So I bid the York Tap a fond farewell and hopped aboard a train which took me all the way to the door of it’s South Yorkshire sister, the Sheffield Tap. It would be rude not to go in and the crowded train had left me feeling slightly worse for wear (nothing to do with the stupid quantities of champagne quaffed at the wedding the day before). So there was only really one way to go to regain my strength for the evening festivities ahead. Beer.

Always impressed at correct glasswear. (Note: still clutching pen like idiot)

I was incredibly relieved to see Nøgne Ø Porter (7%ABV) on the tap as I hear porter is very beneficial for health. I have already had this one bottled a couple of times and it has quickly become a favorite so I was interested to try it straight from the keg. At home, I generally serve porters and stouts just below room temperature. I was slightly suprised to be handed my Nøgne much colder – not ice cold but cold enough to be dripping with condensation. However, I discovered that served cold it had a slightly different character, becoming almost like a grown-up iced coffee, just the thing to help a slightly fragile girl recover from her long journey! At first taste, it was slightly sour but this gave way to a well-rounded coffee flavor with a hint of liquorice and treacle toffee at the end which brought back memories of bonfire night.

All dressed up for the Dev Cat on a Sunday (poor regulars)

They also had another new favorite on the bar which I had immensely enjoyed out of a bottle recently, Magic Rock‘s Magic 8 Ball (7%). I had already decided at this point that this was (potentially) the best black IPA I have had so far. Off the tap it’s a beautiful beer to look at; an inky black with an amazingly luxuriously thick head you could write your name in. The appearance is deceptive, though, and it’s a real surprise how refreshing this is, particularly served almost ice-cold. Initially, you are hit with these incredibly bitter hops, then a wrecking ball of lemons swings right up in your face.

So, filled with beery glee, I was ready to get out to Corporation for a night of mayhem. Since (like most clubs) the ‘beer’ would actually be dishwater, we made a quick stop at the Devonshire Cat, one of my very favorite pubs in Sheffield where I treated myself to a delicious Brewdog Alice Porter (6.2%). Although by this point I was in my glad rags ready for Resistanz and without my trusty beery notebook, this is what I had to say on Untapped(my new favorite app): ‘Awesome sauce Mmmnnn. ..liquorice and dark malts. Chewy and rich.’ Just as well I had a final nice beer as all they had to offer at the Corp was San Miguel Fresca which made me a sad panda. The Untappd review I posted at the time says it all. ‘Hahaha cheapest thing on the bar. Dishwater.’ Thankfully, once we had recovered from the craziness, angle-grinders and Jagermeister Cake of Resistanz, we would be spending some time with the sister and brother-in law which would involve some rather more civilised establishments…

Angle-grinder carnage @Resistanz