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Tuesday 4 September 2012

From Porthleven with love



Having long been of Skinners beers - especially Betty Stogs and Cornish Knocker, last week Fuggles finally got round to popping down to Truro to visit them.  I knew they weren't huge, but was still somewhat surprised to find a single 25 barrel mash tun turning out 3 brews a day, 5 days a week most of the year. Less surprised to see the hot hard job of shovelling it out by hand being undertaken.

The virtually antique copper dates from an era when they were still made of copper.  The fact that these are no longer made (/ affordable) and the distinctive flavour it imparts to the beer is one of the reasons why just one mash tun is still employed.  The copper limits the output of the brewery overall.

In keeping with the mash tun and the copper, the beer is then fermented in open squares for a week before being either put into casks by hand onsite, or sent offsite for bottling.
Pick of the beers at the bar after our lovely tour for me was Porthleven.  A seasonal from 2011, it was back by popular demand.  Demand which might just see it sit alongside 'Betty' and 'Knocker' more permanently.  With a bucketload of citra (well, actually more like a dustbinload) it balances grassy and fruity in the way that so many IPAs aspire to.

Also worth a mention are the wheat beers - Cornish Blonde and Skin Dog lager. Full of flavour without cloying sweetness.




Fuggles was most disappointed to be slightly too early to try 'Green Hop' brewed with fresh rather than dried hops, and said to have a slightly green tinge to it.  Ah well, good excuse to go back in September next year....