Dank Geek - High Again Beer Bottle
Members' bottle share: Steel Coulson, Edinburgh
Peculiarly when it'south in your home boondocks, discovering a great new beer bar is always a joy, so nosotros're excited to be hosting this month's members' bottle share with the very lovely Steel Coulson, in Edinburgh's waterside Leith neighbourhood.
Words: Richard Croasdale
Fri 08 June 2018
Particularly when it's in your habitation town, discovering a great new beer bar is always a joy, and so nosotros're excited to be hosting this month's members' bottle share with the very lovely Steel Coulson, in Edinburgh'due south waterside Leith neighbourhood. Having previously been a slightly intimidating dockers' pub, Steel Coulson at present combines a lovely traditional look with an excellent selection of beers, with cask pumps proudly forepart and centre (though likewise a good line-up of keg taps, bottles and cans).
As usual, we're joined by eight of our almost loyal local members to share some truly special beers from around the world. In the truthful spirit of a bottle share, the theme of tonight's consequence is 'beers that we liked the look of, with an accidental Belgian-ish theme'. Exciting times.
Later a round of Steel Coulson'south ain first-class Golden Ale on cask to become anybody'due south palates into gear, we kick off the proceedings with Cloudwater's double dry hopped stake with Enigma and Ekuanot. Information technology's a zingy number with depression bitterness only plenty of citrus and herbal notes. James Rodger-Philips picks up orangish, while Colin Freeth ventures tangerine; everyone agrees that the citrus is definitely more peel than flesh though, with real zesty freshness. I go a hit of papaya, while intern Sarah Marks homes in on the dank, resinous, herbal grapheme. This one is unambiguously about the hops though, whichever way you cut it.
Side by side up is Acid Crush, a handsomely-canned collaboration between Kingdom of norway'southward Lervig and Belgium'due south Oud Beersel. Several eyebrows rising at the prospect of an IPA/Lambic alloy, simply the result isn't as challenging equally we had perhaps suspected. At that place'south a definite funk at the cease, and some sourness, only it'southward generally well balanced with the IPA base. For Colin Banks, a fan of Lervig's splendid standard IPA, information technology's the hops that lead the charge, with the immature Lambic calculation layers of dressing.
Standing our Belg-ish odyssey, nosotros have a bretted saison from Fourth dimension and Tide. This is perhaps the surprise hit of the evening; none of us had tried it earlier and it defied a lot of our expectations. The brettanomyces grapheme is clear, but not also heady, manifesting every bit a pleasant hay-like nose and flavour, which goes well with the soft and comforting saison. Sam Proctor is a fan of how sweet it is compared to some other drier saisons, while Mike Bentley praises its smooth and warming rima oris feel. There's a definite spice on the finish, along with the more usual banana and cloves, as Colin Freeth observes. Peter Buckley, not a saison fan generally, is converted.
For our penultimate beer, I pull out a big hitter: a champagne bottle of Mikkeller Oude Geuze, created in collaboration with Lambic legends Boon. But as I'm explaining how the introduction of immature Lambic to onetime Lambic sets off Geuze'southward characteristic secondary fermentation in the canteen, the (foolishly) uncaged cork explodes out of the bottle in my hand, waking everyone upwardly. Rookie error.
Safely into everyone's glasses though, the beer is sensational. Sarah's not bad for everyone to rate each mash out of ten for some reason, and this i scores several tens. Like the best geuzes, it's soft and infinitely complex, with layers of horsey brett, delicate sourness (including just a pleasant edge of acetic tang) and apple sweetness from the calvados foeders in which it was aged. Mark Dyson is especially enthusiastic, praising its long end and champagne-similar subtlety.
Our last beer of the evening – literally a showstopper at 13% abv – could not be more different. A maple-infused purple stout from Stone Brewing, W00t Stout is a collaboration betwixt Fark.com creator Drew Curtis, actor and internet deity Volition Wheaton and Stone co-founder Greg Koch. Fabricated with rye, wheat and pecans, and partially aged in whiskey barrels, it's a viscous, tar-similar beer, presenting a storm of flavours that compete for your attention, like a choir screaming insults in perfect harmony.
Peter Buckley finds sweet espresso and dark chocolate, while several others comment on the dark, plummy fruit and the excess of nutty, cookies-and-cream richness. Colin Freeth finds the sweet treacle counterbalanced by a soy-similar umami quality, which receives nods from all around the table. For Calum Banks, this beer sneaks in at the terminal second to snag his mash-of-the-night.
It'southward been a dandy evening and the staff at Steel Coulson have been excellent (and patient). Attempt the black pudding scotch egg if you're there: knockout. Nosotros circular off the evening with a couple more pints and a whisky, to back-trail some chat about life, beer and everything. Thanks again to our wonderful Edinburgh members, and hopefully encounter more of you lot around the country shortly…
Source: https://www.beer52.com/ferment/article/300/members-bottle-share-steel-coulson-edinburgh
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