Everything can be improved - even beer. Picon Biere is simply lager with Amer Picon, a French orange bitter liqueur (18% vol), made with orange peel, spices and herbs. The conventional ratio is one part Picon to four parts beer. Mine, bought from a basement bar in Paris, tasted damn fine, with the liqueur giving the beer a lovely orange kick without the sickly-sweetness of something like lager and blackcurrant (the only British equivalent that comes to mind). Furthermore, and at the risk of overplaying the importance of intoxication, the French version enhances the booze content of the lager, rather than diluting it. Mes amis, bring on the beer cocktails!
Which other beers would suit similar treatment? I think stout and port has been done before and I reckon stout and whisky could be a winner. But I struggle to think of combinations that might work with dark or pale ales.
ReplyDeleteI recently added a dash of white rum to a bottle of San Miguel spanish lager. Tasted pretty good. Stout 'n' whisky sounds interesting too. How about a couple of dashes of Angostura bitters in a pale ale? Will test and report back.
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