lots of coffee on the nose. On the palate more of the fruit notes come through, lots of damson and dark cherry. These fruit flavours work really well with the medium body, which provides just enough weight to give the beer some structure, but is light enough to showcase those fruits. Those fruits also provide a good counterpoint to the bitterness of the coffee and contribute to the gentle finish. All in all a most enjoyable beer. Rich and complex and perhaps importantly, without too much alcohol, meaning  it's mellow, but not to the point where you feel like a bit of a doze after you've finished it. Enjoyed both this and the Vienna style lager they make so I look forward to trying more Meantime beers.

4.5% abv. £2.19 (50cl) from Beers of Europe

Additional:

Nothing really to do with the beer, but since I wrote this the earworm has had me listening to Helmet's In the Meantime. nI had my last ever illegal (well, under-age anyway) pint at a gig where theses guys were supporting Ministry. No idea what it was, but damn sure it wasn't as good as the Meantime beer, although the gig was well worth the long trans-Pennine trip to Manchester. My cure for the earworm? Listen to the tune, so here it is...

 

You wouldn't have been able to do that in the nineties eh? Open to suggestions for a beer match for that one.

Christmas Beers, buying for guests.

Gutted to miss out on the spicy goodness that is Delirium's Christmas Beer, although it probably serves me right for not sorting my order out before I did. If you are still mulling over what to get in, I'd recommend you decide quick - get what you want while you can, Christmas orders are well under way.

One guest for Christmas (according to his wife) likes beer, good beer apparently; 'that triple-filtered one.' I take this sort of thing as a challenge, and so I've ordered in a lager that with a bit of luck will taste a lot better than Stella. I went for Meantime's Union - I've never tried it and so I'm hoping it's a good educated guess!

Colour Prejudice

I'd like to think that most people know that colour doesn't really equate to flavour, and hate to see things like this paraded as a truth (helpful quote from this article in the Morning Advertiser).

"If you’re eating as well, remember that darker beers tend to go better with strong flavours (pies and beef) and lighter beers with more delicate flavours (fish and chicken). For spicy foods and curries, lagers have the carbon dioxide ‘bite’ to cut through the strong flavours."

Incidentally, on the same subject, the Hairy Bikers, Tim Atkin and Meantime Brewing Company food experiment clip is brilliant. Have a look from about 23 min or so if you didn't catch it (currently on iPlayer but not sure for how long.) It showed that automatically equating dark beer to red wine and thus going down the same tired food-matching routes doesn't work, and it is worth trying something different!

Now I'm going to have a nice pale beer from someone like... Victory? Yeah, no danger that will overpower my delicate chicken salad lunch.

Edit: Hat-tip to Jeff Pickthall who tweeted about the Hairy Bikers clip.