Blog Tracker
21-10-2022, 07:10
Visit The Beer Nut site (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2022/10/hema-check-this-out.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiww-AnmgiFmoTlHQNVaCK2fezL4B92lF-ZgAYYC8ac9WCnEGUPR8caJDXbMAr9Z9F8fXFWX6e1paVSzqN_f 3C9FuMxS-183j2vur7sRBU73YIJ10fUz_auC4vXs-ZK8CDAIE3gXKa9A9ICMgf4d8J8SBh1Cp7tR6F4jgKFo9tRviav U2jiS38/w169-h200/vandestreek_rookworst_weizen.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiww-AnmgiFmoTlHQNVaCK2fezL4B92lF-ZgAYYC8ac9WCnEGUPR8caJDXbMAr9Z9F8fXFWX6e1paVSzqN_f 3C9FuMxS-183j2vur7sRBU73YIJ10fUz_auC4vXs-ZK8CDAIE3gXKa9A9ICMgf4d8J8SBh1Cp7tR6F4jgKFo9tRviav U2jiS38/s2675/vandestreek_rookworst_weizen.jpg)HEMA is a ubiquitous chain store in the Netherlands, selling an odd combination of cosmetics, accessories, stationery, homewares, snacks and drinks. I know it best for the rookworst, a heavily smoked sausage which makes an ideal breakfast or snack, especially when going to a beer festival. Buying one at the HEMA in Leiden station is part of my regular Borefts routine, about which more next week.
When I saw that Utrecht brewery vandeStreek had turned the rookworst into a beer -- Rookworst Weizen -- I snapped it up. It's 5.5% ABV and dun-coloured, containing nothing more involved than smoked malt. And yet with that it channels the sausage perfectly, with a rich and meaty smokiness. Schlenkerla's Weizen is my least favourite of their beers because the smoke clashes with the sweet weissbier esters. Here that side is dialled back considerably, leaving the smoke a clean space on which to operate. I kept having to remind myself that it's meant to be a daft novelty because it's extremely well put together. This seemingly throwaway idea is a treat for anyone who likes their smoked beer thoroughly smoked.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRJG9c1SlBOeHeaCfTD98yIKKW69mUYVfIjcVATrZyr 4AZ_xfBIT5Z0VQ8zFbua0HMYpDEdOXu4UbeT2w9YivEAsDXgGR R5jFWcg96AqTcZawjXP2zGO9LlKNQBCDE6DnJTmaC7j-ltAZM07qg19OzNLVVsLbZ6T8uCI8Ay5ty9uOTbLHiEQ/w126-h200/hoop_pepernoten_bier.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRJG9c1SlBOeHeaCfTD98yIKKW69mUYVfIjcVATrZyr 4AZ_xfBIT5Z0VQ8zFbua0HMYpDEdOXu4UbeT2w9YivEAsDXgGR R5jFWcg96AqTcZawjXP2zGO9LlKNQBCDE6DnJTmaC7j-ltAZM07qg19OzNLVVsLbZ6T8uCI8Ay5ty9uOTbLHiEQ/s3595/hoop_pepernoten_bier.jpg)It's not the only novelty beer HEMA has commissioned either. Zaandijk brewer Hoop, cousin of Dublin's Hope, has brewed Pepernoten Bier, another one that very successfully recreates the food item it's influenced by. This time, however, it's not as successful, partly because pepernoten are disgusting and partly because their taste does not go well in a beer. What you get here is a clear reddish brown ale that smells not just of herbs and spices, but of all the herbs and spices: an unholy mish-mash involving cloves, nutmeg, aniseed, basil, tarragon, mint and white pepper. All these and more jostle for position in the flavour, energised by a powerfully sweet malt base, with a yucky stale gymbag twang for bad measure. A lasting note of toothpaste in the finish suggests something cleaner and fresher than it actually is. At 7% ABV it could have been heavy and sticky too, so there's one small mercy that it isn't. Still, even with my tolerance for novelty beers, this just didn't work. Proceed with extreme caution.
If, then, for some reason, you find yourself doing your beer shopping at HEMA, I hope you find these pointers useful.
