Saint Mars of the Desert interview (video)

I chat with Dann and Martha about brewing in the USA and Yorkshire. And pissing on your own chips.

Wild about Mild

Mild was one of the first topics I researched in the archives. Right after Porter. I didn't find what I expected.

Because I had no idea how much Mild had changed. I realised Mild had once been stronger. But not quite how strong. Finding versions over 10% ABV was a bit of a shock. The colour was the biggest surprise. Discovering all Mild had once been pale. The more I dug, the more I understood about the styles's remarkable transformations.

That's the great fun, for me. Coming across something different to what I'd expected. I still get a thrill when I uncover something new.

A while back I had a project with Pretty Things, where they brewed two versions of Barclay Perkins Mild. One from 1837, the other 1945. They had absolutely nothing in common. Demonstrating what time can do to a beer. Especially when that time contains major wars.

Exactly when, and why, Mild started getting darker remains a mystery. Frustratingly, brewing recirds only start giving a colour number after WW I. About twenty years after I think the process began. Any reason I offer can only be speculation. The cynical one being publicans needed a cheap, dark beer to dump slops into after Porter disappeared.

Mild Ale has been so many different things: pale, strong and hoppy; dark, weak and mild. It would make a great beer festival.  If anyone should be in search of a theme.

Barclay Perkins X Ale 1837 - 1945
Year	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl
1837	1071.5	1013.2	7.71	81.53%	7.05	2.44
1849	1071.5	1014.1	7.59	80.27%	7.79	2.68
1863	1060.9	1012.4	6.42	79.65%	13.06	3.62
1880	1060.4	1018.0	5.61	70.18%	10.97	3.09
1890	1058.0	1016.9	5.44	70.87%	9.06	2.19
1900	1052.6	1008.9	5.79	83.15%	8.15	1.73
1914	1051.3	1013.6	4.99	73.54%	5.49	1.15
1918	1046.5	1012.7	4.47	72.60%	5.01	0.97
1919	1039.4	1009.4	3.97	76.10%	6.96	1.11
1929	1042.6	1012.5	3.98	70.65%	6.50	1.10
1939	1034.8	1010.0	3.28	71.26%	7.00	0.95
1945	1029.7	1008.5	2.80	71.38%	5.49	0.65
Sources:
Barclay Perkins brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document numbers ACC/2305/1/550, ACC/2305/1/551, ACC/2305/1/553, ACC/2305/1/579, ACC/2305/1/586, ACC/2305/1/593, ACC/2305/1/603, ACC/2305/01/606, ACC/2305/01/607, ACC/2305/01/614, ACC/2305/01/623 and ACC/2305/01/626.

Read loads more about Mild in Mild! Plus. Which is available in both paperback:

 

and hardback formats:

An opportunity

It's sad Pretty Things are no more. I liked both Dann and Martha and their beers.

I particularly liked this recipe of mine they brewed:

I've also lost my long-term US commercial partner. Which is an opportunity for someone out there.

What I'm looking for is a brewery prepared to make four to six historic recipes a year.

Get in touch if you're interested.

Book tour day four - Brooklyn (part two)

It's a busy day, Monday, as I told you. I wasn't kidding. Still lots more happening.

Radio interview done, we've still a fair bit of time before showtime. Best not spend it all just boozing. I want my best legs on for later. A couple of the Brouwerij Lane guys invite us down to their new brewpub, which is just arounnd the corner. Why not? I never tire of looking at shiny things.

The brewery is called Greenpoint Beer & Ale Co., though the pub it's in is called Dirck the Norseman. It's easy enough to spot, being painted Ikea blue and yellow. The brewery hasn't officially opened. That's in a few days. Luckily there's beer to try, a tasty Pale Ale. Now there's a tick - an unreleased beer. But only for a day or two.

Back at Brouwerij Lane, no-one is quite sure what time is showtime. There aren't many punters about. We decide that there's time for a quick meal. Dann, Martha and me. We venture out in search of Mexican. But stumble upon a Polish restaurant. That'll do.

