573. Chris Wyatt’s English Sour Brown Something-Or-Other

Chris described this beer as an English Brown Ale fermented with Fuller’s yeast to which he added Roeselare, and let age for seven months. For someone

This look says it all,
doesn't it?

normally so attached to style—and British style at that—this is an interesting departure. For example, just today he was complaining about the “dreadful” nature of American 2-row. So the combination of British and Belgian seems, from my perspective, worth noting. Hence my naming of the beer. Mixing and matching styles, Chris? For shame! I will also admit to some Schadenfreude contemplating the struggle Chris went through to let this beer age as long as he did. After all, while I can’t speak definitively about his character, when it comes to aging beer, Chris Wyatt is not a patient man. So in Chris Wyatt years, seven months is like four decades or something. Sorry, I couldn’t find the right app to make the exact calculations, and had to do it by hand.

English Sour Brown Something-Or-Other pours a rustic orange copper with a thin wispy white head that is ephemeral at best. Still, there is active carbonation, with small, tiny bubbles streaming up the sides of the glass. In the nose, there is brown malt, graininess, cereal (like Cheerios), and a hint of lactic acid, followed by an earthy mustiness mixed with dark stone fruit aromatics—cherries and figs, mainly. The latter part kind of reminds me of the smell of my grandparents’ house from my childhood. I also get a hint of something spicy verging on adhesive in the background—the ol’ classic dirty band-aid coming to the party. The beer opens with malt, specifically cereal and bread dough flavors, and a slight vinous fruit slickness that gives the beer a thin feel on the palate. It brightens and sharpens as it runs into the middle, with a combined light lactic tang and a brettanomyces gaminess to it—it is just short of funky. There is more fruit in the middle, albeit a more rounded, brighter fruitiness that pairs well with the wild yeast flavors. This leads to a bright candy lactic twang in the finish (which I like), followed by some grain huskiness and astringency that lingers, along with flavors from the darker grains (which I don’t like). The initial thin mouthfeel gives way to more substance in the second half of the beer, and the lactic bite makes up for the minimal carbonation—it provides the bite and crispness the beer needs to finish effectively. The lingering graininess and astringency gums up an otherwise enjoyable beer—the dark grain flavors don’t sit well with some of the other components of the beer, giving a sharper, rough edge to the slight acetic acid flavors that linger longest on the palate. The strengths of the beer—its soft subtlety of Flanders Red/Oud Bruin characteristics—are counteracted by the stronger, more overpowering finish. You should try this beer again, Chris, but cut the chocolate and roast malt (is there biscuit malt as well?) and replace it with something like dark Munich or Special B to give the beer a softer malt profile that will better balance the finish. Or, in other words, keep it subtle, but make the malt bill more Belgian.

From one of Chris’s rambling Facebook posts: “Lactic and funky with nice body and no bitterness.”

(9/27/2013)

465. Kevin & Andrew Lolli English Brown

Kevin told me that his brother, Andrew, helped him make this beer over the holidays. Since I know Andrew as well, I asked Kevin for a bottle so that I could include Andrew in on the reviewing fun. After all, nothing says fun like mockery. Kevin not only agreed, he passed along the photos you see below. Because nothing says “real American” like bleached spiked hair. You go Andrew. Oh, and when I asked Kevin if this was a Southern or a Northern English Brown, he responded with a “Yes,” followed by a “I think it is a Northern.” Gotta love that certainty. This is el numero tres from my favorite Columbus family, following up the Pumpkin Stout and the Imperial IPA.

Two men enter, one man leave!

K & A’s English Brown has a grainy and nutty brown malt nose; there’s a slight touch of sweetness, but not much more. Color-wise, it’s dark amber brown, although you can still see through it, and it has the classic Lolli head—tan colored, rich and creamy, leaving abundant lacing on the glass. Flavors start creamy and nutty with light caramel malt sweetness; the middle dries out and has a touch of graininess with gentle biscuit and bread flavors. The biscuit lingers into the finish, as does just a touch of bitterness. The carbonation is slightly sharp—I might dial it back a notch—but the beer has good balance in the body and is certainly dry in the finish. Despite the slight sharpness of the carbonation, the body of the beer is smooth, gentle, and rounded. I would like a bit more residual malt character to enhance the mouthfeel, but an easy-drinkin’ beer—flavors are simple, clean, and good. Nice job, Kevin and Andrew. So when’s the next time you’ll be sporting that blue mohawk again, Andrew? Or are the corporate law offices just to square for that?

Seriously, how do you get that sick sick head retention? You’re three for three now. And does it all go in old Sierra Nevada bottles?

