The beauty of Free Beer, and how to get some!

There's a strong rumour circulating that the powers that be over at The World Beer Cup have their eyes firmly fixed on the future. Way back in the dim distant past, or at least 1996, the good Judges issued awards in 61 Style Categories, even 2002 could only offer a seemingly lightweight 76 Style Categories. Fast forward to this year and they're closing in on the Holy Grail of 100 Style Categories. Yes just five to go and that goal will be reached. What's more they've already decided on number 100

Many beer drinkers consider this to be a myth, however, it has been confirmed that this style of beer is not only a reality but, according to some, is ubiquitous.
So what do we know of this style of beer?

1,      it looks great.
2,      it smells great
3,      it tastes great
4,      it's free
5,      you can always drink more


I have heard that some discerning beer drinkers will even drink Carling if it's free. But there's no accounting for discerning beer drinkers with dead palates.

If you're interested in sampling some free beer at GBBF all you need to do is to identify the brewer from the responses to a few questions I asked them.
There will be several sets of responses posted in the run up to GBBF so keep watching this blog.

We'll start with an easy one.

            Which Brewer do you admire...?

of the previous crop, Reg Drury and Ken Don had the greatest influence over me. Most of the micro brewers I admire seem to work as teams rather than individuals. I do like the work Roger has done at St Austell and I even admire some of the things Brewdog have done (unpasteurised cans very brave!). However the greatest individual working in brewing today is Peter Eells of Timothy Taylor

            Favourite British Brewery...? (apart from where you are now)

My favourite is always changing because new beers appear and capture your taste buds. I have great affection for Marble and Hardknott . I have many friends at other breweries whose beer I always look out for. When Oscar Wilde Mild won GBBF last year I thought good for John Boyce who I have known for years.

            Favourite overseas Brewery...?

I think now it is Firestone Walker because they make great beer and are nice people.

            What's the next big thing...?

The next big thing will be unfiltered beer in keg!

            If you weren't a brewer you'd be a...?

A history teacher- too many people like to claim innovations when it is merely an extension of lessons from the past.

            Does consistency of flavour matter...?

Consistency matters because drinkers need to recognise the beer they drink. However consistency needs to be balanced with character which is the ability of the beer to make you think about its flavour

            Michael Jackson always denied that he had a favourite beer, but said if you asked him what his final beer would be as he faced the firing squad it would be...?

Michael liked Chiswick whenever I drank with him however I think he might have liked a wee dram too.

            And what would your final beer be...? (again not one of your own!)

I guess it would be a pint of Boddingtons circa 1974

            If it were possible, which Brewery/Brewer would you consider doing a collaboration beer             with...?

My next collaboration should be with a London brewer but I have a desire to brew in Australia

            If you were to give one piece of advice to an aspiring Brewer it would be...?

Learn the technical things ASAP and at an early age. Taste and wisdom will appear magically later

            What do you do to relax...?

I listen to music and read but my job is generally relaxing

            Favourite musicians...?

I think Ornette Coleman is an inspiration to us all. I would like to take Mark E Smith as a role model especially when I have meeting with accountants

            TV, Cinema, Concert or Theatre...?

I love going to concerts and have a wide taste in music.

            Favourite holiday destination...?

I don’t really go on holiday but then again every day is a holiday to me.

First correct response gets a Free Beer at GBBF from me. And I'm there all day every day.

I've often wondered what draws people into a love of beer, I'm not talking about an obsessive preoccupation with having the latest beer or following the latest trendy Brewer but an appreciation and enthusiasm for that wonderful drink.

Thinking about it on a personal level takes me back not just to my youth but back to infancy, all of ten years old, of course at the time I had no thoughts about what I was seeing or doing but in later life I recognised it as that initial spark of curiosity.

So let me take you back to Infant School in a small Derbyshire village, I hated School meals and so used to walk down to the elegant Georgian Hotel in the centre of the village where my mother worked in the kitchens. 

There I would sit down and scoff sandwiches, or maybe a child size meal in double quick time before being allowed to roam through the Hotel. With time to kill before returning to School the various staff would keep a friendly eye on me. One happened to be the Hotel Handyman cum Cellarman, a friendly old man called Joe with who was happy for me to tag along carrying his bag of tools and even venturing into the Cellars!

At least once a week there would be a delivery from the Brewery and it always seemed to happen at lunchtime, Joe would unlock the Cellar hatch and position a pile of hessian sacks filled with horsehair directly below the entry. Outside the Draymen would, likewise, position another sack at the side of the wagon. Barrels were then maneuvered to the side and rolled off the edge onto the sack and thence to the Cellar hatch. I seem to remember that this was always accompanied by much shouting between Joe and the Draymen, especially as the barrel dropped into the Cellar. I later knew these barrels to be Hogheads, 56 gallons, and I'm glad I was never under one as it dropped. But as they dropped onto the cushion of horsehair Joe quickly moved in and rolled them off and up a gentle slope onto the stillage which ran the full length of the Cellar. It's only looking back that I realise how skilled he was in this operation as when the barrels came to rest in the shallow indentation on the stillage the keystone was always at the bottom.

Deliveries over, and all barrels on the stillage, Joe would wander down the length of the cellar tapping the barrels that were connected to a maze of plumbing, presumably judging by the sound how close to empty they were. On a couple of occasions he would decide to tap a new barrel in preparation for connecting it up to that curious maze. The taps were all Brass and there seemed to be hundreds of them either in use, useable or consigned to the pile of tarnished and battered taps on one of the stone shelves. Obviously, having been tapped Joe needed to sample the beer to ensure that it was ready, a pint would be poured and discarded, something I always thought odd, before a fresh glass was filled and held up to the light. Much muttering, sniffing and swirling of the glass followed before he took a sip quickly followed by a good drink if he was satisfied. Occasionally there was the shake of the head and a piece of chalk was produced from his waistcoat and some code written on the barrel end.

And so, in the cool confines of that cellar I had my first taste of beer, I can't say I remember it or whether I liked it, but for a couple of years those trips down the Cellar were a regular occurrence. The beer? Well it was a Wilson's house, and Wilson's Brewery happened to be the first that I visited several years later.