"Inedit is a unique coupage of barley malt and wheat, flavored with coriander, orange peel and liquorice. Inedit is the first beer specifically created to accompany food. It is born from the conviction that a beer that could be paired with the utmost respect to the best cuisine was necessary. That is its aim and its virtue, and that is what makes Inedit different, special and unique. Has been created by Damm brewmasters, heirs to a century-old tradition, and developers of highly appreciated beers, and by Ferran Adrià, Juli Soler and El Bulli’s sommeliers’ team.
Perfecting the beer, which took almost two years, “was very easy, and at the same time very difficult,” according to Adrià. Easy because he knew precisely what he wanted to do; difficult because there was no precedent. The project came from his realization that “there was a void between mass beer and the strong Belgian type of beer.” On the one hand there is the massive lager ocean—beers for refreshment more than for flavor, a silent partner to food (think Stella Artois). On the other are the rarefied, often high alcohol beers—beers for contemplation, but which can often push food aside unless carefully matched (DeuS, Affligem, and so on).
Adrià aimed between the two styles. His beer is called Inedit which means original or unpublished, and is very unusual in that it blends lager and white beer. As a result it boasts a tart, lip-smacking lager attack followed by the creamy bead and delicate fruit flavors of white beer. The white is faintly flavored with orange peel, licorice and coriander and is interestingly savory; white beer is often fruity, verging on sweet.
But what I like most about Inedit is its restraint. So many beers these days try to whomp you over the head with hoppiness or novelty or strength. Inedit places itself quite happily in the upper middle of the comfort-to-impression scale, and I admire that. Plus, check out the price.