Pairing Thin Mints

Remember how I told you last time that due to my (apparently) poor pairing skills I'd be following the guidelines of the article from here on out? Well...I didn't plan very well...and so...ummm...I guess I'm retracting that statement. Hopefully the results will be better. If not I'm putting a cicerone on retainer.

The article recommended pairing Thin Mints with North Coast Old Stock Ale, an old ale that clocks in at 11% ABV. Having no old ales in my "cellar" but plenty of barleywines I selected Victory Old Horizontal, vintage 2006.

Bringing the bottle to sit out on the counter to warm a bit I noticed a fair amount of "crud" at the bottom of the bottle. I don't mind crud but I was glad this one needed to warm so it could also still.

When poured the beer had little carbonation, typical of the style, but wasn't overly boozy either in the aroma or the flavor as barleywines can often be. Maybe it was a few years ago but at seven years old it was mellow and pleasing. Even better, it didn't overpower the cookie, nor did the mint flavor in the cookie clash with the beer.

Although it was probably more dumb luck than anything else I say this brings me even in my pairing attempts. Hopefully this doesn't go to my head and lead me to screw up the next one. Tune in later to find out.