Pieminister Pies

We've recently started listing pies from Pieminister for sale on the site. As a big fan of pies in general (who isn't), I thought I'd test them myself (I was also keen to see how they'd stand up to delivery) and so put in an order.

I hadn't heard of the pies myself prior to us listing them but was assured on Twitter and Facebook of their quality and reputation, after checking out the different pies on offer my mouth was literally watering as I typed the ingredients when adding them to our site.

Pieminister was started in 2002 by Jon Simon and Tristan Hogg with the intention of offering the British public a true gourmet pie experience. Make no mistake these are no ordinary pies, ingredients including, goats cheese, chorizo, olives and vermouth (not in the same pie) make these very much 'gastro' pies. These are pies to be made a proper meal of rather than shoved down at the footie with a Bovril chaser.

I decided to order the 'Mixed Pieminister Box' of 12 pies and arranged for them to be delivered to our holiday address. The pies arrived within a couple of days of ordering and were packed extremely well. Pieminister has developed a bespoke box for transit in order to make sure the pies arrive in top condition. They were individually boxed then placed within a plastic bag which sat inside the outer which was also polystyrene lined to maintain freshness. There was also sheet of Pieminister plastic ice cubes within the box which although no longer ice had clearly kept the box nice and cool on its journey.

The pie that appealed to me most was the 'Matador Pie' made with 'Free range beef steak, chorizo, olives, tomato, sherry and butter beans'. I was a little confused initially as to whether I could just start chomping on it as I would do with a butcher bought pie, but the instructions on the side seemed to suggest it needed cooking (25mins) so I whacked the oven on and got cooking.

On to the pie... mmmmm I wasnt dissapointed , the first thing I noticed was the quality of the ingredients, the beef was succulent and tasty, the chorizo juicy and the olives soft and tender. The pastry was also spot on, dense but not greasy and a perfect contrast to the juicy contents of the pie. The Matador as you might expect with the herbs and sherry had a grown up Mediterranean flavour so not perhaps what the kids are going to like but perfect for a posh pie. The only criticism I could level at this pie was that it the Chorizo could have perhaps had more of a spicy chilli kick. This is possibly just my Chilli damaged taste buds though and is easily rectified with a splash of whichever is your chilli sauce of choice.

So there you have it, one pie in and I'm impressed. Obviously at £45/12 (+£5.99 p&p) these are not a flippant purchase. However they do apparently freeze very well and basically you then have 12 restaurant quality pies in the freezer at less than £4 each, which is pretty good all things considered. Ideally you'd probably want to add some chips or some special peas or beans (thanks Beer Reviews Andy) but I enjoyed the pie straight up, and it sustained me for a 20 mile bike ride an hour or so later...

You can see the full range of mixed Pieminister boxes we're offering here.

Hawkshead Summer Beer Festival

Driving towards Windermere last Monday at the start of our summer Lakes holiday I noticed a sign advertising Hawksheads Summer beer festival. After excitedly checking my calendar I was very happy to realise that the festival was the following weekend.

As I've mentioned in previous blogs I'm a big fan of Hawksheads beers but our regular visits up here never seem to coincide with their festivals. A quick check of the beer list for the festival and I was even more excited, the list was a who's who of the best of the UK beer scene with only a few notable omissions (no Marble for example), there was however going to be beers from Thornbridge, Dark Star, Brewdog, Saltaire and Highland Brewing Co. amongst others.

After much pleading and bartering of family duties, I finally managed to get to the festival on Saturday afternoon ready to get stuck into some quality beers. Myself and roped in family friend Dan (a beer festival novice) headed over to Staveley around 4pm. Unfortunately on arrival I realised that Saturday afternoon was too late as many of the beers I'd been looking forward to had already run off.

The festival had been running since Thursday and I guess had been very popular everyday. This scenario is common of many beer festivals these days and obviously a sign of their growing popularity. I appreciate it must be difficult and this isn't a criticism aimed particularly at Hawkshead but I do wish festivals would plan to have enough beer for the Saturday night which traditionally is when the main entertainment is planned and should be there busiest night.

To be honest I was half expecting this to be the case as its the same at a lot of the other festivals I've been to recently, unfortunately I wasn't able to get there any earlier on this occasion.

