A Flowery Song

Background: Kvass is a mildly alcoholic drink made from bread (often rye). This is a non-alcoholic carbonated soft drink made from rye and barley malt concentrates.

Nose: Slightly sour and musty.

Taste: Sugary rye and some citric acid.

Overall: Nothing special. It’s certainly drinkable and an interesting flavour for soda, but it doesn’t wow.

Background: A smoked rye doppelbock that is “[a]n homage to all things pig”. The smoke comes from cherrywood-smoked malted barley, then there’s some rye, and two other unnamed malts.

Nose: Smoke! Also fruity malt. Dried figs. And some alcohol.

Taste: Ooh, lots of smoke, balanced with a deep, rich molasses-like maltiness.

Overall: Should go well with pork, as indicated on the bottle. And this really does need to be served along with food, else the smoke gets pretty overpowering.

Background: Apparently one of the most popular wines in Greece, though that could just be marketing bumpf. Like most retsina, it’s made from Savatiano and like all retsina, it’s additionally flavoured with pine resin.

Nose: Musky floral scent.

Taste: Fruity and lacking in acidity, with a bit of pine.

Overall: Not impressed.

Background: Claims to be “wickedly delicious”, and has a picture of a pepper on the label. So I’m expecting some heat.

Looks like fairly standard relish. But wow, it smells very garlicky, which I wasn’t quite expecting. Some sweetness and cider vinegar also on the nose.

Definitely a sweet relish. A fair bit of garlic, but only a small amount of spice.

Like mayonnaise, relish isn’t exactly something one sits down and eats with a spoon. Another trait relish shares with mayonnaise is being an important ingredient in tuna salad. So let’s see how this one does.

It does…okay, I guess. Any hints of heat basically disappear, so the only thing that makes it stand out from your bog-standard sweet relish is some tangy garlic. Which is nice, but not quite what I was looking for.

Overall: Needs more heat.

Background: From Keweenaw Brewing up in that other part of Michigan. You know, the bit that’s not shaped like a mitten.

Nose: Sweet grain and a light hint of fruity hops.

Taste: Smooth, sweet, and mild malt with the barest touch of spicy noble hops.

Overall: Light and easy-drinking, but with well-balanced flavour and nicely zippy carbonation.

Background: What’s nicer on a cold wet winter’s night than a nice malty Scotch Ale? Not much, to be sure, though there are things like Quelque Chose that will give it a run for its money. Bell’s is eager to cater to your every need, so here’s a seasonal release of, well, a Scotch Ale.

Nose: Malty caramel with earthy undertones.

Taste: Dextrinous and creamy, with a solid caramel malt presence and hints of appley esters.

Overall: Well, hmm. *scuff scuff*. After the build-up in the introduction, I almost hate to write my reaction. It’s decent-tasting and drinkable, but well on the light side for a Scotch Ale, while being heavier than a normal Scottish Ale. Neither fish nor fowl, it’s not quite what I was looking for to warm the cockles of my heart (or my toes). Still, it’s tasty, and as long as you aren’t looking for a strong ale you shouldn’t suffer any disappointment.

Background: Farmhouse-style ale brewed with spelt. As you know, Bob, spelt is a species of wheat.

Nose: Fresh-mown grass, soft wheat, fruity esters, and spicy phenols.

Taste: Slightly sweet pale malt body, slight tartness, mild noble hop flavour. A little lemony, some spicy phenolic character, light herbal influences.

Overall: After the first bottle I wasn’t sure what to think, but on reflection I’ve decided that it’s really very good.

Background: I’ve evidently caught them in the middle of a brand shift, since there’s an extra sticker on the back that proclaims “Same Great Nayonaise, New Look”, while the actual label makes no reference to Nayonaise. Yep, it’s another vegan mayo substitute, with ingredients including soymilk, soybean and/or sunflower oil, guar gum, xanthan gum, and sodium alginate. Mmm, emulsifiers.

Not a very appetizing start, with a bit of separation at the top. Mixed back in okay, though there was still a lumpy impression. Smells like white vinegar and chicken bones. As for taste…the less, said, the better. The flavour has a nasty soybean oil component (I’ve always hated when it sneaks into spreads and dips), and other than that is fairly bland.

In the tuna salad test, the texture’s right but the flavour just isn’t there.

Overall: The only thing this has going is a nice creamy texture (in the non-separated bits, anyway).

Background: Zingerman’s does a great line of cheeses, including some excellent goat cheeses. The “Little Ypsi” is one of their newer offerings, and is a small (approximately two inches in diameter and one inch high) cylindrical cheese is akin to a French crottin. It’s made from local goats’ milk with animal rennet, then aged for a bit.

Beautiful butter-yellow rind, snow-white inside. Smells goaty and cheesy, just like goat cheese ought. Dense, creamy, and soft, with just a hint of flaking. While there’s some smooth barnyard in the background, this specimen is fairly fresh with a less goaty flavour than it will develop with more aging.

Overall: A little nugget of goaty goodness. Mmm, goat.