The Best Beer You Can't Buy

Rye Peppercorn Pale Ale, brewed here at Chez Cicerone. We here are enamored of this beer- it's great to drink by itself, as it is a moderate strength, with lots of interesting but not overwhelming flavors: Cascade hops, barley malt, rye, and black pepper. 'Tis a pleasure to have pint after pint. Brother-to-Mr.-Cicerone Uncle Dave insists that it should be on tap at all times here. Recently, he was insisting to a bar manager friend that he should have it on tap at all times... yeah, we'll see about that. (Uncle Dave can be insistent.) As I've written before, this beer is also great partnered up with many, many comestibles. A recent meal here featured this ale with some lovely grilled salmon fillet sandwiches on ciabatta, dressed with a mayo blended with dill and preserved lemon. Preserved lemon and black pepper? Oh, yeah. Citrusy Cascades, sweet malt/rye with grill-browned salmon? Oh, yeah.

You can't buy this beer, though you could make something like it if you're so inclined. If you're not the DIY type, you could try a couple great commercial beers that are not quite the same but do feature black pepper, Short's Nicey Spicey, and Dieu du Ciel's Route des Epices.