Although Crema is a single entity and we are often in agreement (at least broadly) on beer-related matters for this post we each wrote our own answers. As you might expect there was a great deal of overlap in our responses. Chris wrote the post and Emma added thoughts where some clarification was required. Probably worth clarifying from the outset that Chris works part time at Weird Beard Brewery.
1. Best UK Cask Beer
Chris: I’ve not
had that much cask beer this year that has blown me away but it’d be hard to beat Weird Beard Dark Hopfler, though Hit the Lights is always
a solid choice.
Emma: I think Hit
the Lights is a better cask beer than keg. The extra carbonation doesn’t do
much for it. And even though it was slated to go on at IMBC, it just didn’t happen and I so
never got to try Dark Hopfler on cask. :’(
2. Best UK Keg Beer
Chris & Emma: Magic
Rock Cannonball for sheer drinkability and an almost sure choice anytime we find
it on draught. An honourable mention goes to Brewdog’s Dead Pony Club as a beer
that we go back to time and time again when we want something low ABV and
refreshing.
3. Best UK Bottled or Canned Beer
Chris: Thornbridge
Halcyon. Great to see more and more of this coming out of Thornbridge’s
Riverside brewery and I’ve tried to get a case from every batch they’ve brewed
this year. It’d be great to have it as a fridge staple at home in 2015.
Emma: Even though
I’ll fight anyone who claims to be a bigger fan of Halcyon than me, if you say
‘best bottle or can of 2013’ to me then I only have one answer: Gamma Ray in
#cans. How excited was I about that event? SUPER CRAZY EXCITED. I vividly
recall going to Duke’s straight from work on a Monday afternoon and delightedly
pouring Gamma Ray into my face straight from the can. So eye-wateringly dank
and even though the beer was a super face-melting overkill on the hops, it was
everything I had hoped it would be: a great example of something truly living
up to the hype. Since that day I’ve
enjoyed cans of Gamma Ray as train beers (thank you, Sourced Market), and in
bars where I’ve pointed them out to the staff because they didn’t even know
they sold them, and as a staple in our beer fridge.
4. Best Overseas Draught Beer
Chris & Emma: Brasserie
Dieu Du Ciel!/The Alchemist Moralité. There’s been some of this about at
Brewdog bars up and down the UK but nothing beats the night we both tried to
drain an entire keg of it at the Brewdog Clapham Junction Meet The Brewer
event. Can’t think of a better overseas draught beer we’ve had all year.
However, we wouldn’t be surprised if an Italian brewery occupies this slot next
year (see below).
5. Best Overseas Bottled or Canned Beer
Chris: Birra Del
Borgo Rubus. Shared a bottle of this with friends at the Great British Beer
Festival (frankly the overseas beers, especially the Italian and American
beers, were better than the British offerings) and loved it so much we bought
another bottle, which we shared this past Saturday. An absolutely stunning beer
that shows where the Italians are heading.
Emma: Special
mention for cans of The Alchemist Heady Topper because it was part of an
interesting IPA tasting panel we did at home comparing UK and US beers and it
was great to experience a super hoppy beer explicitly designed to be consumed direct
from the can. If I had frequent access to this beer I’d drink a lot of it.
6. Best Collaboration Brew
Chris: Magic
Rock/Lervig Farmhouse IPA. Perhaps not the most stunning beer of the year but certainly
the most consistently enjoyable. However, an honourable mention goes out to
Magic Rock/Siren/Beavertown Rule of Thirds, which I wasn’t sold on when I had
it at the launch at Beavertown but from a bottle a few weeks later, it tasted
incredible. More please.
Emma: On the day
of Magic Rock’s Unhuman Cannonball release this April the beer people talked
about the most afterwards was that Farmhouse IPA. I enjoyed how the character
of this beer changes with age too, more bitter when it’s really fresh, then
milder and sherberty, then later more, well, farmhousey – a marvellous mosaic
of a beer.
