One of the first people to contact me with an offer of a hamper donation was Datis from Bucks Star Brewery. Since its opening in the summer of 2015, I have been aware of the existence of Bucks Star Brewery but not really had any direct contact with Datis or his company. We met, briefly, for the first time in February at the MK Feast at Bradwell Abbey and I have been pointing people in the direction of the monthly Beer Clubs held there for a few months now. However, I don't generally drink alcohol and don't actually like beer so I didn't really feel the need to rush on over and find out what this new brewery is all about. Mainly I use ale in cooking, it being a key ingredient in my Red Tomato & Ale Chutney and my home-made Steak and Ale pies. Dan's Concrete Cow Brewery beer has always met my requirements in this regard.
None the less, it was lovely for Datis to offer a donation to the hamper so I quickly made arrangements to go up to the brewery on the Tuesday of last week. However, ahead of that, on the Friday before, I saw on Facebook that the factory unit attached to Bucks Star was on fire. This unit, of all things, was a business that makes wooden toys and furniture. It was nothing short of a miracle that the fire brigade managed to stop the fire spreading and taking out the whole parade of units. Bucks Star was saved... but not unharmed.
On Monday I emailed Datis to check to see if he was still able to donate to the hamper. It would have been completely understandable for him to say no but instead he said that it would still be possible. So, on the Tuesday as planned, I drove up there with Steve, We found Datis outside, his hands in rubber gloves and a mask over his nose and mouth, deeply involved in the clean up. He removed his gloves to shake my hand and, removing his mask, he greeted me with a welcoming smile. As we approached the unit we quickly saw the layer of black soot that lay all over the floor... and the walls... and presumably everything else inside the unit. The smell of burning still hung in the air. I asked Datis about the damaged caused and he said it had taken out the lights and, of course, had produced the evident smoke damage.
Presently, Datis retreated inside to collect a donation for the hamper and returned with a glass engraved with the Bucks Star branding that he had freshly washed. I like the logo for Bucks Star. It looks like the familiar evolution of man from ape to human but ends with a man drinking beer. I guess this is where we are in our evolutionary history right now. I'm not sure that man drinking beer represents the pinnacle of human achievement but if he is a connoisseur of real artisan ale rather than a mindless Strong Brew guzzler then maybe that's OK.
Next Datis emerged from the brewery with a carrier of his bottles of cloudy artisan beer. He suggested I put a couple of bottles in the hamper and kept some for myself to try. Next to me Steve laughed and said, "Well, as Hazel is teetotal, I will enjoy that."
I don't really like being referred to as "teetotal". It is true that nothing more than about half a glass of wine has past my lips since my daughter was born 13 years ago but the term "teetotal" sounds so... hmmm... fanatical, like someone with strong religious, moral or health reasons for not drinking. I just don't like the taste much and I hate the fuzzy feeling in my head, and, if I'm honest, I'm just a bit rubbish at it. Half a glass of wine later and you will probably find me snoozing gently in the corner rather than being the life and soul of the party. I felt I needed to explain this to Datis lest he should jump to conclusions about my principles.
"I'm not teetotal," I said, "I just don't like the taste very much."
"Ah," he said, undaunted, "that is because you haven't tried the right beer yet."
I laughed. It sounded like someone struggling to find a suitable boyfriend who just "hadn't found the right man yet."
But this was a smooth response and I actually felt tempted to try the beer even though beer has got to be one of the worst tasting alcoholic beverages I ever encounter. I remember, having tried a shandy on a summer holiday in France as a kid and finding it revolting, that my mum had said it was an acquired taste. I couldn't imagine why anyone would ever go to the trouble of "acquiring" a taste for it. And indeed, over the years I have never felt the need to acquire a taste for it. Dan, has, every now and then, poured me a taster of his latest brew for me to try. I don't know whether he just forgets that I don't like beer or whether he too thinks I will one day find a beer I like the flavour of or eventually I'll get a taste for it as my mother suggested. Being handed a glass of his latest proud creation to try, it would be rude to hand it back without tasting it so I always give it a go. The smell of beer is always intriguing to me and I can genuinely smell a whole collection of different aromas in there, often the fruity notes that Dan talks about, like the fruity promise of a good cider. But then I taste it and... yee gawds! it is awful. Nothing but a massive hit of bitterness like crunching on an aspirin.
I think it is unlikely that Bucks Star Beer will be any different but Datis goes on to explain that because it is made using organic grains, it is unfiltered and has no added sugar or artificial carbonate, it tastes different from the commercial beers he assumes have put me off in the past. He says that older people say it tastes like beer used to taste. Again Steve laughs and says that at his age he will be in a good position to judge that.
Datis is apologetic about the state of the cardboard carrier and suggests that he clean the bottles for us before he hands them over. Steve says he had quite enough to clean so let us worry about that. We talk a bit more about the clean up and insurance. Datis says that he could get cleaners in by claiming on his insurance but he didn't know how long that would take so he was just getting stuck in to get it cleaned up and to get back into business as soon as possible. I could not help but admire him for that attitude. As we left, he put his face mask and gloves back on and returned to the massive task ahead of him.
With the hamper successfully delivered, we were left with some beer to try so Steve opened a bottle. He had almost finished it before I came into the kitchen and asked if I could have a taste. Knowing my dislike for the stuff, this surprised Steve but I felt I ought to test out Datis's theory that I just hadn't tried the right beer yet. I started with a sniff and found it fairly straightforward. No particularly fruity notes but it did take me back to hot summer holidays with my parents as a kid. Then I tasted it... and actually it tasted very much like it smelt. Like... er... beer. Steve described it to me as well balanced, quite fruity, not too sweet and not too hoppy. He liked the relatively low 4% alcohol content too. Well, I didn't get any of that but nor did I get that horrible bitter taste that makes me want to rip out my tongue and give it a good scrubbing. So, maybe this is good tasting beer or maybe I'm just a little further along the line of acquiring a taste for it.
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