Posted on 07 juni 2010. Tags: BeerSweden TV, Episode 27, Innis & Gunn India Pale Ale, Review
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BeerSweden Trev and I have read the comments from some of you about the quality of the sound so on this episode we experimented a bit by taking away the 360 degree sound setting in favour of the directional sound function. As you can hear this was a mistake, as rather than improve audio quality it made me sound like I was talking through one of those tin-and-string can phones from inside a lift in a distant country.
As our camera doesn’t have an external microphone socket we will therefore be reverting back to the old settings, which although admittedly not perfect are still fairly comprehensible. What I actually say of course is another matter………
Posted in Videos
Posted on 31 maj 2010. Tags: Innis & Gunn India Pale Ale, Review
An oak aged Indian Pale Ale
Brewed by Belhaven (Greene King) in Scotland
7.7% ABV. Systembolaget Article Number: 11755. 22.90 SEK (330ml bottle)
Before getting to the look of the beer I have to say I really like what they've done with the bottle. It shouts 'premium' and has the look of an exclusive whisky brand to it. Clear glass may not be the most beer-friendly packaging but it really allows this golden beer to shine. In the glass it is a luminous 'Welsh gold' colour under a crisp white head.
Think Crème Catalana and you're most of the way there! Huge creamy vanilla custard nose with a dash of freshly pressed orange juice and some runny caramel. Totally un-IPA like aromas but then this is not your typical IPA. I pick up a bit of fresh wood but it is very restrained.
This is rich, velvety stuff. If Ben and Jerry were to ever go into the beer business they would probably brew something like this. It's nothing like an IPA but is so intensely 'dessert-like' it reminds me a little of noble rot wine. There's lashings of vanilla and orange marmalade, some honey and cream too. The oak is there (fresh 'white' oak) but at a perfect level, adding flavour but not distracting from the whole. The finish is smooth and soothing. There's very little hop bitterness at all and just a suggestion of brandy heat poking through at the end.
The acidity of a lemon pudding cake could offset the creamy vanilla of this beer. I will be trying it with a Crème Catalana to see if I can tell where the beer ends and the food begins. Think of other desserts where vanilla and orange flavours would work and experiment. Foi gras? Absolutely! It's also complex enough to sip in dessert wine glasses on its own.
Nerd note
I'll be honest I wasn't expecting much. The previous Innis and Gunn editions I had tried had left me cold, with odd alcoholic flavours that seemed to ruin perfectly good beers. But here they've got the oak ageing just right, creating a smooth, luscious beer that really impresses. Is it an IPA? Well certainly not in the traditional sense, so don't expect to get any hop fix here. The recommended serving temperature is a chilly 4-6 degrees (i.e straight from the fridge). I say this constricts the aromas and flavours a little too much. Let it warm up a couple more degrees and you'll thank yourself for it when the smooth oak and marmalade flavours soften up beautifully.
Posted in Beer Reviews
Posted on 31 maj 2010. Tags: Glissade Golden Bock, Innis & Gunn India Pale Ale, InWit, Nils Oscare Sorachi Blond, Nynäshamns Dragets Kanal Dubbel IPA, releases, Systembolaget
Tomorrow (June 1st) sees the launch of six new beers at the Systembolaget.
This month’s batch is made up of three very interesting Swedish micro beers, an extremely European US bock countered nicely by an extremely US European strong ale and finally an oaky IPA from the UK.
Let’s start as we always try to here at BeerSweden with the Swedish beers first. I’ve already written about Nils Oscar Sorachi Blond so all that’s left to say is go out and buy it. In my opinion this has all the makings of a summer blockbuster but with only 4,200 bottles going on sale you’d better be quick!
The chances of Oppigårds from Dalarna putting out a bad beer these days is about as slim as Zlatan’s chances of playing in the Premier League next season. This time they’ve made things really interesting by inviting the winner of the 2009 Swedish Home Brewing Championships Peter Högström to replicate his gold medal Belgium witbier (white beer).
The resulting Oppigårds InWit seems very promising, with talk of a sparkling citrus and spice beer that sounds just perfect for the start of summer.
Nynäshamns Ångbryggeri continues its series of speciality beers in those pretty 250ml bottles with Nynäshamns Dragets Kanal Dubbel IPA. This 7.7% ABV US-themed Double IPA is packed with five different hops and word is that it delivers a sweet fruity hop slap.
Staying in Europe we moved to Belgium and the artisanal brewery of de Rulles for their spicy ale with flavours of grass and grapefruit from the heavyweight US Amarillo and Warrior hops they use to brew it.
Crossing the Atlantic we travel to the city of Chico, home of the Sierra Nevada brewery, a perennial favourite of mine. This time it’s their Glissade Golden Bock being released and it’s a beer I’m really looking forward to trying. This light (if 6.4% ABV can be considered light) take on a heller bock promises restrained sweetness and a distinctly European feel from herbal and floral German and Slovenian hops.
The last port of call this time round is the UK, or the Belhaven Brewery in Scotland to be precise for their Innis & Gunn India Pale Ale. I will be trying this one with a bit of trepidation having been more than a little unimpressed with the previous I&G releases.
This time the beer has sat in oak barrels for 30 days before a further 47 days of maturation. The result is a beer that apparently displays a distinctive vanilla and wood character with orange and lemon aromas and a smooth finish.
I’ll be aiming to review all these six beers over the next few days on BSTV so check back soon for more details!
Posted in The Beervine
