A Festival of IPAs at the Gun, Docklands

The International break has given me a little time to catch up on blogging about non-Charlton activities which seem to revolve around real ale.

I'd missed out on the Gun's previous ale festival in June and so when I heard about their latest event in September there was no way I wanted to miss this one even though it was raining cats and dogs.  With over 30 IPAs in Cask, keg and bottle format this was a truly unique occasion.

www.thegundocklands.com/index.php/calendar/ale-festival-sept/

Now the Gun is a Gastro pub with a good reputation so while there was no entry charge, the prices were somewhat commensurate with its status but I don't mind paying a bit over the odds for a one off and to sample many beers in one place that I would be unlikely to find in a regular pub.


However, it was good to see that they had prepared a handy booklet on the various beers on offer to give you an idea of what you could expect from each one.  Like any good festival there was also an option to buy just a third of a pint to allow you to sample more and they are to be commended for this sound practice. A separate sheet also showed the alcohol content and which beers were on that evening.

Beers well looked after

I started off with a middle of the road Hand Drawn Monkey IPA which I'd have been happy to drink all evening, but of course that would be rather against the point.  It was only after that I found the 2.8% 1/2 Mast from Siren Craft Brew.  As a rule the taste of the higher alcoholic beers tends to dull the taste buds of more subtle beers and so it is usually not worth going back to a lower gravity beer.  However, in this case I have to take my hat off to Siren as the hops still sang through.

It had been heavily pouring all day and there was no sign of a let up that evening.  However, the Gun was well prepared with a large canopy and decent outdoor heaters, so even though it was teaming with rain all concerned had a good time.

I had my first black IPA that evening, Hop Studio's Obsidian.  There was nothing wrong with the beer but like Porters and Milds it was just not to my taste. This was followed by Franklin's Citra IPA which cleared the palate nicely.

A sample of the evening's ales

We finished off with some of the heavyweights.  No IPA session is complete without a sample from the Kernel Brewery in Bermondsey and their Galaxy HBC291 did not disappoint, although with a name like that I think their creative branding department needs revitalising. I'd previously tried Weird Beard's Hit the Lights (a strong tasting IPA) and so was keen to sample the rest of their range and so a sample of their Holy Hoppin' Hell #2 seemed to be in order, but at 9.7% it was definitely going to be the last beer of the evening!

Friendly & Knowledgeable Staff

Rather a soggy evening in E14

The Panic is Setting in ...!!!!!

 No, no, no......don't worry!  For once I am not worried about Charlton’s form on the pitch and whether we will survive in the Championship or not.  The football season is effectively over for us on 4^th May (unless by some miracle we manage to squeeze into the playoffs).  We have done well this season with a strong home form finally kicking in at the back end to compliment our fine away form.  In addition our under 21 and under 18 teams have won their respective leagues ensuring a good potential supply of youngsters for the future.



Stress Free Alternative to Charlton



What I am panicking about is that with the end of the season I will have little, football wise, to celebrate or moan about over the summer leading to a potential lack of blog activity over the next few months.

I’m not a die hard Charlton blogger, in that I don’t do the full pre-match build up and then a blow by blow account of the game.  I would just be repeating better reports by people far more skilled than me at this.

I also don’t have any insider contacts or people who can supply me with hot tips as to who has allegedly been seen at the Valley (if you do and would like to let me know you are more than welcome - I'll buy you a pint if you are right!!).  I suspect that Chris Powell will also have a limited budget to spend and will concentrate on keeping the current squad together.

So apart from a few small moans when the new fixture list comes out about why we have to play Brighton away on a Tuesday night, the blogging is going to be rather limited.   

For my few regular readers (for which I thank you) you will know that I try to write at least two entries a week, alternating between the trials and tribulations of my football team with my love of real ale.  So it looks like I will have to sacrifice my liver rather than my nerves, and trawl around a few more watering holes to bring you some juicy reviews.

Look for the Sign

So for all you Charlton fans out there, don’t abandon me, lets chill out and enjoy stress free Saturday afternoons and explore our capitals finest offerings of hops and malt.

To get the ball rolling let me suggest an ale and a pub for you to try.  As a starter keep an eye out for Hoptimus Prime from Robinson's brewery. Its a seasonal ale that only appears in April and May so you only have a limited time to try it out (www.robinsonsbrewery.com )



Thames side Pub: The Gun

 

Also if you like pubs with a river view try out the Gun on the Isle of Dogs which has a small but smart terrace looking onto the O2 (www.thegundocklands.com) .  They currently have a nice collection of beers from Battersea's Sambrook's Brewery including Jugged Hare Pale Ale which is made especially for them.