Loyal readers,
My blog is now here.
Happy hopping,
Charlie
Thursday, 20 September 2012
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Eats Hop Shoots & Leaves
While it was raining in London yesterday Shaun (from Tower Bridge) and I headed down to sunny Kent with the London Brewers Alliance to pick hop shoots, an intensely seasonal ingredient which - while virtually unknown in the UK - is popular in Belgium and was a prized delicacy for the Romans before hop was even considered by brewers as a flavouring and preservative.
Hop is a perennial vine which dies back in the winter only to resprout in the spring, eventually in high summer reaching heights of 20+ feet on hop poles (see above) before producing the 'cones' or flowers which are used in brewing. Just now the plants are tiny and tender - and the fleshy tip makes - as it turns out - good eating - somewhere between English Asparagus, Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Samphire.
In a Draft House near you they will be available this weekend while stocks last so get on down. At Lordship Lane Richard Shucksmith will be serving Pan-Fried Smoked Haddock Fish Cake w/ A Duck Egg and Wilted Hop Shoots. I scoffed the one in the picture below and can assure you it is DELICIOUS.
On the day itself Fullers excelled themselves bringing a cooler full of Scallops, which emerged as an excellent accompaniment to wilted hop shoots.
Nigel, the lovely Fuller's Director of Brewing, also artfully arranged a firkin of Bengal Lancer IPA as below. Sort of like the Madonna of the Rocks but a lot prettier.
Any road, will be nice to see you all down here for a bit of Eats, Shoots and Leaves action.
Monday, 23 January 2012
Prospects for the UK Brewing Industry in 2012: "Consolidation Inevitable"
From Inside Track in M&C Report by John Harrington
It's a strange paradox that while cask ale brewers have undergone a renaissance, the size of Britain's pub stock has been in freefall.
The Campaign for Real Ale's Good Beer Guide from last September reported that 99 breweries opened over the past year, up from 78 over the previous 12-month period; 840 real ale brewers were listed in total. Meanwhile, despite slowing to 25 from 52 per week in the first half of 2009, the rapid closure rate left Britain with 50,811 pubs as of July 2011. That's a decline of c.1,000 in one year - in 2006 the figure stood at 58,200 (figures: CGA).
Does something have to give? There's been little in the way of brewer consolidation or partnership in recent years, last February's £20m acquisition of Cornish brewer Sharp's by Molson's Coors' aside. But some well-known brewing industry figures are now saying that consolidation in the sector is not only likely in 2012, but almost inevitable.
Arguably, the process started last month with Manchester brewer Hydes' announcement that it's to sell its freetrade business to local rival Daniel Thwaites, and scale down its brewing operations by closing the Moss Side site and moving to a new facility.
David Grant, managing director of Lancashire brewer Moorhouse's, believes consolidation is on the cards this year. "We've got breweries opening quicker than we've got pubs opening. A lot of small brewers are opening because they see opportunities in the market and they only pay limited duty [due to Progressive Beer Duty, PBD].
"The market is becoming awash with brewers now, which is great for consumers because they have a huge choice, but it's going to get to a stage where there are too many brewers for the demand in the market place."
As well as the decline in pub numbers, there's an increasing feeling that medium-sized brewers are becoming, to borrow a popular phrase, the squeezed middle. Too big to gain major advantages of the tax breaks offered under PBD - these are applied on a sliding scale, so microbrewers benefit the most - and too small to benefit from true economies of scale like their national counterparts, they're finding it increasingly difficult to grow profits, despite the steady growth in cask ale sales in recent years.
Take Hydes, which recently reported a 9% fall in pre-tax profits to £1.2m despite achieving a 2.2% rise in turnover (£23.8m) in the year to 3 April 2011.
"The larger brewers that are paying full duty are now suffering more than they ever have done because of competition with brewers that are paying half the duty," said Grant, who revealed that his duty bill has risen by £300k this year by virtue of increased sales last year. Short-term factors could also add to the pressure; Grant points out that barley costs have gone "through the roof" this past year due to a bad harvest, with prices up 30%-50%.
James Arkell, chairman of Wiltshire brewer Arkell's, which saw profits decline for the fourth year running in its most recent results, is also acutely aware of the difficulties in translating sales to profits. "Making that extra money (or regaining our past profits) seems to elude us, however much effort we put in and it is harder now than ever before," he wrote in the company's most recent accounts.
"Higher utility costs and taxation combined with lower gross margins have stripped away profits. New legislation continues to add cost to the business. Tax rises in the form of VAT, duty and National Insurance have all happened since January - the list is never ending!"
It's little wonder, then, that last week the Independent Family Brewers of Britain pledged £240k towards the campaign to reduce VAT to 5% for pubs and restaurants on drink, food and accommodation.
