Whisky & Beer Boilermakers Tasting Event

Boilermakers – Whisky & Beer Event
Hosted at: The Wild Rover, Surry Hills
Run by: Wayward Brewing and Diageo Classic Malts
When: October 24, 2016 (every year late Oct)
Ticket cost: Approx $55
What: Paired whisky, beer & food tasting.

Overall rating:

My Experience at the Boilermakers Event

We didn’t realise the world would change so much since the last blog post. Putting the U.S presidential election results to the side, let’s discover this annual event hosted at The Wild Rover. First things first, if you haven’t heard of The Wild Rover then I strongly recommend you read bar reveal #1.

I can read your mind…’what on earth is a boilermaker and how does it relate to this?’ – put simply a boilermaker refers to a term used in the 1800’s for craftsmen who produce steel fabrication. Boilermakers would head to the local pub and do a shot of whisky to ease the pain from a hard days work then chase that shot with a beer. The act of drinking a shot of whisky then chasing it with a beer is referred to as a boilermaker.

The bartender from bar reveal #1 (Freddy) happened to be working this night so it was a great opportunity for a quick catch up with him since my last visit. He also happened to be the one that recommended this event to me (sold out every year). Okay let’s get stuck into it, I have a lot of tasting notes and will need to condense them quite a bit for this review.

Pairings:
1. Glenkinchie 12 yo + Keller Instinct with Potato Crisps
2. Singleton 12 yo + Camperdown #1 Pale Ale with Classic Beef Jerky
3. Dalwhinnie 15 yo + Le Petite Saison with Honey Macadamia Nuts
4. Johnnie Walker Blenders Batch Red Rye + Fusami Victory IPL with Pork Scratchings
5. Caol Ila 12 yo + Midnight Barley Cowboy with Lamb Sausage Rolls

1. Glenkinchie 12 yo + Keller Instinct with Potato Crisps 

Glenkinchie is a scotch whisky but unlike your traditional strong scotches this one is sweeter and has a spicy note. This whisky was paired with the Keller Instinct which is an aussie version of a bavarian lager. This beer on its own is best paired with roast chicken and veggies or creamy pasta. Together this pairing was matched with sweet potato & rosemary potato crisps. We were warned that they’d either pair complementary or contrasting flavours. This was complementary, a simple safe yet perfect pairing to kick the night off.

2. Singleton 12 yo + Camperdown #1 Pale Ale with Classic Beef Jerky

The Singleton is a scotch whisky which is dominated by fruity apple & pear notes and it has been matched with a pale ale made from a combination of American & English yeast. This pale ale is named after the Sydney inner city suburb of Camperdown and is named #1 because it’s their first release as part of an ongoing project. This pale ale’s flavour profile consists of passionfruit, sweet biscuit and pine. On its own it is best paired with fish & chips or sausages. With the whisky and beer pairing it goes well with beef jerky because the saltiness of the beef jerky helps balance the sweetness of the whisky & beer. The comments around the room were mixed, I found the pale ale too sweet on its own but loved the boilermaker combination (drinking the whisky and chasing with the beer).

3. Dalwhinnie 15 yo + Le Petite Saison with Honey Macadamia Nuts

 I’ve tried Dalwhinnie prior to this event however for those that haven’t, it’s an excellent whisky for beginners yet still good enough for regular drinkers. This whisky has a smokey and sweet undertone with floral aroma. This whisky is made from the cleanest springwater available because the Scottish distillery is situated at the highest distillery in Scotland. This whisky was paired with a ‘Summer Saison’ type of beer which is made from French Saison.

Its flavour profiles consist of white pepper, spice and banana. On its own this is best paired with fresh seafood…with this boilermaker combination it is paired with honey macadamia nuts. The sweetness of the whisky works well with the dry crisp saison and then you have the texture and sweetness to finish when you crunch the nuts. This was my favourite pairing of the night.

4. Johnnie Walker Blenders Batch Red Rye + Fusami Victory IPL with Pork Scratchings

This Johnnie Walker whiskey is a spin on the traditional red label and is perfect for a manhattan cocktail. Don’t be afraid of grain whiskey and have an open mind to trying something different from your single malts. Blended whiskies tend to have more interesting flavours because there’s more flexibility when they are distilled. This whisky has been paired with Fusami Victory which is an India pale ale with tropical fruit, pine and stone fruit flavour profiles.

On its own this pale ale (made from lager) is best paired with a cheeseburger or pub food. In this boilermaker it has been paired with pork scratchings. I believe this pale ale does not come from India and is in fact English however I am not entirely sure. A great combination, I enjoyed these flavours together more so than separately.

5. Caol Ila 12 yo + Midnight Barley Cowboy with Lamb Sausage Roll

Now if you’ve been following these blog posts you’d have heard about Caol Ila, it was reviewed in bar reveal #3 (Ramblin’ Rascal Tavern). This fruity and smokey whisky has a lot of character if enjoyed on its own. It has been paired with a dark beer by the name of Midnight Barley Cowboy, which is a unique beer that on its own is paired with coffee and chocolate desserts. This american ale is made for winter drinking (like whisky). Together this scotch whisky and american ale work well together followed by the delicious sausage roll.

Overall feedback on the event… I absolutely loved it. Great ambience, great whiskies, pale ales and food. Experts will guide you through the night with all flavour notes and a reason behind the pairing. The only thing I’d like to see for next time would be some more variety with the whiskies. It wouldn’t hurt to have some Japanese whisky and to include a little more beef jerky. This event will now be tradition for me.

Until next time…

– Mr. Undercover –