Yeovil at home

Sheffield United 2 v Yeovil Town 0

Tuesday 21 October 2014

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A straightforward & reasonably competent win I thought.  A few defensive shenaningans. Collins still not in the squad, Basham was used as a centre back.  Chances at both ends - United missed two very clear cut ones.  We know by now that we’re not going to tear the league up.  The key is going to be consistency & ploughing away with your system. Clean sheets, goals from everyone, win some, draw some, lose few.

That win puts us in a Play-Off position.

To my eye, we are increasingly playing at pace - and with a purpose. It’s not high class, ball retaining pace. But, it’s high tempo at times.  Notably through Murphy & Campbell-Ryce out wide & cutting in.

Stand out beer of the day was Dark Star Green Hopped IPA at 6.5% in The Rutland Arms.

What's in a Name

Sheffield United 1 v Rochdale 0

Saturday 13 September 2014

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I went a bit mad in The Rutland Arms & it got me thinking about Beer names.  I do like The Rutland Arms.  From my side of the bar, it has a straightforward beer model. House cask beers from Blue Bee & guest casks. Usually a Magic Rock keg, often a Summer Wine keg and some good guest kegs.  I passed on the Acorn keg, the Summer Wine milk stout & the Siren/To Ol Tickle Monster.

I went for a stout & a porter.  The stout was Blue Bee Inhov The Black at 7%.  The thing is, the pump clip was in faux Cyrillic script - a wrong way round N, etc.  Of course, having just got back from Moldova, I’ve spent 4 days trying to decipher real Cyrillic script.  Being a mathematician, I’m not too bad at spotting the letters and pronounciation.  Well, like an idiot, I didn’t realise at first that the fake Cyrillic spelling on Inhov The Black was a play on spellling/words of an expression in Snooker.  So, I was actually pre-programmed to try & decipher it - and of course, you can’t.  I even asked about the bar staff about the pronunciation. They must have thought I was mad.  The beer was lovely,

The porter was The Hop Studio Porter at 4.3%. That was great as well. I got chocolate straight away. I’m no expert, but I thought/hoped the chocolate flavour was coming from the malt, rather than through having chocolate chucked in.

Anyway. It got me thinking. Do we want our beer names to do what it says on the tin (The Hop Studio - PORTER)? Or to amuse us (Blue Bee - Inhov The Black)?

I do find myself asking too many times - “what sort of beer is that?”

So, I do lean a bit towards the simple descriptive names.  Oh, and don’t get me started on IPAs which don’t taste like IPAs.

Worse Than Hitler

Sheffield United U21 0 v Colchester United 0

Wednesday 20 August 2014

Shirecliffe Academy

Twitter @ball_sup

I really enjoy going to age group football. Both Sheffield United & England. In the main it's refreshing. No histrionics & drama. Players who mainly want to play & give it their all. Refs let the game flow.

It does suck you in a bit. You start wanting to see the players you've seen being given a shot in the 1st team.

Both teams were bright & busy. Plenty of chances at both ends. I had Colchester shading the 1st half with United coming more into it in the 2nd. Not much composure & quality out there. It was all a bit rushed & frenetic.

Enjoyable game though for all that. For United there weren't really any next cab off the rank players out there. Most of those would have been with the 1st team group in Peterborough the night before. I guess Summer signing James Wallace was of most interest.

He started on the bench & came on later in the 2nd half. He looked strong & committed. Not head & shoulders above the others, but stood out a bit.

Lots of the other contenders were busy at times - anonymous at others.  Diego had a quiet game. He seemed to get the ball a lot with his back to goal & couldn't make an impact.

Otis Khan had a few runs attacking defenders at pace. Connor Dimaio I like. But he needs to just be left to get on with it & develop. Maybe Johnstone's Paint & the odd substitute appearance in the short term for him.

Nobody really putting their hand up & demanding to be picked.

With a 2pm kick off, the drink was post match.

I went in The Rutland Arms. I had a beer I'd been hoping to track down. The Steel City Brewing/North Riding Hotel Worse Than Hitler at 5.4%. And 139.4 ibu according to the pump clip.

Fantastic. Does what it says on the tin. It's all about the upfront bitterness & the bitter finish. I'm going to say the Blackness adds something. But the power of the hops means, you know, it could be pale it could be red. To me the Blackness accentuates the bitterness. It sort of gives a backbone of chewy body on which the bitterness flourishes. It's my sort of beer. I loved it.

Next up was Stone Brewing Ruination IPA at 7.7%.

Marmalade on the nose. Zingy & mouthfilling. Lovely cloying sticking to the roof of your mouth & numbing bitterness. Tastes all of it's 7.7%. The sweetness is quite in your face. That surprised me a little. It was enjoyable.

Harry Maguire - Shattered Dream

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Sheffield United 0 v Huddersfield Town 1

29 July 2014

A pre-season home game as the will he/won't he Harry Maguire saga drew closer to a conclusion. He's gone to Hull.

I could fill the internet with lists of players who have left Bramall Lane to pursue their dreams. Where are they know .... Jordan Slew.

In Harry's honour I tucked into Siren Craft Brew Shattered Dream in The Rutland Arms.

A pulverising 9.8% Imperial Stout. The smell was very pleasant & not at all overpowering. Quite gentle coffee & vanilla tones. Nothing burnt or even toasted.

Mouth filling & smooth - velvet. It tasted very well balanced. There was a little bitter finish (which I like). Went down very easy for a belting abv.

One of those beers you expect to be extreme - but you come away thinking - oooooh lovely. The coffee & vanilla flavours linger on the tastebuds - & I'll repeat, without overpowering.

Next up. Magic Rock Brewing Craftwerk at 5%. Magic Rock turns up a lot in The Rutland & I love their beers.

Craftwerk was a perfectly nice, but unexceptional US/German Pale. Nice & refreshing, a little bit of citrus. But I found myself waiting for a hop kick.

Next stop. The Lord Nelson (Fannys). I had Fox Brewery Patriot on cask at 4.8%. Loved it. It surprised me. Felt a bit like the best of both worlds. Malty & ruby like an English bitter but with a "not quite pucker up" hop hit finish like an American pale. I'd embarrass myself if I guessed the hops. Maybe they were American maybe Kent. Who knows.