Plus Up

Beer--

• Kiuchi Brewery (Ibaraki, Japan)—“Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale” (11.2oz, 7%)

http://www.kodawari.cc/engpage/kodawari/html/index.htm

I’d never heard of red rice until I read the label on the bottle.

According to Wikipedia, red rice is an old cultivar that is not as productive as modern varieties. If I infer correctly, this variety has fallen into disuse. Lucky for beer drinkers, the Kiuchi folks have taken it up.

The nose… A waft from the just-opened bottle doesn’t smell like anything I’ve ever experienced before. It seems like it should smell like a strong Belgian ale but, what should be earthy instead is like macerated strawberries from a pie or tart against a background of gentle hops.

The strawberry in the nose matches with the curious strawberry-blond color of the head, and the pale pink color of the clear ale. The head is thick and the bubbles irregular, but it subsides quickly.

In the glass, the nose is lighter and more fresh.

The taste is as unusual as the nose. The start is a lightly astringent and moderately tart attack that gives way into a powdery vanilla and caramel with faint fruit. It’s intriguing and delicate. The body is light and the flavors reveal themselves in sequence, each only for a brief moment. My second sip is reflexive, like a double-take, as I try to figure out what just happened.

The next sips reveal a gentle cooked-fruit character that I can’t quite nail down and somewhere in there I swear there’s something like mint.

I like it. I like it a lot. But this is a delicate and finicky beverage that won’t tolerate much interference from food. You might be able to eat sushi with this, but only if you didn’t touch even a bit of the wasabi or the soy sauce. Fruit might pair with the ale but it better not be your first time trying the stuff. There’s so much you’d miss.

Speaking of missing things, this brew is 7% ABV. If you have a couple in a sitting, you might miss more than a few things.

Rating: 8 out of 10 Very Good Stuff

• Brasserie de Silly (Silly, Belgium)—“Scotch Silly” (12 fl. oz., 8% ABV)

A scotch ale done by the Belgians. At first sight I knew I had to try this.

How can I explain the urge?

It’s like hearing that Rolls Royce just released a limited edition handmade matchbox car. It’s like getting a slice of pizza baked by Julia Child. Yeah, there’s a 1% chance this will suck, but there’s a 99% chance it will rock serious socks. Belgium produces beer that stops God from pressing the restart button on the world and the Scots are known for producing powerful and graceful beverages that warm the heart and challenge the liver. A combination of the two traditions is something I just can’t pass up.

The nose promises a haymaker of a beer—a great big wallop whistling through the air toward me. It smells like malt, fermentation, molasses and the first waft of a freshly opened box of raisins. If you’ve ever smelled a good barleywine or strong ale, it smells like aged versions of those. All the harshness and youthful heat of the brew are replaced by a polished and muscular character.

As it pours it seems a fair bit more viscous than the Hitachino. The head is very tall, full, beige and lacy, shot through with irregular bubbles. It subsides gradually, turning to cloudy deep mahogany.

The first sip is toffee, malt and molasses rolling about the mouth like a landslide. The pour seems to have knocked out most of the carbonation and it’s not as lively as it could be. But, I can’t deny the power of the experience. A gentle tartness and gentle hops do their best to balance out the very full body and sweet character, but they're overwhelmed by the weight of the brew.

Sure it could be more balanced. Sure I’d like it made in a way that would allow me to consume more in a sitting. But damned if I didn’t enjoy it.

It probably pairs well with good bread and sausages. Cheese perhaps? Maybe, but it’s so robust it would crush anything without an equally strong flavor.

Rating: 8.5/10 Damn Good Stuff