Posts
B / 3.7
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4.5
Style: Doppelbock
ABV: 8.50%
Purchased: ~$2.50 at Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg, VA
Into a flute glass pours a dark yet mostly translucent mahogany ale with a beige head that shows promise before hanging around the edges and finally fading. Carbonation is ample, and head reappears with a swirl.
Aroma is stale when cold, then produces fig with some caramel notes with warmth. Faint herbal, even minty hops.
As with aroma, warmth induces the best flavors from this beer. Highlights are the dark fruit esters of figs and dates, slight butteriness, and a sugary caramel that comes to the forefront towards the end of the bottle.
Mouthfeel is excellent, a bite from the carbonation but otherwise balanced; full-bodied but not heavy.
Alcohol not pronounced at all despite the 8.5%. Highly drinkable, but might start sitting heavy if sessioned. Worth a try if you see it.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 09-07-2008 03:31:09
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Four + Brewing Co. Rype
C+ / 3.15
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | drink: 4
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
ABV: 4.00%
Purchased: $1.89 at Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg, VA
Pours a bright golden color with lots of carbonation but little head. The aroma is a sweet, nutty citrus, just right for the style. While not overpowering, the flavor is primarily citrus with very little malt character. Spiciness from the hops and heavy carbonation make it a refreshing summer ale, but it feels more like a soda on the palate than a beer. Easily sessionable if a light flavored wheat ale is your style but the carbonation is too much for me.
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | drink: 4
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
ABV: 4.00%
Purchased: $1.89 at Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg, VA
Pours a bright golden color with lots of carbonation but little head. The aroma is a sweet, nutty citrus, just right for the style. While not overpowering, the flavor is primarily citrus with very little malt character. Spiciness from the hops and heavy carbonation make it a refreshing summer ale, but it feels more like a soda on the palate than a beer. Easily sessionable if a light flavored wheat ale is your style but the carbonation is too much for me.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Orval Trappist Ale
A- / 4.2
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | drink: 4
Style: Belgian Pale Ale
ABV: 6.90%
Purchased: ~$5.25 per 12 oz. bottle at Countryside Classics in Salem, VA
Bottled on 24/06/2005, enjoyed on 30/07/2008. Two fingers of foamy white head cover a hazy, pale amber body in my snifter. The head retention is remarkable, settling at 1/4" and leaving a layer of lacing like snow coating frost on a window as the liquid below disappears.
The first whiff is mainly of sweet banana, with some residual clove as well. The banana is almost exclusive as the beer warms and is very rich, like banana pudding.
There is more clove than banana to the taste, although both are still present. The initial sour acidity yields to a sweeter bubbly foam as I roll it over my tongue. There's plenty of carbonation and a spiciness from the hops which is more prevalent at lower temperatures.
The quality of this beer is evident across the board, although I'd prefer the banana carry over more to the flavor to override the sourness of the yeast.
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | drink: 4
Style: Belgian Pale Ale
ABV: 6.90%
Purchased: ~$5.25 per 12 oz. bottle at Countryside Classics in Salem, VA
Bottled on 24/06/2005, enjoyed on 30/07/2008. Two fingers of foamy white head cover a hazy, pale amber body in my snifter. The head retention is remarkable, settling at 1/4" and leaving a layer of lacing like snow coating frost on a window as the liquid below disappears.
The first whiff is mainly of sweet banana, with some residual clove as well. The banana is almost exclusive as the beer warms and is very rich, like banana pudding.
There is more clove than banana to the taste, although both are still present. The initial sour acidity yields to a sweeter bubbly foam as I roll it over my tongue. There's plenty of carbonation and a spiciness from the hops which is more prevalent at lower temperatures.
The quality of this beer is evident across the board, although I'd prefer the banana carry over more to the flavor to override the sourness of the yeast.