It's called Karczma and has a well in the middle of the dining room. And the waitresses are wearing folk costumes. I always like that.

They've a reasonable selection of Czech and polish beers, bottled and draught. Dann gets a draught pale Lager, I go for a dark one. Dann sniffs suspiciously at his beer, then tentatively tastes it.

"Dirty lines" is his conclusion. He looks at my beer. "I ordered the pale because that's more likely to be fresh. You've no idea how long a dark one might have been sitting around."

Thanks for raising my expectations, Dann.

This is my third meal if the day. Don't want to pig out, so I just order pirogis. Boiled, not fried. Martha has a plate-sized piece of pork.

I don't manage to finish my beer. Something that rarely happens.

It's much busier back at Brouwerij Lane.

"When do you want to start your talk?" One of the guys asks.

"Talk?"

"Yes, the 30-minute talk you're giving."

It's the first I've heard of it.

"Dann, am I supposed to be giving a talk?"

"Did I not mention that? Just talk about historic beer a bit. It doesn't need to be too structured."

I frantically try to plan out a small talk, while chatting to various people. It's hard to concentrate on either. No point in waiting too long - I'll only fret more. Best just dive straight in.

Dann introduces me. The stove burns at my back. I clear my throat.

Suddenly, it's an hour and a quarter later. I've been talking that long, occasionally punctuated by questions. Not sure what I just said or how much sense it made. But they're clapping so it can't have been totally shit. And no-one buggered off half way through.

There's some book-signing and chatting to be done. As well as some beer-drinking. I'm relief drinking. There's even cask Mild. I can't pass that up. And more 1955 Double Brown on tap. Can't pass that up either. No reason I can't drink both. Though obviously not mixed. That would be weird.

We finish in  Tørst, Evil Twin's bar. It's a bit relentlessly cool, both décor and atmosphere-wise.

We don't linger too late. Poor Dann and Martha have a ridiculously early start to dodge the New York traffic. Four in the morning they plan on leaving. My train to Philadelphia is a little after noon. I can have a nice lie in. And Tuesday is my rest day. Can't wait.







The Home Brewer's Guide to Vintage Beer
http://www.amazon.com/Home-Brewers-Guide-Vintage-Beer/dp/1592538827






Brouwerij Lane
78 Greenpoint Ave,
Brooklyn, NY 11222.
Tel:+1 347-529-6133
http://brouwerijlane.com/


Greenpoint Beer & Ale Co.
Dirck the Norseman
7 N 15th St
Brooklyn, NY 11222.
Tel: +1 718-389-2940
http://dirckthenorseman.com/


Karczma
136 Greenpoint Ave,
Brooklyn, NY 11222.
Tel: +1 718-349-1744
http://www.karczmabrooklyn.com/


Tørst
615 Manhattan Ave,
Brooklyn, NY 11222.
Tel: +1 718-389-6034
http://www.torstnyc.com/

Book tour day four - Brooklyn

Monday was the busiest day of the tour so far. Two radio interviews and an event.

Just as well, then, that we rose early again. The hotel did include breakfast, but just a buffet. I wanted something more substantial and luckily Dann and Martha agreed. Off we headed in their van into deepest Brooklyn. Through streets that had seen better days, clad in decayed and sometimes crumbling Victorian grandeur. I love old brownstones. They remind me of the buildings I see in my dreams.

Our destination is Tom's Diner (officially Tom's Restaurant), a renowned breakfast haunt, which, if the photos adorning the place are to be believed, has been frequented by movie stars and popular singers. I go for my usual egg and bacon combination. Can't go wrong with that. Especially when the day ahead is long and busy.

On the wall next to our table are the lyrics of Suzanne Vega's Tom's Diner. Proof that at least one pop singer came here. To be honest, I'm more concerned by the quality of my fry up than which of the famous have eaten here before me. Luckily, it doesn't disappoint. My breakfast, I mean. It's soon safely curled up inside me, sleeping peacefully.