Luckily there was still a number of beers available including one of my favourite beers Thornbridge Kipling and a full compliment of Hawksheads range: Lakeland Gold, Red, Bitter, Brodies Prime, Organic Stout and Damson Porter. We also tried tasty beers from RCH, Greenmill and Purity Brewing. To be honest I could quite happily spend all my Saturday nights at Hawksheads beer hall regardless of there being a beer festival, so I wasn't too upset.

I also remembered that Matt Clarke, Hawkshead brewer had told me to come and say hello if I made it to the festival. A member of staff located Matt; and after brief introductions Dan and I were soon being treated to a behind the scenes tour of the Hawkshead operation. These are exciting times for Hawkshead, since there beginnings in 2002 they've expanded rapidly and are currently in the process of creating a new modern visitor centre/bar in adjoining buildings at the Mill Yard Staveley.

The brewery currently a 30 bbl set up was full of beautiful sparkling German stainless steel vessels, including some large new fermenters waiting to be enclosed behind glass in the new brewery tap. I'm sure I'm not alone in loving being shown round breweries, Its great to see behind the scenes especially when the brewery in question is one of your favourites.

Inevitably there is also usually some special or at least very fresh beer involved in brewery tours and at this point we were treated to a taste of a special one-off brew that Matt has devised which was just in the process of conditioning. Matt (like Kelly Ryan of Thornbridge) is from New Zealand originally and the beer: "Captain Cooker Manuka Beer" is infused with the leaf of New Zealand's, Manuka plant giving it a slightly perfumed, sweet, spicy, tea like quality. it tasted great, experimentation with ingredients like this is to be encouraged as far as I'm concerned and I'm hoping to be able to try this beer again somewhere soon.

We also checked out some fermenting Hawkshead Red, discussed the planned new developments and beer in general. After shoving my head inside a bag of Citra hops (like a demented dope fiend), we returned upstairs to the beer hall to be met by Dave and Anne and friends from Hardknott Brewery and enjoyed another couple of pints and some friendly conversation before arranging our taxi home.

After my initial disappointment at missing out on many of the beers at the festival, I'd come away having had a really enjoyable few hours and I've made a promise to myself note to visit the festival earlier next time. If you're in the area you really should check out the Hawkshead beer hall and its excellent beers, if you've never tried them you really should. Hawkshead are to my mind masters of flavour and consistency. The new brewery tap looks like its going to be very impressive indeed (unfortunately I was enjoying myself so much I didn't take any pictures).

The epilogue to this blog is the great news that we will shortly be listing Hawkshead's bottled beers on myBrewerytap, with any luck we'll get the bottles into our 52 week beer club and mixed cases soon as well.

Guest Blog #2 - Adam Bruderer on Summer 52wbc

Here's the second part of guest blogger Adam Bruderer's review of our current 52 week beer club case

4. After one Best Mates Brewery Vicar’s Daughter which was as sour as a Van Bommel tackle (had to get that line in!) I tried a second which was considerably better. This bottle conditioned IPA poured slightly cloudy with no head but was easily drinkable. A slightly hoppy taste made for a refreshing pint. (An acceptable 2.5/5)

5. Cotleigh Brewery Barn Ale: fine dark premier ale. Good head, rich and malty, smooth and fruity. One of the best of the batch so far, I’d look out for this one again. (A great 3.5/5)

7. Wold Top is a brewery I’ve come across before and found their beers enjoyable. And I wasn’t disappointed by the Wold Gold. Having had a very good beer in the Cotleigh Barn Ale, this was immediately surpassed by the Wold Gold. A delicious tangy blonde beer with a refreshing fruity taste. Great for a hot sunny day; it’s a pity this wasn’t one! (A highly commendable 4/5)

8. “Your beer cupboard is getting very full” says Ryn. Guess I’ll just have to drink some more beers then! Next up was the Potton Brewery Shambles. Best described as a light Friday evening session beer with some subtle undertones, detected by both me and Ryn. (2.5/5)

9. RCH Brewery, Pitchfork. This was an extremely lively RAIB. After waiting patiently for the large head to clear, this light golden bitter had a slightly sweet and citrus taste. Another good Friday evening beer. (3/5).


More from Adam on the beers in this Quarters 52wbc case shortly.

Anyone who's interested doing a guest blog on one of our future cases please get in touch: richard@myBrewerytap.com

You can sign up for the 52wbc here, or buy the mixed case with the same contents here.

