Beer @ The Barn - The drinks you need to know about...

It's only a few weeks until Beer at the Barn kicks off at Woodend Barn and I don't know about you, but I'm very much looking forward to raising a glass to another year of awesome festivals in Aberdeen.

An avid lover of a good drinks selection, Beer at the Barn, which is organised my MFGF Events - the guys behind Banchory and Inverurie  - always boasts a pretty generous drinks offering. From Scottish beers, to English ciders, to everything in between, they cater for all tastes, and have even created their very own bespoke tonic with Summerhouse Drinks especially for the festival.

The event takes place over two days and runs from Friday 10 to Saturday 11 of February 2017. A scaled down version of the outdoor summer event, the indoor winter festival boasts three sessions with fantastic live music taking place throughout the sessions.

A Beer at the Barn first, this year will see the addition of prosecco to the drinks list which is a welcome addition for those who aren't the biggest beer fans I can imagine.

I've been lucky enough to get a sneaky peak into the drinks offering these guys will be serving up, and boy are you guys in for a treat...

All the beers (and ciders):
Local:

• Fierce Beer - if their Cranachan Killer is available, DEFINITELY try it out. Their newly launched Tropical Twist sour is also pretty bangin' too, but I'd highly recommend trying out these guys - love their pack-a-punch full of flavour brews!
• Six Degrees North - these guys do some pretty awesome Belgian beers, and they're from Stonehaven, what's not to love!?
• Deeside Brewery - handcrafted beer brewed in Royal Deeside.
• 7 Brewing - coming locally from Durris, these guys brew up small batch, traditional craft ales.

Not-so-local:

• Alchemy Brewing - an Edinburgh brewery turning grain into gold. I've heard their sour cherry black IPA is worth shouting about.
• Black Isle Brewery - all their beers are organic meaning they must be good for you, right? They'll also have a gluten free one for everyone to try too.
• Cromarty Brewery - highly recommend Rogue Wave and Happy Chappy 
• Top Out - a small independent Edinburgh based brewery brewing unconventional beers - sounds perfect for BATB.
• Beavertown - these guys have some pretty neat artwork on their cans - here's hoping they're beers are just as funky!
• Thistly Cross Cider - OH EM GEE, gimme all their ciders right here, right now...especially their strawberry and elderflower flavours!
• Pulp - an English cider company, I'm looking forward to trying their cider out - it's rhubarb flavoured!

All the gins:
Local:

• The Teasmith - an awesome new gin. If you're a fan of something a little different I'd definitely recommend this Aberdeenshire beauty.
• House of Elrick - this gin tastes delicious with a premium tonic and some orange peel and some zest on the rim of the glass. Might just have to go treat myself to one now...

Not-so-local:

• Steampunk - their pirate gin is rascal strength - now that could be dangerous!
• Whittakers - never tasted before, but the pink peppercorn botanical sounds delicious. May have to pair with some fresh strawberries and some cracked black pepper.

Rum:

Local rum distillers Dark Matter will be taking centre stage on all things rum. Delicious with ginger beer and a sprig of mint.

Prosecco:
A selection of prosecco will be available to try out.

Festival tonic:

The festival will also see a brand new tonic which has been specially created for the Beer at The Barn event. Partnering with soft drinks mastermind, Claire from Summerhouse Drinks, the team have created a Earl grey tea flavoured tonic. The tonic water is designed to go with all types of gins and is definitely worth checking out.

Tickets are now on sale here from £17.50.

Session times are below:
Session 1: Friday evening - 5.30pm - midnight
Session 2: Saturday afternoon - midday to 5.30pm
Session 3: Saturday evening - 6.30pm to midnight

For more information on the festival or future events, please visit their website here. And do let me know what drinks you're most looking forward to/try out at the festival once it's over!

  For Now...

Just Julia

National Beer Lover's Day: Fierce Beer Fuego Feroz launch (Aberdeen)

Ah National Beer Lover's Day, oh how the beery lovers of the world welcome you with open arms. And for once, so do I! It's not a big secret that I've really not been a fan of beer, wether it's craft or not, if you'd have asked me if I liked beer a few months ago I probably would have pulled one of those 'yucky' kids faces. Not any more.