Fed, we need to scuttle quickly across Brooklyn to Roberta's, in a deceptively industrial-looking area of town. It's a pizza place with attached radio studio. I know, weird. But this is Brooklyn. The scavenged construction reminds me of squatted (or formerly squatted) venues in Amsterdam.

As we're still waiting for Jimmy to arrive, I stave off dehydration with a Bell's Two Hearted, a beer I've not tried before. It comes in what look like a jam jar. It's made out of glass - what do I care? It's full of than Americany IPA-style flavour. You know what I mean, the grapefruit thing. It's a pleasant enough breakfast beer.

We record three 15-minute segments with Jimmy. Dann and I are joined by John Holl, editor of All About Beer. It's quite a good laugh. Never much chance of the conversation lagging with Jimmy there.

Done and it's time to eat. In Roberta's, obviously, as we're already there. I have a pastrami sandwich. Just because it sounds so New York. It's rather good, but way too much for me. I've forgotten how much meat they stuff into sandwiches over here.

Fascinating for you, me describing my lunch. It came with some crisps, I almost forgot to tell you. I'm sure you needed to know that.

It's time for our next interview, this time with Chris and Mary of Heritage Radio's Fuhmentaboudit!. But we don't head back to the studio. That's been booked by someone else. We're off to Brouwerij Lane where we'll be interviewd using a little portable recorder.

It's still a little chilly in Brouwerij Lane, but there's beer to drink and the wood-burning stove at the back is gradually chewing awat at the cold. Chris and Mary are remarkably professional. They've clearly been at this radio thing for a while. Just two 15-minute chunks this time. They're done in a flash.

The main event is still to come. My book event in Brouwerij Lane. But before that Dann, Martha and I will eat a Polish meal. Try to contain your excitement.







The Home Brewer's Guide to Vintage Beer
http://www.amazon.com/Home-Brewers-Guide-Vintage-Beer/dp/1592538827





Tom's Restaurant
782 Washington Ave,
Brooklyn, NY 11238.
Phone:+1 718-636-9738


Roberta's
261 Moore St,
Brooklyn, NY 11206.
Phone:+1 718-417-1118
http://www.robertaspizza.com/


Brouwerij Lane
78 Greenpoint Ave,
Brooklyn, NY 11222.
Tel:+1 347-529-6133
http://brouwerijlane.com/

Book tour day two - Boston still

Unsurprisingly, given my state of knackeration, I slept well that first night. But more importantly I woke up at the right time.

I'd a breakfast appointment with Dann and Martha. They took me to a diner in Somerville for exactly the breakfast I needed. The type of egg and bacon combination that always gets the day off to a good start. That and lots of coffee.

I've pretty much abandoned breakfasting in American hotels. It rarely comes included and a diner always trumps it for atmosphere, price and often quality, too. There's something I love about American diners, and I'm sure it's not jsut a false nostalgia engendered by film and TV. Just like London cafes, they offer a glimpse into daily life and daily lives. And they sell bacon. What's not to like?

Bellies full, we dropped by the Pretty Things office, also in Somerville. We needed to pick up the stuff for that evening's 1955 Brown Ale launch at the Independent, located just around the corner. Then on to the Independent to start setting up. Decorating tables, hanging up banners, that sort of thing.

A love of dressing up is one of Pretty Things' best features. Once again, they didn't disappoint. Dann has a particular knack for getting the facial hair spot on. I think you'll agree that this was another triumph:

Made me wish I'd got a costume, too.

We didn't idle around listlessly before the evening event. Dann filled the afternoon with and industry event in their office. Where, as a special treat, there was cask Double Brown. Sorry all you craft fan boys, but, once again, here was proof of the superiority of a well-handled cask over keg. It wees all over it. Every day of the week, every month of the year.