Guest Blog #1 - Adam Bruderer on Summer 52wbc

It's become apparent to me lately that keeping up to date with this blog on top of other commitments and daily running of myBrewerytap is not easy.

As a solution to this I decided I'd ask (via Twitter) if anyone would be interested in helping me add some content to the blog by writing guest beer reviews.

I had a great response, and was pleased that each person said they'd not blogged before but was happy to give it a go.Hopefully this will become a regular feature on the blog where we get guest reviewers to blog on the contents of the 52 week beer club selections. Each guest will submit a few reviews for the case.

First up reviewing the Summer quarters case is Adam Bruderer from Manchester, over to Adam...

“Is there no end to your geekiness?” despairs my long suffering partner, Ryn. “You’ll do anything for free beer”. Well - not absolutely anything, but with a request from myBrewerytap.com for people to review beers, how could I resist giving it a go?

Having spent my formative years collecting beer mats and pub names, progressing to photographing pubs and amateur scooping, it was kind of inevitable. As a subscriber to the myBrewerytap.com 52 Week Beer Club, I am familiar with their varied selection of mainly light beers. My mission was to review the Summer 2010 case.

1. So I started off one sunny Wednesday evening sitting in the garden with an IPA. It’s all the Raj. Ossett Brewery Excelsior to be precise. It poured light and clear with a good head and unusually lively. A good thirst quenching beer, described as an IPA but more like a golden ale to me; darker than an IPA and hasn’t got the hoppy kick. Aren’t true IPAs supposed to be above 6% ABV? Goes down easy – not as formidable as the name may suggest. Halfway down the pint still has a head and is active (a drinkable 3/5)

2. Derventio Emperor’s Whim is slightly darker, creamer and more bitter than the Excelsior. Definitely a golden ale. Less distinctive than the Excelsior and pretty nondescript really. (a slightly below par 2/5)

3. Time for a bit of World Cup Final drinking. Hidden Brewery Old Sarum is a dark traditional bitter. With a strong fruity malty taste, it resembles Courage Directors of old, but better. (an enjoyable 3.5/5)"

More from Adam on the beers in this Quarters 52wbc case shortly.

Anyone who's interested doing a guest blog on one of our future cases please get in touch: richard@myBrewerytap.com

You can sign up for the 52wbc here, or buy the mixed case with the same contents here.

American beers on myBrewerytap

If you've been following this blog you'll realise by now what a fan of American beers I've become since starting the business. I still love great British beer but I'm always looking for new US beers to try and am delighted that we can now offer a decent range on the site.

Contrary to most peoples opinion of American beer, the US has arguably the most vibrant and interesting craft beer scene in the world. Craft brewers unhindered by traditional styles and flavours have since the late 70's been re-inventing and re-defining styles of beer with amazing results. If your idea of US beer is the fizzy tasteless liquids we are usually served in the UK you're in for a shock! Steam Beers, fruity Pale Ales, Indian Brown Ales, Imperial Stouts, massively hopped Double IPA's, these breweries are not afraid to experiment and we intend to bring you the best of their output.

We are now listing full cases of beer from Anchor, Brooklyn, Dogfish Head, Flying Dog, Goose Island, Sierra Nevada and Victory Brewing. We also have a Mixed Case of 12 (Mixed Case 1) which is a brilliant introduction to the different styles and flavours of US beers, and two other mixed cases; Mixed Case 2 and Mixed Case 3 both featuring 2 x 6 different bottles.

We'll be adding more interesting US breweries and beers as we get hold of them and the mixed cases will change regularly depending on availability so keep checking back to see what we have.

Saltaire Brewery

I finally got round to visiting Saltaire brewery on Friday night for their 'beer club' night. The last Friday of every month the brewery opens its doors and the local public stream in to drink the brewerys beers straight from the source. As a fan of their beers I'd been meaning to visit since the first time a year or two back I'd seen the night advertised. A short train journey from Leeds saw myself and a friend at the brewery for around 7pm to meet Shipley resident Rob and Matt from Hopzine.

The brewery is located in an old generator house originally used to power Saltaires trams, and is now filled with a beautiful custom built 20 bbl Moeschle brewery from Germany. The building is half visitor centre and half brewery with two bars and various informative signage dotted about. Its a really welcoming place and on a warm June evening was the perfect place for any beer lover to be.

