Happy International Beer Day from Mount Urpin. * Ok, maybe I’m a day late and a dollar short but what the hell. Being a day or two late for our anniversary didn’t stop me from taking the missus out to a nice romantic dinner at the local brewery, now did it. The way I look at it, it’s never too late to celebrate one of the many “beer” days that the marketing mavens have decided to grace us with.
You may not be surprised to learn that my unique method of celebrating this special day (which was a few days ago) is to blow off some froth and hoist a brew or two. But for this toast an international quaffing is in the offing. An armchair tour of Slovakia seemed in order. Time to do some more mountain climbing. This time it’s Mount Urpin** and it’s namesake an Urpiner Exclusive 16⁰ pale lager aged naturally for 50 days.
A muted golden murky pour, with minimal head and maximum mls. 500 to be precise. An odd and off-putting aroma of malt clove reminiscent of a saison, but sweet. Yep, the taste is a sweet milky spice and malt mashup, with the 7% contributing a slightly boozy kick. A full mouthfeel, it’s starting to morph into a sweet almost creamy strong blonde with a bit of a harsh boozy nip to it! Not your father’s lager unless your from Banská Bystrica. Not my lager either to be honest, I just never got into it.
The odd clove spice seems more at home with a Hefeweizen but out of place with a golden lager. Which makes me wonder if this Urpiner was a little too late to the party, as in aged much more than 50 days. As I struggle to finish my Mount Urpin climb I’m clicking my heels like Dorothy, because when it comes to craft beer there’s no place like home. Although I must admit, Guinness is pretty damn good.
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