Creative Drinking

I’m consistently a fan of balanced, red-to-amber beers. I always have been. Those balanced beauties, exhibiting both bitterness and richness in harmonious solidity is often a go to for me. Be they the malt-driven amber lagers and ales of the fall and winter variety, or the spring and summer west coast style, California reds, the hoppy ambers or even the red IPAs, I even find myself drawn to these beers when I set out for darker or golden options. Some unconscious issues at work, no doubt.
As I found myself in a North Carolina bottle shop just before St. Patrick’s Day, I spied and purchased a longtime favorite of the rosy-hued family. Great Lakes Brewing Co. from Ohio makes fantastic beer, and while it’s not yet available in South Carolina, it’s one of the mid-majors I seek out whenever I can. On this occasion, it was the brewery’s late winter seasonal Conway’s Irish Ale that I picked up.
I have purchased a 6-pack of this beer whenever I see it. And while never groundbreaking or even preferable to some of the afore mentioned left coast hop leaning crimson ales, it’s a safe and happy little beer, and a nice switch from numerous pints of Guinness around mid March.
I got home, grabbed a pint glass, popped the top on the first bottle, poured it into the glass, lovely ruby tones sparkled underneath a khaki finger thick head of foam. Aromas of toasted bread and caramel emitted from the breaking tiny bubbles and streaming carbonation lines in the glass. My mouth was watering.
However, the one sip in and I was out. The beer was much too sweet, no balance, no hop presence, no kiss of citrus or touch of grass even, just buttered caramel sweetness. And not the butter you expect from a ruined beer or a bad batch of brew, just not what I remembered or wanted.
I tried another bottle a week later in the haze after the revelry of green and Guinness, but the result was the same. The beer was too malty sweet. Had my taste changed that much? Was I moving away from the cherry-toned hues of my previous loves? I was bummed.
A few nights ago, after roasting up some lovely Cajun broccoli, garlic baby potatoes, and a dozen basil cherry tomatoes, I realized I had over salted the lot. Tossed in olive oil, salt and cracked pepper before entering the oven, I was generously slinging the spices, and the sodium content was much too high. Ugh, dinner ruined. Or was it?
Enter the constable’s Irish ale, and wow, what a combination! The sweetness, buttered bread of the beer cut through the salty dinner items, while the spiced food balanced out the caramel and malt notes of the beer. Both were fantastic, yet alone, each was well sub-par.
It just goes to show that even an ordinary beer can reach new heights under the right circumstances. Attempt a bit of the creative if a beer is underwhelming: mix it with another, opposing beer, use it for cooking, or as a food pairing. Where many aim for the rule of similarities when it comes to beer and food, this was a great example of contrasting flavors bringing about an unexpected and tasty result. Enjoy the brews. … Cheers.
 
Gene’s Haufbrau has more than 200 beers in bottles or on tap. Gene’s is located at 817 Savannah Hwy. 225-GENE. E-mail the Beer Snob at publisher@westof.net.