Beer Man: Thrilling Sgt. Pepper is seriously spicy
Beer Man is a weekly profile of beers from across the country and around the world.
This week: Sgt. Pepper
Cambridge Brewing Co., Cambridge, Mass.
I've had some excellent beers made with hot peppers, but the ones made with peppercorns that I've tried are either too weak in pepper flavor, have a mediocre beer base or both. Sgt. Pepper is the first one I've had where the intense pepper flavor is complemented by a fine beer — in this case, a farmhouse ale.
The pepper was immediately noticeable upon popping the cap off the bottle — exactly like the smell of freshly cracked black pepper from a grinder. A hint of light lemon and pale malts also came through.
The ale poured a light orange color with a white head that fizzed away rather quickly — not a surprise when using larger-than-normal amounts of spice.
Slightly sweet apricot and peach flavors and spicy Belgian yeast notes hit the taste buds at the first sip, followed by an almost biting pepperiness that stopped just short of being hot. The pepper character seemed to increase upon several more sips, until I got used to it and it became one with the beer.
The ale was nicely carbonated and had a soft mouthfeel without being creamy. There also is rye malt used in the 6% ABV beer, which added to the overall spiciness. I can think of all kinds of food pairings with this beer, including New England clam chowder and Belgian waterzooi (chicken stew).
The strong pepper may turn off those looking for a classic farmhouse ale, but Cambridge set out to make such a combination and succeeded on all fronts. It won a gold medal at the 2012 World Beer Cup.
As is typical with many breweries, Cambridge's website does not mention what states it is distributed in (why this is, I don't know — it seems a rather basic and important bit of information). It does have a ZIP code Beer Finder link through a third party here. I found references to it being sold from New York to Oregon with points in between.
I sampled my bottle on New Year's Eve, courtesy of a neighbor who picked it up on a trip to the Eastern seaboard. Though I found online mention of it being purchased in the past month, Cambridge says a new batch is coming out in spring. It is definitely a beer to keep in mind.
Many beers are available only regionally. Check the brewer's website, which often contains information on product availability. Contact Todd Haefer at beerman@postcrescent.com. To read previous Beer Man columns Click here.