A winemaker making beer.?  I’ve never heard of such a thing.  I’d have thought beer would be way too common a drink for a winemaker to consider…

But apparently Chapel Down winemakers have considered it and are now making beer.  It’s a beer with a little twist in its story and by jingo it’s good.

Chapel Down are producing three different beers: Curious Brew (Lager), Curious IPA (I’ll leave you to guess what that is) and Curious Porter (this is too easy)

I tried the Curious Brew whilst on a stag weekend in Stratford upon Avon and my notes are consequently full of florid, expansive and sometimes indecipherable language describing just how good this beer is.

I was kind of forced into trying it as I was in a pub on the riverfront in Stratford that had three cask hand-pulls on the bar with  NO CASK BEER WHATSOEVER available…and it was a Saturday night too.  What’s that all about? This country…

Anyway, back to Curious Brew:  An excellent delicate (pilsener?) malt and sprightly hop aroma greeted me from the glass.

A light, almost cheery, effervescence didn’t intrude upon the taste of slightly sweet, delicate, lightish malt, and a refined and delicate hoppy edge.

A slightly dryish note with an excellent floral, slightly white-winey hoppiness on the swallow completed the picture.

You can really taste that this beer has been made by a winemaker it’s so refined and well-made.  I dare say it’d partner nicely with seafood or light chickeny, salady things.

After drinking I noticed that the bottle informed me that Chapel Down ferment Curious Brew with an appropriate lager yeast and then finish with a champagne yeast after.  Very classy.

This is such a lovely beer, complex, refined (very refined) and accessible to anyone.  I’d heartily recommend it.  Excellent.

Can’t wait to get my hands on the IPA and Porter!

http://www.chapeldown.com/Products/102-curious-brew-24-bottles.aspx