Tasting Notes: River Cottage Stinger
Brewery: Badger Ales (Hall and Woodhouse)
Location: Blandford St Mary, Dorset, England
ABV: 4.5%
Version: 500ml bottle
Source: Wine Rack
On the way down to the in-laws' in Bridgnorth a few weeks ago, we stopped off at a branch of Wine Rack just outside Wolverhampton, just on the off-chance that I could pick up a couple of local brews. As well as one or two interesting-looking beers of West Midlands origin (that are still lurking in the beer cupboard) I also spotted this intriguing little number.
River Cottage (it's endorsed by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and some of the proceeds from each sale are donated to charity) Stinger's unique selling point is that it's "brewed with organically grown, hand-picked Dorset nettles", which was enough to intrigue me and convince me to grab a bottle, although the cynical side of me suspected that there was going to be more gimmick than genuine character to it, I have to confess.
The beer poured a very light, golden colour and shows plenty of effervescence. It was hoppy and not unpleasantly sharp-tasting; quite fresh and with a definite after-taste of something to it, which could very well be nettles. It also provided an appropriate prickling sensation on my tongue - although I suppose this could be due to the carbonation - and by the end of the bottle, I was sure I could feel a very faint numbness of the mouth-parts...
So: a pleasant enough beer that makes your mouth go vaguely numb and tingly (Gimmick? Character? Jury's still out.) Not sure that's enough to make me desperate to try this one again, but at least I'm not sorry I gave it a go.
Related posts:
I made nettle beer earlier this year - I never got round to writing up the experience on Cooking With Booze (short version: fun, tasty, and photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/s.....36952525/) but I did learn that the sting (a combination of different natural poisons) is totally destroyed by the brewing process, so if you did get those effects, they're either psychosomatic, or Badger's adding those nettles in a very odd way...
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Yeah, that's pretty much what I suspected... unless there was something weird going on with the carbonation effect, or they've added the nettles after the main brewing process? Although it doesn't take much to remove the sting from the nettle, anyhow - crushing or chopping is usually enough, according to wikipedia.
So yeah, I probably just convinced myself. Sucker for a good marketing story, me :)
Cooking With Booze looks like something I should be reading as well. I'll have to check out the online version...
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Must admit I wouldn't go out of my way to try it, mate, but if I saw it on the local shelves I might try one out of sheer curiosity - as you say thought its always worth trying something a bit different. Mind you if the mind can provide a sensation of prickles just by suggestion then I'm going to avoid Ye Old Hedgehog Harry's Hearty Ale...
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Yeah, it was curiosity that made me pick it up in the first place... and be careful what you wish for in the hedgehog department... remember hedgehog crisps from when we were nippers? :)
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yeah, funny I was thinking on those recently, must have been those Walker's ads for their suggest a new flavour campaign. I think they should make a beer and curry flavour. And perhaps for the morning after they should have greasy fry up flavour.
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As far as the analogy on crisps goes, the much hyped Smith Plain crisps with salt in a small blue bag is more appropriate than beer & curry flavour crisps as nettle have been used in beer far longer than hops.
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According to the episode of River Cottage Summer that I've just watched, spruce used to be a common ingredient as well, in the days before hops.
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