Local Heart, Global Soul

May 12, 2011

Liquid Danish Chocolate, from the little village of Svaneke…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

We are back on the beer tasting trail. This beer caused a bit of a commotion as our tasters either loved or hated it, but that in turn generated interesting comments  as glasses were raised and taste-buds put to work,  as well as a lot of  positive and negative face-pulling and merriment..

As usual as the non-beer drinking member of the group I’m doing the write ups of the reviews and everyone is being very accommodating as meetings are being held at our place whilst I am less mobile.

The bad news is that all the information of the bottle was in Danish (no great shock since this beer is also Danish) and our linguistic skills did not reach far enough to decipher what was on the bottle.

The good news is that I have some Danish work colleagues  and one was exceeding kind to do a translation of the text (Thanks S!) that I wrote out from the bottle (which I have included below, just in case (a) you happen to speak Danish or ( b) you would like to amuse yourself by trying to try and pronounce any of it).

Apologies for any inadvertent spelling errors I may have made in the Danish text, as spell checking was  step too far (writing it out was hard enough). The English translation is below the Danish text.

“BryghuSet Svaneke ‘ Choco Stout’

ufiltreret , 50 cl
Vol.Alc. 5.7%
Cat.–
Information on the bottle:

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

På Bornholm – Østersøens perle 0-ligger den lille købstad Svaneke med sit bryghus. Atmosfæren af klipper, bindingsværk og det  åbne hav
sætter sit præg  på livet-og på  øllet. Vi giver tid, vi holder a f de små   nuancer og tænker en kende længere. Det kan smages…
Choko Stout: Kraftig chokolade duft spredes når  øllet skækes op og d et nøddebrune skum stå r smukt I glasset. Den sorte farve tillader røde nuancer foran en lyskilde, medens den  første tå  afslører en moderat fyldig Stout, der mætter knapt så meget. Fire forskellige slags malt, der I blandt chokolade malt og karamel malt, sætter sit præg og humlen er fint afstemt dertil. Drikkes snildt til desserter eller en sød
eftermiddagsstund. Undergæret. Øllet er ufiltreret og kan indeholde bundfald af gær. Lagres oprejst og skæ nkes næ nsomt.
Brygget og tappet på  Bornholm.
http://www.svanekebryghus.dk  Ingredienser: Vand, bygmalt, aroma essens, humle og g ær.

Translation:

On Bornholm – called the ‘Pearl of the Östersöen’ – situated in the little village called Svaneke  its’ little brew house. The atmosphere with rocks, timbered houses and the open sea influences the life ,and the beer. We give it time, we care for the small details and think further. You can taste that…
Choko Stout: A strong chocolate scent spreads out when the beer is poured up and the nut brown foam stands beautifully in the glass.

The black colour allows red shades in front of a light source, while the first sip reveals a moderate, plump Stout, which saturates less. Four different malts, of which chocolate malt and caramel malt put their stamp on the beer and the (I missed a word here, sorry)…… is made for it. Can be enjoyed with desserts or a sweet afternoon moment. Under yeasted. The beer is unfiltered and can contain precipitate of yeast. Is to be stored upright and should be poured gently. Brewed and tapped on Bornholm.
Ingredients: water, barley malt, aroma essence, ….. and yeast.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

www.svanekebryghus.dk

Taste Test:

Himself:  “recognise the quality …but it’s not me, (Rating=5)”

Andrew:  I do like it because I like nice sweet things, whilst I’ve not met a chocolate stout that I don’t like, I would say that “Fuller’s” chocolate stout (UK ) is even better (Rating = 8)”

Friedel:I love the chocolaty taste , but it smells more chocolaty than it tastes  (Rating = 9)”

Evan: “ I really like it ,  I like chocolate beers,  this one smells great, not overpowering at all (Rating = 9)”

Tamara: “Smells like liquid nutshell, but the taste is like a coffee flavoured syrup that has gone bad (Rating = 1)”

Li:Tastes like coffee, … yum…filthy, put this next to chocolate cake or liquid chocolate pudding or any chocolate dessert and  I would be very happy (Rating =8)

Erik:  “Chocolaty, it smells delicious  and I like it, …the moon is waxing ,solid . (Rating = 7.3)”

Alicia: “  The chocolate  is really good,  you wouldn’t want more than one glass, a great beer to finish off an evening …(Rating = 8 )”

.. and in case you are wondering, the shape of the label is indeed the shape of the  Danish Island of Bornholm and the dot in the far right corner marks where the village of Svaneke is. A very cunning  idea to leave directions to your brewery!




