Join us from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th October for the Snowdrop Inn’s first ever Great Beer Expo, part of Lewes Octoberfeast.
Curated by Mark Tranter, Head Brewer and general beer genius of the Dark Star Brewing Company, the Great Beer Expo brings together those world renowned beers that have most inspired Mark and his collection of award winning ales.
Doors open 5pm on Friday. Join us early.
You can also follow all the pre-event build up on Twitter via @TheSnowdropInn, @DarkStarBrewingCo and our dedicated event hashtag #GreatBeerExpo.
Meantime, here are Mark’s amazing tasting notes. Excited yet?
Beers in cask:
Marble ‘Pint’ 3.9%
Awesome brewery from Manchester! ‘Pint’ is a lovely golden session beer with a full on hop aroma. Whilst every other craft brewery in the UK was busy extolling the virtues of American hops, Marble forged ahead (of everyone else) with beers showcasing New Zealand and Australian hops. Have a PInt and maybe another pint, you will not be disappointed!
Redemption ‘Big Chief’ 5.5%
Redemption is one of the new wave of London breweries (check out HYPERLINK “http://www.londonbrewers.org” www.londonbrewers.org). Owned and run by (N)Andy, ably assisted by (F)Andy they have been producing increasingly excellent beers over the last couple of years. Big Chief has a full mouthfeel and sweetness, which is complimented by the bitterness. Super floral IPA with honey and citrus notes.
Waen Brewery ‘Blackberry Stout’ 3.8%
Waen (pronounced ‘wine’) from mid Wales have received huge acclaim in the couple of years they have been brewing. Unusual to attempt a stout at this (low) alcohol content, the flavour is full of the roasted malts used, while being easy to drink. As you finish your mouthful, a hint of blackberries comes through – or does it? Better have another sip and decide.
Crouch Vale ‘Amarillo’ 5%
For years, Crouch Vale (Essex), have been quietly producing excellent beers and remain unfussed by trends in the marketplace, happily doing their own thing (and winning Champion Beer of Britain 2 years running). Amarillo (named after the variety of hop used, not the decidedly ‘iffy’ song!), is a beautiful straw coloured, ‘hop-forward’ (yet unaggressive), beer. Excellent malt body with spice and tropical fruit aromas.
Magic Rock ‘High Wire’ 5.5%
Not content with running a busy online beer store (mybrewerytap.com), Brothers Richard and Jonny teamed up with brewer Stu, to start making their own brews. Having only been brewing a few months, they are already well regarded for their uncompromising brews. High Wire is inspired by beers from the West Coast of America. A crisp, uncomplicated malt base allows the lychee, mango and grapefruit aromas to shine.
Thornbridge ‘Kipling’ 5.2%
Links with Thornbridge and Dark Star are firm and it was my friend Kelly who tried hard to convince me that Nelson Sauvin hops (so called because of their likeness in flavour to sauvignon grapes) were worth using. He won the argument by showcasing them in a clever, uncomplicated manner. Kipling has an initial sweetness and depth of flavour, giving over to a gooseberry and passionfruit aroma with a lasting bitterness.
Gadds ‘Doppelhop’ 6%
Eddie Gadd is a great brewer and a top bloke to boot. Originally brewing with the old Firkin pub chain, he runs his own brewery, seemingly doing whatever he likes (and why not!). Doppelhop is a pale amber beer in the German Oktoberfest tradition – full bodied with cut grass and pepper spice aromas. Drinks very clean.
White Shield Brewery ‘Worthington White Shield’ 5.6%
Once the only bottle conditioned beer (and true IPA), left, White Shield is a persistent survivor – having been bandied round many different breweries, it’s now back home. We are lucky enough to have procured a rare cask of it, especially for this event. ‘Feisty’ is one way to describe it! Toasted flavours mingle with spice and smoke and then give over to a lovely fruity finish.
Keg Beers:
De Molen ‘Vuur & Vlam’ 6.2%
One of the best craft breweries in Europe, De Molen, from Bodegraven in the Netherlands are known the world over. ‘Vuur & Vlam’ (translating as ‘fire and flame’), is my favourite of their beers. American style IPA brewed with European flair. A hazy orange colour with toffee malt flavours, huge citrus aromas and a restrained bitterness – my kind of beer!
Brasserie Dupont ‘Saison. 6.5%
A world classic! From Wallonia in Belgium, this style was originally brewed on farms for the thirst ‘saisoners’ (seasonal workers). A hazy golden yellow with a soapy white froth and champagne like effervescence. Earthy beer with zesty spice and dry fruit, medium bodied, finishes with a tart dryness. Saison Dupont evokes crisp Autumn days. You’ll find me behind the hay-rick with a bottle.
Odells ‘IPA’ 7%
One of the best craft breweries in the US, Doug Odell founded it, driven to brew beers inspired by UK tradition with a twist. Hazy gold in colour with a bright white head which laces the glass. Serious grapefruit and pine aromas are balanced by biscuity/bread like malt flavours. Resinous zest dominates the taste but with enough sweetness to ensure a balanced finish.
Troubadour ‘Magma’ 9%
An interesting amalgamation of US and Belgian style beers. ‘Magma’ is a great example of what has become known as a Belgian IPA and is a style brewed using Belgian yeast in the Triple style, then heavily hopped with US varieties. Despite the strength, it drinks easily with a good body and lots of orange, tangerine and apricot flavours.
