Because sometimes, all you have is a chainsaw
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
Hopping Hare and the fine art of correct serving temperature.
I was first turned onto Badger Ales while living in London - available at most of the supermarkets and many pubs their extensive and reliable range quickly becoming a go to brand for great beer. Brewed in Dorset since the late 1700's Badger championed a back to basics approach that has since become popular with craft brewers worldwide. Combining the traditional Malt, Hops, Yeast and Water into delicious beer seems to come naturally to them and their approach earned the attention of Hugh "River cottage" Fearnley-Whittingstall who joined forces for a special brew.
Badger are probably most well known for Tanglefoot or Fursty Ferret, both good examples of English Ales, but this cool autumn evening it was Hopping Hare that caught my eye. Up at Speakers Corner in Browns Bay there is a good range of beers, including a couple of Fullers range on tap. The pub is decent, and probably only one of a few around New Zealand that capture the English pub feel properly (possibly because it's run by ex-pats!).
Anyway, having warmed up on a London Porter it seemed that the new Badger bottles were getting some attention and ever inquisitive I decided to check out the offering for myself.
The verdict? Pretty good, if slightly misleading. For a beer calling itself highly hopped I thought it was more balanced and malty, but perhaps I've had too many IPA's lately? This isn't to say it's an unpleasant beer, quite the opposite: there are some very nice notes of fruit and bitterness, even if they're more subtle in the mix but there is also a lovely bread aroma in there. The flavour is very nice, rewarding and full with a rather enjoyable effervescent hops fruitiness at the finish. Despite being an English pub, in typical New Zealand fashion the beer was served just a touch above freezing, and it was fellow beer-enjoyer Matt that noted it would be better at room temperature.
As luck would have it I was in a room, so it was only a matter of time before I was able to enjoy even more of those delicious rich malty flavours in the manner which their maker intended.
Yes, I know that Lager needs to be cold. But Ale isn't Lager, it's about letting the subtle flavours come out rather than refining them to a crisp perfection. When too cold Hopping Hare fell slightly short of expectations, but came to life when allowed to warm.
There's a lesson here, for optimum enjoyment (and that's what it's all about, right?) it's best to serve appropriately. You wouldn't have Fish and Chips cold? Yes, we've all heard (or experienced) Ale's poorly cellered: flat, warm, bad. But the right temperature can bring a beer to life!
Badger are probably most well known for Tanglefoot or Fursty Ferret, both good examples of English Ales, but this cool autumn evening it was Hopping Hare that caught my eye. Up at Speakers Corner in Browns Bay there is a good range of beers, including a couple of Fullers range on tap. The pub is decent, and probably only one of a few around New Zealand that capture the English pub feel properly (possibly because it's run by ex-pats!).
Anyway, having warmed up on a London Porter it seemed that the new Badger bottles were getting some attention and ever inquisitive I decided to check out the offering for myself.
The verdict? Pretty good, if slightly misleading. For a beer calling itself highly hopped I thought it was more balanced and malty, but perhaps I've had too many IPA's lately? This isn't to say it's an unpleasant beer, quite the opposite: there are some very nice notes of fruit and bitterness, even if they're more subtle in the mix but there is also a lovely bread aroma in there. The flavour is very nice, rewarding and full with a rather enjoyable effervescent hops fruitiness at the finish. Despite being an English pub, in typical New Zealand fashion the beer was served just a touch above freezing, and it was fellow beer-enjoyer Matt that noted it would be better at room temperature.
As luck would have it I was in a room, so it was only a matter of time before I was able to enjoy even more of those delicious rich malty flavours in the manner which their maker intended.
Yes, I know that Lager needs to be cold. But Ale isn't Lager, it's about letting the subtle flavours come out rather than refining them to a crisp perfection. When too cold Hopping Hare fell slightly short of expectations, but came to life when allowed to warm.
There's a lesson here, for optimum enjoyment (and that's what it's all about, right?) it's best to serve appropriately. You wouldn't have Fish and Chips cold? Yes, we've all heard (or experienced) Ale's poorly cellered: flat, warm, bad. But the right temperature can bring a beer to life!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Hop to it!
