Good catch, I missed that. I homed in on the label's "pure malt" which /= single malt. But it's single malt.
Cool about having dinner with Michael Jackson. Bet it was fun picking his brain.
It was incredible. We started with a mild in thumbprint mugs then headed into a private dining room. The publican/cellar master, Mark Dorber, also joined and that was also a boon. Mark’s wife prepared the food and each course was matched perfectly.
Michael’s encyclopedic knowledge of all things malt - especially his incredibly detailed sensory recall - was mind blowing. I remember him talking about vintage years of ...., argh, can’t even remember the ale, something incredibly well known, a strong ale (I think!)! My damn memory!
But the point being the guy had at perfect recall his sensory impressions of likely 1000’s of beers, if we include his notion of vintages. With no disrespect to Michael or his memory, the man enjoyed his tipple, yet he was pure genius.
The other thing that sticks with me is how much of a booster he was for American brewing. In his words, « you lot have it. » (I was working for Goose Island when we went). That, and his absolute love for Belgian brewing.
I think the comparison can be made with how many French chef feel about French culinary training - the almost moribund nature of cooking, so tightly constrained by a venerable, but orthodox tradition. He just loved bold flavors, and praised American brewers accordingly.! Hell, I’m a helluva lot more « British ale traditional » than Michael seemed to be.
At any rate, an incredible night. And several weeks after - we spent a lot of time in the Cotswolds, most enjoyably at Hook Norton, a very traditional tower brewery, with a 150 year old steam engine driving everything!
Tons more. But man, yes, a highlight of my life. I love European history, as does my boy. Can’t wait to bring him next time.
Édit: Thomas Hardy’s! Duh, of course!
