No.
OK, hold on there. “You do sell Lupuloid online right?” you ask. Yes, and like the rest of the craft beer world I couldn’t wait to try the newest beer from Beavertown but the answer is still no. Let me explain. They say all good things come to those who wait and Beavertown’s IPA was a long time in the waiting – 4 years to be exact. For such a massive and influential brewery such as the lurid monster of N17 not to have a core IPA beer is unheard of. Most craft breweries have a staple pale, lager, IPA and porter, blah, so why not Beavertown? They’d clearly made the decision to hold back on this then wow us in the future with a brand new beer and they did just that, visually anyway. As the images of the can were circulated online it was hard to ignore, oh so very hard, with the now classic Beavaertown artwork plain to see. Actually it was far from plain it was absolutely in-your-face, no massive surprise there but it added to the hype-train. The can is drenched in a vivid pink from cap to toes and featured the usual outer-space landscape and tom-foolery in it’s character images.
So a good start? Yes, very promising. Now onto the beer. You almost expect it to pour pink such is the power of the can’s cloak but the usual gorgeous dank looking IPA soup comes out. And all the core flavours are there – it’s a citrusy, fruity, hoppy lovely modern IPA. Winner! Hold on, you said it wasn’t worth the hype? Correct. It isn’t. To hold back for 4 years without making an IPA then release this is always going to drop short unless you’ve canned something in line with a Cloudwater DIPA. But this beer isn’t that and was never supposed to be that either. What it was supposed to be is a core beer that compliments an already brilliant range. So on that front it wins, it scores all it’s points, but where it drops a yard short is in the hype. Of course the brewery are going to make a big deal about it, and due to their ongoing phenomenal success the fans are going to make a big deal out of it. But this isn’t a groundbreaking beer. Where the expectation comes from is the fans. Everyone in the craft beer world wanted to know when Beavertown Lulupoid was being released. Everyone wanted it to be brilliant. Everyone wanted one. And they got one, so the hype worked. Where Lulupoid fails is it doesn’t push the boundaries enough for the hardcore beer fans. They wanted something out-there and off the chart but dress this up any way you want (and in that can they certainly did just that!) and it falls short. Only short by a small margin but short never the less. Is this a great beer? No. Is it a wonderful core beer to add to a range that already excels? Yes. Would I recommend buying a can of Lupuloid to see what the clamour is all about? Absolutely and that’s why I couldn’t wait to add it to our Beavertown range online. The point here is this beer is brilliant in so many ways from it’s can, it’s natural Beavertown swager. But the beer itself? It just never stood a chance of living up to our expectations. If it popped up as a white label people would love it but by being part of the Beavertown clan it had already made a rod for it’s own back it was never going to be able to rest on. A victim of it’s own success. Seek it out, drink it, enjoy it, it’s a cracking beer, but don’t believe the hype.going to be able to rest on. A victim of it’s own success. Seek it out, drink it, enjoy it, it’s a cracking beer, but don’t believe the hype.
Next time your see someone swilling a pint of generic mainstream lager think of all the fish guts in that pint of “beer”. OK, I know what you’re thinking; “sounds a bit extreme Oli, I know you like banging on about proper beer but telling someone it’s full of disgusting stuff is a bit far”…or is it? Most people quaffing a pint in the pub or popping open a bottle at home wouldn’t think twice about if the beer was vegan, vegetarian or Venetian for that matter – beer is beer right, just water and stuff. Well yes and no, theres certainly water in there and certainly “stuff but what is that s stuff? A lot of beer is made with added chemicals, very similar to the ones that probably give you the hangovers only this one is more disgusting. The fish I mentioned has a stage name – Isinglass – and is a type of clarifying agent that’s used in beer production and is responsible for getting rid of all that gunk, you know, the real stuff. No one would want a beer with depth, colour and flavour now would they? If you search online for most big beer makers somewhere down the like you will find this little additive know by it’s street name as Isinglass but really when you break it down it’s a fish swim bladder. Told you it was disgusting didn’t I? Now for people that don’t mind an anchovy or a jelly baby with some gelatine in it that’s fine but when it comes to supplying people with vegan produce it’s essential to know what’s what. Beer is a prime example of where animal products are introduced into more things than we realise, mainly for the sake of few pennies here and there for the . So the chances are if you are quaffing a pint of mass-produced lager than it’s neither nice for you or the animals that went into making it.
