– Port Street Beer House Second Birthday / by Jamie Hancock
How time flies, eh? Two years ago we were a fledgling purveyor of beer from around the globe, taking our first tentative steps as one of the country’s few specialist craft beer bars, and quite unsure how things were going to work out. Now, we’re garnering praise as one of the kingdom’s finest places of pilgrimage for those seeking a quality beverage and putting on last October’s hugely successful Independent Manchester Beer Convention (IndyManBeerCon) at the beautiful Victoria Baths, which will be back bigger and (hopefully) even better this year! Last November saw the departure (kind of) of manager Will France to oversee the opening of The Beagle, our beer and food haven in Chorlton, with the menu overseen by Laurence Tottingham of the awesome Aumbry restaurant in Prestwich, one of Manchester’s best kept secrets (and it really shouldn’t be a secret. Go there).
Thursday January 24th saw our second anniversary, and we hoped to see it in in style. Back in December, a few of us (Euan, Jamie, Claudia, Anna and Sean) headed over to the Outstanding Brewery in Bury to brew our second birthday beer named, brilliantly, Anniversary 2, following on from the Saison DuPort we brewed with a number of local breweries last year. This year we wanted something darker, so after much discussion, decided on a Sour Cherry and Pink Peppercorn Porter. We wanted to reflect our love of unusual flavours in beers and couple it with one of the UK’s oldest beer styles.
Brewday was fun, as ever, and more importantly, a success. The beer turned out just how we’d hoped, 5.5% abv, with the sourness of the cherries and aromatic spiciness of the pink peppercorns both present, but not overpowering the base notes of malt in the porter.
The 24th saw us packed out with many of our beloved regulars, some of our favourite brewers, including, but not limited to, Outstanding, Dark Star, Quantum, Magic Rock and SummerWine, and a substantial amount of National Winter Ales Festival-goers who’d sought us out thanks in part to our first inclusion in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. Some of these folk seemed a bit perturbed by the tolling of the bell at about 7pm, no doubt fearing their evening of quality boozing was being brought to a premature halt. However it was merely the signal for Jamie to grab his beer crate and do his thing, his thing being to thank everyone for coming and introduce Anniversary 2.
To reiterate the point of the night, we’d like to extend a massive thank you to everyone who turned up, not just for the birthday celebration, but for the last two years, including our aforementioned beloved regulars, those who seek us out on trips to Manchester, our brewing friends and partners and our brethren from The Grove in Huddersfield, North Bar in Leeds, The Sparrow in Bradford, Hanging Bat in Edinburgh and beyond. It’s a huge cliché, of course, but we’d be nothing without the people who visit us from far and wide to drink amazing craft beers from here, there and everywhere. Cheers!
Words by Jamie Hancock
– Up and coming / Hand Drawn Monkey
Hello, to start 2013 we have decided to ‘hand pick’ some of the most newest, freshest breweries around. First up is Hand Drawn Monkey in Huddersfield (is this place the centre of the brewing world?!? Must be something in the water!). Our debut blog piece comes straight from the ‘monkey’s mouth’….
“Hand Drawn Monkey are a progressive craft/cask ale brewing company based in Huddersfield. Started by Rob Allen, Roger Allen and Tom Evans, after some initial collaborations and cuckoo brews we began brewing on our own plant in October 2012. Winning three awards (including overall beer of the festival for our wheat I.P.A : CCI.P.A) at our launch event the Huddersfield CAMRA Oktoberfest festival were off to a great start! We are ambitious and creative (sometimes we brew stuff too weird to release). We don’t know any other way of being. We stretch imagination, push forward but reference tradition. We want to be complete brewers but never the finished article.
