HB&B Blog — Newcastle

The Beer Lover's Table: Eggnog Latte Cookies and Full Circle Brew Co Parkin at the Moon Imperial Stout

Beer Lover's Table Claire Bullen Full Circle Imperial Stout Newcastle Stout

The Beer Lover's Table: Eggnog Latte Cookies and Full Circle Brew Co Parkin at the Moon Imperial Stout

As an American, I generally look forward not to mince pies every December, but to Christmas cookies. Why stick to one treat when you can have a rotating cast of four or five? Who needs to eat that many raisins and dried fruits in one sitting? (If you are going the mince pie route, at least do yourself a favour and deep-fry ‘em, and serve with plenty of brandy cream.) This year, I had the pleasure of adding a brand new recipe to my rotation: these eggnog latte cookies, inspired by an Instagram reel from Justine Snacks. These cookies really are...

Read more →


Fundamentals #124 — Full Circle Brew Co Half Nelson IPA

Full Circle IPA Matthew Curtis New England IPA Newcastle

Fundamentals #124 — Full Circle Brew Co Half Nelson IPA

I love it when breweries kick on, especially when this involves releasing a beer that comes out of nowhere and knocks my little cotton socks off. One brewery to do that recently has been Newcastle’s Full Circle, which has hoisted itself up from the role of a newcomer, making an effort to assert its presence, and now feels like it’s deservedly taking a place as one of the most exciting young brewing prospects in the UK. I’ve been writing about beer for more than a decade and during this time I’ve seen the number of UK breweries more than double....

Read more →


Fundamentals 112 - Alpha Delta Xevza Fresh Hopped Pale

Alpha Delta Fundamentals Matthew Curtis Newcastle Pale ale

Fundamentals 112 - Alpha Delta Xevza Fresh Hopped Pale

I awoke on New Year’s Day this year with a strange, slightly unfamiliar sensation in the pit of my stomach, one that took me a few moments to put my finger on. It wasn’t my hangover, I was fully aware of the distress that was bringing me, having decided to venture out the previous evening despite the chaos of the pandemic still swirling. (The right call, as it turned out, the company of close friends and excellent beer proving a real tonic after a miserable few months.) No, this was a positive feeling: optimism. Somehow, despite the relentless news cycle, it’s...

Read more →


Fundamentals #79 – Almasty Kush DIPA

Almasty DIPA Fundamentals Matthew Curtis Newcastle

Fundamentals #79 – Almasty Kush DIPA

I thought I was bored of New England IPAs. There was a time, like many of you reading this I’m sure, when I found myself in constant pursuit of The Juice. I was lucky in 2016 when I decided to head to Philadelphia to the Craft Brewers Conference, the brewing industry’s largest convergence within a typical calendar year. Once the conference was over, I found myself with a spare day, so – after picking up a box of doughnuts from Reading Terminal Market – I figured out which train would take me to the suburb of Ardmore, and to Tired...

Read more →