But a more onerous burden is beer duty, which has risen by a mouth-watering 35% since March 2008 thanks to the duty escalator. To put the burden in context, Yorkshire-based Black Sheep - which is solely a brewer, with no pub estate - last year paid £7.5m in duty, or 41% of its entire annual turnover.
Even those brewers that are reporting rising profits emphasise the burden they are under. Charles Wells last week reported a 2.1% increase in pre-tax profit for the year to 1 October, but highlighted that its total tax bill was £70m - 38% of revenue.
Everyone in the industry, from drinks producers to pub operators and restaurant companies, has good reason to complain about rising costs, but perhaps brewers are experiencing it more than most; all the more likely, then, that consolidations could be imminent.
Stephen Gould, managing director of Leicestershire brewer Everards, is another trade figure predicting such an outcome. This could be via takeover or some kind of partnership, he suggests, mirroring the agreement between Charles Wells and Young's to combine their brewing operations back in 2006.
"If we look at any other industry that's effectively manufacturing where there's limited growth for what they manufacture, then I think inevitably they will get to saturation point in terms of the number of brewers. And in any industry when you get saturation point, you get some degree of consolidation. That usually comes through strategic alliances or outright acquisition."
Are there opportunities here, also, for well-funded and strong-performing pub and bar operators to add a brewery to their assets? As private equity eyes opportunities to invest in fast-growing multiples, it stands to reason that the number of desirable sites currently on the market will eventually dry up. Perhaps a move into brewery ownership could be the natural next stage.
Certainly, stranger things have happened. Who would have thought six months ago that a regional brewer/pub operator would buy a small coffee bar chain, as SA Brain managed with its takeover of Coffee#1 in October?
Gould certainly sees the logic in this. "I think vertical integration is still a very credible part of anybody's business plan. If one looks out of our sector at Morrisons, they would argue they have vertically integrated structure because they manufacture and retail. I could see pub operators of all sizes seeing brewing as the future of their business."
It's a strange paradox that while cask ale brewers have undergone a renaissance, the size of Britain's pub stock has been in freefall.
The Campaign for Real Ale's Good Beer Guide from last September reported that 99 breweries opened over the past year, up from 78 over the previous 12-month period; 840 real ale brewers were listed in total. Meanwhile, despite slowing to 25 from 52 per week in the first half of 2009, the rapid closure rate left Britain with 50,811 pubs as of July 2011. That's a decline of c.1,000 in one year - in 2006 the figure stood at 58,200 (figures: CGA).
Does something have to give? There's been little in the way of brewer consolidation or partnership in recent years, last February's £20m acquisition of Cornish brewer Sharp's by Molson's Coors' aside. But some well-known brewing industry figures are now saying that consolidation in the sector is not only likely in 2012, but almost inevitable.
Arguably, the process started last month with Manchester brewer Hydes' announcement that it's to sell its freetrade business to local rival Daniel Thwaites, and scale down its brewing operations by closing the Moss Side site and moving to a new facility.
David Grant, managing director of Lancashire brewer Moorhouse's, believes consolidation is on the cards this year. "We've got breweries opening quicker than we've got pubs opening. A lot of small brewers are opening because they see opportunities in the market and they only pay limited duty [due to Progressive Beer Duty, PBD].
"The market is becoming awash with brewers now, which is great for consumers because they have a huge choice, but it's going to get to a stage where there are too many brewers for the demand in the market place."
As well as the decline in pub numbers, there's an increasing feeling that medium-sized brewers are becoming, to borrow a popular phrase, the squeezed middle. Too big to gain major advantages of the tax breaks offered under PBD - these are applied on a sliding scale, so microbrewers benefit the most - and too small to benefit from true economies of scale like their national counterparts, they're finding it increasingly difficult to grow profits, despite the steady growth in cask ale sales in recent years.
Take Hydes, which recently reported a 9% fall in pre-tax profits to £1.2m despite achieving a 2.2% rise in turnover (£23.8m) in the year to 3 April 2011.
"The larger brewers that are paying full duty are now suffering more than they ever have done because of competition with brewers that are paying half the duty," said Grant, who revealed that his duty bill has risen by £300k this year by virtue of increased sales last year. Short-term factors could also add to the pressure; Grant points out that barley costs have gone "through the roof" this past year due to a bad harvest, with prices up 30%-50%.
James Arkell, chairman of Wiltshire brewer Arkell's, which saw profits decline for the fourth year running in its most recent results, is also acutely aware of the difficulties in translating sales to profits. "Making that extra money (or regaining our past profits) seems to elude us, however much effort we put in and it is harder now than ever before," he wrote in the company's most recent accounts.
"Higher utility costs and taxation combined with lower gross margins have stripped away profits. New legislation continues to add cost to the business. Tax rises in the form of VAT, duty and National Insurance have all happened since January - the list is never ending!"
