Posted on 25 januari 2012. Tags: Beer review, Duff Beer
A Pale Lager
From Eschweger Klosterbrauerei, Germany
4.9& ABV. Currently in Beställningssortiment (nr 89972). Due for T9 launch Feb 1st with SB Art No 1590. 20.90SEK (330 ml bottle).
A very pale yellow, like Bart's skin colour when he's feeling unwell. Fizzy bleached white head. Doh!
Grassy, grainy, some very faint citrus but mostly corn chips. Smells industrial, as though it has been brewed at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Doh!
Moderately sweet, some sweetcorn and caramel. Quite fizzy. To say it's light tasting would be an understatement on par with saying the universe is quite large. If there is any hop bitterness I couldn't find it. Doh!
A Krusty Burger? To be fair this beer is all about mates, summer days, saunas and slapstick fun. It's probably just best to drink it ice-cold while flashing food on the BBQ and then switch to something else when it's time to eat.
Nerd note
OK so you're probably going to be a fan of Homer and the Simpsons to buy this beer and on that level this is all a bit of fun. Amazingly the German brewery that produces it has apparently avoided any legal action from the Fox Broadcasting Company, stating it is their "own brand with no connection to the Simpsons from our perspective". Whatever you want to believe just as The Simpsons is a parody of modern American culture this novelty beer is a parody of the Reinheitsgebot. So take it for what it is - a funny beer with a cool name that's riding on the back of a cult TV show. I think it's appropriate to end here with the words of Homer himself: "All right, brain. You don't like me and I don't like you, but let's just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer".
Posted in Beer Reviews
Posted on 24 januari 2012. Tags: Beer review, BrewDog Abstrakt 08
A Deconstructed Blonde Imperial Stout (yes you read that right!)
From BrewDog, Fraserburgh, Scotland
11.8% ABV. SB Art No 11627-03. 125SEK (375ml bottle) (960 bottles being released Feb 1)
I really don't know what I was expecting. Imperial stouts are, almost without exception, very dark brown bordering on black. That's always been the way of it. Lots of dark malts makes the beer dark. It's a reliable fact of life, like getting a huge spot just before your big night out. Then this beer came along and upset the order of things. Now I wouldn't exactly call it blonde (strawberry blonde at a push perhaps) but it certainly throws you off the scent straight away by pouring a deep orange/amber with a thick off-white head.
Ok - so the eyes have been deceived. Time to trick your sense of smell. Coffee is the first thing that hits me, sending my mind spinning back to a bottle of Mikkeller Koppi Coffee IPA I had last year, only this beer's more intense and sweeter. Maple syrup, chocolate, oranges, oak and the faintest hint of liquorice. Despite its hefty ABV I get no obvious booze. The nose is nothing short of glorious. I could sniff it for hours.
By now I'm so confused anything could happen. This is a glutinous beer, with a thick, warming body and boy is it sweet! There's more than a suggestion of an American barley wine here - with chocolate and coffee added. Caramel and candy floss and a peppery (chilli?) finish. Ends a little hot.
What does one eat with a deconstructed blonde imperial stout? Nothing at all perhaps? It's certainly massive enough to be enjoyed on its own in a snifter glass (remember to let it warm up first to get the most out of it). However the sweet syrup notes blended with chocolate and coffee make this a fascinating dessert and cheese beer. What about a black liquorice creme brulee or a dangerously stinky gorgonzola, stilton or a hunk of 5 year+ aged English cheddar?
Nerd note
Six key ingredients went into this truly novel beer: Oats, liquorice, heavily toasted oak chips, cacoa, coffee and smoked malt. The oats help give the beer its incredibly thick, luscious mouthfeel while the cacoa was grated into the beer after fermentation to allow it to 'stew'. The beer was then aged on coffee beans to extract the flavour without transferring any of the colour and for good measure it was also aged on toasted oak chips for some roasted mellowness. For many reasons this is one of the most fun BrewDog beers I have experienced. I would love to see the beer style police try to pigeon-hole this one!
Please Note: I work with BrewDog in Scandinavia, so please consider this when reading my review.
Posted in Beer Reviews
Posted on 23 januari 2012. Tags: Beer review, food, vegetables, vegetarianism
”Oi! Murderer! Perhaps you should throw in some vegetarian food-parings in your reviews?”
Fact: Beer loves vegetables!
