Day 123, Beer 123 - Oldershaw's "Blonde Volupta"

Today's Beer

Name – Blonde Volupta

Brewer – Oldershaw

Classification – Premium blonde ale

Strength – 5.0% ABV

Verdict - At A Glance

On the eye– Stunning. An almost luminescent mango gold.

On the nose – Truly massive citrus. Faint nutty malts. Just lovely.

On the tongue – Deliciously vivid citrus thrives amidst a perfectly pitched sharp, dry bitterness.

On the subject – Grantham is becoming something of a centre of excellence in these micro-brewery times. Oldershaw are but one of a growing bunch of breweries in and around this relatively small Lincolnshire market town, with Brewster's, Newby Wyke and Belvoir also conjuring up some seriously fantastic beers.

On the market – Cask versions of Oldershaw beers are appearing with increasing frequency nationwide, especially at the more 'trendy' end of the craft beer market. For bottles, try online at The Real Ale Store.

On the whole – 9/10

Full Review

In the context of this website, I've had a soft spot for Oldershaw Brewery right from day one.

I mean that quite literally, too, as the inaugural 'Day 1, Beer 1' slot was given over to their excellent premium ale Old Boy.

Back in those distant days (last November) today's beer didn't even exist, but having since sampled a great many of Oldershaw's ales, I'd say Blonde Volupta is not only an excellent addition to the range - but it might just be the very best of the lot.

Either way, it's special.

After a few short moments, it was obvious to me that this was a top-drawer contemporary craft beer, one which could stand shoulder to shoulder with any of the current hop heroes of today.

There's been all kinds of change at this brewery over recent times, the new owners have had the foresight to fully unleashed the creative talents of the extremely gifted team, and that freedom of expression translates into their new beers with remarkable eloquence.

Basically, they're lush.

Blonde Volupta serves as a drink to define these times, with crystal clear citrus and sharp fruit flavours - grapefruit, melon, kiwi, mango - investing everything they can into the mix, triggering an explosion of such vivid intensity that you can't help but smile. An astonishing salty bitterness keeps all this hyperactive fruit solidly in check, making it every bit as impressive as it is entertaining.

Add to this a subtle biscuit and pine nut finish, and you have a brewing achievement which borders on monumental.

As you may have noticed over recent times, these highly hopped 'yellows' are really starting to win me over. You could say that finally I'm beginning to see the 'light'.

But I really can't be certain whether it's me evolving or the beers themselves. I'm absolutely convinced that the recipes are getting better and better all the time, and if that's the result of all this crazy, almost fevered experimentation – then maybe it ain't so bad after all.

Without doubt, the 'yellows' and the 'blacks' have reaped the greatest rewards from all of this experimentation, if breweries could finally start working that same kind of magic with the 'browns', I might just start doing little leaps of joy. (In fairness, some breweries have already started to do precisely that.)

Anyway, of the yellows, few beers in the land can claim to be better than this one.

As good as this?

Maybe.

But better?

I seriously doubt it.

Seek it out and see for yourselves.

Day 55, Beer 55 - Oldershaw's "Alchemy"

Today's Beer

Name – Alchemy

Brewer – Oldershaw

Classification – Golden premium beer

Strength – 5.3% ABV

Verdict - At A Glance

On the eye – Well, just by looking, you'd think this was just another golden ale. But it's not... (Read on!)

On the nose – Rampant breakfast! Mr Kellogg and his friends should be very afraid!

On the tongue – A uniquely balanced golden beer, with a depth of flavour like no other.

On the subject – Lincolnshire's Oldershaw Brewery have new owners at the helm these days. Keep a very close eye on them, I would advise.

On the market – Selected Lincolnshire stores (Hallam's Deli, for example) but word is now spreading. Richard is stocking at Newark's Real Ale Store, or drop the brewery a line.

On the whole – 8.5/10

Full Review

Next time you find yourself contemplating the idea of drinking beer for breakfast – cast your bleary eyes in the direction of this brew.

It's simply bursting with morning goodness – toast, marmalade, cereals, honey – and it has all been assembled with the most skilfully balanced precision.

I was wishing for daybreak after the first sip.

It should be noted that for those of you who frown upon morning alcohol consumption (all of you, I hope!) – this brew is also ideal for the hours which come significantly later in the day.

Without wishing to get too unbridled in my praise of this beer – it is quite simply gorgeous, and I reckon it has to be among the best golden beers on the market.

My age old misgiving (if not gripe) about the 'golden' ales, is that they are very often overtly sharp and austere in flavour, they can easily lack any real balance, and they have the habit of being pretty unsubstantial in consistency.

