beers galore

cheers! went to east timor for some work and came away feeling that it is beer heaven!
and seeing that single malt of any kind would be wasted on a tropical isle like east timor, i decided to sample the variety of beers available on the duty free island.
starting with the cascade premium lager from australia's oldest brewery.
with a 5.2 percent alcohol by volume content, the chilled crisp flavoured beer refreshed the hot afternoons and nights that were du jour in the east timorese capital dili.
cascade's brewery is located in tasmania, which is also home to the j boag lager i had imbibed last year.
then it was time for a traditional australian favourite, victoria bitter or vb as its famously known, made by fosters.
the 4.9 percent alcohol by volume bitter lager is one full flavoured brew.
had more than a couple of cans of the lager which had a fruity aroma to balance the suprisingly sweet malt and bitter after taste.
coincidentally, apart from the watery fosters lager, vb is australia's most famous beer export but i dare say the other beers especially made with the pristine waters of tasmania are a sight and taste better any day. or night.
from vb i made the short journey in the eski to melbourne bitter, another offering from the fosters group.
the rather robust beer is a full strength lager with a lesser 4.6 percent alcohol by volume than its victorian counterpart but more than made up for it with its malty notes and a pleasant if not slightly dull body.
the bitterness however came through and made it a must - once chilled - for the sizzling of days in east timor - the kind that cooks an egg in a matter of seconds.
from down under, i made the beer run to portugal - once colonial masters of east timor - with its offering of super bock classic beer.
the frothy lager, with a 5.6 percent alcohol by volume content, is rather refreshing especially with the seafood dinners we had along the dili beach.
we had copious draughts of the chilled super bock which balanced its robustness and bitterness just right to make us order more.
that's it. beers galore. east timor.
what more can one say except head over there for more!

perilous drinking in perth

there is news and there is news.
apparently this blog made it to tvsmith's mycen. under the party heading. what possessed him, apart from a shared taste in whisky and beer, is beyond me. doesn't mean this blog will see regular updates, i can tell you that.
be that as it may, after months of going to work - for a lack of a better term - decided to spend a week in perth, australia. the details are unnecessary but it is not an ordinary visit.
and what better way to visit the most remote of cities in australia than drinking a wee dram at the start of the journey.
no choice really! the flight out of klia was delayed. and i crossed paths with an old friend on his way to austria. so a quick check at the friendly duty-free, a hasty appraisal of new choices and before you can say whatever-it-is-one-says on occasions like this, a bottle of glen ord 12 years old made its way into my hands. of course, after the appropriate travel documents was shown and money given.
the first thing to hit you about this single malt, with just 40 percent alcohol by volume in a handsome boxy bottle, is the sheer sweetness. this is beginner's single malt. the bouquet is reminiscent of fruitcake - not too rich but dry like the ones made by a malaysian bakery years ago.
and the malt is just palpable with a hint of smokiness and peatiness. enough for a shot of courage but the finish is light caramel/vanilla/orangey like a cup of designer joe in your neighbourhood coffee chain.
having said that, finished a couple of rounds in paper cups at klia. and it does say in its label that its perilously drinkable. i guess that means it is about drinkable. just about.
took the rest of the bottle to perth and finished it with my hosts there, the same day i landed. goes to show that we either liked it that much or we just wanted to kill the bottle. glen ord is available at the klia dutyfree but more importantly, there is a wider range of single malts available there now. more on that when i travel again.
but what about perth? after glen ord, my wonderful hosts brought home a six pack of australian reds from the de bortoli sacred hill range. the pack contained three bottles each of the cabernet merlot and the cabernet sauvignon 2005 vintage, all 13 percent alcohol by volume.
the wine, from the riverina region in new south wales, was young but kicked in after a while. let's just say at least two bottles were sacrificed to the altar of good hosting nightly.
at A$4.99 a bottle or A$4.49/bottle if bought in dozen packs, this wine is more than fair value. its 2004 vintage won a trophy at the respected sydney royal wine show for the best wine under A$20 last year, along with other accolades from australia’s wine press.
the great australian alcohol revelation for me was a fantastic draught beer from j. boag and son which is based in tiny tasmania. apparently the pristine waters of tasmania's highland rivers add to the rich full-bodied lager with its smooth hop bitterness and a rather crisp, refreshing aftertaste.
the draught, in standard 375ml bottles with 4.7 alcohol by volume, was only released nationwide in australia in 2004. which explains why a lot of mates have not heard or tasted this beer.
its a beer that is definitely worth your time in perth or any other parts of australia.

