As a lover of craft beer and smoked salmon, I was delighted when the good people at Loch Fyne Oysters sent me a parcel containing a pack of Classic Smoked Salmon and a couple of bottles of 'This Gose', a beer created by Fyne Ales as the perfect accompaniment to the smoked fish.
Loch Fyne Oysters, dedicated to providing the world with Scotland’s finest seafood, teamed up with Fyne Ales, the multi-award winning progressive brewery at Cairndow. The aim was to harness the unique symbiosis from which their produce draws flavour; the pure waters of Loch Fyne.
From humble beginnings back in 1978 selling oysters from a shed on the A83, Loch Fyne Oysters have grown to be known as one of the world's top suppliers of Scotland's fine seafood.
Fyne Ales have been brewing beer at their Argyll brewery since 2000 when husband and wife team, Johnny & Tuggy Delap realised a dream of bringing beer back to a part of the country where it was badly lacking. Over the years the company has grown, as has their range of award winning beers that are readily available in pubs and supermarkets across the country.
Last weekend, I decided to serve my smoked salmon and beer along with a selection of cheeses, hummus and pita bread. I've tasted Loch Fyne Smoked Salmon before and love it, the dry curing gives a really salty finish that suits my palate whilst the fish has a smoky depth of flavour that is a result of the 12 hour smoking process over retried whisky casks.
When we were in Belgium at the end of last year, we had been served a few different Gose style beers that had been selected to match the food we were eating. Some of those beers were too sour and salty for me to appreciate but Fyne Ales have created a beer that I could easily get on board with. The beer pours with a tight foamy head and a slightly cloudy complexion with notes of fresh citrus easy to identify on the nose. The beer is initially slightly salty to taste but subtle flavours of the lemongrass and coriander soon replace the salt, refreshing the palate and leaving a slight sour finish.
The fresh flavours stood up well to the bold characteristics of the smoked salmon making it a very easy beer to drink, although I reckon that I could easily enjoy This Gose whilst sitting in the back garden on a hot summer day too.
Fyne Ales say "this beer draws its inspiration from a traditional German farmhouse-style wheat beer, Gose. This is a sour beer, and true to style, this top—fermented beer has been brewed with salt and coriander. We’ve added some fragrant lemongrass too, resulting in a unique beer with light salinity and a zesty finish.
This accentuates the clean, fresh flavour profile of Loch Fyne Oysters’ salmon. As the only Farmhouse Brewery in Scotland, Fyne Ales are uniquely placed to produce this farmhouse beer. We hope you’ll agree that when it comes to pairing beer and salmon, 'This Gose'!"
So, not just a clever play on words but a cleverly brewed beer designed to accentuate the rich flavours of the smoked salmon. Normally I would be reaching for the champagne as the perfect match to my smoked salmon but after tasting this offering from Fyne Ales, I have to agree that This Gose!
If you want to see what all the fuss is about, you can buy your smoked salmon from the Loch Fyne Oysters online shop. Don't forget to get the beers in too by ordering direct from the Fyne Ales brewery.