This is the tweet word for word that I got today from Tomas, a long-time follower of this blog. I’m taking it, like my steaks, with a pinch of salt but after chewing it over (the Tweet that is, not the steak) Thomas does in fact make a very valid, if somewhat accusatory, point.
I don’t want to get drawn into the ethical depths of carnivorism or vegetarianism (this is, after all, a beer blog) but the truth is that I consider beer an equally willing partner to flesh as it is to fruit (and veggies).
In fact in my recent review of this beer the highlight of the experience was the way the juicy tangerine and toffee flavours of the beer melded with the spicy oven-grilled vegetables baked with chill, garlic, coriander and sprinkled with goats cheese.
So your point Tomas is taken. From now on I will always try to include a vegetarian option in the food suggestions I make when reviewing beers on this blog.
Posted in Mish Mash
Posted on 23 januari 2012. Tags: Beer review, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2011
An India Pale Ale
From Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, California
6.8% ABV. Systembolaget Article Number TBC. 27.90SEK (350ml bottle)
The first time I wrote about this beer I called it "one of the prettiest beers you'll ever see in a glass". I don't see any reason to change a word after pouring up this year's offering. As I wrote last year "the colour amber is often used to describe beer but Celebration Ale really is ultra AMBER. It’s the colour of sunsets you only ever see on holidays abroad".
Only fresh whole hops - the first of the US growing season - are used in this beer, giving it an intensely piney, grassy and 'green' aroma. In another style of beer you might say the hops smell young and unfinished. Here the fact they are so raw makes the beer what it is. But lets not forget the malts because this is an IPA with extra everything and the pale and caramel malts used provide a perfect stage for the hops while adding richness and thickness to the beer.
Hoppy orange marmalade/ spicy mango chutney flavours mixed in with green grass and violin rosin (what can I say - I played the violin as a kid and used to get bored easily). A rich English toffee backbone. An assertive, bordering on unsettling, bitter finish that surpasses the beer's 65 IBU rating and stings the sides of the tongue, remaining long after the glass is empty. This is a rough, tough yet charming powerhouse of a US beer. If Mickey Rourke was a beer he'd probably be this one.
Why not take the Chico brewery's own advice and pair this beer "with any wood-grilled steak, especially a ribeye with house-made steak sauce."
Nerd note
The brewery describes this annual classic as a fresh hop ale to highlight the use of fast picked whole hops cones that have been dried and shipped within seven days of harvest in the field.
It is brewed using US Cascade, Centennial and Chinook hops to a recipe that has not changed since 1983. That’s what makes this beer so fascinating because it demonstrates the concept of hop ‘vintage’ almost better than any other beer I know, with any annual fluctuations in flavours almost solely due to the quality and characteristics of that year’s hop harvest. Last year I rated it 4.3. This year I'm going a shade under that as I feel there's less fruit and more bitter edge than last year and right now I'm favouring drinkability in my beers. That could of course change at a moment's notice. That said this is a seasonal classic so whatever you do go and buy it, drink it, age it. Just don't miss it!
Posted in Beer Reviews
Posted on 18 januari 2012. Tags: Beer review, Mariestads Old Ox
A Bock (this could be argued)
From Spendrups Bryggeri, Sweden
6.9% ABV. Systembolaget Article Number 1379. 16.90SEK (500ml bottle)
Pours a translucid golden yellow with a small white head that collapses very quickly, leaving small reminders of its rather forgettable existence on the glass.
This beer models itself on a bock, which by definition means you should expect a lager beer brewed with an abundance of malts to deliver a full-bodied, alcoholic beer. What I got was that fake malt sweetness you get from practically any typical Eurolager that's been amplified a bit by the booze. Plus almonds.
Light toffee sweetness, slightly grainy, wholemeal loaf, wet paper and a little oily mouthfeel thanks to the ABV. My biggest issue was the faint taste of metal, as though the bags of malt used to brew the beer had been left in a car workshop the night before mashing in and had somehow absorbed a touch of engine block. A surprisingly sharp mineral bitter finish. Alcohol is present but not brutal. To cut a long story short it's a competent strong industrial lager that's pretty cheap to buy.
The alcohol muscle in this beer enables it to pair well with more 'meaty' and intense flavoured fish such as salmon and spicy Asian dishes. Why not combine the two and serve with grilled/baked salmon that has been marinated in olive oil, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, pressed garlic, pepper and chopped onion?
