Belgian Pale Ale Project – Mad River Brewing Company’s Mad Belgian (#21)

12 ounce bottle decanted into an oversized snifter.  6.6% ABV. 

Appearance:  Muddy bronze with a thin beige head.  There is a significant load of chunks slowly falling to the bottom of the glass (2.25/5).

Aroma:  Toasted malt and baked apples.  Oxidation.  More oxidation as the beer warms up (2.5/5).

Taste:  Oxidized here too.  This beer was obviously stored in suboptimal conditions.  There is no indication on the label how old it is, so I guess I’m left guessing.  Behind the oxidation there is a sweet, malty base, a touch of cider, and a hint of orange pith.  There is a very mild bitterness too, but I’m not sure it comes from hops.  It almost tastes like a byproduct of the yeast (or even the yeast itself) (2.75/5).

Mouthfeel:  Medium body, medium carbonation (3.5/5).

Overall:  I guess there was a decent beer in here before time sucked away its soul, but sadly that day was well before this one.  I’m not sure if I would actively seek out a replacement, but I might pick up a pint if I saw it on draft somewhere (2.75/5).

-Matt

Belgian Pale Ale Project – Brouwerij De Ryck’s Special De Ryck Ale (#20)

11.16 ounce bottle decanted into a tulip.  5.5% ABV.  Best before May of 2014.

Appearance:  Murky, light cinnamon color with a thin, but persistent, white head.  Nice lacing.  A few small chunks of stuff eventually drifted to the bottom of my glass (3.25/5).

Aroma:  Oranges, but not like American hops.  More like the pulp.  Also easy to pick up spicy Saaz and a little apple.  I also detect a touch of tobacco smoke (4/5).

Taste:  Baked apples with burnt edges.  Orange pulp and a thin layer of marmalade.  Not overly complicated (3.5/5).

Mouthfeel:  Medium body, medium carbonation (3.5/5).

Overall:  Nice example of a traditional Belgian Pale Ale, but with an interesting burnt quality to it.  Many other traditional examples I’ve had have a “fresh” quality to them, but this one almost tastes cooked.  This bottle is slightly oxidized, but I don’t think that’s what I taste.  Overall it’s a nice beer, but I probably wouldn’t pick up a second bottle any time soon (3.5/5).

-Matt

Belgian Pale Ale Project – Meal Pairing (Potato Leek Soup)

I am of the opinion that Belgian Pale Ales are perfectly positioned in the fall.  They generally taste like a fresh pressed cider, which is the traditional harvest season for apples.  I also believe that few meals are quite as satisfying as a hot bowl of soup on a cold autumn day.  So, of course, these two theories will be the foundation I build this pairing on. 

Green Flash’s Rayon Vert is a wonderful Belgian Pale Ale, with the notable enhancement of Brettanomyces.  This wild yeast gives the beer an earthy, woody flavor that that feels very telluric.  For this pairing I have matched Rayon Vert with a potato leek soup recipe.  Considering that leeks and potatoes both grow in the ground in the forms of bulbs and tubers, I felt that this match was very harmonious.  The soup is rich and hearty, and honestly so is the beer.  There may be few overlapping flavors between the two, but the similar “earthy” characteristics bring this union together in a way that is difficult to describe.  I powered through one bowl quickly, and went back for seconds before my dinner beer disappeared.

It may be worth adding that I found that the pairing to be improved as the beer neared room temperature.  Also, I did not experiment with adding the beer to the soup, but this might be a nice addition.

Please enjoy.

Potato Leek Soup

2 Large Leeks (using only the white part and initial third of the green leaves)

2 lbs. Potatoes
1 cup Corn

2 cups Vegetable Broth

2 cups Water

2 tbsp Butter

0.25 cup Fresh Parsley (chopped)

0.5 tsp Dried Thyme

Pinch of Oregano

Salt and Pepper to Taste 

Cut leeks lengthwise and chop into small pieces.  Cook on butter in a large sauce pan until the leeks are just starting to brown.  Meanwhile, cut potatoes into half inch pieces.  Add broth, water, and potatoes to the leeks and butter and bring to a simmer.  Cook for 15 minutes.  Remove approximately half the mixture and put it in a blender.  Puree until perfectly smooth and return it to the sauce pan.  Add the corn and the rest of the spices and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.  Serve with beer.

Happy Thanksgiving.

-Matt

Belgian Pale Ale Project – Brasserie d’Orval’s Orval Trappist Ale (#19)

11.2 ounce bottle decanted into a tulip.  6.9% ABV.  Bottled on 6/27/13, and best before 6/27/18. 

