By Iron chef Leftovers
Pineapple and Macadamia are two flavors that are more reminiscent of Hawaii than things you would find in beer, but that is what Dick’s and Harmon Brewing drew for the Iron Brewer competition. The challenge here is how do you get a fairly mild flavored nut to pair with a very sweet fruit and still find balance in the beer.
Dick’s – the beer pours hazy golden, almost orange in color with strong notes of pineapple and just a hint of nuts in the background on the nose – it reminded me of a pina colada. The beer does the complete opposite when you taste it – the nuts dominate almost right from the start. The pineapple starts to appear on the back end of the beer, but more as a background flavor to the grain rather than a dominant flavor. The beer finishes with light grain and hints of pineapple and sweetness. It had pretty good balance considering the ingredients and I would have thought nut brown ale if I had tasted it blind.
Dick’s Pineapple and Macadamia greets you with 3 leis out of 5.
Harmon – The beer is unexpectedly jet black in color, which seemed strange for the ingredients, with strong notes of molasses and chocolate with notes of nuts and pineapple in the background on the nose. The first sip of this beer tastes like a chocolate bar – toffee, chocolate, roasted grain, nuts, sugar and pineapple, and possible hints of coconut are all there in various degrees progressing through all of the flavors and producing a long, consistent finish. This is a bold and daring beer which is not short on flavor. It does an excellent job of showcasing the flavors of the ingredients and I would love to order this one again.
Harmon Pineapple and Macadamia says hello and goodbye with 4 alohas out of 5.
I thought that Harmon was the better beer and the crowd agreed with me on that, declaring it the winner.
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