More... (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2022/10/hema-check-this-out.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiww-AnmgiFmoTlHQNVaCK2fezL4B92lF-ZgAYYC8ac9WCnEGUPR8caJDXbMAr9Z9F8fXFWX6e1paVSzqN_f 3C9FuMxS-183j2vur7sRBU73YIJ10fUz_auC4vXs-ZK8CDAIE3gXKa9A9ICMgf4d8J8SBh1Cp7tR6F4jgKFo9tRviav U2jiS38/w169-h200/vandestreek_rookworst_weizen.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiww-AnmgiFmoTlHQNVaCK2fezL4B92lF-ZgAYYC8ac9WCnEGUPR8caJDXbMAr9Z9F8fXFWX6e1paVSzqN_f 3C9FuMxS-183j2vur7sRBU73YIJ10fUz_auC4vXs-ZK8CDAIE3gXKa9A9ICMgf4d8J8SBh1Cp7tR6F4jgKFo9tRviav U2jiS38/s2675/vandestreek_rookworst_weizen.jpg)HEMA is a ubiquitous chain store in the Netherlands, selling an odd combination of cosmetics, accessories, stationery, homewares, snacks and drinks. I know it best for the rookworst, a heavily smoked sausage which makes an ideal breakfast or snack, especially when going to a beer festival. Buying one at the HEMA in Leiden station is part of my regular Borefts routine, about which more next week.
When I saw that Utrecht brewery vandeStreek had turned the rookworst into a beer -- Rookworst Weizen -- I snapped it up. It's 5.5% ABV and dun-coloured, containing nothing more involved than smoked malt. And yet with that it channels the sausage perfectly, with a rich and meaty smokiness. Schlenkerla's Weizen is my least favourite of their beers because the smoke clashes with the sweet weissbier esters. Here that side is dialled back considerably, leaving the smoke a clean space on which to operate. I kept having to remind myself that it's meant to be a daft novelty because it's extremely well put together. This seemingly throwaway idea is a treat for anyone who likes their smoked beer thoroughly smoked.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRJG9c1SlBOeHeaCfTD98yIKKW69mUYVfIjcVATrZyr 4AZ_xfBIT5Z0VQ8zFbua0HMYpDEdOXu4UbeT2w9YivEAsDXgGR R5jFWcg96AqTcZawjXP2zGO9LlKNQBCDE6DnJTmaC7j-ltAZM07qg19OzNLVVsLbZ6T8uCI8Ay5ty9uOTbLHiEQ/w126-h200/hoop_pepernoten_bier.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRJG9c1SlBOeHeaCfTD98yIKKW69mUYVfIjcVATrZyr 4AZ_xfBIT5Z0VQ8zFbua0HMYpDEdOXu4UbeT2w9YivEAsDXgGR R5jFWcg96AqTcZawjXP2zGO9LlKNQBCDE6DnJTmaC7j-ltAZM07qg19OzNLVVsLbZ6T8uCI8Ay5ty9uOTbLHiEQ/s3595/hoop_pepernoten_bier.jpg)It's not the only novelty beer HEMA has commissioned either. Zaandijk brewer Hoop, cousin of Dublin's Hope, has brewed Pepernoten Bier, another one that very successfully recreates the food item it's influenced by. This time, however, it's not as successful, partly because pepernoten are disgusting and partly because their taste does not go well in a beer. What you get here is a clear reddish brown ale that smells not just of herbs and spices, but of all the herbs and spices: an unholy mish-mash involving cloves, nutmeg, aniseed, basil, tarragon, mint and white pepper. All these and more jostle for position in the flavour, energised by a powerfully sweet malt base, with a yucky stale gymbag twang for bad measure. A lasting note of toothpaste in the finish suggests something cleaner and fresher than it actually is. At 7% ABV it could have been heavy and sticky too, so there's one small mercy that it isn't. Still, even with my tolerance for novelty beers, this just didn't work. Proceed with extreme caution.
If, then, for some reason, you find yourself doing your beer shopping at HEMA, I hope you find these pointers useful.
More... (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2022/10/hema-check-this-out.html)