Cornish Ale Festival - Tasting Notes

PURELY CORNISH ALE FESTIVAL

Lower Quarter, Ludgvan, Penzance, Cornwall

Don't forget the "Purely Cornish" Ale Festival at The Old Inn, Ludgvan (near Penzance) this weekend. It's running from Friday evening, 26 February, to Sunday evening, 28 February.

I will be there during Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, see you there!

Definately don't forget -

All guest ales are only £2.00 per pint!

TASTING NOTES

ALES:

All Saints Brewery
St. Piran 4.0% ABV. No tasting notes available.

Coastal Brewery
Angelina 4.1% ABV. A hugely successful beer, golden colour, citrus sweet aroma, crisp hoppyness, clean and refreshing.

Keltek Brewery
4K Mild 4.0% ABV. A traditional dark mild but fruity in taste with great character. It is one of those products that catch the eye at the pump. Winner of the Mild Ale Class, SIBA Maltings Beer Festival.

Keltek Brewery
Golden Lance 3.8% ABV. Clear golden coloured with a fruit aroma and tangy citrus flavours. Very smooth with a full hop dry finish

Lizard Brewery
Kernow Gold 3.7% ABV. A light, golden ale. Crisp and refreshing, the malts used are Maris Otter Pale Malt with a touch of Amber Malt which gives a biscuity note. Challenger and Fuggles hops, finished off with Styrian Goldings which give fresh citrus flavours.

Wooden Hand Brewery
Cornish Mutiny 4.8% ABV. This fine beer enjoys a dark rich colour with a distinctive 'hoppy' character and a slightly 'biscuity' flavour.

Wooden Hand Brewery
Black Pearl 4.5% ABV. A tasty dark stout with a rich nut and hop prickle and a dry chocolate finish. Ingredients: Marris Otter malted barley, flaked and roasted barley; English grown hops.

Blue Anchor
Spingo Middle 5.1% ABV. Spingo is brewed from water drawn from The Blue Anchor's own well. Most of the fermentable sugar comes from malted barley. The beer is fermented for long enough to produce the required alcohol content but leave just a hint of sweetness which was common in Cornish beers of yesteryear.

Skinners Brewery
Heligan Honey 4.0% ABV. A light refreshing bitter, pale amber in colour with distinct hoppy overtones and the subtle addition of real Cornish honey.

Skinners Brewery
Ginger Tosser 3.8% ABV. Designed for red-headed pancake tossers (of course! What did you think the name was referencing…. for shame!). Originally created to aid the celebration of Pancake Day, now a permanent fixture among the Skinner’s stable. Made with only the finest Cornish Honey.
Clear medium yellow orange color with a average, frothy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, toasted, citrus, ginger, toffee notes. Flavor is moderate sweet and light to moderate bitter with an average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is light.

Skinners Brewery
Figgy’s Brew 4.5% ABV. This is the maltiest of the Skinners regular range and slightly darker in colour. An expertly balanced blend of malt & hops, premium strength, full flavoured with a smooth finish.

Skinners Brewery
Cornish Lager 5.5% ABV. Golden/Blond Ale. Clear golden with large white head. Sweet malty aroma with caramel notes and fruity flavor. Ends sweet.

Sharps Brewery
Doom Bar 4.0% ABV. Somewhat hazy amber body, small white foam. Nice aroma, a good bit of spicy British hop and crystal malt toffee sweetness. Smooth texture, low carbonation, medium-lean body. Good hop and malt presence on the body. Solid bitter finish.

Sharps Brewery
6 Hop IPA 3.8% ABV. This is a brand new brew from Sharps, hence no tasting notes as yet. The Old Inn is privileged to have the very first off production, so being début here this weekend.

St. Austell Brewery
Cockleroaster 4.5% ABV. A newly launched ale, this is the first new beer in a seasonal ale programme launched by St Austell Brewery for 2010. Said to be a "rich dark stout brewed with pale and roasted malt with lashings of dark chocolate and finely chopped chillis.
Head Brewer, Roger Ryman, said: "We're really excited about launching Cockleroaster. Customers should taste the chocolate as the main flavour and get a subtle taste of chilli with the aftertaste."
Chillis from Devon.

