Stouts with a fruity flavour

AS DIVERSE as it is versatile, beer can be the perfect complement to food – and we’re not talking peanuts and Buffalo wings! With proper matching, even spicy and pungent Thai food enjoys a happy marriage with flavourful suds. 

Last week, Henrik Yde-Andersen of the Michelin-starred Kiin Kiin in Copenhagen introduced his edgy new creations for Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin and matched them with Mikkeller’s surprising stouts. 

Many Thais do of course sup ale while downing dinner, often |resorting to the fizzy, malty drink to restore balance in the palate after tasting a poor tom yum or a mediocre stir-fried dish.

But Mikkeller beers deserve a better choice of fare, not least because they are actually enhance the subtle flavours of Thai-inspired dishes. The brainchild of self-proclaimed gypsy brewer, Mikkel Borg Bjergso, the brews are made at a variety of host facilities around the world. 

The Dane was working as math and physics teacher when he started experimenting with hops, malt and yeast in his kitchen eight years ago. Today, he develops about 80 new beers each year and exports his micro-brews to 40 different countries. Mikkeller is internationally acclaimed as one of the most innovative and cutting edge brewers in the world. 

Mikkeller’s goal is to challenge your thoughts of what a beer will be, use only the best ingredients and to work with the most talented and creative minds around the world. Bjergso loves to collaborate with acclaimed breweries around the world such as Threefloyds, Cigar City, Stillwater, Brewdog, and Anchorage. 

As a result not every beer comes in a bottle, some only come in kegs and many are only brewed one time. 

The tasting night started with cucumber salad with confit of duck and laab dressing, paired with It’s Alive!, a Belgian ale brewed with lychee and aged in a white wine barrel. The fruity sweetness and slightly tangy aftertaste were perfect with the minty and spicy dressing and its aromatic hints of toasted rice or khao kua. 

Next up was fried mullet with lemon grass and sweet tamarind sauce paired with Dimsum Beer, whose lemongrass and coriander elements really help smoothen and balance the overall flavour, making it an even more pleasant dish. The chef’s signature, egg Kiin Kiin mushrooms with holy basil garlic and chilli, was accompanied by Ricemarket Beer. 

The dish, which is simply a deconstructed pad kra pao with minced mushrooms, was lightened by the ginger and honey-flavoured brew. The same effect was enjoyed with the next entry, egg plant relish served with smoked bone marrow, a dish enhanced by chipotle-flavoured Texas Ranger Beer. 

The tart and fruity Gypsy Tears Beer, a stout, added balance to the super-sweet and herbal soy-glazed ribs with ginger and caramelised cauliflower and five-spice fermented cabbage.

Most of us would instinctively pair light, dry and super fizzy beers with such intensively herbal and spicy dishes so it was omething of a surprise to discover that these herb-laden and heavily flavoured beers were in fact a better match thanks to their lean fruitiness, the suave sweetness and slightly malty finish. 

 

 

>>>Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin is at Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok. Call (02) 162 9000.

For more about Mikkeller beers, visit www.Mikkeller.dk