After recently bumping in to the awesome bunch at Fierce Beer, I was introduced to the hoppy golden liquid Fierce had on offer. To my surprise I actually really liked the taste of these beers, like, really liked them. Was something wrong with me? Was I ill? Was I having an out of body experience and dreaming about the day I actually finally liked beer? Nope, it was just some god damn good beer hitting my palate like no beer had done before. I don't know if it was their fierce branding or their fierce beers which I feel in love with first, but boy did I fall hard.

Now one of my PR clients, these guys are insanely good brewers, creating some of the most flavoursome beers I've tasted to date. One beer which sticks in my mind when I'm chatting about these witty, fierce, pack-a-punch of flavour, beers is Fuego Feroz. A recently(ish) launched beer, Fuego boasts some serious heat. Think a shit load of habanero chillies and refreshing fresh lime juice. UNREAL.

Last month, I joined the team at Fierce Beer to launch this insane beer at an exclusive tasting event at The Tipping House. Their chefs had worked tirelessly to create dishes which would accompany the beers and compliment their strong flavours. The team didn't disappoint.

Pairings included;

Eskimo Joe (a vanilla and coffee pale ale) with a venison and silverskin onion hot pot

Granadilla Guerrila (a passionfruit West Coast IPA) with smoky BBQ pulled pork shoulder sliders

Lemmy 'Avit (a lemon and rocksalt wheat beer) with lamb and apricot tagine with five spice flatbread

Fuego Feroz (a spiced pale ale) with honey and pistachio coated chicken drums and garlic and rosemary infused hanger steak

Café Racer (a dark porter with espresso beans and vanilla) with chocolate mousse

A great event all round, the Fierce beers were a huge hit with guests, a great success for the team at a brilliant venue. You can check out my photo diary of what went down below...

   For Now...

Just Julia

Banchory Beer Festival: Review (Aberdeen)

Yichty hoo here we go! Another month and another beer festival, oh Scotland, how I love you. After writing my top things to try out at Banchory Beer Festival, I was a determined wee soul in trying to at least tick a number of my top picks off of the list. Boy it was much more challenging than I had thought. Getting caught up in the beery atmosphere on Saturday evening, it was a case of 'let's just try everything' or as the cool kids would say, a case of YOLO, when it came to trying out different drinks. The festival was busy, real busy, not busy like Christmas sales 'I want to kill myself' busy, but a good busy. I'd never been to the summer Banchory Beer Festival, it looked awesome, the bands playing sounded pretty rad, and there was a good variety of food and drink available. Yes, I was excited, especially when the drinks tents look  like a god damn circus. Oh alcohol, come at me.

The gin game was strong at the festival, so picking my first drink was extremely difficult. Committing to a Little Bird (41.6% ABV) gin with hint o' mint lemonade, my sister opted for a Stirling Gin (43% ABV) with Summerhouse Drinks raspberry lemonade. We were pretty pleased with our first beverages of the festival, so much so that immediately after  I decided to jump on to the Stirling Gin band wagon, also joining the raspberry lemonade club too - delicious. After, I wanted to try out the new Persie zesty citrus gin (42% ABV) which I had heard so much about. Pairing it with Walter Gregor tonic, Scotland's first tonic water, I wanted to ensure that the mixer wouldn't corrupt the flavour of the gin. Extremely refreshing I rather enjoyed this tipple. A good marriage of citrus zest and crisp tonic. I also tried out the Warner Edwards Elderflower gin (40% ABV) and the Shropshire Spirits Salopian Gin (40% ABV) too. Sadly I completely forgot to try out Aberdeenshire's latest gin, Esker Gin (42% ABV), but there's always the Inverurie festival!

The rum on offer was local rum distillers, Dark Matter (40% ABV). A spiced rum with a beautiful heat on it, I rave about this rum to everyone I meet. Not only because it's the only Scottish rum to ever have been distilled, but because it boasts rad flavours which settle beautifully on the tongue. Best paired with ginger beer or Summerhouse Drinks hint o'mint lemonade, it comes very well recommended.

First stop for food was undoubtedly going to be The Bay on the Road. There was only ever one thing which would accompany my multiple rums and gins, and that was the best god damn fish and chips the North-east, and this incredible nation has ever experienced. Ordering a mini fish and chips each, with a fresh lemon wedge and a healthy dollop of The Bay's homemade tartare sauce, dinner was served. I've been pals with Calum Richardson, the owner of The Bay Fish and Chips for a number of years, so it was no surprise we caught up, gossiping about everything and anything. Btw, that fish and chips was bangin'. If you've never visited the shop in Stonehaven go right now.

