This months Session is hosted at [DrinkDrank] and pushes the our limits... choosing one beer to rule them all. See below.
"What if you were to design the perfect brew—a Tolkien-esque One Beer to Rule Them All. The perfect beer for you, personally. Would it be hoppy and dark or strong and light? Is it augmented with exotic ingredients or traditionally crafted? Would your One Beer be a historic recreation or something never before dreamt of? The sky is the limit on this one."
My Precious! (forged in a 15gal keg)
I nearly passed on this month's session because I felt, like many of you do I am sure, that there is just no way that I could pick one beer. I love nearly every style and my beer moods are definitely shaped by season, activity and food! How could one beer fit all of my moods? Then I realized, that isn't really the point. The point is to dream up a beer that would, in my opinion, rule the beer world. Oh, now I get it! Here is my stab at the BEER of beers.
Aroma: Full of hops (American citrusy types) with hints of sweet caramel and toffee and grainy spices.
Flavor: Assertive but not over the top bitterness, enough caramel like sweetness to balance the hops and rye malt to add a subtle dry, spicy layer. Clean yeast character. Warming alcohol presence at 7%.
Appearance: To get those aromas and flavors the appearance will be dark copper.
Body: Brewed for a medium body so as to increase its food pairing abilities.
Because of its flavor, body and ABV this would be a beer that would be quaffable on all but the hottest days. Its flavor, body and ABV would also age well and blend well with oak. Mmmm, now I gotta go plug this into my BeerSmith program and see what I can come up with!