Rob and Tom have tolerated each other’s company for a few years, love beer and have brewing experience. Rob used to be the Manager and brewer at the Rat and Ratchet in Huddersfield and on-site Rat brewery. Tom has Brewed at Ossett, Blue Monkey and was head brewer at Celt Experience in welsh Wales. In mid 2012 both had moved on or were contemplating moving on to other projects. Rob had been hankering after brewing full time in his own brewery for some time and when the opportunity arose to purchase an already up and running plant from those lovely Brewsters at Mallinsons as they re-located to larger premises he contacted Tom. Tom was interested and over a few too many beers a simple plan was formed. HDM would brew the type of beers they liked to drink or beers they would like to drink but no-one had brewed yet. Rob sold his house, Tom moved up from Nottingham, the brewery was purchased and brewing began. Roger is Rob’s Dad and is a keen craft beer and real ale fan and enthusiastic taster of HDM beers. He also tries to talk the boys out of some of their stranger brewing ideas. He usually fails.
We hope you like our beer. We will be making more of it.”
– Teacake presents – Tom Culley Unseen
Following on from their successful ‘Pint Of Mixed’ exhibition, Teacake have uncovered more gems from Tom Culley’s archive. The photography exhibition is currently on show in our fine establishment, if you haven’t seen the work, then you can do so right now or read more about it here.
All the photos on display (in the venue) are available to purchase, just place your order at the bar.
– End of year review / Best Beers of 2012 – a collective poll
2012, how was it for you? It seemed to be a pretty good year at Port Street Beer House, couldn’t of asked for a better twelves months. We began with our first anniversary, making an exciting beer with Summer Wine Brewery, Red Willow, Quantum, Magic Rock and Darkstar, it was inventively called ‘Anniversary – Saison DuPort’. We are led to believe there are some rare bottles of this to be brought out on our 2nd Anniversary! Talking of which we are making a brand new beer for our 2nd birthday, you can read more about that here.
As the year unravelled we hosted our first proper exhibition by the ever wonderful Teacake, thanks to all those who have bought a print, you can still purchase them from the bar. We also held quite a few festivals this year, they included our now annual fare of The Festival of Britain (s Beers), American Beer Festival, IPA Day (with added Dirty Dogs), Eurotoberfest, Old and Dark festival and a little something called the Independent Manchester Beer Convention.
Indy Man Beer Con proved quite a big hit, we are super proud of the event at Victoria Baths, if you weren’t there last year then we will definitely see you at the next one, tickets go on sale March 1st 2013.
We also hosted our best line up of Meet The Brewer events, they included an esteemed list, featuring the likes of Marble, Brodie’s, Darkstar, Hardknott, Buxton, Odell, Camden, Ilkley, Roosters, Schlenkerla, Kirkstall and Hawskhead! It wasn’t just about the beer, we introduced the world to our small ‘pop up food events’ held in our small but perfectly formed beer garden, special thanks to Dirty Dogs, Great North Pie Co & Fire and Salt for braving the elements and serving up their delicious wares.
So what does 2013 hold you may ask? Well SO much we can’t fit it all in. We have booked in the first quarter’s Meet The Brewers in 2013, there is a 2nd Anniversary beer launch / birthday weekend beginning on Thursday 24th January and much more to behold!
To finish of 2012 we asked some of good friends to compile their favourite beers of the past year, if you would like to add your favourites in the comments section, that would be grand. Hope you enjoy lists?
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Name: Ben Hodgkinson (James Clay Beers)
1) Brooklyn – Sorachi Ace
2) Goose Island – Bourbon County Stout
3) Goose Island – Madame Rose
4) 3 Fonteinen – Oude Gueuze
5) Summer Wine – Cohort
6) Schneider Weisse – Tap X Mein Eisbock Barrique
7) Flying Dog – Single Hop Imperial IPA (Citra)
8) Hawkshead – NZPA
9) Augustiner – Edelstoff
10) Saison – Dupont
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
Best event of the year was undoubtedly IndyManBeerCon – a fantastic two day extravaganza that celebrated the best things about the beer industry and its product, and disregarded all the worst.
Best experience was trying Christmas in New York, a beer-based cocktail in Miracle on High Street (Manchester). They managed to markedly improve one of my favourite beers (Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout).
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Name: C J Jazwinski (customer)
1) Haand – Krekingol
2) Mikkeller – Tripel
3) Kirskstall / Odell – Aqitance
4) Hawkshead – Imperial Stout
5) Hawskhead – Damson & Vanilla Imperial Stout
6) Black Jack – Four Of A Kind
7) Darkstar – Belgium IPA
8) Ilkley – Siberia
9) Marble – Decadence
10) Quantum – Blood Orange Pale Ale
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
Indy Man Beer Con!
