Posted by Fergus | Brewing | Posted on March 1st, 2010
Fergus on why beer matters
I’ve been meaning to write this for a while now but breaking into the Wikio top 50 beer and wine blogs has prompted me to actually do it (no I don’t know what Wikio means either, ask Sean, anyway our blog is no. 42).
Pete Brown, beer writer extraordinaire, organized a competition to give away his prize for being crowned beer writer of the year 2009. I don’t actually know if there was a crowning ceremony but it’s nice to think there was one, maybe it came with a red cloak and sceptre and a swan chorus.
Anyway the prize was a trip to the Budvar Brewery and the competition was to write a few words about why beer matters.
I thought about entering but actually, I brew beer for a living, it probably best left to others to write about it. But it did get me thinking about if beer was important and why.
You’ll be unsurprised to discover that I do think beer is important.
Throughout most of my life it has mattered to me and I expect it to continue to matter to me for many years to come.
I am a brewer, so it provides my main source of income, my other income stream being the £10 I made on e-bay selling two old fish tanks, and having an income matters to my bank and me, in that order.
I enjoy being a brewer, not just enough to make it to the weekends, because there aren’t many, but actually enough to say that I’m passionate about it. I care about the responsibility that comes with brewing beers that have been brewed for decades and in some cases over a 100 years. I care about helping to ensure Adnams exists long after I have left and I care about brewing beer that people can enjoy.
But beer mattered to my life in other ways before I knew what hops were or that fish had swim bladders.
It brought people together and broke the awkward silences, it was a way of celebrating or commiserating, a part of the coming together of friends and communities, or just watching the world go by.
I’ve never seen drinking as dangerous or anti-social, quite the opposite. It is the most social of alcoholic drinks. It loses something when drunk in isolation, not that it can’t be enjoyed watching the X factor on a Saturday night, or whatever you kids are watching these days, more that a dimension of the enjoyment is missing, like going to see a comedian on your own, it’s fine laughing by yourself, but it’s always better in company.
I know of course that in excess it can be harmful but in the main I have a positive view of alcohol in general (Tia Maria being one of the exceptions) and beer in particular.
Obviously the alcohol in beer plays it’s part in our enjoyment of it but I think beer offers more than that, it gives us simplicity or complexity, a challenge to our taste buds or a familiar friend. It brings together the flavours of barley and hops and yeast with the deliberate designs of man. The best beers for me are those that are balanced and are part of an evenings enjoyment rather that the focal point of it. They should have interesting things to say but not strangle the conversation. We are apparently social animals and beer for me forms part of those ritual gatherings.
I don’t suppose in the great scheme of things that, in itself, beer matters, but the people involved in making it, selling it, serving it and drinking it do and as long as people enjoy drinking it then it should matter.
I need to go now and sample some beer so to summarise;
Beer matters.
Posted by Teresa | Brewing, Seasonal Beers | Posted on January 29th, 2010
Gunhill 4% ABV
We are delighted to announce that Adnams Gunhill will be available in cask for February, March and April 2010.
A traditional dark ruby beer, delivering a full flavour. Full aromatic barley malts and an exquisite blend of hops combined to create a wonderful balance of sweet biscuit and subtle fruit flavours with a hint of chocolate bitterness.
First brewed in 2008, this beer can be described as a cross between a dark mild and an old fashioned brown ale. We use a blend of 4 different malts to give a rich dark beer that belies its low ABV. The toffee, chocolate and spicy flavours come from the Chocolate, Crystal and Aromatic malted barleys and the sweetness left from the Tipple malted barley is balanced by the bitterness from the Boadicea hops.
Posted by Andy Mogg | Brewing | Posted on January 7th, 2010
Fergus Fitzgerald
Guest post by Andy Mogg of Beer Reviews, who recently interviewed Fergus.
What is your brewery capacity?
Our Annual capacity is about 140,000 brls
What is different about your brewery?
Adnams is a mix of the traditional and the modern. We specialise in cask beer, which is seen as a very traditional product but we have modernised the brewing over the past decade and we now have the equipment, and I think the desire, to expand our brewing horizons. We are becoming more experimental in what we do but still keeping our history and tradition at the core. Brewing on the East Coast of England with a view of the Lighthouse and the Sea from your window gives you a certain perspective on your place in the world and so we try to make sure we are a positive influence on our neighbours and the wider community.
