It was one of the very few dry evenings this summer. The sun had set somewhere beyond the Poddle and I'd just finished cutting the grass. What I needed, I reckoned, was a lawnmower beer. To the fridge, then, where I found a bottle of Gaffel Kölsch. That'll do.When I picked it up a few weeks ago I'd been amused by the variety of bottle caps on offer. The brewery supplies the beer with the European flag of your choice on top. Of course, unimaginative purist that I am, I went for Germany. My experience of the kölsch style remains fairly limited, but this was pretty much what I was expecting: crisp and dry, more than anything, though it also exhibits a pleasant mild banana-like fruitiness right on the very end. Anyway, it didn't last long -- just the refreshment I had been craving.
And so back to the fridge where the only thing resembling it I could find was König Pilsener. Medium gold, medium fizz and quite wonderfully balanced. There's a touch of that north German hoppiness at the front, but it settles down quickly into a long smooth maltiness that's very satisfying. In fact, I think I sat over it a bit too long, as the evening's warmth started turning it heavier and maltier. It still remained perfectly drinkable, though, and with a definite light bitter touch, unusual in what's basically a fairly strong (4.9% ABV) lager.I don't know how much more lawn mowing I'll be doing this "summer", but I reckon either of these will make excellent rewards for my labours.
I've had the Gaffel's at a bar here in Münster a few weeks ago, but it was at the end of a night out, so I wasn't analysing it too closely, but I will.
ReplyDeleteI had the Konig Pils for (I think) the first time about two weeks ago after a long cycle on a warm day, and it was just the ticket too! In fact, I bought a crate of it for my father-in-law's birthday last week, when it was about 30°C. I brought the leftovers home for a proper taste ;)
I bought the same beer with the same bottle cap. Strangely I gravitated towards the German cap too. I also cut my lawn lawn this weekend, but I haven't drunk the beer yet.
ReplyDeleteI was disgusted with the hatchet job my mower did on the damp lawn. A beer afterwards might have been a good idea to sooth my agitated nerves.
You just have to set it high: I was working on about position 4. It means cutting more often, but that just means more beer. Though my next lawnmower drink is a bottle of Double L cider.
ReplyDeleteMy but aren't we domesticated?
Start a lawn-mowing blog!
ReplyDeleteI thought you already had.
ReplyDeleteNow I look at it, I think that might be a shot from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
ReplyDeleteI should probably also point out to lawn enthusiasts Irish Craft Brewer's recent experiment with slugs.
ReplyDeleteDone by a proper scientician and everything.