(3/26/2011)

458. Kevin Lolli Pumpkin Stout

Somebody, it would appear, has learned how to clean bottles since his last visit. I’d actually be afraid that I’d been given the same bottle as last time if I hadn’t recycled that one on my own. That is, unless Kevin is stalking my recycling. Which is always possible. Something, however, tells me Captain LSAT has a few more pressing concerns than scavenging back alleyways looking to get his creepiness on. And the sound of inevitability he hears at the end of the tunnel signals the end of the cool, laid back days of Beardo the Clown. Sorry, but I gotta get my digs in while I can. I will note, as a means of turning this back towards the beer, that while listed as a Pumpkin Stout, the pumpkin is pretty minimal (which means the spice is pretty minimal), and that this beer is more a sweet stout than a pumpkin stout.

Photo gleefully stolen from here. Looking good, Kevin.

Pouring a rich, thick, dark chocolate brown, Kevin Lolli Pumpkin Stout has a mousse-y tan head that both hangs around and reciprocally laces the glass a decent amount. It would appear, Kevin, that you’ve mastered the art of head retention with your beers, as both have been abundant and voluminous. The nose is sweet chocolate malt laced with a low level of pumpkin—I am ever so glad the spice volume was dialed down to uber-minimal, as there is balance between the components currently, although I expected to pick up a bit more roastiness in the nose. There is also a slight touch of bubblegum phenol, although that could be from either the pumpkin or some light banana fruit esters; I am not 100% certain one way or the other. The roasted malt is more discernable in the body; flavors start with dry chocolate malt in the front before giving way to light coffee and sweet chocolate in the middle. There is also a touch of pumpkin/light spice flavor and just a touch of roastiness in the middle, which leads into the bigger roasted malt and sweet chocolate finish. If there is any bitterness, it is covered over by the chocolate sweetness, and the malt character continues to build throughout the profile. There is a touch of roastiness and a slight off-flavor that could be from the spices that lingers just a touch too long on the tongue. The mouthfeel is creamy, silky, and sweet; the medium body and medium carbonation help round the beer on the palate—it is gentle and delicious, and goes down easy. As with the last beer, the head is still omni-present as I finish the beer—what kind of deal-with-devil did you make to create the retention here, tiger? Nice work overall—I think you should run the same beer sans pumpkin and spice, and see how it works as a straight up Sweet Stout, since it is already pretty darn solid.

(2/21/2011)

455. Jeffrey McElfresh Belgian Pale Ale

This beer, sadly, marks the conclusion of another Jeffrey McElfresh Homebrew Drinking Week. However, I would like to point out that if McElfresh was a state, it would rank above New Hampshire and below Massachusetts (and be tied with Delaware—take that Sam Calagione!) for the overall number of different beers we’ve had here at what we’re drinking. And that’s nothing to sneeze at. We’re rooting for McElfresh to challenge Oregon, Michigan, and maybe even California. Let’s get to work there, tiger. Time’s a wastin’. I’m already waiting for installment number three of JMHDW. Word!

McElfresh BPA pours a hazy copper—I’m guessing it would be a bit clearer, but since it is a tad overcarbonated, it drew the yeast up off the bottom of the bottle with the initial pour. The head is white and pretty mousse-y, but settles down given the time. McBPA has a toasted, bready malt nose along with fair amount of spicy and fruity notes—let’s just say that this beer certainly invokes Belgian with the ol’ magical sniffer. The front starts with a soft caramel and bready malt flavor before the orange/citrus fruit esters and spicy phenol flavors pick up in the middle. The middle is also leavened by a touch of bitterness before giving way to a slight touch of sweetness in the finish, followed by a dry lingering bitterness. The mouthfeel is soft and creamy with a pleasant gentle carbonation. As the beer warms, a dry chalky mineral tang develops as a lingering presence in the back of the throat after the other flavors have passed along; it also has some warmth and astringency to it. I’m not sure what to make of this other than to guess that this is the cause of the overcarbonation. It is certainly out of character with the soft malt profile and the gentle balance of the rest of the beer—I was warned that something had “turned” in this beer, and when I had the same thing two weeks ago, it was much cleaner across the entirety of the beer’s profile. Nonetheless, the basic beer itself is solid minus the developing infection. I remain undeterred—bring it on, Jeffrey, I’m already longing for more.

