It is time for Zurich Beer Tour's Top 3 beers for November 2022. Simona's pick is as usual on the darker side, a super local brew from a brewery just outside of Zurich which uses pear in the brewing process and was aged to perfection in a barrel. Sandro's going for a #NEIPA that exist in 3 different versions, always using the same base beer and just switching out the hops. This month's staff pick is a beer from a really famous brewery from the #Baltics, resembling a liquid (and really boozy) breakfast. Let's do this
Simona's pick: St. Laurentius (CH) - Belle Helene Stout
The Beer:
This stout is special in many ways, being part of St. Laurentius special #barrel club program is only one of them. It was also aged in Bourbon barrels and then before canning blended with a #Vanilla Milk Stout. Just when you thought the beer was already special enough, they added a huge amount of #pear mash to it. The result is a super tasty beer that has really nice layers of oak, pear and a nice hint of vanilla, the perfect dessert beer.
The Brewery:
You can find out more about St. Laurentius in this blog article.
Our food pairing recommendation:
Pear Sorbet
Sandro's pick: White Stork (BG) - TROïKA V.3 - HBC630 NEIPA
The Beer:
TROïKA is a collab of 3 breweries, Heist Brew Co, Meltum Brewery and White Stork. The goal with this series (there are 3 versions of this beer already) is to #showcase different hop varieties. This is achieved by always keeping the base beer recipe the same, because of that you can compare all 3 beers to each other and you will clearly feel the difference the hops will add. The variety used in Sandro's favorite is HBC630, an experimental hop variety which adds raspberry, peach and even slight banana notes to the beer. This fruity brew stays super drinkable even though it has so much flavor, the perfect NEIPA to have several of in a night (I mean, you've got to have at least all 3 versions to compare).
The Brewery:
White Stork is a ‘Gypsy’ brewery (a.k.a. Ghost/Pirate/Nomad/Contract Brewery). They don't own their own brewing equipment, they brew at other breweries and use their systems while they're not in use. White Stork started in 2013 and has won the title of "Bulgarian Brewery of the Year" in 2016 and 2017. They make a lot of #collab beers like the one mentioned above, which helps them always come up with new ideas.
Our food pairing recommendation:
White chocolate praline with raspberries
Zurich Beer Tour's pick: Põhjala (EST) - Vaquero Breakfast Imperial Stout
The Beer:
This beer is part of Põhjala's Cellar Series, which is a program by the Estonians for which they age many different beer styles in many different bottles. Here we have an amazing combination: Imperial Stout aged in bourbon and tequila barrels. They call this beer #Mexican campfire-inspired and as soon as you take the first sip you can taste why. As the beer was brewed with Ancho Mulato #chillies, you can feel a nice amount of spice from the chillies combined with the smokey and oaky notes of the two barrel types. The perfect beer for a cold Winter night.
The Brewery:
You can find out more about Põhjala in this blog article.
Our food pairing recommendation:
Chili con carne with chipotle chillies
These are our three beers. Which ones were your favorite brews in November? Tell us in the comments!
Are you looking for more personalized recommendations, that are made to fit your taste? Check our Pocket Beer Sommelier.
Stay tuned for our December recommendations!
Cheers,
Your Zurich Beer Tour Guides
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