I have no idea where you are reading this from dear reader, but here, it’s hot. When the sun bears down on you like you have entered Hades itself the only thing, or I should say the RIGHT thing, to do to escape the 104° heat, is to turn the A/C switch to that little snowflake symbol and reach for a bottle opener.
I’ve been trying a few beers lately that, I guess one could say, fall into the “fringe” category of beers, not exactly the type of brews that one is likely to see at your local Public House.
My local bottle shop recommended a bottle of Grapefruit Beer, a fruit beer from the St. Peter’s Brewery in Suffolk in the United Kingdom.
This beer, bottled in a “flask-shaped” oval bottle, is a wheat beer which is mixed with a touch of natural grapefruit flavor.
As my face was coming dangerously close to melting off, I popped the cap off of this beer which was assigned the daunting task of refreshing AND impressing me at the same time.
The beer was quite surprising in that it was nowhere near as tart as I was expecting. Any discernable citrus from the fruit could only be detected in a subtle aftertaste.
The beer came through, penetrating the wall of fire that was slowly burning away my will to move while simultaneously quenching a thirst that had this writer coughing up dust; the St. Peter’s Grapefruit beer delivered!
Pairing food with this beer was pretty simple. I wanted something light that would lend itself to experimentation with citrus.
I went with Tilapia, a white fish, for my canvas to build upon for the pairing. Crushed black pepper was added to the filet as well as a light dusting of crushed red peppers.
After grilling the fish for a few minutes, I placed small pieces of pink grapefruit on top of the fish to add some citrus to the dish. To add a little herbaceousness as well as a touch more citrus, I misted the fish with Tequila during the last few minutes of grilling.
The finished product was a success! The lightness of the fish as well as the addition of the citrus elements played off of the St. Peter’s brew quite well.
Subtle and refreshing are the two adjectives that come to mind in regard to this pairing! The balance of flavor was a welcomed reprieve from the fiery fingers of the sun.
It’s been a blast giving these “different” beers a chance, and I look forward to bringing you more write-ups on these unique products!
What is the most unique beer that you have tried recently?
