Tuesday 30 July 2013

1001 BEERS: #43. WELLS BANANA BREAD BEER



 

# 43: WELLS BANANA BREAD BEER

Wells & Young's - England (Est. 2002)
5.2% ABV - Speciality 
IBU's - 12


Ingredients:


Malts: 
Crystal
Hops: Golding, Challenger
Other: Bananas

Tasting Notes

E: Bright, golden amber in colour with a fluffy white head that is airy and light.
N: On the nose there is a bold note of banana with a little residual spice in the background.
P: The palate is hit with an initial burst of subtle banana flavours with underlying toffee, caramel notes that resemble banoffee pie, the hoppy bitterness balances against the banana.
M: The mouthfeel is silky with a crisp refreshing finish.

Other comments: 


When Charles Wells purchased a brewery and 16 pubs in 1875 for £16,000 I reckon he never thought of brewing a beer with banana as a key ingredient.  Thankfully for Jim Robertson the head brewer at the Charles Wells Brewery, he had that thought and took the step to create a beer using bananas to attract a younger drinker to the ale market.  I have always been dubious about this beer, mainly due to the irrational phobia I have of bananas, but after taking the step to try this, I was pleasantly surprised, with its subtle banoffee-like flavours and subtle spice hoppyness that remains through the beer, providing a good blend of sweet banana and peppery hop flavours.  Overall this beer gets a thumbs up, even from a bananaphobe!


Food Pairings: 

Probably not the first beer to head to when looking at food and beer matching, but don't be put off by the banana in the beer, and use this to your advantage.  Banana strangely goes very well with parsley and herbs of that ilk, so why not pair it with a pesto pasta, nothing too heavy as you don't want to overkill the flavours of the beer, but a dish with enough bite and herb characteristics that it will compliment the spicy hops and cut through the banana flavours.  Alternatively, go straight for dessert and crack on with a banoffee pie or banana split, and go heavy with the complimenting!

SCORE: 3.4/5

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1 comment:

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