Enjoying a pint of India Pale Ale is an acquired taste, given its tendency for being very hoppy, dry and bitter. And often with a higher alcohol level. If you’re new to the world of IPA, don’t start your session with one and don’t try chugging a few down at a sitting. We’re fans of IPA but in Singapore, the only place you’ll be assured of IPA on tap is Brewerkz, which by all accounts is a good brew, having notched several awards to show for it. So when we found out that Archipelago Brewery had launched their own IPA, we were thrilled, it’s about time!

A brewmaster once said, "Never underestimate what a good glass can do for beer."

The Archipelago Hickory Smoked IPA is a unique hybrid of beer styles, the popular English India Pale Ale & the German smoked Rauchbier styles, with American hops, resulting in a beer tasting closer to the American IPAs that the English. Making this brew was a collaboration with Smokey’s BBQ restaurant (located at 73 Joo Chiat Place) where the Hickory wood chips used by Smokey’s BBQ, an authentic smokehouse restaurant, to smoke the malt to create this limited edition Hickory Smoked IPA.

Because it’s smoked, it’s got a beautiful amber glow and very aromatic. Made with a combination of three American hops – Centennial, Chinook & Tomahawk – which are all commonly used in a lot of American pale ales, the Hickory Smoked IPA has a savoury yet citrus taste. If you’re new to IPAs, it may need a few sips to start appreciating the smoky aftertaste on the palate and scents of smoky essences. Here’s a tip, have it at Smokey’s BBQ and pair it with their pulled pork, which is cooked over 18hours or even with a bowl of their chilli. It’s a perfect combination!

A chef once said, "Never underestimate what food and do for a beer."

If you’re into the whiskeys like Oban, you’ll love this beer, the smoky aftertaste is quite similar.

The Archipelago Hickory Smoked IPA was created for Beerfest 2011 and will be available at Smokey’s BBQ and other Archipelago concept bars in the coming weeks.

An uncle once said, "Never underestimate what a beer babe can do for beer."

These days, people travel to Amsterdam, Paris, New York to see a Van Gogh

Van Gogh Vodka

on a wall. His self-portraits, his visual representations of cafes, the night sky, sunflowers, his possessions have been imprinted onto fridge magnets, posters, greeting cards, t-shirts to name a few. Very few artists can lay claim to such a palette of commercial products. And even fewer have a vodka and gin to their name, even though Van Gogh was known to consume copious amounts of Absinthe.

I was given a bottle of the Van Gogh Classic Vodka (80-proof) a few years back and it’s one of the few empty bottles I’ve kept given how it’s artfully designed with accolades of his work lining the inside walls of the bottle. The vodka itself was superb, very smooth due to it being hand-crafted using a triple distillation method and the water quality from Schiedam, Holland by privately-owned by Royal Dirkzwager Distilleries. It used to be available at the airport Duty Free but haven’t seen much of it in recent years. If you do see it, look out for over 20 varieties of vodka and gin under this label.

While seeing Van Gogh on the inside walls of a vodka bottle is quite a different way of seeing the artist, the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands is now presenting an avant garde approach to appreciating the Dutch master with the world premiere of Van Gogh Alive – the Exhibition. Showcasing images of his works from his most prolific decade from 1880 to 1890, his art is not presented within the stillness of wooden frames but injected with a multitude of sensory elements through an intelligent orchestration of music, light and projection technology.

When I was first invited to the premiere, there was skepticism as we’re all primed to appreciate such masterpieces in their true form – locked in a frame and best viewed from 3-feet. But this experience was about his work being projected through more than 40 high definition projectors onto walls, columns, roofs and floors, accompanied by the familiar tunes of Yanni. It was truly an immersive hour of sensory delights with Van Gogh being illuminated, layered, transposed across what would have been very plain walls.

Conceptualised by French photographer Albert Plecy, at his research centre (Cathedral d images) in the quarries of Provence (France), this is the first time this exhibition has left France. On till 6 November 2011, this is one exhibition highly recommended. Vodka not included.

