Last Saturday 1st of August was Beer Hut Brewing's Taproom, to say I was a little apprehensive of going would be an understatement, this COVID 19 has my head melted, in knowing what the right and wrong is to do to prevent the spread of the villainous virus....
So I arrived at 1525hrs (Taproom started at 1500) and for those that know me, this is unusual as I like to be the first one to the trough so to speak when it comes to craft beer. Again apprehensive.
I shouldn't have worried, the venue was set out to all the guidelines and all the staff were wearing their PPE with sanitizer in hand.
The venue is starting to take shape with a new bar upstairs and great seating area, now all they need is the draconian licensing laws in the North to chance and hopefully, that will be soon.
There was a steady flow of people and beer all day with excellent table service again to help beat Covid19 and the craic was mighty, even if some people were watching the FA cup on their mobile phones. The Mourne Craft Beer Club members were out in force to support Andrew and Neil.
Mr Bolton from the Mourne Craft Beer Club enjoying a pint
The Taproom had visitors from two other breweries namely Lacada and Boundary, each having a guest tap at the bar. And also a few friends from the Midlands Beer Club, regular visitors to the Kingdom of Mourne who have a real passion for the amber nectar.
Now to the Beers, I was being a good boy this weekend as it was 'She who must be obeyed' birthday weekend and the last thing she needed was to be pouring me into the car at silly o'clock, so I was taking it easy.
I started with a lovely pint of 'Mixtape' this easy-drinking session IPA hits the spot, it is a gulper and perfect for a hot summers afternoon, and at four percent belies the fruity flavour and body that the beer has.....I moved on to a pint of 'Disco Juice' which has a lovely sherbert twang on the tongue and at 4.6% you can knock it back by the galvanised bucketful.
What followed was several pints of 'Solo Series Simcoe' - with Simcoe being one of my favourite hops varieties, I love the piney resin mixed with lashings of grapefruit and that slight sherberty twang you get with Simcoe. Beer Hut brewed a beer in the early days called Simcoe Simon and it was always a go-to beer for me.
I finished the evening off with a pint of a beer, not on the original menu, It was called 'Brett Hart'
Now if Lager yeast is a school teacher Brett yeast is an out of control rockstar, I can't say much about the beer, but it was a funky, smooth rollercoaster on the tongue, couldn't differentiate many flavours on the tongue (6 pints in), but I absolutely loved it and would have been happy to drink it all evening and as I hope the name gives homage to 'The Hitman' I would also say that if you google it, the beer gives Homage to one of Bret's other nicknames...The Excellence of Execution.
So that was it an enjoyable evening with like-minded people with lovely surroundings and great beer, here's to the next one............................
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