Dark Beer Tasting

As the Superbowl game involving my Giants approaches, I need some suds to wet my whistle. I will be judging two top fermented domestic dark brews. Here goes:
Saranac Black Forest: Color-Dark brown; orange hue Nose-Caramel (toffee) First taste-Full mouth Observations-Some flavor Where brewed? Utica, NY Cost-96 cents per 12 ozs. Fizziness-Slight head; slight bubbles Style-Bavarian Brewery type-FX Matt Brewing-Premium line Aftertaste-Some Rating-7.25
Yeungling Black & Tan: Color-Black;red rim Nose-Clean First taste-Flat Observations-Not steady Where brewed? Pottsville, Pa. Cost-84 cents per 12 ozs. Fizziness-Slight head; more carbonation Style-Porter+Premium Beer Brewery type-Regional (also Tampa, Fl.)-Main line Aftertaste-Not worth remembering Rating-5.5
FINAL THOUGHT-Black Forest more distinctive; Yeungling B&T disappointing!!!

Russian Lagers

Audrey is at a middle school fair so I have the time to check out some golden Russian lagers brewed by the Baltika Brewing Co.
Here we go:
Baltika 5: Color-Opaque golden Nose-Foreign First taste-Not dramatic; dissipates Observations-Can drink it; not distinct Alc.# 5.3 Cost-99 cents per 16.9 ozs. Where brewed? St. Petersburg, Russia Aftertaste-None Rating-5
Cooler: Color-Clear golden Nose-Clean First taste-Slight then quick fade Observations-Not special Alc.# 4.7 Cost-99 cents per 16.9 ozs. Where brewed? St. Petersburg, Russia Aftertaste-None Rating-5.25
FINAL THOUGHT- The fact that Russia is not mentioned in any of my beer books shows it is not a good brewing nation. I guess they're better known for their VODKA.

European Style Ale Tasteoff

Greetings my assault continues as my Giants attempt to make it to the Superbowl: Saranac Scotch Ale takes on Guinness Smithwick's Ale. Here goes:
Smithwick's: Color-Dark gold, yellow hue Nose-Clean First taste-Full mouth; dissipates Observations-Not distinctive Head, carbonation-Slight; some bubbles Where brewed? Dublin, Ireland Cost-$1.33 per 12 ozs. Aftertaste-Not much Rating-6.5
Saranac Scotch Ale: Color-Dark gold; red tinge Nose-Medicinal First taste-Stronger taste; it remains in mouth Observations-More flavorful Head, carbonation? Medium, carbonated some Where brewed? Utica, NY Cost-$1.00 per 12 ozs. Aftertaste-WEIRD finish Rating-7.25
FINAL THOUGHT-Saranac better because of taste difference; both were good!!!

IPA-Pale Ale Tasting

This beer tasting was moved back from 12/29/07 due to the illness of some of the paticipants. Let's Judge Some Ales:
Sierra Nevada Celebration: Heavy grapefruit; well round taste; crispness; the "perfect IPA" Ratings-Gary-9 Rita-8.5 Mike-8.5 Avg.-8.666
Dogfish Head 60 Minute: First bite bitter; dissipates: Back throat(tongue) earthy taste(of mushroom); crispiness Ratings-Gary-7.5 Rita-8 Mike-8 Avg.-7.833
Hooker IPA-Molasses burnt licorice taste; metallic iron aftertaste on tongue Ratings-Gary-7 Rita-6 Mike-7 Avg.-6.666
Ithaca Pale Ale: Not pleasurable; crispy first taste; then watery; not burnt; slightly bitter; watery finish; musky backbite Ratings-Gary-6 Rita-6.5 Mike-7.25 Avg.-6.583
Geary's Hampshire HSA: Special-Sweet candy smell; weird taste; interesting bouquet; hard alcohol taste on back throat; hard edge aftertaste Ratings-Gary-6 Rita-4 Mike-5 Avg.-5 Went on the best to last on ratings!!!

Guinness Stout Comparison

World Renowned Guinness Irelands' premier brewer gives us 2 of their stouts for a taste. Guinness Extra Stout: Color-Black Nose-Slight molasses First tasted-Full mouth Observations-Maintains good taste Cost-Gift Fizziness-Slight head; bubbles Where brewed? Dublin, Ireland Aftertaste-Strong Rating-8
Guinness Draught: Color-Black; yellow tinge Nose-Sweeter smell First taste-On Tongue; smoothness Observations-Goes down easy; taste wanes Cost-$1.33 per 12 ozs. Fizziness-Frothy head; bubbles Where brewed? Dublin, Ireland Aftertaste-Moderate Rating-7.25

Final Thought-Without benefit of a widget, original just was better.

