Taste of the Year -- Say It With Flowers! - January 2005
2004's Taste of the Year is unusual in that it is a beer of which I have enjoyed remarkably little, although what I did sample made me hunger for more! It is the Cuvée des Fleurs, another inventive creation from Phil Markowski, brewer at Long Island, New York's Southampton Publick House and author of the new Brewers Publications book, "Farmhouse Ales."
What made the Cuvée so fascinating to me was the use of several varieties of edible flowers in place of some of the hops, producing a beer so intensely fragrant and floral that it literally made me do a double take when first I tasted it. (My notes offer no hints as to which flowers were used, since Phil rather devilishly listed only their botanical names among the ingredients.) What made it compelling, however, was the way that the spicy hop flavours and delicate maltiness balanced the flowers to produce an ale that went well beyond the 'one sip wonder' designation that so often describes experimental brews. Even though I have yet to have the pleasure of enjoying it by the pint, there is no doubt in my mind that the Cuvée is a decidedly quaffable innovation, as well as my Taste of the Year.
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