– Siren Tap Takeover review by Cameron Steward
It’s nearing the end of the Siren Craft Brew Tap Takeover when I find myself shoulder to shoulder with head brewer Markus Wagner. I’ve made a modest impact on the extensive selection he’s brought along (7 cask and 7 keg) and at this moment I’m gently nursing a Caribbean Chocolate Cake (8.5%), which tonight has been exclusively ‘nitro-fied’, intensifying the lactose creaminess and ascending an already wonderful beer to some astral plane, upon which only the most heavenly items known to mankind can be found. In other words, I was bloody enjoying it!
My journey to this part of the night was littered with other glories; highlights including Vanilla Weisse (a 4% vanilla-infused Beliner Weisse), which was sharp and fully rounded, with the vanilla ironing out those acerbic edges. There was also the Caribbean Chocolate Orange Cake (8.5%), which took the original Triple C and made it taste like Liquid Terry’s Chocolate Orange. Needless to say it was decadent beyond belief!
It was equally excellent to revisit Undercurrent (4.5%) an Oatmeal Pale and finally try Liquid Mistress (5.5%), a zingy Red Ale, both on cask. However a couple of pales didn’t quite reach the heady heights of their more established brethren, with Proteus (4%) lacking the hoppy punch it promised and Vermont Tea Party (a 3.6% pale with Earl Grey and lemon zest), although kinda resembling the magnificence of their other Earl Grey-infused wonder Love of Work, just wasn’t as spectacular. New kid on the block Peligrosos (5.6%) on the other hand was a dangerously juicy IPA, bursting with peach and magic.
So we’ve come full circle and back to the exchange between myself and Mr. Wagner, where I manage to prod him about hops and the recent influx of Double and Triple IPAs. He confesses he’s no real interest in these, opting for weirder, darker delights and bizarre concoctions that hibernate in barrels before reaching the high standard he brings to the brewery – he cut his teeth as part of the barrel ageing and sour beer-ing programme at Firestone Walker don’t y’know?! And just as he reveals this information I receive a thimble of their collaboration with Mikkeller and Hill Farmstead, Whiskey Sour IPA (10.2%). A beer that effortlessly (although I’m sure loads of effort went into) showcases the best example of barrel ageing I’d ever laid my lips on. Offering a wealth of sharp citrus, delicately hushed by the sweet bourbon, both of which sing in perfect harmony. There’s also a deep, rich oakiness and soft vanilla sweetness that compliment every languorous sip.
I’ve been called to the deep. And I don’t wanna go back.
Words and photographs by Cameron Steward. Check out Cameron’s excellent All You Need Is Beer blog
– Siren Tap Takeover
Thursday 21st April 2016 / from 5pm
One of the best progressive modern UK breweries, Siren Craft Brew, bring their haul to Port Street with a tantalising beer list for one of the biggest tap takeovers here this year.
CASK
1. Undercurrent 4.5% Oatmeal Pale Ale
2. Sound Wave 5.6% West Coast IPA
3. Liquid Mistress 5.8% Red Ale
4. Broken Dream 6.5% Stout
5. Proteus 4% Pale Ale
6. Proteus IPA 6.9% IPA (1 of only 10 casks)
7. Caribbean Chocolate Cake ~ Orange edition!!!! 7.4% (very limited amount on the night of this one!)
KEG
1. Calypso 4% Dry Hopped Berliner Weisse
2. Peligrosos IPA 5.6% Juicy IPA
3. Vermont Tea Party 3.6% Pale Ale w/ Earl Grey Tea & Lemon Zest
4. Proteus IPA 6.9%
5. BA Whiskey Sour 10.2% Bourbon Barrel Aged Limoncello IPA (very limited on the night again!)
6. Vanilla Weisse 4% Vanilla infused Berliner Weisse
7. Caribbean Chocolate Cake 7.4% Stout with lactose, Cypress Wood and cocoa nibs. Collab with Cigar City.
– Torrside Imperial Stout Launch and Mini Tap Takeover
Torrside Monsters range Imperial Stout launch and mini tap takeover / Wednesday 30th March 2016 / 5pm onward
New Mills’ very own Torrside make the short trip to Port Street to unveil the latest in their Torrside Monsters series. Monsters is Torrside’s BIG beer arm consisting of high ABV stouts (like thus) and big bopping Barley Wines. Colour us excited. The Imperial Stout launching here will be the seventh in Torrside’s Monsters series.
THE LINE-UP:
CASK
CANDLEWICK 4.0% stout (brewed from the second runnings of the impy stout!)
Silky smooth pitch-black stout with a rich dark chocolate aftertaste.
JUNGA 4.5% blonde ale
First in a series of blonde ales brewed with the aim of showcasing lesser known European hops, in this case Junga, a fruity hop from Poland with orange & grapefruit flavours.
FRANCONIA 5.2% rauchbier
Deep golden ale brewed with 85% smoked malt, inspired by the smoked beer traditions of Germany.
KEG
CALICO 3.8% rye pale ale
Light but very satisfying pale ale, combining a burst of fruit flavours from US & Australian hops from the rye.
MULTINATIONAL 4.7% globally hopped red ale
Complex malt bill & hops from every hop producing continent combine to produce a well-balanced, satisfying dark red ale.
annnd the launch of…
MONSTERS RANGE: IMPERIAL STOUT 9%
– Brass Castle Lunatic Launch and Tap Takeover
Brass Castle Lunatic Black Lager launch and mini tap takeover / Wednesday 23rd March 2016 / 5pm onward
North Yorkshire brewery, Brass Castle, from York (Malton to be precise), make the trip to Port Street to launch their anticipated Lunatic Black Lager. The centrepiece of this event will be flanked by some cask and keg selections from Brass Castle.
Details on the line up soon! Meanwhile, here are some words direct from the horse’s mouth…
“Brass Castle has a 12 barrel brewhouse in the centre of Malton, pimped with a 15 barrel mash tun, a gas-fired kettle and the luxury of a cold liquor tank. The brewery’s house yeast does its work in three fermenters, whilst the staff clean up after it. For lagering and keg-filling there are also three conditioning tanks. The rest of the space is largely taken up with empty casks waiting either to be filled or cleaned!
All Brass Castle beers are vegan and vegetarian friendly, as we don’t let animal-derived products anywhere near the brewhouse. Spent grain from the brewing process goes to mulch a (large!) tree plantation and to be digested into wiggly amps. Spent hops find their way onto local allotments.
The brewery also houses our bottle shop, selling a range of beers that we like, and Yorkshire Homebrew’s equipment and ingredient shop. Every second Saturday of the month we open up the brewhouse Tap Room, serving at least eight beers and guaranteeing a grand day out.”