Appearance:  Deep, opaque amber with bubbles that run for days.  This beer has the most incredible head I’ve seen in a long time, and it seems to have no intention of going anywhere soon (4/5).

Aroma:  Musty and woody.  Like a back of an old cabin.  I also get a faint whiff of pineapple (4/5).

Taste:  The earthy Brett character is dominant, but there is also a touch of pine, honey, and apples.  The background flavors become more predominant as the beer nears room temperature (4.25/5).

Mouthfeel:  Highly effervesent.  There is so much carbonation, in fact, that I get a touch of a burn following the swallow.  Medium body (3.75/5).

Overall:  Amazing beer that has been an inspiration to many brewers all over the world.  This pint is incredible, but it seems like some of the edges could be rounded out a bit.  Considering the generous window of expiration, I would be interested in trying a bottle that had been aged for a couple years (4/5).

-Matt

Belgian Pale Ale Project – The Commons Brewery’s Flemish Kiss (#18)

750ml bottle decanted into an oversized snifter.  6.5% ABV.

Appearance:  Rosy, cloudy rust with a thin cap of eggshell foam.  Beautiful lacing decorates the edges of my glass (4/5).

Aroma:  I’m immediately slapped in the face with Brett.  Earthy, floral, citrus, and tropical fruit envelop my head.  I also get a very pleasant, fresh cut apple smell that I absolutely love (4.75/5).

Taste:  Sweet, fresh apple cider enjoyed at the farm on a cool, autumn day.  Whispers of citrus, flowers, and freshly cut grass enhance the experience.  Absolutely amazing (5/5).

Mouthfeel:  Medium body, medium carbonation (4.5/5).

Overall:  This is probably the optimized balance between a classically constructed Belgian Pale Ale and Brettanomyces.  I honestly could not be happier with the result.  This is the work of a brewery that understands the style, and understands how they are enhancing it.  The Brett is not over the top, but is prevalent enough to make an impact.  Well done, Commons (4.75/5).

-Matt

Belgian Pale Ale Project – Green Flash’s Rayon Vert (#17)

12 ounce bottle decanted into an oversized snifter.  7% ABV.

Appearance:  Hazy amber with a thick, rocky head (3.75/5).

Aroma:  Sweet, earthy funk!  Subtle layers of papaya and pineapple, and a touch of noble spiciness (4.25/5).

Taste:  The aromas come through in the flavor as well, as does a beautiful wood quality.  The flavor also introduces an interesting cherry character, as well as a subtle citrus note (4.5/5).

Mouthfeel:  Medium body, medium/high carbonation.  There is also a touch of puckering quality from the wood flavor (4.25/5).

Overall:  Beautiful example of how well Brett works in a Belgian Pale Ale.  The base beer is solid, and the wild yeast adds layers and complexity.  I am very impressed (4.25/5).

-Matt

Belgian Pale Ale Project – Cheese Pairing

From the very beginning of this quarter’s project, I tried to consider what foods would pair well with a Belgian Pale Ale.  Well, one of the best foods to match up with beer is cheese, and I think I’ve found a nice set of potential candidates. 

Among the more predominant characteristics of the style of beer is the apple/cider flavor that is derived from the unique combination of the malts and the yeast.  I isolated this distinctive personality trait, and used it as my inspiration for this pairing.  When I thought apples, I thought apple pie, and when I thought apple pie, I thought cheddar.  The idea of serving cheddar cheese with apple pie was not all that popular in the area I grew up in, but apparently in the Midwest and Northeast it is very common practice.  So I lined up four different cheddars, and two different Belgian Pale Ales, and tested the theory.

Antigoon by Brouwerij de Musketiers with Raw Milk and Port Cheddar

Antigoon, with its toffee and pressed apple flavors, made an obvious choice for this first round.  The raw milk cheddar was earthy and mild, and matched beautifully with the beer.  Conversely, the port cheddar was sharp, winey, and acidic.  Antigoon cut right through that, and the pepperiness of the Saaz was complimented by the rich saltiness of the cheese.  This tray was completed with freshly sliced apples, which provided a freshness and sweetness that rounded out this pairing perfectly.  This was an ideal treat for an autumn day.

De Koninck by Brouwerij De Koninck with Purple Moon and Black Wax Cheddar

Purple Moon is an interesting cheese.  It is aged for ten months, and soaked in California North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon, which gives it a dry, rich, woody flavor that highlights the wine perfectly.  On the contrary, De Koninck is sweet and cidery and has almost a white wine character to it.  This makes for a very interesting contrast between the beer and the cheese. 