Avery Salvation
B+ / 3.85
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 4
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
ABV: 9.00%
Purchased: $6.99 per 22 oz. bottle at Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg, VA
Hazy, pale orange with minimal head. Nose heavy on sweet orange, rich with vanilla undertones, the way flavored Belgians should be done. Very candy-like, surprisingly low on phenols for a Belgian. Second pour produces 1/2 inch of head that settles very quickly with minimal lacing. Just not a strong point of this one.
The flavor exhibits a similar honey-candy-marmalade from the aroma, while the yeast pokes its head out a bit to add trace clove to the mix. The hops add a subtle earthy spice and are well-placed for the idea. However, while the aroma is warm and relentless, the flavor seems to peter out towards the end of the bottle. I feel that this is because the beer is under-carbonated, which consequently produces a more oily rather than dry mouthfeel.
Nevertheless, the alcohol is far less noticeable on the tongue than in the brain. It's not hard to drink, so heed the warning signs...like the 9% abv sign on the bottle.
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 4
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
ABV: 9.00%
Purchased: $6.99 per 22 oz. bottle at Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg, VA
Hazy, pale orange with minimal head. Nose heavy on sweet orange, rich with vanilla undertones, the way flavored Belgians should be done. Very candy-like, surprisingly low on phenols for a Belgian. Second pour produces 1/2 inch of head that settles very quickly with minimal lacing. Just not a strong point of this one.
The flavor exhibits a similar honey-candy-marmalade from the aroma, while the yeast pokes its head out a bit to add trace clove to the mix. The hops add a subtle earthy spice and are well-placed for the idea. However, while the aroma is warm and relentless, the flavor seems to peter out towards the end of the bottle. I feel that this is because the beer is under-carbonated, which consequently produces a more oily rather than dry mouthfeel.
Nevertheless, the alcohol is far less noticeable on the tongue than in the brain. It's not hard to drink, so heed the warning signs...like the 9% abv sign on the bottle.
Homebrew Session: Belgian Stong Pale Ale
At long last, I've tackled another homebrew, the first since I've begun this blog, but the 12th in my two-year brewing career. The reason for the delay (over four months) was primarily that I had been focused on upgrading my system to support all-grain mashing, and wanted to put every spare penny towards that goal. But the government stimulus funds didn't last long and the usual summer travel frenzy took care of the rest and I'm finding myself looking at Fall before I'm able to take the plunge.
As a consolation, I decided upon brewing my most ambitious beer to date in terms of strength, and resolved to eliminate all the mistakes that I knew I could control that seemed to plague me (and my short attention span) again and again. Specifically, to use only malts that need not be mashed (you have no idea how much I've done this even since I learned it was a mistake), to measure the hops carefully and not overdo them, to cool the wort efficiently but not too far, etc.
I then settled on a Belgian ale of some sort, a beer that is light enough to be thirst-quenching on a late summer evening, yet strong enough to obliterate all my previous attempts. From there, I picked out a yeast that would be both available to me at Blue Ridge Hydroponics, since I didn't want to wait to order anything special, as well as be robust enough to ferment in a range of temperatures. I selected the White Labs Begian Ale Yeast since it can ferment up to 78 degrees. In the end, this wasn't too important as I wound up doing the primary fermentation in my air conditioned computer room. More on that later. I also chose a Belgian Strong Pale Ale for the "style" as it gave me more room for experimentation, and did not require fermentation procedures or temperatures beyond the scope of my equipment.
Ingredients
Yeast Starter:
2 oz. Munton's Light Dry Malt Extract
2 cups filtered tap water
1 vial WLP 550 White Labs Belgian Ale Yeast (best before 8-5-07)
Beer:
~5 gallons Kroger Spring Water
0.5 oz. 20L Crystal Malt (grains)
1 lb. 14 oz. Munton's Light DME
10 oz. Corn Sugar
1 lb. 8 oz. Private Selection Organic Sugar (cane)
6 lb. Blue Ridge H and H Super Light Malt Extract
2 oz. Hallertaur hops (60 min boil)
2 oz. Hallertaur hops (5 min boil)
1 tsp Irish Moss (15 min boil)
0.5 oz. Ground Coriander (purchased from Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op)
Directions
Yeast Starter:
7-26-08 Set out yeast ~ 5 hours before pitching. Realized yeast was out of date more than a year...Brought water to boil, added DME, boiled ~8 minutes, added slightly more water to remove stuck DME from scale tray. Transferred to 22 oz. bottle w/ funnel, both sanitized with no-rinse sanitizer. Set in ice bath in sink (3:30ish).
