There were high spirits on the train down, custom t-shirts were distributed (excellently produced by Damien) and the selection of train beers, from the likes of Moor, Chorlton and Heavy Industry (mostly cans being preferred) lent the impression of the world's most discerning stag do.
Upon arriving at our battleground, the wonderful Beer Nouveau brewery in Temperance Street, and being welcomed in with open arms (and an even more open bar!) by the insanely generous and hospitable Steve (who really was the host with the most) we placed our beers in the designated competition area and settled down to decide on the format.
The competition consisted of 5 categories and we settled on a simple show of hands to decide each winner, voting from the home brewers themselves and a selection of "guest judges" (we had pro brewers Angus and Gaz from Mad Hatter as well as Nick from Hop & Barley magazine).
First up was the Mild category, our entrant being Lol, the brewmeister wielding master of the English styles, we were confident. Such confidence grew upon appraisal of the Manchester mild, an initial odd aroma and strange smokiness leaving us dreaming of an early lead. As the beer progressed though, a wonderful soft body and delicate complexity developed, sewing seeds of doubt in scouse minds.
As we unleashed Lol's mild, a wonderful aroma greeted us, signifying a brewer at the top of his yeast game. A good biscuit flavour mixed in with the slight tang from the carbonation rounded things off, it was ours to take, surely?
Sadly it was not to be, by a narrow margin (the theme of the afternoon) the Manc mild triumphed by 13 votes to 8. 1-0 to the home team.
Next up was the bitter category, our representative was up first, a wonderful chestnut red coloured number from new members Hayden and Angela. Having made their way down from Leyland at our last meeting, their talents covered our deficiencies so well that we had no choice but to throw them in at the deep end. The beer was great, full of traditional English flavours and wouldn't have been out of place coming from a cask at a CAMRA festival.
It's opposite number was a bold golden best bitter from the Manchester brewers, packed full of English hops (challenger was mentioned) it stood up very well on the palate and had a particularly excellent finish.
In another 13-8 nail biter, fortune this time smiled on Liverpool (well, Leyland) and we leveled the contest at 1-1.
The pressure was well and truly on, with the next category, IPA, set to be a bloody battleground as we slogged it out with our interpretations of the nation's favourite craft beer style.
First up, the Liverpool offering, brewed by Ben, who's roguish good looks, maverick streak and solid reliability make him very much the David Beckham of the group (disclaimer, I'm also the one doing this writeup) and Neil; the beer spilled forth an eruption of fine hop aromas on the nose, Chinook, Citra and Centennial lifting the light malt base and dominating the palate. Around the table, grins were shared, glasses clinked, we thought it was in the bag.
Manchester had other ideas, they unleashed a bold, dank hop bomb from seemingly out of nowhere. Weighing in at a full 7% abv and bursting with Simcoe, Amarillo and Centennial, the Jackhammer like brew turned heads all over the room.
With nerves rapidly fraying, it was time to vote. The divide in the room was palpable, with good beer on either side, it came down to personal preference. The tally was 12-9 to Liverpool, relief swept over the Merseysiders as we took a 2-1 lead and dealt a heavy psychological blow.
Round 4, stout/porter was our chance to seal it and we looked to press the advantage with Damien's 6.5% stout porter, the winner of our own recent stout competition.
Manchester unloaded first however, with a bold and brave heavily hopped Sorachi stout. The liberal use of the devisive Sorachi Ace hop left flavours of coconut and lemongrass so intense that they threatened to overwhelm the roasted malt flavours. It was an extreme beer for extreme times.
In the face of such bold experimentalism, our only hope was to trust in the magic combination of 6 malts and 2 hops concocted in Damien's bridewell brewery. Admittedly, it felt a bit like bringing a knife to a gunfight.
Upon pouring a measure of the Liverpool contender, we hadn't brought a knife, we'd brought a lightsaber! Showing us that less can sometimes be more, Damien's stout hit the perfect balance and eeked every ounce of complexity out of those 6 malts to create a truly brilliant beer
Somewhat disappointingly, there would be no tense finish as the stout voting went 18-3 in favour of Liverpool, awarding us a 3-1 lead and the series victory.
A chance for total domination beckoned in the final category, speciality, with Ben's 8% imperial spiced pumpkin stout looking to truly rub mancunian noses in it. Pouring thick like liquefied dark matter, this was not a beer to be taken lightly. Rye malt and spicey hops combined with pumpkin sweetness to provide what was, if nothing else, a memorable beer (the glasses certainly might never be totally clean again).
Sensing possible home ground humiliation, the Manchester group unleashed their secret weapon and it was an absolute corker.
A 7% old ale, aged in merlot wine barrels and finished with brettanomyceys, a complex and rich monster with great flavours from the barrel ageing and wild yeast.
It produced the closest vote of the night, a razor thin margin of 12-11 allowing Manchester to regain some ground and end the competition with the scores at 3-2.
For our victory, we were awarded a mini keg of beer which will be fashioned into a suitable trophy (once emptied!) and defended on home turf later this year.
After the formalities had concluded, there was time to sample a few more beers (including an excellent barley wine from Steve, served straight from his fermenter!) before both clubs decended on Cafe Beermoth to indulge in a selection of the best beers available in Manchester. After this the group gradually dispersed and made their own ways home, although a lot of us seemed to end up on the same train!
On behalf of everyone associated with the Liverpool Homebrew Club I would like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who helped organise this event, Steve for hosting and all the brewers for producing 10 incredible beers.
We eagerly await the return fixture and cannot wait to extend to the brewers of Manchester our warmest hospitality.
Cheers!
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