Bock Beer Tasteoff

To My Beer Group: I will begin this with an excerpt from the Complete Encyclopedia of Beer by B. Verhoef: "Bock beers are bottom fermented, have a somewhat higher alcohol content, and are usually characterized by a malty sweetness." Now I will taste and evaluate 2 beer cousins brewed in San Jose, California. They are a classic bock against a golden version both with plus 7% alcohol.
Joseph Brau Winterfest: Color-Brown with reddish tinge Nose-Hint of Molasses First taste-Back throat Observations-Bite w/smooth edge Where brewed? San Jose, California Cost-$1.00 per 12 ozs. Aftertaste-Some lingers Rating-7.25 Alcohol #-7.5
Trader Joe's Hofbrau: Color-Golden Nose-Hint of Cloves First taste-full mouth Observations-Nice taste Where brewed? San Jose, California Cost-$1.00 per 12 ozs. Aftertaste-Back throat Rating-6.75 Alcohol #-7.0

FINAL THOUGHTS-Both high alcohol examples were above average. Jos. Brau Bock won based on it being more representative of the classic bock description.

He'Brew: The Chosen Beer

Greetings to the Aleman, Icegirl, and et al,
The Park Slope Coop handles the products of the Shmaltz Brewing company conceived in San Francisco and brewed in Saratoga Springs, New York. Craig and I got to sample one of their products last October in Durham, N.C. at the World Beer Festival event. Here goes:
He'Brew: Color-Brown with reddish hue Nose-Molasses First taste-Full mouth, quick fade Observations-Taste positive, doesn't linger Cost-$1.22 per 12 ozs. Fizziness-Continuous Head; mild carbonation Aftertaste-Mild Rating-6.75
Final Thought-Is representative of a porter or a bock.

Brews With Spices

Audrey can participate in any tastings involving spices or fruit essences. Tonight we'll taste and rate three of these, 2 from Sam Adams (Mass.) and 1 from Saranac (NY). I will begin with a description of the "lambic" style of brewing from the Complete Encyclopedia of Beer by B. Verhoef:
Lambic (Belgium) is a sourish beer that undergoes a long maturation process in oak. It is usually sweetened, blended or prepared with fruit.
Audrey was the first judge and her ratings are as follows:
Sam Adams Cranberry Lambic-8.5
Saranac Winter Wassel-5
Sam Adams Old Fezziwig Ale-5
Beer Baron findings:
Cranberry Lambic-7
Winter Wassel-8
Old Fezziwig Ale-6.5
Averages-
Cranberry Lambic-7.75
Winter Wassel-6.5
Old Fezziwig Ale-5.75

Final Thoughts-Audrey is a novice beer taster but did help me with my test, so I applaud her participation. An aside-The tasting was done as we viewed the remake of 3:10 To Yuma a western with Russell Crowe and Christian Bales.

Black & Tan Tasteoff

Well Gents, It's the first official day of winter and Audrey and I are watching Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America. It is the original show which spun off the American version. We watch on FOX-5 every Wednesday 9-10. It's the perfect time to compare two domestic Black & Tans from the Northeast. Saranac one of our favorite brewers will compete with AMERICA'S oldest brewer Yeungling. Here we go!!!
Saranac (stout w/lager): Color-Dark brown/red tinge Nose-Clovelike First taste-Strong Fizziness-No head; mild carbonation Where brewed? Utica, NY Observations-Full mouth COST-96 CENTS PER 12OZ. Aftertaste-Some Rating-7.0
Yeungling (stout w/premium): Color-Brown/yellow hue Nose-Not much of anything First taste-Not flavorful Fizziness-No head; some bubbles Where brewed? Pottsville, Pa Observations-Not much going on COST-75 CENTS PER 12OZ. Aftertaste-Slight Rating-5.75 FINAL THOUGHTS: Saranac was a more distinctive example; Yeungling was non-descript.

Lager Taste Test

To all my fellow beer enthusiasts:
As I began the beer test earlier, Audrey said: " You didn't do a productive thing all day". She took a sick day today nursing a cold. I am comparing 2 domestic well know lagers with an obscure one from Scotland.
Here we go:
Brooklyn Lager: Color-Orange gold Nose-Hoppy First taste-Full mouth Observations-Smoothness evident Where brewed? Utica, NY Cost-96 cents per 12 oz. Aftertaste-Lingers positive Rating-8
Sam Adams Lager: Color-Reddish gold Nose-Clean First taste-Back throat Observations-Good taste Where brewed-Boston, Mass. Cost-$1 per 12 ozs. Aftertaste-Some Rating-7.25
Tennent's Lager: Color-Golden Nose-Not pleasant First taste-On tongue Observations-Weird taste Where Brewed? Glasgow, Scotland Cost-99 cents per 11.2 ozs. Aftertaste-Slight Rating-6.0
FINAL THOUGHT-Brooklyn by far the best; Sam Adams better than the foreign brew!!!

