Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope. Just a mecha-reindeer called Blitzen.
Beyond another great steampunk-style label is a beer that has Steamworks flying similarly high. Blitzen, marketed for Christmas but really a happy year-rounder, has stocked up the award shelves at the Burnaby brewery this year, taking home silver gongs at both the World Beer Cup in April and the Canadian Brewing Awards in May, then a gold medal and honourable mention for Best in Show at October’s B.C. Beer Awards.
It’s easy to see why. A thoroughbred tripel last year, Blitzen has since been honed into a potential tripel crown winner. (See what I did there?)
It pours brilliantly clear gold with thin cap of fine white head.
The bracingly clean nose is teasingly subtle, with light notes of sourdough and fruit including pear, lemon and orange rind, along with some honey and marmalade sweetness and a gentle spicy crackle of clove and nutmeg.
It’s effortlessly rounded in the mouth, with a flavour profile beautifully poised between fruit, spice and warm bready malt. The fruitier flavours include bright apple and pear followed by denser, slightly musty bitter orange with a grassy underlay and a lightly acidic bite from the carbonation. The mouthfeel comes into play in the middle, bringing out denser, richer fruit flavours along with some bubblegum and light clove. It all ties up with a gentle bitterness and semi-dry, lightly saline finish, before a lightly salty, chewy-bread and marmalade aftertaste.
Food pairing: Take me to the prosciutto and brie sourdough sandwich. Or the sausages and choucroute. Both, ideally.
Beer Cat: Interested
650ml, from around $6.50 at private liquor stores
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