Travels With Nate

When I first read the press release about this book, I’m sure you’ll forgive me that I didn’t actually read the word “Men’s”. I read “Haynes Pie Manual by Andrew Webb”. That was enough to get me excited. I received the book and thought “Hang on a minute; this is making a few assumptions”. Firstly, it’s assuming at as a man, I don’t have the foggiest idea of how to make a pie (I do – I’ve made many in my time) and secondly it is assuming one of two things – either that pies are foodstuff for men, and men only, or it is assuming that women automatically know how to make pies from birth. To be honest, I wasn’t impressed at this. I then started reading and was thankful that he kept the “Hey manly men, I’m talking to you, you loser who doesn’t know how to make a pie” to a minimum, aside from the occasional “RED MEAT PIE ARE ESPECIALLY FOR MEN. MEN LOVE RED MEAT.” So yeah, he doesn’t talk directly to us men right through the book which is a good thing, but it’s all still rath...

I thought it was about time I wrote a generic post about all 3 subjects I've aimed (and sometimes failed) to cover on this blog because, well, I've been thinking. We all have different tastes. I like one thing, you like another. You may have liked something, and dislike it now, and vice versa. I was thinking how our tastes change and want to share with you some of the things I previously hated but now love. Booze: Back when I first got into good beer, I hated stouts. Yup, you heard that right. I'd try stouts but I always found them way too strong for my tastes, especially considering I used to drink really milky coffee. Then about a year and a half ago my boss started only buying UHT milk for the office, which is fucking disgusting, so I decided to start drinking black coffee. I enjoyed it, despite it just being Nescafe or whatever and remembered "Hang on, stouts are like coffee. Maybe I'll like them now" so I started trying more and more, and I fell in...

Hello again! I have a real treat lined up for you tonight, in the form of a beer interview with Rob Bradley , lead guitarist for one of my favourite bands of this year, Sleeper’s Awake . Shortly after I reviewed their latest album Trancension a couple of weeks ago, Rob added me on Facebook and it turns out that he’s a beer geek. HELL YES! Lisa from Hold Tight PR suggested I do another of my beer interviews which Rob seemed pretty excited about so here it is... But first... stream the album while you read... it's awesome: Beer: What’s the craft beer scene like where you are in Ohio ? Which breweries beers should we fine British folk try to get a hold of? Ohio has an awesome craft beer scene! We are from Columbus and in that city alone there are some really great micro-breweries. My personal favorite is Barley’s . Their Scottish Ale and Centennial IPA are both excellent beers. Sadly they don’t bottle. As for the rest of Ohio, I try and take a trip to an Ohio bre...

You don’t need to be that observant to realise that I’m a miserable bastard but lately it’s been a lot worse due to a combination of real life things and not just this hilariously miserable fucker you see on twitter. I’ve realised I need to make some drastic changes and set some new rules for myself in order to be happier (certain things have been emitted due to obvious reasons). I decided upon this last night when I was unable to sleep. I’m gonna jot them down here and review them every month to keep track of what I’m doing. You probably don’t care much beyond my beer writing but fuck it, ignore it if you’re that way inclined. I’ve never been very good at keeping to rules but I’m really gonna try my hardest because I absolutely need to as I’ve not been able to sleep due to various stresses including never having any money and constantly being drunk (may be related). 1)       Don’t go out drinking on weeknights (unless it’s a special occasion) ...

I’m usually quite savvy at keeping up with all of the various beery events that are happening within the UK yet somehow Liverpool Craft Beer Expo had somehow eluded me until I got an email about it from Tony who is one of the organisers asking if I fancy going to the trade session. It’d be rude not to really. I have to say, it sounds very good. It’s taking place at The Baltic Triangle in Liverpool between 14th – 16 th June and will feature over 80 keg and 50 cask beers . That’s a lot of beer! If the beer wasn’t enough to pull you in, the expo will also feature live brewing demonstrations from some of the UK’s best breweries so festival goers can actually see what goes into a beer. Who said beer festivals aren’t educational? Breweries featured will include Camden Town, Beavertown, Magic Rock, Summer Wine, Partizan & The Kernel. All hot breweries at the moment that I have recently been enjoying beers from! With all that beer, you’re also going to need some food and...

Fuck me. Time flies when you're having fun. It's been just over a year since I started Booze, Beats & Bites. When I first started my blog, I didn't think anyone would read my shit, much less enjoy it. I'm still not sure why the fuck you guys read my blog or enjoy it in all honesty. Answers on the back of a postcard please. Anyway, over this past year I've met some really fucking awesome people, drank some awesome beers, drank some dreadful beers, pissed people off, eaten delicious food and listened to some awesome music. I've decided to mix things up a bit now, however, with regards to my BOOZE and BITES posts. BEATS will pretty much stay the same with interviews and reviews. But let me explain my beery & foodie plans... BOOZE: You would've noticed already that my last few beer reviews have been collaborative weird reviews with my good friend Jay . Well, I'd quite like to continue this theme of not reviewing the same beers as 90% of ...

