Mild/Wild May & "only sing when you're winning!"
May 16, 2025
What's up? I feel like maybe I should have joined some of the dots up a bit better in my thinking. From October last year, we had conviction that 2025 would have a dark theme on the beer front... We got that post St. Alban's Beer Festival Trade Day where everyone was into the porters, stouts and milds... That and young people were splitting the "G" [whereas splitting the fffs on our glasses is far more elegant ;>] and the "Guinness shortage" (if we believed that!?) ...
So now we are in May...and what is moving fast? Well Pressed Rat is of course! That and it seems like we are brewing more Black Velvet on the small kit every two minutes... Anyway, Mild May is clearly in full swing and whilst we still have reasonable stocks of Pressed Rat & Warthog I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't want to make sure we don't leave you disappointed, so order away! Traditionally of course a mild was seen as the perfect drink for a hot day, low ABV, good carbohydrates and fabulous flavour... Nowadays, many folks think an ice-cold lager is the answer... I guess I would agree with them - if they were right!
Otherwise, more Satisfaction on the way and the Imperial Stout [we might steal the name Midnight Rambler from a beer we made once, years ago] in big Wooden Butts and all battened up for the next few months. I tried some before... smooooooth and went in at 7.4%... wonder what it will emerge at?! First likely appearance will be St Alban's Beer Festival in late September...
What's on?
What's about? The Sunday Times isn't for everyone - but at risk of repeating myself - if you can get access to it, read Pete Brown's beer column. He's the only broadsheet beer writer, and yes we're probably biased, but we love his stuff - for me a must-read every week. One of his books - Shakespeare's Local - breathes life and history into the Globe and London through the ages in a way that will forever change how you see London. SUCH a great read...
Anyway, his new book is almost out... about pairing beers with music - sadly he had already written the book by the time we got to meet him, so we could not apply our persuasive powers to get him to give our beers a good shunt!
We have just about every genre of music covered as well when you think about it...Moondance, Dazed and Confused, Fool's Gold, We'll Meet Again, Satisfaction, Pressed Rat & Warthog, Comfortably Numb, Nothing Else Matters, Goldfinger, Midnight Rambler, Apache Rose Peacock, Stairway, Sundown, Carry On, Respect, Black Velvet, Snow Blind, Whole of the Moon, Dark Side of the Moon, Lady Eleanor, Hallelujah, Little Red Rooster, Smells Like Team Spirit, Jagged Little Pilsner, so many more*... anyway more on his book here. https://www.petebrown.net/2025/02/07/say-hello-to-tasting-notes-the-art-and-science-of-pairing-beer-and-music/
On the other side of singing - we once (decades ago??) did a white label beer called Aldershot Town for errr, Aldershot Town... And would be remiss of us not to say a big Congrats to them on their Wembly Trophy last weekend. Especially given their greatest EVER fan Steve (left below) is the one who racks off all the beer we bring you... More beer anyone?!
Best wishes for the weekend and hope we can bring you some beer next week!
Xen
P.S.
Been debating about these a while now as after Ethan our Tap Room Manager had done them, we discovered the tut-tutting of the energy ChatGPT takes to make them. Ooops. But since they are done... Will throw one of these your way every now and then... Starting with...
The man who brings you the beer... Nick Benham!
His favourite type of Music? Blues.
His favourite type of transport? Harley Davidson.
Likes: Dogs, Goldfffinger, Moondance, Portsmouth FC, Scottish & French Rugby.
Dislikes: Traffic, Negative attitudes, Southampton FC, Government Interference [don't go there!]
Favourite food: Thai.
Superpower: Making the impossible happen.
P.P.S. *Still waiting for someone to write the best-selling hit "Alton's Pride"... If you are bored of a weekend!