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Name: Claudia Asch (Port Street Beer House / IMBC)
1) Brodies / Kernel Collab – Scanners
2) Kernel Export India Porter
3) Lovibonds – Sour Grapes
4) Red Church – Old Ford Export Stout
5) Toccalmatto – Zona Cesarini
6) Thornbridge – Evenlode
7) Darkstar / Magic Rock Collab – Rockstar
8) Bitches Brewing / Quantum Collab – Chocolate Chilli Stout
9) Ithaca Brewing Co – Cascazilla
10) Summer Wine Brewery – Aoraki Red
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
Visiting the cellar of The Grove and Indy Man Beer Con!
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Name: Jay Krause (Quantum Brewery)
1) Brodie’s – London Sour
2) Pied Bull – Matador
3) Marble – Dobber
4) Dark Star – Revelation (keg)
5) Summer Wine – Cohort (cask)
6) Redchurch Brewery – Great Eastern IPA
7) Hawkshead – NZPA
8) Magic Rock – Tequila Barrel Aged Cannonball
9) Marble/Fullers – Old Manchester
10) Blackjack Brewery – Aces High
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
Far too many to choose one, but here’s a few:
Camping for Hawkshead Spring and Summer Festivals and all the carnage that entailed; Leeds International Beer Festival & IMBC raising the standard for beer festivals; Brewing collaborations with Marble, Pied Bull, North Tea Power & PSBH, and the glorious Colin Stronge; Witterfest at King William IV; Meeting myriad wonderful folk through this excellent industry.
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Name: Richard Burhouse (Magic Rock)
1) Pizza Port Carlsbad – Poor Mans IPA
2) Alpine – Hoppy Birthday
3) Ballast Point – Sculpin
4) Tilquin – Oude Guezue (4% draught)
5) Russian River – Pliny The Elder
6) Brasserie d’Orval – Orval
7) Russian River – Supplication
8) Hawkshead – Windermere Pale
9) Alpine – Exponential Hoppiness
10) Thornbridge – West Coast IPA
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
Haandbryggeriet festival in Norway/Indymanbeercon
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Name: Hardknott Ann
1) Rhetoric I
2) Vitesse Noir
3) Colonial Mayhem
4) Duchesse De Bourgone
5) Brewdog – AB10
6) Queboid
7) Kirkstall – Framboise
8) Cool Fusion
9) Azimuth
10) Infra Red
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
Meet the brewer night drinking Rhetoric and English Experiment then HardknottDave having to drive home.
Sorry my beer choices are biased but it’s all I usually drink.
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Name: Dominic Driscoll (Thornbridge Brewery)
1) Lovibonds – Sour Grapes
2) Summer Wine – Oregon Pale
3) Hawkshead – Imperial Damson and Vanilla Porter
4) Ashover – Moscow Imperial stout
5) Mallinsons – Citra
6) Magic Rock – Clown Juice
7) Lovibonds – 69 IPA
8) Black Isle – Black Run
9) Roosters – Pentathlon
10) Marble – Pint
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
IMBC of course!