Pulled through a sparkler, both the head and carbonation level were spot on. It's not just in flavour where cask is a clear winner. It's also in drinkability. The higher temperature and lower carbonation help it ease its way down your neck almost unnoticed. A few pints quickly evaporated as I chatted with old friends and new acquaintances. There would be little time for chatting later on.

The evening in the Independent was busy, loud, slightly anarchic, but loads of fun. Given the crowds, noise and general boisterousness, it was just as well I really did say just a few words. My shortest talk of the tour by at least an hour.

I'm so occupied by signing books and chatting to punters that it's only when I'm back in the hotel that I realise I forgot to try the other Pretty Things beers being launched, Grampus. A double-mash monster of a beer. Then again, given the length of the day, sticking to the modestly-strengthed Double Brown perhaps wasn't such a bad idea.

Having an early start the next day, I didn't stay up late. We were all off to New Yotk City for more events, more beer and hopefully lots more fun. We'll find out how that went next time.





The Home Brewer's Guide to Vintage Beer
http://www.amazon.com/Home-Brewers-Guide-Vintage-Beer/dp/1592538827





The Independent
75 Union Square,
Somerville
Tel: 617 440 6022
http://www.theindo.com/

Book tour day one - Boston

Just as well my plane was on time and the queues at immigration short. Because my first appointment was a mere two hours after my scheduled touchdown.

Arival at Boston ran perfectly smoothly. Unlike departure from Amsterdam. Mistaking my natural sweatiness for anxiety, I got nearly the full security works. It stopped just short of getting my grillox out. Dontcha just love air travel?

I had enough time to unpack my undies, log on to the internet and catch my breath a little before Dann and Martha (of Pretty Things) picked me up and whisked me off to the radio studio. Where I was set to appear on Digradio's Good American programme.

http://thegoodamericancollective.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-good-american-radio-show-feat_8.html

It was my first radio appearance, but, having done plenty of podcasty things and Skype interviews, nothing too daunting. We chatted a bit about our latest collaboration: 1955 Whibread Double Brown. A beer I kept telling everyone was in my book, The Homebrewer's Guide to Vintage Beer, until I realised it was one of the recipes I'd had to cut for space reasons. Whoops. It was a couple of days before I twigged.

I was dead pleased when Dann suggested spending the evening in Deep Ellum. I'd feared I might not have the chance to drop by one of my favourite bars in the US. Especially as they had the 1955 Double Brown on tap. We'd cracked a bottle during the radio show, but I'd only got a couple of mouthfuls.

It was packed. Which I guess is a good sign. It was Friday night, after all. We had to wait for a table, trying not to get too much in the way of the waiting staff.

My only complaint was the mood lighting. I struggled to read the beer menu. Not that I tried much (anything? I can't remember) other than the 1955.

By the end of the evening I was stuggling with fatigue, too. But I managed to prop my eyes open until 23:00 or so. Then off for a well-earned kip. In preparation for a busy day.






The Home Brewer's Guide to Vintage Beer
http://www.amazon.com/Home-Brewers-Guide-Vintage-Beer/dp/1592538827



digradio
http://digboston.com/tag/dig-radio/



Deep Ellum
477 Cambridge St,
Boston, MA 02134.
Tel:+1 617-787-2337
http://www.deepellum-boston.com/

US tour starts today

My US book tour starts today in Boston.

Hope to see you there:

Saturday 8th March Boston Pretty Things event
The Independent
75 Union Square,
Somerville       
http://www.theindo.com
16:00

Pretty Things have brewed up a recipe from the book: 1955 Whitbread Double Brown. I tried some yesterday and it was yummy.

Me talking again

Amazed that anyone was interested in listening to me drone away about historical brewing, I've dug out another clip from a few years ago.


It was filmed outsdie the Buzzards Bay brewery where Pretty Things work their magic

Boston brewday

Not Boston, really, but Westport. This is a short film put together by Martha about the brewday of 1939 Younger's No. 1.

