think drink

think drink and what do you get, more of drinking actually.
back from singapore a couple of weeks ago and got into the thick of things in kuala lumpur, drinking with friends from near and far.
the drinks ranged from the usual beers of either carlsberg or tiger beer to rounds of kilkenny beer at the various pubs in kuala lumpur. as you would already have known of this beer with 4.3 per cent alcohol by volume, its a reddish irish cream ale.
nice and creamy and available on tap at a few pubs in kuala lumpur and penang, the beer was first brewed in 1710 at the st francis abbey in ireland. now it is brewed by guinness in kilkenny and dublin.
away from that, had lots of rounds of whiskies - most of which have been drunk and reviewed by yours truly. this included the 15-year-old glenfiddich solera reserve and the 12-year-old glenfiddich.
the 15-year-old glenfiddich solera reserve - which goes for 55 ringgit a pop in parts of kuala lumpur - is a sweet speyside whisky with hints of chocolate and honey on the nose.
the 40 percent alcohol by volume honey gold whisky has a certain spiciness that grows with every sip. an evenly balanced whisky, the sweetness is balanced by the oakiness inherent in this wonderful water of life.
i however failed to pick it as my top three whisky during a recent blind-tasting test.
the results of that test will be published in the flavours magazine printed by the star early 2007.
on that note, read about the rare 43 per cent by volume laphroaig at intensecure - another whisky fiend in kuala lumpur - and immediately searched high and low for it in kuala lumpur.
am glad to say that i found one last bottle at single and available sdn bhd, bless their souls for having a great range of whiskies. am eyeing a few more there for christmas and the new year celebrations.
having said that, am planning a few single malt sundays with friends as the year draws to a close.
and that is what life is all about.
cheers!

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!