Ever find yourself in a "beer rut"? Can't find a beer or a style that provides you with the love that you so badly need? I have found your liquid rut buster, but beware it's not for the timid.Wasatch's Jalapeño Cream Ale is the creation of Matt Beamer, Head Brewer up at the iconic Wasatch Brewpub in Park City. The beer is quite the hit with locals and is a perfect combo of flavor and spice.
The Jalapeño Cream Ale starts life as a basic English Pub Ale. Then Matt adds 50lbs of fresh Jalapeño to the mash and that English base becomes muy caliente... eh poquito. "When I blanched the Jalapeños in the brewery, the entire downstairs had an intense jalapeno aroma that lasted for hours"!
Now, even thought this is a Chile Beer it's not going scorch your mouth, though it's not a lawnmower beer either. There is an intense Jalapeño aroma and flavor, but not too much burn. The malty backbone from the cream ale provides a slightly sweet finish to back-up the burn off your tongue.
A beer spiced such as this is great for a couple of pints, but really shines when paired with most Mexican styles dishes and even Sushi.
This is a limited run, so Matt expects it to be gone in a few weeks. Available on draft at the Wasatch Brewpub and the Beer Store in SLC.
Cheers!
9 comments:
I had some jalapeno ale with sushi last night, and it was a perfect combination.
Tried it last month. It was good, but there was definately more aroma than taste. Unlike some green chili beers I've had from Colorado, this does not have much kick at all. That's a plus, because then you want another pint.
I was amazed by how fresh and robust this beer was. Just huge jalapenos, a hot fire in the finish but not overwhelming. It's a unusual beer for sure, but it works and is really tasty. Someone said it smelled like walking through a Mexican market. How about making a version of a IPA with some jalapeno punch?
When Matt told me he was planning a Jalapeno Cream Ale, I thought, "I don't want to stifle his creativity but it will probably not be a beer I would gravitate to." I am pretty much a gringo when it comes to peepers. They taste good going down but I then I break out into a sweat like I just got out of the shower. So to say I pleasantly surprised when I had Matt's first Jalapeno Cream Ale, would be understatement. It did not burn and I did not sweat.It had a very cool aroma and a mellow finish, although, you definitely knew you were drinking a Jalapeno Ale. It is now one of my favorite beers and I am pretty sure we are going to bring it out as a regular draft product. Who knows after that. The consumer rules, and they will make the final call to bring it out in a bottled product.
That's great news. I drank a whole lot of this earlier in the summer, thinking it was a one-time thing. I'll be there with a couple of growlers tomorrow...
I really like the choice of Cream Ale as the base beer; the malt flavor (there's some corn in there, right?) is really nice with the pepper.
One of the coolest beers I've had was a Imperial Stout aged with chillies and cocoa nibs. It was only slightly spicy, but the addition was really cool. Lets get crazy! Here is the beer:
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/cigar-city-hunahpus-imperial-stout/97078/
The authoritative message :), funny...
Truly one of the most unique beers I have tasted. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Wish we could get it Texas.
Had a couple Pints after a good hike through PC. Awesome! To bad I had to leave yesterday to Atlanta. Hot beer to Hotlanta.
Robert
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