Beer Of the Week: Looky Looky, it's Newky!

I'm a bit of a sucker for new beers, especially ales. I find ales like Kilkenny much easier to drink, as it is lighter than stout (which I used to drink a lot of) and still more full bodied than the usual lagers.

So when I found out GAB was bringing in a new beer that is ALSO a brown ale, I was ecstatic. In fact, I couldn't wait to try it!

The new beer's name, is Newcastle Brown Ale, or more fondly referred to as Newky:



I first found out that the beer is available here in Malaysia when Geoff (the Sid of Sid's Pubs fame) and Frank were going on and on on Twitter about drinking loads of it at their pub in Damansara Heights. So much so that I also gian wanna drink it that time.

You may have seen the beer's logo being displayed on the jerseys of the Newcastle United team some time ago, and apparently, it's quite a popular beer in the UK (it's apparently the No. 1 selling premium bottled ale in the UK and available in more than 40 countries).

The beer is only available in bottles (and apparently it's that way even in the UK), and can be found in about 25+ British and Irish-themed outlets, including all four Sid's Pubs.

Anyway, speaking of Sid's, Sid's Damansara Heights (Or as I like to call it: Sids 4, because it's the fourth Sid's Pub that has been opened so far) is now one of my favorite hangout joints, not just because the beer there is great, it's also because it's the easiest place to get to when I get stuckin a jam on the way home and need a place to er.. detour to to wait out the jam. heh heh.

It's not just the beer that's awesome though. The other day, I was there for my favoritest burger of them all. Behold, the Sid's Ben Nevis burger...



...an awesome tower of two meat patties (you can choose beef, chicken, lamb or pork - my personal favorite is lamb + pork), bacon, cheese and fried egg. It's definitely the type of burger that can't be eaten without making an unholy mess.

And guess what? It's even better when you have a nice beer to wash it down with. This time around, I tried having it with Newcastle Brown Ale; and the burger + ale went surprisingly well together. Especially since Newky was lighter, smoother and more refreshing than a stout or other ales, enough to wash down the grease from the burger; and yet sweet, caramel-like and full bodied enough that the finish lingers on after the initial swallow.

Overall, Newcastle Brown Ale is easy to drink, refreshing and has a very pleasant nutty finish. In fact, I liked it so much after my first try that it's become my de facto 'first beer' whenever I go to Sid's, the beer I order when I walk in and which sets the mood for the night. If you want a beer that you can drink all night long, this is it.