Sherbrooke Liquor Store in Edmonton has partnered up with Alley Kat and The Lingnan restaurant to produce a beer just in time for Chinese New Year’s (which is Friday). Chinese New Beer is a Witbier, which may at first seem an unusual choice for a February release. However I am told it was designed to accent dishes at The Lingnan, and so the orange citrus and coriander freshness will go well. It is available exclusively at Sherbrooke and at the restaurant.
The cartoon label plays with the closing of the Year of the Tiger and the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit. On a side note, Chinese New Beer is the 15th collaboration between Sherbrooke and Alley Kat, which is interesting.
Sherbrooke also reports that in a week or two, they will have another exclusive beer – Mojo A’Peel. Mojo is being called a “Bananas Foster Dunkelweizen”. Bananas Foster is a wonderful dessert bananas, vanilla ice cream in a caramel rum sauce. Personally, never considered that as a feature for a beer, but it could work. Dunkelweizens have a noted banana yeast character, and this one has vanilla and demarara brown sugar added. I think the challenge will be achieving balance.
In other Sherbrooke news, they will be settling down to a regular line-up of seasonals over the next few months. Sherbrooke Shamrock, the green coloured Belgian strong, in March, Bad Hare Day Double IPA around Easter and Neapolean and Heatseeker later in the spring. Sometime in 2011 will also mark the return of KGB Imperial Stout and Ochsner’s Porter. That is a hell of a line-up for a liquor store in a non-descript strip mall.
February 1, 2011 at 10:47 PM
You make a great point, I never would’ve thought(well, ok it Might’ve occurred to me Eventually)of pairing a ‘wit’ with Chinese food. Then again, how many local Chinese restaurants have extensive beer lists?( 😉 Rhetorical question, but…) I assume it’ll be available at the restaurant.
The Dunkelweizen has me very curious too, you’re right about the banana yeast character.
February 3, 2011 at 2:48 AM
Unusual choice to brew a Witbier. Interesting however it I went to this Chinese restaurant I would probably want a crisp pilsner / lager from China like the Chinese beers,Tsingtao Beer or Zhujiang Beer to pair with dishes. This style of beer tends to cleanse the palate.I will check it out however.