Oldershaw have triumphed over all of these usual adversaries by underpinning the hops and the citrus theme with lashings of all that aforementioned toast, honey and cereal – achieved by ingenious use of a very sumptuous pale malt/wheat combination – and they've somehow managed to make the body firm and robust.

It's fresh, it's appetising, and it has a ridiculously lovely butterscotch finish that will do nothing less than delight you.

This is a mighty creation from a small micro.

Oldershaw are definitely going places, but they may need to reassess some important things before very long.

Because in my view, their skills are already far too big for their current boots.

Day 46, Beer 46 - Oldershaw's "Grantham Stout"

Today's Beer

Name – Grantham Stout

Brewer – Oldershaw

Classification – Let's not be silly.

Strength – 4.3% ABV

Verdict - At A Glance

On the eye – That classic stout look. 'Black' might be the optimum word.

On the nose – A sophisticated cocoa-liquorice blend. Foxy!

On the tongue – Vivid complexity. Fresh, light-bodied and sumptuous.

On the subject – Oldershaw have named their stout after their historic home town. To hell with Margaret Thatcher and Issac Newton... this brewery might just be this town's famous name of the future!

On the market – Specialist stores, and a growing local presence. This beauty came direct from the brewery.

On the whole – 8/10

Full Review

A slow nod of the head followed the first sip of this.

That nod spoke volumes.

Oldershaw have taken a delightfully no-nonsense approach to this beer, but that's not to be confused with a 'no-style' approach.

They've executed this brew with precision, and the complexity is as varied as any stout I've tried for a good old while.

I was almost expecting to discover chunks of dark chocolate, sticks of liqourice and a whole bunch of cocoa beans – so fresh and immediate were these intense flavours.

It's delightfully light in the body. Too much weight, when combined with these darkly powerful flavours, can so often make for a soupy experience, but not here. Not nearly.

This is a fine rendition of a stout. Traditional, but also kind of chic. The SIBA award displayed on the label was clearly well earned – as such awards nearly always are.

However, if I did have a gripe, it would be about that very same label.

There's a point at which that good old micro-brewery 'no-frills' charm starts to flirt dangerously with second rate branding.

And, when the beer behind the label is as good as this, there's something particularly heartbreaking about it.

In this era of ever-increasing artistic obsession, silly stuff like label design begin to matter more than they should.

Ridiculous and tiresome, perhaps. But it is the way of things now.

Great beers risk being overlooked and sidelined, when all that might have saved them was a new set of crayons.

Oldershaw Brewery Invitation

The Hearty Goodfellow has been propositioned by this lovely lady from Grantham in Lincolnshire :- 

Naturally, old 'HG' is giddy with excitement!


Okay...to be slightly more precise - 


Having discovered that their delightful 'Old Boy' had featured here on 'The Bottled Beer Year', the folks over at Oldershaw's Brewery have extended an invitation to take a tour of their East Midlands-based brewing operation - and relieve their warehouse of a healthy selection of their other beers to add to The B.B.Y.'s list of reviews!


Marvelous!


Next Wednesday is the date scheduled for the visit - which also happens to be a brew day, so I may yet be put to work! 


I'll be posting a feature about the trip soon after. An insight into the workings of this exciting and increasingly celebrated company should be fascinating... 


Stay tuned! 

Day Eleven, Beer Eleven - Bateman's "Rosey Nosey"

Today's Beer

Name – Rosey Nosey

Brewer – Batemans

Classification – 'Seasonal' beer.

Strength – 4.9% ABV

Verdict - At A Glance

On the eye – Red and brown, each in their warmest of moods.

On the nose – Rampant caramelised fruits.

On the tongue – Tree bark, cinnamon and sandalwood. Nice, though!

On the subject – A drive to the Lincolnshire coast from the Midlands will illustrate the expansion-hunger of this nascent brewing giant. Every other pub is a Batemans pub. They do brew good ale and, given the rate of their growth, lets hope they manage to remember how.

On the market – All major supermarkets and beyond.

On the whole – 6.5/10

Full Review

Although they don't refer to him by name, it's a pretty safe bet that the flush-faced old gent gazing out from the label of this beer is none other than Father Christmas himself.

And, to be perfectly frank, this particular Saint Nick looks like he's already sunk a few.

As you will have deduced – yes, this is the second 'festive offering' that I've tinkered with so far, chiefly because I feared I might seem like a miserable, Scrooge-like so-and-so if I didn't at least appear to enter into 'the spirit'.

