Blog Tracker
29-04-2022, 09:17
Visit The Beer Nut site (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2022/04/take-four.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdHbR8z0LleKQNF62A1ACDghC4cEllQe1k0ACLZOvsAh igWz3dY_y2giItfPNvbgddFwOFQ4H8g-t73seWOOn4sCyXj3JWS5c5SZ8AbZMLDPFJBKADz5kZ4iX2OK3b R2lzIlLyjpCrbfedGi5habxsVT7CEVydZPDxIjCKJKt_i5mLlq G-bFM/w172-h200/trouble_brewing_super_hans_kolsch.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdHbR8z0LleKQNF62A1ACDghC4cEllQe1k0ACLZOvsAh igWz3dY_y2giItfPNvbgddFwOFQ4H8g-t73seWOOn4sCyXj3JWS5c5SZ8AbZMLDPFJBKADz5kZ4iX2OK3b R2lzIlLyjpCrbfedGi5habxsVT7CEVydZPDxIjCKJKt_i5mLlq G-bFM/s2625/trouble_brewing_super_hans_kolsch.jpg)It's rare that one gets to see the inside of 57 the Headline on a Monday. This occasion was a charity tap takeover by Trouble Brewing, bringing a bunch of new releases as well as several old favourites.
Super Hans is in the Kölsch style, an infrequent occurrence in Irish brewing, now that everyone has their temperature control sorted out. I'm a big fan of the real thing but find that clones rarely measure up, too often used as a shorthand for basic lager for unfussy drinkers. This one seemed altogether more conscientiously designed, beginning with the precision crispness and dry mineral bite. The malt base gives it a breadcrust wholesomeness onto which is grafted a sharp and peppery pinch from rocket-like noble hops. It's quite fizzy from the keg so is no substitute for the soft cask variety you get in Cologne, but as a palate-cleansing thirst-quencher, by the pint rather than the stange, it's perfect.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHZ46VwdOwac9Xq8f4FSOP7B6IBgvJSE7_nMXbMIwp1 lJrKkyOPjbshAOVPc7N9PCFi54KhQSBTZqfa0zfKlwxHpDRKYp g7oJ0uG_LlVjcjhsN9pRkx56LTRLRQImbwav3kFn4wvvgD3iuW Km9rRKzkbKNIiIHgSmY0p3RX42hb7-nZbsd1A/w159-h200/trouble_brewing_silver_lining_mild.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHZ46VwdOwac9Xq8f4FSOP7B6IBgvJSE7_nMXbMIwp1 lJrKkyOPjbshAOVPc7N9PCFi54KhQSBTZqfa0zfKlwxHpDRKYp g7oJ0uG_LlVjcjhsN9pRkx56LTRLRQImbwav3kFn4wvvgD3iuW Km9rRKzkbKNIiIHgSmY0p3RX42hb7-nZbsd1A/s2830/trouble_brewing_silver_lining_mild.jpg)You've got to have a complementary pair in any set like this, and of course you've got to have a mild. Trouble's new mild, their first since 2017 (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2017/11/mild-enthusiasm.html) by my reckoning, is Silver Lining. This is only 3.4% ABV so it wasn't surprising to find it a bit thin and fizzy. There's chocolate, light caramel and a tiny, tinny bite of English hops plus some equally understated blackcurrant. It's OK, but very, y'know, mild. I do think this has the potential to be spectacular on cask, however. Hint hint.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TaARZMMAUVLshBJgXcVJC2D06h8uZ2kmARGMGhpIBM __8zxQxfSknylL8_jpoc0d05ggdsR0NeNRj5Yeo7OHON5fheSk e_GESXwlablCw4TaCP_Z3mYjlM6nT6Pk5bUMq7vMKoSGxeiUEO Jl5mRzAX2jfYqDB-bAeRUTr5Xn8UPSnT4k8DQ/w179-h200/trouble_brewing_every_cloud_imperial_stout.