Weenie Rocket - Siracha
Portsmouth Brewery

This was a one-off on cask I had when I was at the Portsmouth brewpub in early summer. This is the brewery's Weenie Rocket IPA/American Mild spiced with Siracha Chile Sauce- you know, the brilliantly red, spicy condiment in the clear plastic bottle with the green cap found in Thai, Vietnamese, and other Southeast Asian restaurants. I was a little skeptical of this one, but it sounded intriguing so I gave it a go. Poured a hazy golden with a good head and lacing. The smell was of sweet, nutty malt with some earthy yeasty notes that quickly segues into a slightly sour, spicy siracha aroma. Very bready smelling throughout. The taste has lots more breadiness, and is creamy, but more interesting is the haunting spicy tanginess of the siracha subtly making its statement in the background. The siracha is added with a very light hand, and that is critical for the balance in this brew. The flavor is definitely there, but it is masterfully understated and creates an entirely different beer than the Weenie Rocket. In many ways I like this version better than the normal Weenie Rocket as I feel that beer is thrown out of balance by its overly aggressive hopping. The very subtlety of the siracha here is what the normal one is lacking. A very nice, and interesting beer. This would be great with some calamari and a tomato dipping sauce.