Travels With Nate

Today was meant to be Thwaites Big Ben but only had a chance to drink this before going out yesterday because Big Ben wasn't chilled. Will make sure I do that another day. I've really messed with the program! As you may have seen me mention about 137 times, Grain Brewery, in my opinion is the best Norfolk has to offer (sorry other brewery friends xxx) so I've got Grain 3.1.6, a 3.9% extra pale ale. This has been available on cask for a while but has only just made it into bottles. I believe this was originally brewed to celebrate the new tanks in the brewery and the name 3.1.6 comes from the grade of steel used to make them. It pours a lovely golden colour with a fluffy white head. Immediately on the nose you're struck with the lovely light biscuity lager malt, along with floral hoppy aromas. You then take a sip and you're hit with the biscuity malt, followed by subtle orange flavours and a long floral finish. The mouthfeel is quite carbonated, yet long ...

A few weeks ago, I got an email asking if I wanted guestlist for Evile & Wolf at Open in Norwich. I instantly replied because I knew it would be an awesome gig; then a couple of days later I got confirmation and asked if I want to interview Evile. At first, I said I’m not sure and I’ll get back to the record label but a couple of weeks later I had a brainwave – my blog isn’t just about music, why don’t I see if the band are up for a Norfolk Beer Tasting? I already knew that Joel is quite into his beer so it would be perfect. I got a reply saying it sounds like a great idea. We’re onto a winner! So, along with my good friend Rob, I took 5 beers from 3 different Norfolk breweries to taste them with Joel Graham, the bassist from Evile. Evile are a thrash metal band hailing from Huddersfield in Yorkshire, England. They currently have three studio albums, have appeared at many different heavy metal festivals, had headline tours and have supported some pretty big names. In f...