A Flowery Song

Background: The ingredients of these little dessert cups are actually a bit disturbing now that I take the time to review them. Instant non-dairy creamer does not top my list of favourite dessert ingredients. However, they do come with cute little plastic spoons, so I’m willing to forgive that lapse. This variety pack contains strawberry, mango, honeydew, lychee, papaya, and coconut specimens.

The texture is about what I expected; not too firm, just gelled and slippery.

Strawberry: Natural fruits flavour this may be, but it tastes exactly like every other strawberry dessert not containing strawberries. Which is to say, somewhat like strawberries, but not quite.

Honeydew: They’ve really hit their stride here. Honeydew are my favourite melon, and this tastes pretty much exactly right.

Coconut: It’s got that meaty coconut taste, combined with a bit of fruitiness.

Mango: Tastes of mango.

Papaya: Tastes tropical. Might be papaya. Might be snozzberry.

Lychee: Definitely lychee.

Overall: While the strawberry is a bit disappointing (though that may be due to overexposure) and the papaya is meh, overall these are very nice, inexpensive, fruit-tasting jellies.

Interestingly, a visual inspection shows a couple of differences. The pour on the bottled export version produces large CO2 bubbles that cling to the side of the glass, while the canned original version quickly settles except for streams of small bubbles drifting to the top. The colour is somewhat close, but the bottled one is a more vibrant orange.

Nose: Indistinguishable. A mix of bubble gum and citrus with a cream soda base.

Taste: Hard to say. While I wouldn’t be able to pick it out in a blind test, the export version has a fizzier mouthfeel but slightly less of a bite. Oh, the flavour? Irn Bru is flavoured like Irn Bru; it resembles a citrusy cream soda with bubble gum high notes.

Overall: A more hard-core Irn Bru fanatic than I might find something to object to in the export version, but I found it practically indistinguishable from the real thing.

Background: Hey, it’s got pomegranate in it. From everyone’s favourite kosher brewery, this beer was launched back in 2007 to celebrate their tenth anniversary.

Nose: Caramel and a bit of musky fruit.

Taste: I blush to admit that I don’t know what pomegranate tastes like. Still, there’s some juicy and tart red fruit flavour here, with a solid backbone of toasty malt and caramel. Good balance of sweet, sour, and bitter and a satisfyingly chewy mouthfeel.

Overall: I’m very happy right now. Now go away so I can stay happy. Mmm, good beer.

Background: The label proudly proclaims these to be “none fried” and “MSG free”. It comes as your familiar noodle brick, a sauce pack, and a pack of “dried vegetables” (most of which is a wheat-based meat substitute which I initially mistook for dried mushroom.) The Chinese herbs are evidently plum, Angelica sinensis, Ligusticum wallichii, Paeonia lactiflora Pall., and Rehmannia glutinosa. Yep, those are herbs.

Smells like sesame, ginger, and, well, herbs. There are some floating red berries that are vaguely fruity, while the wheat bits are chewy and don’t seem to have much flavour beyond that from the sauce. Again, the cabbage is a different texture, but doesn’t have much distinct flavour. As for the flavour of the sauce…it’s a little sweet, not overly salty (for ramen, leastways), and very herbal.

Overall: I like them. I’m not convinced that the packet directions (combine everything with 500ml of water) are the best preparation method since it ends up with so very much broth, but they’re flavourful and filling.

Background: A premium junmai ginjo sake from Sudo Honke, Japan’s oldest active brewery, located in Obara, Ibaraki Prefecture. Sudo Honke was established in AD 1141 and the current president is the 55th generation of his family to run it. Made with Yamada Nishiki rice milled to 50%.

Nose: Reminiscent of Muscat, with vinous, fruity aromatics. Lime, strawberry, and pears.

Taste: Smooth and juicy, assertive flavours. Hints of licorice, mint, and other herbs round out a crisply acidic pear and cedar presence.

Overall: Excellent. Great depth and character, a smooth accompaniment to sashimi or a nice squid salad.

Background: A dark lager flavoured with chocolate mint leaves, aniseed, and vanilla. (That’s not a typo, there is actually a variety of mint called “chocolate mint”, and it’s one I’ve encountered before. It doesn’t exactly taste like chocolate; rather, it tastes like the memory of chocolate.) I picked up this beer because I love black licorice, though I have doubts about how well it will translate to beer.

Nose: Clear notes of anise on a roasty malt background with hints of dusty cocoa.

Taste: Brown sugar sweetness off the bat, with hints of chocolate and lightly herbaceous mint. Licorice starts to come through near the finish, but is quickly overpowered by a sour, clinging aftertaste. Not much trace of the 8% alcohol in the taste, but that could just be because the finish is so nasty after a while one can’t taste anything else.

Overall: Given that the word “nasty” showed up above, I doubt you’ll be surprised that I’m not a fan. It’s an interesting idea, but the execution just falls short. Accompanied by some nice noodle soup it becomes a bit better, since the clinging sensation is wiped out by the food instead of being reinforced by the beer.

Background: The brewery’s a new one on me, and I’m not even sure offhand where Mount Pleasant is. The beer has a decent label and is described by the brewers as a “classic, sweet stout”.

Nose: Repressed, slightly sweet and roasty.

Taste: Moderate sweetness, counterbalanced by a deep coffee roastiness and medium to high hop bitterness.

Overall: Quaffable though not spectacular. The finish is slightly acrid, but there’s none of the smokiness that would make that acceptable.

Background: Made from clover, wildflower and buckwheat honeys along with fresh-pressed Michigan apple cider, cinnamon, and cloves. Aged at least partially on American oak.

Nose: Crisp apples and floral honey with mild pie spice influences. Faint hint of acetone.

Taste: Medium sweetness, hints of malic tartness. Dark, sweet flavours from the buckwheat and earthy apple cider. Middling amount of cinnamon on the finish.

Overall: Very competently done. Not too sweet, with a good balance of flavours where the spices complement rather than overwhelm.

Background: Low-alcohol (6% ABV) dessert wine from the Golan Heights in Galilee. Kosher for Passover.

Nose: Floral and fruity; peaches, mangoes, and papaya.

Taste: Lightly effervescent, which helps to offset the sweetness. Fresh tropical fruit with citrus influences.

Overall: Very light and refreshing, plus it tastes good and has some acidity. Good accompanying a dessert or on its own as an aperitif.

Background: Yes, I’m a sucker for collaborative beers (among many other things). This was brewed at SN’s facility using their own barley and maple syrup from the Calagione family farm. Clocking in at 10% ABV, it was fermented using a mix of the house strains from the two breweries, and bottle-conditioned (with Alaskan birch syrup used for priming). There was also a companion beer called Limb and Life made from the second runnings, but that was a very limited release and draft-only.

Nose: Boozy. Darkly fruity. Not much else, to be honest.

Taste: Hot alcohol. Mildly sweet, with some dark toasted character. Medium hop bitterness. Chewy maple toffee.

Overall: Disappointing. I was hoping for a bit more complexity, but whatever was there was buried under an overwhelming alcohol presence. The combination of the heavy alcohol and the unsubtle hops also makes the bitterness a bit too prominent in comparison with the other components.