Well, it had been a good few months that these bottled beverage beer beauties have been lying in my fridge, awaiting a worthy thirst occasion. And now that the sun has recently proven its awesome power of torture-by-heat here in Singapore, we thought it best to counter any possible heat-related illnesses with a few bottles of fine Belgium ale.

We’re not sure if these fine brews are available locally in Singapore – let us know if you do come across them. Maybe at Brussel Sprouts at Roberson Quay? In no order or merit, here are some tasting notes. Elvin – thanks again for the kindness & thought!

Westmalle
Trappist. Fragrant. Good head. Cloudy. Straw colored. Very hoppy.  Aroma hits your palate straight up. 9.5 ABV. Citrus notes. Not the usual dark sweet Belgium ale variety. Instant beer buzz. Hic!

De Koninck Speciale Belge
5% ABV. Clear deep brown. Not much head. Easy drinking. Not hoppy. Not sweet. Light taste. Will not overpower any food paired. No bouquet, almost neutral and a finish that quickly dissipates. We like this one.

Trappistes Rochefort

Wow! Packs a punch! 11.3% ABV. Def not for beer softies! Not much head, dark almost opaque brown, full mouth feel. Hints of chocolate with strong malt flavour. Sediment. Now feeling woozy. Time to stop blogging.

Truth is, tequila can actually taste very good, even when sipped over ice. But go with the good stuff, like Don Julio or Patron. And this is where we introduce our flavour of the week… Patron Tequila XO Cafe, which is a blend of the premium Patron tequila at 70 proof with coffee essence, and arguably one of the best non-whisky drinks we’ve tasted on the rocks.

I was introduced to this drink by a colleague during my last trip to the United States. Kristin saw this sitting behind the bar we were at and insisted I had to try it, not just for its exquisite taste but also it’s rarity. And my ignorant response was, “I don’t like tequila, I don’t want to get drunk and it’s too early for shots!” But Kristin went on to 2 order servings on the rocks and I’ve since had this again in a Hong Kong bar. And now bestowing it legacy on our blog.

Patron Tequila XO Cafe on the rocks

Well, coffee liqueurs aren’t new to the market. Kahlua has been around for a long time, even the likes of Starbucks and Illy coffee have also released their coffee infused liqueur. Most recently, on my last trip to Changi Airport a few weeks back, I discovered the Absolut Watkins, a limited edition coffee based vodka with the bottle designed by Swedish fashion illustrator, Liselotte Watkins, who’s famous for works on brands like Miu Miu, Anna Sui and Barney’s. But a source who’s chosen to remain anonymous told 175 Proof that this coffee vodka doesn’t taste as good as the bottle looks. There’s much better vodka out there such as Ketel One which we got to sample recently, but we’ll leave that for our next post.

Kristin, thanks for the Patron, this one’s for you!

For those of you unfamiliar with Lunar, it’s a split-level Cantopop club with “live” band performances and dance performances. Carlsberg branded a corner of the upper level as Eclipse by Carlsberg with a lounge sofa and a few tables. The key highlight of the area is a Carlsberg tap which just keeps flowing. And to provide a full sensory experience, the dancing platform is just in front of the Eclipse area giving spectators a unhindered view of the dance performances. We’re not going to describe the dancing any further, you’ve got to check it out for yourself.

Now, we’re hoping the boys at Carlsberg setup more of these exclusive areas in bars around the city.

Being Chinese New Year, a group of my ex-schoolmates decided it was apt to do a reunion and no better location than at a burger joint opened by a fellow ACSian. The choice was De Burg, tucked in the corner of the kopitiam at Blk 10 Ghim Moh Road, stall 3. Over the years, the likes of Ashton’s and Botak Jones have invaded the heartlands, giving the traditional western food chicken chop with baked beans and a fried bun a run for their money. But De Burg isn’t your normal western food stall, it’s a burger specialist using premium Australian beef.

Decadence between the bun

We took a luxe order of the De Burg Decadence which was a Wagyu patty served with bacon strips, a whole portobello mushroom, cheese, a raw onion ring, lettuce all between a toasty sesame seed bun. Was it good? We wouldn’t have changed a thing! And best of all, they serve Little Creatures Pale Ale too at only $7.50 a bottle! Seriously, where else are you going to find Little Creatures retailed at this price? There might be more Aussie beers being added to the selection too.