The Rule of Thirds has definitely grown on me. I was unsure
how I felt about it on launch day, there was something muddled about the
flavour... however, when we had it from a bottle on subsequent occasions there
was more clarity and sharpness to it. I’m definitely a fan now. But if I had to choose a single collaboration beer of the
year it would be the Weird Beard/IMBC black saison with Seville orange:
Hacienda. So many black saisons are gimmicky and the darker malts don’t even
add anything to the finished beer. Too many saisons that are ‘flavoured’ with
fruits are either imperceptible or overwhelming. I love the darker roasty malts
with the bittersweet orange underneath and in the finish the (subtle) yeast
character. This beer, with a little time to settle and mature, became a highly
drinkable, incredibly well-balanced beer.
(Some people ask, “but what does ‘well-balanced’ even mean
when referring to a beer?” Well, to me it means nothing stands out or feels out
of place or unbalanced; everything is
in a happy equilibrium. It’s a bit like seasoning food - you know when you have
seasoned a dish right. That’s how I think about a balanced beer. NB: Not all
great beers are well balanced.)
7. Best Overall Beer
Chris & Emma: Magic
Rock Cannonball. The availability and consistency
has increased rapidly and we look forward to the day we can have it at home
more. An honourable mention goes to Summer Wine Brewery for their superb Mauna
Kea Hawaiian IPA that just blew me (Chris) away with its fantastic tropical
fruit aroma and flavour after a very long day in the brewery (on Emma’s
recommendation).
8. Best Branding, Pumpclip or Label
Chris & Emma: There
are two winners. Firstly Magic Rock for
their eye catching branding that always draws our eye when arrive at the
bar. Secondly, Nick Dywer’s artwork is a defining style for Beavertown’s fantastic
branding but the label for Bone King was on another level. Best thing we’ve
seen all year (it helped that the beer was damn good too).
Chris: A dishonourable mention goes to Brewdog for going backwards
and switching to a bland, corporate branding that smacks of the breweries that
they railed against in the past.
9. Best UK Brewery
Chris: For a sheer explosion of creativity and
range it’s a close run thing between Buxton and Siren, with the Derbyshire
crew, led by bearded genius and all-round awesome guy Colin Stronge, just edging
it. Notable highlights include Axe Edge, Ace Edge, Wyoming Sheep Ranch,
Rainshadow and the superb Double Axe.
Siren have produced a fantastic range of beers this year
with their Discount series, Americano, Shattered Dream, the barrel aged Broken
Dreams and the mango punch to the face that was the Tickle Monster.
Emma: We all lost
out heads a little bit over Double Axe this summer but I was a fan of Buxton
before that. One of my favourite beers at IMBC 13 was their white wine BA
saison, but I struggle to think of any of their beers that I haven’t really
enjoyed or at least liked between then and now.
I had an epiphany with Siren this year. Having found them
hit and miss in 2013, we happened to stop into the Craft Beer Co. on Leather
Lane for a drink one Saturday afternoon in spring. In the space of an hour I
completely changed my mind after trying Shattered Dream, Americano and Ratchet.
Then the Discount series consolidated that decision.
10. Best Overseas Brewery
Chris & Emma: It
has to be To Øl. Some highlights from 2014 included Sur Mosiac, Hundelufter
Bajer and Sort Maelk plus the countless collaborations with other breweries. We expect more greatness from these crazy Danes. However, an honourable mention
goes to Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! for producing stuff that goes blows
our minds when we drink it.
11. Pub/Bar of the Year
Chris: Brewdog
Shepherd’s Bush for sheer variety of beer available on both draught and in
bottle, served in fantastic condition and with the textbook example of how
customer service in pubs and bars should be done.
Emma: Same, for
the best customer service in any beer outlet in London. Pretty much everywhere
else that sells beer could learn from them.
12. Best New Pub/Bar Opening 2013
Chris & Emma: Mother
Kelly’s in Bethnal Green. A relaxed atmosphere with tasty meat and cheese
platters, and possibly the best range of bottled/canned beers in their fridges.