I love beer. It's no secret. That I sing the praises of Ales by no means indicates that I have no love for it's bottom fermenting cousin - the Lager. Yes, Ales tend to be more interesting, have more variety and therefore can be more rewarding, but the easy drinking Lager should not be forgotten. When a Lager goes above and beyond, pushes the boundaries and delivers something unique - well that's truly something to be celebrated... so Cheers! Here's to the best Lager I've had in a long while.
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But let's step back and look at what makes a good Lager. The Lager family is the most popular type of beer worldwide, from the crisp sharp flavour of the Pilsner to the deep sweet maltiness of the Bock there is plenty to enjoy and explore. It's all too easy to think of your generic commercial beers. From Fosters to Steinlager to Heineken to Budwiser the easy drinking pleasant crisp style of a commercial lager has it's place. The subtle balance of malts and hops serve their purpose perfectly - everyday drinking or "session" beers. Lager can go far beyond that.
When thinking about what goes into a beer, the craft of the brewer is balancing the Malt, Hops, Yeast and Water to create the desired flavours. When a beer blows me away it's often because they get the mix just right and achieve something unique. Thanks to some awesome friends sending the latest and greatest beers across the world for me to try, I have (well... I had) a bottle of Camden Hells Unfiltered Lager. Camden Town Brewery in London are the latest version of the Brewery and Alehouse combination that's the heart of the Beer tradition. I samples a couple of their brews but the Unfiltered Lager really stands out.
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What you've got here is an extraordinary beer and you should beg, steal or borrow to get your hands on. Lovely light straw colour and just a little cloudy in a very pleasant, hazy sunny afternoon kind of way. All fruit and floral hops on the nose and my first thought is "this is a whole lot of aromatic hops for a Lager". The flavour isn't quite as hoppy as the aroma would indicate, but it's impressively crisp in a way that would make a Pilsner jealous and there is a distinct and rewarding bitterness on the finish. Malts are present and know their place without ever becoming dominant. It makes me wish more brewers skipped the filtering if this is what's happens!
There's more to this beer than just the cool label and if you're in that neck of the woods, relish in the knowledge that a really impressive beer is pouring freely at a pub near you!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
It's a Porter not a Stout
I've had a look at Porters before, but I want to consider what makes a good Porter and what makes a great Porter. In my previous post I looked at the more well known Stout and compared that with Porter. I'll also take a sip or two of a fantastic Porter, one that reshaped my expectations of what a Porter can be.
The name "Stout" came to represent Porters that were stronger than usual but where did the Porter originate and what is the real difference to the modern beer drinker? According to the ever wise Beerhunter, Michael Jackson: Porter was the forst "National" beer style, becoming synonymous with UK and particularly London brewing. Rumour has it that as malt prices started rising in the 1700's brewers began kilning their Barley for longer and adding more hops to get more flavour into their beer. The name itself is supposed to come from it's popularity with workers carrying goods around the markets of East London around Shoreditch - yes it was popular with Porters, so became known as... Porter!
The Porter style has an interesting and very close relationship with a number of other beer styles. It was developed at around the same time as the pale Ale (though the pale Ale wasn't perfected until nearly 100 years later). Lower gravity Porters evolved into Mild Ale and fuller bodies, higher alcohol Porters became known as Stouts. Pale Ale evolved into Bitter and IPA and there you have the majority of today's English based beer styles.
So, the amazing Porter that reshaped my expectations?
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Based in the heart of New Zealand's wine making region, Renaissance aim to make a beer as rewarding as it Marlborough grape based cousins.
At this tasting I tried the Scotch Ale and the Elemental Porter Ale, and these folks are doing an admirable job of meeting their aim. Both beers were surprisingly complex and now that I have them on my radar I will be spending time to get to know the rest of the range.
It's deep brown to black reminding me more of a Guiness than anything else but the lovely light coffee coloured head hints and surprises lurking within. It's aroma is potent with nuttiness and a burnt brown sugar or caramel with a bit of winter fruit. The first thank that strikes me about the taste is the rich warm rewarding caramel which dispoves to coffee bitterness. There are wonderful complex malts, and hints of brown sugar. It's a wide and delicious flavour profile and perfect for the autumn evening.
My interest has been truely sparked!