Kernel ‘Simcoe IPA’ 7.2%
Another of the new London Breweries, Kernel, headed by Evin O’Riodan have been brewing less than 2 years and are aggravatingly good. Known primarily for IPA’s and export strength stouts, they have been met with worldwide acclaim. Simcoe (hop variety) IPA is my favourite, marrying juicy English malt flavours with big fruity, pine resin and citrus hop flavours. A hazy burnt orange colour beer to get lost in.
Camden Town Brewery ‘Hells’ (unfiltered) 4.6%
Those London Brewers! Camden opened up last year with a very swanky brewery, dedicated to producing German style lagers, wheat beers, pale ales and the like. They also do it exceedingly well – best ‘proper’ style lager beer made in the UK, Jasper and his team have kindly done us an unfiltered version of their ‘Hells’ lager. This preserves all the subtle malt and hop flavours, with a slight sulphur bite (good!), from the yeast. Well balanced would be an understatement.
Anchor ‘Old Foghorn’ 8.5%
The first American Craft brewery, Anchor, founded by Fritz Maytag, paved the way for everyone else when they started brewing in 1975. Old Foghorn has been brewed since the outset and is an American take on an English Barley Wine. Deep amber in colour, the flavour is of boiled sweets with deep caramel and marmalade flavours. Loads of cascade hops give a balanced bitterness and hop aroma to counteract the sweetness and alcohol content.
Bottled Beers
Boon ‘Mariage Parfait’ 8%
A true producer of gueze and kriek beers, the brewery was bought by Frank Boon in 1978 and is largely responsible for the revival of the lambic (spontaneous fermentation using wild yeasts) tradition. Hazy dark blond in colour with a tart spice and sourness to the smell. On drinking, all the flavours (farmyard, fruit, horseblanket) hit at once and whilst sour, it is not as mouth puckering as some examples. Once you get your head around it, it is truly delicious.
Brasserie D’Orval ‘Orval’ 6.9%
Brewed by the monks of Abbey D’Orval, this is a Belgian Trappist beer like no other and it changed my perception of beer forever! Hazy orange in colour, good solid malt flavours are balanced with subtle European hop varieties to create a complex yet easy drinking beer. There is a slight sourness to Orval that comes from the refermentation in the bottle when Brettanomyces yeast is added.
Brooklyn ‘Double Chocolate Stout’ 10%
Exceptional Stout from world renowned brewmaster, Garret Oliver. Absolutely pitch black with a slight ruby glow, almost no light can shine through this glass. Luxuriant mouth feel almost coats your tongue in velvet. Seemingly infinite layers of chocolate in the taste, (these come from the malts alone) with a slight mocha edge.
Cantillion ‘Rose de Gambrinus’ 5%
Cantillion is like a working museum. Their beers are spontaneously fermented with wild yeasts – they don’t disturb cobwebs, for fear of disturbing the micro-flora. Rose de Gambrinus pours a light raspberry colour, with a rose tinged white head. A light spritzy body with lemon, oak and sourness in the mouth. Although tart and acidic, this beer is crisp, refreshing and easy to drink.
Schlenkerla ‘Marzen’ 5.4%
First had this at the brewery tap in Bamberg, Germany where smoked beers are a speciality. Not as full on with the smoked malt as their ‘Rauchbier’, this still leaves you with images of smoked ham and cheese when you drink it! Sweet caramel flavours give balance and the beer gets easier to drink as you become accustomed to it’s frazzle like taste. An amazing bonfire/barbeque beer & the best Marzen out there.
Odells ‘ St. Lupulin’ 6.5%
I couldn’t resist another beer from the Odell camp, especially as this is just a seasonal. Named after a gland in the hop plant, St. Lupulin is as close to perfection as you will get in a pale ale. Earthy warm malt flavours with lots of grapefruit/citrus aromas, backed with bitterness that comes and goes and doesn’t overpower.
Anchor ‘Small Beer’ 3.3%
Super traditional, made from the same malt as the ‘Old Foghorn’, when the 1st sweet runnings have been collected, the grains are sprayed with more hot water to wash the residual sugars out. This results in a lighter, thirst quenching bitter style beer. A style of brewing that would have been common place 200 years ago, it is great to see it kept alive!
Bruery ‘Saison Rue’ 8.5%
Only just got to try this a few months ago and I was seriously impressed! Traditional, yet different, Saison Rue is a hazy yellow orange beer with some biscuit malt and nut flavours, plus a lovely yeast aroma. The hops and spices used compliment it beautifully and this complex beer finishes elegantly and effortlessly. I wish I’d made this.
In addition to the above bottles, the fridge at the Snowdrop is always well stocked with world class beers such as Chimay, Duvel and Sierra Nevada Pale – all of which I would have picked.
Also behind the bar will be our own…
Dark Star Hop Head
Dark Star 1790 IPA
Dark Star Dry Hopped IPA
Dark Star OktoberFest
Dark Star Critical Mass 2010
And another firm favourite, Harveys Old Ale.
Tags: #1790IPA, #Amarillo, #BigChief, #BlackberryStout, #ChocolateStout, #CriticalMass, #Doppelhop, #DryHoppedIPA, #DupontSaison, #Gambrinus, #HarveysOld, #Hells, #HighWire, #HopHead, #Kipling, #Magma, #MarriageParfait, #Marzen, #OdellsIPA, #OktoberFest, #OldFoghorn, #Orval, #Pint, #SaisonRue, #SimcoeIPA, #SmallBeer, #StLupulin, #Vuur&Vlam, #WhiteShield