I Heart MK

Milton Keynes Dons 1 v Sheffield United 2

Tuesday 28 October 2014

Twitter @ball_sup

There I've said it. Milton Keynes is OK. I've always been able to find a decent drink. The stadium has its soulless qualities. I'll give you that. But it's modern & very comfortable. I hope they do very well when the Rugby World Cup comes to town.

People's main criticism seems to be the roundabouts. I don't give a flying. I've nothing against MK fans they didn't nick anything off anybody. Some sympathy with some Wimbledon fans. But not the ones who bleat. If Wimbledon fans had turned up in numbers back in the day they'd have stayed in South London/Merton.

The Football League/Association were the villains in the Franchise Football Fiasco.

You don't hear of MK needing The Administrator every other year. Nor are they sacking managers every two weeks. I know it's The Benefactor model, but they're well run.  Good luck to them.

I find the town centre a pleasant change from Chained Identikit English High St.  But ..... I ended up in Lloyds/Wetherspoons. (The Secklow Hundred)

I feel less benevolence towards the Wetherspoons Real Ale Festival. It's still a good initiative. But it's really just Big Boy Rebadging.  Their buying power is leaving little room for smaller independent breweries to get on this particular gravy train.

Even the foreign brewers showcase thing is overreaching I feel. Anyway. I ploughed into Golden Ale at 4.4% from Two Birds Brewing from Melbourne (made at Banks's). Pleasant enough. Honey sweetness followed by a gentle spicy bitterness. Some nice body to it.

My "notes" say I've had the full blown version (and Taco and Sunset Ale) on a previous Australia trip ..... but I don't recall them particularly.

Another late late late show by Cup Kings Sheffield United. Loved it.

In defence of Wetherspoons

Coventry City 1 v Sheffield United 0

Saturday 16 August 2014

Twitter @ball_sup

….and of course this away game at Coventry City was played at Northampton Town.

This blog post is mainly about the beer.  After all, in a week when the Ched Evans will they won’t they story reignited, and the week that Bramall Lane featured in the surfacing Cliff Richard allegations - what else have I to write about.

One of the reasons I like Wetherspoons is you know what you’re getting.  I got the train to Leicester, the train to Wellingborough, the bus to Northampton. I walked to my target pub (The Lamplighter), and it wasn’t open (too early).  OK, it wasn’t yet noon, I could have phoned, I could have checked their website.

So, the pre-noon reappraisal is usually - Wetherspoons, they’ll be open.

Another reason I like Wetherspoons is their showcasing of foreign brewers (during their Real Ale Festivals) and American brewers year round in their American Brewers Showcase series.  I know it’s a bit of a cheat, with the beers usually being made at major UK industrial breweries.  But, it’s a neat way of being exposed to foreign brewers stuff.

So, I hit The Cordwainer in Northampton and had a go on Barley Brown's Black IPA at 5.2%. The pump clip said by Tyler Brown & Eli Dickison of Baker City Brewing Co. Oregon. It was dark but not quite black. Impressive head clinging to the glass.Lovely mouthfeel soft and gentle.Nice combination of toast & hopped bitterness at the back of the throat.  I like Black IPA (although increasingly less so) and this was a good high quality version.

After a quick “are you open” phonecall it was back to The Lamplighter.  It’s a lovely welcoming place. Only when I needed the loo did I realise that it’s a warren of rooms both downstairs and upstairs. Very calming paintjob. I counted 6 cask on handpulls, some of the usual suspects and one UK craft brew keg.  When I showed an interest in that (was it Brewster’s Brewing from Lincolnshire?), the Landlord offered me a taste. Very welcoming - hi mate, sorry I forgot to ask your name.

I started on Phipps NBC Red Star at 3.8%. Ruby. Nice head. Not much aroma. Malty toffee on the palate. Pleasant easy drinking. Powerful finish but more malt than bitter.

I moved on to Nobby's Wild West at 4.6%. Very thin mouthfeel. Very very slight hint of liquorice (I thought odd for a copper/ruby beer - though not unpleasant). I’m sorry - but I felt it was a sort of nothing going on beer. More hint of orange peel as I got down it.

Another “are you open” call, and it was on to The Garibaldi Hotel.  One of the reasons I like Wetherspoons is their wide and mixed business model appeal. Early risers, night owls, solitary afternoon drinkers, real ale heads, lager jockeys & cider gliders, pensioners, young kids pre-loading...all catered for.

As an older fella - here’s a tip for emerging craft beer places - watch it. Keep your offering mixed enough to attract people like me. It’s not always going to be about honing down for the hipsters. The Garibaldi is just on the cusp I feel. My mate walked in and said “Hoxton”.  Now that’s OK - but you don’t want to go too far.

As I recall it was 2 cask, 2 ciders, 3 Meantime, 3 Camden, Brooklyn, Vedett - maybe a Purity. Bottle list on a big, informative sign behind the bar.

I started with Meantime ShortList Fool's Gold a 4.5%. It looked slightly unfiltered and a little opaque. Very lemon citrus on the nose. Bursting with flavour. Very refreshing. Grapefruit kicking in. I really enjoyed that one.

