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DROP PROJECT - STRAIGHT UP SABRO

5/31/2021

Drop Project are a new-ish set-up, having had the brilliant luck to start operating in late 2019 and giving themselves literally _months_ to get themselves a good name before all the bars closed. Good thing that setting up a brewery equipment is normally such a stress-free experience.

Anyhow, that'd be more of a worry if they hadn't been knocking out a seemingly endless stream of, to slip into Lee's vernacular, absolute bangers. Given that they've got the brewing and engineering chops of JT, who was the secret sauce behind first Fourpure and then Gypsy Hill's swift expansions, that shouldn't be a surprise. We've been happy to stock anything that comes out of their sticky paws and this ode to new hop Sabro is another cracking little number.

Peachy pale, opaque, with a smooth light body and a good crest of white foam, the Sabro Straight Up goes straight for the lychee, peach and coconut on the nose, with a hint of cloudy apple. It drinks very easily at 5.8%, and shows off those tropical fruit notes to full effect, with a touch of tangerine coming in, on a very drinkable hazy New England malt base. As good a demonstration of what sets Sabro apart as we've tried, really pushing the gentle creamy notes without losing fruity succulence.

Would pair very happily with something hearty but fragrant, such as a Mauritian chicken cari, or just some fresh fried snacks before a meal.

Drop Project. Straight Up Sabro.

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BOHEM AMOS

5/15/2021

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One of the indisputable facts of working at the Beer Shop is that it is not very big. Bijou even. Still, when life gives you limited square footage, it makes the unexpected benefits all the sweeter.

One such unforeseen bonus is that, in order to make our draught dispense work in a tight spot, we got in Czech-style side-pour taps for our cask beer. There simply wasn't room for traditional hand pumps and a keg-style tap just didn't seem _right_ somehow. They work beautifully for a cask pint, and fit into the slim profile required.

Fast forward to the (hopeful) end of lockdown, and some Very Deep Conversations were being had about what we wanted to do, now that we could welcome you, the blessed customer, back through our doors. We've had Bohem's Amos in before, and it always went down well - but what if we turned a side-pour tap over to a beer it was born for?

Thankfully, Bohem were very receptive and a few days before our reopening, Matěj (their brewmaster) and Marek (their chief tapster) came down to check our setup was up to scratch and then to show us how to do things right.

Whilst there are many variations to Czech beer pours, Matěj and Marek took pity and kept it to a manageable two - the Hladinka and the Šnyt.

A hladinka is the standard pour, drawn fast through its own generous cap of foam, tempering the carbonation and preserving the quality of the beer underneath. If you just ask for an Amos here, this will be the happy result

The second, the šnyt, is an odd sight to British eyes, with a goodly half of the pint glass given over to that gloriously thick, creamy head. This is to be drunk fast, the head sweetening and balancing out the cool, refreshing beer underneath.

Chatting with them over the many practice pours required to pass even basic muster, we were filled in on Bohem's brewing principles - good ingredients, proper decoction mashing on Czech equipment, a long maturation and natural carbonation, not forced bubbles.

This will be, we hope, the beer for the summer - London-made, with an eye to quality and tradition, powerfully drinkable and filled with enough subtleties to keep your interest over multiple glasses (and visits).

Tasting notes:
A clean straw gold, with a pure white head of thick, fine foam.
Noble hop aroma, herbs, floral, a touch of lemon; light malt on the bready side.
The head drinks full, creamy and almost sweet, against the clean, refreshing beer underneath. Hops stay 'classic', and again a lemon note amongst the herbs and floral notes. Bitterness dovetails with a dry finish, and the malt is delicate but complex.

Na Zdravi!

Bohem, Amos. The Hladinka.

Bohem, Amos. The Šnyt.

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WELCOME TO THE BEER SHOP BEER BLOG!

5/13/2021

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Those of you who have been into The Beer Shop on a few occasions will have most certainly have met our long standing beer pourer, Richard Davie. He joined us in 2015, not long after we opened, so it's ridiculous to think that it's taken nearly six years for both parties to realise that his beer knowledge, excellent palate and writing skills would be put to pretty good use in a beer blog!

Every few weeks Richard will delve into a beer of his choice from our range and then share his thoughts right here on this blog.

So, whilst most of the posts here will be written by Richard, every now and again myself or Lee might have something to say so we'll try to make that clear. Although, to be fair, I think our writing style will give it away...

Anyway, we are delighted to introduce Richard, and look forward to sharing his words about beer with you.

Cheers!
Lauren & Lee

Richard Davie

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THE BEER SHOP BEER BLOG

DROP PROJECT - STRAIGHT UP SABRO

BOHEM AMOS

WELCOME TO THE BEER SHOP BEER BLOG!

Author: RICHARD DAVIE

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