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TaARZMMAUVLshBJgXcVJC2D06h8uZ2kmARGMGhpIBM __8zxQxfSknylL8_jpoc0d05ggdsR0NeNRj5Yeo7OHON5fheSk e_GESXwlablCw4TaCP_Z3mYjlM6nT6Pk5bUMq7vMKoSGxeiUEO Jl5mRzAX2jfYqDB-bAeRUTr5Xn8UPSnT4k8DQ/s1815/trouble_brewing_every_cloud_imperial_stout.jpg)The companion piece, as I'm sure you can guess, is called Every Cloud. It's an imperial stout at 9.1% ABV, and it does have chocolate in common with the other, though here it's very dark and bitter. Mwah ha haa! For balance you get a much more cheery red-fruit complexity -- raspberry and strawberry fondant. The strength isn't exactly modest, but there's a light touch on the alcohol heat and it's not as dense as one might expect. A little unexciting by the standards of modern microbrewed imperial stout, perhaps, but think of it as a friendly, neighbourhood, Monday-night sort of version instead.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwZWkvjJ8c3utVkTJD7B4kJ_pXKfNOpVUCTYmxm1DR5 tUKmh8aYUwlfiQz1V0ZUB462KQSCv7ZTLJlMveojl458ssRRK2 FbFIuk-YFEATMKzTqxPgK3hwBAV78AVHqhgt7l2u2Zki9XAZg6EEZP0Au oN4DTN_NJyUcIltM0afglaKIROqdYg/w176-h200/trouble_brewing_trick_of_light_rye_ipa.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwZWkvjJ8c3utVkTJD7B4kJ_pXKfNOpVUCTYmxm1DR5 tUKmh8aYUwlfiQz1V0ZUB462KQSCv7ZTLJlMveojl458ssRRK2 FbFIuk-YFEATMKzTqxPgK3hwBAV78AVHqhgt7l2u2Zki9XAZg6EEZP0Au oN4DTN_NJyUcIltM0afglaKIROqdYg/s2570/trouble_brewing_trick_of_light_rye_ipa.jpg)The inevitable IPA has rye in it. As such ones tend to be, Trick of Light is a hazy carrot colour. The initial impression was a surprising sweet and fluffy effect and it took a moment for the bite to kick in. Two bites, actually: citric lemon and grapefruit and rye's pepper, though not the grass bitterness that often comes with that. The twist here is the use of Azacca, a hop which offsets any bitter excesses by bringing juicy tropical fruit in at the finish. The end result is a lovely interplay of bitter and sweet. You get the assertiveness of rye IPA with a happy ray of softer sunshine alongside. Nice.
All of that leaves me hankering for the days when Trouble was a new-beer-every-month brewery. They're clearly not short of recipe ideas. I hope to see more like these on rotating taps and in cans in the near future.
More... (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2022/04/take-four.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdHbR8z0LleKQNF62A1ACDghC4cEllQe1k0ACLZOvsAh igWz3dY_y2giItfPNvbgddFwOFQ4H8g-t73seWOOn4sCyXj3JWS5c5SZ8AbZMLDPFJBKADz5kZ4iX2OK3b R2lzIlLyjpCrbfedGi5habxsVT7CEVydZPDxIjCKJKt_i5mLlq G-bFM/w172-h200/trouble_brewing_super_hans_kolsch.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdHbR8z0LleKQNF62A1ACDghC4cEllQe1k0ACLZOvsAh igWz3dY_y2giItfPNvbgddFwOFQ4H8g-t73seWOOn4sCyXj3JWS5c5SZ8AbZMLDPFJBKADz5kZ4iX2OK3b R2lzIlLyjpCrbfedGi5habxsVT7CEVydZPDxIjCKJKt_i5mLlq G-bFM/s2625/trouble_brewing_super_hans_kolsch.jpg)It's rare that one gets to see the inside of 57 the Headline on a Monday. This occasion was a charity tap takeover by Trouble Brewing, bringing a bunch of new releases as well as several old favourites.
