Life

Craft beer: 3 Bean Stout from Norwegian brewers Lervig one to get the pulse racing

3 Bean Stout – at 12 per cent, it's like a big, soft blanket for those dark northern nights
3 Bean Stout – at 12 per cent, it's like a big, soft blanket for those dark northern nights 3 Bean Stout – at 12 per cent, it's like a big, soft blanket for those dark northern nights

IT SEEMS that the best way to sell a food nowadays is to slap one simple five-letter word in front of it – vegan.

Given the inexplicable tendency for people to follow the latest trends when it comes to healthy eating, you could probably claim to be selling a ‘vegan apple’ and you’d sell truckloads of them.

Of course, another healthy food group is pulses – beans and the like, which are filling and alternative source of protein if you are determined to get through at least two weeks of Veganuary.

Now, beer brewing also has its finger on the pulse, so to speak, when it comes to the use of beans, but I must lay down a disclaimer at this point that these beans aren’t going to give you your protein fix.

First up is 3 Bean Stout from Norwegian brewers Lervig. Now, it does get nippy at this time of the year up there and way up in the north there are days which see about a minute of sunlight in the winter months. Thankfully, Lervig’s 3 Bean Stout, clocking in at a hefty 12 per cent, is like a big, soft blanket you can wrap around yourself.

The beans used in the brew are tonka, vanilla and cocoa. You get a bit of chocolate on the nose and a hint of the tonka too. It pours a dark black colour, with miniscule tan head, which clears off seconds after the pour. The flavours are sweet and despite the big hit of booze, there is a smoothness to it, perhaps helped by the vanilla.

It’s cakey and boozy and a lovely winter sipper – not one for those looking to row back on the festive indulgences – but hey, it’s still cold and dark so why not give yourself a wee treat?

Another bean-inspired brew is Cherry Tonkoko from Brew York – an English brewery based in, yes, you’ve guessed it, York.

Based on their Tonkoko stout, which of course contains tonka beans, as well as vanilla, this quite literally puts a cherry on top with the addition of Morello cherries.

It’s another hefty one at 9.5 per cent. It’s chocolately, with a hint of roasted coconut, a sweetness from the beans and a little tart tang from the cherry. It’s another which may seem a bit decadent at this time of year; however, why not the start 2020 on the right foot with some top-class beer?