Better Drinking

Back in December, we had our Winter Tasting and one the selected beers was Mendocino's Imperial IPA. This beer was not amongst my favorites, being very astringent and unbalanced in this reviewers opinion. Since no one bought the extra 2 bottles (apparently the other participants agreed with me), I resolved to age them to what would become of the flavor. After 7 months of aging and a week of refrigeration, it was time to review.

This Imperial IPA comes in a decorative bottle and is only available in winter as their seasonal offering. It is listed as 9% ABV, and this bottle was a 2005/6 vintage.

The appearance is a lovely gold-orange hue, but cloudy, nominal indications of carbonation, topped off by a sufficient brownish-white head.

A rather vague, sweetish malt aroma lingers in the back of the nose, while a big floral hoppiness dominates aroma. The smell comes across as a big beer, balanced in favor of late hopping.

Mouthfeel is a medium-full thickness, smooth and almost creamy. Definitely a big beer.

The taste had significantly changed, as the astringent hop flavor was much subdued, though it definitely rules the overall flavor. The malt is evident, not so much in flavor, but more in a thick mouthfeel, making this beer still somewhat unbalanced. It is definitely a "big" beer, but many of the I2PA's I've had, tend to juggle a large hop character with a underlying sweet malt, which makes the beer all the more drinkable, even at 9% ABV. A good example of this is Rogue's I2PA. One interesting characteristic was that the ABV was not manifest in either an alcohol "slickness", nor even in effect. Usually I can tell when I've drank a high gravity beer, but this one's impact was minimal.

Overall, the aging process made the Mendocino much more drinkable, but still not balanced enough. And since this is my blog, I'll go on record as saying that too many American brewers are trying to make the "big beer", but end up making something that is not representative of the style, nor is it enjoyable as a 12oz experience. Ultimately, with human limitations in mind, drinking beer is about enjoyment and refreshment. While the experience of individual beers and drinkers ends up being a largely subjective experience, the BJCP standards exist for a purpose and "beer without rules" may be fun to experiment with, but often fall short of enjoyment.

There is one more Mendocino which I plan to consume in December, so we'll see what one year does.

Labels: beer reviews

Last Friday, July 7th, was our latest tasting, a UK versus US taste-test, in several UK styles. One of the interesting things about BJCP standards is that many of the British styles produced here in the states actually have their own category. For example, a Northern English Brown Ale is an entirely different category as the American Brown Ale. While this makes for a somewhat unfair comparison, it does highlight the differences between what respective brewers are trying to emphasize.

For the most part, American styles are bigger and bolder, placing greater emphasis on the hop character or a fuller body. Our tasters reported mixed results. In some styles, the bigger character (either hop or malt) was a distraction or too potent, making the "traditional" interpretation a better session choice. And many rightly pointed out that they were completely different beers, the brown ales being a prime example. In others though, the "bigger" beer made for more a filling treat, one that offered more satisfaction flavor-wise. As always, there is that element of subjectivity to beer drinking that makes one person's evening aperitif, another's session beer. So it goes and so it should; if we all liked the same thing, the beer world would be a very boring place and I would not be doing such events.

We also had new faces at this one, which is always encouraged, making my emphasis on education more prominent than usual. It is not really good enough to pour a bunch of samples and hope for the best. An appreciative drinker is one that ponders the flavors and aromas presented, and listens to the experience of the taster next to him. Sobriety is definitely required, but so is an attitude of learning. Over the years, I've found that what one person can taste or smell becomes noticeable only after announcing it, many of the subtleties being hidden in complexity. This is what makes such events important educationally, since every palate is different and more often than not, a beer with friends places the emphasis on fellowship, which is not to be denied in its importance.

That being said, here is a list of what we tasted:

Fullers London Pride Pale Ale
vs
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Young's Old Nick Barleywine
vs
Anchor Old Foghorn Barleywine

Samuel Smith IPA
vs
Sweetwater IPA

Fullers London Porter
vs
Anchor Porter

Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale
vs
Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar

Samuel Smith Taddy Porter
vs
Thomas Hooker Porter

St. Peter's Cream Stout
vs
Sam Adams Cream Stout

Guinness Extra Stout
vs
Rogue Shakespeare Stout

Samuel Smith Imperial Stout
vs
Terrapin Oatmeal Imperial Stout


My hope is to cover German beers in late September and perhaps one more tasting in December. Thanks to Bob and Dorothea Horton for hosting, again, and to Michelle and Dorothea for all of the food and snacks, which were excellent as usual. And certainly my thanks goes to everyone for their participation. Without willing tasters, there would be no tastings.

Hope to see you next time.

I'm doing some prep work for a German tasting in a few months, and came across a fairly rare style of German lager. Beer Advocate describes the style as such:

A rather old, rare, and unique German beer style, Kellerbiers are unfiltered and unpasteurized lagers that date back to at least the Middle Ages. The beer is matured, unbunged (beer is exposed), in deep vaults. The final product is a smooth, naturally cloudy beer that's rich in vitamins (from the yeast). Hop bitterness can be high and alcohol will vary.

Review as follows:

Bottle is a 500ml work of art, lovely dark brown with it's own rubber-sealed ceramic cap. All the important information is printed on the label, including things the government thinks you should know but likely the drinker could care less about.

The appearance is an opaque brown, quite clear and almost sparkling with carbonation. Whatever the style originally was, this was not a cloudy beer and there was little to no sediment in the bottle. My guess is if this was keg or barrel conditioned, the sediment stayed there.

Not unlike many German lagers, generally speaking, the nose is dominated by a clean malt aroma sprinkled by a subtle hop. There was also a distinctly nutty aroma, and perhaps even a vague notion of tobacco. It was inviting.

Mouthfeel was medium, with moderate to heavy carbonation, refreshing and smooth.

A toasty, sweet malt is prominent, not unlike a brown ale, with a much more German character. That nut and tobacco evidence in the nose also develops in the palate, though very subtlety. There is also a mild hop character that is less pronounced than many German lagers I've had, but added a pleasant dimension to the whole experience. The carbonation, as mentioned earlier, made the whole beer enjoyable.

Too rare and not cost efficient enough to be a session beer, this was a good German lager that had character and flavor that, in my opinion, was a step above many of the other bottom fermented offerings from that country. I recommend that you try this one, even if only once.

Labels: beer reviews