April 6, 2011

Beer …Travels from The Netherlands to Paramaribo and Back!

Filed under: Beer,Reviews — kiwidutch @ 1:00 am
Tags: , , , , ,

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

For today’s Beer tasting we have temporarily lost a few members of our usual  group and temporarily gained a new one.

As usual as the non-beer drinking member of the group I’m doing the write ups of the reviews and everyone is being very accommodating as meetings are being held at our place whilst I am less mobile.

“Trio Brouwerij”,  Extra Stout

33cl/330ml

Vol.Alc. 7.2%

Cat.S.

Imported by- Geïmporteered Door: Pacific Trading Co.Ltd. P.O.Box 1009 Paramaribo, Suriname. Phone+597-487777

Brewed and bottled in the E.U. Under licence of and distributed by: Gebrouwen en afgevuld in de E.U. onder licentie van en gedistribueerd door: Trio Brouwerij, Ceresstraat 1 – 4811CA – Breda, Holland.

Ingredients: water, barley malt, maize. hops. /Ingrediënten: water, gerstemout, maïs, hop.

There is a quirky history that goes with this beer. Now, you know I like Quirky.

The “Trio Brouwerij” used to be a very well known and established brewery in The Netherlands,  and it did so well that it eventually exported it’s beer to Suriname  (Dutch Colony in South America).

In Suriname it grew so popular that it ended up being made under license in Paramaribo.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Meanwhile  beer drinking fashion in the Netherlands changed, resulting in a change of fortunes for the parent Dutch company, which did not survive the dip and went bust.

Now the pendulum of time has swung back and things have come full circle as the Suriname brewery is currently exporting  this beer back into The Netherlands.

In the laid back Suriname style, the bottle is not the least bit fancy, in fact it’s so undistinguished that Himself mistook it for a cheap supermarket beer that would surely be of no decent quality at all,  so this purchase was a bit of a gamble. So, was he right?

Reviews:

Himself:  “I really like this beer, I was very surprised to find it and didn’t have high expectations when I chose it because bottle looks like cheap supermarket, but don’t judge a book or a beer by it’s cover!” ( he also notes) ” This beer is  only available at the ABC Brewery beer shop  in The Hague.(Rating=8.5)”

Andrew: It’s really tasty, has a lovely colour:  pitch black , I like different textures and beer is all the same texture so colour for me is important. Lot of burnt notes on the  smell but not in the taste , very full body. (Rating = 8)”

Friedel:I liked it, not as much as some of the other beers we have tasted because it’s not as full bodied, still liked it (Rating = 7)”

Evan: “ I would have more than one glass of this, it’s fantastic, good smell, really good after-taste so you don’t have to drink it very fast. (Rating = 9)”

Alicia: “Tasty,  it seems stronger than some of the other ones we have tried, but not overpowering,  I wouldn’t  want more than one glass (Rating = 8)”

Frank: ” Does this beer come from Belgium? this beer is getting better and better all the time. (Rating = 8)”

(Note: the  second photo shows the detail of the label better, but  the light wasn’t good, and it isn’t the actual colour of the real label. The following photo shows better how the label looks).

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

March 14, 2011

Himself and a Very Stout (‘stout’) Breakfast…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

As explained in my March 13th post, I’m taking you on a tour of Amsterdam using some of my archive photos from last summer.

Himself and I have arrived before breakfast and have parked our car further out from the centre of the city, so after a decent walk we find ourselves in the centre of Amsterdam approaching our destination with rumbling stomachs.

We passed a variety of fast food places on the way to where we are going, but none appealed in the slightest, so we resign ourselves to the idea of an extra large lunch instead of breakfast and press on.

In the Netherlands if you are travelling between the big cities it’s always a good idea to allow some time for traffic jams and even though this is a Saturday we allow extra time anyway.

This time as per Murphy’s Law extra time is not needed and since we forget that we both tend walk fast sans kids,  we  surprised ourselves by arriving  thirty-five minutes early at the Leidseplein. Breakfast is thus back on the agenda.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

It’s a “Plein” ( a kind of “Square” that doesn’t necessarily have to be square in shape) where a bevy of cafes and restaurants line the outer perimeter and where the outside seating area is cheek by jowl crammed  together in the centre.

