A Flowery Song

The Mission: “You’ve got three weeks, is what I’m saying: go find a smoked beer.” Direct and to the point.

Probably the most well-known example of a smoked beer is the German rauchbier, where a portion of the malt used is dried over a beechwood fire. The other widely available smoked malt is peated malt, while various craft brewers have smoked their own malt over anything from apple wood to alder wood (okay, so that’s not all that far).

A less traditional method, while not something I’ve heard of being used, would be to directly smoke the beer itself.

The second beer I’ll be covering is an example of second-hand smoke. I’m sure everyone’s heard of barrel-aged beer, but how many of you have considered that it introduces two possible sources for a smoky flavour? First, whisky barrels are usually charred before use, which can carry over into any beer aged in them. Second, what if the barrel came from a heavily peat-smoked whisky like Bruichladdich or Lagavulin? Even a less smoky whisky such as Highland Park introduces some smoke character.
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Appearance: Rich gold.

Nose: Floral peach and rubber.

Taste: Sweet, a hint of acidity. Fruity and rubbery, like the nose.

Overall: Missable.

The mission: Choose a Riesling from Germany, Austria, Alsace, Northern Italy, the Czech Republic or Slovenia and blog about it.

Well, I forgot this was coming up, so I made a quick trip to the shop and snagged a bottle of German Riesling. Served with mixed sashimi – salmon, tuna, and hamachi.

Background: An off-dry wine from the Rheingau region.

Appearance: 500ml dark green bottle, cork closure. Pours a vibrant yellow.

Nose: Light, floral, honey and green apple.

Taste: Lemon, grapefruit, and tropical fruit, nice balance of sweet and tart, long finish with a hint of petrol.

Overall: Light and refreshing. An excellent wine.

Background: Botrytised varietal dessert wine from the Pfalz region of Germany.

Appearance: Tall half bottle, pours a vibrant medium gold. 11% ABV

Nose: Pink grapefruit, plum, apricot, and honey.

Taste: Rich, fruity, and sweet. In addition to the fruits from the nose, presents dark dried fruits, tart lemon, and peach. Light acidity and a long finish.

Overall: Excellently complex. Could do with a tad more acidity, but extremely tough to beat at the price.

Background: German herbal liqeur. Flavoured through maceration of 56 herbs, roots, and spices. Very popular stateside due to an extremely successful marketing campaign. Popular shot among frat boys and others wishing to prove their masculinity.

(A note: the manufacturer claims that the ideal serving temperature is -15.5°C. I'm not sure I could taste anything at that temperature. Regardless, as with all my liquor tastings this one will be conducted at room temperature.)

Nose: Vaguely medicinal, with anise being prominent. Hints of lime.

Taste: Slightly bitter, phenolic medicinal taste. A bit earthy. Middle is sickly sweet. Medium, blah-ish finish.

(Throw some water in there)

Nose: Lemon cleanser, with a hint of artificial pine.

Taste: Still just a vague medicinal taste. Not as sickly sweet, but the finish is even more unimpressive.

Overall: Drinkable, but very uninteresting. No depth whatsoever.

Background: Apfelwein is the German form of cider. Possmann makes a couple different apfelweins; this particular one is spiced, sweetened and intended to be served hot.

Presentation: 1 liter brown glass bottle with a screwtop.

Appearance: Pours very clear; light amber colour.

Nose: Apples and cinnamon with citrus (lemon?) notes.

Taste: Fairly sweet, with a light apple pie flavour. Definite lemon undertones. Long cinnamon finish, with some “earthy” tones.

Overall: Clean, simple taste; very nice in a warm mug on a cold winter night.