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(Photo: Mike Horton) |
Beer
drinkers know that when the wind is howling and the thermometer falling, you
might not want to reach for an ice-cold pale ale or a light lager which
describes itself as "crisp and refreshing." Choose instead a hearty bock beer, Belgian
trippel or barley wine, a malty porter or stout, a spiced pumpkin, Oktoberfest
or holiday ale, or even an alcohol-strong India pale ale (IPA).
Now
don't get me wrong. You can happily
drink any style beer any time of the year.
Pairing a beer with food, for example, doesn't depend on what the
weather is doing outside. But it's only
natural that certain styles of beer, as with wine, lend themselves to the
different seasons.
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Laphroaig single malt Scotch whisky: In the bottle and in the beer. (Photo: Mike Horton) |
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Launching The Dictator Whisky Beer, with two of the three partners, Yotam Baras (right) and Tomer Goren (center). (Photo: Mike Horton) |
The Whisky Beer by The Dictator Brewery (using the facilities of the Mivshelet Ha'aretz in Kiryat Gat) is made with Laphroaig single malt Scotch whisky. I was at the launch of this "special edition" beer in Tel Aviv, where Yotam Baras, one of The Dictator partners warned that we would "either love or hate" the smokiness which the whisky imparts to this beer. He refused to reveal how much whisky is added to the Irish Red Ale base, but the final percentage of the beer is 6.9% -- strong but not extreme.
To tell
the truth, I neither loved nor hated.
The Whisky Beer pours out a dark reddish-copper color with a thin
head. The aroma is of peaty smoke with
some malt. And of course, the smokiness
is very distinct in the flavor, as you would find in a smoky single malt
Scotch. Yet, you don't really taste the
whisky, just the smoke. It's a very
balanced and creamy beer; actually quite pleasant. Like other smoky beers, this one pairs well
with grilled food, including vegetables and mushrooms, and would be very
interesting with caramel, chocolate or spicy desserts.
I'm not
sure how much longer this beer will be on the shelves, but I hope there will be
some bottles left throughout the winter.
Be warned: Because of the added whisky, it costs around twice as much as
regular craft beer, but it's worth it just to try.
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Herzl's new roggen weizen: A Sort of Wheat. |
The fancy bottle label was designed by Jerusalem tattoo artist Daniel Bulichev, and includes a hop flower and two stalks of grain -- rye and wheat.
A Sort of Wheat is dark copper colored, darker
than a typical wheat beer, and a bit stronger – 5.6% alcohol. The aroma gives you some hops and sweet malt,
but the flavors are very close to what you would expect from a wheat beer: banana-clove
and some caramel. Where's the rye? I couldn't detect it in the flavor, but
perhaps it makes itself felt in the fuller body, the wee sourness, and the dry
finish.
All-in-all, a good beer for those who want a
wheat beer with a different twist. A
proud addition to the craft beers of the Start-Up Nation.
The newest winter beer is the 2017 version of Jack's
Winter Ale from Shapiro Brewery in Beit Shemesh. This beer gets its special taste and body by
being aged with oak chips soaked in bourbon whisky. This is the sixth year that Shapiro is
bringing out its annual Winter Ale, and fans of Israeli craft beers wait for
its appearance at the start of every winter.
This is a great beer for any winter
meal, especially foods with intense or spicy tastes, as well as pizza, aged
cheeses, and rich, semi-sweet desserts. After the meal, it's a beautiful
warming dessert by itself.
I can recommend three other new beers for the winter which are available commercially, but I'll just name them here because I wrote about them in earlier posts:
Grizzly -- a double IPA from HaDubim ("The Bears") Brewery [written up here]
Happy Hour in Sodom -- a salty caramel porter from the Dancing Camel Brewery [written up here]
Nelson -- a black IPA from the Basha-Flom Brewery [written up here]
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The 2017 edition of Jack's Winter Ale from Shapiro. |
"Our recipe hasn't changed," says
Itzik Shapiro, one of the brewery's partner-brothers. "But every version has been a little
different. This is a strong beer that
can be aged for a few months and it will only get mellower and more
mature. At 8.5% alcohol, it's definitely
a sipping beer, not one for long, multiple-beer drinking sessions."
The 2017 Jack's Winter Ale pours out a beautiful
red amber color with a thin tan head.
The aroma had roasted malt and some caramel. The taste is very malty with spices; we
detected cloves and pepper and a little bit of the whisky. The beer is full-bodied and the finish is
nicely spiced.
I can recommend three other new beers for the winter which are available commercially, but I'll just name them here because I wrote about them in earlier posts:
Grizzly -- a double IPA from HaDubim ("The Bears") Brewery [written up here]
Happy Hour in Sodom -- a salty caramel porter from the Dancing Camel Brewery [written up here]
Nelson -- a black IPA from the Basha-Flom Brewery [written up here]
So as you hunker down for the winter, don't
forget to stock up on some of these fine beers which will be welcome
companions, at least until next spring.