| DUNKLES & JAFFA CAKES |
| Rule Britannia ! It was a perfect plan -- A Dunkels & Jaffa Cakes Committee Meeting at Roberts Manor at the beginning of October. A nice chilly late-Autumn day, perfect for our Great British/Indian supper, complimented by a fine selection of ales from the Mother Country. What happened ? Instead of "chilly", we were treated to a sub-tropic roaster of a day with temperatures reaching something like 96-degrees (or perhaps that was the curry), but...you see my point. Anyway, my lovely wife, Lady Debby Roberts prepared for us a feast fit for Kings and Champions, of which the Dunkles team were both. We began with a plate of creamy Christou cheese and peppery popcorn. This was followed with a starter of samosas, the intensity of which would have brought tears to the eyes of an Indian fire-eater. Main course was a magnificent vat of mild curry and Basmati rice -- courtesy of Trader Joe's -- jazzed up in Debby's indomitable fashion. The piece-de-la-resistance came at the end, a desert of gastronomic proportions -- Lady Debby's adaptation of Trifle. Now, when I say Trifle, I don't mean that nasty 'oop North mess of bits and pieces of pigs and other forms of cattle. No, I'm referring to a delicious desert made from jelly (Jello, for relatives of Oliver Hazard Perry), custard, fruit, and whipped cream, first introduced to British supermarket shelves by Bird's. When Debby and I first moved to London, I surprised both her and myself by preparing the Bird's boxed mix. She liked it so much that it came to pass that Debby formulated her own version of trifle for eternity. And what a truly magnificent desert it is ! Calories ? Who gives a toss about calories ! But, to the ales. I had put together a large number of ales for tasting, but we stuffed ourselves silly on tucker, and thus tasted only a mere fraction of what was on offer...but, here we are... 1) Edison Light Beer (4%) First up was a "blind" tasting. Shawn Mafi is the Administrator of the company I work for (and a fine fan of football -- REAL football -- he is too), and he gave me a couple of bottles of Edison Beer, which I used for the "blind" tasting. If you read Tim's review, you'll note that he was impressed with Edison Light Beer, awarding it 8/10. Edison is brewed by the New Century Brewing Co. in New England. At 4% ABV, I found it to be a clean, crisp, refreshing, mild-mannered lager. Somewhat lacking in both body and character and devoid of any aftertaste, Edison Light Beer is indeed the perfect beer to enjoy in 96-degree temperatures. In one word: Pleasant. 7.5/10 2) Coniston Brewery Bluebird Bitter (4.2%). If we're talking about magnificent, then we're talking about Bluebird Bitter -- 1998 CAMRA Supreme Champion Beer of Britain; 1999 Gold Medal (English Bitter) The Beauty of Hops competition; July 2005 Men's Journal, 50 Best Beers in the World. Made with Challenger hops and the classic Maris Otter Pale Malt, and Crystal Malt, this absolute peach of an ale gives a fruity aroma, with mild spicy hops mixed with an equally mild creamy malt character. More hops appear at the finish, giving a delightful grassy finale. Designed as the classic "session" ale, Bluebird Bitter never fails for me. 10/10 Also available is Bluebird XB Bitter, which is made with American Pacific-coast Mount Hood hops for a citrus taste and aroma -- on the bottle, it describes itself as a British version of an American Pale Ale ! 3) Meantime Brewery IPA (7.5%) For those of you fascinated by time zones, The Greenwich Brewery, home of the Meantime Brewing Company, is located 0° 2' 12" East of the Greenwich Meridian. And should you ever be in London (which, incidently, was the Romans third choice for capital of Britannia -- or England as we now know it), a visit to Greenwich is a must. It's a pretty little London village full of Georgian houses and architecture, the Royal Naval College, the Royal Observatory (where you can stand either side of the Meridian), and the Cutty Sark: Britain's last example of a 19th century Clipper ship. Anyway, where was I ? -- yes, Meantime IPA. This incredible IPA is made to a genuine 19th century recipe, which means there is no sign of any citrusy hop characteristics. Made with England's two most famous hops: Fuggles, and English Kent Goldings hops, with extra hops added in the Lauter tun and then dry hopped, I picked up caramel flavours wrestling with a dominant grassy, earthy hop presence. Unlike most American IPAs, the Meantime IPA has no bitter hop aftertaste, which is a pleasant surprise in this age of Double and Triple IPAs. An English classic -- no wonder the British troops had kittens over the IPAs ! 11/10. 4) Fuller's London Pride Pale Ale (4.7%) In a nutshell, Fuller's Brewery, in Chiswick, trendy west-London ROCKS ! They've won more awards than I've had hot dinners. For example, CAMRA Supreme Champion Beer of Britain FIVE times; Best in class NINE times; and Fuller's ESB has won CAMRA Gold Medal for Best Strong Ale SEVEN times. Furthermore, as I write this, Fuller's has just been announced 2007 British Regional Brewer of the Year. So, where does that leave us ? Well, there's one characteristic that follows every Fuller's ale: their unique use of malt. It doesn't matter which Fuller's ale you try, whether it be Chiswick Bitter or Vintage Ale, there's that particular malty taste that stands mighty and strong in the foreground. They don't tell you what it is either -- like any respectable family brewer, Fuller's passionately guards its recipes with great pride...which rather nicely, brings me to London Pride. We do know that there are three types of hops used to make London Pride: Target, Challenger, and Northdown hops. And while these three give a citrusy hop aftertaste, the predominant flavours are of malt and caramel with hints of treacle. It comes as a bit of a shock compared to the rows of American Pale Ales standing in line at The Anderson's Store, and London Pride is very different compared to my favourite Samuel Adams Pale Ale (made with Fuggles and East Kent Goldings hops). But hey, this is an evening of British ales, and as such, Fuller's London Pride is a bloody ripper of an ale. Unique and powerful. 9/10. 5) Young's Double Chocolate Stout (5.2%) When you've had four beers, and you're feeling bloated from a mega-plate of curry and rice, Young's Double Chocolate Stout has the effect of that waiter who puts a mint on the tongue of Mr.Creosote in Monty Python's Meaning of Life ! It's been reported that since Young's left their home of 200-years in Wandsworth, south-London and merged with Charles Wells, in Bedford, they have dropped Double Chocolate Stout from their portfolio. So much for progress. Thus, we need to enjoy their Double Chocolate Stout while we still have it available in the States. Does it feature chocolate ? Oh yes, it features chocolate alright. It has chocolate malt, with both real chocolate and chocolate essence added for good measure. This really is truly, bloody remarkable -- it's a creamy, thick, dense goliath of a beer, with a thick bubbly head. Halfway in the mix you can pick out rich, smoky malt flavours. Whichever way you look at it, Double Chocolate Stout is full-flavoured. Absolutely incredible. 9/10. And the Double Chocolate Stout brought an end to a fine evening of Royal gluttony and ale tasting. Special thanks to Debby for painstainkingly preparing and putting together a feast from start to finish. Next up...a visit to The Lodge ! Cheers! |
| Return to Ian's Page |
| IAN'S 10/06/2007 COMMITTEE MEETING REVIEW |
