With thanks to the Beatles who inspired the title to this blog…
This story begins when I was watching a Gordon Ramsay swearing programme on tv. To my surprise, Mr Ramsay took a brief pause from invective to cook some food. He decided to pair one particular dish (sorry, can’t remember what it was) with a beer, and therefore engaged in an exhaustive process of tasting beers to find the one that best fitted. He found the answer in a place that for him was close to home - the Innis and Gunn brewery of Glasgow.
Intrigued, I found an Innis and Gunn beer in Waitrose and thoroughly approved. I brought it along to an early Dads and Lads tasting (https://www.londonbiermeister.co.uk/blog/the-art-of-a-dads-and-lads-beer-tasting) and it vaulted straight onto the podium in second place.
So when I found myself with some leisure time in Glasgow a few days ago and was looking to sample some local beer, my searches pointed me to the Innis and Gunn taproom in the City Centre.
First a bit of history. Which starts with the name. As you have probably guessed, it was founded by two brothers, called…er… Neil and Dougal Sharp. Or to be more precise, Neil Innes Sharp and Dougal Gunn Sharp. Dougal is the Master Brewer and has been the main driving force from the outset.
There is a great story about how it all began. Dougal started off as a lad in the Caledonian Brewery, for which his father Russell was head brewer. He gradually became more involved in the brewing process. Then Caledonian were approached by the distillers WM Grant. They wanted Caledonian to produce a beer in their whisky casks in order to season the casks for future whisky production and thus produce better whisky. Dougal had a light bulb moment, in which he saw the potential for a beer aged in whisky casks. He produced a beer and, in 2003, founded Innes and Gunn to produce his “Original” beer.
The corporate blurb recounts how this tasted nothing like any beer in existence. I mean… barrel-ageing was not new. It goes back into medieval times in Belgium, and the Lambic producers seem to have used old barrels from various wine producing regions, including port wine. US brewers then followed suit, with the wonderful Goose Island using bourbon barrels. But anyway - none of that detracts from the fact that the Innes and Gunn Original was new, different and delicious.
When I found myself in Glasgow on a business trip recently, I deliberately booked a late flight back and researched taproom options. When Innes and Gunn flashed up, my decision was made. I took my seat and spent a very enjoyable couple of hours sampling what they had.
First up was a saison brewed in tequila vats, so a double helping of sharpness.
I then switched to our of their guest beers. This was one of the Origins set of beers from the aptly named Fyne Ales. A wild ale with foraged berries. Quote of the day came from the friendly and helpful barman: “it’s like cleaning your teeth after eating raspberries. But in a good way”. Actually that was spot on. A lot of people don’t like wild ales. For me, as I have written elsewhere (https://www.londonbiermeister.co.uk/blog/thank-heaven-for-a-little-gueuze-the-joys-of-spontaneous-fermentation) , they are one of the most interesting experiences that a beer lover can find.
Then to “The Original”, but with a twist in that this was a variant matured in Pedro Ximinez sherry casks - and the subtle difference in flavour came through.
Finally to the last of the limited edition beers on tap - Innis and Gunn’s NEIPA. A genre that has always been a go-to for me since my visit to Vermont (https://www.londonbiermeister.co.uk/blog/green-mountain-state-of-mind) and this was a good one.
It was a very pleasant couple of hours. I was really well looked after and I went away feeling extremely mellow. The guys there hadn’t heard of the Gordon Ramsay endorsement so I told them the story. I hope this enables them to come into work with an extra spring in their step…
Going to work in London the following day was, for some reason, less fun.
So do look out for The Original in your local supermarket, and do try it if you have not. If it encourages you to explore more of their stuff, they have an excellent online shop.
I couldn’t bring any home as I was flying just with hand luggage. So instead, on a more local level, I hopped on the bus to Sambrook’s Brewery in Wandsworth this evening. I had been meaning to visit them for a while, and the opportunity arose as they were hosting a comedy performance by the brilliant Rosie Holt, whose character “Rosie Holt MP” is one of the great inspirations of our age and completely restored my faith in Conservatism. Sambrook's Taproom had a great beer selection, but it was a guest beer that took the evening’s prize for me - the Inflorescene IPA from the equally local and brilliant Mondo.