The name "Stout" came to represent Porters that were stronger than usual but where did the Porter originate and what is the real difference to the modern beer drinker? According to the ever wise Beerhunter, Michael Jackson: Porter was the forst "National" beer style, becoming synonymous with UK and particularly London brewing. Rumour has it that as malt prices started rising in the 1700's brewers began kilning their Barley for longer and adding more hops to get more flavour into their beer. The name itself is supposed to come from it's popularity with workers carrying goods around the markets of East London around Shoreditch - yes it was popular with Porters, so became known as... Porter!
The Porter style has an interesting and very close relationship with a number of other beer styles. It was developed at around the same time as the pale Ale (though the pale Ale wasn't perfected until nearly 100 years later). Lower gravity Porters evolved into Mild Ale and fuller bodies, higher alcohol Porters became known as Stouts. Pale Ale evolved into Bitter and IPA and there you have the majority of today's English based beer styles.
So, the amazing Porter that reshaped my expectations?
.JPG)
Based in the heart of New Zealand's wine making region, Renaissance aim to make a beer as rewarding as it Marlborough grape based cousins.
At this tasting I tried the Scotch Ale and the Elemental Porter Ale, and these folks are doing an admirable job of meeting their aim. Both beers were surprisingly complex and now that I have them on my radar I will be spending time to get to know the rest of the range.
It's deep brown to black reminding me more of a Guiness than anything else but the lovely light coffee coloured head hints and surprises lurking within. It's aroma is potent with nuttiness and a burnt brown sugar or caramel with a bit of winter fruit. The first thank that strikes me about the taste is the rich warm rewarding caramel which dispoves to coffee bitterness. There are wonderful complex malts, and hints of brown sugar. It's a wide and delicious flavour profile and perfect for the autumn evening.
My interest has been truely sparked!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
No, It's not salty, but it is Zythos.
Epic Beer make a lot of incredible beer. They have stood as beacons of great beer for a fair while now, and just keep getting more and more inventive. They have informally specialised in IPA - Indian Pale Ale, a fact for which I completely understand, and am very grateful for. Armageddon IPA has been turning heads for a while now with it's potent hoppiness, and the latest in that line of thinking (or drinking) is Zythos IPA.
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There is apparently a hop shortage (but don't panic). Back in 2006 a glut in the US hops market forced prices down, and in response farmers pulled up their hops in favour of more profitable crops. The saving grace is that this primarily effected US Hops varieties. It's a cycle of boom and bust, and pretty much a classic example of supply/demand economics. Things were looking up in 2009 when Epic started making Hop Zombie, a tribute to the big American Pale Ales and American IPA styles. But (gasp) disaster struck again and we're back into the "shortage" part of the cycle.
This presented an obvious problem in the production of Hop Zombie. Not to be dissuaded (and obviously happy to craft up a hoppy beer at a moment's notice) - head brewer Luke Nicholas whipped up Zythos using some hybrid hops and some good old fashioned kiwi ingenuity.
The result is spectacular.
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Much has been made of the name - no it's not the Greek name for the salted Egyptian brew. Much has also been speculated on the exact hybrid and blend of hops that goes into this masterpiece. I don't know that (though I would love to hear!).
What I can say is that this forging of flavours is truly something to get your lips around.
Satisfying deep red to amber in colour with a lovely light amber head, it's easy on the eye but offers some surprised for the palette. The nose is all warm citrus, there is something herbaceous almost christmassy about it, and there might just be a pinch of fresh bread in there too.
The taste is crisp and bitter up front, softening to rich fruits and citrus and maybe a hint of woodiness. These are all incredible things. It tastes like so much more than the sum of it's parts, I almost to find out that this is more than just the usual combination of malt, hops and water. It has a lively carbonation with light bubbles and a full malty mouth feel.
It's good. Bloody good. It might just be better than Armageddon if that's even possible. I have heard that this is in fairly short supply, so I'd get out and get some quick if I were you...
Monday, April 23, 2012
It's Rye but it aint Whiskey
A lot of beer drinkers don't like anything outside the norm. To some degree I can understand the thinking, but that's not me - I love trying something new, different and have learnt to enjoy the challenge of something a bit different. Rye beer shouldn't be too much of a stretch really, considering it's been brewed for hundreds of years. Rye is also a familiar ingredient in whiskey.
