We have a "tradition" in Hitchin for Saturdays: do some chores/work things for a couple of hours and then bugger off to the pub for the afternoon.
Well, we're in Bristol for a few days and there was something of a backlog of house(flat)work that really needed catching up with. So we applied the Hitchin Saturday to the task.
This preamble is all by way of telling you why we ended up in a brewery tap room at 2pm on a Saturday (not that we need an excuse but...)
A little while ago I learned that Moor Brewery was upping sticks from the Somerset Levels and setting up shop just around the corner from our Bristol flat. Not only that, but they were putting a tap room into the brewery for off sales and some on site consumption.
So, it was only going to be a matter of time before we went to try it out.
I remember, very fondly, an evening drinking Moor Revival (edit: Revival - not Redemption as I previously wrote) in the Robin Hood on St Michael's Hill a couple of years back. S, on the other hand, has never really warmed to the beer - nevertheless, he was eager to try it at source.
So, after one wrong turn and a 10 minute stroll, we found ourselves opening the door to the taproom not really knowing what to expect. Firstly, it isn't...most definitely isn't a pub. It's a room at the end of a warehouse brewery at the edge of an industrial estate so characterful and "traditional" it ain't.
It's clean, light and airy with a few large trestle tables and benches - each of which seat about 8 or so people. When we arrived, all the tables had at least one person on it so we knew we'd have to share. We have no issue with this - it's something we happily do on a regular basis in the Evening Star, the Basketmakers, The Harp and in other places - actually, sometimes it's quite nice to entertain the idea of conversation with a fellow customer.
And so to the beer. There were two casks on a small stillage and about five keg lines on. As you'll know if you've read other blog posts, I'm not usually that fond of keg so it felt like a bit of a restriction but I'd far rather anywhere had limited choice of tip-top beer than loads of choice of tired ale.
The choice was "Revival" and "Raw". I went for Revival and S took the Raw.
The next thing, we were ready for and yet it still gave us pause. The beers are unfined and so are hazy. Actually, they're more than "hazy". I want to use the work "murky" but that makes them sound bad. Lets call it "very hazy" or "cloudy".
Deep breath and then take a sip. The beer was lovely. Simply lovely. Temperature was perfect thanks to a cooling saddle and insulated jacket, flavours are well balanced and any residual reservations I have about cloudy beer evaporate. S concurs.
We sip our beer, chat a bit and read "Pints West". The folk with whom we're sharing a table do similarly until we start talking about the recently printed "Heritage Beer Trail". Suddenly the chap next to us apologises, and chips into our conversation; he wrote a lot of the historical information about the pubs and is eager to tell us about the information he had to leave out.
So for the next couple of hours we chat, on and off, with this group of previously-strangers - helping with a crossword, encouraging a beer novice to be prepared to ask questions and not be put off trying things (also trying to find a cider analogue of Greene King IPA). It was a convivial affair.
At one point, brewery owner Justin came over and asked whether we all knew each other before we arrived - we confirmed we had only just met and he was delighted. He wants the communal tables to encourage people to chat to new folk.
For the second drink I decide I'll branch out and try one of the keg numbers. I opt for a half of "Hoppiness". S sticks with Raw.
Hoppines is lovely beer - that's easy to see. But - and it's quite a big but for me - the hardness of the bubbles do detract from the drinking for me. It was also a good few degrees cooler than I like (partly down to the keg chiller temp not quite settling just yet). That said, I enjoyed my half of it immensely. I also tried a kegged half of "So'hop" which was good, but I preferred the Hoppiness.
After our table mates departed we were the only people left in the room so we got chatting to the guy behind the bar. Clearly passionate about the craft and the product, he was great to chat to. We learned that Moor beers are exactly the same no matter how they're served. Keg versions are matured in-keg, unpasteurised. Interesting stuff.
We got talking about our pet peeve with keg beer - the price. If it's the same product, why does keg cost maybe £1 per pint more than cask? Because the dispense method is more pricey (gas, kegs, keg filling, etc) we're told. Hmmmm. In effect that means you're asking the customer to pay more for the same product which has more longevity and is easier to keep/dispense for the publican. It feels wrong.
I'm not arguing with the economics, exactly - stuff costs what it costs - but the model sounds counter-intuitive.
As we continued chatting, we discussed the difference in texture in keg from cask. He reckoned that the keg version worked better for some of their beers. I can see that - also, it's a matter of personal taste.
Today we thought more about it whilst we were in the Barleymow for Sunday post-chores refreshment. Maybe the premium pays for choice - in Craft AND Real Ale establishments (Barleymow, Moor Taproom, Euston Tap, Small Bar, et al) there are usually more keg lines on (the beer keeps a little longer and there's less chance of spoilage) than casks. So you pays your money and takes your wider choice - and that's OK (not ideal, but definitely OK).
As I've said before, I don't want people to dismiss "craft" (aka good keg) beer out of hand and dismiss it as "not real beer". If I needed any further convincing of this, Saturday's experience in the taproom provided me with adequate reason. I also don't need any further convincing that, given the choice, I prefer the "mouthfeel" of cask beer over the very best keg-dispensed product.
All in all, Saturday's session was the best afternoon we've spent in a "pub" for a long time. It really had everything - great beer; entertaining and educating conversation and just around the corner from the flat.
The Taproom has become an instant 3-pint-plus pub and we'll be going back as soon as we can, that's for sure.
Even if it's a bit of a trek for you - check the opening times on the website and get yourself around there. Don't be put off by the cloudiness of the beer - this is beer made with love, care and knowledge. Go on - you know you want to.
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