Super Hans is in the Kölsch style, an infrequent occurrence in Irish brewing, now that everyone has their temperature control sorted out. I'm a big fan of the real thing but find that clones rarely measure up, too often used as a shorthand for basic lager for unfussy drinkers. This one seemed altogether more conscientiously designed, beginning with the precision crispness and dry mineral bite. The malt base gives it a breadcrust wholesomeness onto which is grafted a sharp and peppery pinch from rocket-like noble hops. It's quite fizzy from the keg so is no substitute for the soft cask variety you get in Cologne, but as a palate-cleansing thirst-quencher, by the pint rather than the stange, it's perfect.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHZ46VwdOwac9Xq8f4FSOP7B6IBgvJSE7_nMXbMIwp1 lJrKkyOPjbshAOVPc7N9PCFi54KhQSBTZqfa0zfKlwxHpDRKYp g7oJ0uG_LlVjcjhsN9pRkx56LTRLRQImbwav3kFn4wvvgD3iuW Km9rRKzkbKNIiIHgSmY0p3RX42hb7-nZbsd1A/w159-h200/trouble_brewing_silver_lining_mild.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHZ46VwdOwac9Xq8f4FSOP7B6IBgvJSE7_nMXbMIwp1 lJrKkyOPjbshAOVPc7N9PCFi54KhQSBTZqfa0zfKlwxHpDRKYp g7oJ0uG_LlVjcjhsN9pRkx56LTRLRQImbwav3kFn4wvvgD3iuW Km9rRKzkbKNIiIHgSmY0p3RX42hb7-nZbsd1A/s2830/trouble_brewing_silver_lining_mild.jpg)You've got to have a complementary pair in any set like this, and of course you've got to have a mild. Trouble's new mild, their first since 2017 (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2017/11/mild-enthusiasm.html) by my reckoning, is Silver Lining. This is only 3.4% ABV so it wasn't surprising to find it a bit thin and fizzy. There's chocolate, light caramel and a tiny, tinny bite of English hops plus some equally understated blackcurrant. It's OK, but very, y'know, mild. I do think this has the potential to be spectacular on cask, however. Hint hint.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TaARZMMAUVLshBJgXcVJC2D06h8uZ2kmARGMGhpIBM __8zxQxfSknylL8_jpoc0d05ggdsR0NeNRj5Yeo7OHON5fheSk e_GESXwlablCw4TaCP_Z3mYjlM6nT6Pk5bUMq7vMKoSGxeiUEO Jl5mRzAX2jfYqDB-bAeRUTr5Xn8UPSnT4k8DQ/w179-h200/trouble_brewing_every_cloud_imperial_stout.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TaARZMMAUVLshBJgXcVJC2D06h8uZ2kmARGMGhpIBM __8zxQxfSknylL8_jpoc0d05ggdsR0NeNRj5Yeo7OHON5fheSk e_GESXwlablCw4TaCP_Z3mYjlM6nT6Pk5bUMq7vMKoSGxeiUEO Jl5mRzAX2jfYqDB-bAeRUTr5Xn8UPSnT4k8DQ/s1815/trouble_brewing_every_cloud_imperial_stout.jpg)The companion piece, as I'm sure you can guess, is called Every Cloud. It's an imperial stout at 9.1% ABV, and it does have chocolate in common with the other, though here it's very dark and bitter. Mwah ha haa! For balance you get a much more cheery red-fruit complexity -- raspberry and strawberry fondant. The strength isn't exactly modest, but there's a light touch on the alcohol heat and it's not as dense as one might expect. A little unexciting by the standards of modern microbrewed imperial stout, perhaps, but think of it as a friendly, neighbourhood, Monday-night sort of version instead.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwZWkvjJ8c3utVkTJD7B4kJ_pXKfNOpVUCTYmxm1DR5 tUKmh8aYUwlfiQz1V0ZUB462KQSCv7ZTLJlMveojl458ssRRK2 FbFIuk-YFEATMKzTqxPgK3hwBAV78AVHqhgt7l2u2Zki9XAZg6EEZP0Au oN4DTN_NJyUcIltM0afglaKIROqdYg/w176-h200/trouble_brewing_trick_of_light_rye_ipa.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwZWkvjJ8c3utVkTJD7B4kJ_pXKfNOpVUCTYmxm1DR5 tUKmh8aYUwlfiQz1V0ZUB462KQSCv7ZTLJlMveojl458ssRRK2 FbFIuk-YFEATMKzTqxPgK3hwBAV78AVHqhgt7l2u2Zki9XAZg6EEZP0Au oN4DTN_NJyUcIltM0afglaKIROqdYg/s2570/trouble_brewing_trick_of_light_rye_ipa.jpg)The inevitable IPA has rye in it. As such ones tend to be, Trick of Light is a hazy carrot colour. The initial impression was a surprising sweet and fluffy effect and it took a moment for the bite to kick in. Two bites, actually: citric lemon and grapefruit and rye's pepper, though not the grass bitterness that often comes with that. The twist here is the use of Azacca, a hop which offsets any bitter excesses by bringing juicy tropical fruit in at the finish. The end result is a lovely interplay of bitter and sweet. You get the assertiveness of rye IPA with a happy ray of softer sunshine alongside. Nice.
All of that leaves me hankering for the days when Trouble was a new-beer-every-month brewery. They're clearly not short of recipe ideas. I hope to see more like these on rotating taps and in cans in the near future.
More... (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2022/04/take-four.html)