1001 BEERS: #20. FRAOCH HEATHER ALE

 

# 20: FRAOCH HEATHER ALE

William Brothers Brewing Co. - Scotland

5.0% ABV - Speciality

E: Crystall clear amber, with a clean white head

N: Herbal, floral and spicy aromas with big notes of honey.

P: Heather gale and sweet malts flavours, a touch of mint-like freshness.

M: Clean finish with a subtle dryness.

Other comments: A beer that has been produced since 2000 BC and an example of how beers were made before hops were used.  A generous amount of malts and heather make this a great speciality beer.

Food Pairings: Fish would be my initial choice.  Salmon would be a good pairing, the herbal, floral aromas and flavours would compliment the salmon.   

SCORE: 3.30/5

Page: 882

1001 BEERS # 19. XINGU BLACK LAGER

 

# 19: XINGU BLACK LAGER

Cervejarias Kaiser SA - Brazil

4.6% ABV - Dark

E: Tannish to black, with an off white head that has minimal retention.

N: Sweet malts, subtle hint of coffee and liquorice with a touch of grassy hops

P: Initial sweetness, with caramel, toffee flavours a delicate taste of burnt chocolate malts and a of lingering citrus.

M: Harsh carbonation, quite thin for a dark beer.

Other comments: A Brazilian take on a German Schwarzbier.  Xingu is a good example of Brazilian Dark Beers with their heritage coming from the early production when the Portuguese colonised.

Food Pairings: Roasted Meats, BBQ where the caramelised fats compliment the sweet malts.  Try with Oysters too.  

SCORE: 2.5/5

Page: 841

1001 BEERS: #18. SAMUEL ADAMS BOSTON LAGER

 

# 18: SAMUEL ADAMS BOSTON LAGER

Boston Beer. - USA

4.9% ABV - Amber

E: Amber, great clarity with a tight foamy head.

N: Grassy, spicy hop aromas, slight malt sweetness

P: Fantastic balance of initial hop bitterness with a sweet malt finish, toffee flavours

M: Gentle carbonation with a smooth mouth feel.

Other comments: A classic American Beer, which led the way in dry-hopping on the continent.  Brewed with German hops, this beer is a fine example of a great Amber Lager.

Food Pairings: Anything Mexican, Enchilladas or Quesedillas where the lager can cut through the heat.  Or try with BBQ Brisket, where the sweet malts compliment the caramelised fats in the meat and cut through the tang of the BBQ sauce..   

SCORE: 3.25/5

Page: 246

1001 BEERS: #17. CUTTHROAT PORTER

 

# 17: CUTTHROAT PORTER

Odell Brewing Co. - USA

4.8% ABV - Dark

E: Dark, black with a reddish hue, tight creamy foamy head.

N: Light on the nose, smoky, burnt toffee aromas, hint of coffee

P: Smooth with a very subtle sweet maltiness.  Quite insipid for a porter.

M: Smoky, mid bitterness, quite bland

Other comments: A beautiful looking porter which doesn't deliver on aroma or taste.  It is very insipid with a bland aftertaste.  For those venturing into Porter's for the first time, it's worth a try, but for the established drinker, there are better Porter's.

Food Pairings: This Porter will go well with Scallops, as the sweet malts will compliment and the light taste and feel will not over power.   

SCORE: 2.63/5

Page: 658

1001 BEERS: #16. VICTORY GOLDEN MONKEY

 

# 16: VICTORY GOLDEN MONKEY

Victory Brewing - USA

9.5% ABV - Blond

E: Pale straw, cloudy with visible yeast strains

N: Earthy (mushroom aroma), spicy with a notable yeasty character

P: Spicy, fruity with a slight astringency, residual sweetness

M: Warming alcohol, creamy, well balanced

Other comments: Based on a Belgian Triplel recipe, using crushed coriander and European hops.  It is a well balanced beer with a generous amount of spice and a lovely warmth from the 9.5% ABV.

Food Pairings: Stick with the Belgian theme, Moules Frites.  Or for a little left field try, Thai chicken.  

SCORE: 3.06/5

Page: 536

1001 BEERS: #15. SIERRA NEVADA KELLERWEISS HEFEWEIZEN

 

# 15: SIERRA NEVADA KELLERWEISS HEFEWEIZEN

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company - USA

4.8% ABV - White

E: Cloudy,golden straw colour with visible yeast strains

N: Banana, clove, bubble gum esters with a spicy aroma

P: Light, crisp, subtle citrus flavours with a fresh clean taste

M: Spritzy carbonation, very well balanced.

Other comments: It took them a while, but reverting to the Bavarain way of open vessel fermentation has resulted in a cracking well balanced delicate Hefeweizen.

Food Pairings: Goats cheese, fish (shrimp, prawns) lemon sole, cod.

SCORE: 3.25/5

Page: 601

1001 BEERS: #14. BRUGSE ZOT

 

# 14: Brugse Zot

Huisbrouwerij De Halve Maan - Belgium

6.0% ABV - Blond

E: Hazy, golden yellow, with a rich foamy head

N: Peppery, spicy hop aromas, with a hint of sweet banana esters.

P: Zesty, citrus, yeasty body, with a mild bitter finish and again those banana esters sit at the back of the palatte

M: Warming with a beautiful delicate finish

Other comments: A fantastic beer from the only brewery in Bruges.  Brugse Zot is both drinkable and moorish with a fantastic balance.

Food Pairings: Fantastic with creamy risottos, especially where there is a zesty citrus element and a peppery tone.

SCORE: 3.44/5

Page: 336

1001 BEERS: #13. BISHOPS FINGER

 

# 13: Bishops Finger

Shepherd Neame - England

5.4% ABV - Strong Ale

E: Rich amber, tight foamy head

N: Hints of pear drop and dried fruit with a peppery note from the hops.

P: Initial buttery malt sweetness followed by that pear candy flavours and a moderate bitterness.

M: Warming, smooth and silky, with a slight drying finish

Other comments: A beer that gets all to often overlooked, well rounded and enjoyable.

Food Pairings: Great with roasted meats, creamy potatoes and some stews

SCORE: 2.88/5

Page: 62

1001 BEERS: #12. Batemans Victory Ale

 

# 11: Batemans Victory Ale

Batemans Brewery - England

6.0% ABV - Strong Pale Ale

E: Rich amber, fantastic clarity, foamy off-white head

N: Spicy, Peppery aromas, clean and fresh with hints of fruit.

P: Sweet malts, hints of caramel and burnt toffee, hoppy bitterness

M: Warming, full bodied rich fruitniess

Other comments: An ale brewed in celebration of Nelson's victory.  This beer is well rounded with a good use of hops and malts to provide a good strong ale.

Food Pairings: Stews, Pies, great to use within a steak and ale pie.

SCORE: 3.25/5

Page: 53

1001 BEERS - #11. Hobgoblin

 

# 11: Hobgoblin

Wychwood Brewery - England

5.2% ABV - Ruby Ale (Amber)

E: Deep Amber, Ruby Red colour, tight foamy head

N: Sweet malty aroma, bready / yeasty nose, hint of citrus

P: Toffee flavours, with a gentle spicy feel, moderate bitterness, underlying fruity tones

M: Spritzy carbonation, well rounded and balanced

Other comments: Full-bodied in both aroma and taste, well rounded and balanced a good english ale.

Food Pairings: Roasted meats, BBQ food

SCORE: 3.25/5

Page: 150