HoppySlosh steps outside

An invitation for an evening of beer sampling is not something I'm in the habit of declining. All the more so when said invitation comes from the adventurous BeerGeek Dennoman. The man knows a thing ar two about beer, you see.

A thing or two.

Because there is no greater pleasure (*) than the sharing of beers, I extracted one of my last remaining bottles of Kohaku (the basic version, sans ginger) and two bottles of my recently conceived Vyverslyck, to give the man something to do once his sinuses clear up.

*  figuratively speaking of course. 

Sampling then: Home Brewery Tetten kindly provided a bottle of their Moustache, a clean, mildly sour spiced blonde. Notes of coriander were detected, and an undefinable, yet savoury nose made this an intriguing brew. I was particularly jealous of the clean, haze-free transluceny of this beer, which made my recent attempts at brewing seem all the murkier. I'm quite impressed with the Tetten crew's results: their Petrol was a pretty decent stout, and this Moustache, while not entirely the kind of beer I really enjoy, was skillfully brewed and gutsy. Looking forward to tasting more of their brews.

Next up was my final humble token of appreciation for this incentive:

A stout unknown to Dennoman. Yes, they do exist.

Novabirra, ironically not an Italian brewery but a Belgian collective, brew this cacao-infused stout which upon opening displays vehement yeast activity. In other words: we painted the kitchen sink a deeper shade of chocolate whilst trying to get this mama out of the bottle and into the glass. Initial nose was irony-metallic, something stout occasionally do. I suspect roast barley to be responsible for this, although the website doesn't mention this ingredient. Malted rye is used as well, but I'm not familiar with its effects on beer. After a bit of luxuriating in the glass, Big Mama's nose became more relaxed and pleasant, with cacao being noticably present in the background. Colour was on the lighter side of dark; more like a very dark Quad than an actual stout. Cacao flavours were present but not entirely to my liking: something acrid at the back of the mouth made me reluctant to continue. Not my thing, really. I'm guessing I like my stouts to be chocolatey and coffee-ish without those two ingredients actually being in them.

As an interlude, the host kindly showed me around his beer cellar, and the beauties slumbering therein. Put it this way: I'm more than happy to volunteer for a stint of house-sitting, if the need ever arises :)

From the cellar came two more bottles, both splendidy different and somewhat exclusive.

One was De Struise Brouwers' (as of yet still label-less) Weltmerz, one of their newer creations. A 3% ABV sour beer with apples, if I'm to believe Dennoman (and why should I not when he's the one providing the brew?). Incredible body for such a light beer, and a beacon of hope that one day, the term "light beer" will no longer be a sales word for lemonade-pretending-to-be-beer. This is one to watch; for sure: oodles of flavour, fresh and refined, quenching yet complex. I'd certainly like to get my hands on a few bottles of this, as a summer apéritif or a lazy sunny afternoon instant cocktail.

Last up (and swiftly impounding on the limits of my designated driver's tolerance for alcohol) was this beauty:

Bourbon. Vanilla. Stout. Goose. The human mind starts blinking from there onward.

I have professed my adoration of Goose Island's Bourbon County Brand Stout elsewhere on these pages, so my anticipation was soaring. And no mistake: this is of similar ilk, and similarly impressive. From the nose to the back of the throat and everywhere in between, this beer performs and takes the stage. Thick and almost syrupy, yet tinglingly carbonated, you get that absurdly, perversely sensual mouthfeel which make the BCBS such a velvet beast. On top of that, you get the vanilla, combining luxuriously with the bourbon, yielding a positively dessert-like unctuous beer, delectable and sweet. Ironically over the top yet checking all the right boxes at the same time.
It was with great reluctance that I forced myself to abstain from finishing my second helping of this black beauty, and a real shame to leave that glass on the table, making puppy eyes at me as I exited Denno's abode, into the sleet and the january snow.

Come back! Drink me! I know you want to...

Many many thanks, Denno, and my sincerest apologies for leaving you with that last glass of Vanilla. I hope you did it more honourably than the police allowed me to.

Greetz

Jo