Today's Beer
Name – Silent Knight
Brewer – Dorset Brewing Company
Classification – Dark Wheat Beer
Strength – 5.9% ABV
Verdict - At A Glance
On the eye – Seductive, darkest orange.
On the nose – Mightily rich. Torched oats and treacle.
On the tongue – Sweet, bitter, and all else in between. Impressive complexity.
On the subject – A winter beer when in cask form, this ale has picked up national awards in the wheat beer category. Not that I'm surprised!
On the market – Great local availability, and that's now spreading. Try online at West Country Ales.
On the whole – 8.5/10
On the whole – 8.5/10
Full Review
This is very nice.
It seemed ridiculous to begin this piece in any other way.
What is most remarkable – and this becomes clear immediately – is the way this beer interacts with every separate receptive region of the tongue at precisely the same time and with exactly the same intensity.
It was only when this happened that I realised how most beers don't tend to do that. The usual mode of delivery for a beer is to appeal to the different flavour detection zones at different rates, but this beer is having none of that 'traditional' nonsense!
Sweetness, bitterness, saltiness and acidity all descend upon the tongue like some impossible simultaneous weather event . It's like mid-summer, deep winter, fading autumn and burgeoning spring all arriving at the very same tick of the clock.
It's highly enjoyable.
As well as arriving all at once, each of these flavour themes are quite distinct and quite wonderful. Toasted marshmallow collides dramatically and deliciously with blackberry and liquorice, and there's constant support from treacle toffee and spiced apple.
The other, more peculiar aspect of this drink experience is that – as a wheat beer – it failed to make me sneeze.
I should add that I'm more than happy for a wheat beer to fail in this way.
However, my question is – how can one wheat beer induce no allergic reaction whatsoever when most others always do?
If anyone can explain why this might be – feel free to release me from my new-found state of mild bewilderment.
In the meantime, I've found a wheat beer that likes me back.
One which happens to be one of the best I've ever tasted.
Happy day!
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