Beer – TGIF – Thirsty? Great It’s Friday!
Friday night comes around, as it always does, and I’ve been thinking of a good time to have to beers from Outlier Cartel that are both well regarded, and both determined to test the bounds. And from Vulcan Brewing a Raspberry Porter that needs attention. What’s the worst that could happen?
Live Long and.. oh wait wrong Vulcan
Vulcan Raspberry Porter which is brewed by Vulcan Brewers in the style that is of a Porter and they are in in Christchurch, New Zealand
“Ripe raspberry aroma with a clean malt mouthfeel”.
A beer of 5.7% ABV, and that’s about 171 calories a serve.
This one c/- The Beer Jerk Beer Club
This one is also Gluten Free !
Outlier Cartel, well I’ve met the brewer, Carlos, he’s a really nice guy, and keen to share and impart knowledge and wisdom in that wonderful humble way. Everyone should be like Carlos.
So, in with the Outliers, a Cartel. Two beers brewed by the Outlier Cartel who make a thing about doing the normal abnormally, the strange well, and just doing things for the fun, and being rather good at it.
Wunderkammer is brewed in the style that is Spice/Herb/Vegetable and that was done in Auckland, New Zealand. It is a beer of 9% ABV and that’s about 270 calories a serve size. This is 3.6 standard drink units in NZ
Apricity is brewed in the style that is a Doppelbock also done in Auckland, New Zealand. It is a beer that is 8% ABV and about 240 calories a serve. This is about 3.2 standard drinks in NZ.
Wunderkammer: Outlier Cartel gathered friends and family to help make and inpire the beer. Think of Viennese vanilla and almond crescents, and Christmas in Austria. Brewed for GABS 2017. Pouring amber with golden highlights, the head is thin leaving a dense lacing on the glass. a touch of toasted almonds and vanilla upfront on biscuit and caramel, an almost croissant-like base from the malts used. a thick and creamy mouthfeel, with slight bubbles underneath. a ’master of disguise’, not showing the fact that this is more like a spiced english barleywine clocking in at 9% ABV. drink now or cellar for a decade, this will improve for years to come
I’m a Ray of sunshine
Apricity: A warm coat and a woolly scarf is all you need to take a walk in the winter sun and find apricity. This Weizendoppelbock is made with Speculaas to warm your heart.
The word apricity represents a simple and familiar yet a very specific phenomenon- the sun’s warmth on a cold winter’s day.
So, What could possibly go wrong?
Vulcan Brewing – Raspberry Porter is Gluten Free! – That’s like a waft of fresh raspberries, that dryness in the aroma,
magnificent!
That’s like a punnet of fresh raspberries when you open it is slightly let down by appearing over carbonated, and seems rather light of body. The bitterness levels are lovely, and the raspberries are quite pronounced in the glass, that’s just banging for flavour.
I like this flavour combination, but I’d like it with more body, it does however get a Big 8 on the pdubyah-o-meter and brings a big smile to the dial
Outlier Cartel Apricity. In my head I like a DoppelBock, My blog history says otherwise, I have no idea how this happens.
An oddly aroma, of some spice things. Pour is lovely glowing dark chestnut brown with a lovely firmness around the head..
Spices like Nutmeg are what I get in the glass. which I think is like a soapy thing, never been big on nutmeg. I’m prepared to be amazed and converted. Also oranges.
Wow.. that has the aroma of Nutmeg, and Oranges, and has the taste that is like nothing I’ve had before, it’s a complete mixture box of lots of really nice things that are, well, nice.
Rich spices that prickle like pepper but then not, and an easy bitterness make this easy drinking.
A beer to be sipped though as there is a lot going on that needs to be digested. And then I got a prickly heat……. Awesome really, he said having a quaff.
The Pdubyah-o-meter says that this is such an easy 9 that you needn’t ask. What a brilliance of a beer. You recon when you drinking that you mightn’t go the one, then you finish and you recon you’d easy go another. What trickery and wonderment.
Outlier Cartel Wunderkammer – based on what I know about this beer I’m 3-3, and that’s all there is to know about that.
There’s not a lot of aroma on this that is obvious, aside from a dull malt note. I’m sure there’s more.
Frown( there’s a lot of malt in this that brings a big bash body and sweetness to the fore, There’s a lot of peppery spiciness in this that show in that finish and lingering,
it’s a bit of a conundrum.
The sweetness is lovely and that peppery thing is nice, but they’re not seemingly connected. The alcohol tang in this is also warm and enjoyable and not tart and sharp.
This is somewhat a thinking person’s beer. It could pass as, perhaps, a dubbel with that alcohol and malt bill, and then again as Strong ale.
I know I like it, but I think it’s a bit disconnected with itself, and I think that might get there with age, and patience, and I’ll be thinking about one in the cupboard for discovery in a couple of years.
This really is a bit of a wonder-box of a beer though, and offers up a lot of things to discover, or hides them to let you drink it as is. You choose how you enjoy this, it doesn’t choose you.
The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 of its things from the thing. It’s going to get better.
The double dip review
- Where did I get it? BeerJerkNZ Beer Club and the local Liquuorland
- Am I enjoying it? It, I loved them all!
- Would I have another? .I’m going to get the Apricity and I think the Wunderkammer would live in the back of the cupboard and not be bothered for a couple of years, just doing its thing.
- Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? So far that’s a yes, yes and a qualified yes on the last one, I think it needs some connection to itself that might get there with age
Music for this:
The Thrill Of It All (Special Edition) by Sam Smith on Spotify of course.
Just The Beginning by Grace VanderWaal on the Spotify
In Your Head by Wild Honey There’s not a video to be had, but, you’ll have to trust me that this is a good listen
DOPPELBOCK
Doppel means double and while these are stronger brews than the traditional German bocks, they are typically not twice the strength. Color is light amber to dark brown. Very full body with a high alcoholic flavor. Low hop flavor and aroma.
A life just as ordinary 