Show 27: Wonka Beer!
Prebeer Preamble: Perhaps your fizz-swilling Aunt Edna would be surprised to learn there are beers out there that satisfy her sweet tooth. Perhaps, just perhaps, one of these beers would serve as a “gateway” for better beer and make her life a better thing. Today I investigate this possibility with a couple of brews that sound right out of Willy’s Chocolate Factory. The role of Aunt Edna will be played by my beer-avoidant friend Devona, once again generously volunteering to be my guinea pig in an eeeeevil exbeeriment. Are we about to unwrap the Golden Ticket to better beer, or have we just made a deal with Slugworth?
Beer #1: First up is Breckenridge Brewery’s Vanilla Porter. Its label festooned with vanilla beans, and pouring a deep garnet-brown, this beer immediately piques Devona’s interest. But as she brings it to her lips, does the interest turn to bitter disappointment?
Interbeer Interlude: The Build-A-Beer Workshop. “Meet the New Guy.” We take a break from the main theme to check back in with SoB’s homebrew project. Our first beer, dubbed “New Guy Pale Ale” by my brewing companion Shawn, gets bottled, aged, and then taste-tested both by its brewers as well as a passel o’ podcasters (Michael R. Mennenga, Evo Terra, Tee Morris, Brian Brown, and Tim Adamec). The verdict? Tune in and see for yourself!
Beer #2: Young’s Double Chocolate Stout. Upon reading the label, Devona practically sqeals with glee. But is this English stout everything it claims to be? We put words like “chocolate” and “luxury” to the test of a pink-wine drinker’s palate.
Beer Geek Moment: “Beer and Food Pairing.” Though the show beers lean toward the “desserty”, beer is a perfect accompaniment to every course. Check out this basic guide to pairing beer with everything from soup to nuts.
Postbeer Postscript: A surprise third beverage makes an appearance as Devona and I score up today’s beers. Was the experiment successful, or does the only way to make these brews palatable involve an ice cream scoop?
April 16th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Good show. I personally found the Youngs to be a better tasting beer, to my palate, compared to the Breckenridge. I also didn’t find the Breckenridge anything special especially since you expect a bigger vanilla feel/taste. I also found the Young’s, that I experienced, had a very powerful chocolate flavour which I wasn’t expecting at all.
April 16th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
It had been quite a while since I had had Young’s prior to this recording, and I gotta say I was disappointed in the whole “chocolate” experience. I don’t know if it was old bottle, or if my expectations were too high or what. I’ll tell you one thing: Devona’s “bitter beer face” made me wish it was a vidcast!
April 20th, 2007 at 5:43 am
My main problem with the Young’s is it was a bait-and-switch. I can deal with hoppy, bitter beers, but when something is advertised as “Double Chocolate,” I am expecting some sweetness, dammit! This definitely had some chocolate, which became more pronounced as it warmed, but no sweetness at all. Even the bitterest dark chocolate has some sugar in it…and the fat from the cocoa butter also helps to round out the flavor.
I did have some leftover easter candy lying around, so tried the beer with a couple Hershey’s Kisses. The fat and creaminess in the kiss helped to balance the bracing bitterness of the beer.
April 22nd, 2007 at 3:31 pm
While I enjoy the Young’s, the best chocolate beer I’ve ever had was a brew called “Young Sarge” from the Flossmoor Station Brewery in Flossmoor, IL. One of our local breweries (Shlafly’s, not that other place that makes the yellow fizzy stuff) recently had a party celebrating the repeal of prohibition. Flossmoor Station was a part of it, along with several other small breweries. If you can imagine an alcoholic version of Hershey’s syrup, that’s what you’d have in Young Sarge.