war of the roses

enough of wine, women and song after last night. well, almost enough...
it was the war of the roses, not between the house of york and the house of lancaster in the 15the century but between jacob's creek's sparkling rose and shiraz rose.
i know, i know - i have written at length about both wines but this time, the wines were matched with a variety of cuisine that is best called a food safari.
the safari was at the aptly named floor called feast at the starhill gallery, the new foodie complex in the centre of kuala lumpur.
the evening began with some 30 of us trooping in to sentildo tapas, owned by angie hiew - who also owns that great restaurant called flamenco and managed d'vine, both in plaza damansara, kuala lumpur.
the starter was a tapas that had marinated oysters, scallops in paprika sauce, grilled prawns and some salmon with toasted bread, more than wonderfully complimented by the jacob's creek sparkling rose.
it was just simply and absolutely a wonderful marriage of a fresh citrusy and subtly sweet sparkling rose with the range of seafood tapas.
all too soon, we had to quit our tables and walk single-file through starhill gallery's feast floor to the next restaurant - vansh, surprisingly indian - what else but an indian fine dining restaurant.
indian cuisine in kuala lumpur has been pretty indifferent of late, something which i found out after a recent trip to new delhi and discovered an amazing array of indian cuisine that would thrash the best that malaysian chefs can conjure.
but vansh vanquished any doubts with an excellent assortment of samosa, a fish cutlet, sundried tomato on bread and an indian-style nacho accompanied by a mint raita, chilli chutney and a mixed fruit yoghurt.
the shiraz rose evenly matched the range of indian dishes, except for the fish cutlet which somehow diluted the wine's complex favours.
having said that, this indian restaurant looks like a winner.
all too soon, it was time to quit vansh for the next course. the safari toured the feast floor and ended up at koryo-won korean restaurant for some famous barbecue and the ubiquitous kimchi.
let's just say that kimchi and the shiraz rose did not go together. then again, not much can match kimchi except for some korean soju. now that's another story altogether.
koryo won did not disappoint with splendidly barbecued lamb, beef and chicken in a sweet sauce. the barbecued lamb was the killer dish that danced with the shiraz rose.
the beef was slightly tough, the chicken nice and a bonus with some cuttle fish to add to the range available.
the evening, and the war of the roses was coming to an end as we ended up again at sentildo tapas for dessert.
jacob's creek chief winemaker philip laffer joined my table for dessert. we said something about getting to stop meeting this way but his face lit up when he saw the dessert combination that would make whoopee with his sparkling rose.
the dessert was the original sin.
chef angie hiew outdid herself with her dessert of four - tiramisu, chocolate mousse, snow white (cream cheese on a biscuit base) and profiteroles.
all went well with the sparkling rose except understandably for the chocolate mousse.
enough already. the war of the rose ended with the sparkling rose clearly outdoing the shiraz rose.
and angie hiew rose - pun intended - to receive the best wine matchmaker prize as her sentildo tapas cuisine more than ably matched the sparkling rose though vansh and koryo-won had their moments with the shiraz rose.

