A Quart of Ale± #18 Moving on over to craft. Wheat Beers

A Quart of Ale± #18

Moving on over to craft. 

Wheat Beers (Part 1)

Click here for Part 2

The most famous wheat beers come from Germany and Belgium where the refreshing drinks are known as Weissbier and Witbier both of which translate as white beer, hence the Westport and Kinnegar whites in this and the following post. The style normally contains a large proportion of malted wheat. Like all beer styles, Wheat Beers are on the move. Just when you think you know something about it, your brewer thinks of a variation and, according to Craft Beer for the Geeks, “fruited wheat beers are the new normal”.  San Francisco’s 21st Amendment Brewery has the ultimate: Hell or High Watermelon! I was wondering if there were any Irish contenders and then along comes Hope’s Grunt (Part 2).

Mescan “Westport White” 5%, 330ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Malts, hops and yeast for this Wheat Beer come from Belgium and the water (holy water?), comes from the slopes of Croagh Patrick where the brewery is situated.

Pale gold is the colour. Frothy white head atop the hazy body. Plenty of carbonation noticed even in the cloud. Aromas mild, clove is a modest element. Crisp is the first tactile sensation, the clove again and then citrusy and floral notes before the lingering dry finish. A terrific beer, well balanced, refreshing with a lip-smacking finalé.

They say: Yeast in suspension in wheat beer is at the origin of its trademark haze but may eventually settle at the bottom. A gentle swirl near the end of the pour will restore the beer’s traditional appearance.

The suggested serving temperature is a lower than usual at 4 - 6 ° C. The Belgian style beer comes, as Belgian beers normally do, with food pairing recommendations. In short, light dishes such as fish and salads are just the job. Also recommended as a thirst quenching aperitif! For the full details check here. 

Mescan Brewery is named after Mescan the monk who was St. Patrick's friend and personal brewer. It is situated on the slopes of Croagh Patrick and is owned and operated by Bart Adons and Cillian Ó Móráin, two Westport vets, who have been friends and colleagues for nearly 20 years. The pair spent four years perfecting their original recipes inspired by the beers of Belgium, Bart's homeland, before starting to brew commercially in 2013.

 

The water for Mescan beers comes from deep underneath Croagh Patrick via a spring beside the brewery. Malts, hops and yeast for the beer come from Belgium. 

Weihenstephaner “Hefe Weissbier” 5.4%, .5l bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Weihenstephaner are proud of this wheat beer: a veritable classic – and the star of our beer ensemble. And I can happily agree. It has a light gold colour, hazy, with a fluffy pillowy head. Typical clove aromas and banana flavours. Superb refreshing flavours and a delight on the palate along with an excellent dry finish. Reminds me of why I so enjoyed wheat beer early on but wheat beers are in a minority in Ireland and you don’t come across them that often. A classic indeed.

This Weihenstephaner is made according to the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516. Drink at 6-8 degrees. It has a mild IBU count of 14 and they recommend pairing it with Obazda (a Bavarian cheese spread) - I’m sure we could rustle up something similar around here. What we cannot magic up is a brewery as old as Weihenstephaner - they’ve been at it since 1040! Other food pairings noted are with fish and seafood, and especially with the traditional Bavarian veal sausage.

Kiuchi “Hitachino Nest” White Ale, 5.5%, 330ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Hazy mid-gold colour with a white pillowy head that’s in no rush to get away (perhaps the torrefied wheat has something to do with that!). And, yes, those clove aromas and banana flavours. We’re on solid wheat beer ground even if this one, all 11.2 fluid ounces of it, comes all the way from Japan’s Kiuchi Brewery. It has been brewed with additions of spices, coriander and orange and there’s certainly a hint or two of citrus on the palate and spice notes (nutmeg) too of course. Nicely rounded soft flavours, well-balanced. Easy drinking, easy to like. Another one for the short list!

They say the style is Belgian White Ale and suggest serving it at 6-9 degrees. The IBU is 13. Hops used: Perle, Celleia, Amarillo, Styrian Goldings while Malts are Larger, Wheat. The adjuncts listed are Flaked Wheat (to promote fuller body and haze), Torrefied Wheat, Coriander, Nutmeg, Orange Peel, Orange Juice.

The Hitachino Nest Beers are brewed by the Kiuchi family (now in its 8th generation) who have been brewing Sake since 1823

Click here for Part 2

Suntory Roku Gin. Six Japanese Botanicals.

Suntory Roku Gin, 43% abv, €45.00 at 34 O’Brien’s Off Licences and O’Brien’s online  

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There’s a whiff of the evergreens when you nose this, floral and citrus notes also. Clean and fresh  on the palate too, the aromatics still pleasantly at play. Quite a backbone of savoury notes too as you realise that this well-balanced gin is a good one, one that lives up to its premium tag.

