'Cabbages & Kings' "The time has come," the Walus said, "To talk of many things." And among them, in this post, is a beer.

Most days, grocery shopping is a requirement for us. If we took Allie's car, we could stock up much easier, but since we want to walk in order to keep our joints flexible, and our waistlines minimised, the most we can bring home each day is what I can fit in my trolley and Jeanne in her backpack. Today was one of those rare days, when nothing at all was required from Pac N Save.  So what did I do? Went shopping of course.  

This time though, I walked away from downtown Henderson. I went to Blanc, an interesting wine, beer and liquor shop on Lincoln Avenue toward the motorway.

I have started once again, to look for a genuine Absinthe. The world today seems to be full of born-again brands of absinthe, most claiming to faithfully recreate some recipe from the early 1900's. The truth is though, that true absinthe, with a measurable amount of thujone, the special ingredient found in wormwood, Artemisia absinthium, seem to be pretty rare. I've been doing some research and I have a list in my wallet of about 15 of them that would be worth finding.  

Blanc had two brands on the top shelf, but neither was the real thing. To compensate for my disappointment, I went over to their beer cooler and starting studying the assortment of brews. Like in America, micro-breweries are all over the place here. This is the beer I chose to take home.

I think that labels are important. They need to make you pick up the bottle. I eventurally bought this one because it caught my attention from about 100 others on the shelves.

Once the label hooks you, it's up to the smaller print to reel you in. Hmm, let's see here... Stout, I know about that, but Oyster and Horopito? Huh?  You don't mean they put oysters in this?  Oh, maybe they mean this is a good accompaniment to oysters. 

More or less willing assistance? In the poem, The Walus and the Carpenter, by Lewis Carroll, the oysters were all eaten. Maybe it means the staff ate oysters as they worked on this batch? But no, other ingredients are listed that clearly were used to make this stuff.  Do you suppose?

Yes! It's true, and there's the proof. "Warning- Contains shellfish."
So, I'm going to try a beer that was made with 120 oysters? And look back at that alcohol content- 12 %. That's a strong wine content, not a beer.  I agree that they are pushing boundaries

Well, I walked 3.57 miles to buy this oddity and am going to give it a try. Jeanne and I pulled up our chairs on the deck and I poured...

It was a very heavy stout and much more bitter than other stouts I've tasted. This bitterness tended to linger in the back of my mouth. Thankfully, there was no hint of shellfish. 

The alcoholic content was a drawback.  It was more powerful than a beer ought to be I think. We like Lion Red Beer, in part because it has a reduced alcohol content of 4%.

The bottom line is that Jeanne didn't like it much and although I thought it was 'interesting,' I wouldn't buy another bottle. The main enjoyment I derived from tasting it was in considering it's unique ingredients. And the label. I liked that.  

Oh, and what about the horopito?  I found that Te Ara, the New Zealand Encyclopedia, says that the "Horopito, or mountain pepper tree (Pseudowintera colorata), is found in wet upland forests throughout many of New Zealand’s mountains. It is one of New Zealand’s most unpalatable plants, as its leaves contain a chemical that leaves a peppery taste and burning sensation when chewed."

Wow, the brew master at Garage Project really must enjoy taking chances with his recipes, but I didn't taste any pepper or feel any burn whatever. I'm glad he didn't over do it.

And I wonder, could this traditional facial gesture actually owe its origination to the horopito pepper tree? Maori warriers were said to be among the fiercest in the world. Maybe now we know why.     -djf