Eating isn't Cheating: Mr Foley's

Showing posts with label Mr Foley's. Show all posts

Sorachi Ace Hopped Imperial Brown IPA - Sound fun?

Neil, Eating isn't Cheating Friday, November 18, 2011

You might remember I wrote about a beer I brewed with Dean from Mr Foley's. This post isn't about that beer. It's about a beer Dean brewed then asked me to make the label for. I'm writing about it because it's great, and I want to heap some pressure on him to a) make it again and b) make a professional brewery have a go at a similar beer.

It's a Sorachi Ace Hopped Imperial Brown IPA, around 7.6% ABV, and it rocks.

When I tasted this at Deans, it blew me away. A genuinely crazy mix of funky fermented orange and dark chocolate, with a whiff of coconut and Cointreau in the aroma. Easy drinking for the strength, but with good body, yet big and bitter in this finish. I thought it was one of the best black IPA's I'd ever had.

The beer I'm drinking now isn't quite the same. For a start the yeast that fizzes up through the neck (after 5 or so seconds of wasted beer I decided to risk it and get a bottle on the end of the fizz) has changed the colour from black to the labels promised brown. The aroma isn't as sharp and there is a definate, well, yeastyness.

But do you know what? It's still a good beer.

The furious secondary fermentation means that there's so much carbonation in the beer that the Yeast and sediment mixes into the beer and really changes the flavour. I've got nothing against yeast in my beer if it's meant to be there, but this isn't a wheat beer, and the yeast subtracts rather than adds.

It's a shame, but I tell you what, this beer needs to be brewed again, with a few tweaks, and it will blow you away. Even as it is (and I'm told a few bottles aren't over lively so if you've got hold of a bottle you may be lucky) it's a fantastic beer. I've got one bottle left. Do you think it'll get more less furiously fizzy over time?

As I mentioned. The beer is all Deans handy work, but the label, I did that. What do you reckon?

Mr Foley's

International IPA Day - Mr Foley's full beer list

Neil, Eating isn't Cheating Wednesday, July 27, 2011

For the benefit of those who don’t follow me, or pretty much any other beer blogger, on Twitter; I’ll start off by letting you know that there’s a genuinely exciting beery event happening next week called International IPA Day.

Thursday the 4th August is set to be a celebration of the much loved beer style India Pale Ale and its importance in the "Craft Beer Revolution". Started by a handful of bloggers in America it has quickly spread across the beer drinking World, predominantly via the power of social media and without the involvement of the traditional press or any corporate sponsors. Anyone can get involved, and everyone’s invited - A truly grassroots movement.

One of Leeds best pubs, Mr Foley’s on The Headrow, is getting involved and serving a huge range of IPA’s from keg, cask and bottle to delight the taste buds of Leeds drinkers, as well as some talks from a number of brewers serving beer at the event and two of Leeds finest Beer Bloggers – Zak Avery and Mark Fletcher.
There’s even talk of some curry to go with this historically Anglo-Indian beer-style, which is quite frankly a happy bonus!

If you want to read more about IPA Day then visit the event page, or search the hash tag #IPADay on Twitter. I’ll be there on the day and Tweeting throughout, so follow me at @EisntCNeil for a live rundown of what’s tasting good.

As you can see from the list below Mr Foley’s have secured some really special beers for the event, lots of exciting new brews such as Summer Wine Brewery '7C's of Rye', Magic Rock Brewery 'Human Cannonball', and Thornbridge Brewery 'RyePA'. A few exclusive beers you won’t find anywhere else such as Brewdog’s 'Hello, My Name Is Ingrid', which was brewed solely for the Swedish Market and Roosters Brewery 'Underdog IPA' which was produced especially for #IPADay at Mr Foley’s. Add to that a dedicated fridge containing 13 different bottled and canned IPA’s from the UK and USA and you’ve got an event with more hops than a bag of bunnies.

