Brewery: Dark Horse
Date: February 20th, 2014
Style: Stout, Smoked Beer
ABV: 7.0%
Similar To: Surly Smoke Lager, Rogue Smoke Ale
Description:
If asked to provide a subtitle for this evening, I'd have probably come up with "News Flash - Would-be Beer Fop realizes that ordering Food to complement his Beer enhances his DrinkingDining Experience". Better yet, how about "Light Bulb City - Smoked Beer and BBQ taste great together"? While I'm at it, I hear the PB and chocolate combo is pretty popular these days, too. Anyway, I think you get the point...
I've always felt that one of my shortcomings as a beer "enthusiast" is that I rarely take the time to marry my drink choices to my food in more than a superficial way. Choosing sweeter, darker brews with rich deserts, and barley wine with strong cheese has been about the extent of my planned pairings. It's with great joy, then, when I stumble upon a congruous beer-food partnership as I did recently while dining at one of my favorite BBQ spots on Chicago's Near West side. I'll discuss why this worked so well In Closing... at the end of this post, but first, more about the beer involved, Dark Horse's Fore Smoked Stout.
First Impression:
Thick black body with a very thin, light brown head which dissipates quickly.
Smell:
Mmmmm, smoky. Reminds me of a dying campfire or roasting nuts. Smokiness is consistent, but not overwhelming like some smoked beers I've tried. Roasted malts in abundance as well as coffee and a hint of sweetness in the background.
Taste:
A lovely nutty roasted malt flavor. The smoky character is prominent, but not alone as I can definitely taste coffee, chicory, and that elusive sweetness that could be molasses or even sasparilla. Slight alcohol bite in the finish.
On the Palate:
Rich with low carbonation, not unlike root beer.
Why You'll like It:
If you like single malt scotch, cigars, and campfires, then this one if definitley for you. The complexities of its character began to reveal themselves after the initial tasting, and are certainly worth its robust personality.
...and why You won't:
A challenging beer. Its smokiness is what you'll encounter first and for some that may be a lot to overcome to be able to enjoy this one's more subtle flavors.
In Closing...:
From early on, I knew that I was going to enjoy Fore. What I didn't realize was how much more
enjoyable it was going to be once dinner arrived. When I'm tasting a beer for the first time, I make an effort to not distort the experience with flavors which could significantly alter the beer's taste. The same holds true when I order an enjoyable meal. If I do order a beer, it's something that won't overwhelm my food. Add to that the fact that I rarely drink any type of beverage when eating, and you can see why wining and dining are usually separate activities for me.
This evening, I ordered pulled chicken, seasoned fries, and grits. I'd ordered all these dishes before, so I was fairly certain that I knew what to expect. Alright, big swig of beer and onto dinner... After the first bite of chicken, I literally stopped eating to look at the menu and wondered if I'd ordered a different dish than the one I expected. This smokiness, this smoldering convergence of sweet and salty flavors, this almost euphoric exaltation of tastes so completely enhanced my beer's innate qualities. Did you hear that brain? Food can make beer taste better! After going back and forth between the beer and chicken for a couple of minutes, I tried the seasoned fries and grits too, and God help me, they also tasted better! I can only imagine that this is how cavemen must have felt when they first set fire to themselves, or whatever it is they were doing in dark caves when they weren't busy fighting dinosaurs or getting kicked out of the Garden of Eden.
If there's something to be learned from this experience, it's lost on me. For the rest of you, however, I'd recommend doing some research on food and beer pairings, in the hope that you can at least slightly recreate the type of mystical adventure I had that night.
If asked to provide a subtitle for this evening, I'd have probably come up with "News Flash - Would-be Beer Fop realizes that ordering Food to complement his Beer enhances his Drinking
I've always felt that one of my shortcomings as a beer "enthusiast" is that I rarely take the time to marry my drink choices to my food in more than a superficial way. Choosing sweeter, darker brews with rich deserts, and barley wine with strong cheese has been about the extent of my planned pairings. It's with great joy, then, when I stumble upon a congruous beer-food partnership as I did recently while dining at one of my favorite BBQ spots on Chicago's Near West side. I'll discuss why this worked so well In Closing... at the end of this post, but first, more about the beer involved, Dark Horse's Fore Smoked Stout.
First Impression:
Thick black body with a very thin, light brown head which dissipates quickly.
Smell:
Mmmmm, smoky. Reminds me of a dying campfire or roasting nuts. Smokiness is consistent, but not overwhelming like some smoked beers I've tried. Roasted malts in abundance as well as coffee and a hint of sweetness in the background.
Taste:
A lovely nutty roasted malt flavor. The smoky character is prominent, but not alone as I can definitely taste coffee, chicory, and that elusive sweetness that could be molasses or even sasparilla. Slight alcohol bite in the finish.
On the Palate:
Rich with low carbonation, not unlike root beer.
Why You'll like It:
If you like single malt scotch, cigars, and campfires, then this one if definitley for you. The complexities of its character began to reveal themselves after the initial tasting, and are certainly worth its robust personality.
...and why You won't:
A challenging beer. Its smokiness is what you'll encounter first and for some that may be a lot to overcome to be able to enjoy this one's more subtle flavors.
In Closing...:
From early on, I knew that I was going to enjoy Fore. What I didn't realize was how much more
 |
| A Re-creation of my Beer-Food Epiphany |
This evening, I ordered pulled chicken, seasoned fries, and grits. I'd ordered all these dishes before, so I was fairly certain that I knew what to expect. Alright, big swig of beer and onto dinner... After the first bite of chicken, I literally stopped eating to look at the menu and wondered if I'd ordered a different dish than the one I expected. This smokiness, this smoldering convergence of sweet and salty flavors, this almost euphoric exaltation of tastes so completely enhanced my beer's innate qualities. Did you hear that brain? Food can make beer taste better! After going back and forth between the beer and chicken for a couple of minutes, I tried the seasoned fries and grits too, and God help me, they also tasted better! I can only imagine that this is how cavemen must have felt when they first set fire to themselves, or whatever it is they were doing in dark caves when they weren't busy fighting dinosaurs or getting kicked out of the Garden of Eden.
If there's something to be learned from this experience, it's lost on me. For the rest of you, however, I'd recommend doing some research on food and beer pairings, in the hope that you can at least slightly recreate the type of mystical adventure I had that night.
Beer Rating: 4 Stars (out of 5)
Transcendental Dining Experience Rating (Beer Included): ∞ Stars (out of 1).
Transcendental Dining Experience Rating (Beer Included): ∞ Stars (out of 1).
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