This isn't just homebrew.....
When Kieran came up from Wellington he came bearing gifts. A couple of beers from Saltaire brewery in the UK which I'll look forward to sampling soon, plus a bottle of his own Imperial Stout which I couldn't resist beyond last night!
The photo below shows the extremely sexy bottle of Imperial Stout alongside the glass I was about to drink it from - a Fuller's ESB glass which I (ahem) liberated from a pub back in the UK. It's excellent for sampling the stronger beers.
So, what was it like? I feel I have to come over all Dervla Kirwan M&S advert here - "This isn't just homebrew....". Wow. Stunning. It's quite obviously dark, rich and alcoholic but there isn't that cloying sweetness which you sometimes get with big strong beers. The bitterness isn't over-assertive but it provides a good backbone to the beer. And the finish! It seems to last forever. I can almost taste it now. A superb beer that I would have been very happy paying good money for. Kieran, you're a gent!
posted by Martin @ 3:09 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
You're so right about strong beers and a special glass for them. Those Belgians know a thing or two about that.
I polished off mine with Alex on Sunday night (after I'd mostly recovered...) and it was awesome. Kieran's response to my praise was that he thought it was still a bit estery, but if he means the giant hit of plum and blackberry, that's fine by me!
Estery - hmmmm. There was something about it I couldn't quite put my finger on. The alcohol seemed more vodka-y than wine-y, so maybe that was it. Still bloody good though.
Thanks for the kind words. Its a beer I have been working on for the best part of 6 years. I do think it is still to estery which is due to the fact that I always brew it in summer when temp control is difficult. When you are dealing with a 1.100ish ferment things tend to get exciting.
Its amazing just how much roast grain and bittering hops you can add to a beer like this and still taste it and think it needs more.
I will be bottling this batch soon and then will look at doing a 2008 vintage.
Yes, strong beers deserve a sexy glass. But then once in a while, when I've really cut loose, I like taking down something really potent from a brim-full pint glass. That's when you're really drinking!
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