Black wax is often used to indicate a cheese that has been aged for an extended period of time.  Boar’s Head’s Black Wax is round and smooth, and definitely the most traditional cheddar mentioned here.  This is probably the most likely to be served with apple pie, which is why it made perfect sense here.  These cheeses were also plated with a sliced apple, which I would highly recommend.

-Matt

Belgian Pale Ale Project – St. Arnold’s Icon (Belgian-Style Pale Ale) (#16)

12 ounce draft pour into a shaker glass.  6% ABV.

Appearance:  Brilliant red mahogany.  Absolutely no head (3/5).

Aroma:  Very light aromas.  I get a touch of brown sugar and a suggestion of cider.  Almost like there’s a baked apple on the other side of the room.  Very appropriate for the season (3.25/5).

Taste:  It’s sweet, but doesn’t get cloying.  I get notes of caramel apples and deeply roasted malt (3.25/5).

Mouthfeel:  Medium body, light carbonation (3/5).

Overall:  I don’t regret consuming this beer, but I’m not sure I would actively seek out another pint of it.  It’s sweet, cidery, and roasty like a good Belgian Pale Ale should be.  I would have liked to have seen a little more flavor and aroma contribution from the hops, and a little more lively carbonation, but it’s certainly not poorly made.  Perfectly average, I guess (3/5).

-Matt

Beer Projects – Stone Enjoy By 10.25.13 versus Enjoy By 12.13.13

So ever since Stone released their first Enjoy By IPA, I wondered how significant the dates really were to this beer.  I appreciate the depreciation of beer as it ages, but when Stone assigns this IPA a date, how important is this?  I guess I’ll be the judge of that.

I picked up a bottle of Enjoy By 10.25.13 in September, stored it carefully, and waited for another variation to come out.  I was lucky enough to grab a bottle of 12.13.13 today, and decided to do my comparison that evening to ensure optimal freshness on the new bottle.  I conducted a triangle test with my three bottles, with my lovely wife as the test conductor.  I gave her both bottles and three glasses and asked her to fill two with one and one with the other.  I also asked her to label them with Post-It Notes, but fold them up so I wouldn’t see them initially.  My goal was to blindly pick the “expired” beer out.  Here are my notes…

• Appearance:  One appears slightly clearer than the other two.  Carbonation and head appear almost identical. 
• Aroma:  Sharp citrus aroma, touch of pine, and a heavy hand of papaya.  I’m already suspecting an odd-man-out as the smell is a little more piney in one.  The other two smell a little sweeter.
• Taste:  Sweet tropical fruit, sharp citrus bitterness, and a beautiful malt foundation.  I definitely feel the warmth from the alcohol on all three.  The beer I’m suspecting as the odd-man-out is a little more bitter.
• Mouthfeel:  Identical.

This project was a little harder to do than I expected as this is an extremely robust IPA and my palate fatigued almost immediately.  But the results were interesting.

My beautiful wife poured me two glasses of 10.25.13, and one from the bottle of 12.13.13.  I was able to correctly identify the odd man out, but I find it very interesting to note that I incorrectly picked the freshest version.  12.13.13 is an IPA turned up to ten on the dial, but 10.15.13 is unquestionably at an eleven and still is today.  I assumed that this amplified flavor was a sign of freshness, but clearly I was wrong.  Another couple of weeks didn’t hurt this beer at all.

It’s also interesting to note that when my wife poured the beers for me, she noted that 10.25.13 smelled more intense than its brother while she poured them.  It’s clearly a more intense batch.

I would like to try this again with perhaps a little more age between the beers.  I personally don’t believe that seven weeks is enough to destroy this beer, but I wonder if maybe a couple more months may be.  I guess I’ll be trying this experiment again in a little bit. 

I’d also like to quickly note that it may seem that I’m trying to find weaknesses in the Stone’s freshness theory, but this is truly only an exercise in curiosity.  I honestly respect the hell out of Stone for committing themselves to fresh beer, and will commit myself to continuing to purchase their products.  Well done, guys.

Update:  I would like to report that I reattempted this analysis several months later with Enjoy By 12.13.13 and 07.04.14.  The older bottle was well taken care of for the six or so months between releases.  Even with proper storage, the difference here was night and day.  Not only did the two beers smell and taste different, they even looked different.  The fresher offering was a hands-down winner in this repeat attempt.  So ultimately, three months may not make a tremendous difference between releases, but six months absolutely does.

-Matt

Beer Events – San Diego Beer Week: Stone Brewing’s “Redoubled Double Bastard Ale”

With San Diego Beer Week now behind us, I wanted to quickly record the single event I attended before it trickled out of my brain forever.

