It is time for Zurich Beer Tour's Top 3 beers for November 2021. Simona's pick is a #Dutch beer with a special ingredient, which you would never guess belongs in a beer. Sandro stays true to himself (or is he just boring?) and chooses a really amazing IPA from a brewery that made it in our top 3 twice in a row. This month's staff pick is perfect for the #Winter - a #coffee stout from one of our favorite #Scottish breweries. Let's do this!
Simona's pick: Brouwerij Hoop (NL) - Spicy Mosterd Tripel
The Beer:
Yes, it is true: this beer was indeed brewed with #mustard (mosterd is the Dutch word). The base is a classic Belgian style #Tripel, with its classic sweet malty aromas. On the nose you get a lot of classic #Belgian yeast notes: clove, #banana and some peppery spice. And this is where the mustard comes in, with its own subtle spiciness and acidity, it combines perfectly with the #spicy yeast. The beer is something special, but still keeps its (dangerously) high #drinkability even with the 8% ABV. We love the creativity on this one.
The Brewery:
Brouwerij Hoop opened its doors in 2016. #Sustainability is one of they key #values of the guys from Hoop. On the roof of the brewery they installed over 300 solar panels, creating enough electricity to produce energy neutral beers. They brew a wide range of beer styles from #modern IPAs with grapefruit, to more #classic bock beers, but often with a special ingredient or another twist.
Our food pairing recommendation:
Weisswurst with sweet mustard
Sandro's pick: Fürst Wiacek (DE) X Ārpus (LAT)- Time Collapse TIPA
The Beer:
It is Fürst Wiacek from Berlin again, but this time with a beer style they are known for, which is obviously IPA or in this case the massively bigger version: #Triple IPA. What's the difference between IPA, Double IPA and Triple IPA? Read this blog article about craft beer terminology to learn more. This hop bomb was brewed in collaboration with Fürst Wiacek's counterpart from the #Baltics: Ārpus Brewing from #Latvia. If you followed our blog until this day, you know that Ārpus and FW are probably 2 of the most featured breweries in our top 3 blogs, so this collab sounded promising. And what should we say, we were not disappointed. The beer pours thick and creamy spreading stone fruit and grass aromas in the whole room. On the palate, this beer also amazes you with aromas reminding of #apricot marmalade, #pine and #pineapple. A candidate for beer of the year?
The Brewery:
You can find out more about the brewery in this blog article.
Our food pairing recommendation:
Yellow shrimp Thai curry
Zurich Beer Tour's pick: Overtone (SCO) - Vanilla Froth
The Beer:
In the dark season of the year, we obviously had to feature a #dark beer. And even though we are drinking a lot of fantastic stouts lately, this one clearly stood out. This brew by Overtone from Glasgow, #Scotland was brewed with some amazing ingredients, bourbon Madagascan #vanilla pods, #lactose and freshly ground #coffee from Kokebi. A smooth and velvety #mouthfeel is combined with notes of roasty coffee, dark chocolate, and #vanilla. If you read the description you would expect a really sweet beer, but in reality the sweetness is perfectly balanced and compliments the aromas mentioned earlier. A perfect beer if you feel like coffee, but need something more substantial. Cheers!
The Brewery:
You can find out more about the brewery in this blog article.
Our food pairing recommendation:
Chocolate brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
These are our three beers for November. Which ones were your favorite brews this month? Tell us in the comments!
Are you looking for more personalized recommendations, that are made to fit your taste? Check our Pocket Beer Sommelier.
Stay tuned for our December recommendations!
Cheers,
Your Zurich Beer Tour Guides