no small beer too

cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers!
a cheery and beery dusk to dawn. liverpool fc won the uefa champions league trophy early today, beating ac milan 3-2 on penalties (they were tied 3-3 after full time and extra time).
watched my favourite team lift the cup after 21 years in a well-known liverpool supporters' pub in section 16, petaling jaya. great atmosphere but a bit of a mystery as they were serving tiger beer and not liverpool's sponsor carlsberg.
jugs of beer kept us awake and funnily enough, sober as well, as the match culminated into a nail-biting penalty kicks phase to decide the champions as the crack of dawn illuminated the city skyline.
the cheers had begun at dusk as more beers from down under made their way to my hands and lips at a Australian barbecue in a tropical drizzle.
the rain stoked the humidity and a glass of crown lager was most welcome, though it was light in colour and slight in taste, the 4.9 percent alcohol by volume beer is quite reminiscent of its more famous australian cousin, the watery fosters lager that i detest.
aussie pride was saved with the first bottle of hahn premium lager that i had. a refreshing strong golden beer that perked me up though it is only 5 percent alcohol by volume. strange, must have been the fresh taste that got my attention.
its sweet, not bitter, and that whetted my appetite as the sausages and lamb chops sizzled on the barbecue grill. quite a nice beer.
the third beer on offer was a cascade premium lager, also from the fosters family. the 5.2 percent alcohol by volume tasmanian beer was straw coloured but had no impressive taste. one bottle was enough and rinsed my palate with another bottle of hahn's for good effect.
but that soon finished and all that was left were crown lagers.
having said that, had a couple of cans of oranjeboom pilsner over the long weekend. the bitter 5 percent alcohol by volume beer stirred the tastebuds as i had already quaffed five mugs of tiger draught before the oranjeboom made its appearance.
that's enough on beer. on to a more spiritual path. hic!

no small beer

hic. 'twas a cheery and beery week.
in between some wines, beer cooled an otherwise sultry week in kuala lumpur this past seven days, from local brews to some fine amber liquid from down under and the caribbean.
started with a carlsberg draught - the mild and sweetish pale lager and ended with bottles of tiger beer - a bit bitter but insipid, could be the bottles. then again, maybe the fa cup match between manchester united and arsenal was far better.
that was that. let's now enter the chamber of the amber.
plonked - hey! another usage of the word - my butt down at chinoz in klcc and ordered an ice-cold bottle of bucanero fuerte. the head disappeared quickly but this full-bodied cuban export - with 5.4 percent alcohol by volume - kept its promise to chill the evening.
i could taste the hops but sweetness dominated the palate, understandable as it is brewed with fine cuban sugar, the major ingredient for rum - the major drink in that region.
the next beer was cuba's cristal beer. it was pee-yellow in colour and the head disappeared as quickly as it came. at 4.9 percent alcohol by volume, the beer was very light and almost shandy-like in taste with citrus notes dominating the malt. finished it in double-quick time and sought a carlsberg to maintain alcohol volume in the body.
men at work - the band, not the phrase - came to mind as bottles of australia's coopers beers surrounded our wine glasses last friday.
i was thinking of a snatch of the lyrics - i come from a land down under, where beer does flow and men chunder, can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder? you better run, you better take cover. - from down under when the first bottle popped open.
the first bottle was the coopers pale ale and it looked like an albino but the cloudy appearance suggested in-bottle fermentation. google-driven research revealed it as the burton-on-trent style fermentation.
that explained the need to roll the bottle before opening it. it was light and fruity, and had some head to whisker the lips. at 4.5 percent alcohol by volume, this ale was just a precursor for a heady night.
the next beer is called the coopers sparkling ale but it not only sparkles, it packs a bitter punch too. again, we conducted the bottle rolling ceremony to stir the cloudy sediment of this beer, first brewed in 1862.
the dark gold beer - with 5.8 percent alcohol by volume - kept its head and taste throughout, leaving a filligree of lace as i slowly sipped and savoured the taste. more was to come.
we were on a roll, so to speak.
night was falling and out came the coopers dark ale. performed the standard bottle-rolling and opening act, and creamy beer foamed at the glass like the sea, disappearing soon after.
hot chocolate and coffee came to mind as the dominant taste as we quickly quaffed the 4.5 percent alcohol by volume beer.
it was time to join the dark side by the time coopers best extra stout came to view. the force was pretty strong in this one as the blackness spread through the glass with a bit of head making an appearance.
a good stout effort that tasted like carbonated coffee, albeit a strong and robust espresso but a shade less than the best irish stouts. still, a satisfying stout, bitter to the end at 6.3 percent alcohol by volume.
that's enough beers for the week, i guess. cheers!