I have a great relationship with my sister, she's my best friend and the one person I turn to for advice. She is my rock, and although she's my younger sibling, I literally pester her about all of my life mishaps. Poor gal didn't know what she was getting into all those years ago. Tbh she should have known when I kept stealing all of her dummies what the future would hold.

So in true sisterly fashion I tagged her along for some big drinks and some kick ass food.  Afterall she's put up with me for over twenty years so she deserves a boozy treat, and the fact she's a belter of a laugh and loves a drink, I just had to invite her.  (If you follow me on Snapchat, you would have seen how much fun we had at the festival...far too much!)

The festival was really busy, with lots of people going around sampling the different food and drink on offer.

As the sun started to set, we headed back into the tent - purely for more drinks obviously, turning to the beer and cider tent. Two Thistly Cross strawberry ciders it was. I adore this cider and have been a big fan of these guys for the past few years. The Elderflower cider is also a favourite and their freshly pressed apple juice is top notch!

Moving on to beer, I turned to the only brewery which I know that I actually enjoy their beers, Fierce Beer. Since beginning to work with these guys last month, the new micro-brewery has really impressed me with their pack-a-punch of flavour brews. I'm really not a massive fan of beer, but their craft beers are unlike any beer I've tried, and I really, really like them. The Cranachan Killer and Lemmy 'Avit were brilliant, really refreshing and great to drink whilst jiving away to Skipinnish - my favourite band of the night.

There were some great acts on throughout the festival and I'm gutted I didn't manage to see them all. Skipnnish was a highlight though, those guys sure know how to get a party started.

A little boozy and full of beery goodness, it was time for us to part ways with the Banchory Beer Festival. A great success in my eyes, we had a cracking time trying new gins and juices. Of course we couldn't leave without checking in with our favoutie Tex-Mex heroes, FreshMex. Chicken burrito in hand with homemade salsa and guacamole as well as a lashing of sour cream, lettuce and a sprinkling of cheese, we said our farewells to Banchory for the evening and disappeared into the night wondering who was going to get the first bite.

Big thanks to organisers Mungo and Guy Finlayson for inviting me along. Brilliant event, great crowd and a fab food and drink offering. Keep up the good work guys, I'll definitely be back!

   For Now...

Just Julia

Shilling Brewing Co (Glasgow): Review

Glasgow is a city known for its passion, and rich history of brewing. It's a city which is innovative, forward-thinking and collaborative when it comes to its food and drink industry, and possesses a huge range of foodie establishments which offer up unique, artisan dishes.

Recently I discovered a new found love for craft beer, not my usual preferred tipple of choice, my tastebuds seem to be playing tricks on me, allowing me to indulge in some exciting new flavours. Maybe getting older isn't so bad after all...

With a passion for pizza and my tastebuds looking for their next foodie fix, it wasn't long until I'd sold in the idea to my boyfriend. After all Shilling Brewing Co is the new place-to-be on the Glasgow brewing front, and he does love pizza and beer - it was an easy sell really.

Previously an old bank, the eatery, which is located on 92 West George Street boasts its own in-house brewery, and is the first brewpub to don the city of Glasgow. It's also home to a coupla oven which all of the homemade pizzas are cooked in.

The beer of choice was the unicorn IPA. Named after Scotland's national animal, the IPA is unique in flavour and can be ordered in a pint, 2/3 pint or 1/3 of a pint. Perfect measures if you'd like to try out a few of their other beers too. In all honesty, I'm obsessed with unicorns, so it was always and only ever going to be the unicorn IPA, a good choice and very refreshing, the perfect pairing with a pizza.

 

As well as its brews, the brewery specialises in pizza and pizza alone, so if you don't like eating pizza then best stick to the beers. Actually, even if you don't like pizza, I urge you to give these bad boys a go. Legit, one of the best pizza's I've eaten in Glasgow, so much so, I'd say it's a close call between these pizza's and Paseano's pizza's for the top spot. 