We started the evening with a pint of the 'Summer Ale" a 4.0% a really refreshing blond ale conditioned to perfection as you'd expect with it not having to travel more than 100yds. Next up was the Amarillo Gold, a 4.2% pale ale with the lovely distinctive grapefruity Amarillo hop flavour. On my way to the bar for our next choice I managed to collar Tony Gartland head brewer and one of the breweries founders for a quick chat.

Tony was busy collecting glasses and looked very content to have a full brewery full of people enjoying his beer. We talked about what a success the 'beer club' nights were and he told me they can expect to sell about 20 casks (1440 pints) on a typical 'beer club' friday night. It made me think how nice it would be if more breweries had regular open nights like this. There really is no better way to taste a breweries beer than straight from the brewery, the beer looked after meticulously from its inception and completely as the brewer intended.

Our next pint was Saltaires flagship beer "Cascade" pale ale, packed with citrussy Cascade hops with their lovely lip smacking flavour and tangy bitterness, and again on perfect form. Next up was the Raspberry Blonde, a beer of theirs I tried last year. Described as having "delicately infused raspberry flavours" I actually think the raspberry flavour in this beer is really strong. It has a great assertive fruity raspberry character that your mouth thinks is going to end up sickly sweet but finishes nice and bitter making you want another drink. Its not a beer I'd want pint after pint of but its definitely one to try.

We were already running out of time before we had to leave for our train but managed to slip in a half of another of Saltaires acclaimed beers 'Hazelnut Coffee Porter'. I had tried this beer before and drinking it again brought back the same feelings. Its a beer that tastes (maybe unexpectedly) just as described, there is sweet coffee and a chocolate charachter in there but the flavour and aroma is dominated by a fruity hazlenut flavour. Its a really unusual and interesting beer and well worth trying if you get the chance.

Unfortunately the recently crowned SIBA champion beer "Triple Chocoholic" wasn't on cask on this visit but I loved it so much in the bottle that its a good reason for me to return soon.

If you can get there, you really should try and check out a Saltaire "beer club" night, great beer in a beautiful slightly quirky brewery. Ill be back as soon as I can.

We've recently started listing Saltaires beers here.

There's a great profile of Saltaire brewery on Hopzine.com here.

Summer Quarter 52 week beer club

Our summer quarter cases of the 52 week beer club are now ready to ship. If you're not aware, the 52 week beer club is a great way to sample some of the beers featured on myBrewerytap. Members receive 52 beers over the course of a year (13 bottles quarterly) and we also include tasting notes and complimentary gifts.

Last quarters case was incredibly well received (how great was the Fyne Avalanche?!) and we’ve pulled out the stops to deliver you another great selection of beers for this quarter. In this case amongst others there’s a former national SIBA champion in Ossett Breweries ‘Excelsior’, there’s also a bottle of ‘Pitchfork’ from the multi award winning RCH brewery and a bottle of the champion beer of Hampshire 5 years running (and a 90%+ on ratebeer.com) Oakleaf Brewery’s ‘Hole Hearted’.

As ever these beers will be available as a single mixed case on the site. We’re also now offering an alternative mixed case ‘myBrewerytap mixed brewery case 2’ featuring an alternative range, you can check it out here.

We hope you enjoyed the free curry sauce from The Curry Sauce company, their complete range of sauces are now available in the ‘beer related foods’ section of the site here. This quarter your complimentary gift is a bag of that quintessentially English pub snack, Pork Scratchings! Not just any old scratchings, they’re the award winning ‘Q’ pork scratchings from the Black Country recently voted the best in the country! We’re continuing to search out other great ‘beer related foods’ so if you’ve any suggestions please let us know.

We’re always looking to receive suggestions for new breweries or beer related products we should be listing so please get in touch on the website or via Twitter (@myBrewerytap) or Facebook (search for myBrewerytap).

myBrewerytap continues to go from strength to strength, we are now featuring 70 breweries (over 400 beers not generally available in the supermarket) including multi award winning breweries such as Saltaire, Hogs Back, Dark Star and Crouch Vale. If you haven’t had a look for a while please take a few minutes to browse the site and see if we’re listing some of your favourite beers.

A full list of this quarters beers can be seen below, you can join the 52 week beer club here.