Boston

Westport, really, I'm going to talk about today. It's a small, rural community down in the south of Massachusetts, close to the border of Rhode Island. It's where Pretty Things do their brewing, in a building that looks, from the outside, like a shingled barn.

It's not like that inside. There, its industrial purpose (and construction) are obvious. Even without all the shiny stainless steel that defines modern brewing kit. As I've said before, the new generation of breweries are similar across the world, with their conicals stretching to the ceiling.

Last week me and Andrew accompanied Dann and Martha there for a brewday. A very special brewday. One I've waited long for. Finally, finally, I'd persuaded someone to brew a William Younger's recipe. And not just any old beer. Younger's No. 1, the definition of a Scottish Strong Ale. Or Strong Scotch Ale. Whatever you care to call it.

There was another brewer along for the day. Jeff Biegert, from New Belgium, a brewing buddy of Dann's from way back. There was a special reason he came along. A reason closely connected with the beer itself. And something typical of Younger.

Scottish brewers were never big users of sugar, but there was one adjunct they embraced wholeheartedly: maize. Mostly in the form of grits. And what do grits mean? A cereal mash.

"You can use flaked maize if you want, Dann." I told him, expecting him not wanting to fiddle around with a cereal mash. Not only didn't he mind, he positively wanted to give it a go.

"I've only done one once, years ago. I'd like to give it another try."


It turns out that Dann's one cereal mashing experience had been shared with Jeff. So he decided to invite him down for the brewday.

Maybe it was partly for the help. Help carrying sacks of grits up to the brewing stage. Oh no. Memories of Beau's and the sack upon sack of oats the poor brewers had to lug up to the mash tun surged back up the drainpipe of my mind. I really should try to pick more brewer-friendly recipes.

The malt was mashed first. That safely done, it was time for the cereal mash.

Once all the grits were in the Lauter tun and mixed with hot water, the anxiety began. Would the grits convert. We kept taking out a little and tasting it, to see if it was turning sweet. I can see why they're called grits. They've got a very gritty texture, especially at the start of the process. Little seemed to be happening at first, and Dann became ever more nervous. After a few samples we wondered: is it getting sweeter? Is it converting?

No need to fret. The mash sweetened and it was obvious there were no problems with conversion. Not that I'd been worried. Then again, it wasn't my money on the line. Or about to be poured down the drain. The wort from the grits was pumped over to join the rest of the mash and we were done. Mashing, at least.

Being there during brewing was handy. I could do my throwing in hops thing. But also me and Dann could discuss the hop additions, even as the boil was underway. We settled on 20 minutes for the last one. A slightly arbitrary decision, but one based on the practices of the period. (I haven't mentioned that yet, have I, the period? 1939. That's when the original beer was brewed.)

The hopping wasn't the end of my contribution. Though I know from analyses that No. 1 was a dark beer, the grist contained nothing darker than a little crystal malt. As brewed, the wort was a pale amber, way paler than the finished beer should be. I know how they got the colour: caramel. Scottish brewers loved colouring up their beer with caramel. Dann added a little caramel at a time, and brought back samples for me to look at.

"Is this dark enough, Ron?"

"Naah, needs to be darker than that. Think Dark Mild."

"About the colour of Old Peculier?"

"That's the one."

Makes me feel much more deserving of my name in the credits, having made that contribution.

The 1939 Younger's No. 1 is currently bubbling away in a conical. I can't wait to try it.

Boston and snow

What a pain in the arse the weather has been here in Boston. Snow, lots of it, Wind,  scarily cold. Needles of snow jabbng your skin,

Just crossing the road, it was.

That's Dolores and Lexie walking back from the shop. I would have gone with them. But I don''t do shopping, Unless it's for beer.

Scary that I can  name more friends in Boston than Newark. Bloody Lincolnsire.

The big event is just two days away - my book-signing in Meadhall. Do come along if you're in the area,

I'll be shelterig until tomorrow.

Bloody snow.