Pictish Alchemists Ale is Best Beer Brewed in Greater Manchester 2008
Getting the taste Getting the taste Taste of victory
MEDIEVAL alchemists’ aim was to turn base metal into gold.
A quirky Rochdale brewer achieved a similar feat when he scooped the award for Best Beer Brewed in Greater Manchester 2008.
Richard Sutton’s Pictish Alchemists Ale was being supped appreciatively last night (Friday, October 10) by the cask ale faithful in the the CityLife.co.uk Manchester Food and Drink Festival taste Marquee in Spinningfields.
Great year
The weekend was genuinely starting there! It had clawed its way to victory in the Campaign for Real Ale-organised contest over a quite similar beer from local rivals Phoenix of Heywood – their Spotland Gold.
The Pictish victory, over six other beers in the final shoot-out climaxed a great year for former Footage and Firkin brewer Sutton, whose Alchemists Ale was also name among CAMRA’s Beers of the Year in the latest Good Beer Guide.
Sadly he couldn’t make the event, epicentre of the Greater Manchester Real Ale Festival. And there was no answer from his brewing unit alongside the Rochdale canal, which resembles a green metalled painted lock-up garage.
Otter's Bum
Founded in 2001, Pictish names, alongside regulars, 16 occasional beers on its website, www.pictish-brewery.co.uk.
These include Rupert Rocketfuel, Troglodyte, Black Shiver and Otter’s Bum with a rejoinder ‘‘These are brewed if and when I feel like it.’’ The Awards shortlist had been narrowed down from 18 representative ‘regularly brewed beers’ – submitted by 18 of the 27 (at last count) local brewers. One from each and in range of styles.
Citrussy session beer There were also two porters (third placed Greenfield Black Five and Allgates Hung Drawn and Portered), classic Northern bitter John Willie Lees’ Bitter and a citrussy hoppy session beer called simply Pint from Marble, whose JP Best won last year’s competition.
Two CAMRA panels whittled down down two sets of nine to two sets of six. The final judging panel was chaired by Campaign awards stalwart Graham Chinn.
The rest of the panel consisted of myself, CityLife.co.uk editor and MEN food writer Neil Sowerby, the Food and Drink Festival’s Phil Jones and Matt Johnson, Moo Baylis from the Angel on Rochdale Road, the Lass O’ Gowrie’s Gareth Kavanagh, the great chef Fergus Henderson from St John’s in London’s Smithfield and Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, who announced the eventual winner.
The People's Pint
Over the weekend, all the punters who visited the Beer Festival will have their say when the new People’s Pint verdict is announced.
Neil Sowerby’s verdict: PICTISH Alchemists Ale, at 4.3 ABV, is deceptively easy to drink despite its uncompromising hoppiness. It is a straw colour with a bubbly thin white head, which helps the deception .
The generous hop and fruit quotients are obvious on the nose and palate. Its hoppy bitterness finished longer than the Spotland Gold. I liked its fullish, juicy mouthfeel.
A lingering toffeeishness from the malt came through on the aftertaste. I expect it would be a good beer to accompany food (the Angel’s Moo thought fish and I agree).
Published: Fri, 10 October, 2008
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