(2/11/2011)

454. Jeffrey McElfresh Belgian Specialty Ale Orval clone

Stop. No really. Stop. Stop right there. Cease and desist. Back it up. Back it up, I said. Little bit more. Daaaaaaamn. Jeffrey, I know you’re not gonna be able to stop drinking this beer, but I’m here to tell you, you need to sack some of it away, like right now, because it is gonna get better. A whole lot better. Sure, it is good now. Really good. Really really good. But when George Clinton puts his hands all the way into this one, it’s gonna make panties fall off. So you better listen. Because if you’re down to your last bottle, and I hear any of that “Oh, I wish I’d saved more of this,” or “Why does it only get good when it is all gone?,” I’m gonna punch you right in the stomach. Straight up. And then I’ll tell you I told you so. Yes, potential disrespect for this beer is prone to create threats of and/or actual acts of violence from yours truly. And you’re gonna need to call me when that funk drops all the way in, because I’m not sure you can handle that much funk. Because it will blow your mind. Boom. There it goes.

World’s Creepiest Mustache

So where to start. Sure, this beer has color. And yes, there is head retention and lacing and all that other whatnot. But the nose. Damn, that nose is bewitching. Slight spicy with a touch of citrus, earthiness, and just the beginnings of some barnyard funk—that minerally, hay-like, estery, tongue-drying spritziness that is just creeping into the picture at this point. But creeping in enough to whisper seductively in my ear. And to tell me of things to come. The body finishes off what the nose started. There is just a tang more funkiness in the body than in the nose—having led me down the dark path, it is making sure it is going to guide my destiny. Spicy earthy and loamy flavors at the front before moving into a drier and more minerally middle. There is still a touch of dark fruit and raisin with the dryness, and the skin flavor of the raisin lingers on into the finish—it is almost a rum raisin effect with a slight tannic bite. The finish is lightly tart and bright which, coupled with the carbonation, gives a spritzy and zesty feel to the finish. It tingles on the back of throat on the way down, for crying-out-loud. A light alcohol warmth emerges out of the zesty tingle, creating a pleasant balance between the two. After that, all I’m left with is a light lingering dry mineral funkiness in the back of my mouth—the same one that was initially offering portents of things to come. Currently, Smokey Brown gets the nod for your best beer, but in six months this beer is gonna own Smokey Brown. Own it and make it do bad illegal things. For money.

If you don’t give me another bottle of this, Jeffrey, I’m erasing all my posts about your beer.

(2/10/2011)

453. Jeffrey McElfresh Dubbel

It is day three of America’s newest and most favorite national holiday, Jeffrey McElfresh Homebrew Drinking Week. Ahem. Part II. Today, the napkin tells me we are drinking McElfresh Dubbel, which pours a brilliant toffee with amber and garnet highlights—lush and rich with a thick creamy eggshell head that laces the glass and while still maintaining the bright carbonation in the glass. Ah, heaven. The nose is toffee and caramel malt along with some breadiness and smaller amounts of fruit including raisin and cherry—very malt forward. There might be a touch of spiciness in the nose as well, and/or a subtle perfumy character, but it low and buried in the back under a bunch of other things. Flavors in the beer match the nose; there is caramel and toffee malt in the front, lighter raisin and cherry fruit flavors in the middle, and some brown sugar sweetness before a finish that is clean and drier than I expected via the carbonation. Smooth, creamy, and rich mouthfeel with bright carbonation that balances the beer and lightens the body. There is no discernable alcohol warmth or flavor, although there might be a slight hop bitterness that emerges as the beer warms. This is a well-made beer, but the flavor profile is not as complex as I expected—for some reason it strikes as a bit of a lighter version of a dubbel, be it via the brighter carbonation or a lighter body. It may also be a bit young—three or four months may allow some of the fruit flavors to further develop across the palate. While it is my least favorite of the three thus far in this version of JMHDW, it is still a solid beer. And that creamy luscious head! It didn’t diminish the throughout the entire drinking of the whole 22 bottle. Damn!

P.S. That MGD 64 t-shirt is hot, Captain SexElfresh. Tighter! I want it tighter!

