Norfolk & Beer: playing catch-up

Let's be honest, it's been too damn hot to blog. Norfolk was blessed with occasional internet connectivity and tons of good beer, so I was busy sampling the latter whilst not giving a fig about the former. All the beery details will be revealed through the week, including;

- why cider is ten times better than beer as a lunchtime drink
- why some microbrewers in the county are missing a trick when it comes to selling bottles
- how fresh beer and fresh food, both local, is an ideal combination
- how reduced opening hours restrict topering at lunchtime

But I can find the time to write a few words now about beer and cider buying. Norfolk is well catered for with outlets ranging from the brewer's doorstep to the largest store in Britain. From places such as Walsingham Farms Shop, the Real Ale Shop, Whin Hill Cider, the Norfolk Show and Beers of Europe, I've picked up several dozen bottles in the last week. They range from local microbrewers through to US and continental fayre. Here's what I'm hoping the highlights will be:


An eclectic selection of Norfolk ales including some light fruity numbers from Humpty Dumpty and a couple of IPAs by Grain and Fox.


These two will be winging their way to Sheffield in acouple of weeks for the ratebeer.com European Summer Gathering. Artic Ale from Elvenden is a recreation of a Samuel Allsop beer brewed for sailors undertaking artic expeditions in the ninteenth century (there's a useful potted history here and an article by Roger Protz on his blog). Wagtail's Black Beauty Coffee Porter uses Kenyan coffee beans to add another dimension to an already-tasty beer.


We may be just out of a heatwave, but I'm always on the lookout for those bottles with which I'll while away the winter evenings. These two should be good; Brewdog's Paradox Islay I've had a few times already, so I'm already looking forward to tasting it alongside Harviestoun's legendary Ola Dubh.



And these just looked like fun; the Crouch Vale Amarillo I've had several times before on cask, so I'll be interested to see if it maintains that hop intensity once bottle. As for the De Molen, it's not a brewery I'm familiar with but I'm always prepared to take a punt on something new. I just need to find a few more Amarillo-heavy beers for a proper hop-off one weekend.

So, there you go. I'm off for a quick kip before I raid the fridge for a few US beers; it is Independence Day, after all...