The Kernel at Cask Pub and Kitchen

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'Twas the night before the start of the Great British Beer Festival, and scores of hopheads from London and much farther afield have gathered at the Cask Pub and Kitchen in Pimlico to celebrate the exceptional beers from an exceptional brewery.

The event that drawns them here like hungry yeast to fermentable sugars is a 'Meet the Brewer' night with the ale alchemists from The Kernel Brewery who have the rather consistent knack of turning water, malt, hops and yeast into liquid gold.

However, it's more than just your usual, run of the mill brewer event where you roll up to the pub, shake hands, shoot the breeze and sample one or, if you are lucky, a couple of the Brewer's Fayre. This, instead, is an off the scale, extra special event where a dozen of the taps at the Cask have been taken over by a gorgeous infestation of lovely keg and cask beers from one of the most exciting breweries in the UK at the moment.

A Cornucopia of Kernels

The Kernel make great beers. Big, bold beers that generally fall into two categories. 'Pale and hoppy', that capture and characterise the essence of the single and mixed hops used and 'dark and roasty', that tip their hat to, and borrow from, the brewing history and tradition of London's dark beers. As the flyer for the event says, "The Kernel are all about upfront hops, lingering bitterness, warming alcohols and bodies of malt."

On the bar were 4 cask and 8 keg beers - a veritable cornucopia of Kernel - showcasing some of the best that brewer Evin and the Kernel team make. The event had attracted beer lovers and tickers from as far flung places as Sweden, Norway and the United States as well as from closer to home to indulge in some Kernel standards as well as a taste of some of their newer beers.

The list was impressive.

CASK

Nelson Sauvin Pale Ale    5.1%
Citra and Nelson IPA    7.1%
Export Stout    7.8%
The Kernel and Brew Wharf Collaboration Brew   4.5%

KEG

Export India Porter   6.5%
Imperial Brown Stout   10.1%
Nelson Sauvin IPA    6.8%
Nelson Sauvin Pale   4.7%
Saison    7%
Black IPA    7%
Citra IPA    7.2%
Mt. Hood Pale Ale  5.3%


Anticipating overwhelming demand for, and limited supply of, the beers the pub had rationed them to half pint measures only and by the time I got there, thirsty drinkers had spilled from the pub and occupied the road and pavement outside. Inside, the bar was three deep as people jostled to sample as many beers as possible before they ran out. This was a full forty five minutes before the official start time of the event. I was glad I got there early.

I managed to catch the eye of one of the bar staff. I threw it back at him and out of appreciation, he poured me a half of Citra IPA that popped and zinged with fruity citrus freshness which immediately hit the spot on a muggy and humid August evening. Having located my beer buddies for the night, we settled in the sunshine to enjoy some beautifully made and very, very tasty Kernel beers.

Next up was The Kernel and Brew Wharf Collaboration made with a trio of super alpha, pacific jade and sorachi ace hops. I liked it but some felt that the sorachi overwhelmed the other two hops.

And so the evening continued. Glasses were passed, beers were tasted and opinions shared as the relative merits of each beer and hop variety were disected and discussed. It was a delightful evening.

The Kernel's, Evin

All the beers were exemplary but two must be given special mention as the stand out beers of the evening. The Kernel Saison was an outstanding representation of this style of beer with a big, big nose full of fresh, sweet summer citrus notes of oranges, tangerines, clementines and lemon zest with Belgian yeasty breadiness, super smooth mouthfeel and a dryish fruity finish. It was lovely. I hear the bottle version is even better than the keg. I made a point of picking up a couple of bottles of the Saison to check out that theory. I look forward to letting you know.

The Mt. Hood Pale Ale was extremely nice too. It was a light and crisp pale ale with subtle hop notes and a sweet citrus edge that let you know that it was there in a very gentle and unobstrusive way. I detected some very light peachy/nectarine notes. It was very pleasant and the common consensus was that it was a most agreeable beer.

The Kernel at the Cask and Kitchen was a great night and I felt very lucky to have been in the right place at the right time to enjoy one of London's best breweries firing on all cylinders with a truly exceptional range of beers.

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Alice? Alice? Who the Punk is Alice?

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January tends to be a dull and boring affair where not much happens other than the horrific inevitabilities of  an expanded waistline and a hefty credit card bill following the overindulgence of the festive frivolities.

At this time of year, everyone usually hunkers down and wishes for warmer climes and wealthier times. And in beerland things are no different. January is usually like a pint of Ruddles - dull, flat and uninteresting.


However, this year things are different. Much, much different, for January 2011 has burst into life with a beery snap, hop crackle and BrewDog pop.

Brewdog on the Board

Snap! - The Kernel Brewery and the Rake Bar's Glyn reveal to the world their interpretation of the beer style du jour - Black IPA.


Crackle! - Dark Star Brewing Company and Mellisa Cole unveil their collaborative beer called M & M Porter.


Pop! - Fraserburgh Upstarts BrewDog's Glasgow launch of their Alice Porter and their new strength, new taste Punk IPA.


There will be full reviews of the Kernel and the M & M in later blogposts from me but just now I want to report on the coming together of two of my favourite beery things - BrewDog and the Bon Accord for the launch of some great, tasty and refreshing beer.


Legend has it that the Bon Accord in Glasgow was the first pub to stock BrewDog beers. That may or may not be the case but it's quite fitting that BrewDog should choose the Bon to launch and showcase their new beers. The Bon is a Scottish pub institution and has been championing quality, well made beers since the 1970's and has done more than it's fair share of bringing BrewDog's delicious delights to the attention of west coast drinkers.

BrewDog James

Tonight, there are three BrewDog beers on show - their new 6.2% Alice Porter, the new 5.4% Punk IPA and 3.8% AlphaDog and everyone one of them are an absolute joy to behold and imbibe. Each are stunningly gorgeous and go down far too easy for a Monday night. I had intended to stay for a half of each, say hello to a few folk and be home for nine. Fat chance of that once the first mouthful danced delightfully on my tongue before sliding effortlessly down my throat. This was going to be a late one.


The new Punk IPA has seen it's ABV reduced from 6% down to 5.4% with the rationale being that by having a lower ABV it will make the beer more accessible to a wider public which may baulk at the idea of consuming a beer as high as 6%. I'm not too fussed about the reduction by 10% of the beer's alcohol content down to 5.4%. It certainly doesn't affect the body or the mouthfeel of the beer. It's still an aromatic and tasty beer full of lovely grapefruit and sweet citrus and pine notes. I was reliably informed that BrewDog have tweaked the original by using less bittering hops and more aroma hops but that doesn't stop it from having a superbly dry and bitter finish. It fair pulls your cheeks in.

Making History?

Next up was the Alice Porter and it poured a very dark brown, almost black, with a nice thick creamy off-white head. It crunched with roasty malts that resonated with cocoa and coffee and a lingering nuance of vanilla. It went down very smoothly and, with the alcohol well hidden, it's very, very drinkable. It is a cracking pint and delightfully very moreish. Another great beer from BrewDog.


The Alphadog has been around for a bit longer than the new Punk and Alice Porter but it is still a relatively new addition to the BrewDog beer canon. It's an enjoyable beer which has a sweet caramel malty taste which is well balanced by some pronounced hoppy bitterness. It's a nice and easy session beer and one that actually worked moderately well when combined with the Alice to create an improvised black and tan much later on in the evening. Well, you are tempted to try these little experiments when the beer has kicked in.


Three very nice beers in the company of very nice people is a lovely way to spend a Monday night.


If you do get the chance to meet Alice Porter, the Alphadog and their little Punk friend some time soon, do say hello. You really must get to know them better.



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