Action Figures & Their Beers - The game is afoot

by Beedo Sookcool
on 2012-07-24, 02:07:24

POACHER’S CHOICE

Another fine entry from those fine folks at Badger Breweries, the obvious figure to go with this ale is the Dreadnok poacher, Gnawgahyde . . . . What?!! Hasbro let his name trademark lapse, too?! To Hells with it, a little digital photographic text manipulation to the rescue . . .

There, that’s better! Now then, this strapping 5.7% ale has “notes of damson and liquorice,” according to the neck-label. And, yep, I can see their points. Definitely plummy, and with a bit of that aniseed-y tang that I so hate about liquorice. Fortunately for both this beer and myself, the liquorice component is overpowered by every other flavour (malt, hops, and fruit) in this beverage, so all there is is the tiniest tang, which soon fades into the nice beery, plummy aftertaste. Strangely, it's rather like what hoisin sauce would be like if it were an ale. This beer also, unusually, contains sulphites as a preservative. In British ciders, you can definitely taste the sulphites as a brimstony presence, but with Poacher’s Choice, I can’t even taste them. And while I don’t claim to have ultra-sensitive, five-star gourmet taste buds, I know sulphites and artificial sweeteners when I taste them, and the sulphites in this ale are simply swamped by all the other powerful flavours.

The back label runs as follows: “The wily poacher knows the temptations the lush Dorset countryside has to offer. Just like Badger, the Poacher craftily seeks out its treasures and makes the most of sumptuous local ingredients. This rich, smooth brew has a softly spiced sweetness with dark liquorice notes and a fruity damson aroma. A gutsy ruby ale that is well matched with hearty game pie or a tangy mature cheese.”

I can attest from first-hand experience that it does indeed go very well with venison steaks in mushroom sauce and potatoes dauphinoise. Also steak-and-ale pie or chipotle-flavoured Doritos. (Hey, I’m a gourmand, not a gourmet -- it’s all about the flavour, no matter the source, and snobbery of any kind can take a running jump.) Also, when it warms up a bit, the fruit taste is not so much damson as it is blackberry. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiice!

Drink this if you also like: Botanical beers, fruit-laden beers, rich ales in general, Peking duck.