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04-04-2016, 09:31
Visit the Boak and Bailey's Beer Blog site (http://boakandbailey.com/2016/04/magical-mystery-pour-5-ruhstallers-gilt-edge/)
http://i1.wp.com/boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/magical_mystery_pour_logo_200.jpg?resize=139%2C139 We asked noted beer writer Joe Stange (http://www.thirstypilgrim.com/)*(@Thirsty_Pilgrim (https://twitter.com/Thirsty_Pilgrim)) to select our second batch of*Magical Mystery Pour beers and he said yes.*Well, actually, he said:
“Oh I like this. It’s like your friends actually letting you play DJ at a party.”
“You know, it’s very tempting to troll you with the six worst beers I can think of.”
But, after further consideration, he decided on an entirely different theme: lager. Specifically, he chose a mix of Belgian, German and American beers, some that he knows well, others about which he is curious, all of which we then purchased with our own cash from Beers of Europe.
First, we tackled*Ruhstaller’s Gilt Edge (http://ruhstallerbeer.com/beer/gilt-edge/),*a*4.8% ABV, vaguely-heritage-y California golden lager. Joe hasn’t tried it but says:
This one comes all the way from Sacramento at 42 IBU. I hope it’s drinkable. The labels on these revivalist American lagers remind me of current generational tilts toward things like beard oil and cowboy rye whiskey. I expect a barber shop quarter to appear when you drink this.
It came in a 330ml can that cost £3.49 — not an outrageous price but not cheap either, especially for what you might call a basic beer style.
Initial*impressions, even before opening the can, were mixed: on the one hand, the label was glued to the can which, with UK beers, we have tended to regard as a bad sign. On the other, we’ve rarely seen more informative blurb:
http://i0.wp.com/boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ruhstallers_label.jpg?resize=500%2C500
There doesn’t seem to be anything to hide here which is reassuring, even if we don’t actually have any idea whether*those are particularly great varieties of barley, or if these farms are anything special.
After pouring, we could but marvel: it looked so*pretty. The head was as stiff as beaten egg-whites and the body of the beer, pale gold, almost seemed to give off a light of its own. (Although, to be fair, this is also true of, say, Stella Artois.)
http://i2.wp.com/boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ruhstallers_in_glass.jpg?resize=500%2C500
The aroma was restrained — just an appetising wisp*of herbs and citrus peel.
The flavour had a few stages: first, that crusty bread savoury-sweetness*we associate with decent German beers, then a brief appearance from that twist of citrus, followed by — oh, blimey! — a crushing*monster truck of unchecked bitterness. The first few sips were almost challenging, tipping way over from crisp into harsh.*But the more we drank, the less that bothered us. Our palates adjusted to this new reality, just as the shock-inducing cold plunge at a spa gets to be fun after a while. We began to think that, yes, we’d like a few more of these in for the kind of hot day we’re sure is on the way, when the back of the throat demands something with real bite.
It’s typically American (if we can indulge in some stereotyping) in its boldness and frankness, but that doesn’t mean it’s unsubtle or silly. There are no grapefruits here.
If you think lager is bland, or you think Jever and Pilsner Urquell aren’t the beers they used to be, give this a try. It might just be the jolt you need.
Magical Mystery Pour #5: Ruhstaller’s Gilt Edge (http://boakandbailey.com/2016/04/magical-mystery-pour-5-ruhstallers-gilt-edge/) from Boak & Bailey's Beer Blog - Beer blogging since 2007, covering real ale, craft beer, pubs and British beer history. (http://boakandbailey.com)
More... (http://boakandbailey.com/2016/04/magical-mystery-pour-5-ruhstallers-gilt-edge/)
http://i1.wp.com/boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/magical_mystery_pour_logo_200.jpg?resize=139%2C139 We asked noted beer writer Joe Stange (http://www.thirstypilgrim.com/)*(@Thirsty_Pilgrim (https://twitter.com/Thirsty_Pilgrim)) to select our second batch of*Magical Mystery Pour beers and he said yes.*Well, actually, he said:
“Oh I like this. It’s like your friends actually letting you play DJ at a party.”
“You know, it’s very tempting to troll you with the six worst beers I can think of.”
But, after further consideration, he decided on an entirely different theme: lager. Specifically, he chose a mix of Belgian, German and American beers, some that he knows well, others about which he is curious, all of which we then purchased with our own cash from Beers of Europe.
First, we tackled*Ruhstaller’s Gilt Edge (http://ruhstallerbeer.com/beer/gilt-edge/),*a*4.8% ABV, vaguely-heritage-y California golden lager. Joe hasn’t tried it but says:
This one comes all the way from Sacramento at 42 IBU. I hope it’s drinkable. The labels on these revivalist American lagers remind me of current generational tilts toward things like beard oil and cowboy rye whiskey. I expect a barber shop quarter to appear when you drink this.
It came in a 330ml can that cost £3.49 — not an outrageous price but not cheap either, especially for what you might call a basic beer style.
Initial*impressions, even before opening the can, were mixed: on the one hand, the label was glued to the can which, with UK beers, we have tended to regard as a bad sign. On the other, we’ve rarely seen more informative blurb:
http://i0.wp.com/boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ruhstallers_label.jpg?resize=500%2C500
There doesn’t seem to be anything to hide here which is reassuring, even if we don’t actually have any idea whether*those are particularly great varieties of barley, or if these farms are anything special.
After pouring, we could but marvel: it looked so*pretty. The head was as stiff as beaten egg-whites and the body of the beer, pale gold, almost seemed to give off a light of its own. (Although, to be fair, this is also true of, say, Stella Artois.)
http://i2.wp.com/boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ruhstallers_in_glass.jpg?resize=500%2C500
The aroma was restrained — just an appetising wisp*of herbs and citrus peel.
The flavour had a few stages: first, that crusty bread savoury-sweetness*we associate with decent German beers, then a brief appearance from that twist of citrus, followed by — oh, blimey! — a crushing*monster truck of unchecked bitterness. The first few sips were almost challenging, tipping way over from crisp into harsh.*But the more we drank, the less that bothered us. Our palates adjusted to this new reality, just as the shock-inducing cold plunge at a spa gets to be fun after a while. We began to think that, yes, we’d like a few more of these in for the kind of hot day we’re sure is on the way, when the back of the throat demands something with real bite.
It’s typically American (if we can indulge in some stereotyping) in its boldness and frankness, but that doesn’t mean it’s unsubtle or silly. There are no grapefruits here.
If you think lager is bland, or you think Jever and Pilsner Urquell aren’t the beers they used to be, give this a try. It might just be the jolt you need.
Magical Mystery Pour #5: Ruhstaller’s Gilt Edge (http://boakandbailey.com/2016/04/magical-mystery-pour-5-ruhstallers-gilt-edge/) from Boak & Bailey's Beer Blog - Beer blogging since 2007, covering real ale, craft beer, pubs and British beer history. (http://boakandbailey.com)
More... (http://boakandbailey.com/2016/04/magical-mystery-pour-5-ruhstallers-gilt-edge/)