Presenting... Aspall Cyder at The Grove

We have all heard of wine parings, perhaps you’ve even been to a cocktail and food event. However last night a compact group of locals gathered to enjoy a rather unique event, Aspall Cyder pairing dinner. Now cider is about the only thing I will not order but the other half is a fan and I am always looking to learn so here is how it panned out.

Arrival drink: Aspall Cuvee Chevallier (the name of the family who started Aspall’s back in 1728 and still run it today) served from a champagne style bottle in flutes. Your mind says “Champagne” but the palate says “cider”, which is weird. Nice and light.

Scallops with Aspall Lady Jennifer: named after the grandmother who added apple juice or water to her glass to “keep up with the boys”, the additional apple juice means this is a lighter 4% offering and has a nice spritz. Works very well with the seafood (which was delicious, love the edible flowers)

Duck with Aspall 2012 Imperial: bit of a beast at 8.2% and a darker colour but this comes from the addition of Demerera sugar. I liked the first few sips but then it became…cider. One to try though! The confit

duck leg that unravelled from the cabbage was a huge hit!

Apple and Rosemary Tarte Tatin (with apple jellies, sorbet and crisps) with Aspall Perronelle’s Blush (added Blackberry Juice): what can I say, this blew me away. Not the cider but the dessert, delicious  and the chef gave us the recipe! The cider was a little lacklustre against the previous, I would have enjoyed drinking more of the Imperial with this. However it was suggested that you can use this as a cassis so top up with the Cuvee.

So what did I learn? Well a lot about cider, the (actual) difference between White Lightening and “proper” cider beyond quality. A lot about a family owned business with a lot of success. I met the lovely Nathan of Aspall (thanks!) and now have a very valid alternative to Champagne which some friends – for some reason – do not enjoy.

(But as a Champagne Academy alumni I’ll stick to the real fizz for the mo!)

Youngs are running several events with Aspall throughout the summer and I urge you to go and learn and taste and then spread the word yourself. The specialties are available in some Waitrose, Sainsburys but it never hurts to ask your local to stock something you want. #quackingcyder seems to be the twitter tag to follow, @nathansloane or @youngspubs or @aspall 

And thanks to The Grove (who I wrote about just before!) for great food and hospitality

Brewdog, Shoreditch: 17/20

Location: 51-55 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA

Wesbite: www.brewdog.com

Visit: Several occasions, always early evening

To Note: Underdog to open soon…oh and don’t trust google maps to get you there!

Scores

Ambiance: 4/5

Design: 4/5

Drinks: 5/5

Staff: 4/5

Extra LBS star: Not this time, perhaps when the bar opens proper…

I had heard a lot about Aberdeen-shire based Brewdog before I first tried the beer – at a fine bar in Borough Market called The Rake (see here). My first experience was the classic “Punk IPA” and then I moved onto “Trashy Blonde”; I loved both but they are unusual beers, not for everyone and nothing wrong with that either.

Brewdog Imperial Nail

So I have watched the expansion of the Brewdog “pub” empire with interest from their arrival in England in military tanks to their share purchase scheme and two days ago I finally organised a meeting with friends at the new Shoreditch venue. We arrived at 4.30pm on a Saturday to find there were no free seats but plenty of standing space not obstructing the bar and 30 minutes in and we managed to bag a booth, made for 6 or 8 really friendly people. You need to be close anyway with all the old wall tiling and concrete everything (floor, ceiling, pillars) the sound has nowhere to be absorbed and a few hours in it was hard not to shout across the table.

You come here for the beer, our one non-beer drinker had a choice of two ciders. I wouldn’t even ask about wine. And what really makes this place great is the staff. I explained that I loved their Punk and Trashy, they suggested an Imperial Nail which looked like Guinness but tasted really fruity. I was offered a taste and when I ordered a pint was advised it came as a 2/3^rd, because at 8% a pint is a little too much. Then I reverted to a lighter, fizzier (perhaps one for imported larger drinkers) Dead Pony IPA at just over 3% and the last one… a small glass of 14% Isle of Arran which, frankly, just tasted like Port. Very nice but the glass I had was more than enough.  It is a sign of London living that £4 a pint seems reasonable, but I have paid more than that for bad Stella in this city so have no issue at this price for excellent beer with knowledgeable staff and a really nice buzz. We also had a great time trying each other’s different beer choices, a conversation starter really from the name “tactical nuclear penguin” to the taste.

It is not accurate to say Brewdog is a “pub” despite their beer emphasis, it is kind of a bar/pub which serves innovative Japanese snacks to complement the drinks list. And in a short while their “Underdog” will be open too. The downstairs area has already been host to some live music and the new vintage of hops tasting but there is more to come, just follow here… @Brewdogshored. I look forward to many more beer sessions here though watch the percentages, you have been warned! 

