It might seem like a stretch to focus on links only to pleasure, but it beats reading the news. So other than a great lede (two in a row from Pellicle) and a quote, relax and forget everything else for a few links.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Yeast is by far the most important ingredient in bitter. It’s what makes someone a fan of JW Lees, but not so much of Holts, or a fan of Holts but not so much Harvey’s. Whilst there’s wonderful variation in malt characteristics and hop profiles, the yeast sets out in some cases the majority of the flavour profile, and certainly becomes a significant point of differentiation.”
— Paul Jones, Cloudwater Brewing
From The Evolution of Cask Bitter with a link to Cask Bitter, Refreshed for the 21st Century
LEAD OF THE WEEK
I have a simple, beautiful dream for my dotage. It entails being able to walk from my home to a brown pub that sells brown beer. I sit on a stool at the bar. Behind it, a much younger person smiles, says hello and asks how I am. They know my name.
I’ll be happy to be alive, to have my existence acknowledged, and for the froth from an exceptional ale to gather on my ’tache like the incoming tide on a tranquil beach.
That’s it. That’s the dream. OK, I’m no Martin Luther King, but you can’t say I lack focus.
From Halcyon and On and On — Drinking, Ageing, and The Green Goddess in Blackheath, London
ALWAYS FOR PLEASURE
A beer-infused vinyl record. I do not belong to the Miller High Life cult, but I would like to have one of these. As well as containing beer, “The 25-minute record replicates the ambiance and music commonly heard in a classic dive bar.” There will not be many sold but “Dive Bar Sounds” will be available on streaming services.
Speaking of curious ways to package beer. Everything you want to know about the beer helmet, which actually comes with two origin stories.
Lickinghole Creek reset. The brewery set on a 300-acre agrarian plot shut down last year. Before the closure, Lickinghole had been producing around 3,000 barrels of beer per year. This time around, the brewery will aim for around 500 barrels annually. “People keep reaching out and want a place to come and commune with nature and one another.”
Butcher Brig. A pub with breathtaking tile work.
Oud Arsenaal. A cafe with enamel signs that are a “cemetery” of the Antwerp brown cafés that have disappeared. As there should be, many photos included.
Human Robot. “The beers were flawless; the vibes were immaculate.”
DC Brau’s Dueling Grounds Vienna Lager. “Dueling Grounds gives us a chance to produce something so rare in craft brewing that’s always been very near to my heart – a beer in perfect balance.”
DOT. A rum/whiskey barrel-aged helles? “At €6 for a small can, I feel it did owe me more complexity. Or a bigger can.”
Gilpin Black Gold. Drink it on cask. “It’s a beer that’s flavorful without being heavy, smooth without being watery, and it stays tasty from start to finish.”
6 UK ‘indie’ beers. Pete Brown makes a list. He introduces it with an introduction to “craft” and “indie” that acknowledges that most drinkers have not venture deep into the rabbit hole.
Good green beer. “Perhaps its heyday as a trendy and elegant beverage – however fleeting – was in the very first year or two of the 1930s.”