Beer of the Week – 04.04.2016

The last few weeks you could say I’ve gone for some pretty crazy flavour choices for the title of ‘beer of the week’ so this week I’m choosing a good ‘ol golden blonde beer.

Beer of the week – 28.03.2016

When I picked this beer up I did so with a feeling of total intrepidation. I’d normally steer clear of such a flavour combination but Northern Monk Brewing Co. aren’t ones to let the side down in their experiments, so I thought ‘what the hell?’ Brewed with Grub & Grog as part of its refectory series, this beer really messed with my mind and my tastebuds!

On opening the Northern Monk Parsnip & Black Pepper Dunkelweiss the aroma had hints of wheat, caramel and banana. As to be expected from a dunkelweiss it was banana flavoured and there were definite hints of spices.

Before you get scared about the word ‘parsnip’ on the label take a chill pill because the taste isn’t overbearing at all. Yes the black pepper is evident but it isn’t so intense that it smacks you in the face, its actually pretty alluring.

This beer was a little bit more surprising with every sip, giving a number of different dimensions. At times I felt it was sweet and at others spicy which as a consequence kept me coming back for more.

The bottle is quite large at 660ml so grab a buddy (or two) and give it a whirl – it will certainly give you a lot to discuss.

 

Beer and Chocolate – the perfect partnership 

Easter is one of my favourite times of year because I’m a sucker for chocolate! The darker, the better – none of this dreadful low grade milk chocolate crap! 

So what better time of year to try your hand at combining beer with chocolate? There’re many ways to indulge in both. First up, how about giving Hotel Chocolat’s Cocoa Beer truffles a whirl? At first sight I thought ‘ewwwww’ but intrigue got the better of me and I broke that packet open with gusto post dinner that same day. These chocolates are sublime and I feel stupid for doubting them, particularly as I know full well that chocolate and stout in a glass combine for dramatic effects. 
  
Dea Latis 

I recently attended the Dea Latis Event held at The Clarence, London. For those that aren’t aware Dea Latis, named after the Celtic goddess of beer and water, is a forum launched in 2010 where women working in the brewing industry could share insight. Now the group hosts tutored tasting throughout the UK and, at present, 200 ladies are in their gang. 

This particular event explored the very subject of this blog entry: beer and chocolate. Hosted by beer sommelier, Jane Payton, the evening featured five beer and chocolate pairings, with the eventual winning combination crowned at the end of the evening. 
 

the tasty combinations!
 

I was particularly taken with the Erdinger paired with the White Green and Blacks chocolate. The slight banana tinge of this beer seemed to really complement and intensify the creaminess of the white chocolate. The winning combo for the evening, which I knew I’d also love, was the Left Hand Brew Co. Milk Stout coupled with Salted Caramel and Sea Salt Divine Chocolate. The chocolate and beer individually are so delectable but together – BOOM, what a combination! 

   

 

Advice for matching

Although text books and scientific theory will point us in a certain direction toward what beer complements chocolate, it really is down to your individual preference. The Dea Latis event was evidence of this; I seriously screwed my face up at the taste of one particularly pairing, yet other ladies on my table were loving it. 

  
The host for the Dea Latis event, Jane gives the following advice:

“Chocolate and beer are natural allies – both are fermented and both have complex flavours that can really enhance each other. Cocoa is very bitter – it is added sugar that makes chocolate sweet. A tip for matching chocolate with beer is to choose quality chocolate with a high cocoa content and relatively low sugar content. 

“Choose chocolates to contrast or complement the beer for instance, a fruit and nut chocolate goes well with brown ale because of the fruity, nutty character of the beer. Or chocolate with toffee and salt with dark beers such as Porter – there is a contrast with the sweetness of the toffee and the roasted bitterness of the beer. Tangy/sour fruit beers match very well with dark chocolate. IPAs with vibrant New World hops go very well with chocolate that contains ginger.” 

So there you have it – use this Easter break to experiment and find your perfect match. What a great eggs-cuse!

Beer of the Week -21.03.2016

I’ve been through an awful lot of amazing beer of late and I can’t believe I haven’t given this mighty beer the title of ‘Beer of the week’ yet!

Dark Star has a knack for producing great beers that my tastebuds are certainly thankful for. Yes, I know that Creme Brûlée and beer combined sounds remarkably sickly but damn, this beer is so good! As a milk stout it’s definitely smooth as hell, yet there’s something remarkable about this beer and I’m unsure whether it’s the fact that they managed to produce something that’d the potential to go oh so wrong.

This is so delicious that I stocked up on multiple cans. Vanilla and caramel flavours are obviously present as you’d expect but there were definitely tinges of coffee and a weirdly palatable custard taste. Dark Star brewed this ‘pudding in a glass’ with unfermentable lactose sugar, vanilla beans and plenty of roasted malts giving it a pleasantly sweet taste,  I actually managed the whole can with ease.

Beer of the Week 14.03.2016

To say I’d be waiting ages to get my hands on this beer is somewhat of an understatement! Every time I laid eyes on Instagram photos with proud people displaying this beer in all its glory I felt a slight twinge of beery jealousy.

Coconut is a flavour that I love but I really wasn’t sure that it would work with beer. After reading one review that stated: “it tastes like liquid bounty” (an awesome chocolate bar I absolutely love) the hunt for this beer intensified!

img_1576

I managed to finally bag a can from We Brought Beer and I was patient enough to wait one evening before busting it open. Man, it was intoxicating. The swirls of cacao, the divine coconut and the smoothness of this choc-infused bad boy gave me the hit I’d been waiting for. It is like pudding in a can, but a frickin’ awesome pudding that you had in some amazing little restaurant on the other side of the world years ago, that you now reminisce about often (I do this a lot with amazing food / drinks).

This semi-sweet porter is rich yes, but not sickly. The chocolate flavour is sublime and is wrapped perfectly by the indulgent coconut flavour. This for me will certainly be like cat-nip – if you see any cans around grab them before I get there first! Oskar Blues yet again you’ve kicked ass with this beer!

Beer of the Week – 07.03.2015

 As a tea fan merely seeing the words earl grey on a label attracted me! This beer is phenominal – it has the quaint and rosey appeal of a lovely little old granny but with the ballsy attitude of her bolshy friend always proding people with her shopping trolley!

Just like one of my favourite teas it’s as aromatic but don’t think for one minute that this is a gimmick like the Rate Beer reviews lead you to believe. This beer is solid. Everytime I sipped it I was balled over by its complexity. During one sip I was transported back to my favoruite tea house in China with a enticing combination of earl grey blue flower teawith bergamot  orange and then the next sip my senses were awoken with spicy and citrus flavours. Considering this is 6.5% I almost felt saintly after drinking it like I oftent do after a herbal tea.