I’ll Tick That Jazz Beer (Hic!)

(Ramblings by Russell).

Last week’s annual Newcastle Beer and Cider Festival (the 39th!) was, as ever, a winner. Hundreds of beers to sup, thousands of beer drinkers doing exactly that. A silly hat event, a chill-out lounge, live music and…beer, beer and more beer.

Gentleman’s Nectar (4.2%) the first to be ‘ticked-off’. Brewed by Box Social Brewing in Newburn, the hoppy ‘West Coast’ pale beer comes from the same micro that has brewed Smoove and Turrell Transatlantic Pale Ale (4.2%). S & T and the boys visited the brew- house to sample the trial batch and gave it their seal of approval. The beer will be on sale at the Gateshead Beer Festival (May 1 – 3) and to mark the occasion Smoove and Turrell will be gigging at the event!

The Big Lamp Brewery, just along the road from Box Social in Newburn, is an all-time favourite. Big Lamp’s festival beer – Brit Beer (4.6%) – couldn’t be passed-by. V Good! Corncrake (4.2%) had to be sampled simply because it had travelled a distance (Orkney). It would have been rude to ignore it! At 4.4% Northern Line Stout courtesy of Cameron’s restored a tenuous jazz link to the arduous task of trying several of the many beers on offer. Happily the jazz theme was maintained by Midnight Bell (4.8%), a premium dark mild from Leeds Brewery. Thanks (hic!) to Mr P Hamilton and Ms Z Gilby for providing the flash of inspiration! Time was getting on, the Jazz Genie deserted, try one more. The festival’s Battle of the Beers competition produced a worthy winner in Quayside Porter (5.7%) from the Hop and Cleaver boys down by the Tyne. Time (hic!) to go, there was a beer gig, sorry (hic!), jazz gig to go to!          

Russell.