All that was missing was a forty piece orchestra, conducted by the maestro of Westerns from a legendary series directed by Sergio Leone. Starring everybody's favourite gringo, Clint Eastwood.
The other night I took home a couple beers from work. Two from world renowned brewery 'Brewfist'. An IPA with a whopping great IBU (International Bitterness Units) of 70 and an Imperial Chocolate Coffee Stout made with pasta water.
I started with 'Spaceman', the IPA. We'd only had them in a couple of days and already the stock had reached an alarming level and we were nearly out. The beers popularity and whoever wrote the shelf ticket for it, claiming it to be "the best IPA I've ever tried' really made me want to try it. More than want to try it, it was obligatory that I tried it.
Already my expectations of this beer had raised to an appropriately astronomic level. Could it truly be an IPA that is 'out of this world'. Forgive the cheesiness but with such a beer and with the name it has, it's just too easy.
As soon as the cap popped off the bottle and on hearing that 'pfft' sound that beers make when the pressure building inside the bottles is allowed to touch the surrounding atmosphere for the first time, almost like a baby coming out from the womb being so used to receiving all its oxygen from the umbilical cord and having to take a deep breath for the first time after 9 months of captivity. With that sound, the air around the bottle filled with the distinct aroma of clean, strong smelling tropical fruits coming from the amount of hops used. If you walked into the room without knowing a beer had been opened you might mistake the scent for a pleasantly scented candle, one of those mega expensive ones, or an oil burner, gently vaporising delicate or pungent essential oils.
The fragrance lifted me up to a happy place, somewhere I rarely visit and not normally before I've had the chance to drink any beer. The smell continued to intensify and only got stronger as I poured the beer into a glass. The taste did a good job of holding its own against such an aroma. For a beer with an IBU of 70, it was remarkably smooth and fruity, not at all as dry and bitter as I was expecting.
The shelf label wasn't lying or exaggerating. It is an exceptional IPA, certainly one of the finest I have ever tried. I don't know what hops they used but I think I might like to use them in my next brew.
Returning to planet Earth with my feet firmly on the ground, it was time for the next beer. the Imperial Stout.
'Spaghetti Western' was its name, an Imperial Chocolate Coffee Stout. A collaboration between 'Brewfist' of Italy and 'Prairie Ales' from USA. I thought it had a great name, but what interested me the most about it was the fact that it had been brewed using 'spaghetti water', the left over starchy solution from cooking pasta. What would this rich starch filled water do to such a beer?
Sadly I couldn't quite tell what difference the pasta water actually made. Was it there as a malt substitute, I'm not sure. Flavour wise it was a bloody good Imperial Stout. Distinguishable notes of bitter chocolate and roasted coffee. At 8.5% it's not going to knock you out in one hit. Although, if it were Clint Eastwood, being so quick on the draw and firing without flinching, I'm certain the outcome would be very different. However, it is still pretty damn strong so drink it with an air of caution. I would be tempted to try their 'Grappa' version but not unfortunately I can't stand Grappa.
brewfist
prairieales
Possibly the best shop ever... if you like beer
realale.com
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