Mr Foley’s #IPADay - Full Beer List - UPDATED WITH PRICES (Pint/Half)

KEG

Magic Rock ‘Human Cannonball’ 9.2% £5.50/£2.75
Summer Wine ‘7C’s of Rye’ 7% £3.20/1.60
Brewdog ‘Hardcore IPA’ 9.2% £5.00/£2.50
Brewdog ‘Hello, My Name Is Ingrid’ 8.5% £5.00/£2.50

CASK

Thornbridge ‘Geminus’ 8.5% £3.50/£1.75
Buxton ‘Axe Edge’ 6.8% £3.30/£1.65
Kirkstall ‘Dissolution IPA’ 5% £3.00/£1.50
Roosters ‘Underdog IPA’ 5% £3.00/£1.50
Red Willow ‘Peerless’ 5.2% £3.00/£1.50
Hardknott ‘Code Black’ 5.6% £3.10/£1.55

BOTTLES

Odell ‘Myrcenary IPA’ 8.5% £5.50
Odell ‘IPA’ 7% £4.20
Stone ‘Cali-Belgique 2010’ 6.9% £6.00
Victory ‘Hop Devil’ 6.7% £4.00
Victory ‘Hop Wallop’ 8.5% £5.00
Dogfish Head ‘90 Minute IPA’ 9% £6.00
Sierra Nevada ‘Torpedo’ 7.2% £3.80
Maui ‘Big Swell IPA’ £4.30
Goose Island ‘IPA’ 5.9% £3.30
Brewdog AB:06 11.5% £15.00
Brewdog ‘Punk IPA 5.6% £3.40
Brewdog ‘Hardcore IPA’ 9.2% £4.50
Red Willow ‘Ageless Double IPA’ 7.2% £4.00

Veritas

Yorkshire Tapas: Where to find the best bar snacks in Leeds

Neil, Eating isn't Cheating Friday, July 15, 2011

Bar snacks have something of an image problem in this country, from slimy pickled eggs to crumbled packets of cheese and onion crisps, most pubs just don't make the effort.

The Spanish have quite literally got it down to a 'T' with Tapas bars, where little plates of simple snacks such as battered calamari, fried chorizo or squares of potato and onion filled frittata are served up alongside local beers, wines or sherries depending on the region. Many bars will specialise in a certain type of tapas and people will do a mini bar-crawl between different ones to get the best of what’s around. But we just don't seem to have a handle on the idea of informal snack eating in quite the same way, for us, it tends to be one or the other.

But it doesn’t have to be like this. There are pubs out there trying a little bit harder, who provide a selection of tasty treats to soak up your pint, and who are slowly winning people over to the idea of grazing rather than fast-and-feasting your way through the day. Leeds has got plenty of places to get a good beer, but the following pubs and bars also give the opportunity for a little snacking with your supping, and all are well worth a try.

The Adelphi
1-3 Hunslet Road, Leeds LS10 1JQ

The Adelphi have a dedicated bar snacks menu that is constantly changing depending on what is fresh, in season, or has taken the chef’s fancy - which in itself tells you that you’re on to a winner. They generally have around ten to fifteen bar snacks available, including things such as deep fried White bait with tartar sauce, Gloucester Old Spot Sausage Rolls with Brown Sauce, pan fried Chorizo with bread and Sweet Potato wedges with Tarragon mayo. All are very reasonably priced from £2 up to about £4.75, but a really nice touch is that you can choose any 3 Bar Snacks for just £10, perfect for sharing between a few people.

Recommended bar snack and beer: Salt & Pepper Squid with Lime Mayo, and a pint of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Mr Foley’s Cask Ale House

159 The Headrow, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS1 5RG

Mr Foley’s Cask Ale House is undoubtedly known best for its beer. They have an unbeatable selection of Cask Ale, a regularly changing range of international craft keg beers, two dedicated BrewDog taps and an excellent bottle fridge. What people don’t know though is that their bar snack nachos and triple cooked chips are some of the best in Leeds, all thanks to new chef Tyler’s hard work behind the scenes. Skin left on, crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside, nicely golden brown, and served in a bowl with plenty of salt - they’re the perfect partner to your pint.

Recommended bar snack and beer: Bowl of triple cooked chips, and a pint of BrewDog Punk IPA

North Bar
24 New Briggate, Leeds LS1 6NU

For a bar with such an extensive range of awesome beers from Belgium, America, Germany and the UK, this craft beer institution keep things simple when it comes to bar snacks, with meat and cheese platters being the star attraction, along with a selection of delicious pies from local company “i’s Pies”. Voted by The Independent as “The Best Place to Drink Beer in the UK”, the laid back, friendly atmosphere of this place really helps to encourage some informal grazing whilst sampling some of the best, and hardest to find beers around.

