Sunday 7 February 2010

On the mend with Gadd's

WOW.

I haven't spent 4 days on my back with flu for ages... It was rubbish!

I'm on the mend now and it's time for some fortifying stout. As soon as I came down with the flu I was instantly urged to drink stout both by my boss Christian and a good friend Mike. Of course I'm aware of the power of stout but at that particular moment I was slightly more occupied with alternately shivering, sweating and contemplating my demise.

The 'elixir' case is made for so many alcoholic drinks and the health giving properties of stout are often trumpeted and often maligned.

Stouts were marketed as healthy due to properties ranging from a high iron content to their various different additives. Among these; lactose in milk stout and oysters in oyster stout, both of which of course have proven health benefits. Milk stout marketing hit the rocks with a government ban on the link between booze and milk - fair enough a suppose, you wouldn't want to give booze to the baby.

Some people don't dig booze, that will always be true. Some people want to impose their viewpoint on others lifestyles which is the reason why sober types rail against so called healthy alcoholic drinks.
I'm finding this Gadds' Black Pearl oyster stout particularly rejuvenating so prohibitionists can fuck right off.

I mentioned a little while back about tastes that take a while to acquire, well oysters was one for me but now I'm in to them I really appreciate that minerally, fresh-air-soft-saltiness. Gadds' stout has this in spades, combined with a winey richness on the nose and tongue and a full dark caramel, malt backbone. It has length of flavour with a slightly savoury penny bun mushroomy quality.

Altogether a great beer, and a real recovery star for me. Is it making me feel better? Yes. Is it improving my health. Who knows? Surely both are desirable but are they always necessary simultaneously?? HMMM?

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