Kaimai Brewing might not be trying to start a Rye resurgence, but they do have a take on the traditional Barvarian beer style. Whether you consider Rye Beer to belong with fruit beers on the fringes of the beer canon, or somewhere near wheat as a kind of speciality beer, it's worth taking a look at the tradition and the characteristics of Rye Beer.
Rye Beer is made when malted Rye grass (funnily enough) is substituted for some of the barley malt on the grains bill. In the 1500's Rye was a fairly common addition to beer but repeated Ergot infections caused the use of Rye to be outlawed. Ergot poisoning is pretty nasty so this was probably for the best. Anyway in 1988 the law was repealed and as the current generation of inventive brewers found their places in the beer world Rye once again cropped up in our favourite tipple.
So is it any good?
Kaimai Brewing Co have declared themselves specialists in Rye Brewing so I decided to give their Golden Rye Ale a taste.
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True to it's name it sure is Golden - right the way through to a beautiful deep amber colour. This sets the tone for the beer - the intensity is unmistakable. Check out that lovely think head too! It pulled down fairly quickly but held the entire glass.
Then we get to the aroma - malty, but not the familiar barley notes, theres something a bit more going on here and the rye really comes through. Without further ado the taste... The first taste is a lovely chocolatey malt, with a bit of citrus and a nice lingering bitterness on finish. It does bring to mind whiskey comparisons, but mostly through the complexity. It's good, almost too complex to be beer. There's a lot going on in both the aroma and the flavour. It's a wonderful beer to taste but definitely not a session beer! The mouth feel is really something too - full, silky, and almost creamy. It almost feels like it needs chewing.
Having not experienced other Rye Beer I don't have a lot to go on here - it's bloody tasty, very interesting and highly complex. Kaimai also make a Rye Stout so that's on my to do list...
Kaimai Brewing might not be trying to start a Rye resurgence, but they do have a take on the traditional Barvarian beer style. Whether you consider Rye Beer to belong with fruit beers on the fringes of the beer canon, or somewhere near wheat as a kind of speciality beer, it's worth taking a look at the tradition and the characteristics of Rye Beer.
Rye Beer is made when malted Rye grass (funnily enough) is substituted for some of the barley malt on the grains bill. In the 1500's Rye was a fairly common addition to beer but repeated Ergot infections caused the use of Rye to be outlawed. Ergot poisoning is pretty nasty so this was probably for the best. Anyway in 1988 the law was repealed and as the current generation of inventive brewers found their places in the beer world Rye once again cropped up in our favourite tipple.
So is it any good?
Kaimai Brewing Co have declared themselves specialists in Rye Brewing so I decided to give their Golden Rye Ale a taste.
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True to it's name it sure is Golden - right the way through to a beautiful deep amber colour. This sets the tone for the beer - the intensity is unmistakable. Check out that lovely think head too! It pulled down fairly quickly but held the entire glass.
Then we get to the aroma - malty, but not the familiar barley notes, theres something a bit more going on here and the rye really comes through. Without further ado the taste... The first taste is a lovely chocolatey malt, with a bit of citrus and a nice lingering bitterness on finish. It does bring to mind whiskey comparisons, but mostly through the complexity. It's good, almost too complex to be beer. There's a lot going on in both the aroma and the flavour. It's a wonderful beer to taste but definitely not a session beer! The mouth feel is really something too - full, silky, and almost creamy. It almost feels like it needs chewing.
Having not experienced other Rye Beer I don't have a lot to go on here - it's bloody tasty, very interesting and highly complex. Kaimai also make a Rye Stout so that's on my to do list...
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Another day, another Pils
Pilsner (like most beer) is pretty good, and while I might dwell on Ales at times it's important not to forget our cold-fermented friends, the Lagers and Pilsners.I've talked about a damn fine beer - if not a typical Pilsner before, but today I want to look at a couple of different beers, including one of the best Pilsners.