Recommended bar snack and beer: Cheese & Bread platter, and a bottle of Rocheforte 8

The Stew & Oyster (aka Calls Landing)
36-38 The Calls, Leeds LS2 7EW

This riverside bar is slowly growing in popularity, and they’re beer garden is in my opinion the best in Leeds. They have recently extended their menu to include some antipasti plates, marinated olives and bruschetta to go along with their stew and oysters, but it’s the beer that has really improved of late. Three cask pumps are available now along with a fantastic range of bottled beers, including some great American Craft such as Flying Dog Pale Ale and plenty of Belgian offerings.

Recommended bar snack and beer: Half a dozen oysters, and a pint of the Ossett Brewery “Stew & Oyster” Pale Ale

Veritas
43 Great George Street, Leeds LS1 3BB

Veritas is at something of an unfair advantage in the bar snacks department as it has a full blown Deli housed right inside the bar selling cheeses, meats, and pies as well as pastries and cakes which can either be eaten inside the bar or taken away. On the bar snacks menu you’ll find an array of cheese, meat and fish platters with things like mackerel pate and smoked chicken alongside local charcuterie and specialties. You can pick a pre-designed platter or build your own, picking whatever looks good on that particular day, and enjoy with a pint of beer from the excellent selection of cask, keg, and bottles.

Recommended bar snack and beer: Homemade hazelnut brownie, and a bottle of Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Photo credit: Stew & Oyster Website

Mr Foley's

Hardknott Infra Red - a supercharged beast of a beer

Neil, Eating isn't Cheating Sunday, May 15, 2011

Hardknott brewery get a lot of much deserved attention from beer geeks and bloggers, but are not a regular sight on most bars across the UK, and even their bottled wares are distinctly limited edition and fairly hard to come by (online is your best bet). It's not a marketing ploy to create buzz, they are just genuinely pretty small and at the moment demand far outstrips demand.

I've only had a few bottled Hardknott beers and until recently had never tried any of their cask beer. Thankfully Mr Foley's in Leeds look determined to rectify this situation and have had quite a few Hardknott beers on recently.

So on to the very special beer at hand, Infra Red, a hybrid red/amber ale heavily hopped with Cascade and Centennial.

In the glass the beer is bright red with hints of brown and a tight head that laces the glass thickly as you drink, it's a really stunning looking beer with an appearance unlike anything I've really seen. There's a lot of toffee and brown sugar on the nose and a little of this carries through into the flavour which is full bodied, with great mouthfeel and a general richness of flavour. The taste is like a super hopped ESB - I was expecting more of a red IPA but this definitely isn't that.

There's lots of berry fruit and classic English malt flavour but with a massive kick of spicy, aromatic hops that are quite dry in the finish. As well as those drying hops there's a touch of booze which comes in really late and a very slight roasted character, which is very subtle and sits behind the fruit and hops.

It's very unusual, something I've come to expect from Hardknott. It's challenging yet familiar, modern yet classic, a British Bitter on steroids - but most importantly it's just a really, really tasty beer.

You can follow Dave, Head Brewer and owner of Hardknott, on Twitter to get the inside scoop on their beers.

Mr Foley's

The flavour structure of hops - an evening with Ilkley Brewery

Neil, Eating isn't Cheating Wednesday, April 06, 2011

I attended a ‘meet the brewer’ event at Mr Foley’s Cask Ale House in Leeds last night, hosted by the genuinely nice guys from microbrewery Ilkley Brewery.

It was a great opportunity to learn more about Ilkley beers, and to meet some fellow beer bloggers in person for the first time, but the thing I took away most from the night was a better undserstanding of the thought process of brewers like Ilkley. The thing that’s great about small brewers is that they are first and foremost beer enthusiasts; who happen to have the capacity to brew some beer that they think will taste good. It's really that simple. Hearing the guys talk about beer totally in terms of flavour without even a sniff of 'we wanted to tap into so-and-so market' was really refreshing.

Another thing which was really interesting was the information about the 'structural' benefits of certain hops. This was something that I've never really thought about or discussed before and it was really very clever stuff indeed.

A well balanced beer has a flavour which carries through the beginning middle and end, so if you imagine a chart with flavour up the side and time across the bottom a well balanced beer will produce a smooth curve that doesnt drop off at any points along the way.