How long have you been brewing for?
As Adnams, at the Sole Bay brewery we have been brewing since 1872, I have been brewing for about 12 years.
How did you get into brewing?
I studied Biotechnology and my first job was in a Dairy testing cheese that had been stored at 25oC for a month. I decided fairly quickly that was not for me. In 1995 I got a temporary job at Fullers in the lab when I was 19 and I decided brewing was what I wanted to do. I loved the mix of the creativity and science of brewing. I spent 6 months there before returning to Ireland where I worked at Murphy in Cork for a short while before returning in 1997 to Fullers. I spent 7 more years at Fullers and while I was there I studied for the brewing exams. I worked in most areas of the brewery before finishing up in the brewhouse. Then in 2004 I moved to Adnams as assistant brewer. In 2008 I finished off my Master brewer exams and I took over when our previous Head brewer retired early last year.
What beers do you brew regularly?
Our regular cask beers are Bitter,Broadside and Explorer. While in bottle we do Bitter, Broadside, Explorer,East Green, Lighthouse, Gunhill and now Innovation as well. (Note: Glad to hear Innovation is now regular – it’s truly is an awesome beer)
What special/seasonal beers do you brew?
We brew an ever increasing list of seasonal beers. In addition to bringing Lighthouse and Gunhill out as seasonal cask beers we will be brewing for cask: Oyster stout in Feb, Extra in April and May, Mayday in May, Regatta for the summer months, possibly a Halloween beer, then Old ale for Oct,Nov and Dec and Tally Ho for December, although we will brew that in July and age it until we release in December. We will bottle Tally Ho again next year (but a bit earlier than this year).
We will also bottle a few one off brews next year but I can’t talk about them yet. We are also doing a series of one off cask beers which are our interpretation of different beer styles in cask. We have brewed a Kolsch style, a Belgian abbey style and now a German Wheat. In January we are doing and American IPA, in Feb a Belgian Wheat beer and in March, well of course an Irish dry stout. (Note This was written at the end of 2009 so next year is actually this year – confused – yeah me too ;o) )
Where do you think the future of brewing lies?
Hopefully with a wider appreciation for the breath of flavours in beer. I think all brewers will need to be more inventive. I also think brewers need to be more forthright in defence of beer against the anti-alcohol lobby.
What is your proudest moment in brewing?
I have a proud moment everytime someone who says they don’t like beer tries Innovation. At the moment I’m particularly proud of our German Wheat beer and I’m always proud of the way everyone at Adnams puts their heart and soul into what we do.
What was last beer you drank?
Had a taste of our version of a German style wheat beer in cask with Mark Dorber a few hours ago plus a little trial we have in FV43.
What is your favourite hop?
Currently it’s Nelson Sauvign but I’m trying to get hold of some of this years Bramling Cross that I smelled a few months ago, which was fantastic, and a new hop from America called Citra.
What is your brewing ambition?
I love brewing beers that people want to drink and I think my ambition as a brewer is just to do that.
Do you have a Brewing hero/inspiration?
I’ve worked under 3 head brewers, Reg Drury and John Keeling at Fullers and Mike Powell Evans at Adnams and learnt something from all of them and I learn something from almost every brewer that I meet. I met a Danish brewer called Per Kølster during the summer and I loved his approach to beer, he was growing malting everything himself and growing his own hops, all his beers are unfiltered and unpasteurised. He was letting his ingredients lead the way to the beer he would create. It was as uncomplicated and as true a reflection of what brewing should be about as I have seen.
Which beer do you wish you had brewed?
Oh loads of beers, the last one I tried that I loved was Nils Oscars’ Rokporter
What is your Favourite hobby outside of brewing?
I have a 3 year old son so my main hobby is going to the transport museum and riding around in seemingly endless circles on the old trams. I have a few Bonsai trees that I like to look after when I can.
And there you go – you now hopefully know something about Adnams and Fergus that you didn’t know before.
Please check out Andy’s beer blog for reviews, news and views on beers from many different breweries across the country and beyond.
