Homebrew Tasting

Looking at the calendar during our brew day last week, Carl and I realized that two more batches of beer were going to be ready for consumption by week’s end which necessitated a tasting of all of our batches so far. The tasting would need to be sooner than later, as we had been drinking off of the kegs of earlier batches and had nearly ran them dry. So, after bottling the Hoppy Happiness IPA on Friday, we sat down with pen in hand and did the hard work of testing our final products. In an attempt at legitimacy, we poured modest 4 to 6 ounce tasters of all the beers before returning to what was left in the open bottles.

First up was the Pool-Pah Pale. As I have previously chronicled, the Pool-Pah has had a terrible life, slow start to fermentation, leaking keg; you name it and the Pool-Pah has endured it. However, we just couldn’t bring ourselves to dump the full keg. The nose had a backbone of malt but any aroma contributed from the hops was overpowered by a farmhouse-like funk and hints of cardboard (oxidization is no bueno). Slogging into the taster anyway, we did not feel a need to spit them out. The funk was not nearly as apparent on the palate, allowing the hops to come through and a hint of spice from the rye. The mouthfeel was quite superb, if you could look beyond the apparent flaws. Not our best work and we know it. Another batch is fermenting as I type, and the odds are much more in favor of it realizing its full flavor potential.

Thirsty Zymurgist score: 31/50

Washing away the Pool-Pah and disappointment was the Granfalloons Belgian Tripel served from a bottle. The nose is full of fruity banana and, far less pronounced, red berries, all accompanied by a hint of sweetness and alcohol. On the palate, the banana asserts itself early but is replaced by the sweet malt that sits lightly on the tongue which lures one into an increased pace in consumption which is not recommended, considering the alcohol by volume. As the initial mouthful fades away, the spices finally become noticeable but become usurped by a lingering honeyed alcohol finish. Absolutely delicious, the Granfalloons has earned high marks from all who have sampled its goodness. The only thing I would want to enhance is the spice characteristics. We use two different yeast strains in this one, and I am reading up on blended pitching rates to see if that will produce the desired effect.

Thirsty Zymurgist score: 45/50

Next up, we had the privilege of comparing two batches of the same beer; the Bagombo IPA. A privilege because I had previously exhausted my cache which constituted my half of the batch that I had brewed with my previous partner, Brian, but after helping his wife pack up their house for their move to Louisiana, I pilfered a bottle from his stash. Solely for Quality Control and recipe consistency checks, I assure you!

I poured my two samples side by side, whereas Carl opted to taste them back to back. The nose seemed subdued in Batch One, perhaps due to age, but still rang out with citrus and grassy earth tones. Upon tasting, my tongue comes under a wonderful two-pronged assault from bitter citrus and candy sweetness which never becomes full-out cloying. The malts bring it all into balance to make for a delectable quaffer.

More hints of toffee came out in the nose of Batch Two and a few sips revealed bigger body and more hop character than Batch One. The candy tones were much more in check, probably thanks to a more vigorous boil on the new propane stove. Batch Two finishes dry without drying out the mouth like some hop bombs have a tendency to do. With just a hint of alcohol (despite being 8.5%), I am glad that we have plenty of bottles to get us through these waning summer days.

Thirsty Zymurgist score: 39/50 (Batch One)

Thirsty Zymurgist score: 42/50 (Batch Two)

We then moved on to our American Strong Ale, Thieving Bastard. Although slightly higher on the IBU scale, this was poor placement in the flight due to its huge malt components. Wafting to my nose were some heady roasted malt tones, but the previous four tasters (despite our best intentions) were beginning to have an effect on my senses and I was picking up hints of teriyaki beef jerky. The palate revealed a sweet but not cloying malt bomb with a small appearance from piney hops. I love using an English yeast in this one because it gives such a luscious mouthfeel and produces hints of subtle English bitters. Again, the alcohol is barely noticeable but, as it was having an effect on me, I took my time with this one, which gave me ample opportunity to marvel at how close the dark brown fading to ruby color came to the beer we were trying to clone. I am looking forward to drinking on this keg exclusively one night.

Thirsty Zymurgist score: 43/50

We switched over our gas line (need to work in a splice) to the last, and certainly not least, of our homebrews; the Mother Night American-style India Black Ale. The nose is awash with many layers of hops that just barely give way at the edges to subtle hints of roasted malt and burnt caramel corn. On the tongue, the hops let their presence be known without ever coming completely off the rails and just as their bitterness and flavor fade away, the roasted malt rushes in, almost to say “me too!” With my emphasis on chocolate, rather than black, malt, this one turned more into a well-hopped porter than something more true to style, but as it is a new style amorphous in definition, it is also open for interpretation. Bottom line, the Mother Night is stupendously delicious and disappearing fast, so who needs definitions?

Thirsty Zymurgist score: 46/50

With our notes complete, we dove into the mostly full bottles and settle in to enjoy our Friday evening. If words don’t satiate your thirst and you feel a little left out from the tasting process, we are planning a Oktoberfest/Homebrew Tasting/Sending Me to UC Davis party and we have reserved sample bottles of all of our beers to be available there. Details to come, but if you are in the Spokane area in late September, contact me for information.