Pitched at 80 degrees F, 4:18 (48 min later). Very little activity noticed until 7/28; postponed brewing until 7-29, when i was still in a krausen phase, but slurry was forming on the base of the bottle.
Beer:
Brought two gallons of water to 165F, added grains, covered at 175F @ 8:10 PM. Heat off, let steep for 30 minutes. Remove grains, add DME, corn sugar, cane sugar, and finally malt extract, in that order. Turn on heat, and bring to boil (8:53 PM). Boiling at 9:20 PM. Add 2 oz. Hallertaur hops at 9:28 PM. Hops could have smelled a little cheesy (due to storage issues from supplier), but could just be true to style. Hops bought from friend had sat in single Ziploc bag in fridge for ~3 months. Had him seal them airtight in 2 oz. bags prior to sale, put in freezer immediately after.
Added Irish moss 45 minutes after boiling (10:13 PM).
Added 2 oz. Hallertaur finishing hops and ground coriander at 55 minutes after boiling (10:23 PM). Removed from heat at 10:28 and cooled in ice bath in sink (two bags of ice rotated with water). Cooled to 78F by 11:00 PM.
O.G. 1.083 at 77F (1.085 corrected). Pitched yeast at 11:08 PM. Shook from 11:17-11:22 PM, put in front of kitchen A/C with blow off tube for the night.
Moved to closed air conditioned computer room the following morning. Steady bubbling noticed at 12:05 PM on 7-30, less than 1 second between bubbles. Room temperature 68-72F for majority of fermentation. Noticed room temp down to 62F at lunch on 8-5, so corrected quickly to 69F. Roused yeast continuously during fermentation but avoided oxidization from shaking. S.G. at 6:00 PM on 8-5 was ~1.026, and krausen still abundant, so fermentation left at least one more day.
Hoping for a 38 IBU, 8.5% abv spice Belgian Strong Pale Ale, sometime in September!
As a consolation, I decided upon brewing my most ambitious beer to date in terms of strength, and resolved to eliminate all the mistakes that I knew I could control that seemed to plague me (and my short attention span) again and again. Specifically, to use only malts that need not be mashed (you have no idea how much I've done this even since I learned it was a mistake), to measure the hops carefully and not overdo them, to cool the wort efficiently but not too far, etc.
I then settled on a Belgian ale of some sort, a beer that is light enough to be thirst-quenching on a late summer evening, yet strong enough to obliterate all my previous attempts. From there, I picked out a yeast that would be both available to me at Blue Ridge Hydroponics, since I didn't want to wait to order anything special, as well as be robust enough to ferment in a range of temperatures. I selected the White Labs Begian Ale Yeast since it can ferment up to 78 degrees. In the end, this wasn't too important as I wound up doing the primary fermentation in my air conditioned computer room. More on that later. I also chose a Belgian Strong Pale Ale for the "style" as it gave me more room for experimentation, and did not require fermentation procedures or temperatures beyond the scope of my equipment.