I had a good look at the bottle list. The barman (Josh I think) was very helpful & informative.  He pushed my buttons. I’d never heard of Runaway Brewery.  But Josh told me the brewer was called Darren - always a winner with me if I know the brewers first name.  I was sorely tempted by the Smoked Porter - but on Josh’s tip I had Runaway Brewery IPA at 5.5%.

Tongue tingling pucker up hoppiness. Grapefruit. I love beers like this. Looked unfiltered and unpasteurised. Superb.

My mate did have the Smoked Porter - unfair of me to comment. The smell was fantastic - swirling blackcurrant.

After the game, and before the bus to Wellingborough I had one in another Northampton Wetherspoons, The Moon On The Square. I had Grainstore Brewery Rutland Panther at 3.4%. Oh and at £1.89. I know there is a danger of Wetherspoons buying power making it difficult for smaller breweries to get a toe hold. But, you know £1.89 is a good price.

Very, very dark brown. Lovely foam head. Sugar cube sweet on the nose. Earthy, peaty on the palette. Rich & spicy.

ITV4 on Thursday night

Sheffield United 2 v Fenerbahce 1

Pre-Season Friendly

31 July 2014

Twitter @ball_sup

In my lifetime Sheffield United have come close to qualifying for mainstream UEFA European competitions "a few times".

How many & how close we'll never really know. Because of the ifs & buts of the qualification regulations. Most recently it's all hinged on whether we'd win FA Cup Semi Finals & maybe qualify even if we were beaten finalists. Hull City beat us in our last semi final & they are now in the 2014/15 Europa League.

Way back in 1974/75 we finished 6th in the old 1st Division. Qualification for the Inter Cities Fairs Cup was brilliantly complex. The main complication was that only one club from each city was allowed to qualify. Read that again.

If Liverpool & Everton finished above you in the league, you might still qualify as they both couldn't.

Suffice to say we went into that last game v Birmingham City at St Andrews feeling that a win would put us in Europe the next season. We didn't win.....

I was there that night. Blades who were there will probably remember it for all the wrong reasons. Including the violence on the terraces.

We didn't qualify then. We haven't qualified now. We're not on ITV4. But we did play Turkish giants Fenerbahce in a friendly. My sort of game that.

Fair play to SUFC & particularly director Selahattin Baki for pulling it off. Some of the gate receipts were donated to help the victims of the Soma mining disaster in Turkey. Now, I'm not against that.

But, I'm in my 50s, born & raised in Socialist Sheffield, worked all my life in public service. I'm for protecting essential industries. I'm for Worker's Rights. I prefer to support those proactively working & campaigning to PREVENT such disasters happening. Rather than those helping after the event.

Turkey has an appalling mine safety record.

I'm not against helping the victims in any way shape or form. But I am very much for beefing up Worker's Rights & Safety. I'd have liked to have seen some of the money go to campaigners such as The Confederation Of Progessive Trade Unions Of Turkey @diskinsesi

I put that point to Selahattin & Jim Phipps in the Blades hierarchy (via Twitter). They understood. But politely explained it wasn't going to happen. And we move on.....

Before the match I went in The Swim Inn Wetherspoons. I had Brains SA at 4.2% on cask.

It wasn't particularly appealing in the glass. Small thin white head but nice lacing down the glass.

No particular dominant smell. Maybe just a malty sweetness. Easy drinking. Simple pleasant bitter kick. Nothing really lingering in the finish. It was quite well suited to the Curry I had. A slight dryness on the palate (which I liked)

We then moved on to Sheffield Brewdog

I had Vics Secret at 6.3% on keg. I think it's single hopped maybe as part of the IPA is Dead series using a secret experimental Australian hop.

It was lovely & murky & unfiltered with a slightly off white head which died a bit quickly. The beer had very little aroma. Deep tongue numbing taste in the mouth almost anaesthetic.

Fruit burst maybe just maybe leaning towards cherries. Possibly tobacco in the taste mix somewhere. Hint of bubblegum. Felt quite chewy in the palate.

Quite a short bitter finish. Not too intense. The finish just sort of sat there. As an aftertaste I got sweetish tinned fruit salad.

I finished with Stone Brewing Wee Erky at 3.5% on keg.

Some webpages suggest it's a Brewdog collaboration. In general I'm a big fan of these powerful taste but lower abv beers.

Nice pale almost see through in the glass with a thin but consistent white head. Simple refreshing aroma. Biscuits & a hint of caramel on the palate. Pleasant taste without being palate busting.

Finish reminiscent of an English bitter. Quite long but not too powerful. Maybe my palate expected/hoped for a more powerful hop lead bitter finish.

Some citrus there I felt. I'd happily drink that as opposed to a blander but higher abv bitter.

Coming back to it...it had a pleasant but unusual balance. Any sweetness had an apricot quality - definitely not berry. And there is a nice bitterness kicking in.

Fenerbahce at The Lane .... oh my days.