Happy New Year, all! Can you believe it’s 2017 already? On a personal level (I’m not even going to start on global politics because this is not the place) 2016 was an absolute whirlwind of weddings and V Boring Grownup Activities, so I’m hoping that 2017 is going to be a little more chilled (or room temp, whatever floats your boat).
My first review of 2017 (oh god my tiny tiny sister is 30 this year what happened) is True Maharaja, a cardamom beer by Modha Ales coming in at 4%.
Whenever a beer makes a point of telling us it’s made with a particular herb or spice I’m always slightly concerned. This is mainly because it often goes one way or the other – overpowering, or barely noticeable. Recently I had a rosemary beer which was so incredibly intense I had to check myself into a spa for a week to get over it (people say I exaggerate, but I don’t know what they’re talking about).
Well, I’m pleased to say that this beer doesn’t fall into that category. According to the tasting notes, True Maharaja is ‘enhanced by cardamom’s spiced peppery notes which bring to the beer an aromatic, resinous fragrance, slightly smokey with a subtle mint finish’ and I’d say that was pretty spot on. Well balanced with just a hint of cardamon – enough to smell and taste, but not enough to overwhelm – and refreshing, this is a great beer and one that would go incredibly well with food (in this case turkey curry).
True Maharaja is available in 500ml bottles. It is currently available in selected leading restaurants such as the Michelin-starred Tamarind of Mayfair which is all well and good, but I’m really hoping this becomes a staple in slightly more accessible places! If this were available at my local Indian restaurant instead of the icy cold flavoured water I usually end up with I would order this time and time again.
The brewery is currently working on the next spiced variant of its beer, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with!
The Crafty Beeress 