In various places around the world, brewers are choosing to limit their choices and root their beer in its place. In the first part of a triptych, here’s a look at Norway’s Eik & Tid and its kveik-fermented, oak-aged, mixed-culture raw ales.
Grapefruit, tangerine, onion, green pepper—diesel and garlic as it warms. Light malt flavor; sweetness complements bitterness and flavors of tangerine, pineapple, guava. Light must and subtle mushroom emerge. Finishes on the bitter side.
“Floral, perfume, almost soapy hop aroma. Light bready biscuit malt. Undercurrent of melanoidins heightens the otherwise simple malt. Medium bitterness, soft and rounded, not overbearing. Odd aroma, but it works well with flavor. Helles-like in its straightforward approach to malt. Floral and herbal hops kept soap at the forefront.”
Moderately strong tropical and citrus up front. Pineapple, orange, and a bit of guava. Alcohol is evident in the aroma and is a bit solventy. Tropical continues into the flavor but is richer, like very ripe fruit. Moderate sweetness throughout with restrained bitterness. The sweetness drops in the finish a bit, and the alcohol helps balance as well.
“Strong pine, anise, and citrus hops initially. Soft toast, biscuit malt with a hint of low caramel behind. Low orange- and apricot-like esters. Strong, sweet candy-like orange flavor, similar to an Old Fashioned cocktail without the bitters or cherry. Citrus before sweet, and more fruit-oriented than hop.”
“The base beer is gone; all that remains is a cinnamon-forward, wood-aged beer. Taking the sum of all those parts, amburana being the largest chunk, the entire experience offers a spicy beauty.”