Feb 01
A very well balanced 6.5% chocolate stout with a hint of ginger on cask at the Marble Arch.
Slips down very easily and the ginger taste builds through out but in my opinion it could do with a bit more of the ginger to give it that extra punch which would blend nicely with the dark chocolate notes.
Feb 01
Very drinkable 7.6% IPA sampled from cask at the National Ales winter Festival.
Lacks some aroma and hope flavour for it’s style but has a nice sweet, dry finish.
Two and half of Slapdash at National Winter Ales Festival.
Posted on:
January 20, 2012
Jan 19
Slightly late in posting but here’s a few reviews of local ale shops.
In preparation for new years eve the slapdash team decided to head out and stock up on tasty beer for a long evening of drinking. In order to get the best selection and also as a chance to check out a few new places we decided to take a small tour of a few local, reputable off licenses.
The Bottle Stop – 136 Acre Lane, Bramhall, Stockport, SK8 7PD
First off we made a small trek out to Bramhall to visit The Bottle Stop and the trip was definitely worth it! We spent a good few minutes taking in the vast selection of craft beers and ales that lined the shelves in front of us and wondered how we were going to decide what to buy (unfortunately the bank balance didn’t allow the “all of them” option). The extensive range included a good selection of beers from local breweries such as Red Willow and Marble as well as many quality American ales from Brooklyn Lager and Flying Dog among others. Also on offer was a good selection of bottled beers from the continent and in particular Belgium. Aside from the well stocked shelves there was also a cask beer and a keg beer available which were at the time of our visit were Marble Manchester Bitter and Erdinger respectively.
So all in all The Bottle Stop is definitely worth a visit even if it is a bit out of the way.
Carringtons – 690 Wilmslow Road Didsbury, M20 2DN & 322, Barlow Moor Rd, Chorlton, M21 8AY
Next we swung by didsbury for a trip to Carringtons, though visiting another alcohol retailer did seem a little unnecessary considering the amount of beer in my boot after The Bottle stop. The selection on offer was a bit underwhelming after the previous gluttony of choice but there was still some good beers on offer. In particular there was a fairly extensive range of Bavarian bottled beers available. There was a small selection of locally brewed beer including a number of beers from Dunham Massey and a few from Mallinsons Brewey, of which the Motueka blonde I would highly recommend. Overall though the selection of British ales was slightly disappointing but still far above the standard of most off licences or supermarkets.
The Carringtons in Didsbury is not the only one in Manchester there is also another in Chorlton and while we didn’t visit it on this trip I did briefly pop in on the cycle back from work the other day. The Chorlton branch is larger and therefore does offer a slightly more extensive range of beers.
The Beer Shop 13 Kingsleigh Road, Heaton Moor, Stockport, SK4 3QF
Last but certainly not least was The Beer Shop in Heaton Moor. Recently opened this small establishment operates as a small bar as well as an off license and is run by a friendly and knowledgeable owner. There are up to six cask beers on offer at any one time and these can be bought in 3, 5, 10 or 20 litre “bags in boxes” to take away. There is usually a good mix of session and specialist ales on offer from different local breweries and at the time of our visit this included the Red Willow Ageless among others. As the shop has not long been open the range of bottled beers is not yet as large as it could be but is still pretty extensive and very well selected. It includes a good range of imported beers from Europe and the US, including Brooklyn Local 1 & 2 and a nice selection from Flying Dog Brewery.
By the end of the trip the car boot was full of some quality ales which certainly made for a very enjoyable new years eve if not quite such an enjoyable new years day!
Jan 14
Lovely 5.5% stout with a gorgeous full taste. A classic and great out the cask in 57 Thomas Street.
My only gripe is I’d love it to be a bit thicker. A drink like this deserves more mouthfeel!!
Jan 13
Not only do I, and many others I’d take a risk at saying, find the alcohol units system a confusing, tiresome and outdated measure of how much alcohol you drink (and how much you should drink) but the system is totally unsuited for today’s modern ale and beer market. Having to fill out a medical form I was asked “how many unit of alcohol do you drink a week?” Hmmm, I thought. I had some great stouts this week but they were all about 9-11%, so I’ll be damned if I know how many units I had.
So off I google to the land of authority: www.drinkaware.co.uk
“FOR THE FACTS”
That’s drinkaware’s motto, proudly displayed under the logo at the top of the web site. So, what are the facts? Let’s take a quick poll of what’s been on at one of my favourite places to drink in Manchester, The Port Street Beer House. The choice available ranges far above 5%, very often for the imported beers in their keg selection.
This displays a short sighted approach from the powers that be. A small market, but nonetheless the craft ales and lagers seen commonly in bars in major cities across the UK should not be ignored. It simply shows a great deal of ignorance drinkaware and other organisations have for the UK alcohol market.
It’s sad to see and goes some way to explaining the lack of understanding the UK government seems to have for the British craft ale market and it’s brewers. High duty rates, the 7.5% tax on high strength beers and the need for campaigns such as CAMRAs “save the pub” are all examples of how, despite a recession, the government shows no eagerness to help and foster a growing and blossoming industry.
I can only hope time will help broaden the minds of those dispensing advice.
Jan 10
We’re back into the full swing of things once again, with this weekend’s brewday looking to be new recipe- a nice standard bitter.
Yup, a bitter.
Aiming to jazz it up slightly with a more complex malt base and a nice hoppy characteristic. We’re also aiming to stick this one in our new purchase – a reconditioned corny keg (many thanks to the chaps at Stockport Home Brew Shop)
Thoughts on upcoming brews are coming thick and fast, stay tuned!
Nov 01
Yup, finally got round to printing off labels for the Sunk and Foul – despite it being brewed over a month ago!!
Inspired partially by the minimalist approach taken by The Kernel brewery, I’m going for a straight forward black and white design.
Now here’s hoping the printer plays ball….
Ed
As you can see from the photos, what a lovely bunch we are at Slapdash!
Posted on:
October 25, 2011
Sep 28
Welcome to the Slapdash Blog! Here we will post the fun and frolics of everything happening at Slapdash brewery.
Slapdash Brewery need empty ale bottles so we’re sending out the call to everyone:
WE NEED YOUR BOTTLES!! Standard Brown ale bottles are preferred, but any are accepted!