Lemongrass (Aku Aku Lemongrass Ale)

På kran i Aku Aku Tiki Bar Oslo 19 Okt 09. Aprikosfarget. Ulkar. Kremaktig skum. Kraftig aroma av sitron og blomster. Behagelig. Smaken blir i samme gate slik at helhetsinntrykket blir litt ensformig. Svakt søtlig avslutning. Spennende prosjekt med et spesialdesignet øl i en veldesignet bar.

On tap @ Patricks. Muddy brown/orange body with a thin off-white/tan head. Aroma is very refreshing, citric fruity, lemon, ginger and spicy. Flavor is refreshing as well, some malt, fruity, a bit acid, hint of lemon lemon, light bitter and some undefined spiciness (yes, know it’s lemongrass but try to describe this from my senses and not the label). Medium body, long fresh and fruity finish. I really can’t decide how good this is, but it’s really quaffable anyway.

350ml draught served at a fine drinking temperature at Olympen. Very hazy, grey-amber body. Some bubbles on the surface, solid lacework on the glass. Smell of fresh lemongrass and spicy sweetness. Unusual taste in the direction of mild bitter lemongrass and honey sweetness with some kind of spices and herbs beneath. Masked alcohol. Rounded acidity to the ending. Different and refreshing (Oslo on a rainy Friday, 04.09.2009).

Draught@SBWF2009. Yellow colour, small white head. Aroma is ginger, spruce, wood and spices. Flavour is quite much the sae in a milder way. Quite pleasant.

First rating: Biggish white head. Cloudy opaque amber-orange body. Spicy mealy lime aroma with perfumy sandalwood and lacquer notes, possibly also a whiff of alcohol. Dry-sweetish spicy perfumy mealy lime and sandalwood taste, very harmonic and fairly complex. Mid-bodied. Sharpish, edgy mouthfeel is kind of mealy. Dry aftertaste is much the same as the main taste, which again is much the same as the aroma. Mealy, dry perfumy feeling lingers for a long time. Very nice, interesting, and highly drinkable. Wish this were available in bottle. (0.35l draft at Aku Aku bar, Oslo.) Score: 4,7,3,7,15=3.6

Second rating: Medium offwhite head. Pale amber body made slightly hazy by particles, with lots of carbonation. Mealy fruity lemongrass aroma with herbal ashy notes. Dry mealy lemongrass taste with resiny herbal notes. Mid-bodied. Mild, mealy mouthfeel. Dryish fruity resiny aftertaste with ashy herbal notes. Kind of nice, but the lemongrass doesn’t really stand out enough, and the mealy, ashy flavours kind of ruin it for me. It tastes a bit like it’s old, but it was brewed in May (batch 1189), so that’s probably not it. (0.5l bottle, from wine monopoly, Vika, Oslo.) Score: 6,4,5,3,12=3.0

Draught at Stockholm Beer Festival. Cloudy straw colour, small head. Soapy lemongrass aroma,. Mid-sweet with clean rounded mouthfeel and light-medium body. Buttery and lightly grainy. Some salty bitterness in a finish where lemon and lemongrass lingers.

On tap at SBWF. Gold color, a rather small white foam. The beer was very spicy, especially lemongrass. I thought that the beer had a certain character of a Radler, yes you know the Germans’ refreshing summer drink which is a mixture of beer and soft drinks. Aku Aku was fresh and easy to drink and pretty fun.

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV was 5.5%. Brewed with lemongrass. Cloudy brownish golden colour, creamy off-white head. Moderate but nice aroma of lemongrass and undefined mild spices, with a faint hint of butterscotch. Refreshing flavour and mouthfeel, the lemongrass is there, but is not overdone. Moderate but noticeable hops. Very moreish. Could well be made a permanent brew - should appeal to "the general public", as well as beer geeks who want a nice refreshment.

On tap at Patricks Pub. It serves an unclear orange body under a minimal-sized off-white head that soon is more of a ring of small bubbles around the rim. The lemongrass dominates the aroma, and takes some time to get used to, but there’s also citrusy hops and some caramel. The body is medium full, with a nice carbonation and a slightly oily texture, getting more pronounced when swallowed and it hangs on the tongue. The lemongrass dominates the aroma as well, with a good citrusy, bitter hop impact and some fruity caramel in the background. Rather short on the finish, which also could use more bitterness. My third glass of this one now, the first half or so was a strange experience, but I’ve now grown to like it quite a lot, and will soon order a new one of this unusual but refreshing beer. A proof that some beers can’t be judged by the first impression. 090917