Hermitthrush Brattleberry Sour with Russian Strawberry/Chocolate Cookies

Another foray into Russian cookies with a beer that, although not brewed in CT, is great craft and increasingly available in local stores. Finding a partner for these cookies can be a challenge because each variety has definitely been different than expected, so sometimes we just had to pick and give it a go. 

The Beer: I’ve loved everything I’ve had from Hermitthrush but this one was maybe the best balance of slightly tart and sweet fruit that I’ve had this season. It’s light in the tang department, and both smells and tastes of real apples and raspberries. I know what comes to my mind when I see “barrel aged” but this is supremely quaffable. 

 The Cookie: I’m not sure what I expected but it was a little different than what I tasted. This cookie is soft and pillowy, and the chocolate is less of a crisp shell than a ganache. The strawberry filling is probably closest to anticipation, but I found it quite sweet but pleasantly tasting of actual strawberries. A surprise to be sure, but a pleasant one.

The Pairing: Sometimes fruit in beer and fruit in cookie don’t mix well, but that is not the case here.  Tart beer fruit compliment the sweet cookie jam and the soft, almost Nilla wafer cookie is a good counter point to the beer.