Of course I’m not saying all craft beer is vegan, it’s not. Some do still use this technique to help take the murk from their beer. But more often than not when you select a craft beer you’re already upgrading your brew to something on a much better level. Everyone wins, not just the fish. Chances are the produce used is locally sourced and brought in using an agreement with a smaller distributor. Again it’s not always the case but the actual ingredients are many times over more likely to be organic, ethically sourced, sustainable and cared for. That’s exactly what micro-brewing is and has to remain – a skilled exacting process based on tradition and executed with modern innovation and care. And that’s why people love a craft beer. You start with the amazing flavour and work backwards. What else is going on here? So you have the beer types and flavours, the changing variations in seasonal brews, the incredible artwork, the organic produce and the skill and graft from someone down the line who cares. PLUS chances are no fish will have been injured, maimed or killed in the process. It seems like small insignificance to some people but it’s all part of what makes great beer great. As I said not everything we sell is vegan. For example Kew have a great beer made with milk but that’s out straight away. It’s delicious and boasts Milk Chocolate as an ingredient in their Chocolate Milk Stout which I’m partial to I cannot lie! However the point I’m trying to make is the craft beer world is a much more thoughtful one, certainly more than the big boys shovelling out they yellow fizz. That’s why as well as out new “in stock” product button and our new “new beer” button we will soon be labelling in all our notes if a beer is vegan or not. We’ll take this info straight from the breweries themselves so you don’t have to worry about crossed wires.
So the next time you see someone order a pint of “generic” remind yourself (and them if you dare) that all is not as clear as it first seems.
For some people the excesses of Christmas are all just too much. As the remnants of the last scraps of turkey fizzle away in their belly and the scales starts shouting their annual abuse at them they start to reevaluate their lives as they stare down the barrel. The barrel is January. January brings with it a whole host of challenges and conundrums. You’re fat, you have to go back to work, you’re skint and the bin men are coming on….what day again?! It’s a nightmare of epic proportions. You’re already feeling down and to compound it all the f-ing recycling is stacked up beyond the lid and the foxes have been sniffing around your cans and bottle mountain. What could be worse? What if for the the whole month of January you took away booze glorious booze? Now, it’s not just the wonderful medicinal qualities of alcohol you are missing out on, when you’re a craft beer fan then it’s much more. Going dry for January is not just a removal of booze it would mean taking the punishment to your tastebuds too. As a lot of craft-reformed drinkers will testify drinking in a craft beer world is different to the normal lager-life intake. It’s less about guzzling down the gullet and more about flavour and savour as it were. So in short please don’t bother! The serious point is that it really impacts businesses and not just this one. We are bang in the middle of a truly dry January. Sales drastically down and we are sure this will be the same in your local boozer as well. It’s killing the industry in a feast or famine time. Sure December is a big smash-bang-wallop of beer but then dry January? Give it a rest. There’s already Stoptober and other dry times of year in place – why make the worst month of the year even worse?
To help with all this we have teamed up with the wonderful campaign Tryanury
They take the sensible approach to boozing in the blackhole month of the new year which is simple – stop stopping and get trying!
They’re not encouraging an all out booze-fest, almost the opposite. They say:
This isn’t about drinking more.
It’s about trying something different.
Tasting something new.
Experiencing something interesting.
So for an exclusive deal on your first Craft Metropolis box on any of our monthly deals and to get behind an amazing campaign they really makes January much more bearable have a look and get involved. Remember to use #Tryanuary on your beer posts this month and lets show January who is boss!
Thanks for listening as ever.
Oli,
Beer snacks have come a great way since the old days of a floppy bag of overpriced crisps and the infamous peanuts with revealing backgrounds – but then so has beer. It is becoming increasingly common to start seeing the craft beer world take it’s foody friends seriously when it comes to it’s snacking place alongside drinking. Not a week goes by without new research or articles being written about the importance of beer tasting and food pairings. It’s thought by some to be a better and more refined drink than the old stalwart wine and is now not looked down upon where it possibly was in years gone by. When you think about the brilliant word of craft beer and the innovations that are occurring within it it seems only common sense that this revolution and partnership is a natural one. From malt to hop to palate beer is taking it’s place alongside food as a sophisticated and complex palate cleanser and accompaniment – all hail a wonderful marriage!
The new Cleaver and Keg range
We couldn’t let these developments pass us by a Craft Metropolis Central and we have taken in Cleaver and Keg and their “meaty morsels for the modern drinker” as part of our range. Meat and beer is a wonderful combination, whether it is a dark smoky stout with chewy robust beef or tangy saisons and fruity pales with sweet salami these snacks have been made with one thought foremost in the creators mind – beer. Of course you can eat them on their own but where is the fun in that when something has been specifically made with an IPA, for example in mind? Dan Searle the owner of Cleaver and Keg tells us this:
“Meat needs beer and beer needs meat’ dan agreed with his old school mate Sean,a London charcuterist, as obsessed by the craft of curing meat as danny was by the craft of brewing beer. Which was when they took matters into their own hands.
Cleaver & Keg; good meat, the best in fact, 100% British too, ready to be paired with pints that deserve them. Salt cured, air-dried, richly-spiced meaty morsels, doing more to set off your pint and tastebuds than a crisp, scratching or peanut ever could.”
We couldn’t have put it better ourselves and that’s why you can find all four styles – chorizo, salami, beef and spicy beef at our checkout page. Enjoy!
Just a very quick blog post to wish all our much appreciated customers a very merry Christmas and a brilliant New Year. 2016 has been a bit of a brute in one way or another – so here’s looking to a rosy and productive and fun 2017.
