And its never been a secret really.
On Wednesday 28th May 2014 I made a return to an old friend. A small nondescript off licence on one of Belfast's busiest thoroughfares. Locals will already know were I am talking. The Vineyard was established in 1957 and from that date till this, it has built its reputation on having a wide range of product and knowledgeable staff.
I mentioned in my introduction blog that in a previous life I ran a small boutique wine merchant, it was less than 2 miles away from the Vineyard, in what I would describe as a more "Exclusive" (read expensive) part of town. It should have thrived. While I was there I prided myself on my wine knowledge, and I imparted this knowledge onto the 3 or 4 members of staff who worked for me at any time. These staff were mainly University Students working 2 or 3 shifts a week, and truth be told their enthusiasm was often left wanting. The main problem I had, was although from the outside and to the untrained eye my place looked like an independent, it certainly wasn't. It was the dirty little secret of a chain of off licences and as a result of this I was restricted in terms of suppliers and products I could stock. I honestly believe had I, and the manager who came after me been allowed to freely select product, then the business would have prospered. As it was the business crashed and burned.
The Vineyard has no such problem it is fully independent and as a sole trader business is small enough to move quickly with the trends. I went back there as I previously said on Wednesday, my mission was to buy a couple of bottles of beers to sample, however as I walked through the door I was met with their massive selection of Wine. It all came rushing back to me. I felt like Charlie as he walked through the gates of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. The selection of wines is astonishing and then I moved to the Whiskys, a very good friend of mine who is as passionate about whisky as I am about wine and beer, (check out Whisky Belfast) told me its the best selection of Whisky in Belfast. Eventually i made to the rear of the premises and started browsing the craft beers selection.
As I was browsing I couldn't help overhear a conversation another customer was having with a member of staff in relation to some wines he had selected, the staff answered each question with confidence and knowledge. The same customer then enquired bout a particular beer, again the staff was able to advise him accordingly. Finally I arrived at the till to pay for my beers, my partner asked the staff about certain vodkas, and again the knowledge was forthcoming, a bottle of rum caught my eye and again this member of staff explained all about it. If this guy is a part time member of staff, then I am flabbergasted
Perhaps this has turned into a bit of an advertisement for the Vineyard but i assure you that these are my words, and the point of this blog post is to advise anyone who wants to get into the craft beer scene but doesn't know where to start, or perhaps they want a special bottle of wine, or a spirit. The Vineyard is a great place to start and you can rely on the information that they give you. Its Belfast's best kept secret for me because as much as I knew about the Vineyard i seldom take the time to journey up to Belfast to browse.
For those that are interested I bought the following beers;
O'Haras Irish Pale Ale, Dry Hopped IPA. 5.2% this got sunk on Wednesday night, and while I dont have full tasting notes for it what i can remember is as soon as i popped the cap i was hit in the face with strong aromas. The head was practically non existent, and the beer was a golden color. On Twitter i described the taste as "dark" at this stage i cant really elaborate on this explanation. I will buy this again and review it properly.
Farmageddon Brewing Co-Op Gold Pale Ale 4.2% Not opened but I've had this before and this is a fantastic beer. I drank a bars full stock of this beer at a gig one night.
Trouble Brewing Deception Golden Ale 4.3% Not opened yet.
Galway Hooker Irish Pale Ale 4.3% Not opened yet.
Next up for me is a tour and dinner at the Hilden Brewery, outside Lisburn. No doubt Ill have plenty to say about that experience, Im also going to write a little about my experiences home brewing in the next week or so, from complete novice to hopefully having perfected my home brew lager, and moving on into IPA.
In the meantime Cheers!
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