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Wednesday 19 December 2012

Schlenkerla Eiche and stuffed cabbage

My tea. What could be more interesting? It fascinates me, dominating my thoughts from just after breakfast until just before tea.

Sharing is a very positive word. Couple it with fascination for my tea and what do you have? A beer and food pairing! That I'm sharing!

I just scored some Schlenkerla Eiche. I've been told the smoke character is very different from their other beers.

"Still smells like bacon to me, dad."

"Give it a taste, Andrew, and tell me what you think."

"No dad. I'm ill." [Exit Andrew in wheelchair.]

"How do you think the smoke in the beer goes with the food, Dolores?"

"I told you I don't like smoked beer. Why do you make me try it?"[Dolores takes a sip.] "Happy?"

"Does it go with the food?"

"I'd have cooked Schweinehaxe if I wanted bacon."

"I'd call that complementary."

"Call it what you want, I'm not drinking any more. Can I eat my food now? It's gone cold while you've been taking all those stupid photographs."

The acrid smokiness of Schlenkerla Eiche, like the smell of cordite floating over the trenches of the Somme, perfectly complements the stuffed cabbaginess of the stuffed cabbage.

"How's that Dolores? Does that sum up the flavour combination?"

"Write want you want, Ronald. I'm eating. Lexie will get yours if you don't hurry up."

"I'll take that as a yes."

6 comments:

  1. Must say Ron that while I'm no great fan of Schlenkerla (in the gagging and spitting out sense of the phrase) I rather liked this.

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  2. Stuffed cabbage and rauchbier sounds perfect to me...

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  3. I wasn't a fan at first, but give it a year in the cellar and I find it mellows out beautifully.

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  4. When will there be a return to living room hockey ? Great dialogue !

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  5. The only Schlenkerla I like is the lager, which has a faint smokiness imparted I understand only by the brewery's filters. The malts used are not kilned on wood fires in other words. It is a rare example of subtlety from this reputed brewery's beers.

    I'll bet the family would like that one.

    Gary

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  6. I've heard of a brewery that produces a Kolsch with subtle smoke overtones. The yeast used to make the Kolsch is a repitch from a rauchbier.

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