Words - Matthew Curtis | Photos - Claire M. Bullen
A couple of weeks ago we gathered at Hop Burns & Black for our second in a series of tasting events. This little Peckham beer, hot sauce and record shop has proved to be the perfect venue for our cosy beer and music themed evenings.
Our first tasting, No More Heroes, was based around the column I write for Hop Burns & Black of the same name. Here our aim was to pluck out underrated but not obscure beers and push them a little further towards the spotlight. We accompanied each beer with some of our favourite punk songs, including The Stranglers track of the same name. It was a fun night and we raised a bunch of money for Mind, the mental health charity, in the process.
In fact we enjoyed ourselves so much that we decided to host another as soon as we could. This time we mixed things up a little – with Valentines Day approaching we couldn’t resist putting on a romantically themed beer and music event. Only with punk and post-punk songs from our favourite 70’s and 80’s eras.
The theme of Ever Fallen in Love (with someone you shouldn’t have fallen in love with) was simple: we picked six beers, each themed around a first date and then paired each beverage with a suitable track. There were flowers, champagne, chocolates and more. It’s safe to say that we pulled out all of the stops where romance was concerned. We even went as far as a kiss, although we stopped things there. This was just a first date, after all.
It was another successful and really fun night presented to a full house of eager participants. A lot of people asked us when we’re going to do another one and the answer is very soon. For now you’ll just have to enjoy this list of what we drank and listened to while we get busy planning. Eighties electronica, anyone? We’ll never get away with it…
Beer 1 – Dinner: The Kernel Table Beer with The Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen in Love? (With Someone You Shouldn’t Have Fallen in Love With)
Beer 2 – Flowers: Stillwater Of Love & Regret Saison with The Slits - Love Und Romance
Beer 3 – Perfume: Vocation Heart & Soul Session IPA with The Damned – Love Song
Beer 4 – Champagne: Chorlton Amarillo Sour with Magazine – I Love You, You Big Dummy
Beer 5 – The Kiss: Magic Rock Salty Kiss Gose with Echo & The Bunnymen – Lips Like Sugar
Beer 6 – Chocolates: Siren Caribbean Chocolate Cake with The Church – Under The Milky Way