This is the stuff dreams are made of.

Bacon. Beer. These are the things I dream about at night. At a beer tasting event last night, I was introduced to a German beer that sounds too good to be true. Those who don’t count bacon as a distinct food group might not think that a bacon-flavoured beer would be very good, but believe me, it works! Brewed in Bamburg, Germany for 300 years, Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier (“rauchbier” is German for “smokebeer”) is a delicious lager with a sweet, smoky flavour that comes from roasting the malt over open fire. Perfectly balanced, the smoke manages to be the dominant flavour without ever overpowering the sweet malt flavours that make this bacony nectar so drinkable.

The verdict? I can’t recommend this beer enough. It might not be the type of beer you’ll want to drink all night (or, it might), but it would be great with a hearty meal – think barbequed sausages or stick-to-your-ribs stews and soups.

Pint of the black stuffs cousin, landlord...

Don’t call it a Guinness wannabe because it’s anything but. Murphy’s Irish Stout has been on the beer scene for some time now but for the most part, has gone unnoticed by most with the exception of your typical beer enthusiasts and tryers-of-something-new. While Murphy’s has a similar 10W-30 look to Guinness, the flavour yields a sampling of rich chocolate with a less bitter but slightly dry aftertaste. The smooth consistency of the head is brown in colour and is a nice introduction to the remainder of the light-bodied pint. Consider Murphy’s as the pre-game warm up to a long night in the pubs.