Image: Sian Boyle
I placed the lipstick-smeared tankard on the table, crossed my legs and flicked my hair after sinking my first pint.
Do you class ale as a ‘crusty old-man drink’? This girl doesn’t.
It’s day two of the Real Ale Festival at the New Rose on Essex Road and judging by the quantity being downed, ale is still alive and kicking.
Serving up 21 beers from seven London breweries including those in Battersea, Croydon, Hackney, London Fields and Tottenham, the pub has 11 ales on offer at any one time, including eight stored in good old-fashioned stillage barrels.
The warm atmosphere of the New Rose lends itself perfectly to an evening of ale sampling.
Shabby leather sofas, candle-lit tables and poster-adorned wooden walls make for a cosy alternative to the freak March snow outside.
I start with the Hackney American Pale Ale (4.5 per cent), a dark amber hoppy beer which is slightly too heavy and bitter for my taste.
After this I try the Pumphouse Pale Ale (4.2 per cent) which is light and citrusy, overall an easy drink.
My favourite, bearing in mind I am on pint number three by now, is the Redemption Pale Ale (3.8 per cent): citrusy, floral, and toffee-sweet but with the nice bitter hoppy aftertaste.
Jonny Cantlay, the pub’s manager, took up the challenge of trying all 11 varieties yesterday. And yes, that’s pints, not halves. No one can say he doesn’t take his job seriously.
“The beer going best at the minute is the London Fields Shoreditch Triangle IPA. It’s a six percenter so I don’t recommend anyone starting off on it but you can build your way up. The Pumphouse Pale Ale from Sambrooks in Battersea is also going down really well.”
Henry Taylor, 24, who tried the London Fields Black Path Porter (4.2 per cent), said: “Porters are supposed to be chocolatey and caramelly. This one was quite sweet but you could definitely taste the alcohol.
“I really liked the festival – it was a really cool pub and a nice setting – a good change from the whole clinical atmosphere of some of the kind of Shoreditchy pubs.”
I ask Jonny what he thinks of the ‘image’ of real ale, and what he says to those who don’t think ale is for them.
“I’d tell them to come in and give it a try. This is a nice atmosphere to do it in. People are very friendly in terms of offering a taste, so just see what your palate likes.
“It’s a great way of meeting people.”
The New Rose Real Ale Festival runs from Sunday 10 – Thursday 14 March.
84-86 Essex Road, N1 8LU 0207 226 1082
Top 10 Weirdest Ale Names
Once you’ve immersed yourself in the world of real ale, you’ll soon get to know that breweries like to have a laugh with their name choices. Here are some of the wackiest:
Rape and Stillage
Tactical Nuclear Penguin
Yellow Snow
Seriously Bad Elf
Old Leghumper
Vergina
Arrogant Bastard
He’brew: The Chosen Beer
Spicy Fish Wife
Mens Room Original
IN Guide to Beer
Golden ale is derived from pale malts, with tart citrus fruit and peppery hops, often with hints of vanilla and cornflour. Golden ales are pale, amber, gold, yellow or straw coloured and are served cool.
Pale ale and IPA is usually strong in alcohol and high in hops. Look for juicy malt, citrus fruit and a big spicy, peppery bitter hop character, with strengths of 4% upwards.
Stout is a dark beer made using roasted malts or roast barley. It is generally darker, fuller bodied, maltier, and hoppier than other ales. Stout Ale originated in Ireland as a variant of porter beer.
Porter is a style of ale which has a malty aroma, hop bitterness, and a bittersweet chocolate flavour. It is generally strong and dark and brewed with soft rather than hard water.
Mild is usually dark brown in colour, due to the use of well-roasted malts or barley and is less hopped than bitters and often has a chocolatey character, with nutty and burnt flavours.