Choughs Brewery
Serpentine 4.5% ABV. Reddish amber with a white head. Not best described as a bitter, more like crossing over to an Irish red Ale. Smooth and creamy with hints of sweetness initially. A fleshy fruitiness with a hoppy bitter finish. There is a lemony tartness at the end, quite quenching and full. Ingredients: Pale malt, crystal malt, chocolate malt, wheat malt. Hallertau hops.


CIDERS:

Skinners Brewery
Press Gang 4.8% ABV. Still, medium cider, described as light and refreshing with the delicate aroma of ripe apples.

Healeys Brewery
Rattler 6.0% ABV. A light haze. Sweet, slightly woody green apple aroma, hints of tartness. Prickly carbonation. Honeyed sweetness. A reasonable balance of the sweet and tart.

Headley’s
Special Cider 5.0% ABV Very locally produced. No tasting notes for this one, try it and see!


GINGER BEER:

Wheal Maiden
Grandma’s Weapons Grade 5.5% ABV Traditionally served “on gravity” (straight from the barrel). Gingery (!), fiery hot, fizz provided by natural fermentation.

Read down my previous blog for  further info on the pub.

Something a little different....

A CORNISH ALE FESTIVAL
Lower Quarter, Ludgvan, Penzance, Cornwall
Here’s something a little different for you, many a friend who knows me also knows my passion for a pint or two of real ale or wheat beer.

One of my favourite local tap houses is staging a real ale festival at the end of this month. This is an ale festival with a twist – purely Cornish.

The venue is The Old Inn at Ludgvan. Friday 26 Feb to Sunday 28 Feb.

The event is to feature 15+ beers, ciders and alcoholic ginger beer from:

All Saints Brewery

Blue Anchor Brewery

Coastal Brewery

Healey Cider Farm

Hedley’s Apple Orchard

Keltek Brewery

Lizard Brewery

Skinners Brewery

Sharps Brewery

Wheal Maiden

Wooden Hand Brewery

AND all guest ales at only £2.00 per pint!

More Info About The Pub

There's always a warm welcome from Nick, Gaye and all the staff at their traditional 18th century pub.  In addition to the main bar and eating area, the pub has a games room with Pool Table.  There's an open fire in each room and a piano.  Check out the room sized mural of "Old Ludgvan" in the snug.  The Old Inn is children and dog friendly too.  Definitely a "feel good" atmosphere.

There's usually a choice of three real ales on hand pull, sometimes four.  A strong alcoholic ginger beer is also stocked, Grandma's Weapons Grade, brewed at Carharrack just outside Redruth.  Other "specialist" brews on draught include Cornish Rattler, Cornish Lager and San Miguel.  There are, of course, numerous other taps and bottles offering the normal other choices.

The kitchen offers good food in the style of traditional pub grub, with all ingredients sourced locally where possible.  But also, if you are into pizza, this is a must go pub for you.  On a warm evening, sat outside with a glass of San Miguel and one of Nick's pizzas, all I need to do is close my eyes and I'm back on holiday in the Med or Canaries!  These delights are prepared fresh while you watch, they are not pre-packed, frozen or whatever - you will see the dough being prepared and you will see fresh ingredients go onto your pizza.  If you fancy something different to the menu, providing Nick has the ingredients, you could make up your own personal recipe.  Though powered by electricity, the oven is a proper, purpose made stone based Pizza oven.

Don't take my word for it, please click here and read some reviews.

 

Good News For Independent Retailers

Consumers and independent dealers please read this!

Supermarket watchdog welcome…
...but more is needed to help small shops and suppliers

Following below is an extract from January's edition of the FPB (Forum of Private Business) news letter.  The contents of this brought a smile to my face, at last someone has recognised what the supermarkets are up to.  This is a welcome start to the policing that small independent retail businesses need to combat the unfair trading that is going on with these big giants.  I have commented many times about their practices to various parties and organizations.

