I should never drink beer while painting.
It's not that I'm worried about becoming impaired and spilling paint on the floor—or worse, in my beer—or about some other mishap. I'm also not worried about getting paint on my face—I can do that without drinking.
The problem with me painting a room (in this case, my ensuite bathroom) is that I tend to focus on the job, taking as few breaks as possible. And so, with this weekend's reno, where I spent a couple of hours painting, I shouldn't have poured myself a glass of beer because it took almost four hours to drink it.
Luckily, the beer held up the entire time. I also had another bottle, that I could enjoy last night, after the painting was done.
My friend and fellow beer blogger, Katy Watts, was recently in New York and brought me a seasonal that will most likely be gone by the time I hit the Big Apple in May.
Sorachi Ace (7.6% ABV)
Brooklyn Brewery
Brooklyn, NY, U.S.A.
Beer O'Clock rating: 3.5
Appearance: rich gold and cloudy, with a thick, foamy-white head that dissipates slowly and leaves a fine lace.
Nose: pineapple and orange, with a touch of honey.
Palate: orange rind, spices, flint, with dry hops and another touch of honey in the finish.
Overall impression: this traditional Belgian-styled saison, which is fermented in its 750-ml bottle, is a refreshing ale that will welcome in the spring, hopefully in time for patio season. This saison, along with the recent one I tried from Beau's, are changing my mind about this type of ale, which I tended to shy away from.
If you can find some (none in the LCBO), stock up. Savour it. Just like I did when I was painting, and the next evening.
Cheers!
In a follow-up to my review of the Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier, I wanted to let you know that I had my second bottle on Saturday, at breakfast. My wife made me a fried-egg sandwich with Swiss cheese and tomatoes. We didn't have any bacon or other tasty meats, which I typically add to these sandwiches, but I didn't need it. The beer more than made up for its absence.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the beer with my breakfast sandwich, I can't say the same for the accompanying fruit. Smoke beer does not go well with sweet, ripe, freshly chopped pineapple. The sweetness and acidity clashed with the smoky bitterness.
But it was a worthwhile experience.
It's true that I've tried a lot of beer, but that doesn't make me an expert on all beer. There is far too much beer, too many styles, that I haven't tried.
Last week, at the Ottawa Beer TAP Society dinner, Mill Street's head brewer, Adam Rader, was surprised that I hadn't tried a particular style of German beer.
"What do you mean, you haven't had it?" he asked, "It's available everywhere." Everywhere, meaning all or most LCBO outlets. "We stock it at the bar," he continued, meaning his brew pub, "the next time you're in, I'll split one with you."
True to his word, the next day (the same day that Hannah gave me a bottle of Rosée d'Hibiscus), Adam and I sat at the bar, and Pete served us up a few bottles of this ale. It was the first time that I had consumed a beer that wasn't from Mill Street in their brew pub.
And I loved it.
Adam has never steered me wrong on beer.
When I left the pub, I went straight to my neighbourhood LCBO and purchased two bottles. It was a start.
Here's the beer:
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier (Smoke beer; 5.1% ABV)
Brauerei Heller
Bamberg, Germany
Beer O'Clock rating: 4
Appearance: deep toffee, dark copper body with a full, creamy beige head that pours thick (the brewery recommends that the beer be poured so that a third of the glass is all head) and slowly dissipates to a thin lace that coats the top of the beer.
Nose: loads of smoked sausage or barbecued pork, and a rich malt.
Palate: intense smoke, caramelized oats, and a mild Oktoberfest sausage that drops off to a mild, short finish.
Overall impression: I could easily enjoy this beer at breakfast, using it to wash down one of my Borg sandwiches. Only, I wouldn't need any meat in the sandwich; the beer would cover that ingredient. There is a unique flavour to this beer; I have never experienced anything that gets me salivating like this smoke beer does.
The brewery's Web site provides plenty of information about this beer, from how it is made to how it's meant to be served. As with any brewery Web site, I avoid reading any description or tasting notes about the beer I'm about to review, but I'm glad I visited the serving page: it told me the proper temperature at which to serve it and the proper glass that is used to hold it.
Some people might find the smoke aromas and flavours overpowering, but with the easy-drinkability (look: I just made up a word! and it's long, just like they do in Germany!), I find there's a perfect balance that makes this an enjoyable beer, and something that I'd happily have again.
And if I don't want to drink it at home, I know where I can get some and enjoy it with good company.
Cheers!
