Ten Thousand Geese

Robust smoked porter 6.6%
Bottle conditioned, in 500 ml bottles.
Release date 15 February 2013.

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Ten Thousand Geese:

"The beer was awesome, very smokey, great with cheese." Gary Parrett, chef at The Grove, Cromer.

Brewed on Wednesday 7 November 2012. Bottled 16.1.2013.

Design

Inspired by the sight of skeins of geese that come here every winter from their breeding grounds near the Arctic Circle to feed on the salt marshes and the fields of the North Norfolk coast and Halvergate Marshes. They sometimes fly over the brewery in v-formations, honking as they go. This is one of the special sights of winter and it makes you glad to be indoors on dark evenings, in the warm, before the fire and sipping something comforting like this smoked Baltic Porter.

Made with a base malt of Maris Otter pale malt from Branthill Farm just along the coast (some of it smoked), with pale Munich malt, chocolate malt and black malt. Hopped with smoked NZ Wakatu in the boil and smoked USA Centennial for aroma. Dry hopped with more smoked Centennial in secondary fermentation. This has a unique and highly distinctive flavour from the use of ingredients smoked in a traditional fish curing smokehouse in Chapel Street, Cromer. This is normally used to produce delicious kippers, bloaters and smoked haddock; even on occasions red herrings. The oak smoke imparts a gentle, sweet smokiness to 3 kg or malt and some of the hops. My thanks to John and Frances Jonas for their help in doing this. Try their fresh and smoked fish too.

It was during the brewing of this beer that the Russian Doll brewing vessel broke and there was nearly a nasty accident. I was lucky to be able to salvage the mash and continued to brew what I consider to be a very fine beer, and plenty of it.

Tasting notes

Moderate carbonation. Colour near black with a pale tan head. Head fades slowly to a ring and lacing. Massive aroma of clean fresh malt, excellent distinctive mild smokiness, Centennial hops

The taste is unique, deep and plentiful. Clean malt, smooth smoky flavours, with a slight salty tang, sweet notes and body from the alcohol. The hops are moderate, well balanced gentle bitterness with floral/herby notes from the Wakatu and Centennial hops. It has a long finish of liquorice, cappuccino, oak, whisky.

This beer is produced without the use of any finings, filtering or pasteurisation, so all the flavours of the ingredients are preserved for your enjoyment. Only 276 bottles of Ten Thousand Geese were produced. Another 50 litres from the same gyle have been put onto 2 kg of wild Damsons and are still to be bottled.

Comments and reviews

"The beer was awesome, very smokey, great with cheese." Gary Parrett, chef at The Grove, Cromer.

"Poppyland's robust aromatic smoked Porter using Maris Otter malts and hops smoked in a local smokehouse. Full flavoured, delicate and lingering smoked Baltic Porter." Beautiful Beers

Martin Warren, The Poppyland Brewer
31.1.2013