Ten Thousand Geese

Robust porter 6.8%
Bottle conditioned, in 500 ml and 330 ml bottles.
Release date 24 January 2015 (my 63rd birthday!).

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Ten Thousand Geese:

Brewed on Wednesday 10 December 2014. Bottled 13 and 15 January 2015.

Design

Inspired by the sight of skeins of geese that come to Norfolk 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 robust porter.

Made with a base malt of pale ale Maris Otter from Branthill Farm (just along the coast), and some Crisp's Munich malt, Cara Gold, chocolate malt and black malt. Hopped with NZ Wakatu in the boil and locally smoked USA Centennial for the aroma. This has a unique and distinctive flavour from the use of ingredients smoked in Jonas' traditional fish curing smokehouse in Chapel Street, Cromer (about 250 metres from the brewery). They normally produce delicious kippers, bloaters and smoked haddock and even on occasions, red herrings. My thanks to John and Frances Jonas for their help in making this beer. Do try their fresh and smoked fish, won't you?.

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. Huge, clean, malt aroma, smooth smoky flavours, 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.

Serious flavours.

Free from:

This beer is gluten free by the use of a protease enzyme and produced without the use of any finings, filtering or pasteurisation, so all the flavours of the ingredients are preserved for your enjoyment. This batch was tested with a Ridascreen competitive ELISA assay and found to be <10ppm gluten. Only 320 litres of this gyle of Ten Thousand Geese were produced.

Comments and reviews

None so far.

Martin Warren, The Poppyland Brewer
24.1.2013