From a Craft Metropolis point of view we are now into our second year of online trading now and still standing so that’s something – and one in the eye for 2016! Personally I’ve never been so busy, had a head full of ideas and reminders or been so challenged in every way. It’s certainly been a harsh but eye-opening learning experience. What I do know is I love craft beer world and selling craft beer almost as much as trying it and drinking it! If it’s one box of ale for the festive period or a lifetime of amazing beer posted to your door – we want to thank you one and all for helping us through another 12 months of beer related fun. Onwards and upwards into year two but it’s not with dread or worry we step into 2017 it’s with excitement – it has to be.
Thanks again to one and all who have helped, supported and added anything to our passion for better beer.
See you in 2017 beer lovers!
The festive period. Christmas, the new year and all those parties. It’s great isn’t it? No. It’s not that I dislike the fun element of it all and being jolly. I can be jolly with the best of them and I actually enjoy it all but one problem still exists – getting good beer at Christmas. Now, all the same establishments exist and all the great watering holes of London town or wherever and open and have craft beer flowing.However it’s not down to you where the office decamps to is it? We are in the lucky position where we have a great craft beer Christmas for obvious reasons. However I was invited to an office party the other day outside of the beery world and I had to say no. Not because the venue was a horrible pink and purple central monstrosity miles from home or the fact it would be wall to wall with selfie-takers and overly preened peacocks. No, the straw that broke the Craft Metropolis back was the beer on offer. I googled the bar and it had “Spain’s finest” in bottles (straight from Northhampton not Spain) and a Belgian beast (Stella). That was the best they could do. I wouldn’t count myself as a beer snob rather someone who likes beer and loves good beer. Of course I would miss the social element of the night but I knew I couldn’t pile a load of fizzy yellow water down my neck while everyone else wheezes towards a drunken wreck fuelled by said juice. Why is it when people choose a venue for a Christmas do they always try to get somewhere with good food – yet when it comes to the drinking (the most important part) and old hole is game?
Answers on a postcard.
Have a brilliant and craft beer filled Christmas everyone!
Drink responsibly, and by that I mean craft!
Cheers
Oli
Enjoy our blog, why not check out our craft beer club?
I had the pleasure of dropping into the bar on the banks of the canal in Hackney the other night after seeking out this takeover from Pirate Brewery. Anyone that hasn’t had the chance to pop into the chance to get over east to the bar is missing out. It’s in a strange place. Beautiful, but strange. Situated on the banks of the canal in Stratford it feels oddly all alone in a small stretch of brand spanking new facades. These include other drinking-holes and eateries but it’s at Mason and Company where the craft beer lover will find most reward.
Mason and Company Bar from Five Points Brewery
It’s an arm of Five Points brewing so you already know that the core beers are going to be very solid. Add to that the constant rotation of 20 beer taps and you can imagine that this relatively sleepy little stretch of water will soon become rather busy as the occupants of nearly BT offices and Loughborough University get wind of it and as the area become better known. Tonight along with a selection from Cloudwater and Beavertown the taps held the delicious liquid from Pirate Life. They are an Australian brewery with a quirky title who are just starting to extend their reach into the world outside down-under. They will be warmly welcomed if what was on offer continues.
I managed to try each of their IPA, their pale ale and the porter. The IPA was fruity without being overly so and nice and bitter to boot. The porter was also solid but the pale ale was where the real beauty sat. A massive punchy late hit or orangey tangerine followed a sharp but subtle bitterness, almost peel-zest like. A wonderful beer all round and whetted my appetite for more. I’ll be looking up these guys whenever I can and with the new market opening up to them the UK beer scene will hear much more about them soon I’m sure.
They are one of the closest breweries to us and having missed their recent (very kind) brewery night invite I thought it was time to revisit an old flame. It’s always nice when stock arrives – make it feel a bit like you’re getting somewhere and it can only mean one thing; people are enjoying great beer.
(Boxes arrive at Craft Metropolis waiting new homes)
The session IPA had flown off the shelves after their first delivery so it only made sense to have a pick about the product list and get not only that, but the rest of the available range back in stock. One of the long lost beers of 2016 was Their Full Moon Porter. One of the first drops we had in stock back in the early days, why oh why hadn’t we plopped more of this on the site I thought. That was when the line up looked more like this:
Although the regulars are still there there’s been a decent update too: Along with the usual suspects now is a session Tall Trees Session IPA to compliment the flagship and very popular Brockwell IPA. So the good news is both IPAs are back after a short holiday as well as the Sunray pale ale and the Champion Kölsch. I know that it all feels a bit like the summer is still here with the Sunray and the Kölsch creeping back in but sometimes it’s nice to get snuggled up by a roaring fire and slurp an ice cold summer beer – even in December. No? OK, well I think so. It was really interesting to take hold of some of their newer and more experimental beers too – just for sampling purposes at the moment. The first was an imperial stout and the second a huge (and potent) 750ml bottle of simcoe IPA. More notes to follow when these samples have been, erm, sampled. All I know is like the rest of the range they are beautifully artworked and look the business – here’s hoping the flavour backs that up.
Step 1
We trawl the globe tasting great beer
