A Taste of the Season... After "The Meal"
Greetings,
Romantic tradition has it that after of these holiday meal. The gentleman retired to the parlor, and the women stayed at the table to enjoy coffee. In the parlor, the gentlemen were afforded small glasses of Porter and hearty slices of Stilton cheese.
Not being a traditional sort, I consider a good barley wine a better accompaniment to a fine slice of Stilton cheese.
Barley wine, or "strong beer", as the flavor profile that borders on dry sherry, or tawny port. What makes it more appealing, beside the fact that the flavors of almonds and other nuts accompany this type of cheese perfectly, is a slight acidic tingle that the carbonation provides, carbonation is essential in a barley wine. There are almost as many barley wines as there are port and sherry wines.
If the thought of strong beer and stinky cheese is not your favorite way to celebrate the end of the meal, perhaps a rich chocolate dessert with a pint of stout is more your speed. It also tends to be a little bit lower and alcohol content. Most commercial stouts, and Porter's, go well with chocolate. Lighter chocolate desserts such as a chocolate mousse, or a chocolate pot, enjoy the company of Porter. The more substantial the chocolate, both in flavor and texture, the more a hearty Stout is called for.
For those of you who are truly experimental, and willing to contact me by e-mail, I have some recipes for Stout ice cream that some say is the perfect end to a great meal.
As for myself, I'm going to reach for another bottle of the French Farm style ale in the not too thin slab of Roquefort cheese, slice of apple, and a handful of hazelnuts.
The End...
A happy holiday to everyone!
Cheers!
Peter LaFrance.
( Peter.LaFrance@beerbasics.com )
