Strangeways: Barrel Week 2016

Monday was the first day of Strangeways Barrel Week. The board of 41 barrel aged beers was posted early so flight planning could commence. I'm told there were lines when the large black door was cracked open. There was still a line to order when I arrived a hour or so later. I made my order and carried my flight through the dark interior to the streetside patio. It was a cool but muggy afternoon with grey clouds hanging in the sky. It was a quiet scene. Everyone was sitting at the picnic tables, hunched over their trays of small glasses, examining. The only conversations were muted discussions of flavor profiles.

I had been tasting wine since noon, so I chose beers with winey, yeast-driven flavors. Except for the finale. Oh, and the first, but it was aged in wine barrels. What follows is my list, with some notes taken in real time. The numbers are from the list as posted on the chalkboard.

#3   Prairie Wine Noir:  Imperial Stout aged in Wine barrels. 11%:  "The wet barrels created some funk, possibly from some additional fermentation," I was told. "Some folks have said that it was too tannic." Sounded good to me! And it was. Rich and dark and with slight carbonation, just enough to give lift. Scorched earth, charcoal, black cassis, espresso, the bright citrus notes of a good Ethiopian coffee. If a wine was this dark, it would be over the top, but the carbonation sustains life. Is there such a thing as a black pomegranate?

The Amen Corner: Three  barrel-aged Gose.

Gose is an ancient, sour and saline ale from the area around Leipzig. Production has been spotty since the second World War as several of the main breweries were destroyed by Allied bombing and not restored. Due to shortages in the post war years, there was little wheat available for brewers and production of Gose ceased on more than one occasion. Gose has flourished since Reunification both in Leipzig and with Craft brewers worldwide. Gose is brewed with half malted wheat and half malted barley and fermented with both yeast and lactic acid and spiced with both coriander and hops. It is generally brewed with slightly salted water.

The Bayerischer Bahnhof in Leipzig was an early example of the ornate rail palaces built in the early 1800s and was a major hub. After severe damage during the War, the building was neglected until Reunification. The building was restored in 2000 with its Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei featuring Gose, the regional specialty. Their Gose is a rare find in the United States, Strangeways has three  expressions, aged in Aquavit, Rum and Tequila barrels respectively.

#15  Gasthaus & Gosebrauerie Goseator aged in Aquavit Barrel 9%:  Whenever I taste a gose or a sour I always wonder, "What would I think if I was served a wine that tastes like this?" The flavors are out there, but I find them delicious. Savory, dry and salty with a refreshing acidity and a massive infusion of funk; dried sour fruits, baked lemon, dried herbs with a toasty finish and a long salty finish. I want fish and chips NOW! It's difficult to separate the Aquavit from the Gose itself, the integration is seamless.

#16)  Gasthaus & Gosebrauerie Goseator aged in Rum Barrel 9%:  Here the barrel is much more evident than the aquavit with warm notes of sweet vanilla and spice. Was it a spiced rum? This Gose would be great paired against a mincemeat pie! Who would win?

#17)  Gasthaus & Gosebrauerie Goseator aged in Tequila Barrel 10.5%:  Ok, now I've got this baked lemon, savory salty thing down and I'm looking for the differentiation between the Goseator and the barrel. Is there a calculus for this? As with the Aquavit, I think the herbal nature of the agave merges seamlessly with the sourness of the Gose. I sense a harmony here rather than a progression of flavors which ultimately resolve into the same mouthwatering finish.

I finished with an old friend. It seems like forever since we first heard of the crazy dudes from Aberdeen who were aging their stout in Islay whisky barrels. BrewDog Paradox was the Holy Grail. I remember Michael sitting for what seemed like hours, a glass of BrewDog Smokehead in one hand, a glass of Laphroiag in the other. Finally he spoke, "It's the peat! It's the peat!"

#11)  BrewDog Paradox, Imperial Stout aged in Smokehead Islay Whisky Barrels 10%:  Dark, coffee, espresso, unsweetened chocolate, scorched earth and crazily some fruitiness comes from somewhere, but all things ultimately resolve into massive smokiness. Is it the blackened malt or the smoked peat? Nothing to do but wait it out. And then... there it is! The unmistakable nuttiness of the smoked kernels of malted barley. Nice!

So that's my Monday flight. There's only 36 more beers left on the board! And they are going quick!

Something New: Pairing Craft Beers

Last Saturday was exhausting.

Customers had been doing some serious wine-buying all day then Susan and Travis showed up at the store ready to go out to dinner. I was exhausted and none of our favorite places had any appeal. They all sounded just as tired as I felt. Thoughts were trending Vietnamese when I thought of a place we'd never been.

Mot Hai Ba was started by Jeana Johnson and Colleen O'Hare , the same two women who started Good to Go Tacos which we love. After GTGT had been such a great success, they went on a motorcycle trek through North Vietnam and came back to Dallas and opened a Vietnamese restaurant to great acclaim. Not only did most Dallas reviewers name it one of the top new Dallas restaurants in 2013, the Zagat review put it in their top 25 most significant openings in the country. So we decided to check it out.

It was getting late when we arrived, but a number of tables were still occupied. We were greeted and seated immediately. I scanned the menu, immediately flipped it over and looked for something to drink. All I could see was the beer list. I was too tired to read about cocktails and didn't see any wines. Now I know they have a great looking wine list, all French, how could I have missed that? All I had been doing all day was selling French wine! BUT the beer list was GREAT!

To start, we ordered a Green Papaya Salad and a bottle of Cherry Funk Sour Ale from Prairie Artisan Ales out of Tulsa. What a great beginning! The salad was delicious, light and crisp. The ale was a perfect aperitif. The sour cherry flavor was precise and defined, balanced by the malty funk on the finish and everything was kept light and bright by the acidity and carbonation. Plus there was enough alcohol to do the job, always an important function of the proper aperitif. The salad and the 17 ounce bottle were perfect for 3 people to share.

Next came a second salad, this time a Banana Flower Salad followed by our main dish, a flash-fried whole Branzino and sides of grilled baby bok-choi and vermicelli. The fish was filleted tableside and was delicious. We chose another ale to accompany the fish, Trellis Garden Ale by Odell, out of Colorado, a substantial ale infused with locally grown herbs and spices. The effects of the botanicals was very subtle, but kept the flavors surprisingly light and balanced. At 8.7%, it is a strong ale, but it paired wonderfully with the fish. The 25 oz. bottle let us each have several glasses. We ended the meal by finishing our second salad along with our last glass of ale.

What a great dinner! Delicious food paired with delicious beers, chosen from a wonderfully curated list of beers. Some, especially Asian brands, are beers that would be normally expected. But they also offer a good selection of bottled specialty craft beers, some of which are extremely limited. Mot Hai Ba provides a tremendous opportunity to pair these complex flavors with expertly prepared foods. The larger format bottles are perfect for sharing and several different beers can be served during the meal.

Frankly, wine prices are so jacked up in most restaurants that several large bottles of beer are cheaper than one bottle of wine. I always find it nerve wracking to pay $40-50 for a mediocre bottle of sauvignon blanc, it's one reason we don't go to fine dining restaurants. So it was a great relief to feel free to order anything I wanted and be able to pay for it.

All in all it was a great evening. The restaurant staff was very professional, but also low-key and friendly at the same time. Chef Johnson gave it the personal touch with a nice visit at the end of the meal. She remembered us from the first taco stand. We felt very relaxed and at home at the end of the evening.