The Beer Bay, and Admiral's Ale

My love for the British ale dated years ago when I tried some popular ones like Kilkenny (yes, I tried that in an Irish pub, my old acquaintance: Delaney), Boddington (because it claimed itself to be "cream of Manchester").  But that's only the beginning that I "met" British ale somehow lightly.

Of course, I "met" London Pride some time later and I really started to fall in love with British ale.  I tried various way to find more and more options here in the city.  Not very successful unless some bottles presented on the shelves of city'super and oliver, including Fuller's other brands (ESB, Honey Dew), Black Sheep, Good Time, etc).

But no bar or supermarket in the city could provide such a large number of selection of British ales in such affordable prices than the beer shop in Central, The Beer Bay.  You can try more options here than anywhere else downtown, in front of the beautiful Victoria Harbour.

Among various ales I met here, Admiral's Ale, recommended by the friendly shopkeeper, is surely one of my favourite.

About the beer

(extracted from the website of St Austell Brewery)

Admiral's Ale 5% abv (bottle conditioned) This premium bottle-conditioned ale has been uniquely brewed using our own Cornish Gold malt. Locally grown barley is traditionally malted using a special kilning process which develops a deeper intensity of colour and flavour than ordinary barley malt. Blended with both Styrian Golding and Cascade hops, the result is a deep bronze ale with a delicious rich biscuit flavour and a wonderful spicy aroma.  Brewed to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar in 1805. Awarded a Silver medal at the International Beer Challenge 2012. Gold Winner at the CAMRA Great British Beer Festival 2010. "Supreme Champion" in the 2008 International Beer Challenge.

Tasting at The Beer Bay, and The United
           500ml bottle

Rating (out of 10): 9.5

Notes: That won't be many occasions that you could call amazing in beer-drinking.  It may seem exaggerating, but it was indeed a wonderful experience, that barely matched by others, when I tried Admiral's Ale for the first time at The Beer Bay.  I thought I was drinking something dramatically performed by fairies of flowers and hops.  The aroma just conquered me.

From time to time, I miss the taste of Admiral's Ale and the striking feeling it gave me when I first met her.

It should not be drunk too often, and should really be saved for special occasion when you wish to refreshing some of your beautiful past memory...

Thank you, the shopkeeper, for introducing the beer to me.

Three beers shared by buddies from America

It is glad to hear some drinking news from my buddies in the US, so I am pleased to share these new bottles of beer (I admit that not tasting any of them) with you:

Cusquena (a Peruvian beer)

tasted in a Peruvia restaurant in Oklahoma City, US

guest comment: a bit bland, but actually went well with the very sour ceviche (salad with lime) and very salty arroz con mariscos (rice with seafood)

Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale

tasted at Dallas, Texas, US

Three Philosophers

tasted at Dallas, Texas, US

guest comment: Strong(9.7%), Rich and Full flavor but easy to drink 

I have not tried any of the above three.  But the colour of the Three Philosophers is really tempting (and it's 9.7%ABV!!).  The Peru beer and food is exotic to me, and the Blue Moon mysterious.  Anyway, thank you my buddies!

Brakspear Triple

About the beer

Source: Wychwood Brewery, Witney, Oxfordshire

Strength: 7.2% ABV

Colour: dark copper

Brewing craft: This beer went through three fermentations, in which two were in Brakspear's "Double Drop" System, and the third fermentation continued in the bottle.  The bottle I had, marked with the bottle number 2084625, was filled at 6/7/2012 (you could check the date at the website www.brakspear-beers.com. In this way, you could actually store your vintage in cellar with known duration).  Hops were then added three separate times.

Malt: Crystal, Black and Maris Otter pale malts


Tasting at The United
           500ml bottle

Rating (out of 10): 8.5

Notes:

I bought the bottle at the Beer Bay, thinking about something stronger for the salty and oily food of the Lunar New Year.  Eventually, I had the rich beer at the dinner table of the New Year feast (sharing it with my father, sister and brother-in-law).  And the experience was so satisfying.

Strong craft beer does not easily let you down, as long as you are not fancying fast downpour through your throat.  What I mean is that if you are willing to take your time, drink slowly and treasure something extraordinary, strong craft beer should be your good choice.  This Brakspear Triple gives you a illusion of some good stuff from a Belgium Abbey, except that it produces some typical aroma usually associated with British ale.

Aromatic in your nose, while very rich in your palate.  A bit (not very) hoppy.  All these characters make this beer a good match for Chinese food.  Not that kind of ice-cold Tsing Tao for salty fried squid, but imagine some brandy goes with roasted duck.  Yes, just like that while you don't need to worry about those 40% brandy making you headache fastly.

It is good to drink slowly, just like a glass of good wine.