Christmas Beers 2010

...And so it is Christmas. The wonderful time of family, friends, food and giving. Also it may be time to reflect upon the origin of Christmas and the legend of Melchior, Casper and Balthasar ("The Three Wise Men"). Upon meeting the new king of the Jews, this trio of alleged insightful males offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh...

...Now, if at least one of these three men were readers of Beer Reflections, they may have actually deserved the outlandish title of "wise". Thus giving the gifts offered, a bit more substance.
Gold; these days, has hardly the value it would have had two millennia ago.
Frankincense Oil; is a dated and unpopular perfume.
Myrrh resin; is multi purpose but can be replaced by cheaper and less ridiculous ingredients in any circumstance.

"What would Beer Reflections suggest then?" we hear you ask in a nasal and querulous manner.

Simple.
A Golden Ale, Franziskaner, and last but not least, Murphy's Irish Stout.

Poured into a real Belgian goblet-style glass, this pale golden ale, with slight cloudiness, pumps up a hefty white head that stands tall above the rim of the glass like a meringue.
Beautifully sweet malt aromas suggest that this won't a be your every day, run of the mill golden ale.
Taste this cracker of a beer to realise it ain't no run of the mill golden ale. It's initial sweet and delicate tastes go through a white water rapid ride of transformations ending up at the refined bitter aftertaste. The high alcohol content is hidden wonderfully by such complex distractions.
French style soft cheeses like Brie and Camembert sit in the passenger seat with this fantastic Belgian brew.

This Belgian strong golden ale is a gentleman and a devil. To experience it, it is handsome, polite and thoroughly satisfying. But, forget to notice the amount of standard drinks in a bottle of one of these babies and you'll be sent to bed sooner than planned. Truly great beers like Duvel, will always be seen as the original. The beer that everything is compared to.

330ml Bottles (or 750ml corked bottles and bigger!)
8.5% Alc/Vol
Aud$7-10 Approx

Gently guided into a tall chilled glass, this German wheat beer appears an opaque orange-gold with a big creamy head that holds itself up for the entirety of the consumption period.

The smell is a gentle sweet fruit wave with hints of ripe banana. Wheat beers often smell like this due to the fermenting temperature of around 22`C. A cooler temperature of around 17`C would have produced notes of cloves which this beer does not possess.

The velvety feel of this beer in the mouth is matched well with the slight sweetness. It is a great refreshing warm weather option that hopefully will make you forget about boring tasteless Corona-like beers that are affiliated with summer.

Franziskaner Weissbier (like every German wheat beer) goes great with a big freshly baked pretzel or pizza. But for something different try; crab, oysters or any basic seafood dish. Either way, you have to be outside in the sun with your massive glass of Franziskaner Weissbier.

500ml Bottles (and rarely 5L Kegs)
5% Alc/Vol
Aud$5 Approx.

Poured into a large and fat chilled pint glass, this Irish stout looks almost pitch black with a blonde to light brown and very dense head that will not disappear no matter how long you sit admiring this perfect looking beer.

A beautiful scent of caramel, toast and browned malt somehow passes through the chunky head.

This very dry stout is bitter with chocolate notes as well as being very smooth. Roasted malt is also quite present and surprisingly long lasting.

O.K. So I know you want to know what it is like compared to Guinness. It is a lot more bitter compared to Guinness. Murphy's has also has a lot more burnt-style tastes. Guinness is really a more widely appreciated beer with Murphy's being a more acquired taste.

The only place to properly appreciate Murphy's Irish Stout is in any old traditional pub with a great pub lunch menu. Order lots of gravy with whatever meal you have have chosen and make sure you are with some really good close friends so you don't have to feel awkward about getting drunk at lunch. Just eat up, drink up, and talk crap for hours.

4 x 500ml Cans

4%Alc/Vol

Aud$17 Approx.

Hammer 'n' Tongs Draught

Twist a cap off this Australian (Boags) beer and pour it into a glass too find a very clear, almost dark-gold body with quite a good looking white, thick and creamy head. After a minute or so, the carbonation quickly fades.
Stick your nose in the glass and you won't really pick up anything except maybe a slight wet-cardboard aroma.
Taking a large gulp of this beer produces remnants of warm dam water, not to mention zero bitterness with a lackluster and flabby malt aftertaste.

To be drinking this beer you must be suffering from extreme poverty, as it is probably the most affordable product on the market. Even the severely punished tongue of an alcoholic Vietnam war veteran would reject this poor attempt at "beer". It comes to no surprise that Boags do not defame themselves by putting their name on a bottle of Hammer 'n' Tongs. There is no culinary 'significant other' to this beverage. So the only thing left to match this beer with would be a completely different beer; partly to erase any memory of this terrible time in your life but mainly to restore your faith in the world. There is no reason why anyone should be subjected to this bottled form of bedevilment.

6 x 375ml Bottles
4.0% Alc/Vol
AUD$10 (from liqourland only)

BrewDog: 77 Lager

This deep gold coloured pilsner (pilsner is a style of lager) flows into a glass with good carbonation creating a solid and proper head.

The scent this beer creates is simply a beautiful showcase of the wonderfully fresh and premium ingredients which include pale malt, caramalt, munich malt and whole leaf hops. Upon watching and smelling this beer, you already know this is no ordinary lager.

The enigmatic taste, unexpectedly steals your attention like the presence of a thick Scottish accent in an outback pub in the Northern Territory of Australia. Again, the highly scrutinised ingredients boast a brilliant, bold malt and bitterness that finishes off this very smart brew.

