southwick brewhouse

Brewhouse Beer Blog

by Richard Salsbury

A Little About Richard

I try to write on a broad variety of topics, but I have a particular interest in technology, society, and personal philosophy, which all sounds very grand, but I’m also deeply concerned with writing stuff that entertains. An element of humour and/or irony often creeps in.

Some of my favourite writers include David Mitchell, Scarlett Thomas, Jonathan Coe, Kurt Vonnegut, Graham Greene, Dickens, Shakespeare … I could go on.

All of my novels are based in the fictional town of Strathurst, on the border between Hampshire and Surrey.

In my previous jobs I have worked as a civil engineer, software engineer, training instructor and technical writer.

Siren Craft Broken Dream

Siren Craft Broken Dream (330ml can, 6.5% ABV, Vegetarian) Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to the fifteenth meeting of the Hampshire Temperance movement in this, the year of our Lord, 1852. Now, I know that many of you have been concentrating your efforts on reducing the consumption of gin – or ‘mother’s ruin’ as we prefer to call it – but you may be…
Read More
Star gazer

Yeovil Star Gazer (500ml bottle, 4.0% ABV, Vegan)

Yeovil Star Gazer (500ml bottle, 4.0% ABV, Vegan) There’s a long tradition in Britain of naming beers after the effect they might have in the event of overconsumption – Tanglefoot, Old Thumper, even Riggwelter. Star Gazer seems like it might be in this category, but at only 4.0% it’s pretty easy on the constitution. Perhaps Yeovil Ales were more aiming…
Read More

Farmageddon Gorse IPA (440ml can, 6.4% ABV, vegan)

There’s nothing quite like a bubble bath at the end of a busy, tiring day. But you wouldn’t drink it, would you? Or would you? It’s fair to say that Farmageddon’s Gorse IPA is going to split opinion. Coming out of the can, it foams like a bubble bath. It tastes of soap, but in…
Read More
Brass Castle Monsters of the Deep

Brass Castle Monsters of the Deep (440ml can, 6.5% ABV, vegan, gluten free)

Experiments are the foundation of modern science, and therefore a wonderful thing. But experiments can go horribly wrong. Just ask my A-Level Physics teacher. Fortunately Brass Castle’s Monsters of the Deep is an unmitigated success. Along with the promised monsters, the can features windmills, lighthouses, runes and Hull. What does it all mean? It’s part…
Read More
Tarrant Street

Arundel Brewery Tarrant Street (330ml can, 3.4% ABV, vegan)

You would be hard-pressed to find a more unassuming beer than Arundel’s Tarrant Street – a low alcohol brew in a small, largely white can. Can this possibly be as enticing as those bigger bottles and tins, bestowed with bonkers names, and festooned with funky artwork? Like many breweries, Arundel have split their range into…
Read More

Hobsons Old Prickly (500ml bottle, 4.2% ABV)

Graphic design is a funny thing. Something about the label of Hobsons Old Prickly – or perhaps its description as a ‘Snuffly Hedge Grog’ – made me think it was a cider, and I haven’t been a great fan of cider since a certain … ahem … episode at University. But no, it’s definitely beer.…
Read More

Padstow Brewing Padstow Pride (568ml bottle, 4.5% ABV, Vegetarian)

Padstow Pride pours a dark amber, heading towards a reddish brown. The aroma is unusually rich in malt and has a hint of peppery hops. Down the hatch, and … that’s where my problems begin. Sometimes it’s very hard to describe the taste of a beer without (a) calling it a blend of malt and…
Read More
YPA

Yeovil Ales YPA (500ml bottle, 7.3% ABV, vegan)

Yeovil Ales YPA (500ml bottle, 7.3% ABV, vegan) Let’s talk about finings. No, I’m not referring to that fixed penalty notice you once got for driving at 47mph in a 40 limit*, I mean the stuff that brewers use to clarify beer. Traditionally, this meant using isinglass, a substance made from the swim bladders of…
Read More
Time & Tide

Time & Tide

Time & Tide Brewing All In Jim (440ml can, 5.4% ABV) Time & Tide are a somewhat mysterious brewery based in Deal, Kent. Their website and Facebook page say little, except for their desire to create beer using the classic styles as guidelines rather than rules. But the product speaks for itself. All In Jim makes…
Read More
Dynamite Valley

Dynamite ValleyBrewing Co

Dynamite Valley Brewing Co Brian (500ml bottle, 5.0% ABV, vegan) Labelling beer bottles can be one of two things: a tedious faff if you do it by hand, or an expensive enterprise if you have the machinery to automate it. Dynamite Valley, a new brewery situated near Falmouth, have found a way to avoid both. They take the…
Read More
ogo

Southwick Brewhouse, Southwick, PO176DX
Tel: 02392 201133 Email: [email protected]