Nerd note
Old Ox was originally the flagship brand of the original brewery in Mariestad and launched back in 1957. It was a shade stronger then at 7.2% but was altered around 2008 by Spendrups apparently because of the high costs of malt at the time. The name Old Ox is a reference to the city's coat of arms. It has also recently been launched in a 500ml can.
Posted in Beer Reviews
Posted on 25 november 2011. Tags: Beer review, Brasserie Theillier, La Bavaisienne Ambrée
A Biere De Garde
From Brasserie Theillier, France
6.5% ABV. SB Art No. 89035. 29.00SEK (250ml bottle) Beställningssortiment Only (case of 24)
Beautiful clear burnt orange colour with a frothy cinnamon-coloured head. Kind of reminds me of vintage leather, like one of those cool tan leather jackets Steve McQueen (and my dad) used to wear in the 70s.
There's a colossal amount of caramel and Seville orange coming through. It's a masterclass in how to tease the most out of malt. There's some perfume and spiciness in there to - a hint of the Bazaar....
Although the mouthfeel is a little thin it is still quite creamy. Lots of soft butter, orange and woody spices, finishing with a snappy burnt bitterness that neatly balances the candy sweetness.
Biere De Gardes are one of my favourite food beers because of their rich, subtly spicy character, wide range of fruity esters, restrained phenols in the nose, and relatively lively carbonation. This 'thriller from Theillier' should work well with veal, lamb or pork as well as with a variety of seafood, salads and spicy soups.
Nerd note
Brasserie Theillier is a 'picture postcard' of a farmhouse brewery in the sleepy village of Bavay in northern France. with an annual production of just 25,000L. It was started around 1850 and the current Head Brewer Michel Theillier is the seventh generation of his family to continue the tradition of producing hand-crafted beers.
Posted in Beer Reviews
Posted on 03 september 2011. Tags: Beer review, Mohawk Rye Lager
A Rye Lager
From Mohawk Brewing Company (Stefan Gustavsson). Brewed at Gamla Slottskällans Bryggeri
5.3% ABV. Systembolaget Article Number 95370. 26.90SEK (500ml bottle)
Pours a bright clear orangey copper colour. In fact it's so intensely copper it almost looks unreal, like the tan on a Venice Beach bodybuilder. Egg-shell white head that fizzles away quickly and never returns.
This is a lager, so you can pretty much bet on white bread, corn, some straw and maybe, if you're lucky, no metal, right? Wrong - Mohawk Rye Lager signals its intention to stick out from the get-go. Intriguing aroma of hawthorn/sea-buckthorn and passionfruit, with the rye contributing mint leaves and spicy Knäckerbröd. One of the most interesting lager noses I've experienced in ages!
Again it's the rye that sets this lager apart from the rest. Medium sweet up front, with some delicate fruity esters of peach and passionfruit and a nice vein of caramel. Then the rye kicks in, disrupting the sweetness with the edgy dryness of mint and white pepper. Very soft carbonation, bordering on being a little flat. Nice drying finish.
I can see this beer pairing with a whole range of different foods. Lagers are often paired with more simple dishes (such as chicken or white fish) or used to take the sting out of spicy foods such as Mexican or Indian. However the grainy gruffness of this rye lager gives it the edge to take on more intense flavours and I can imagine mixing it with crayfish, pork and a homemade pizza topped with parma ham and green olives.
Nerd note
Almost 20% of the grain bill of this beer is rye - and it really shows. Rye is not a grain that brewers tend to look forward to working with due to its tendency to create a sticky mash prone to setting. In the case of this beer however it was well worth the risk as in my opinion it ranks as one of the most interesting Mohawks to date!
Posted in Beer Reviews
Posted on 26 augusti 2011. Tags: Beer review, St Eriks, ST Eriks Rauköl
A smoked beer
From Three Towns Independent Brewers (recipe by Jessica Heidrich)
5.9% ABV. Systembolaget Article Number 11705-03. 23.90SEK (330ml bottle)
Pours an iridescent amber with a tight pinpoint white head.
Ahhh smoked beer. It's all about the smell isn't it? Obviously there's smoke here but it's a gentle, sweet smoky smell rather than an outback bushfire that's got out of control. Also freshly split birch trees, a splash of TCP and more than a hint of Laphroig action. Not much bacon (in my book a good thing). Perhaps half a rasher.
I was instantly struck by the richness of the beer. If you took away the signature smoke element you’d still be left with a fine tasting malty, fruity beer. Whispy smoke through the mid palate and a smouldering medium bitter finish . The smoke in no way overpowers but drifts provocatively through the palate. In my opinion a perfect introduction to the smoked beer style!
