Hop Volatiles, Volatile Brooks

Yorkshire 256 all out
v Nottinghamshire 53-4
close on Day 1

County Championship Division One

Played at Headingley

Friday 20 April 2018

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Here's some science. (From this side of the bar), there is some New Hop Science in town. A recently developed pellet. Industrial Big Beer can use it as an austerity measure. To stretch more hop flavour (and hence more beer) out of a pound of Hops. They probably won't drop the price of a pint, in case you were fucking wondering.

It might not be all bad news for us HopHeads. The pellets can be used to brew ever hoppier beers from the same pound of Hops. The Boston Beer Company Pure Hop Pellet has been developed in collaboration. Between Barth-Haas Group & the Boston Beer Company (BBC). (Yes, of Sam Adams fame). For what it's worth, the BBC increases the yield of hop volatiles, and hence increases aromas & flavours.

All that is relevant because I asked the barman for what was on the blackboard. A pint of Cloudwater BBC Mosaic. Off. FFS. He was changing the keg, then he'd write the new beer on the board. Increased Hop Volatiles - I'll die wondering.

Growlers is a bottle, can & growler shop in Headingley. Rejoice. Six weeks ago, they got an On Licence. So, they can now operate as a Craft beer bar (4 taps). With impunity. As the BBC had gone to the Test Card, I went ….

Northern Monk, Sharknado, Blood Orange & Sea Salt IPA at 5.5%. Funny looking critter. Got a tinge of pink to it. Gloopy. My first reaction was - if I'd have been served that, without having been told “the style”, I'd have been hard pushed to place it. That's partly good - because it means it's intriguing. That's partly bad - because a load of stuff has become a load of nothing. For example, I didn't get any salt at all. My second reaction was - there is enough late hop action to make you sit up & say - oh, maybe it is an IPA (fucked about with). But, confirming, there was nothing unpleasant about it.

I'm not in the mood. All four days of the Essex game gone to an alleged quagmire. Early April, wet, green tops, no toss, wickets a tumbling, to medium pacers doing a bit, batsmen having a dart, because their names on one soon, the spinners with the Racing Post. Play it in Summer FFS.

So. That felt a bit like - go through the motions cricket. From losing Brook at 93-5, that constitutes a Yorkshire recovery. Two 44 run, down the order, stands from there. To get to top side 250. Jack Brooks is a momentum player, ie inconsistent, ie shit. You get what you get. Way it is.

One six. In a 47 ball 30 with bat. Had put him in the mood. Three maidens in seven. To go three for 11. Including charging celebration runs & gestures to the East Stand. Moody fucker. More please.

645/1340