With tonic (Fever tree regular), the nose remains clean and fresh. Give the mix a bit of time and more of the flavours and aromas of this nuanced gin emerge before a dry lingering dry finish, a touch of tannin at the finalé.

Roku means six in Japanese and six, including the Kanji symbol, is all over the hexagonal bottle. Indeed, there are six Japanese botanicals inside: Sakura (cherry) flower, Sakura leaf, Yuzu peel, Sencha tea (green tea), Gyokuro tea (refined green tea) and Sanshō pepper. And each, delicately embossed, has a side of the bottle to itself.

“Each has been harvested at the peak of its season to extract the best flavour, and distilled to fully embody the blessings of nature.” Four distinct types of pot stills are used in a process unique to the "Liquor Atelier", the specialised craft distillery for Suntory spirits, whereby “the botanicals are distilled separately according to each feature of botanicals to extract the best flavour and maintain their individual characteristics. For instance, the delicate scent of cherry blossom is drawn out through vacuum distillation in stainless pot stills, whereas the deep flavour of yuzu is achieved by distillation in copper still pots”.

There is of course a big nod to the gin tradition so juniper berries, coriander, angelica seed and root, cinnamon, cardamom, bitter orange and lemon peel are also in the mix.

I’m certain the mixologists will find many applications for this excellent gin. Roku themselves offer just one recipe. They believe that the warm, pungent flavour of ginger further highlights the unique quality of the Japanese botanicals and so they give us the the Roku Gin and Tonic, their Perfect Serve that “evokes the style of Japan”.

1. Use six thinly sliced sticks of ginger
2. Pour 5cl of ROKU into a measuring glass.
3. Add the ginger sticks and ROKU to a long glass filled with ice and tonic water.
4. Enjoy!

I've tried this GG&T a few times and it is indeed very enjoyable. I tried re-using the ginger sticks in the next glass as well and it seemed to heighten the partnership in this Perfect Serve. Or was that just the second glass effect?

Miyazaki Japanese Take-Away. On the corner, a “treasure box”

Miyazaki Japanese Take-Away

On a Cork corner, a “treasure box”

Salmon

The always busy Cork corner between Barrack Street and Evergreen Street has a new feature, a Japanese Take-Away called Miyazaki. It looks as if this corner will get even busier as top chef Takashi Miyazaki has opened up a “treasure box” of Japanese food. “I want people to enjoy the real flavours of Japan.”

The owner-chef is a native of Fukuoka in Japan and has over twenty years high level experience. The use of fresh local ingredients and Takashi's essential ingredient of dashi broth brings you a traditional Japanese cuisine known as “Itadakimasu”.  I was there last Friday and got lunch and supper for forty euro for the two of us.

The “treasure box” is just that, a small boxy place with room for just a handful of sit-down customers. You sit on stools near the a shelf along the window and watch the people come and go outside. But you don't do much watching really as your eyes and attention are on the flavours in the dish.

Soup

 We were there just as the doors opened at 1.00pm and got two of those precious high stools. We studied the menu and, of course, the specials board! As we waited, we were served with bowls of a lovely Miso Soup (with tofu, wakame seaweed and dashi), delicate and delicious.

Neither of us knows much about Japanese food so we were consciously or unconsciously looking for familiar words. And so it was that CL chose the Teriyaki Chicken Bento (grilled chicken, marinated with homemade teriyaki sauce). This was superb, a great balance between the flavours, the rice too playing a role here.

Chicken. Yes that's half an egg at top.

I went for the Salmon Zuke Donburi (fresh Atlantic salmon marinated in soy based sauce on steamed rice). This was served in a bowl with slices of marinated salmon and ikura (salmon roe) on top and a little dollop of wasabi. Lots going on here, the colour, the flavour, the amazing texture of the salmon all adding up to lunch-time perfection!

Lunch was over but the remarkable experience was to be soon continued. We had a look at the take-away section (this gets very busy in the evenings) and picked two items for sharing later on. The first was Nori Bento (Nori seaweed, breaded fish, fish cake with kimpira burdock). It looked a small enough container but there was certainly enough there as a shared starter. But never mind about the quantity, the quality (flavour and texture) was once again outstanding.

Yakiniku Bento

 And it just got better with the (Stir fried beef and vegetables with Miya’s yakiniku sauce). Once again an amazing mix of flavours and, of course, that lovely softish crunch that you get with stir-fried vegetables.

So if you want remarkable food from this amazing chef, head to Evergreen Street (just a few minutes from the English Market) and you’ll find Miyazaki’s doors open between 13.00 to 16.00 and 17.00 to 21.00 Tuesday to Sunday. Phone number is 021-4312716.

Find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/miyazakicork/ and his Twitter is @miyazakicork  

Nori Bento