Where to start? Smoked fish (I’d kill for a kipper with this), smoked meats, a powerful chilli and any smoked versions of cheeses like Gruyère, Gouda or cheddar are going to be amazing. Why not dig out and flame up the BBQ again one last time and prepare some hickory smoked chicken?
Nerd note
S:t Rauköl is the first Swedish Rauchbier ever launched at the Systembolaget (Rauchbiers come from Germany and the most famous examples from the city of Bamberg in Bavaria). It gets its distinctive smoky aromas and flavours from the use of birch-smoked malts from Gotland, where it is made in small batches of only a few hundred kilos. The malting and drying process takes four days and is only done a few times in the spring and autumn when the nights are cool. Smoked beer is a style that tends to divide opinion but I'd strongly recommend 'first-timers' to try a bottle together with smoked food - a pairing that can be as spectacular as it is obvious.
Posted in Beer Reviews
Posted on 25 augusti 2011. Tags: Beer review, Sigtuna Höstporter
A Porter
From Sigtuna Brygghus, Sigtuna, Sweden.
5.5% ABV. Systembolaget Article Number 11806. 24.90SEK (500ml bottle)
Pours a muddy brown with a thick, spongy chestnut brown head. Looks 'old world' - the sort of beer you'd have expected to see in the tankards of hard-working men in 18th century London.
It's clear from the get-go this porter isn't going to be sweet. Nutty, earthy, dark chocolate nougat, charred wood and cigar ash combine to present a dry, stoutish aroma. Nice!
On the bottle label it describes this porter as stout-like and I couldn't agree more. Lots of dark, heavily roasted flavours pushing through, wiping out any suggestion of residual sweetness in a heartbeat. Unfortunately you're then left with a rather drying acrid bitterness, like sucking on cigar ash. The lack of sugar is also noticeable in the 'body' of the beer, which feels a little thin, exacerbating the bitterness even more.
Thank goodness Autumn is nearly here because this beer needs rich heavy stews and slabs of sweet dark meat to meld with. Pair with sickliest sweet chocolate desserts you can find and I'm certain the burnt 'n' bitter tones of the beer will tame the sugar without any problem. Or just pour into a cognac glass and suck on a big fat Cohiba.
Nerd note
The name porter was first used in 1721 (although there is plenty of heated beery debate about this) to describe a dark beer popular with street and river porters of London. What made it special was the liberal use of roasted malts. Stronger versions of porter become known as stout porters (with stout denoting the beefy alcohol content) and later the word porter was dropped and a new beer style was born. Porters in my experience (and this is by no means a consistent rule) tend to be slightly more chocolate and fruit sweet than stouts, which lean towards more black, expresso bitter roasted flavours.
Posted in Beer Reviews
Posted on 17 augusti 2011. Tags: Beer review, Lasko Club Export
A Pilsner-style beer
From Pivovarna Laško, Laško, Slovenia
4.9% ABV. Systembolaget Art No. 89807 (Beställningssortiment) 12.30 SEK 330ml bottle
Textbook pale lager look, with a crystal clear spectral golden body and bleached white head that sparkles out to a thin ring. That's if you pour it into the glass of course. In my opinion this is exactly the sort of beer I'd probably neck straight from the cool looking bottle.
Mild smells of caramel, young grain, water biscuits, grass and faint citrus hops. Nothing's out of place but nothing stands out either.
Positives first. There's a faint but pleasing citrus vibe to this beer that sets it apart from many of the more anonymous 'Euro lagers' out there. There's also a refreshing and not over-assertive level of CO2 so drinkability is high. In the mid-palate I got a pleasant hit of light caramel. And so to the negatives - there is practically no bitter finish which would have added more personality to the beer. However my biggest minus - the lack of any real backbone - could well be another's person's plus. This is a well made representative of its genre - a Euro Pale Lager with a hint of character.
Light flavours should be matched with light foods. Chicken, white fish and simple pasta dishes would work, and Laško's faint citrus flavour could make it an usual choice to pair with this year's crayfish. Personally I think this beer is best enjoyed chilled and straight from the bottle.
Nerd note
Pivovarna Laško is Slovenia's largest brewery and has 'traditionally been brewing with love since 1825' with the exception of a couple of halts in production, including a two year stop due to a bomb during World War II intended for a nearby bridge which accidentally destroyed the brewery.
Posted in Beer Reviews
