Hallam (Step 6) 0 v Shildon (Step 5) 2
FA Vase, Second Round
Saturday 12 December 2020
Football With Fans Game #18
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So. Sheffield remains in Covid Tier 3. No pubs or restaurants open. Hitherto, no fans at Step 6 or higher. The NCEL suspended the league in those circumstances. Hallam had to play their 1st Round Vase game last Saturday behind closed doors. And. In the week. The FA & the Government have done some deal. 150 fans allowed in. Cue fastest finger first ticket bunfight. All tickets sold in NINE MINUTES. And, here we are at Game #18.
You know the drill. Clubhouse shut. No bar. Some people will have brought cans in. But, in order to preserve this as a "Beer Blog" (laughable), I'll have to dig deep.
The Carrier Bag Firm have been going at a Can A Day program. This time of year, we've been majoring on Winter Series Beers. We've been through the Buxton Brewery 2020 Barrel Masters. All barrel aged & named after Chess Masters! We’ve been through the Saint Mars Of The Desert Belgian Abbey Style series. But, today, I’m going to tell you about….. The Siren Craft Brew Caribbean Chocolate Cake 2020 Series. Four beers in 330ml tins.
Caribbean Chocolate Pancake Stack at 7.4%
They’ve used maple in it - hence pancake stack. The bumf claims maple syrup, smoking over maple & ageing in maple. Or similar. That was my least favourite of the four. It was better once you’d got past the initial “maple” hit, and the core chocolate kicked in. But, honestly, I just didn’t find the dominant taste appealing.
Nitro Caribbean Chocolate Cake at 7.4%
Great beer. Sort of the core Chocolate Stout they’ve been making for years. But, Niiiiiiitro’d up. Making it look lovely in the glass. Rich & luxurious. It’s a honed beer. You worry the chocolate may overpower. But, it never does, enhancing any bitterness in the finish. It all plays around your palate for ever.
Barrel Aged Caribbean Chocolate Cake at 8.8%
Bourbon, Rye & Oak barrels used. I’ll be honest, I was hoping it’d be more Bourbon Boozy than it was. Natch, the chocolate was lovely & I got some dried fruit in the finish.
Death By Caribbean Chocolate Cake at 10.2%
Yep. That’s the winner. They’ve just chucked more in. Of everything. Hhhhmmm, I'm not really sure what a Death By Chocolate Cake tastes like. That tasted to me like Black Forest Gateau in a glass. It is certainly thick with chocolate, but in great balance. Some of the chocolate brings a great bitterness. And it all ends with red fruit & sour cherries. Superb.
A good game up at Sandygate in the Stop Start Vase. Shildon deserved that, they were the better team. But, far from being overrun, Hallam stayed in it for long periods. A ridiculous behind him hand scooping it out the way save by the Shildon keeper Newbrook on 83 kept it to 2-0. If that had gone in, & Hallam chucked the lot at it for the last five. Who knows? It was level nil all at half time. But, Hallam had weathered a storm towards the end of that bit. Sam Andrew, gloving for Hallam, pulled off some great saves. I think I heard the announcement at the end that he'd won Man Of The Match. Sounds about right. He'd made crucial saves as early as 15. Great skills from Shildon 9, Thexton saw him wriggle free on the edge of the box & take it on. Sam Andrew came out, closed him down, & beat saved the ball away. It actually fell nicely back to Thexton. Who showed not great skills by chucking himself on the deck. Correctly, a few Countrymen explained a few things to him.
Shildon looked quick & lively in the channel running. Great way to play at this level. And were more confident knocking short, fast, accurate balls into their backs to goal strikers. That man Thexton put Shildon in front on 50. The ball broke well for him. But, man alive, he took it on well & thunderbastarded it home - the diving get. Aside from the last ten chuck the lot at it, Hallam couldn't really get a look in after that. Shildon got the second on 70 mins.
Next time, Ale please.
Stats
I have now Blogged from 935 games in 2,307 days
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