Double Barrelled Locals at The Wheaty
The first Wednesday of the month is coming up so that means it’s time for two new locals at The Wheaty. I have missed the last couple but am going to be in town this time and am planning to not drive so I can have a couple. On the cards this month are beers from Steam Exchange and BrewBoys.
From Steam Exchange we have their flagship steam ale. This is a hybrid style of beer that originated in San Francisco. Steam Exchange has decided to stray a bit from the style particularly with the latest batch. The beer has been dry hopped to add extra hoppy flavour and aroma. Something I am always a fan of. I’m told they have used Amarillo hops which are a favourite of mine in my home brewing. It’s always been a good beer and I can’t wait to try the latest batch.
From the BrewBoys we have a beer that is about as different as it can be from the steam ale. They have decided to favour us with their Scottish style ale Seeing Double. This is a big(8%ABV) malt driven beer that makes no excuses for it’s pallet filling robust flavours. Lots of caramel like flavours from the crystal and roasted malts used. The last batch I tried also had just a little smoke character from the use of some peated malt. This works fantastically in the beer as it helps to lend it a warming character and it also cuts through the sweetness of the beer. Though there are hops in the beer that is not what this beer is about. It’s about malt, malt and more malt. A great beer.
So two really contrasting beers this month. So be at The Wheaty from 1800 on Wednesday 1 September. Have a look at the calendar. I’m going to be there for a big one. Get There!
Lunch at Lobethal Bierhaus
I needed to get my growlers filled so on Saturday morning after getting my run done I decided to head up to Lobethal Bierhaus to get some beer. I figured while I was heading up I should stop for a couple of beers and some lunch too. i wasn’t planning on writing about it but it was a great lunch so I though I should make a quick post.
The weather is starting to get warmer but it was still quite cool up at Lobethal. Fortunately we were the only people there when we arrived at about 1200. This allowed us to snag a great table by the fire and settle down with a couple of beer. Porter for Claire and IPA for me. It would have been the double hopped IPA but it’s not on tap at the moment as they have the spiced ale on. I was able to swap over my growers for double hopped though.
After getting warmed by the fire and getting a pint in and taking some photos including the one above we ordered some lunch. Claire went for the steak and I decided on the ducks leg red curry. I was drinking the IPA which was a great match for the curry and according to Claire the Porter and steak went down a treat too. She cleaned her plate so I guess that says all you need to know. The red curry and the duck legs in said curry were great. The duck meat was tender and the curry spicy and flavourful. Matched with the IPA it went down perfectly.
After lunch I got another IPA, grabbed my growlers and hit the road. I would have loved to stayed longer but the fact that I was driving made that a rather bad idea. Can’t wait to get back up there and have someone else driving. Great food, awesome beer and all of the staff are fantastic. Get There!
Wine Lists and Cocktail Menus
This is something that is common in Adelaide but becoming less so elsewhere. You can go onto most restaurants and pubs web sites and see their food menu. You can check out the wine list. At many you can even see what cocktails they have on offer. All this is great.
However, I have one question that I think is important. Where is the Beer List? Is it really that much to ask? There are increasing numbers of people who like great beer and will make decisions about where to eat based, at least in part, on the beer that is on offer. Surely I’m not the only one that does this. Would it really take that much extra effort to add the beer list?
Beer Review – Dieu Du Ciel Aphrodisiaque
The next review from my recent Bier Shop delivery. This time it’s a cocoa and vanilla stout made by Dieu Du Ciel in Canada. The beers name is Aphrodisiaque and it’s one of a range of their beers that have started to appear in Australia. As Unibroue have moved out of Australia Dieu Du Ciel have moved in and brought some fine beers with them.
The beer is very dark brown to black. It is completely opaque. I couldn’t get any highlights even held directly infront of my desk lamp. Makes me think of a black hole as not even light can escape. It pours with a large tan head at first but this quickly dies to a small but persistant head that laces nicely down the glass.
The aroma certainly lets you know this beer has had cocoa and vanilla added to it. This almost comes across as a hazel nut character to me. Although not exactly the same it does tend to remind me of nutella. Also strong are dark bitter chocolate and deep dark roasted malt aromas that impart even more chocolate and some dark coffee character. It does make me think of bourbon because of the vanilla but it’s not a strong bourbon aroma. Overall it is a fantastic combination of those aromas that make for something I can’t wait to drink.