Ingredients
Yeast Starter:
2 oz. Munton's Light Dry Malt Extract
2 cups filtered tap water
1 vial WLP 550 White Labs Belgian Ale Yeast (best before 8-5-07)
Beer:
~5 gallons Kroger Spring Water
0.5 oz. 20L Crystal Malt (grains)
1 lb. 14 oz. Munton's Light DME
10 oz. Corn Sugar
1 lb. 8 oz. Private Selection Organic Sugar (cane)
6 lb. Blue Ridge H and H Super Light Malt Extract
2 oz. Hallertaur hops (60 min boil)
2 oz. Hallertaur hops (5 min boil)
1 tsp Irish Moss (15 min boil)
0.5 oz. Ground Coriander (purchased from Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op)
Directions
Yeast Starter:
7-26-08 Set out yeast ~ 5 hours before pitching. Realized yeast was out of date more than a year...Brought water to boil, added DME, boiled ~8 minutes, added slightly more water to remove stuck DME from scale tray. Transferred to 22 oz. bottle w/ funnel, both sanitized with no-rinse sanitizer. Set in ice bath in sink (3:30ish).
Pitched at 80 degrees F, 4:18 (48 min later). Very little activity noticed until 7/28; postponed brewing until 7-29, when i was still in a krausen phase, but slurry was forming on the base of the bottle.
Beer:
Brought two gallons of water to 165F, added grains, covered at 175F @ 8:10 PM. Heat off, let steep for 30 minutes. Remove grains, add DME, corn sugar, cane sugar, and finally malt extract, in that order. Turn on heat, and bring to boil (8:53 PM). Boiling at 9:20 PM. Add 2 oz. Hallertaur hops at 9:28 PM. Hops could have smelled a little cheesy (due to storage issues from supplier), but could just be true to style. Hops bought from friend had sat in single Ziploc bag in fridge for ~3 months. Had him seal them airtight in 2 oz. bags prior to sale, put in freezer immediately after.
Added Irish moss 45 minutes after boiling (10:13 PM).
Added 2 oz. Hallertaur finishing hops and ground coriander at 55 minutes after boiling (10:23 PM). Removed from heat at 10:28 and cooled in ice bath in sink (two bags of ice rotated with water). Cooled to 78F by 11:00 PM.
O.G. 1.083 at 77F (1.085 corrected). Pitched yeast at 11:08 PM. Shook from 11:17-11:22 PM, put in front of kitchen A/C with blow off tube for the night.
Moved to closed air conditioned computer room the following morning. Steady bubbling noticed at 12:05 PM on 7-30, less than 1 second between bubbles. Room temperature 68-72F for majority of fermentation. Noticed room temp down to 62F at lunch on 8-5, so corrected quickly to 69F. Roused yeast continuously during fermentation but avoided oxidization from shaking. S.G. at 6:00 PM on 8-5 was ~1.026, and krausen still abundant, so fermentation left at least one more day.
Hoping for a 38 IBU, 8.5% abv spice Belgian Strong Pale Ale, sometime in September!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Roanoke Railhouse Brewing Company: Research Tasting
On Sunday the 13th, this article was published in the Roanoke Times regarding the new Roanoke Railhouse Brewing Co. The Times had first reported on this brewery in this article last October.
I jumped at the chance to attend the blind tasting conducted by Martin Research mentioned in the former article. Having not read the article until Monday, I quickly sent an email to Martin and was informed this morning of a cancellation by one of the participants for their 6:30 appointment this evening. Again, I jumped and was fortunate to have responded in time to be allowed into the study.
The idea behind the tasting was to create a group environment in which individuals (about 20 in our group, although I don't know the total number of groups that will be assembled between tonight and Thursday) were given the chance to taste 8 styles of beer, and rate their impressions.
SPOILER ALERT!!!! If you plan on participating in this tasting or talking to someone else who will be do not read any farther!
We were asked first to give our age and our favorite domestic and imported beers. Then we were given checkboxes that basically covered a scale of 1-5. The lowest being I would not drink this beer, the highest being this beer is awesome. We were also encouraged to write some brief notes in the margins beside each beer describing what we liked or disliked about the beer.
Going into the tasting, I knew full well there would only be fairly standard and non-extreme styles offered. It was not disclosed, and still unclear whether the beers would be commercial examples of a style, or potentially test-batches or homebrews the brew master had previously made. There were a couple of beers in particular that appeared to at least resemble well known commercial beers; an amber lager resembling Sam Adams Lager, and a maibock resembling Rogue Old Dead Guy. Again, this was just speculation.
