Im glad there are more brewers out there now, but im a bit meh about it all at present. Perhaps once the fad has passed and the wheat has been separated from the chaff we’ll actually have some decent stuff to celebrate and enjoy.
At present there are plenty of decent small to mid sized breweries out there producing great beer without jumping on the craft / micro /niche / artisan brewers bandwagon.
The sooner the hipsters move on the better. Those that make good beer will survive, those that just make over hopped IPAs will soon fall.
Remember the Irish themed pubs with all the mock oirish beers in the ’90’s?

Proof that the whole hipster/beard/craft beer thing has gone too far:

It makes me happy that we have a great real ale pub close by ( http://www.thewellingtonrealale.co.uk/) and an awesome beer shop ( http://www.stirchleywines.co.uk/)

Tried Lagunitas ipa a couple of weeks back, it is really nice!

Had the AVA from here the other day – on at the Blue Pig in Hebden. Pretty damn hoppy but extremely tasty for a 3.6% beer.

http://firstchopbrewingarm.com/thebeers/

Proof that the whole hipster/beard/craft beer thing has gone too far: Rogue have been around for years, and are taking the piss out of the arrivistes!

IMHO!

^^^ I think the whole April 1st thing makes that pretty obvious 🙂

. For the most part, they’re turning out interesting, local beer. That’s how it should be!

Hear hear, long may it continue

If you are ever in Halesowen west mids (and no one deserves that) but go to the waggon & horses for an outstanding range of beers of every spectrum (usually at least 15) and drink them in the all pink Barbara Cartland room, just don’t take on the extra hot vindaloo Bombay mix!

It makes me happy that we have a great real ale pub close by ( http://www.thewellingtonrealale.co.uk/) and an awesome beer shop ( http://www.stirchleywines.co.uk/)
Tried Lagunitas ipa a couple of weeks back, it is really nice!

Stirchley wines Belgian selection is outstanding

If you like beer, you’ll no doubt have enjoyed one of my award winning brews, rewski, but unlike certain people on here, I don’t use Internet forums to promote business.

I truely hope that comment wasn’t aimed in my direction.

I’ve got no idea who you are.

Likewise

Kernel brewery is lovely, but only when someone else is buying…
and the fact that they call it ‘table beer’ leaves a bad taste in my mouth

and the fact that they call it ‘table beer’ leaves a bad taste in my mouth

?? ❓

just a bit of an affectation in my opinion

How expensive are the bottles usually?

The Rogue beard brew isn’t bad at all, the yeast found in a professional brewers beard is highly likely to be the yeast strain he works with every day if you think about it. (and yes it was April 1st, but they did actually brew it, and its available in bottles)

Don’t think the ‘fad’ of high alpha beers is going to go away, massive IBU beers have been popular for too long. Then again I happily drink Stone’s ‘Ruination’ and Green Flash’s ‘Palate Wrecker’ so its possible i’m biased.

Anyway Sours are this years fad, last years was barrel aged impy stouts 😉

^^^ I think the whole April 1st thing makes that pretty obvious

‘fraid not. I was visiting the Rogue brewery in Sep 2012 and they were talking excitedly then about how they’d cultivated the yeast from the beard. 😯 I guess there’s worse things they could’ve used…

There are about 55 breweries of various sizes now in that there London.

Two of my favourites are Moncada doing Notting Hill beers available in pubs and Oddbins,

And Weird Beard.

And if you are in Dorking, there’s cobbetts real ales, which is almost opposite head for the hills.

As much as it frustrates me, i’m excited at how big a market it is appealing to these days. It can only mean more good quality beer will be produced! I doubt we’d ever have had many of the new, quality breweries opening if there hadn’t been such a resurgence of quality beer being bought by people who would have generally avoided it in the past.

Certainly more around here in the West Country; there’s a new pub recently in Chippenham, replacing one that had a bit of a reputation for the less discerning drinker. It now regularly has seven ales, a bunch of local ciders, and a good selection of proper continental lagers.
They had a 24-hour licence last Friday for the folk festival, it proved very successful, apparently some friends finally left at 2am, with place still packed.
As it was raining, we think most decided it was better to stay where it was warm and dry, with loos and beer, rather than go back to a damp tent!
I tried two, Elmer, from the Flying Monk Brewery, Malmesbury, (actually Hullavington), which was very, very drinkable, slightly citrus, not too hoppy, a good session beer at 3.9abv, and a brown ale from Cirencester, name forgotten, but a rather pleasant toffee, and banana, flavour.
Given more money, and time, I could have got very squiffy indeed!
My local, in Biddestone, is looking to get one or two guest beers from as much of the South-west as they can possibly manage.
Which is fine by me.

Its a fave topic of mine moaning about really high IBU beers with no proper base to sit on, hop bombs. Its a total fad in NZ still, they just love to dry hop the living sh1t out of the beers on really poor bases or poorly thought through malt bases.
Beer is in the eye of the beholder though but banging out 6%plus beers means that even the most hardened pss head can only get through 4 or 5 before they fall asleep. Some of the best beers I have had in the last couple of years have been 3-4% really well balanced malt bases with medium to high IBUs thought out carefully. Its a pet hate of mine though. Same stuff here, massive breweries bringing out craft beer ranges which mean its a 25000 litre fermenter not a 50000 litre one. I’m looking at you Boundary Road…base brew is either Bud, Sapporo or some other mainstream clone, they just hop the shit into it afterwards.

Upstart brewery in east London – had a couple of theirs, enjoyed then as someone who doesn’t really know about beer.

A friend of mine is starting a microbrewery in Taiwan – apparently there is quite a scene out there!

_rewski, but unlike certain people on here, I don’t use Internet forums to promote business._

Not promotion if I’m asking, I’m interested in trying your beer, I might learn something.

For the record the hype around the launch of magic rocks triple ipa was frankly a bit off putting, appreciatte some beers are small batch but beer shouldn’t be exclusive.

Anyway, day off today riding south downs, might stop for a pint of harveys or long blonde 🙂

I doubt London has much beer left, Scottish footie fans where in town last night!

Had a good night on the thumper dumper last night down sarf, clear head this morning which is always good!

sat supping Export India Porter… it cost £3.10….
but it’s worth every penny! better than any pint in most pubs I reckon.