EAT&DR|NK
The new wine
A new breed of brewers are bringing beer to the dinner table and Barry Shelby finds that supping with a sumptuous ale can be sublime.
hen Riek) 'l‘omlinxon
goex to gala mealx \\lIlI
hix earry out of lager. the patt‘iareh ol the Rut/e I’d/nil)~ ix hating the making man‘x l‘lag. But 'l‘omlinxon l‘orexhadottx \\ hat l'or\\ard-looking l‘olk in the New ing induxtr_\ e\peet up—market and axpirational eonxumerx to do.
\Vhile the) .re unlikel) to he toting tinx ol' 'l'ennentx. people ma) we“ won he .xipping a trait} \xheat heer \xith their xtarter ol' xeared xeallop and then a top—end ale with their \enixon medallionx main eourxe rather than Sau\ ignon Blane or Rijoa \\ inex.
Sound l‘ai'—l‘etelied'.’ .\la_\he. hut .xpend xome time \\ith ne\\ heer gurux and theyll .xoon ha\ e _\ou helie\ ing that ale ean he e\er) hit ax eomple\. dixerxe. xuhtle and .xuhlime ax \xine. Beer heginx \xith malted harle_\ titixt ax \\hixk§ l. and the \xa_\ the grain ix roaxted introdueex \arioux eharaeterixtiex to the hrexx. 'l‘hen eome the hopx: the t_\pe ol' and time \\ hen thix aromatie ix introdueed in the proeexx introdueex more \ariet}.
'l‘hen thet'e‘x the \xater tlk‘e‘i"x major
eomponenti and _\eaxt thretxer'x ll;l\L‘ SL‘CI'L‘I I'L‘L‘IPL‘SI. \VlllL‘. tl
eomhination of a text \arietiex ol
grapex. hlended and xometimex aged. i.x ehild'x pla} h} eomparixon.
()ne ot' the moxt inno\ati\ e new premium heerx on the market -- and one that'x touted to go ax \\ ell \\ith a lttL‘ttl ax ll doex on ilx t)\\li — Ix a loeal produet: lnnix & (iunn ()ak
.-\ged Beer. The hrainehild ol'
l'ormer ('aledonian lti‘etter} maxter hre\\er l)ougal Sharp. it ix aged in hourhon eaxkx tor 3t) da} x or more.
Managing direetor Sharp. 32. reprexentx the new hreed ol~ hre\\ er. e\uding eonl'idenee ahout hix produet. The traditional hre\\erx hax long heen a preoeeupation \\ ith identil'} ing l'la\\ x. Sharp'x not ohli\ioux to hlemixhex. hut he emphaxixex the poxiti\ex in a manner that might make \Villiant .\Ieli\\an and (ieorge Younger xpin in their grax ex. 'In the end.’ xa_\ x Sharp. ‘the eonxumerx are the linal arhiterx ol' poxiti\e lila\our attrihutex.‘
ALE CAN BE EVERY BIT AS COMPLEX, DIVERSE AND SUBLIME AS WINE
\\'hile ageing in oak ma} xound like a gimmiek. there ean he no douhting that it impartx lila\ourx and aromax in lnnix tk (iunn quite unlike an) other heer. Sharpx talkx ahout hintx ot hone}. tot‘l‘ee. hanana and eitrux in a xmooth tand potent) ale \\ ith line ehampagne-like huhhlex. .-\lltl Indeed. the) ire there.
Reeentl) at the (ilenl‘iddieh dixtiller}. \xhere xome ol the Innix
inelination ol'
tk (iunn ix heing aged. Sharp lead a taxting ol hall-matured hre\\ draun l‘rom xi\ dil‘l'erent harrelx. 'l‘he \ariet} ol' lila\ourx in the \arioux eaxkx \\ax axtonixhing. \anilla \tax prominent in one. \xhile another e\oked tltllllL‘L‘ and a third \\ ax
elearl_\ ol‘l'ering undertonex ol~
eoeonut. Sharp takex xome llll dil'l'erent eaxkx and \then eaeh ix aged to the proper point. the} are married or hlended and then aged another month and a hall to ereate the linixhed produet.
Rupert l’onxonh}. a promoter oi
neu heer hreedx. xa}x: 'lnnix tk (iunn openx all ne\\ gaxtronomie doorx.‘ 'l‘he realit_\ ix that people ahead} drink more heer \tith food than \xine. Hut l’onxonh} xeex a l‘uture \xhere \enuex xer\ing line lititttl “I” IN“ ilS1lIIllllL'tl It) matehing heer \\ltll a dixh ax the_\ are pairing \tine to indi\idual eourxex. lle hax matehed lnnix tk (illllll \xith dixhex at heer and loud taxtingx do\\n xouth and people ha\ e heen 'h|o\\ n a\\a'\.. he xa_\ x.
.-\nother xpeeialit} Seottixh ale highlighted at a reeent heer meal in ladinhurgh \\;t\ 'l'ratiuair llouxe .-\le. lt \\ ax poured to aeeompan} a \IL‘LtlllL‘tl ehoeolate tlL‘SSL‘t'II ti ltlttlL‘ll pairing like with like. Rieh. xtrong dark ale \xith potent pudding ol' lWlIIL‘l'xu eet L‘lttie‘ttlttlc.
'l‘he ehallenge ix ehanging people'x hiax againxt heer. But the tranxition ix “not that hard.‘ l’onxonh} inxixtx. ‘Speeial heer ean go \\ ltll xpeeial liititl.‘
xortx oi
&
The‘Beer Naturally‘ campaign has come up with some suggeshons for anyone who wants to try matching ‘\ It (‘-
. tum iwwx (Io-luah' tam-n. beer With their festive season feast. The organisation‘s ‘Christmas dinner with a difference' chart suggests. for example. that hors d‘oeuvres can be consumed with a bubbly lager or fruity ale.
As for starters, frosty tumblers of wheat beer go well with smoked salmon. According to Beer Naturally, the “lower bitterness and refreshing citric acidity of these It (; wheat beers w'""37.33.1737,; iii-iii).th cleanse the palate like a classy Sauvignon Blanc.’ And for wheat beer, you don‘t have to import. Why not Isle of Skye’s ‘Misty Isle‘?
Moving on to your main course, try full-flavoured lager or cask- conditioned ales. Options include Innis & Gunn Oak Aged, ‘Saligo‘ Ale from Islay Ales, Bridge of Allan ‘Lomond Gold Blonde' or Cale’s organic ‘Golden Promise‘. And a hint to the chef: put a bit of whatever is
Canape's
Starters
Roast Turkey
served into the gravy, too. Finally, for 10‘ c Ch - t Bottle (,(HKIIIIOIH'd alt". “8 mas and fuller “(It/DUNN, (.ontuwntal laqm', something
with high ABV like Traquair House Ale (7.5%) and Fullers Golden Pride (8.5%) or a thick and rich brew, such as Orkney Dark Island.
You might just feel 100% in the morning, too. Innis & Gunn’s Dougal Sharp swears that sticking
Christmas Pud
with beer
ensures no 10"C
hangover. and old ales
(Barry Shelby) ' ' ' THE LIST 119