A few additional tools you’ll need are tasting glasses, water to cleanse your palette in between beers, and something to open the bottle - for example a hammer, keys or a specially designed opener. Like any job, it’s best worked on together, so share the beers between two or three people. Take your time, there’s no rush!
Get to work!
It’s always a good idea to start off this kind of job with a Weissbier. They are tasteful, accessible and soft in character. Aromas of banana and cloves are unmistakably associated with this beer style, which you can also find in Brand Weizen. A piece of herring is a surprising combination.
JAM from First Chop is an alternative, more intense opening beer. It is a light mango-pale ale with a pretty bitter aftertaste.
Goddess of beer
Next up, we’ll taste a French beer from a brewery named after the Sumerian goddess of beer: Ninkasi. The Ambrée combines malty caramel notes with tropical fruit, which are in balance with the bitters in the aftertaste. Delicious with salty snacks, or pizza.
Alternatively, you can try an English Session IPA: Bellfield's Lawless Village. The American hop varieties give this beer its citrus-fruity character.
The Beerwulf exclusive
A hoppy, fruity pale ale: that's Mentor. It is an ode to fathers, brewed exclusively for Beerwulf by Kompaan to celebrate Father's Day. A perfect beer to taste halfway through. For a snack accompaniment, try a red cheese on toast.
Or, taste the special Father's Day edition of De Leckere Gulden Craen: a blond beer that every beer loving father will appreciate. Full of flavor, slightly spicy and fruity with an appropriate hoppy aftertaste.
IPAs
For the second part of the job, let’s open a somewhat lighter IPA from the Scottish brewer Brewdog. Punk IPA, brewed in the American style, has grown into a modern classic in a relatively short time. Not surprisingly, it is an aromatic and supple beer, in which you can find many hoppy, tropical flavors. The aftertaste is bitter, as you might expect from an India Pale Ale.
Some lightly smoked salmon fits well here. Add a bit of salt during the tasting, and the bitters from the beer will become milder, making this IPA even more fruity.
You can also go for Bird of Prey from Het Uiltje, a beer with the same character, but with some more hops added, as we are used to from this brewer.
TRPL
Next is an organically brewed triple from Belgium: Jessenhofke TRPL. Sturdy, golden, fairly sweet and spicy, the slightly bitter aftertaste ensures that it remains accessible. Cut some slices of a younger cheese to go with this beer, such as a Gruyère. This is where the gloves and safety goggles might come in handy.
Another option for this course is St. Feuillien Blond, which is quite powerful for its style of beer, but also beautifully in balance.
Finish the job
We finish up with Cornet, a strong blond beer with a pretty firm body. This one starts a little sweet and fruity, which is in balance with the soft-bitter aftertaste. The whole flavour is finished by a touch of vanilla, which comes from the oak wood chips on which the beer has been placed. Think vanilla ice cream - and just as moreish.
For a French finish, go for Folle FurieuZ, the tripel from Brasserie de Sutter in France. It is sweet, with perceptible but not dominating alcohol heat.
And that’s job done! Don’t forget to make a note of your favourites, and remember which styles you all liked best for the next tasting.
