Festival of flavours (From York Press)
Get in touch: send your photos, videos, news & views by texting YORK to 80360 or send an email»
Festival of flavours
11:26am Saturday 26th May 2012 in Pints of View
By Guzzling Gav
A pint of 1212, brewed as part of the York800 celebrations
GAVIN AITCHISON finds York has lots to celebrate this summer.
HASN’T York been a cheerful place this past week? The sun is shining, there are two Bank Holidays looming, the Mayor-making ceremony has well and truly launched the York800 festivities – and, best of all, York City are back in the Football League. Forget the Olympics and the Jubilee for now – the Minstermen have already ensured that 2012 will be a year to remember for all the right reasons.
Pleasingly for us beer lovers, the celebratory mood seems to have spread to the bars. This week’s soiree takes in two commemorative beers from two excellent breweries, both of which happen to have special events going on today.
First up is the football fans’ special, C’mon City by Yorkshire Heart brewery at Nun Monkton. This beer was brewed ahead of York’s Wembley double-header against Newport and Luton, but has been available since as well.
It was on the bar at The Swan in Bishopgate Street when I swung by on Wednesday night, three days after the promotion-clinching win and two days on from the jubilant victory parade through town.
Choosing a beer at The Swan is usually delightfully difficult, but I didn’t even look at the alternatives once I’d spotted this one. It felt only right to raise a glass to City, and I’m glad I did.
The beer was light and crisp, with a strong biscuit base, and was brilliantly refreshing after a sweltering day in the office.
That and other ales from Yorkshire Heart should be available today, when the brewery and its neighbouring vineyard host a spring extravaganza. There’s a mini beer festival, a tug-of war and then a ceilidh from 7pm for £15, all taking place in Pool Lane in Nun Monkton.
From The Swan, it was a short stroll up Nunnery Lane to The Punch Bowl, which has been hosting a mini beer festival all week, showcasing six beers from Moorhouse’s of Lancashire. It has been on since last Sunday and included a "meet the brewer" talk yesterday, but it continues until tomorrow so there is still time to pop in.
Blond Witch, a tremendous summer ale, had just gone off when I arrived, so I opted instead for the pub’s house beer, 1212. This has been produced to commemorate the York800 celebrations, marking the 800th anniversary of York becoming a self-governing city with a Lord Mayor and other such frills.
It seems a tad incongruous that a Lancashire brewery has been the one to brew such a proudly Yorkshire beer, particularly given what went on between the counties in the early part of those 800 years. But then who am I, a Scot, to intervene in all of that?
We’re all friends these days anyway, and most importantly: the beer is brilliant. It’s an amber ale with an enjoyable fruity flavour and a healthy but not overpowering dose of hops, and it was a delicious accompaniment as friends and I enjoyed some outdoor grub for one of the first times this year. If you do make it along today or tomorrow, the festival flyer includes an offer of 50p off a pint for Camra members, and discounts on food.
If the Moorhouse’s doesn’t appeal, and you want something from God’s own county, you can head to the Maltings in Tanner’s Moat, which is selling bottles of a specially-commissioned beer from Brass Castle in Pocklington. It’s a stunning imperial Russian Stout, but be warned – it’s eight per cent, so not to be taken lightly.
Shorts
• The Gillygate in York city centre has a mini beer festival this weekend; while both The Deramore Arms in Heslington and the Collingham and Linton Sports Association Club have Jubilee festivals from June 2 to 5.
• The new extension Sun Inn in Pickering opens at noon on Sunday, June 3, and local band Rockin’ Horse will be performing from 4pm to 7pm.
Follow Gav on twitter @pintsofview
Comments(4)
inventiveusername
says...
12:16am Sun 27 May 12
YorkBrewery
says...
4:21pm Mon 28 May 12
Please be rest assured that none of our original recipes have been changed or altered in any way whatsoever since Mitchell’s of Lancaster’s acquired us in 2008. Our Head Brewer Nick Webster has been with us for the last 10 years and is passionate about the hand crafted beers we produce ensuring they all meet our high quality standards. Our seasonal brews are always well-received by our customers in regards to quality and flavour.
Whilst we are owned by a Lancashire company their founder William Mitchell was originally from Northallerton and have been brewing and trading in cask ales for over 140 years.
The majority of the beers we produce are distributed and sold within and around our Yorkshire heartland. Hardly any of our beers are sold in the South or London areas. In addition, we trade with other local breweries so we can offer a great range of quality cask ales to our customers, alongside our own.
We would be delighted if you would come and spend a day with us in the brewery and see for yourself our beers being brewed and how our commitment, passion and standards are still paramount to us as an independent brewer. Please get in touch with us at the Brewery on 01904 621162.
marvell
says...
3:03pm Wed 30 May 12
I do still however have to stand by what I said - in my opinion your beers are sadly a shadow of what they were.
Take Guzzler - like Deuchars IPA, Marston's Pedigree and Taylor's Landlord - it has fallen victim to mass production and lost its distinctive identity.
As for your claim that "hardly any of our beers are sold in the South or London areas" - I would go so far to say that this is a classic example of corporate mendacity. I could name you 8 pubs in London over the last 2 weeks alone where I have seen one of your beers on the bar.
I wish you no ill will - which is why my piece is one more of regret than delight - but with the likes of Brass Castle and Hop Studio (to name but 2 local breweries) brewing beers far more inventive and superior to what you are producing at the moment you have a lot of ground to make up.
I'll leave you with one anecdote from a visit to the 3 Legged Mare last night. I watched 4 people walk in and buy your new Jubilee Beer. One said to the others - "what do you think of it" - one of the others said - "OK I suppose - like most York beers these days - nothing remarkable"
I rest my case...
marvell says...
3:32pm Sat 26 May 12
Mitchells obsession with volume and a significant presence in London hostelries have caused once excellent ales like Guzzler to become homogenized mediocrity. Where once it was blessed with hoppy, citrussy characteristics - there now is the merest hint of both - but not enough to suggest in a blind tasting that this has any right to bear the name "Guzzler". As for the fabulous "Decade" - a beacon of light long after "Guzzler" had gone south (in all senses) - more heinous crimes have been committed to ensure a conformity of blandness.
People should take note of this particular take-over as a salutory lesson as to what can happen when former brewers, now pubco's, get their hands on a fine local brewery and exploit it purely for profit without regard for upholding the quality that got the Brewery the reputation that made it such an attractive catch.
Luckily York Brewery pubs have guest ales - so patrons who like the hostelry can purchase a decent beer to drink in there.