The problem when producing hop driven beers, as Ilkley like to do, is that certain hops engage the mouth at different times, so if you produce a single hop beer you have to use loads of it to produce a lingering hop flavour that lasts in the mouth. Use too little and the hop flavour will peter off too quickly, or not show it's head early enough and then cripple you with dryness in the finish. It's a balancing act that I've tasted and acknowledged in beers before, but never really fully understood until the event last night.

The really clever thing is that you can use a small amount of certain hops to 'prop-up' the main hop which would otherwise drop off the flavour curve somewhere along the way. The example they gave (if my memory serves me) is that in a Citra heavy pale ale a small amount of Cascade can actually help the Citra hop flavour carry right through the beginning, middle and end of the beer improving it's overall flavour. Thus giving a better overall hop flavour throughout the beer whilst still maintaining a clear and strong citra hop flavour i.e. the Cascade 'props up' the Citra. Interesting no?

They also talked about how dark malts mask the flavour of hops, making Black IPA's particularly tricky buggers to get right, as was demonstrated by their promising but not-quite-there-yet 'Black Summit' - a Black IPA based on their popular Lotus IPA. I agreed with the brewers comments that it needed a little tweaking before it was perfect; it needed to be a bit darker, a bit more complex and much hoppier. I'm confident it'll be a great beer once they get it right though as the other Ikley beers are top notch.

We were also talked through a number of Ilkley Beers:

Mary Jane 3.4% - A Session strength Pale that uses loads of Amarillo giving it a nice sweet orange and grapefruit note. For a session beer it's got loads of flavour and the hop profile is really nice and strong. Interestingly they told us that Amarillo is a mutant hop that spontaneously grew in one producers hop fields, and unlike nearly all other hops he has a trademark on the name. Now it's become popular he's raking it in as no one else can grow it!

Ilkley Black 3.7% - A pretty decent session Dark mild that the brewers told us they introduced as a response to a brewery tour by the local Camra branch (make of that what you will) it's not particularly exciting but for a low ABV dark mild it is pretty on the money. Nice mild roastyness, hints of milk chocolate and malt with very little hop character. It apparently sells very well locally, which you can't really argue with.

Ilkley Pale 4.2% - This hoppy Pale Ale was my favourite of the night. For a mid strength beer it is bursting with flavour from the juicy Nelson Sauvin hops, has a really nice floral bitterness without being too aggressive, and a fresh citrussy finish. Really nice and a perfect beer for supping in the sun.

Black Summit 5.0% - This black ipa was a touch dissapointing on the night as I already mentioned. But from what the brewers said this beer is currently a work in process - By the time most people drink this it should be spot on. These guys know what they're talking about, they know how to brew good beer, and I look froward to trying this once it's been perfected.

P.S. Was great to meet the gaggle (bloggle?) of Leeds Beer Bloggers from Hopzine, Beer Prole, Good Stuff, Ghost Drinker and many more who I'll thank on Twitter.

real ale

Leeds beer lovers: Meet the brewer event with Ilkley Brewery at Mr Foleys

Neil, Eating isn't Cheating Monday, April 04, 2011

Just a really quick reminder to any lovers of good beer in Leeds that there is going to be a "Meet the Brewer" event with Ilkley Brewery at Mr Foleys Cask Ale House tomorrow evening at 7.30pm

I promised Mr Foleys I'd help spread word so checkout their facebook page for more info: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mr-Foleys-Cask-Ale-House/9553182738 and follow them on Twitter as well @MrFoleys

It's one of my favourite cask beer pubs in Leeds and worth a visit even when they don't have events like this on. It Rocks. Plus Ilkley Brewery make some fantastic beers and it's always good to hear from the brewer how they make their beer. These events are informal, fun, and interesting, plus you get to drink beer. What's not to like? Get yourself down for a cheeky-early-in-the-week pint and some interesting beer-based discussion. You know you want to!

About the Brewery: http://www.ilkleybrewery.co.uk/

How to find Mr Foley's: Map

Update: For my review of this event click here

Summer Wine Brewery

"Bitch Please" by 3 Floyds and BrewDog - plus Nerotype Single Hop Black IPA by SWB

Neil, Eating isn't Cheating Sunday, March 06, 2011

When I returned home on Saturday to a bare fridge that matched my empty stomach I felt safe in the knowledge I could take a short walk into town and treat my self to a perfectly cooked, thick-cut rump steak and chips from one of my favourite places in Leeds - Mr Foley's Cask Ale House. They serve proper, well cooked, reasonably priced pub grub and their rump steak is better than some I've paid twice as much for. At around £8 it's a total bargain. Washed down with a few pints of Wharfebank Wispa IPA it was just what the doctor ordered.