Little Creatures Pale Ale at $7.50?!??!

When you’re there, lookout for Andrew to get his recommendation, they’ve gotten creative by pairing a lamb burger with Nutella spread, so you never know what you’ll find in your burger next!

While Hitachino Nest is truly hard to locate in bars in Tokyo, one avid 175 Proof discovered this rarity on the shelves of Mediya supermarket at Liang Court! From Kiuchi Brewery, they are primarily a sake brewer and their Hitachino Nest ales are a combination of their sake brewering techinques. With about 10 flavours, what our reader saw on the shelves was the award winning White Ale, a Belgian styled beer with a complex flavor of coriander, orange peel, nutmeg. Also available was the Red Rice Ale, which they describe as “complex sake-like flavors with malt sweet notes. Hints of strawberries in the nose and palate. An intriguing mix of sake, malt , and bitter notes in the finish.” We’ve had the privilege of drinking these at Dry Dock but 2 other varieties found at Meidiya which we’ve not sampled before are the Japanese Classic Ale and Amber Ale.

You can find Guinness in a pub and also in a pud.

Pudding reminds us of our childhood – not eating the black sticky cake when we were wee kids; more like reading about it in our then favourite Enid Blyton books. We used to wonder how it tastes like but wouldn’t necessarily go out and buy one of our own (what’s treacle, BTW?). So good thing we received a canister each delivered to us on Xmas week. Containing a stated 10% Guinness, this pudding will bring a wry smile to those who partake of this very English tradition. The good folks at Asia Pacific Breweries, as always, took good care to vicariously spend a festivity with its fans, this time via a dessert with deep tradition.

Plastic fantastic

Now we’ve never really indulged in a real pudding before (does a liquor-rich Xmas fruit cake from Big Sister count?) so we’re really excited. The pudding comes, thoughtfully, in four servings per package, and is microwavable. We give thanks to the genius who invented this easy-to-ingest packaging. Not only because there’s Guinness in the ingredient list, but more important, there is no washing up to do! According to the instructions, just stick a knife to pierce the seal and whack it into the microwave for a minute on full power and you’ve got an elegant English Christmas in a plastic dish.

Wonder if the British troops serving abroad in combat get issued these today if there are out in the field? And oh – we noticed that apparently the French (or Quebecans) eat this too – the only other set of instructions is in French.

‘Untappd is a new way to socially share the brew you’re currently enjoying, as well as where you’re enjoying it, with your friends! Curious what your friends are drinking or where they’re hanging out? Just check out their Untappd profile and comment on their share and find out! It’s a great way to spread your favorite brews and hang outs with your friends.

As you explore more brews and locations, you will uncover a variety of badges. Compete with your friends to see who can earn more!’Brilliant, you say! So do we. But why, we ask? They say: ‘You check-in to Foursquare, you update your status on Facebook, and you tweet about your Ham sandwich at lunch. Pretty much everything we do today, we share with the web through some sort of social network. At Untappd – we think its about time that we make drinking social.

By using Untappd – you will be opening your eyes to the world of beer and give yourself the chance try new brews at different locations. After all – the best suggestions are from your friends!’

Some noteworthy features include:

1. Twitter, foursquare and FB integration – so you’re not a social recluse when you drink a new beer.
2. Beer/Venue Discovery – Drink and share. You never know when you may need a following Untappd buddy to haul you home once he sees your ‘Rrrhelp! I’m drunk-blind n lift a need rrrhome!’ update.
3. Badges – collect cool badges ala foursquare style. Makes drinking even more purposeful. As if we needed one in the first place.
4. Make friends – more friends, more beer, more fun.

Try downloading this app at http://untappd.com give it a go. Look for 175proof and add us a fren!

Update 25 Nov: The good folks at Untappd corrected me that the app does not need downloading since its a mobile app. That makes it even easier to get on and share your drinking adventures! What are you waiting for?