It's little wonder, then, that last week the Independent Family Brewers of Britain pledged £240k towards the campaign to reduce VAT to 5% for pubs and restaurants on drink, food and accommodation.
But a more onerous burden is beer duty, which has risen by a mouth-watering 35% since March 2008 thanks to the duty escalator. To put the burden in context, Yorkshire-based Black Sheep - which is solely a brewer, with no pub estate - last year paid £7.5m in duty, or 41% of its entire annual turnover.
Even those brewers that are reporting rising profits emphasise the burden they are under. Charles Wells last week reported a 2.1% increase in pre-tax profit for the year to 1 October, but highlighted that its total tax bill was £70m - 38% of revenue.
Everyone in the industry, from drinks producers to pub operators and restaurant companies, has good reason to complain about rising costs, but perhaps brewers are experiencing it more than most; all the more likely, then, that consolidations could be imminent.
Stephen Gould, managing director of Leicestershire brewer Everards, is another trade figure predicting such an outcome. This could be via takeover or some kind of partnership, he suggests, mirroring the agreement between Charles Wells and Young's to combine their brewing operations back in 2006.
"If we look at any other industry that's effectively manufacturing where there's limited growth for what they manufacture, then I think inevitably they will get to saturation point in terms of the number of brewers. And in any industry when you get saturation point, you get some degree of consolidation. That usually comes through strategic alliances or outright acquisition."
Are there opportunities here, also, for well-funded and strong-performing pub and bar operators to add a brewery to their assets? As private equity eyes opportunities to invest in fast-growing multiples, it stands to reason that the number of desirable sites currently on the market will eventually dry up. Perhaps a move into brewery ownership could be the natural next stage.
Certainly, stranger things have happened. Who would have thought six months ago that a regional brewer/pub operator would buy a small coffee bar chain, as SA Brain managed with its takeover of Coffee#1 in October?
Gould certainly sees the logic in this. "I think vertical integration is still a very credible part of anybody's business plan. If one looks out of our sector at Morrisons, they would argue they have vertically integrated structure because they manufacture and retail. I could see pub operators of all sizes seeing brewing as the future of their business."
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
30th November: No Bourbon, Four Scotches, Four Beers
I doubt John Lee would have had much time for the haggis, or indeed any solids (other than a persistent, dangling Lucky Strike) but there's plenty for the rest of us to appreciate.
Bookings can be made by clicking here.
Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer
Bowmore Whisky
present
A St Andrew's Night Beer, Whisky & Food Matching Spectacular
Welcome Drinks
Innis & Gunn Original Draught 6.6%
Bowmore Whisky Cocktails
*
Scottish smoked Salmon Mousse
Innis & Gunn Highland Cask 7.2%
Bowmore 12 Year Old
*
Haggis infused w Innis & Gunn Rum Cask
Served w neeps & tatties & curly kale
Innis & Gunn Rum Cask 7.4%
Bowmore 15 Year Old Darkest
*
Treacle TartServed w Vanilla-Infused Clotted Cream
Innis & Gunn Triple Matured 7.2%
Bowmore 18 Year Old
*
Artisan Cheeses
Innis & Gunn Winter Beer 2011
Bowmore Tempest Small Batch Release III
£25.00 per person
Sunday, 2 October 2011
Oktoberfest: Jaw-Dropping Scale but with Awe-Inspiring Quality
Nothing prepared me for the sheer grandness of the whole thing. And I don’t just mean the Fest itself. Everything about beer in Bavaria is, well, big. You can forget about Texas.
We started, as you do in these parts, with a breakfast beer. Well, breakfast Stein more like. That’s a massive, heavy, handled glass containing damn nearly two pints of beer. In my case, and to general macho mockery (even from the Brunhildegards), I chose a Dunkel Radler. That is a dark beer with lemonade – but pre-mixed in the brewery and sold on tap. It was delicious.
But the size of the glass is nothing in comparison to the size of the pub where we drank it before heading for the Fest itself. The Munich Hofbrauhaus is 11,000 square metres in size Рor 100,000 square feet in old money. That is almost twenty times bigger than Le Caf̩ Anglais.
It is also a sensationally light and beautiful vaulted building dating back to 1519 (though substantially rebuilt in 1879). Us assembled pub types estimated annual takings at somewhere not a million miles shy of £50 million. Over 7,000 customers a day spending £20, in other words. It also proves that a government can run a piss-up in a brewery. The Bavarian State has owned the place since the monarchy departed power.
And the sheer joy of the menu. Eight mains, all pork or porcine. We didn’t eat but the kitchen (itself the size of Le Café Anglais with a wash-up area the size of Draft House Tower Bridge) was spotless and the food looked immaculately executed.
The Munich Hofbrauhaus is a game-changer and must-visit for any human.