The cocoa dominates the flavour and produces a great bitter character but this is well balanced by the perceived sweetness from the vanilla. The bitterness is a fantastic combination of hops and cocoa that give the beer a great finish. The vanilla gives me the feeling of filling my mouth and sinuses with the aroma which is an exceedingly pleasant experience. To compliment the cocoa and vanilla flavours there is a great malt backbone. This expresses it’s self with rich dark chocolate and dark dried fruit flavours. There is a slight roast coffee character but not strong and it compliments the other flavours well.
This beer finishes very dry with, I think, very little residual sugar. However, the vanilla gives a perception of sweetness that helps to balance the beer perfectly. It feels like it coats my tongue and covers my palate with the range of flavours.
This is an amazing beer and not a typical combination. The combination of the cocoa that gives a more bitter chocolate character and the vanilla to provide a perceived sweetness is, put simply, awesome. The combined aromas and flavours fill both the palette and sinuses for an amazing beer experience. The combination of cocoa and vanilla gives the beer a hazelnut character reminiscent of Doctors Orders Brewing Secret Squirrel. Not a style I would have thought I could drink many of but after one I really want to have more. If I was going to match this with food I think a really sweet chocolate moose or, weirdly a banana caramel pie would be great. If going for something savory I think beef stroganoff would work for me.
You really should check this beer out. A truly great drop. Do yourself a favour and Get Some!
Brewboys at Cheesefest 2010
Another festival and another appearance by Brewboys. It’s great they are having a craft brewer at an event like this. Hopefully it can help people to realise that beer is a much better match with cheese than wine is. Unless you are trying to sell bad wine that is. Stalls are there from small and large cheese producers alike with plenty of variety. i recommend a good cloth bound cheddar and something with some real bitterness and hop character.
Brewboys have been at the last couple of Cheesefests and have done well from all reports. It’s a fun event in the park with a lot of great food, wine and beer to try. I think it was a better event when it was at McLaren Vale as it wasn’t so packed. I guess if you are running an event like this you just want to get more people there. It’s still a lot of fun but you have to wait a bit longer for everything now days. This years event is on Sunday 17th of October in Rymill Park. Get There!
Beer Review – Steam Exchange Truffles
Another review from my recent BIER SHOP.com.au delivery. This time we have Truffles Porter from Steam Exchange. It’s a porter but it’s a double chocolate, vanilla, bourbon porter. It’s a real dessert beer designed to compliment a sticky date pudding. I think it would do that admirably. Not long ago I had it at a Whisky/Beer tasting paired with a heavily peated malt from Isle of Jura. It was an amazing combination and I recommend trying it with something similar if you get the chance.
The beer pours with a nice size tan head that hangs around in the glass. It is a dark copper to brown in colour. It is obviously brilliantly clear despite the dark colour and shows amber and copper highlights. It almost has legs as it’s swirled though I don’t the think the %ABV is quite high enough for that.
The aroma is strong in chocolate and caramel at first with obvious alcohol yet not over powering. A strong, almost milkshake like, vanilla is present presumably from the bourbon added to the beer. This gives me a real anticipation for the sweetness of the beer and works well with the warm alcohol aroma. There is no doubt this is a dessert beer when you get that aroma. Perhaps just from the alcohol and vanilla but I also detect some woody oaky aromas.
The most dominating flavours are a fantastic combination of bitter chocolate and vanilla. Also present are rich dark sugar and dark dried fruit flavours. As the beer warms the chocolate flavour backs off a bit and I start to get more of the dark malt chewy caramel flavours. The beer is certainly on the sweet end but has just a little bitterness to provide balance and make the beer extremely drinkable. As you drink you get a lovely warming from the alcohol but it’s never hot. The flavour just make you think about a rich dark chocolate cake or pudding with some really good vanilla ice cream.
This is a well rounded beer that delivers on what it sets out to be. Unless you have a very sweet tooth I don’t think you are going to find this a session beer but as a dessert beer it hits the spot. I place it up there with the Mocha porter or chocolate stout from Rogue. As mentioned earlier it goes great with a heavily peated whisky and by all reports is sensational with a sticky date pudding. I like the idea of having it with pancakes drenched in maple syrup and butter so I guess it could be a breakfast beer too. If you wanted to try it with something savoury i think it could work with a nice slab of porterhouse and some roast vegetables. That said what doesn’t go well with a good slab of porterhouse and roasted vegetables? However you want to have it Truffles Porter from Steam Exchange is a great beer. Get Some!