Talk about putting the boss to shame… At some point, we plan to bring you write ups of the Masterclass of Madness and Brew vs Cru but already – within hours of the event finishing – Crafty Pint WA, aka the lovely Pia Poynton of girl+beer, has filed her report on the Russian Imperial Banquet at Village Melbourne. In fact, she’d filed it before going to bed after enjoying a Russian Imperial Banquet. Respeck!
Event: Russian Imperial Banquet
Venue: Village Melbourne
Date: Monday 19 May
Good Beer Week Stream: Beer Geek
The Event:
When one Russian Imperial Stout isn’t enough you need a Russian Imperial Banquet comprising of no less than six beers and one pig’s head.
The Village played hosted to a bunch of stout-loving beer geeks who sipped and savoured stouts from Australian brewers Moo Brew and Mornington Peninsula, UK’s Magic Rock, Danish outfit Toíl, Birra Del Borgo from Italy and Deschutes Brewery from America. Brewers and representatives from each brewery were on hand to introduce their beers and answer questions.
Once there was pig…
There was so much food that it didn’t fit on the table, resulting in a pass the parcel style of service where you found yourself dishing out enough food to sink a small ship.
Killer Beers:
Deschutes 2013 Abyss was beyond stunning. The brewers throw in cherry bark, licorice nibs and molasses then 28 percent of it is aged in bourbon barrels then Pinot Noir barrels. The result is a rich beast of a beer with gorgeous Christmas cake like flavours of fruit and spice.
Mornington Peninsula’s 2013 Imperial Stout offered up a hoppier stout, brewed with Amarillo hops and six malts including a little roasted barley, Maris Otter and some oats. There’s a lot going on in this Aussie stout with chocolate, roast, coconut, raisin and vanilla notes all playing very nicely with each other.
Highlights:
Beer geeking big time and having all six beers in front of you, comparing them all and seeing how
they developed and changed as they warmed.
Drinking Birra Del Borgo Imperiale Imperial Russian Stout which has never before been available on tap in Australia.
The Event in Three Words: Dark, robust, stouty.
