Here are a few beers that have kept me company through this week’s whacky weather.
DUVEL – Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat
8.10%ABV
Serving: 330mL to tulip
A: Hazy (I swirled and poured the last quarter of liquid…I love my yeast!) straw hue with champagne-like bubbles that are helping to form a massive, active white head. The fluffy marshmallow head rocks. There’s a ton of retention and spider web lacing. I love it.
S: Definite Saaz hop type aroma. There’s a very clean, fresh cut grass hop on the nose. It’s so crisp and clean. At first I think to myself, “Wow, there’s no metallic at all!”, but 3 more minutes of warmth say otherwise. The metallic starts at the back, sort of in passing. Then I get a sweet honey malt to balance it out and sort of shoo it away. Then one or two more minutes and the aroma is huge on metallic. I’m interested in why this happens? I look forward to the flavors.
T: Some great complexity here that I didn’t immediately recognized with the aroma. There’s some wheat and spice (clove, perhaps?) characteristics that really dominate on the first sip. Banana and unripe stone fruit. While there is heavy metallic on the nose, I don’t get much of it in the flavor. I’m impressed. It is very refreshing and smooth…easy to drink (and with an 8+%ABV, it’s bordering on dangerous!). Forget about decanting this ale. I swirled up that sediment and threw it in and got a ton of clove and yeast. So delicious. One other important note is that I can’t sense the alcohol here at all.
M: Medium body with low-medium carbonation. Very smooth.
D: Wow, give me another because I finished this one in less than 10 minutes. Refreshing like a pils, tasty yeast like a wheat, mouthfeel like a strong ale. This beer deserves the praise it gets.
Duvel – A+
WEIHENSTEPHANER HEFEWEISSBIER DUNKEL – Brauerei Weihenstephan
5.30%ABV
Serving: 500mL to weizen
A: Approximately three fingers off-white head top a hazed caramel, tan and fig-colored brew. There’s a great cap of retention and cascading lace that doesn’t take too long to disappear.
S: Aromas are huge on banana, which is this weizen lover’s dream. Really nice clove spice in there, and a bit of alcohol is present in the back. And I can smell the other dark spices that are common in wheats but I never have the names for…
T: A nice fruitiness greets the palate. Raisins and dark fruits revel on my tongue, leaving lots of bittersweet and barely sour residuals behind. The banana is there, but it comes in and out. Throughout this session, I am relying on a toasted malt backbone to hold all of the flavors together, and it does just that.
M: Medium bodied with medium carbonation, though the mouthfeel seems inconsistent. Some sips seem a bit more watery than others. This unfortunately affects the flavor just a bit. The creamy head gives an added layer to the feel of this beer, but it’s just not enough to fill in those gaps.
D: Despite the thin moments with the mouthfeel, I really enjoyed this beer and, at the price ($2.99), I would not hesitate to buy another.
Dunkel – A
HE’BREW BITTERSWEET LENNY’S R.I.P.A. – Shmaltz Brewing (He’Brew); San Francisco
10.00%ABV
Serving: 22oz bomber to tulip
A: Hazy dark amber and plum-colored brew with about a finger of creamy beige head. Great retention, and there is spotty lacing on my tulip.
S: Big sweet fruitiness up front; a bready malt presence is pretty prominent, too. Currants are major here, and there’s a nice little sweet and spicy balance. I’m hoping for some more hops in the flavor because they are not too bold on the nose, and I’d expect a little something more in a DIPA!
T: I am happy here…it is much more hoppy on the palate. I’ve got great bitter hops all over. They are woody and mildly citrusy. These hops are balanced gorgeously with the dark fruity esters found in the aroma. The best part of this beer is the great rye base. It’s grainy and slightly earthy. I sense caramel malt, but it’s merely an afterthought here.
M: Creamy head, a heavier body, and balanced carbonation make for a wonderfully smooth mouthfeel.
D: I am a big fan of this brew. I’d like to try it fresh and on tap if ever possible!
R.I.P.A. – A
And finally, I enjoyed my first Oktoberfest of the season on the same day I enjoyed my first Ohio thunderstorm. I thought it was pretty fitting.
OKTOBERFEST – Great Lakes Brewing
6.50%ABV, 20IBUs
Serving: 12oz to pint
A: An aggressive pour yields a very small, bubbling ivory head. The beer is a relatively clear dark amber with lighter golden edges. There’s a small ring of retention, and not much lacing. A swirl of the pint glass will bring about a thin cap for about 10 seconds.
S: Roasted caramel malt sweetness. There’s an aroma reminiscent of cold steel, and freshly cut grass from the hops.
T/M: A heavy malt base here, but it’s really enjoyable. Roasted flavors are doing well to hold the beer together. A simple, but pleasant, crisp grassy hop bitterness. The body is light and the carbonation is on the higher end, making this a terribly refreshing beverage. Bitter residuals stick around and dry out my mouth.
D: Oktoberfest is really refreshing and drinkable, without compromising on flavor. I recommend this beer for those who are into Marzens and amber lagers!
Oktoberfest – B+