I love a traditional pizza, the more toppings the better in my eyes, and if it comes lathered in BBQ sauce, then we're on to a winner. However, when you see a pizza on the menu which boasts haggis, red onion, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and chilli and Irn Bru jam (£9), you've got to try it out! The pizza was light, and left me full, not the heavy full feeling you sometimes get eating doughy foods, but the satisfied full, leaving a real positive taste in my mouth. The haggis and chilli and Irn Bru jam was phenomenal. Haggis in itself is fantastic, but that chilli and Irn Bru jam was bloody awesome, and I'd order it again, and again, and again. Haggis ft chilli and Irn Bru jam, I love you.

My boyfriend decided to keep it tradizionale (that's traditional in Italian) and ordered a pepperoni pizza featuring jalapeños, mozzarella, red chilli, tomato sauce and red peppers (£10). You can also build your own pizza, and add four different toppings for just £11, bargin. Armed with our own personal pizza cutters, we delved into the gourmet thin-crust pizza, fresh out of the coupla oven, putting those hunger pangs to bay. Better still, all of the pizza's are made using dough risen with brewers' yeast.

Mid pizza meltdown, I sneaked off to discover the rest of the brewery. I'd heard how impressive this place was, and that the tasting rooms and toilets were in what used to be the old bank safes. Did I believe anyone? No. Do I now believe them? Absolutely. It's definitely worth while going for a wonder round this place, you just never know what you might find...

Back to dinner, another great element to this feast was the crust dippers. Gone are the days you have to leave those poor, soulless crusts, hello the era of foodie heaven where crust dippers are a thing. Hello Shilling BBQ and aioli sauces, god damn they were good.

The most fantabulous part about my experience at Shilling Brewing Co (minus the food) was the fact I was seated right in front of a kick ass unicorn. Yeah I just made up a word, but they have a unicorn on the wall - AMAZING.

As a whole, the new brewpub is shit hot. The interiors are, as the kids now say "sick", and the pizza and beers are cracking. A great wee place to stop in for a pizza and beers with your pals, or a fab place for a casual date with your other half. Heck I'd even go as far as saying to take your parents and grandparents along, this place has something for everyone and really caters to all ages.

I will definitely be returning armed with a crowd of my friends to try out another pizza, and together we will sit staring longingly at that unicorn, dreaming of the day we can finally own one...as if.

So if you like great pizza and you love good craft beer, be sure to pay the brewpub a visit, you won't regret it.

For Now...

Just Julia

North Hop Aberdeen: Top 10 tasters

So after recently visiting my very first Brew Dog AGM earlier this month and sampling a number of BrewDog's craft beers, which I surprisingly enjoyed (not a massive beer fan), to say I am excited for North Hop Aberdeen is an understatement. I love gin, cocktails and quirky foodies - I'm a little obsessed with finding some of the best foodies in Scotland - so whenever North Hop is on, I'm there in a flash.

Over the past two years I've been to every festival and have loved them all for different reasons. So when I found out that North Hop was retuning to Aberdeen for a second year I just HAD to check out what exhibitors were going to be there. With a capacity more than three times bigger than last year's festival, I was convinced the offering would have increased, and boy has it done so!

The festival, which takes place this May holiday weekend on Saturday 30 April from 12 noon - 5pm and 7- 12 midnight, and Sunday 1 May from 12 noon - 5pm at the AECC (Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre), is said to welcome around 3,000 people through it's doors. So to keep you guys on your toes, I've decided to pull together my top ten exhibitors you should definitely check out.

1. Crema caravan

The UK's very first Crème Brûlée van will be making its debut to North Hop in Aberdeen. Serving up some delicious Crema Catalana and Crème Brûlée with some of the finest, wackiest toppings you'll ever see, these guys know how to handle the heat and produce fantastic desserts. Served burnt to order, you won't miss them in Florence their retro Renault van!

Photos from Crema Caravan's Facebook page

2. Six°North

With all their beers unfiltered and carbonated naturally through secondary fermentation - they don't filter anything - nope, not their beer, style, brewers or venues for that matter, natures intent is left intact. Born form a passion for Belgian beer these Belgian brewers of Scotland brew their finest beers in the North-east, six degrees North of Brussels - do you like what they did there?

Photos from Six°North website 

3. Porter's Gin

Aberdeen's first gin to be distilled in the city for over 100 years. A premium gin with a traditional bold juniper body, this is a bottle full of ginny delight that you just have to take home to show off to your friends. Located in the cocktail lounge, join the Porter's Gin team for a sample or two and take home some special gin bottled cocktails created specially for North Hop too!

