In Iowa we’ve gotten a lot of new breweries hitting our market and one that got me particularly excited was hearing Funkwerks was coming to our shelves. I’m a big fan of Saison style beers and Funkwerks is known for their Saisons. Saisons are a complex beer style because of the wide range of ingredients that are usually used in the brewing process. Usually pilsner malt is used and more hops are added compared to other German style beers to go along with many adjuncts, i.e. spices, honey, fruits, etc.
Tropic King is an Imperial Saison brewed with New Zealand Rakau hops, that give it the mango/citrus flavor, hence the name, and a house yeast strain that give it that peppery flavor. This beer should be served in a tulip glass to get the full aroma of the beer.
Here’s more on this brew:
Bursting with aromas of passion fruit, mango, and peach, our Imperial Saison is brewed using New Zealand Rakau hops. Combined with notes of pepper and ginger produced by our house yeast strain, Tropic King has a unique flavor that has gained it a loyal following.
I’m kind of in love with this beer. Between Saison Dupont, Tank 7 from Boulevard, and now Tropic King from Funkwerks, I have a fridge full of terrific saisons. I really enjoy them in the summer but with the high ABV of Tank 7 and Tropic King these brews should be good to age for a few months, maybe up to a year.
FOOD PAIRING
Saisons are also known as Farmhouse style beers so serving a saison should be easy to pair with any old school style dish. For example, I had mine with a beer butt roasted chicken and potatoes. The next night I served it with a wedge of Fromager d’Affinois double crème brie. (available at most Hy-Vees). It’s listed as a double crème but it’s creamier than most double and triple crèmes I’ve had. Addicted to this cheese. It was all terrific. Spicy foods should be a perfect companion as well.
STYLE: Saison/Farmhouse
ABV: 8%
PURCHASED AT: Mt. Vernon Road Hy-Vee
POUR: Golden orange color with a huge white head.
AROMA: Spicy, peppery from the yeast and tropical fruits.
TASTE: I get a lot of the spice up front and the tropical fruit at the end. Delicious and thirst quenching stuff.
Ratebeer.com rating: 95/100
Beeradvocate rating: 88/100
Overall: A
My recommendation: Buy it. This beer will be a staple and it goes with any kind of temperature we get in Iowa. Great for grilling and will great on a snowy day. This is the type of beer I would recommend to wine drinkers who haven’t found a beer they like because of it’s complexity. Drink away!
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