London Velvet

Tonight:
London Velvet
Porter Ale & Fine Cider
5% ABV

'Velvet' might be an appropriate descriptor for this beverage. It is smooth, but it's also a bit over the top for my taste. While lower (much lower) in ABV than the 1349 or J.W. Lees, it's a sweet beer. While not sour, the cider gives just a hint of a mouth-puckering feel in the front of the flavor. Meanwhile, the sweetness lingers on the backend. 

While the 5% ABV suggests this beer could be treated as a session beer, I suspect the flavor profile would demand attention every time you took a sip. It could potentially be paired with dessert. But if you're going to drink a beer with dessert, why not go for something with a little more oomph? 

I must confess, I very rarely drink ciders. It's not that I actively dislike them, but there are so many other options (beer, whiskey, mead, G&T, wine, tequila) that I prefer over cider, that I can frequently find something else that I like more. I'm not jazzed about the London Velvet. But if you like ciders, this might be the beer for you. 

As I drink it, I'm idly curious about how it would pair with an apple pie or apple crumble. Or perhaps it'd be the perfect beer in an apple beer bread. I've never had such a mediocre beer capture my imagination as the London Velvet has. There's a first time for everything, I suppose.

Tomorrow: La Fin Du Monde

As a new feature tonight, here's a ranking of the beers I've sampled this Advent season so far. I plan to keep this as a continuously-updated list in future posts, at least until such time as the list gets too long or I feel I can no longer rank the beers properly.

1. Leffe Blonde
2. Big Butte Porter
3. 1349
4. J.W. Lees
5. London Velvet