My name is John,
and I'm a gingerholic. There. I've admitted it. I'm out of the closet. The
world knows my secret. Why just today, for example, while out Christmas
shopping, I treated the daughter to lunch at the Chinese buffet and indulged
in a plate of boiled shrimp which I wrapped in deliciously pungent fresh
sliced ginger. If you haven't tried it, you should.
That, of course, wasn't enough for me. The wife decided she wanted Asian
fare herself for dinner, and so we ordered delivery. We each chose a dish,
and my selection was spicy Ginger Garlic Chicken. Are you surprised?
You shouldn't be. And to wash down that savory concoction of white meat
chicken, bell peppers, green and white onions, garlic and (of course) sliced
ginger root, I popped open a bottle of Dogfish Head Pangaea.
I'm betting you already guessed that Pangaea is ale spiced with ginger. And
why not? Hops, after all, are the seasoning in beer, the spice if you will,
but they must needs not be the only one. To be sure, there are hops in
Pangaea, along with the other ingredients, which come from all seven
continents. Hence, the name Pangaea, for the ancient super-continent from
which all of today's land masses migrated.
And so Pangaea is brewed with, among other things, rice from Asia,
crystallized ginger from Australia, water from Antarctica, and whatever else
Dogfish head doesn't say on their website, though I'll bet there's spice
from Africa (Madagascar vanilla?), and hops and malt from Europe and North
America.
Dogfish Head suggests pouring their Pangaea into a wine glass or
brandy snifter; I chose the latter, a vessel from which I often sip heavy
and hearty barley wines. This was a wise choice, as the wide open mouth of
the glass allows the spicy, peppery fresh ginger aromas to waft through the
air to be picked up by my adoring olfactory senses. As I said, I love
ginger, and I could sit for hours just smelling this beer and be in true
ginger nirvana.
I could, but I won't, and so I take a sip. There's firm malt body here, a
little caramelly I think from crystal malt and maybe even a tad citric, but
mostly this beer is all about the spice, and the main spice is ginger. It's
apparent from the get-go and intensifies into the finish, where it imparts a
spicy kick and lingers gently on the tongue. Sure, you'll pick up hints of
pepper and vanilla, too, but mostly, it's the ginger, and don't even ask
about Maryanne.
This isn't a huge beer. It's a bit stronger than most at 7% ABV, bit not so
big that the spices are crowded out, and I think it's all the better for it.
If you love ginger, you'll love this one, and my 750 ML bottle washed down
my Oriental cuisine perfectly, complementing rather than competing with the
food. While it may be pricey at $13 or so a bottle, it's well worth it.
Especially if you love ginger as much as I do.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For
reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft