This particular offering from the Ø is a collaboration with the Danish vagrant brewer, Mikkeller. Possibly my next beer project should be to explore the Mikkeller range.... hmmm... Anyways, tyttebær is described as a wild cranberry, but alternatively as lingonberry, which makes for a delicious jam... hmm... need some meatballs... once again, I digress... this is an 8% abv "wild yeast sour ale" that has been described in some corners as feral.
Well, I like to think I've had some experience with feral beverages, and let me start by saying, this isn't it. Very approachable beer. Though, I must caution, my bottle practically Eyjafjallajökull'ed on me, leaving a reddish sludge everywhere, and if such a thing is possible, caused my granite countertops to rust. The accompanying aromas did suggest some sort of savageness, all bretty and sour. The deeply muddy orange did not bolster confidence either. However...
...while this certainly enters tart and bretty, it is much less aggressive than the few gueuze I've tried. Not sweet, but a rather sharp sour crispness. As dirty as this all appears, it actually seems to have a clear expression of fruit, only framed by the brett. Light, and I can't believe I'm saying this, delicate. It's got great acidity, it's very dry, and though I wouldn't call it sessionable, it's intriguing and intoxicating, keeping on drawing you back for more and more sips (or gulps.) Well-balanced, quite delicious, and well worth revisiting.
In case you missed it before, here it is again..what is there to say, really? Willit be better than Quick Gun Murugan though? One wonders:
Not saying this was a typical day in India... I 'splain... no, is too long... I sum up. Morning has broken in Mylapore
...pick up some freshly laundered clothes. Ironing done the old school way...
... need some coffee. Watch the roasters do their work...
...head to the local gym... "Paradise Fitness"... 3rd floor, no a/c, one working fan... what's the other place like, I wonder? Still, one pound weighs...
...now, something healthy to eat, neem flowers... deep fried, of course...
...a small offering to the deity...
...then, go catch some naice choons...
...and indulge in some people watching...
...and indulge in some watching people...
...stop in at Madras Boat Club for a few headers in the pool...
...catch a flick in the afternoon... nothing like a "Sambar Western"...
...visit the wine shop, which is to say, the local watering hole...
...haggle for bangles. Not entirely happy with the outcome, it seems...
...visit the flower vendors in front of the temple....
...stroll the markets in the evening, watch the jackfruit being opened...
...and the jasmine flowers being bundled...
...now haggling for mangoes. Terrible mangoes, and a dire crop this year...
...watching the vegetable trade really come alive at dusk. This woman's knife skills are, er, terrifying. Do not haggle...
...head out for some dinner. How many waiters does it take to fetch a clean glass, I say? Don't know really, but it took them a looong time...
...and finally, say good night.
A quick layover in Dubai to visit friends en route to/from India. Development appears to continue apace, despite economic difficulties. Witness the current world’s tallest building
Whereas, entry into Dubai’s national stadium, I mean, largest shopping mall, is free. Plus, shopaholic friend used my visit as an excuse to take me (it wasn’t open when I was here last in 2008.)
Not much for me to say about this massive mall. It’s got a walk-through aquarium, some nice architectural flourishes, a labyrinthine jewellery “souk”, and…
…the only working zamboni in the Gulf? You could have your entire winter holiday here… it’s always Christmas shopping season, and then after some skating, you can scoot on over to the Mall of the Emirates and 
We hit lunch instead… I can’t pass up a plate of raw meat… mmm.
Nor the 
Enjoying some flowers in the garden... frangipani, in an unusual cluster...
...and jasmine.
Time to head to the pool. Ahhh, refreshing.
And on to the hammam, for a scrub...
A little Arabian fantasy?
At the base of Burj Dubai.
Well… it is pretty spectacular at night...
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