Himself’s eyes light up as he spies an Irish cafe/Pub  and declares happily that he’s more than in the mood for an Irish breakfast washed down with a glass of Guinness.

Naturally it’s not our normal type of breakfast fare, and had the kids been tagging along he wouldn’t have been considering drinking Stout with breakfast, but today is a day for just the two of us and once I spy fish-’n-chips on the menu, we make ourselves comfortable and order.

The Dutch do cook fish in batter, but it doesn’t taste at all like the fish-and-chips that I know so well in New Zealand, so we have the Dutch variety only once every few years.  Usually our fish-and-chip cravings are only fixed between trips to New Zealand and the UK when I make it myself at home, so this “find” is a treat indeed.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

The day is patchy, threatening rain and so a hot breakfast is welcome … my Fish and Chip’s costs Euro 12.60 and Himself’s Irish of bacon, beans, eggs, sasuages, toast and jam costs Euro 8.70.

He of course washes his down with a glass of Guinness and I wash mine down with a Cola Light.

Yum! What a treat of a  way to start the day!

We did advise as soon as possible that we had limited time for breakfast and our waitress was friendly and passed the message onto the kitchen so that we could cut waiting time to the minimum.

We also asked to settle the bill as soon as our breakfast was served, and all in all we managed both a relaxed breakfast and a quick getaway… .. both of which were appreciated. The food was good too… not quite New Zealand standard fish and chips, but ok all the same.

* So… for those of you who noticed “stout” mentioned in brackets in the title, I need to tell you that there is also a word “stout” in the Dutch language… but nothing to do with beer because it means “naughty“! So naturally, now you know, that having a Stout Guinness for Breakfast IS rather naughty!!!

Photos? Oh yes of course…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

February 17, 2011

Meantime, a Porter arrives from London…

Filed under: Beer,Reviews — kiwidutch @ 1:00 am
Tags: , , , ,

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Since yesterday’s post was about a recipe made to go with a beer tasting, it seems fitting that this post is about one of the beers tasted.

“Meantime”  (bottle conditioned London Porter)

750 ml
Vol.Alc. 6.5%
Cat. –
(written around the face of a pocket watch) “Traditional and exotic, brewed for flavour”, “Time, care and attention

(written around the face of  pocket watch on the neck of the bottle), “Custodians of History, brewed with style

(front label:)
The first London porter brewers changed brewing forever. By applying the new scientific principles of the day they unlocked Porter’s power to shape an epoch.

Our Porter is based on a recipe from 1750 to bring you the aromas and flavours that made London the world’s brewing capital.
(rear label)
The huge historic importance of one beer, London Porter inspired us to recreate this great beer style. Time, care and attention have enabled us to produce a blend of beers bringing you the flavour of the 1750′s: share this beer with friends and enjoy with barbecues, fish or shellfish. The ruby colour and bottle conditioning are proof of it’s heritage and authenticity.

As you might have gathered, we’ve done this kind of thing before. So why not try one – or all – of our other beers?

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(written on bottle cap)
” The Greenwich Brewery, Remove Cap, hold glass open end up, pour, taste, swallow.

Meantime Brewing Co, 2 Penhall Road London SE7 8RX
Starköl, Allergens: contains barley. Brewed to a unique recipe devised by Alastair Hook, Brewer, Owner & Founder of Meantime Brewing Co.

http://www.meantimebrewing.com/

Review: (Note: you need to be aware that Tamara confessed afterwards to being more of a light beer drinker LOL)

Himself: “Nice and full, not so bitter, prefer this to other beers, don’t think you should drink more than three of these (Rating = 9)”

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Andrew: “Really like this one. Really nice and smooth (Rating = 9 and a bit)”

Friedel: ” Yeasty, surprisely I really like it, smoother caramel, not bitter (Rating = 7)”

Tamara: “Multi purpose, wart burner .. how does the flavour compare? well,  this is for when you really get desperate (Rating = -10 )”

Evan: “A slightly acidic aftertaste, not as good aftertaste as the others (Rating = 8)”

Li:Not my thing, I’m trying to like it , fizzy finish at the end, smooth enough to drink …the scent is beautiful but aftertaste shouldn’t finish that way, (Rating = 5)”

Erik: “Subtle delicate flavours, a little lace and chamomile (Rating = 3)”

Alicia: “Too much for me to drink a whole glass, I like the other beers better, liquorice flavour, I don’t like this.” (Rating = not given)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

So, clearly this is a beer for the dark beer purist…  …or a few of them at least.

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