An added bonus was that I'd been exchanging tweets with Dean from Mr Foley's (@mrfoleys) about Summer Wine Brewery's Nerotype Single Hop (Simcoe) Black IPA, and he offered to give me a little taster before it was put onto the bar. This beer blogging malarky has it's perks right?

Despite not having any head (served by gravity straight from the barrel with no beer engine or spinkler to churn it up) the beer looked fantastic, dark yet crystal clear. It's an unusual one this. It does have a slight smokeyness but mainly the aroma and flavour are dominated by big passionfruity simcoe hops,very aromatic like fresh mango, not hugely bitter but slightly dry in the finish. If you closed your eyes you could be forgiven for thinking you were drinking a regular IPA. Also very different to a hoppy porter, which I've heard some say Black IPA's are similar to, with the fruity hops making this instantly recognisable as an IPA, regardless of it's tint.

With a full belly and an afternoon to fill, myself and drinking companion decided a wander over to North Bar was in order. Which is where things got really interesting...

I spotted it as soon as I walked in, a slapdash badge made up of half 3 Floyds Logo and half BrewDog, "this looks interesting..." After speaking to the ever reliable bar staff in North Bar I was told it was the "Bitch Please" Barley Wine that BrewDog made in collaboration with the famous (or infamous?) 3 Floyds Brewery from the US. I remembered hearing about this last year but never thought I'd get to try any having not seen the bottles on sale anywhere, and here was the even more special Rum Oak Barrel aged version on tap right in front of me. A rare find not to be missed, and it seemed my timing was perfect, my second half being the last pulled out of the keg and then, as they say, it was gone...

The video below explains the ingredients and brewing process much better than I ever could, so watch that, then have a read of what I thought of the finished beer.

BrewDog & Three Floyds: Bitch Please from BrewDog on Vimeo.

This a big, thick, full bodied, barley wine and it looks just that in the glass. It's very merky and dense with a definate unfiltered cloudy look to it, very little light gets through but the colour is deep brown with a red tinge at the edges. I'm a big supporter of flavour over crystal clarity, particularly in big beers like this, so if this is the way to get maximum flavour in to the beer I can forgive it being a bit cloudy. Plus it was served by keg so however it looks is pretty much as the brewers wants it, and these are two brewers I think can be trusted.

The smell is amazing. It's hugely sweet smelling with masses of toffee, shortbread, malt chocolate, molasses and treacle. I've had beers before that have claimed to have some whacky ingredients, only to have those flavours or aromas distinctly abscent from the finished product. Bitch Please is definately the other end of the spectrum, everything they've put in, you can clearly recognise.

The overrriding flavour is of sweet, rich, chewy toffee, complex biscuity malt and shortbread, with a slight vanilla note coming from the oak ageing I'd assume, and warmth from the alcohol (10.1%ABV if I remember rightly). A slight chocolate flavour comes in aswell but it's faint and rides alongside the malt more than being a standalone flavour like the toffee and shortbread. You can detect the rum a little as well, but not so much as other Rum Barrel aged beers I've tried, probably because this beer had so much flavour when it went in to the barrel that the Rum adds a hum rather than a wallop of boozy flavour.

Bitch Please is very thick and has a fantastic mouth coating texture that is genuinely a bit chewy, it's a term I hate seeing banded around as it stinks of pretention, but honestly in this case it is extremly apt. Amazingly for a beer of this strength it held a small, tight head right down to the bottom as well which is something I didnt expect. The finish is very long and drying with the hops only really coming through after the beer has left your mouth, which is perfect timing as it cleans your mouth of all that toffee ready for another chew.

It's an amazing achievement, a huge beer designed to be sipped, but that drinks extremely smoothly and easily, with a little alcohol warmth but no burn, and a huge amount of right-on-the-money flavours to pick up on. It's a contender to my long reigning champion " favourite big beer" Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, but luckily Bitch Please goes in a completely different direction in terms of style. A tricky decision well side stepped I'd say.