Another pub bites the dust

I have just learnt that the Courtenay Arms which has been closed for renovations will reopen as a kiwi theme pub. What absolutely dire news. Not only does that mean that I lose my quiet pint with a paper each Monday as I wait for Sarah to finish work but it also means the Wellington loses its only venue serving Fullers London Pride, Porter and ESB on a regular basis. And why the hell do we need a Kiwi Theme pub!!? Why do pubs have to be themed at all?. Yeah the Courtenay Arms needed some work, the one armed bandits needed to go and the junk at the back next to the couch needed cleaning up, a few beers from NZ micros wouldn’t have gone amiss, but a kiwi theme pub!!!? Grrrrr!!.

Yep I’m officially a grumpy old sod!

Fullers ESB on draught

After being let loose in the candy, I mean beer, store I retired to the Courtney Arms while I waited for SWMBO to finish work. To my surprise Fullers ESB had appeared on the bar, and then to my astonishment after ordering I was charged a measly $5 (2 pounds) as some launch special. It was tasting fantastic, and despite being the keg version it was a good temperature with a gentle carbonation. Despite getting some flak for the state of their lines from some quarters the beer at the Courtney Arms has been tasting very good recently.

Brooklyn Bitter

Today I’m brewing Brooklyn Bitter a strong bitter loosely based Young’s Special London Ale. Brooklyn Bitter will not be as strong as Special London Ale as its intended for draft consumption and it will be a touch darker but I do intend to infuse some of the striking hop character that Special London Ale used to present.

I say Special London Ale used to present a striking hop character as I picked up a bottle yesterday, the first to be marked Bedford, perhaps they have run out of tankered beer from London to blend or have just used up the old labels, and it was a very different beast. It looked like the Special London Ale of old, it smelt like the Special London Ale of old, but on the palate a sweet malt accented beer was revealed with very little bitterness. Where did the IBUs go?! The balance was far more like that of its former neighbour Fullers ESB and certainly not the beer that Michael Jackson described as possibly containing a whole hop garden in every bottle. Anyway I digress.

Brooklyn Bitter’s grist of Maris Otter malt, medium crystal and a touch of patent is currently mashing in burtonised liquor, once it is in the kettle it will be bittered with fuggels with large amounts of goldings being added late in the boil, finally s-04 will be added, hopefully it turns out well.