The remaining styles appeared to consist of the following: a dunkelweizen or German dark lager, a porter, a pale ale, an IPA, an amber and an English mild. This list leaves the notable exceptions of a wheat ale and a stout, which I had figured would have been great candidates for "the palate of the Roanoke masses," as the study had hoped to predict. The only consolation I take in the omission of these styles at this event was that the first Times article indicated one rotating seasonal beer flanked by two consistent "flagship" styles. The suggestions given for these seasonal styles? A wheat ale and a stout.
Now for the interesting part. Judging by our groups reactions in discussion after tasting, the Sam Adams(-esque?) beer was the only real consensus pick as a favorite. There was more polarization on most of the other beers with the exception of the mild/light ale, which no one seemed to particularly enjoy. If I had to guess, I'd say the IPA, my favorite, would probably not make the cut, but could be offered as a seasonal, as there was huge polarization over the hoppier beers. The maibock seemed to be well-liked among the anti-hoppy beer crowd, and at least tolerated by the hop heads, so look for that as a possibility too. I personally liked the porter as well, which although it tasted like a porter and was very flavorful, may not have actually been as the color was a bit light.
The bottom line is, I consider myself very fortunate to have been a participant in RRBC's research, but I hope that I may have helped sway the vote in favor of beers that both succeed and challenge Roanoke beer drinkers. A member of the Star City Brewers Guild made a valid point earlier about the RRBC's selection of flagship beers: while us beer geeks might love for them to brew a more extreme or hoppy beer, we tend to crave variety. RRBC's key market is going to be the threshold beer drinker that prefers something above the American macro, but is not devoted enough to actively seek out variety.
My recommendation: a smooth dark lager ala Sam Adams, a wheat ale that beats the crap out of Blue Moon, and a rotating seasonal that cleans up the rest between a winter stout, spring maibock, summer pale ale, and fall porter.
I jumped at the chance to attend the blind tasting conducted by Martin Research mentioned in the former article. Having not read the article until Monday, I quickly sent an email to Martin and was informed this morning of a cancellation by one of the participants for their 6:30 appointment this evening. Again, I jumped and was fortunate to have responded in time to be allowed into the study.
The idea behind the tasting was to create a group environment in which individuals (about 20 in our group, although I don't know the total number of groups that will be assembled between tonight and Thursday) were given the chance to taste 8 styles of beer, and rate their impressions.
SPOILER ALERT!!!! If you plan on participating in this tasting or talking to someone else who will be do not read any farther!
We were asked first to give our age and our favorite domestic and imported beers. Then we were given checkboxes that basically covered a scale of 1-5. The lowest being I would not drink this beer, the highest being this beer is awesome. We were also encouraged to write some brief notes in the margins beside each beer describing what we liked or disliked about the beer.
Going into the tasting, I knew full well there would only be fairly standard and non-extreme styles offered. It was not disclosed, and still unclear whether the beers would be commercial examples of a style, or potentially test-batches or homebrews the brew master had previously made. There were a couple of beers in particular that appeared to at least resemble well known commercial beers; an amber lager resembling Sam Adams Lager, and a maibock resembling Rogue Old Dead Guy. Again, this was just speculation.
The remaining styles appeared to consist of the following: a dunkelweizen or German dark lager, a porter, a pale ale, an IPA, an amber and an English mild. This list leaves the notable exceptions of a wheat ale and a stout, which I had figured would have been great candidates for "the palate of the Roanoke masses," as the study had hoped to predict. The only consolation I take in the omission of these styles at this event was that the first Times article indicated one rotating seasonal beer flanked by two consistent "flagship" styles. The suggestions given for these seasonal styles? A wheat ale and a stout.
