Burning the Clavie.
Bob Seger is still runnin’ against the wind, while Bob Dylan is looking for the answer there and Elton John couldn’t hold a candle to it. Ian Tyson had to deal with four strong ones, but tonight I am only quaffing one. A Windswept Clavie that is, right from Lossiemouth Scotland. In case you were wondering, a clavie is cask split in two and ceremonially burned as part of an ancient Scottish custom** and seems like a fitting name for a porter of the smoked variety. I would assume, or hope, it is also part of the custom to empty the cask first. The Scots were never ones to waste.
And as you can see, I ran into some head winds with my pour. So now I now embark on another not so ancient COMDB tradition, the settling of the foam. This is a custom still practiced in our home on days when I mess up a pour. Glad I’m not in a hurry, there is some patience involved in this sampling.
What emerges is a dark but clear porter with a tinge of red (the clavie fire perhaps) in the works. A roasted malt traditional porter aroma, but masked by the foam so mild, and definitely smoky. An interesting first taste, mild porter with a different smoky finish and aftertaste, good but different so it might take a bit of getting used to. A sweet and smoky finish which is different, unique, intriguing and beguiling, and something else. What is the adjective I am looking for? It’s right on the tip of my tongue (pun intended). Tasty, very tasty, that’s it! Not as full of flavour or aggressive as some porters but it does have a very nice flavour with a smooth finish, not at all harsh. Subtly smoky suds and they got the smoky just right. It was a heady experience, but well worth the wait.
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