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Name: John Clarke
1) Summer Wine – Cohort (cask version)
2) Hawkshead – Windermere Pale
3) Marble – Decadence (2012 version)
4) De La Senne – Zinnebir X-Mas (draft)
5) Emelisse – Red IPA
6) De Dochter van de Korenaar – Peated Oak Aged Embrasse
7) De Cam – Oud Faro
8) Brouwers – Verzet Oud Bruin (cask)
9) Victory – Prima Pils
10) Thornbridge – Beadeca’s Well (whisky cask version)
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
A tie I think between Borefts Bier Festival at De Molen Brewery and IMBC
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Name: Mark Dredge (Camden Brewery)
In no particular order…
1) Camden Town Brewery – USA Hells
2) The Kernel – Table Beer
3) Russian River – Pliny the Elder
4) Thornbridge – Tzara
5) Odell – The Meddler
6) Everything brewed at Pizza Port Ocean Beach
7) Pretty Things – St Botolph’s Town
8) Hill Farmstead – Arthur
9) Three Floyds – Gumballhead
10) Santorini Brewing – White Donkey (unreleased; from tank)
Best Beer Based Experience (s) of the Year:
Judging GABF and then going to the festival, plus some brewery tours around Colorado – Odell, Funkwerks, Crooked Stave, New Belgium. A beer and food crawl around Chicago. Drinking at Cantillon Brewery with my dad. Discovering how good Greek craft beer can be
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Name: Dave Hardknott
1) Azimuth
2) Continuum
3) English Experiment
4) Colonial Mayhem
5) Vitesse Noir
6) Cool Fusion
7) Infra Red
8) Code Black
9) Queboid
10) Rhetoric II
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
Leeds International Beer Festival
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Name: James Clay
1) Brooklyn – Fiat Lux
2) Cask Schlenkerla Rauchbier
3) Schneider – Eisbock Barrique
4) AMA – Mora
5) Founders – Breakfast Stout
6) Lagunitas – A Little Sumpin’
7) Brooklyn – Cuvee Elijah
8) Nogne O – India Saison
9) Hatachino Nest – White Ale (specifically with Sashimi)
10) Moa – Methode
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
Brooklyn Fiat Lux in the Brewery bar.
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Name : Garret Oliver (Brooklyn)
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
Going to Brazil and brewing the collaborative Saison de Caipira with my friends at the Wals Brewery in Belo Horizonte. We went out to sugar cane fields, cut the cane, and brought it back to the brewery, where we had a cane crusher. We crushed the cane juice straight into the kettle, where it made up 15% of the sugars in the wort. We hope to get some funky, grassy sugar cane flavors. It was a great time, and I still have my cane machete!
Read more here : http://brooklynbrewery.com/blog/news/brewmasters-journal-brewing-saison-de-caipira/
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Name : Al The Viking (Port Street beer House)
1) Flying dog – Single Hop Citra D.I.P.A
2) Speedway – Stout
3) Redchurch – Chinook D.I.P.A
4) Redchurch – Greta Eastern IPA
5) Jester King – Black Metal Stout
6) Kernel – Imperial Brown Stout
7) Kernel – London red Brick Rye
8) Red Willow – Soulless
9) Brodies – Citra For Breakfast
10) Mikkeller – Beer Hop Breakfast
Best Beer Based Experience of the Year:
Spending a week at the Brewdog brewery / Aberdeen bar, helping our brewing. Good times.
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Name : Euan Summers
1) Summer Wine Brewery – Sin City
2) Jester King – Farmhouse Black Metal
3) Toøl – Ov-ral
4) Zona – Cesarini
5) Jolly Pumpkin – Madura Obscura
6) Rooie Dop – Double Oatmeal
7) Green Flash – IPA
8) Blue Moon (I have a feeling someone else filled this in, as it’s in different handwriting – Editor)
9) Cromarty – Red Rocker
10) Camden – King Crimson
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Name : Terry and Allison (customers)
1) Hawskhead – NZPA
2) Darkstar – Green Hopped IPA
3) Summer Wine – Diablo (cask)
4) Summer Wine – Oregan
5) Magic Rock – Cannonball
6) Black Jack – Shuffled Deck
7) Hawkshead – Windermere Pale
8) Black Jack – The River
9) Summer Wine – Glacier
10) Darkstar – Hophead
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Name : Jamie Hancock (Port Street Beer House)
In no particular order
1) Btiches Brewing – Chocolate Chilli Stout
2) De Dolle – Oerbier Special Reserva
3) Cantillon – Mamouche
4) Stringers – Mutiny
5) Dupont – One Year Aged ‘Avec Les Bons Voeux’
6) Jolly Pumpkin – Madrugada Obscura
7) Darkstar – Critical Mass ‘Aged and Bretter’
8) Toøl – Ov-ral
9) Birra Toccalmatto – Zona Cesarini
10) Brodies – London Sour
Best Beer Based Experience of the year
Finally being able to brew half-decent beers at home, and of course IMBC!
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