Walk up the stairs. Turn the corner. A corridor lined with tables and white drapes. I hear chattering a clinking glasses but I see no beer. Turn right. Ah, a table full of glassware but still no beer. I walk directly to the table and purchase my pint glass. I turn around. Ahh… tables with keg fonts and bottles. I instantly walk towards Brewdog ’s bar as I see my buddy Joe working behind there. He takes my glass and pours me a half of Libertine Black Ale, a beer I already know and love. We take a walk around the room to find more kegs, bottles and familiar faces from twitter. We have a Steen Brugge Wit Blanche from the Palm Breweries and chat to the guy behind the stall who I know only as @SpyRight . The Wit is refreshing. It has the right balance of orange and coriander with a lovely creaminess. Next stop is Curious Drinks to catch up with Pat . I try the IPA and it’s nice but I wasn’t too thrilled with the earthiness of it. I then decide to drink an old love, Curious Brew, ...

I know I’ve already done my golden pints and golden records but I thought I’d use this post to sum up some things that weren’t included. I ended 2011 at my mate Ben’s house and my first beer of 2012 was Estrella Damm. I love Estrella. This year has been a weird one. There have been highs and lows. I’ve made some awesome new friends and pissed some people off. I’ve had some awesome beers and I’ve had some truly dreadful ones. I started this blog in March and didn’t think anyone would bother reading it but 9 months on, I’ve clocked up over 31,000 views and have 1000 followers on twitter. I honestly don’t know how I’ve built up such a following, considering I’m one of the angriest and most offensive motherfuckers you’re ever likely to encounter. I really couldn’t have done it without the bands, record labels, PR companies, breweries, bars, pubs, other bloggers and above all, you bastards. My readers. You’re fucking awesome. Thank you. Here’s to an even more awesom...

Christmas is the time where everyone eats and drinks too much. That's what everyone says, right? "Hey, don't drink or eat too much. It's not good for your health" Why for one week of the year are we saying eating and drinking a lot is perfectly acceptable? Why this week is it perfectly acceptable to get up and have an alcoholic beverage with your breakfast but it isn't any other time of the year? Why this week is it perfectly acceptable to eat so much disgustingly fatty food that your stomach almost pops? Why am I judged on any day not in December that I'm not working because I've posted online that I'm having a beer with my 20 rasher bacon sandwich? Why is it only acceptable during the Christmas period? Answers on a postcard please. Nate http://www.twitter.com/NateDawg27 http://www.facebook.com/BoozeBeatsBites

A while ago, I interviewed a hip-hop band from New York called Dussel Has Friends. I think they were the first interview I did and it was hilarious; you can read it here. Well, in this interview T.J. told me about the sandwich he invented in High School called The Good Idea. Now, for the first time ever you can witness Rich & T.J. showing you how you go about creating this magnificent beast! Many thanks to the guys for creating this video for me to post here. Watch it, make it, share it! Cheers guys! https://www.facebook.com/dusselhasfriends Nate

I've been struggling lately. Struggling with life and struggling to write. I've been doing loads of thinking and overthinking and I'm not sure what the fuck is happening. However, today is Sunday. Sunday is the one day I can sit back and not give a fuck. I am really hungover. Last night I drank way too much bourbon and passed out on someone else' sofa whilst watching Ghostbusters. I'm quite fond of this person but that's irrelevant because today I have stopped giving a fuck. Picture this scene. It's Sunday. It's cold. I'm at my computer. I'm smoking lots of cigarettes and tweeting shit. I want a beer, I'm hungry and I'm listening to music.

I am sitting here, at my desk and thought that since I don't have any of my writing materials with me, I should write anyway. You see, I don't have a clue what this is all about. It's just, microsoft word is really fucking me off today. I want to kill myself. Last night, I had a few pints and went to see Hip-hop legend Lord Finesse. Tonight, I am going to have a few pints and go to see contemporary folk band Bellowhead. Did someone say contrast? The beers I had last night were: White Horse War Horse - This was alright. Tree Brewing Thirsty Beaver Amber Ale - This was quite lovely. Camden Town Pale Ale - This was fucking awesome as always. Timmermans Pumpkin Lambicus - This didn't astound nor offend me. Redchurch Old Ford Export Stout - This was absolutely fucking delicious. Foster's Lager - This was, well, Foster's lager. Tonight, however, there is only one beer I really need: Golden Triangle Black Hops - I'm not sure I've talked about t...

So... I was trying to work out what to do for my 100th blog post and my good friend Tom suggested letting him interview me. What could possibly go wrong? After all, I've previously been interviewed by Glyn Roberts a while ago which was pretty damn cool. Turns out that Tom was a bit slack in getting my interview all typed up so I was forced to post something else as my 100th post. Then something else as my 101st post. So this is actually my 102nd. Have been meaning to post it sooner but I've been ill and lacking concentration levels. Well, I'm bouncing back so I thought I'd post it now. What do I have to say for myself? Ok, so we’re going to do this in a format you should be familiar with, starting off with booze. What was the first beer you ever remember really enjoying? Wychwood Hobgolbin, when I was about 15. I chose it because of the name. You speak passionately about the beer scene in your hometown of Norwich, and Norfolk in general, but what county woul...