Despite the fact Sailors Grave's seventh birthday beer – happy birthday, folks! – is an imperial cream sour featuring fruit and a fair bit of sweetness, they've chosen not to apply the "imperial pie beer" tag lent to a number of releases over the past year or so.
"It says sponge in the title, Crafty. Not pie. What are you expecting?"
Fair enough, I suppose. However, if you'd just let me get to the point...
"That would be great. Thanks."
...even though it's a nod to Queen Victoria and her favoured cakey treat, it actually brings to mind another royal-linked dessert from the UK. Always my favourite of Mother Crafty's concoctions following Sunday lunches back home – one she'd grown up with in Scotland, it's a typically north-of-the-border assault of in-yer-face sweetness and stodge: a base made of a baked, breadcrumb-thickened egg mixture you could bounce off, topped with a layer of jam, and crowned with meringue. Bloody joyous thing, it is.
Anyway, God Save The Sponge reminded me more of that – albeit topped with a dollop of vanilla custard – than Vicky's fluffy afternoon delight: berries that come across like a sweet jam or jus, a sweetness thats reminiscent of both vanilla and said baked base, a bit of a rhubarb like tang on the nose, and a Belgian yeast-esque fruity spiciness.
Like my mum's dessert (which I'll be requesting on next year's trip back to the UK once I've stopped drooling into my keyboard), it's quite the mouthful.
James Smith
You can grab a slice at their birthday showcase at Beermash on September 16 too.
Published September 12, 2023 2023-09-12 00:00:00
