Beer – #672 – Tuatara – Paūa To the People
You might know them as Abalone, this is possibly a brilliant use of local fauna to bring together a beer called ‘Paūa To the People’ I’ve had, and you can buy beer with Mussels, Lobster/Crayfish, Oysters, Chocolate, Vanilla, Fruits, and all manner of things from Rogue, why not Abalone.
Paua from the South Coast
From the keg a 1 litre bottle of beer that is 5.5% ABV, making it 4.34 standard drink units, and 165 ish calories a serve size, also it has 33 IBU things going for it.
Brewed by Tuatara Brewing Company this is Styled as a Brown Ale and they are in Paraparaumu, New Zealand
Man with lots of hair waves a beer
Paūa was dropped into the kettle of this deep brown ale, complemented with delicate lemon notes of Citra hops.
A nod to the locals.
A brown ale reminiscent of an old Lion Brown, Paua from the South Coast with a dash of lemon for good measure.. does it get more Wellington than that?
So, what could possibly go wrong? Based around Citra hops this could be a belter.
Aroma is strong on Malt/Caramel with a green grass hint.
Pour is the dark brown but it’s almost dark red in the light, small but persistent head. Aroma is somewhat of spices or of smoke.
Notice the special old school handle that I dug out of the cupboard to show I think about these things, and it mention Lion Brown, which is proper old school Kiwi beer. That’ll come back to haunt me.
Taste is really a barge of saltiness and caramel, it is somewhat unusual and odd.
Unlike other recent beers with additions this one really does seem to be a real left-field out-there concoction.
Yet you are drawn back in, to take another sup, with exactly the same results, an oddly salty beer, with some heavy sweetness, a finish that is quite nice and a lingering mouthfeel that makes you want to smack you lips a bit in appreciation, or wonderment, or bemusement.
Sometimes a beer will do that for you.
Is it heck as like an old classic, this is possibly only similar to the Umami Monster in terms of weird and yet not off-putting beercraftery and a beer that really defies being nailed down.
A clue to how I’m enjoying it is that I’ve yet to finish the first glass, when normally I’m away on the second, this is a beer that has slowed me down with its savoury salty broth like thing. So peculiar.
The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 of its things from the thing. Mostly for audaciousnessness. Although I’m not totally convinced that this has been a success as a final product I’m sure that in conception and creation it was solidly thought through, after all a logical progression Oyster, Mussel, Lobster, Abalone. I’d be sure there are other shellfish that could get tossed in to a kettle to add flavour, other local fauna like pipe or Tuatua would be very exotic, or Kina… at which point I stop.
The double dip review
- Am I enjoying it? Am I? That is a question. I’m not put off by it might be the answer.
- Would I have another? I have a couple glasses left, I’m sure it’ll be fine.
- Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Gosh, this is hard. the brewer is amazing, they have amazing beers, mostly they are goos, this one though is so so left field that I don’t know, I think it would be very polarising. It’s also a bit hard work as in it isn’t a quaffing beer, and might make for a dull lull in proceedings.
Music for this, mad as it sounds – Big Band Ska Jazz – ” Nancy SKA jazz orchestra ” ” Anachronisme” on Spotify On peut dire que le Nancy Skankin’Jazz Orchestra est le premier Big Band à explorer le style Ska-Jazz en France. Alors!
BROWN ALE
Color ranges from reddish-brown to dark brown. Lower in alcohol than porter, medium to full body flavor. Appropriate foods are apple pie, pork with brown sauce, beef vegetable soup and cheddar.