On Saturday November 2^nd, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens hosted its 2013 Double Bastard release party.  Titled “Redoubled”, the event featured the premier of this year’s Double Bastard, the eight vintages that preceded it, plus a handful of variations.  Double Bastard is one of my favorite Stone products, so I felt like this was my one not-to-miss.

My friend and I arrived early at brewery, fearing that we would have to fight a crowd.  This concern proved to be unfounded and we were seated immediately.  Over the next two hours we consumed a large quantity of the history of Double Bastard, four ounces at a time…

• 2005 – Very watery; port and sherry flavors; everything I liked in the 2007 vintage, but muted
• 2007 – Port-like aroma; port and sherry notes; prunes; bitterness is nearly completely gone
• 2009 – Smells of brown sugar; bitterness has dropped off almost entirely, touch of sherry; less oxidized than 2011
• 2011 – Bitterness has dropped significantly; plum and pitted fruit flavors; slightly oxidized
• 2013 – Sweet; amplified bitterness; citrus resembles tangerines; very fresh and refreshing; sharp and alive
• 2010 Bourbon Barrel – Sweet, sharp, clean bourbon flavor; neutered hop character; very rich; good, but four ounces is about all I could drink of it
• 2010 Chipotle – Not over the top heat; maturely measured chilies; mellow, pleasant, green, and smoky
• 2012 Toasted Oak – Tannic and woody; rich citrus peel bitterness; heavily dominated by the oak
• 2012 Red Wine Barrels – Tons of wine in the nose; tannic and bitter; great oak and wine flavor

It was an amazing opportunity to attend an event like this and experience how a beer like this ages.  After all was said and done, I think that the newly released 2013 was my favorite.  Double Bastard is a beer that showcases hops, and while the earlier releases were interesting, it was only when the hops genuinely shined through did the beer seem complete.  Of the variations, I think the red wine barrel variety was my favorite.  I’ve had a few wine barrel aged beers that were complete misses, but this one was certainly not one of them.  The rich wine and the citrusy hops played together in perfect harmony.

All of this beer, along with a freshly baked pretzel and a skillet-full of vegetarian shepherd’s pie, made for an incredible afternoon.  Before we left I took a quick stroll through the gardens and gift shop, where I picked up a growler of Ashy Stache (smoked IPA) to go.  By the time we exited the compound the line out the door was exceeding 90 minutes, so I’m glad we showed up when we did. 

“Redoubled” is definitely something that I would look into visiting again in the future, and highly recommend to friends.

-Matt

Belgian Pale Ale Project – White Birch Brewing’s Belgian Style Pale Ale (#15)

22 ounce bomber decanted into an oversized snifter.  6.7% ABV.

Appearance:  Brilliant copper with an amazing eggshell head.  I have not had a beer in this style that retains its foam cap as well as this one (5/5).

Aroma:  Freshly cut apples, maple syrup, brown sugar, and a faint “soapy” character (not unpleasant or out of place).  Very nicely layered (4.5/5).

Taste:  Pressed apples and pears.  Beautiful product of the right malt and yeast combination.  No bitterness to report whatsoever (4/5).

Mouthfeel:  Medium body, medium carbonation.  Lively (4.25/5).

Overall:  Of the Belgian Pale Ales I’ve enjoyed lately, most of my favorites have taken the style and spun it into something unique and personalized (unconventional hop additions, Brettanomyces, etc.)  But this beer has the balls to just be traditional.  Mild noble hop aroma, strong apple and pear smell and flavor, low ABV.  I’m impressed (4.5/5).

-Matt

Belgian Pale Ale Project – Weyerbacher’s Verboten (#14)

12 ounce bottle decanted into an oversized snifter.  5.9% ABV.

Appearance:  Weak, soda-like bubbles rising through a pool of murky amber.  Zero head retention (2.25/5).

Aroma:  Smells kind of dirty… funky, but not in the way you’d want it to be.  A little citrus pith and toasted malt are cowering in the back corner, but that’s about it.  I don’t know (2.75/5).

Taste:  This doesn’t taste anything like I was hoping it would.  I get some ruined malt followed by a bit of grassy hops on the back end.  Maybe there was a decent Belgian Pale Ale in this bottle once, but if that was ever true it has since retired and died (2.5/5).

Mouthfeel:  Thick and flat (2.25/5).

Overall:  This poor bastard is yet another example of how poorly this style ages.  I love that there are breweries out there making beers like this, but an “Enjoy By” date should be front and center.  This embarrassment of a beer does not represent the style or the brewery with any class.  It’s too bad (2.5/5).

-Matt