"Think of everything you know about lagers. Then forget it all instantly." - Excerpt from brewdog website.

Being a brew from the cold northern lands that is Scotland, this weeks Beer Reflection probably should be suggesting traditional Scottish cuisine such as haggis, neeps and tatties... But, this week the theme of tradition is being exchanged with eccentric (maybe due to the influence from the team at brewdog). Thai Green Curry is a perfect match for this large beer. The Fresh load of ingredients within this pilsner compliment the 'bang' of a green curry.

I cannot begin to even express how much this beer will change your perspective on the way a pilsner, or lager for that matter, should taste.

4 x 330ml Bottles

4.9% Alc/Vol

AUD$14 (approx)

http://www.brewdog.com/77_lager.php

Westmalle Trappist: Tripel

Delivered into a traditional style goblet glass (pictured), this strong golden ale appears quite cloudy with a crisp-white, porous head.

On the nose; it surreptitiously emits a light floral-hop aroma, concealing the fact that this is actually a quite complex and very alcoholic beverage.

To the taste buds, this beer elegantly introduces her toasted malt/butterscotch and bitter flavours in a way that can only be compared with a french champagne. Really, this beer shares many of the characteristics of a dry sparkling wine, especially when served at a cold temperature. Once the beer has acclimatised up towards the 10 to 12 degrees Celsius mark, it starts to bring out the more raw flavours that remind you that you are drinking beer, a very special beer.

Being a beer from one of the 6 remaining Trappist breweries in the world, this  Belgian beer is brewed in small batches by monks and their profits go towards local charity.

"...making a profit is not their objective. Hence they spend what is left over on charitable work and people in need." (excerpt from the Westmalle website.)

Ideally this beer should be enjoyed in a Belgian beer cafe at brunch (why not? you are on holiday after all!) with a Westmalle Trappist cheese platter (yes, they make cheese as well!) or any cheese platter for that matter. The only thing missing from this equation is good company...

330ml Bottles (and occaisionally 750ml corked bottles)

9.5% Alc/Vol

Approx AUD$8 per 330ml bottle

http://www.trappistwestmalle.be/default.aspx

Schneider Weisse: Meine Hopfen Weisse (Double Malt Bock)

Poured into a tall 500ml glass; this beer presents a slight cloudiness in an elegant yellow/orange. The tall glass will help retain it's already sturdy, yet fulffy head.
Intriguing scents of orange, grapefruit and cloves woft toward the nose in a way that will only drag you further into the great search for fine brews.
Upon entering your mouth this beer explodes with an even burst of fruit including banana and mango. It really tastes like a sweet and full flavoured wheat beer but apparently it is not. The nectar-like character remains, as does a mouth coating feeling that a good brie has. A very late and polite hop bitterness finishes this fine brew off. It's really hard to believe that this incredible and complex beer has only 4 ingredients.

Whether you have just climbed the Befreiungshalle in Kelheim (the hall of liberation in the German town from which the brewery is situated) or come back from a massive hike in the German Alps; you've just earnt this beer. What better way to experience this very special "bock" beer than sitting in the beer garden of an old pub, accompanied by a large German pretzel, soaking up the springtime air? Tell me, what better way?

500ml Bottles
8.2% Alc/Vol
Approx. AUD$8 per bottle.

http://www.schneider-weisse.de/index.php?lang=en&tpl=aktuelles.messekalender&sid=49236360301323357480217236033294

Peroni Gran Riserva

This premium lager from Peroni stands in the glass with the elegant prescence of a handsome Italian tenor. The firm head is boldly held up by a clear golden body that radiates an sense of pure class.

A sweet, malt-driven aroma is sent out along the breeze to the inquisitive nostril, again emitting sophistication.

Take in a large mouthful of this lager to be refreshed with smooth carbonation and initially-delighful malt/toffee taste that soon evolves into a late and sneaky bitter finish.

So, you have just swallowed this molto buono birra and opened your eyes to realise you are looking down to a picturesque Italian marina from the outside seating area of your ristorante. Your forehead imitates the condensation off the beer glass, swiftly remedied by a cool ocean breeze as you order any kind of seafood pasta dish. Enjoy too many of these and you will likely end up forgetting the experience...

NON BERE TROPPO!!!

330ml bottles

6.6% Alc/Vol

Prices vary greatly

Barossa Valley Brewing Organic Ale

This American style pale ale pours into the glass with a royal golden colour and slight opacity. Topped off with a fine white head this beer looks impressive already.
A beautiful floral hopped aroma flows out of its body - calling you in, like a greek siren.
Then a smack of bitterness hits your whole mouth as if Muhammed Ali's hops coated boxing gloves drove a hefty blow into your lips. This full taste lingers on and on with tiny whispers of passionfruit popping up every-now-and-then.

This ale sends you to a leafy courtyard somewhere with a great number of family and friends beside you. It's a late lunch or sunset dinner in summer and you've just ordered the barbequed lamb or some kind of rich red meat dish. Can it get any better than this? The answer is no, so just sit back and congratulate yourself for selecting a beer/food match made in Heaven.... or the Barossa Valley (SA, Australia) for that matter.

4x330ml Bottles
5.2% Alc/Vol
Less than AUD$20

http://www.bvbeer.com.au/Display/barossa-valley-brewing-beer/organic-ale.html