PALE ALE FACE-OFF

Pale Ale: Serve Up 3
This tasting will incorporate a new second rating as well as an overall rating. This will be in the hoppy (grapefruit level) area.
Dogfish Head Shelter: Color-Golden Nose-Clean, fragrant First taste-Slight bite Hop Rating-7 Carbonation-Foamy Head Secondary thoughts-Tanginess in Mouth After taste-Full mouth Conclusions-Head flows; decent Rating-7.25 Cost-90 cents
J.W. Dundee's: Color-Golden Nose-nice First taste-On Tongue Hop Rating-6.5 Carbonation:slight head Secondary thoughts-not consistent After taste-slight Conclusions-not great Rating-6 Cost-75 cents
Saranac: Color-Reddish tinge Nose-Appealing First taste-upper palate Hop rating-7.5 Carbonation-Slight head Secondary thoughts-Smooth finish After taste-Pleasing Conclusions-classy product Rating-7.5 Cost-One dollar

Final Comments: Saranac victor in close race!!! Pale ales less hoppy than IPA's

The Flagship: Brooklyn Lager

The following data and descriptions are from: The Complete Encyclopedia of BEER by B. Verhoef:
Brooklyn Lager-Alc.5.1% vol. Particulars-This brewery, set up in 1987 by Steven Hindy and Tom Potter, now has 7 different styles of beer in its product range. It is brewed using water, malt, Hallertau and Cascade hops and yeast. The result is a complex, fruity beer with a flowery flavor and a slightly bitter finish.
The Beer Baron evaluation: First taste-Full mouth Observations-Taste lingers nicely Aftertaste-Pleasant bitterish Rating-8
Final Thought-At $21.75 a case at Costco this is presently a supreme bargain!!!

Porter Partaking 1/02/08

It's a back to back undertaking with another of our darker brews-porter. They tend to be sweetish, dark in color with the aroma of roasted malt. Two American examples will be explored today: Samuel Adams Holiday vs. Saranac Carmel. Now on with the festivities:
Sam Adams Holiday: Color-brown/ red hue Nose-clean First taste-strong Fizziness-slight head Origin? Boston, Mass. Observations-hard, back throat Aftertaste-Slight smoothness Cost-$1.00 per 12oz. Rating-7.0
Saranac Caramel Color: Color-brown/ orange tinge Nose-toffee First taste-sweet Fizziness-slight head Origin? Utica, NY Observations-Full mouth sweetness Aftertaste-Too sweet by my standards Cost-96cents per 12 oz. Rating-6.0
FINAL THOUGHTS-Sam Adams Holiday was a good example of a porter I liked while the Saranac Porters' sweetness was not as appealing to me!!!

Assorted Ale Tasting 12/28/07

Fellow Beer Enthusiasts:
From Binghamton to Brooklyn via the Bayonne Bridge and Staten Island, my nephew Craig arrived at 10 PM for an ale tasting. We began with due diligence to evaluate the brews in their order of excellence.
Here we go:
Saranac Scotch Ale: Golden brown w/yellow tinge. Clean nose, strong taste, full mouth; can taste alcohol, not super refreshing Craig-6 Mike-7 Avg. 6.5
Ithaca Pale Ale:Milky Orange, Spongy head; smells foreign (German) fruity Bitter, full flavor; aftertaste lingers. Craig-6.5 Mike-7.5 Avg.7
Magic Hat Hocus Pocus:Apricot smell, golden yellow/orange tinge, strong flavor; goes down easy, refreshing. Reminded Craig of weizen. Craig-7 Mike-7.75 Avg.7.375
Brooklyn Summer Ale:Golden color, clean light smell; well rounded light taste. not strong aftertaste Craig-7 Mike-6.5 Avg.6.75
Old Chub Scottish Style Ale: Reddish brown hue; chocolate smell; no bite, too heavy chalky, molasses Craig-4.5 Mike-5 Avg. 4.75
Sam Adams Old Fezziwig Ale: Non descript, reddish hue; sharp Craig-6.5 Mike- 5.75 Avg. 6.125

Final Thought-Beer tasting went well; no real surprise although Old Chub will NEVER be purchased again!!!