| DUNKLES & JAFFA CAKES |
| Tastebud Euphoria The Committee Meeting held at McGinnis Castle on Sep 1st was a magnificent occasion. Grander and more stylish than one of Queen Elizabeth's legendary Garden Parties, our taste buds ran riot with a fabulous selection of foods and ales. Lord Pat presented us with a slowly roasted slab of beef from his own estate (more or less !), while Tim and Colleen added pasta cooked with tomatoes and onions to balance the meal. Colleen's Fruit Brulee, which spent a brief moment in the oven to allow the brown sugar to do its work, was worth an Egon Ronay star. Like Oliver Twist, I went back for a second bowl. And, it was living proof that I will indeed eat fruit -- my wife has struggled for years to get me to eat fruit ("It's good for you"), but if it doesn't taste like chocolate, what's the bloody point ?! And another first -- Tracy made a bread pudding cooked in Jameson's Whisky that I thought was bloody delicious. And I absolutely HATE bread pudding ! Bread is for making toast, or for spreading a generous dose of lemon curd across; not for some hideous hot desert. Not to mention, adding those vile currants or sultanas or raisins. Every Christmas at my folks Manor House me Mum would make Christmas Pudding for the family (with a silver threepenny piece inside for luck), full of the aforementioned currants, sultanas etc. However, for me, she would open a tin of pears, or peaches and serve them up covered in Bird's custard -- lovely ! So, you get the point. Thus Kudos to Tracy for being the only person EVER to make an edible bread pudding -- and as I said, bloody delicious ! Moving on to the beers....an impressive selection of styles were on offer. I didn't try the Clipper City Loose Cannon IPA, as I was already familiar with this superb ale -- indeed, I have a review of it elsewhere on Ian's page. 1) Sam Adams Octoberfest -- Well, the bottle mentioned "...the full-bodied maltiness of Sam Adams Octoberfest". Full-bodied what ? I think they meant to say light-bodied, as this sad example of an Octoberfest was clearly off target. It was more like a rather well balanced lager, with the malt and hops bouncing off each other with neither having the bollocks to take the lead. The Dunkles & Jaffa Cakes team all agreed it was a tangy beer with a fruity finish. This is classic Sam Adams -- half the titles they name their beers bear no resemblence to the actual style they are supposed to represent. Their Brewmaster's Collection Pale Ale is one example of where they've got it right. However, if this is their Octoberfest, then it's back to the drawing board for their team of brewers. 3/10. 2) Bell's Batch 8,000 (9%) -- According to Bell's, their Batch 8,000 is a wheat ale brewed with honey and spices; the spices being Coriander, Orange Peel, and Paradise Seed (which is actually a form of cannabis seed -- don't be surprised dear readers, as the hop plant is also related to the cannabis seed). Blimey, is that why I like hoppy beers ?! Anyway, this was a dense, cloudy orange beer that poses as a high octane version of their wonderful Oberon Ale. The citrusy flavours -- mainly orange -- were smothered by a dense, whisky-like character and a particularly nasty taste of pure alcohol. This is the problem with Bell's -- Across the pond, British beer writers are congratulating American brewers for experimenting with unique high-gravity beers. But there comes a point where it becomes art for arts sake, and this is clearly the case with Bell's Batch 8,000. They claim this is a "one-off"; let's hope so, because the 8,000 is complete and utter SHITE ! -1/10. Incidently, Pat still has five bottles of the 8,000 -- any suggestions for what he can do with them will be greatly appreciated ! 3) Southern Tier Old Man Winter Ale (8%) -- From the cellars at Roberts Manor, this 12-month old ale was a true delight. With Columbus and Chinook hops used for aroma and flavour, and later dry-hopped with Chinook and Willamette hops, the Old Man Winter Ale was a rich (and I mean RICH), syrupy, dark amber gem. Twelve months in the cellar had produced noticeable Barley Wine flavours with plum/prune-like notes and a warming sherry-like smooth finish. Absolutely perfect with a slice of Christmas Cake (or a bowl of pears & custard), with a roaring log fire, and snow falling outside. There are three bottles left in the cellar just waiting for the first snowstorm this winter ! A magnificent 11/10. 4) Left Hand Brewing Co. Widdershins Barley Wine (8.8%) -- The first impression of this offering was the overpowering smell of caramel. I put the glass down, and a couple of minutes later smelled it again -- "Eff me, that's caramel alright" I thought to myself. A few minutes later, I smelled it again. It wasn't just the fact it smelled of caramel, the problem was the smell was downright nauseating. In fact, it really did smell like puke -- a sort of caramel puke. Somewhere in the mix were my beloved Cascade hops, but they were well and truly hiding behind the wall of puke. The taste ? A bitter treacle taste with -- dare I say -- a distinctly caramel before, middle and aftertaste. What does this have to do with a Barley Wine ? Sweet FA, that's what. Barley wine ? Barley wine MY ARSE ! -1/10. 5) Lagunita Cappuccino Stout (7.9%) -- Any beer that actually names a style of coffee in its name is asking for trouble, and Lagunita Cappuccino Stout did not disappoint in that department. We opened this bottle up just as we were about to enjoy Tracy's bread pudding, and they did pair together rather well; the sweetness of the pudding compensating for the bitterness of the stout. However, take away Tracy's bread pudding, and what you've got for a stout is a thoroughly hideous load of burnt roasted crap. You can pick out some coffee flavours in the stout, but they appear late in the swallow. I thought it was more like a porter than a stout (which makes sense, as stouts grew out of porters), it had the distinctly thin, burnt, bitter, malty flavours more associated with a porter -- with a bit of coffee thrown in for good measure. Either way, the Cappuccino Stout would be better suited as blacktop for your driveway. 4/10 with bread pudding: 0/10 on its own. Later in the evening, I was treated to a music session from the rest of the group (all singers and/or musicians) which made for a thoroughly smashing time. Thanks to Pat, Tim, Colleen and Tracy for making a special eveing with their fine food (I brought along a packet of Cheese Puffs, which was bloody cheesey of me !). Next up, the October Committee Meeting at Roberts Manor. Cheers ! |
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| IAN'S 9/01/2007 COMMITTEE MEETING REVIEW |