An hour or so and a Dunkel Radler, a Weisse Helles, a Dunkelbier and a Dunkel Weiss later we headed off for the Oktoberfest.
Once again I was overwhelmed. The festival ferris wheel you see from the entrance must be a mile away and looks like a toy. In between are tents, more funfair rides, food stands and thousands, nay hundreds of thousands, of happy drunks.
We were fortunate enough to be in the Augustiner tent, one of the great family-owned breweries of Munich.
Their Oktoberfest Beer (at 9 Euros per Stein) was effectively an oak-aged cask lager, poured from giant 200L wooden barrels. The pressure of the beer emerging from the barrel is such that each litre-Stein takes less than two seconds to pour (a lesson from the middle ages for the cooking lager brewers?). The beer is fresh and frothy and belies its 7% ABV. It is also one of the finest drinks I have ever had the good fortune to drink. No wonder festival beer is also known as Wiesenbier, or beer of the meadows. (Footage of a similar cask being tapped is at the bottom of this post from a sister Augustiner bar in town)
And the tent itself held a mere 11,000 seated guests. Each table is bedecked in an array of German pork products, wafer-thin Kohlrabi, and huge platters of grilled chicken.
I confess to having found it all a tad over-whelming and after two hours and an Easter Island full of mysterious, once full but now empty Steins, we decamped for Munich Old Town and a small pub, Augustiner am Platz, also owned by Augustiner. Here the world was set to rights and – due to studiously avoiding any Schnapps – I found myself in bed at 22-hundred hours.
Here's a video of the barman tapping a 32L cask of Oktoberfestbier (the equivalent 200L casks were being tapped every few minutes or so at the Augustiner tent a few km away). Thanks to John McElhinney of Windmill Taverns for lending me the footage.
The next day, back to England, full of inspiration - and beer.
Many thanks to Brian, Mark and Earl from Thwaite's for their generosity in accommodating me on this extraordinary trip. I love Nutty Black more than ever, chaps.
Friday, 2 September 2011
Burgered but Happy
It has been a summer of burgers. First there was the exhaustive 6-week preparation for Burger Monday with Daniel Young of www.youngandfoodish.com.
Charlie and Daniel
For those who don't know, Daniel's burger pop-ups have become legendary - he asks a well known chef to create a new burger in an unusual setting - usually a greasy spoon. They are limited events and tickets are like hen's teeth - for the Draft House Burger Monday all 80 tickets sold out in 15 minutes.
Because Daniel fell in love with the Tower Bridge Tasting Rooms at Draft House Tower Bridge, I persuaded him to break the format and do the event in-house. Then Simon Noumar and Patrick Taylor from the kitchen team there created not one but a three-course burger menu which we matched with cask ales from the Windsor & Eton Brewery. And those burgers (soon to go onto the menu at all Draft Houses) were:
The Yolk (4oz patty with a trimmed fried egg, glazed hollandaise)
The Smoke (4oz patty with house-cured bacon, house-smoked cheddar and harissa mayo)
The Foie (slab of Foie Gras and cherry Lambic jelly)
The Smoke
In all, 240 burgers were served over two sittings in just under three hours - a pretty extraordinary achievement by the Draft House kitchen - and the burgers were sensational. I think the pictures speak for themselves.
Simon glazing the Hollandaise on the Yolk Burger
Now if this catches your fancy, or you missed out on tickets on the night, let us know (info@tastingrooms.co.uk) as we are recreating this Burger Feast at £14.75pp. As above, all the burgers will be going on the main menus at all three Draft Houses shortly, watch this space.
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Innis & Gunn Beer & Food Matching Banquet
Absolutely brilliant dinner at the Tower Bridge Tasting Rooms (at Draft House Tower bridge). Hosting was Dougal Clark, owner-brewer, and the Draft House's very own Simon Noumar was cooking upstairs. Yours truly was crashing around as usual, generating a fair amount of smoke and light.
Wasting no time, the menu was as follows:
We kicked off with a palate-cleansing third of Innis & Gunn Original Draught (6.6%) followed by....
Grilled Kent Asparagus, Scottish Cured Salmon
Innis & Gunn Canada Day 2011 8.3%
*
Venison Pie infused w Innis & Gunn Rum Cask
w/ Neeps, Tatties & Curly Cale
Innis & Gunn Rum Cask 7.4%
*
Adam’s Treacle Tart
w/ Vanilla-infused Clotted Cream
Innis & Gunn Triple Matured 7.2%
*
Selection of seasonal fruits
Melville’s Strawberry Beer & Melville’s Raspberry Beer 4.1%
Dougal Clark was fascinating on the story behind Innis & Gunn and he shared several drinks with each table.
All in all a good time was had by all.
Thanks to Dougal, Adam and all the guys from I&G.
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