4. Stew n' Drew's

The Willy Wonka's of ice cream, this fantastically talented duo have nailed the creation of quirky ice cream on the head. With their own ice cream shop now open in Hopeman, these guys continue to wow festivalgoers with their wacky ingredients and funky flavours. From whisky ice cream, to cider sorbet, these guys will certainly sort out those sweet cravings. They're stationed in the Cocktail Lounge incase you're wondering...

Photo from Stew n' Drew's Facebook page

5. The Bay on the Road

Yabadabadoo do the infamous The Bay Fish and Chips have a treat for you! Established in 2006, The Bay has been serving up thousands of portions of sustainable Scottish fish and chips filling many happy tums, and winning a ridiculous amount of accolades along the way. 
For the first time ever, The Bay on the Road will be fishing out the best fish and chips, bringing something completely different to the festival's offering. If you haven't tried their insanely tasty fish and chips or homemade tartar sauce yet, then this is a top must try recommendation from me. GET IN MY BELLY!

6. FreshMex

When I saw these guys were attending North Hop I squealed a little. Since launching last year I have been a massive fan of the dishes this fiery dup have been producing. Serving tex-mex style cuisine, the duo behind this successful business have teased the tastebuds of the North-east using locally sourced, fresh ingredients. 
Customised to your liking, these guys are guaranteed to hit the spot. Pair with a craft beer or two.

Photos from FreshMex's Facebook page

7. Thistly Cross Cider

Onto my favourite Scottish cider, Thistly Cross Cider! With flavours like strawberry, ginger, elderflower, whisky and traditional cider, their fresh, tasty and oh-so-delicious ciders are a winner with me. If you're looking for something sweet and not a massive fan of craft beer then, I suggest you try out the strawberry or elderflower flavours, you won't be able to stay away.

Photo from Thistly Cross Cider's Facebook page

8.  Juniper | Gin Festivals and Events

My tipple of choice, the team behind the Juniper Festivals are hitting up the North-east especially for North Hop, showing off their delightful selection of craft gins from all over Scotland. With the opportunity to try an old, traditional flavour, or pursuing something different, there is a whole range of gins to discover in lovingly made cocktails and serves.
Try them neat, with premium mixtures or cocktails, it's up to you.

Photo from Juniper Gin Festival and Events Facebook page

9. Eden Mill

Scotland's first and only distillery/brewery combined. With everything they do small and craft and just a stones throw away from the home of golf, St Andrews, there really is nothing quite like the set up Eden Mill boasts. Beer, whisky or gin, just go try them all.

Photo from Eden Mill's Facebook page

10. Cue Barbecue

Last but not least a smoky affair with a side of serious meat sweats can only mean one thing, Cue Barbecue is attending. If you have a love for the deep South and enjoy Southern US and Latin American styles of barbecue then you're in for a treat. Never sampled them before? Well I can guarantee you'll want to after just smelling the food. 

Would recommend trying out with a craft beer again or a sour gin-based cocktail, be warned, if you're sampling their Angus & Oink sauces the Voodoo Mango sauce is hot, hot, hot. The one to try in my opinion is the BBQ sauce - now that's a winner for me.

With over 30 different exhibitors to chose from, there's something for everyone at North Hop Aberdeen. Whether you love traditional fish and chips, or are looking for the next big thing on the gin scene, or maybe you're looking to sample some of Scotland's finest craft beers, or put your tastebuds to the test with experimental ice cream, everyone will be catered for at the festival. Just try it all, you've got nothing to lose and soo much to gain!

As an added extra for Aberdeen festivalgoers, North Hop, alongside some of the fantastic exhibitors, has created a festival gin and a festival brew which will be exclusively available at the festival. The festival gin is a limited edition chilli and ginger gin created by Eden Mill. This will be available to sample at their bar, or in a perfect serve or cocktail at the Juniper bar. There are only 200 bottles (20cl) available to get your hands on, so you better be quick!

The festival brew is a 6.7% cask American pale ale brewed by Spey Valley Brewery using the Holy Cragg which Dunnet Bay Distillers utilised in their Holy Grass Vodka. So of course it only seemed right to call it Holy Spey APA!

For the full list of exhibitors and for tickets to the event follow the North Hop website link: 
http://northhop.co.uk/festivals/aberdeen

  For Now...

 Just Julia