(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

So here is a rare miss from Ninkasi, and oh what a miss it is. For being a winter seasonal nearly everything that could go wrong has gone wrong with Sleigh'r, and only die-hard Ninkasi fans should bother with it.

It pours a dark brown color and looks just fine with a decent head. Lacing is decent. Hey, from the looks of it you'd think it was a good beer, and nose is just as deceiving. Slightly spicy and with a bit of Christmas-y fruits, I was expecting the beer to embrace me like a creepy mall Santa.

Then disappointment hits. The mouthfeel here is somewhere beyond thin, almost like drinking water with the flavors separated from the overall product. Now, I don't expect every winter ale to be thick, but Sleigh'r is ridiculous. It's like Ninkasi decided to water it down. This is water with a bit of beer thrown in.

That's too bad, because the flavors are there, hiding deep beneath. You can just pick up on some sweet and spicy holiday flavors down there. But there is no Santa embrace here, oh no, it's more like Santa had his elves remove you from the premise telling you Christmas was cancelled this year.

That's right, that's what Ninkasi has done to us: They have canceled Christmas!

I, for one, don't want to see Christmas canceled, and therefore I implore you to check out some good winter seasonals this year. On top of my list so far is Big Sky's offering, but I will chance trying some other ales, just for you. Because I don't want you to see Christmas canceled.

Oh, it might not look like much, and, frankly, it doesn't take too much to make either, but fårikål might be one of the better hearty winter meals you can make for yourself. First cooked up by those smart, good looking Norwegians, there are about a million different ways to prepare fårikål -- literal translation: "mutton in cabbage" -- and you can go pretty fancy if you so desire.

Here at Team SpoCOOL we prefer going the simpler route to keep it traditional and tasty. It's somewhat of a challenge to find the right type of sheep in these parts -- indeed Egger's had never heard of mutton, which is bizarre; I'm guessing going directly to your source of... sheep... would work --  but that part can be improvised.

In our case we just picked up a rack of lamb, which might be a bit too fancy for fårikål, but whatever. The second and final ingredient is cabbage. About quarter of a head will do for two people.

Cut the rack up into separate chops. Line a pot with the lamb, fatty side down, and season well with salt and pepper. Add a layer of chopped cabbage, and season again with the salt and pepper. (Some also use flour here, but let's not go too crazy.) Repeat until there is no more lamb, and end with a layer of cabbage.

In a separate pot, boil enough water to cover the lamb/cabbage layers. Pour the boiling water over the fårikål and put it over low heat. Cook until lamb is tender, about two hours.

For a more flavorful result you should leave the fårikål in the fridge for a day or two. The cabbage will really pull in the flavors from the lamb.

Traditionally you'd drink a pilsner and a shot of akevit with this, but I recommend Redhook's Winter Hook. Its lightly spicy winter flavors go well with the flavor of the lamb.

We first got to know Rex's during SpiceaWAR, and oh did we get to know them. The wings were the spiciest ones I have ever ingested and thus I did not try the wings during our visit to the establishment. Obviously the ones served in the restaurant won't be as hot as what we ate in the contest, but I need some recovery time. Anyone who likes spicy wings should probably try them here, though, as Rex's has mastered the art of hot wings.

Instead we decided to focus on the "burgers" and "brews", the apparent new craze-combination here in Spokane.

The "brews" were a bit of a letdown, as there are only a handful of taps here -- significantly more bottles -- and some take up space with crap like PBR. Thus I'm not sure if this is really a brews spot as such.

It is, however, a burger spot and a very good one at that. I usually don't get that excited about hamburgers, but Rex's does them really quite well. You customize your meal using checkboxes on a piece of paper: Meat, chease, toppings, fries... It's all here for the taking, and you can make your plate as big or small as you want.

I am but a simple soul, so I went with a buffalo burger topped with buffalo chili, mushrooms, and peppers. Regular fries on the side, though the sweet potato ones sounded tempting.

Now, most spots around town overcook burgers, but here mine came out with a nice pink hue in the center. The chili actually complimented the hamburger -- a nice change, as chili often can be overpowering -- and the peppers were sweet with a subtle spice to them.

A burger might always just be a burger, but this, in my opinion, was a really good burger. 

The fries, too, were a hit. Nicely fried, nicely seasoned, nicely served, and with a (wait for it) nice selection of sauces on the side.

The rest of the menu consists of a selection of sandwiches and appetizers. There's even a veggie plate, which is great for those who want something light and fresh.

We can respect Rex's. Most places with "burgers" in the title tend to be as exciting as falling asleep, and while Rex's don't go out of its way to be incredibly original, they kick things up by delivering good, honest food. We'll add Rex's to our rotation, and I have wings in my sight next time.

Now, hopefully they'll do something about that "brews" part.

I'm somewhat torn here. When craftbrewing really started catching on a while back, the 120 Minute IPA was considered the model ale of the movement and why not? Few other breweries were as extreme as Dogfish Head, and finding anything as hoppy and ABV heavy -- a teeth kicking 18% -- was almost unheard of.

I first tried the 120 Minute IPA a few years back, when my love-affair with craftbrews was a mere blossom, a flirt if you'd like. I didn't really love it and as it turns out, I still don't. This might be because I'm not a hop-bomb kind of guy, and while there are plenty of hoppy beers out there now, the 120 Minute IPA can still hold its own, even with its insane pricetag.

This year's edition pours a nice dark red color, with a surprising mellow nose. Give it a sniff and caramel almost outcompetes the hops. Almost. Give it a second whiff and the hops become more pronounced.

When the beer hits the mouth the hops hit harder than on the nose, but the caramel still holds its own. It's when you sit back you'll experience an aftershock: The hops grab onto the roof of your mouth and will not let go. The aftertaste is about as dry as any beer I can think of. Rather miracelously, you barely notice the 18% ABV.

So. My impression now is that the 120 Minute IPA is not as unique as it once was. It holds its own, no doubt about it, but other ales out there certainly can give you a siimilar hop craze, and more cheaply too.

What sets this beer apart is that, hoppy as it is, the other flavors are nicely balanced into the equation. You truly do not notice the alcohol until you're through the bottle and feel mildly(-ish) buzzed. That I respect. In fact, I respect the beer a whole lot, but I just can't bring myself to fall in love with it. I'm at heart a porter and stout guy (no, not just a saint as you might think).

In that sense, if you love a masterfully brewed hop bomb, you can't go wrong with this. For the rest of us, it is something to respect, and worth the ungodly price you have to pay -- as much as $20 for a 12 oz bottle -- every odd year.