It’s a slightly different beer diary from me this season. Unable to drink alcohol, I’ve had to miss out on my usual summer of beer judging events, so I made it my mission to discover the North East’s best alcohol-free options instead.
I spent a wonderful day in Whitley Bay, starting at Hazy Daze bottle shop, where I found a great range of AF cans in their fridge, before my first visit to Flock, where a pint can of Arbor’s 0.5% New Horizons paired rather well with the pecan pastry I’d had my eye on from the moment I stepped through their door. Next was a long overdue revisit to Nord (who were heaving with customers celebrating the bottle shop’s ninth birthday) to try Donzoko’s Pretend Beer, and the final stop of the afternoon was to one of my favourites, Cafe Amsterdam, where I ended the AF adventure with the world’s first Trappist alcohol-free 0.0% beer, Nillis from La Trappe (and I definitely need to try this one with some gouda next time!).
Over in Sunderland, I made it to the launch of Vaux Social. With their brew kit now relocated in a bigger unit nearby on Charles Street, they’ve increased the size of their Monk Street taproom and have given it a working men’s club makeover, complete with dimpled pint pots, and old Vaux memorabilia on the dark wooden-panelled walls. It’s the perfect mix of nostalgia and modernity, much like their beer range, which has everything from modern hazy pales and IPAs to traditional best bitters and brown ales.
I can’t let this edition go by without congratulating two of our North East breweries who won multiple awards at the World Beer Awards this year. Three Brothers Brewing Company took home Bronze for Feel The Rhythm alongside a Gold and Country Winner title for Northern Light. Meanwhile, Twice Brewed picked up Bronze for Number of the Yeast, Gold and Country Winner for Pitch Black, and went on to claim the ultimate title of World’s Best Mid-Strength Beer for Pitch Black – such an incredible achievement for North East beer!
Finally, keep an eye out for a new brewery, Sidbie’s. Based in Alnwick, their beers are currently brewed at Allendale Brew Co. while they’re searching for a permanent home. We picked up a few cans at Turnbull’s Northumbrian Food Hall, but you can also find them in The Alnwick Garden shop and pouring on tap in selected local pubs.
As my favourite season approaches, I’m looking forward to getting back out to the pub to catch up on all the new releases I’ve missed. And scampi fries. Oh how I’ve missed a packet of those with a pint of IPA.
Daisy Turnell is a beer judge, director at Tipple Marketing, and owner of Craft Beer Newcastle.
www.craftbeernewcastle.co.uk