The only criticism would be allowing
people to sit and drink along the entire length of the bar. When it gets busy
it’s a pain in the arse having to lean over people to order, pay for and pick
up your drinks. Take a look around town and see how many other bars allow
people to occupy the entire length of the bar, thereby blocking access to
people who want to buy drinks. Can’t think of anywhere off the top of our heads.
14. Beer Festival of the Year
Chris & Emma: No
contest. It’s IMBC as we already described in our previous blog post.
15. Supermarket of the Year
Chris & Emma: Waitrose.
We don’t buy much beer from supermarkets but when we do, it tends to be from
Waitrose and their support of the Thornbridge home brewing competition this
year showed their commitment to innovation and independent breweries. It is a shame
the distribution of the award-winning beer wasn’t a bit wider.
16. Independent Retailer of the Year
Chris & Emma: Bottledog
. It never disappoints with the range of beers available; there will always be
something you love or something you want to try. Honourable mentions to
Beermoth in Manchester on the basis of our single visit during IMBC for an
eclectic range and engaging staff and to Sourced Market in St Pancras Station
for supplying train beers on so many occasions.
17. Online Retailer of the Year
Chris & Emma: this
has been a difficult one for us. Compared to 2013, when we ordered a lot online,
we’ve significantly reduced our online beer ordering in preference to buying
beer in person. Largely because we’ve found it’s been incredibly difficult to
arrange delivery to our flat as delivery companies only want to deliver during
the day - when we’re at work.
18. Best Beer Book or Magazine
Chris & Emma: hands
down it goes to Boak and Bailey for their entertaining and educational Brew
Britannia. Well researched and written in a compelling style of prose, we feel
that our knowledge of British brewing history has been enriched by this book.
An honourable mention to Michael Tonsmeire for his excellent book American Sour
Beers, which I’m (Chris) currently reading and finding very, very useful.
19. Best Beer Blog or Website
Chris & Emma: For
us, The Beer Diary/Chris Hall Beer has been the consistently best UK beer
writing blog, it covers a wide range of topics related to beer and it pulls no
punches. From a brewing perspective, Port 66 has quickly come through as the
“go-to” resource for advice on a range of subjects although we often find ourselves
going back time and time again to Michael Tonsmeire’s the Mad Fermentationist
blog as we experiment more and more with different yeast and styles of beer.
Honourable mentions to Total Ales for Matt’s bravery in tackling controversial
subjects that often split beer fans, and for Richard Taylor’s superb
journalistic piece on Brewmeister.
20. Best Beer App
Chris & Emma: Twitter,
without which we wouldn’t be able to connect to the whole wonderful world of
beer.
21. Simon Johnson Award for Best Beer Twitterer
Chris & Emma: Chris
‘zero tolerance in 2014’ Hall (@ChrisHallBeer), with runners up Dave Bishop
(@broadfordbrewer) for his Twatterdoodles, and Matt Curtis (@totalales) for his
world class Vines.
22. Best Brewery Website/Social media
Chris & Emma: Brewdog,
for showing everyone else how brewery social media should be done. Again.
23. Food and Beer Pairing of the Year
Chris: The
Thornbridge Sunday Session at the Draft House on Charlotte Street. While both
the Weird Beard and Lervig sessions were also good, every single beer and food
match at the Thornbridge event were sensational with my favourite being the
Raspberry Imperial Stout and the pigeon. Simply incredible. Kudos to that wizard, Max Chater,
and his team for turning out such well considered and executed pairings on the
day.
Emma: When I
think of beer and food pairings I cannot see beyond the magic of the Draft
House Sunday Sessions. Each one I’ve attended has been a fantastic, rewarding
event which left me with a warm fuzzy afterglow. But I tend to agree with Chris
that the Thornbridge event was just in the lead. Every course was great but my
favourite was the dessert pairing of Otto (a weizenbock) with a banana cake,
banana crisp and sugarwork PLUS a gin grattachecca (shaved ice and gin). Wow. I
want it again right now. I had no idea that banana, caramel and gin would work so well together.
