Gran Canaria

I've just come back from a relaxing all inclusive break in Gran Canaria. I never used to be a fan of all inclusive. The thought of being stuck at a hotel, desperately eating any and all food no matter how depressing it looks and tastes while washing it down with watery lager in an attempt to get the best "value" out of the holiday didn't appeal to me. I much prefer spending as much time out of the hotel as possible, exploring the local sights and gorging on tasty food and drink at the local restaurants. But now that I'm older, slower and have a mortgage, the thought of paying one price and just doing naff all for a week is getting more appealing. Luckily the food at the hotel was pretty good if a little mushy, probably to cater to the tremendous amount of old, saggy Germans and French who were staying there. I expected big body sizes from the Brits but I had no idea French people could let themselves go so much.

While the food was fine the beer wasn't so great. The only lager offering at the hotel was Amstel, which is never going to win an award for most tastiest beer, or indeed win any award at all, except perhaps "Most mediocre beer." In the hot weather it was bland but refreshing. On Eurovision night the opportunity arose to get some beers for the hotel room to help lubricate me up for a evenings entertainment enjoying the best  music and political voting Europe (and Israel) has to offer.

Now obviously because I was not in London I wasn't expecting to buy crazily hopped IPA's or boozy stouts but it was sad that nearly all the supermarkets on the island offered the same three products: Heineken, San Miguel and Tropical. Tropical is the local brew, made by Compañía Cervecera de Canarias (CERCASA) in the Islands capital city. I thought it would be rude not to give it a go. Turns out CERCASA are owned by mega brewing conglomerate SABMiller and this was obvious from the taste of the beer. It had a little bit more going on than the Amstel, perhaps more crisper in the finish and a little more hoppy in the body. But overall it was still a standard lager and even though it was initially more exciting than Amstel towards the end of the can I was struggling to finish due to the sheer mediocrity of it.

While in the supermarket near the hotel, I spied an unusual red can nestled amongst the identikit lagers. All the other beers were 60 cents a can but this was one was marked at a whole euro! Perhaps a premium beer that would finally give a bit more nuance and flavour? I picked up the can labelled Koff Extra Brew IV and gave it a go. Well it wasn't mindblowing but it had more to it than the previous lagers I'd been suffering through. Brewed by Finnish brewery Sinebrychoff this was a darker, more malty beer and was pleasant to drink. I was probably drinking the equivalent of Finland's Carling but I enjoyed it and it made one of the more boring Eurovisions in recent memory pass by much more easily.

The holiday overall was pretty good, although the part of Gran Canaria I was in, Playa Del Ingles, is in much need of a little love and attention. Curiously the majority of the bars and restaurants in the area are located in shopping centres, the main ones being the Kasbah and the Yumbo. The Kasbah is like your bog standard sunny holiday strip of bars and clubs, except they are crammed together in a crumbling concrete structure. Me and The Lovely Jemma had a quick walk through and were not impressed. The Yumbo is better, and caters heavily to the gay scene, which gave it a more friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Only go for the bars though - the "shopping" is dismal, a seedy market atmosphere with hawkers desperately trying to get you to buy their shoddy wares, including wooden penises and squidgy fake boobs. I'd seen enough squidgy and frankly terrifying breasts courtesy of the elderly German hotel guests - I didn't want to take a memory of that home with me.

We spent a night at the Yumbo, sampling a few drinks at the bars and enjoying a couple of the drag shows there. Rickys Show Bar was probably the best, a non stop parade of burly drag queens miming along to classic show tunes and some entertaining audience interaction. It was a free show and to be honest if I had to pay I'd have been quite miffed, but for the low price of nothing it was a decent night out. Good strong mixed drinks as well.

In conclusion: go to Gran Canaria for the sunshine and cocktails, not for the beer. See you next week!

Back soon

I'm on a break for a few days but will be back blogging on the 18th May. See you then!

The Craft Beer Off License featuring BottleDog

BottleDog is a new venture from those controversial BrewDog boys. Satisfied with conquering the "craft beer" bar market with trendy hipster magnet drinking holes up and down the country, they're now taking on the humble off license. Well actually they're not really taking on the off license as judging by this first outlet they are offering a specific product, which is beers that come in tiny bottles with wacky labels and ABVs at the higher end of the scale. You're not going to find multipack offers on Fosters or Carling here.

I remember when this building was a cabby's accountancy firm

As the place is across the road from where I work I thought it would be rude not to visit on opening day.The place was doing a roaring trade when I walked past at lunchtime and when I popped in after 6pm it was quieter but still doing a brisk trade. The BrewDog branding is scaled back and there's nothing on the front of the shop showing that it's a BrewDog venture. It doesn't even advertise itself as a off license which confused a big group of punters who walked in expecting the place to be a bar. After confirming amongst themselves that there wasn't a seating area in the back where they could drink their purchases they quickly turned tail and left. Despite the low key branding there are a few BrewDog hallmarks in the shop  - stripped back decor, cool tunes being played, and plenty of trendy beers on offer.

So many beers, so little time. Well actually you've got from 12pm - 9pm
 every weekday (plus Saturdays!)

I was pleased to see the prices were competitive and the German and Belgian beers in particular were very reasonably priced. All the major London craft breweries including Pressure Drop, Siren and Beavertown were represented, plus of course BrewDogs own offerings - although I didn't spot any of BrewDog's rarer beers. There also two taps dispensing booze to take home in "growlers" - sadly not a dog full of beer but a fancy term for a glass bottle. I spoke to the enthusiastic manager who mentioned there are plans to do Meet the Brewer events and there will be additional taps installed for more take home offerings. I look forward to revisiting in the future.

BottleDog isn't the only game in town for craft beer off licenses. Another shop worth visting is the Oddbins in London Bridge. I found out about this place from the excellent "Craft Beer London" app on Android and iPhone. I never would of guessed that an Oddbins, more known for their wine offerings, would be a hotbed of hot new brewery activity. They stock all the cool London brands at prices slightly cheaper than BottleDog. Unfortunately the staff aren't as clued up as the BrewDog boys but there are some tasting notes nestled amongst the bottles. Well worth a visit if you're stuck in the building site dystopia which is London Bridge, with the ominous and downright creepy "The Shard" looming down on you.

For a more traditional off license The Bitter End in leafy Bromley is well worth a visit if you're in the area. They are always well stocked with beers from respected brewers such as Harveys, Dark Star and Oakham. The occasional newer brewery is also represented - I picked up an excellent American Pale Ale from Croydon brewery Clarence and Fredericks. They also have around six beers sitting in barrels behind a makeshift bar, ready to be poured out for lucky punters to take home. These are usually session bitters such as Wadsworth 6X but last time I was there Dark Star Seville was on, in great form, and at a very reasonable price to take home.

Say what you will about the craft beer movement, one big benefit is that there's a huge selection of beers available in high street shops, at least in and around London. But even out of town it's easier to get beers that are a big step above the usual Fosters and Carling tat. Before you could only get these beers at specialised pubs and bars - and at high prices. Let's hope this wide range continues to be stocked even when the "craft beer" frenzy, inevitably, calms down.