When it comes to service, it may be that the general public is beginning to have second thoughts about buying from these outlets. Of recent times the number of complaints that I have received about x, y or z supermarket have risen enormously. A 32” LCD TV at £599.97 is still a major purchase as far as the man in the street is concerned and when they find that it won’t do what they expected (connectivity / performance for home cinema or computer are a common issues) or worse, it develops a fault, there is often no recourse with the store concerned. You’re stuck with it! For a third party to become involved in the repair of such an item, providing an estimate can be quite expensive and many won’t even look at a large screen TV without a major deposit or fee up-front. Even if there is an issue which could be down to manufacture, the parent company usually won’t even discuss the problem with the owner until he can provide a written estimate of the repair cost and full fault diagnosis from a recognised, approved repairer. The repairer is usually not obliged to negotiate for the owner. There are definite benefits to be had by buying from a local independent dealer at what might appear to be a less attractive price. Check out your local independents, they might not be as expensive as you think. Most have got workshop and back-up facilities for the brands that they support. Better still, they have experience under their belts. Ask their advice and buy a brand name that they recommend, it’ll usually be one that you recognise – Toshiba, Panasonic, Samsung , etc. They will have seen numerous of the Yamatachi type brands, from the local supermarkets, brought in for repair by less fortunate individuals, and most of them will have ended up as landfill.  And remember The Sale of Goods Act if you do fall foul of a product that doesn't do what it says on the tin, or if you suffer a premature breakdown - "Sorry Sir, it's just out of warranty" isn't good enough.

Please remember my favourite quotation:

“The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”

The extract:

Forum of Private Business (13 January 2010)

Small suppliers are finally being given protection from supermarkets in the form of an ombudsman, but independent business is calling for further measures to help both suppliers and shops.

The FPB is welcoming today's news that the Government has accepted a recommendation for a body to enforce the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP). It was made by the Competition Commission in 2008 after a two-year inquiry into alleged abuses in the groceries market.

In February, the Government will begin a consultation on how best to enforce the GSCOP, including identifying the nature and powers of the ombudsman.

However, there is concern that many suppliers will not come forward to complain about poor treatment at the hands of supermarkets out of fears they will cease to do business with them. A guarantee of anonymity in the complaints process could address this problem.

Research carried out by the FPB shortly after the inquiry was launched found that 76% of respondents wanted a watchdog to oversee the GSCOP, which covers supplier issues such as late payment and retrospective pricing as well as consumer complaints.

However, another survey revealed that 74% of business owners believe they should be guaranteed anonymity when giving evidence to both the Competition Commission and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

Further, the FPB believes that the Competition Commission's recommendations for a ‘competition test', which has yet to be implemented, designed to prevent individual retail giants from dominating local markets, would simply allow other big supermarkets to compete and offers little to struggling high street shops.

In its preliminary findings, the Competition Commission said that, between 1999 and 2006, the entry of a supermarket into a town centre had caused more existing independent grocers and local markets to seek alternative locations than it had encouraged new retailers to move in.

As long ago as 2006, the All-Party Small Shops Group warned that, with around 2,000 small shops closing every year, the majority of the UK's independent retailers could disappear by 2015.

Now, with the recession driving more and more shoppers to discounted supermarkets, the FPB is concerned that the situation is even worse for shop owners.

The Competition Commission's investigation has called into question some other alleged business practices of supermarkets, such as below-cost pricing, where large retailers significantly undercut market prices on the high street by selling certain products at a loss in order to soak up trade, making up these losses on other product lines.

The FPB has been critical of previous investigations into the practices of large retailers, including the £116 million in total fines imposed in 2007 following the OFT's probe into the dairy market price fixing scandal – a drop in the ocean compared to the supermarkets' vast profits.

"Small suppliers and retailers continue to suffer as a result of supermarkets' anti-competitive practices. One of the main problems is that many suppliers feel intimidated into silence and do not speak out; a situation we need to change," said the FPB's Chief Executive, Phil Orford.

"While a dedicated watchdog for these businesses is welcome, it does not go far enough to hold large retailers to account or to address the need to reinvigorate small shops on our high streets and the communities they serve."

Permission was obtained for the reproduction of this article.