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Something for the Weekend – Adnam’s Broadside

Right, for those of you might think I’ve got a bit of a thing about Adnam’s (yes, I wrote a piece about Ghostship back in October) I want to reassure you that I’m not biased in any way, I’m not pressured by the powers above me to write about a particular brewery or beer. I’m given a bit of a free reign, and this week I want to extol the virtues of Broadside.This is because it holds a special place in my heart at this time of year. Over a decade ago I moved into an old lodge house situated in the grounds of a big stately home. During the daytime, the house looked wonderful: high ceilings, big windows, lots of character. Once I had moved in, I realised the downside to living in an old house. It was flipping freezing, even with the central heating on full belt (the boiler was as ancient as the house), and the only way I could keep warm was to light a fire, hug a hot water bottle, and drape a fleece blanket over me.

The beer that got me through those cold months was Broadside. It was chunky, warming, full of depth and a good friend to me. I was lucky enough to live next door to a pub which had Broadside on almost permanently so I decamped most nights to their bar, partly to get warm, but mostly to savour the fruit cake like aromas and flavours of this beer. At 4.7% it gave me a warm glow, and matched with the pubs excellent Shepherd’s Pie (with a side of red cabbage) I could return to the freezing homestead with a happy heart.

And then I discovered that Adnams do Broadside in bottles, and it’s a whacking 6.3%. So I made like my granny (who used to keep a bottle of Guinness in the airing cupboard for her nightly tipple): I kept a bottle next to the feeble fire and had it as my night cap when I got in. The best of both worlds!

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