Reutberg Aegidus-Trunk Kellerbier

Tonight I had the opportunity to try a Reutberg Aegidus-Trunk Kellerbier. It's a seasonal beer from one of my absolute favourite breweries. It's not one of the top-modern experimental craft-brews that has turned increasingly popular during the last decades. This is rather the ultra traditional type of brewery, upholding the 350 year old traditions of the bavarian monestrary-brewcraft. That's half of the charm, but when it comes down to the liquid in the glass it's also downright top quality!

Aegidus-Trunk Kellerbier is a non filtered beer with 5,3 % abv. The colour is medium intense amber and slightly cloudy, with a nice off white head. The nose is malty and full with dried fruits, but not as intense as stronger beers usually possessing the same characteristics. The taste is at first intensely malty and medium sweet with a very low bitterness. Short after there is a full taste of, burned sugar, dried apricots, fudge and sweet rye-bread. In the after taste there is a little bitterness far back in the mouth and the bitter sensation has some similarities with that in coffee.

Over all it's a very good beer offering a little less alcoholic alternative to many of those beers that suit well with the autumn inspired stews. I could also see a potential good match with forest mushrooms! I rate this old-style october-fest beer 7,5/10.

The beer is named after the festivities in honour of the greek Saint Giles (originally Aegidius) who was made saint of the crippled. The story says that he was living as a hermit deep in the forest only in the company of a hind that actually fed him with her milk. He was eventually mistakenly shot by an arrow aimed at the deer.

Reutberg is situated just outside Bad-Tölz in Bavaria and the beer-garden is a must when visiting the area!

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Lucas Spinnars

Buco Nero - In the borderlads of a tavern and concept dining

A couple of days ago I visited Buco Nero at Roslagsgatan, the sister restaurant of the Stockholm institution Caffe Nero. I was surprised when I saw the actual name of the restaurant since I was convinced that the name was Bocca Nero. Bocca Nero would somewhat incorrect translate to "black mouth" but the name was instead Buco Nero, which translates to to "black hole".

The entrance is also sharing obvious similarities with a black hole. A discrete glass door in a black wall leads straight down into the concrete basement. After finally entering the basement it's not just any basement, it has a great warmth and a nice atmosphere. The huge and open kitchen in the middle together with the rough concrete walls and red furniture details creates really nice foundations for a great restaurant.

The menu is genuinely Italian with a little extra focus on pasta. The beverage list is though somewhat of a disappointment with mainstream wines and beers from all over the world. A little more inspiration would have done well for the over-all impression.

In terms of food we ordered a downright perfect antipasti plate. Some may argue for the lach of vegetables but, I cannot complain when there is such a variety of salamis, hams, and cheeses. It was also very nicely served on a large wooden platter.

Following the antipasti I got a mushroom pasta with pancetta and a mix of fresh herbs. The pasta was excellently boiled and the affective experience was close to perfect. Considering the emphasis on mushrooms in the menu description I would have liked to see the mushrooms come through a little more. They had a little unfortunate been overwhelmed by the pancetta and the herbs. Anyhow, as already mentioned, it was so tasty that I anyway don't want to complain.

The bathrooms was one of the most futuristic installations I have seen in any restaurant in Sweden. The sinks could possible be mistaken for a urinal a late night and I think that form over function was valued by the designer. Anyhow, they are a vivid source of colour and may contribute as a subject of conversation when you dinner companions don't really qualify.

In conclusion, this is a really nice place and with a little more effort on the drink-list this could very well turn into a stable institution in the borderlands of tavern and concept dining.

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Lucas Spinnars