Now for the interesting part. Judging by our groups reactions in discussion after tasting, the Sam Adams(-esque?) beer was the only real consensus pick as a favorite. There was more polarization on most of the other beers with the exception of the mild/light ale, which no one seemed to particularly enjoy. If I had to guess, I'd say the IPA, my favorite, would probably not make the cut, but could be offered as a seasonal, as there was huge polarization over the hoppier beers. The maibock seemed to be well-liked among the anti-hoppy beer crowd, and at least tolerated by the hop heads, so look for that as a possibility too. I personally liked the porter as well, which although it tasted like a porter and was very flavorful, may not have actually been as the color was a bit light.
The bottom line is, I consider myself very fortunate to have been a participant in RRBC's research, but I hope that I may have helped sway the vote in favor of beers that both succeed and challenge Roanoke beer drinkers. A member of the Star City Brewers Guild made a valid point earlier about the RRBC's selection of flagship beers: while us beer geeks might love for them to brew a more extreme or hoppy beer, we tend to crave variety. RRBC's key market is going to be the threshold beer drinker that prefers something above the American macro, but is not devoted enough to actively seek out variety.
My recommendation: a smooth dark lager ala Sam Adams, a wheat ale that beats the crap out of Blue Moon, and a rotating seasonal that cleans up the rest between a winter stout, spring maibock, summer pale ale, and fall porter.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Southern Tier Imperial Cherry Saison
A / 4.4
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4.5
Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale
ABV: 8.0%
Purchased: $7.99 per 22 oz. bottle at Wine Gourmet in Roanoke, VA
Pours a majestic hazy blush-gold with a modest white head that hides on the edges of the glass. Not much lacing, but oh well.
The initial aroma is grass and hay from the yeast, with a touch of cherry. Very clean, and gains strength with time. More of a sweet, honey-cherry-smokey oak flavor with warmth, which puts the first few whiffs to shame. Served outside on a warm day, it should be spectacular.
I should mention that I've had but one Hoppe and two Unearthlys at out of state beer bars and loved them both, so I was ecstatic about seeing four of their selections at the local beer store this week. First sip is verrry complex on the palate, but I'll take a stab at it: the first thing I get is mustard seed of all things. I've never tasted anything like it in a beer. Mint, oregano, tomato/ketchup, grass, oak trees, a babbling brook, and a partly cloudy sky may also be found here. And some vanilla and cherry. Theres a dry bitterness attributable to the magnum hops but not an overwhelming hop flavor. They show up more on the nose.
Mouthfeel full for a saison yet it sits easily on the palate and has a pleasant spicy kick on the finish. Speaking of kick, there's a pleasant warmth building in my chest and buzzing in my legs as I tackle the final 5 or so sips. With this beer, Southern Tier has done nothing to remove itself from the top 3-4 of my favorite breweries.
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4.5
Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale
ABV: 8.0%
Purchased: $7.99 per 22 oz. bottle at Wine Gourmet in Roanoke, VA
Pours a majestic hazy blush-gold with a modest white head that hides on the edges of the glass. Not much lacing, but oh well.
The initial aroma is grass and hay from the yeast, with a touch of cherry. Very clean, and gains strength with time. More of a sweet, honey-cherry-smokey oak flavor with warmth, which puts the first few whiffs to shame. Served outside on a warm day, it should be spectacular.
I should mention that I've had but one Hoppe and two Unearthlys at out of state beer bars and loved them both, so I was ecstatic about seeing four of their selections at the local beer store this week. First sip is verrry complex on the palate, but I'll take a stab at it: the first thing I get is mustard seed of all things. I've never tasted anything like it in a beer. Mint, oregano, tomato/ketchup, grass, oak trees, a babbling brook, and a partly cloudy sky may also be found here. And some vanilla and cherry. Theres a dry bitterness attributable to the magnum hops but not an overwhelming hop flavor. They show up more on the nose.
Mouthfeel full for a saison yet it sits easily on the palate and has a pleasant spicy kick on the finish. Speaking of kick, there's a pleasant warmth building in my chest and buzzing in my legs as I tackle the final 5 or so sips. With this beer, Southern Tier has done nothing to remove itself from the top 3-4 of my favorite breweries.
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