My problem is - that it often seems like brewers have also entered into a few 'spirits' before they begin work on their inevitable Xmas 'specials'.

Far too many of these 'novelty' ales feel like their recipe was agreed on after a seven hour session at a nearby inn, rather than the more customary method of doing this kind of work before such visits.

Bateman's of Lincolnshire have a fine tradition of excellence and, after many recent supermarket deals, many of you will be aware of their excellent beers such as 'Victory Ale' and 'Dark Lord'. So, with a strong track record, you would think these guys could be relied upon to at least stay semi-sober before assembling together to dream up a Christmas Beer.

And, I'm happy to say, you'd actually be right to think that.

This is an impressively level-headed attempt to invest something unquestionably 'seasonal' into a beer, without making it into a party piece or a gimmick.

Don't get me wrong, this is not the most benevolent Santa around, he's actually pretty bitter, and maybe he needs a touch of counselling to bring back that warmth and generosity. At times, he's even a little bit tart for your average bringer of joy.

Having said that, if I'd just traversed the globe in a single night, delivering gifts to almost every human on the planet, I can hardly imagine a better drink to be waiting for me back in chilly Lapland.

But, much like Father C, this is the sort of beer you enjoy the company of just once in a while, knowing that you might not want to overdo it and spoil the fun. It's the sort of beer whose 'fun' you won't want to go taking advantage of.

That 'fun' though, while it lasts, is really quite enjoyable.

In fact, I could even stretch that a little bit further and claim that this beer is just ever so slightly magical... if only in that 'once a year' kind of way.

Day One, Review One - Oldershaw's "Old Boy"

Today's Beer

Name - Old Boy

Brewer - Oldershaw   -  http://www.oldershawbrewery.com/

Classification - Premium Ale

Strength – 4.8% ABV

Verdict - At A Glance

On the eye – Deep oak, with a bronze translucence.

On the nose – Delightful! Old coins and leather with a hint of treacle.

On the tongue – More of the same! Bitter sharpness underscored with rewarding warmth.

On the subject – A young, ambitious Grantham based brewery with an ever extending list of award winning ales. A fine example of what a dream and a well used redundancy pay-off can ultimately achieve.

On the market – Gonalston Farm Shop, Hallam's Delicatessen, or buy direct from the brewery.

On the whole – 7/10

Full Review

Let's start with the positives.

Now, you all know what that opening remark implies and yes - I do have a gripe - but the fact of the matter is that this ale simply demands that I deliver the good news up front.

The good news is – he might be an Old Boy, but he's also a Very Good Boy.

Oldershaw's brewery was established in the Grantham area of Lincolnshire in 1998, shortly after founder Gary Oldershaw lost his job at BT. In short, Gary risked his redundancy packet by spending most of it on a dream - and the rest is history.

Since it's inception, the small outfit has gone from strength to strength, winning numerous awards from both CAMRA (The Campaign For Real Ale) and SIBA (The Society of Independent Brewers).

The reason for it's success was in evidence in my bottle of Old Boy. It's a perfect name for this drink. This is an evocative ale, which plays tricks on your memory banks, conjuring up images of memories too far distant to be your own. After a couple of sips, I felt like I'd slid effortlessly back to at least the Edwardian or Victorian era. The coins in my pocket were now farthings, my v-neck sweater was now a smoky tweed jacket, and the kids playing in the street were all foundlings I'd recently rescued from the local workhouse.

It seems that the very concept of Nicely Old Fashioned can be bottled, and I've just savoured every last drop of one the results.

To say that I recommend it would be an understatement, but, as I mentioned earlier, this was not a wholly satisfying experience. The issue I need to raise takes me back to my previous entry on this blog, when I referred to the ongoing debate surrounding 'bottle-conditioned' beers.

Let me introduce three facts into that debate.

1. Nobody likes to waste beer.

2. Most people like their beer to have a decent 'head' after it has been poured.

3. Bottled conditioned beers have to be poured slowly, making the production of any 'head' unlikely, and because of the sediment you always have to let some beer remain forever in the bottle, in other words – you have to let some beer go to waste.

I wanted my Old Boy to have a nice, inviting frothy top, and I was unwilling to let much of it go down the drain. My pouring was done with reasonable care, and I'd waited several hours before even daring to pour, but the result was still a glass full of gloopy yeast which was merely accompanied by some very lovely beer.

I'd love to know what people think about this. Because, if I'm perfectly honest, I think it's beginning to get me down.

(UPDATE - August/2011 - After more than 100 further beer reviews, I reviewed Old Boy again as part of an experiment to see how much my taste in beer had evolved. Check out that new review here.)