In my review of Mac's Hop Rocker I talked about the history of Mac's brewery and it's importance on the New Zealand beer scene, but I neglected to delve into what makes a Pilsner. Some time in the 1800's bottom fermenting yeasts were used to make beer that was then kept in caves around modern day Germany and Czech Republic - the process called Lagering (German for "Storage") led to the style's of beer we now call Lager's. Pilsner is technically a type of Lager (much the same as Bitter is a type of Ale) with unique characteristics. The first real Pilsners were made in the Bohemian town of Pilzen around 1840 using the newly popular bottom fermenting yeasts, as well as the recently developed pale malts - with local soft water and Saaz hops from a nearby town. The result was then left in caves to mature and clear.Pilsner Urquell is still made there today.
If your only experience with Pilsner is Heineken then you're in for a treat. While northern European commercial Pilsners (Heineken, Grolsch, Amstel, Stella Atrois) tend to be slightly sweet and malty, traditional Czech and Barvarian Pilsner is more crisp with a notable bitterness of hops. Urquell (meaning "Original Source" in German is officially the first Pilsner and easily one of the best. Very real and present Hops in traditional Saaz dominate the flavour, finished by crisp malt. Everything about this beer is refreshing, from the light golden colour through to the clean finish and the lasting head. Best drunk in Bohemian beer halls full of laughter and song!
For a brilliant modern take on the Pilsner, I look no further than Monteiths Pilsner. Back when DB Export Dry was saving kiwi blokes from the popularity of wine (according to the advertising anyway) Monteiths were upgrading their production to cope with demand for premium quality beer. Along came Monteiths Pilsner. It might not be the most experimental or innovative Pilsner, but unlike a lot of other variations on the theme, this fantastic beer is true to style. Warm gold in colour and a fraction sweeter than Bohemian Pilsners but with more distinction than your average Heineken, this Pils had something special going for it - Nobel Hop varieties grown locally. Compared to many of today's beers the hops remain subtle (though the same could easily be said of Urquell) but their presence adds complexity to a delicious and charming beer.
Pilsners are great session beers, and the perfect refreshing pint on a warm sunny afternoon - kind of like how this one is shaping out!
In my review of Mac's Hop Rocker I talked about the history of Mac's brewery and it's importance on the New Zealand beer scene, but I neglected to delve into what makes a Pilsner. Some time in the 1800's bottom fermenting yeasts were used to make beer that was then kept in caves around modern day Germany and Czech Republic - the process called Lagering (German for "Storage") led to the style's of beer we now call Lager's. Pilsner is technically a type of Lager (much the same as Bitter is a type of Ale) with unique characteristics. The first real Pilsners were made in the Bohemian town of Pilzen around 1840 using the newly popular bottom fermenting yeasts, as well as the recently developed pale malts - with local soft water and Saaz hops from a nearby town. The result was then left in caves to mature and clear.Pilsner Urquell is still made there today.
If your only experience with Pilsner is Heineken then you're in for a treat. While northern European commercial Pilsners (Heineken, Grolsch, Amstel, Stella Atrois) tend to be slightly sweet and malty, traditional Czech and Barvarian Pilsner is more crisp with a notable bitterness of hops. Urquell (meaning "Original Source" in German is officially the first Pilsner and easily one of the best. Very real and present Hops in traditional Saaz dominate the flavour, finished by crisp malt. Everything about this beer is refreshing, from the light golden colour through to the clean finish and the lasting head. Best drunk in Bohemian beer halls full of laughter and song!
For a brilliant modern take on the Pilsner, I look no further than Monteiths Pilsner. Back when DB Export Dry was saving kiwi blokes from the popularity of wine (according to the advertising anyway) Monteiths were upgrading their production to cope with demand for premium quality beer. Along came Monteiths Pilsner. It might not be the most experimental or innovative Pilsner, but unlike a lot of other variations on the theme, this fantastic beer is true to style. Warm gold in colour and a fraction sweeter than Bohemian Pilsners but with more distinction than your average Heineken, this Pils had something special going for it - Nobel Hop varieties grown locally. Compared to many of today's beers the hops remain subtle (though the same could easily be said of Urquell) but their presence adds complexity to a delicious and charming beer.
Pilsners are great session beers, and the perfect refreshing pint on a warm sunny afternoon - kind of like how this one is shaping out!
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