Archive for the 'Boone Beer Fest' category
Weihenstephaner “Korbinian” Doppelbock
This beer is akin to the previous drink, but actually a bit more subdued in many respects. The aroma is equally rich, but carries a combination of coffee and grape, if you ask me. The flavor carries more toffee than chocolate, but also seems cut with a taste of semi-sweet port wine. This is much less sweet than our previous Bock, but is still quite rich in flavor. A tasty beer, but honestly not one that I will often reach for – not quite my bag
New Glarus “Uff Da” Bock
This is a mighty tasty Bock. The pour is dark and oily, as you might expect. The aroma is remarkably rich and chocolaty. To be honest, this tastes more like a Porter than a Bock to me, but it’s a tasty treat by any name. The flavor is heavy with dark chocolate, toffee, and hints of coffee. I’d consider this a great Bock, one of the best American Bocks I’ve ever had
Brouwerij St. Bernardus Grotten Flemish Ale
In my humble opinion, Pierre Celis can do no wrong. This is my third brew from this guy – from three different varieties – and all of them have been exceptional. This particular beer pours a light golden and smells unique – I can’t quite place it. There is a bit of sourness, and it smells rather ‘wild’. In the mouth, the beer initially tastes a little ‘wild’, as well, but quickly mellows into a malty flavor that coats the mouth – ‘taming the beast’, if you will. There is an apparent complexity, but it is appropriately mellowed by the heavy malt base, and I think it makes this beer very palatable for a number of tastes. I like.
Boon Gueuze Lambic
Okay – before you even talk about this beer, you need to understand that a true Lambic can only be made in a couple of places on Earth – the Lambic region of Belgium being one of those. These guys boil grains and then leave open vats full of wort sitting in the air so that the yeasts that exist wild in the air will naturally fall into the wort and ferment. It’s like a damn wonder of nature. That being said, this beer is very interesting. It pours a nice dark golden, and smells a sort of salty pungent. The flavor is unlike any beer. It has a silky texture and a very sour flavor with a slightly syrupy finish. The aftertaste sticks with a sour coating throughout the mouth. While this isn’t a daily drinker at all, I can see the appeal, and I might be tempted to try other varieties
J.K. Scrumpy’s Hard Cider
This is a sweet delight. The thing about this cider is that there is nothing at all complicated about it. It tastes like apple juice. It’s very sweet, has a lot of apple-y debris in it, and has a nice sweet aftertaste. However, it also has 6% abv. I’m thinking that there must be some skill involved in making an alcohol beverage this palatable. Very good
New Glarus Totally Naked
This beer is a major divergence from the last three brews. However, I’m trying to go into it with an open mind, and I think it’s pretty good. Basically, this is a beer. Nothing fancy – just a golden ale. It is a light golden color. It smells like ‘beer’. In the mouth, it tastes like a plain old beer. I think the flavor is a bit smoother and a bit more flavorful than a traditional rice-based domestic beer. But, again, this is a beer that may not belong in a line-up like this one
Chimay “Red” Premiere
I’m glad we had this tasting of the three Chimay brews, because I’ve been anxious to differentiate these for a while. This third entry is very tasty, and quite different from the first two. The pour is a cloudy dark red, and the aroma is fantastic – lots of dark cherry and anise. In the mouth, this beer is both sweet and bitter with a tangy bite. I get lots of dark cherry, just a slight hoppy bitterness, and a tart tangy smack in the tongue around the middle of the mouth. While this isn’t my favorite of the three, it is the most interesting. While the Blue takes the gold medal, this gets a ‘most-intriguing’ honorable mention
Tucher Dunkles Hefeweizen
This ain’t your typical hefeweizen. This is delightfully smoky, but has a smooth creaminess that is more typical of a stout. This also maintains a nuttiness and a slight sweetness that adds to the complexity. Excellent beer.
O’Hanlon’s Brewery “Thomas Hardy’s Ale”
TASTY! This is a delightful beer. It has an exceedingly high abv of 11.x%. Along with this we get a strong raisin-y scent that translates into a similar taste. Flavors of raisin and date, strong sweetness, and a syrupy alcohol delight. I love it, although I won’t be able to afford very often at about $5 per 8.5 ounces
Whim Ales “Old Izaak” English Ale
This is blatant mis-representation. This is certainly not an English ale. Rather, this is a dark ale with substantial hints of anise with a bit of dark fruit. There is a very slight, but cheap, sweetness. This tastes hurried and not entirely pleasant to me. I wouldn’t likely drink this again
St. Peter’s English Ale
If it hadn’t been for Matt’s profound realization that this tastes like saltines, I could’ve maybe written a decent review. After hearing that, though, it’s hard to be any more precise. Basically, it has a full mouthfeel with a slight bitterness, a malty richness, and that damn saltine aftertaste down the throat. Pretty good, really
Ayinger Jahrhundert-Bier (Century Celebration Lager)
This is probably the most mediocre beer of the evening, thus far. It isn’t terrible, but I don’t really like it. It has a characteristic bitterness, but no hop burn or spice to accompany it. Basically, it tastes a bit stale – this is typical of some traditional German ales, which I’m not too keen on
Poperings Hommel Ale
This is a very unique beer for me. Hommel is apparently the Belgium term for hops. However, this is categorized as a Belgian golden ale. This is as if you mixed a strong IPA with a light Belgian Tripel. You get an interesting amalgam of syrupy sweetness coupled with strong hoppy bitterness. This is a rather good beer, if a little bit confusing. Definitely worth a try, if only to see what it’s like
Rogue Half-E-Weizen
Initially, I was skeptical of this beer. It seems like a hybrid between a hefeweizen and a ‘meatier’ ale. Upon first taste, I was a bit displeased, but it grew on me through the mouth. Eventually, this becomes a mix of hoppiness merging to a wheat sweetness and finishing with a hint of fruit. Very nice, and a more substantial variety within this genre.
Erdinger Hefeweizen
This is a mediocre hefeweizen. It maintains a likeable sweetness, but has a slighty musty bitterness that may result from the bottling. Altogether, I like it – but the previous Ayinger offering is much more desirable