Chase Presents... Rock The Farm

On a surprisingly pleasant Sunday morning a crowd from “the industry” boarded a bus to Hereford for a special event run generously by William Chase and his team – Rock the Farm. On arrival the lovely marketing girls (thanks Hattie!) dished out the wrist bands, we then pitched out tent and headed out for pizza and the first drink of the day: HOBSONS ALE. This is from a local brewery and I tried the Twisted Spire. This was really fruity and a great summer drink, I will look out for it again in London. They also have an ale – Old Prickly - which donates money from every pint sold to hedgehog preservation, LOVE it!

Next we signed up for a farm tour led by eldest brother Harry Chase. This was one of the most interesting parts of the visit for me, really seeing the spread of the farm including fields of potatoes (on a 1 in 5 year rotation) interspersed with orchards and they also raise cattle on the side. (The waste is invaluable!) This year has not been kind with the rain and wind, and many of the fields had patches completely flattened with a fifth of the oil seed crop was lost. It was especially interesting to talk about biodynamics, how the moon affects the growing cycles and also see techniques – like drip irrigation – that have been taken from Argentinean wineries and used in an English orchard for the younger trees. It was also, simply, beautiful.

Onto the tasting room and for the first time I was half way convinced by Chartreuse. This is a spirit I had always decidedly avoided, as it normally came out at the end of a dinner party with somewhat middle class friends or I remember my dad putting it in hot chocolate when ski-ing. It comes in two colours, who knew?! The green, a blend of 130 herbs still made by monks, is 55% so this explains my revulsion at drinking it straight from the off however the yellow! The yellow has the addition of honey and this sweetness really rounds the bitterness of the green herbs and would be lovely, I think, with a cream soda mixer. As for the green, add some limoncello, soda and some citrus and this is a great refreshing drink to mix up for friends and they will be surprised by what is in it!

Onto the cider next, another product from Hereford and we had Tom Oliver, the man himself, to talk us through the range of Olivers Ciders. What really stood out for me was the medium dry Perry blend. This was so good I would genuinely consider replacing sparkling wine at an event for this bubbly goodness, wonder who would notice…? There “premium” range is even made in the champenois method and then we moved onto the vintage stuff, from 2010. “Blue cheese!” I declared as my mouth ran ahead of my brain but in fact this is correct, and strange as it sounds it was very tasty but would go better with food. You cannot deny the passion that drives these guys too.

Onto the Chase stand and we worked our way through, well, everything! And those boys have been busy with cask finishes from Bourbon, Islay Whisky, Brandy, Rum…and then there is the Raspberry Vodka, Rhubarb Vodka, Juniper Vodka (?), Marmalade Vodka and of course the classic Chase that is still one of the creamiest vodkas I have encountered and the single product that has held me captive since they started. One last look around led us to the Top Secret products, and yes of course we tried the Stupidly Hot Vodka. Perhaps I had tasted too much by then but it was, well, nice… Yes there was burn but I think for a Bloody Mary with a kick you couldn’t do better!

So after that we descended into general bad behaviour and debauchery with music from Reverend and the Makers amongst others and an awful lot of dancing.

Thanks to my tent buddies Gin Monkey and Sarah (who has a great post found here), the LCC crew for an awesome time, the Exhibit guys for rocking with us, all the producers who shared their passion and products and of course the WHOLE CHASE TEAM for their fearless 2^nd year of entertaining some of the worst behaved crowd around! 

POW aka Prince of Wales, Clapham 15/20*

Location: Old Town, Clapham

Website: unlikely!

Visit: Thursday evening, Saturday Afternoon, anytime!

To Note? GREAT date pub

Scores

Ambiance 5/5

Design 5/5

Drinks 2/5

Staff 3/5

Extra LBS star: *

You can already tell from the scores where I am going with this one. You do not come here to ask for a Mojito let alone a glass of Riesling - the closest you will get to fresh fruit here is a slice of lemon in your G&T. You do come here and admire the range of "homemade" - shudder to think where - ciders from quirky named bags-in-boxes in the fridge. The one with the skull and cross bones looked particularly fun and was actually one of the best. We tried all of them, that is why it gets my special star...

This is a local pub and to be completely honest you would not go out of your way to find it. Saying that if you are in the area and thirsty there is always a very friendly atmosphere here. In fact you are unlikely to leave without a conversation with your neighbouring table. As for the staff, they will happily pour you a little bit of something be it beer, perry or cider to try first but they are there to serve and not necessarily with a smile. It is not unfriendly per say, just London!

So what do I keep coming back for? The ceiling!

This place looks like a car on its way to a 1960's inspired car boot sale exploded inside. There is STUFF everywhere - on the walls, the ceiling, the tables, the bar. One day I definitely plan on stealing their lamp. There is so much to talk about here that everyone should have their first date here; and the cider doesn't hurt the conversation flow either.

It is the simply the kind of bar you want around the corner, so pop in and say hello. I will no doubt be perched on a stool admiring the tuba, or the wooden sleigh, or the typewriter...