(2/9/2011)

452. Jeffrey McElfresh Table Saison

And the wonderfulness that is Jeffrey McElfresh Homebrew Drinking Week Part II continues. As the napkin informs me, this is Jeffrey’s Table Saison, a light, bright, and eminently drinkable version of the style. It’s even circled so I know I’ll like it. Listen to the napkin: the napkin knows all. Pouring a slightly hazy straw with a rich white head—and plenty of those tiny tiny white bubbles billowing up through the beer in the glass—McElfresh Table Saison has a dry crackery and spicy nose mixed with perfume-y and juicy yeast esters along with a slight hop tang. As it warms, the juiciness turns into a more discernable fruitiness. The beer starts dry and lightly sweet with a crackery follow through before the spiciness and bitterness of the middle asserts itself, finishing sharp and lightly tart. There is a spicy bitterness that also lingers on the palate, along with a touch of alcohol warmth at the back of the throat. The soft malt character mixed with higher carbonation gives this beer a refreshing mouthfeel. My complaints here are few: the finish is not as clean as I would like—there is a slight cider flavor that is off-putting in relation to the acidic tartness, and the slight alcohol warmth stands out a bit. Both are most likely products of the well attenuated body; the lack of residual malt character is not there to round the overall profile. Nonetheless, both of these concerns are pretty minimal to the overall beer, which is classic in both its simplicity and complexity—the traditional saison characteristics are superb. Damn straight. This one got nailed.

P.S. Jeffrey, is this White Labs WLP565 or Wyeast 3724?

(2/8/2011)

451. Jeffrey McElfresh Bière de Garde

Oh snap! That moment of transcendent magic we’ve all been waiting for is finally here: Jeffrey McElfresh Homebrew Drinking Week Part II. This is the best sequel in the history of forever, or at least since humanity emerged from caves and abandoned hunting and gathering for the joys of agrarian life. The downside, of course, is that that particular part two was also on the way to humans eating paint chips, but that’s a different story, and not so good an example of the vision of a triumphant sequel that I am trying to sell here. As well, it is possible that the next installment of JMHDW will be ever better (not to be confused with WWJD II)—it could be in the reciprocally sequel-appropriate 3D—but the possibilities are just too fantabulously awesome to even contemplate, so I’ll stick with the here and now of JMHDW II. My lord, I’m giddy with excitement, so let’s get down to brass tacks...

Highlights!

McElfresh Bière de Garde pours a delicate tannish caramel brown with delightful orange highlights that are the color of Johnny Rotten’s Public Image Ltd.-era hair. The head is made up of miniscule white bubbles that quickly reduce to a ring, while the nose is a complex mixture of toasty and caramel malt sweetness with creamy and bready components as well, but stops just short of having dark fruit notes (malt, not ester derived). Really, the nose is quite divine. Flavors open with toasty and toffee malt sweetness; the middle is creamy but also a bit drier on the palate, with no discernable hop bitterness—if it is there, it is very light. The finish features a touch of Belgian candy sweetness and smaller hints of darker fruits like plum and fig, but it is also dry with a touch of bitterness and/or alcohol flavor that lightly lingers. The medium body is slightly undercarbonated, which would be my only real complaint about the beer, leaving it a bit soft on the mouth (although it does reciprocally enhance the soft toasty malt components of the beer). While I am unsure of the exact strength of the beer, the alcohol is well hidden—it is most certainly a malt forward beer. The strength is the malt complexity coupled with the cleaner finish. As the beer warms, there is an increase in caramel flavors across the profile as well as a larger manifestation of the darker fruit flavors in the middle and end of the beer (I mean, hell, I got a 22 of this beer, so it took me some time to work through it). While certainly delicious now, I’d be interested in seeing the long-term effects of some additional garde-ing—I think the malt complexity would get richer and more complex even though this is a lighter version of a Bière de Garde. Nice work, Jeffrey. You’re in effect like alternate side of the street parking rules.

P.S. I’m officially skipping work tomorrow as part of my secret silent plan to make JMHDW an officially recognized national holiday. Who is with me? Come on, where’s your faux indignation and half-assed civil disobedience now? All y’all are a bunch of Western Marxists, aren’t you?

(2/7/2011)

438. Scott Young Happy Critters Meadery Flathead Cherry Mead

Scott is another of the rabble-rousers in my local brew club, DRAFT. He’s an accomplished mead maker—his labels feature his cat and dog on the label, although the “happy critters” he’s referring to are those of us who get to drink the contents of the bottle. Or at least I’m assuming that’s who the happy critters Scott’s label refers to; I don’t think he is feeding his pets mead, although you never do know with Scott. He gave me this bottle a little over a year ago (it was brewed in 2008, and has the number 51 written next to the year), and I’ve been waiting to manufacture an excuse to try it. Is the desire to write this post too transparent?

Pouring a deep rich but slightly murky reddish brown—it was clear until I put it in the fridge to chill it a touch—Flathead Cherry Mead has a tart cherry and honey nose mixed with a touch of alcohol—there is a slight sweetness, but also a bit of sharper or younger alcohol mixed in with the other aromas. As it warms, the aromas meld into a pleasant cherry candy aroma. When swirled in the glass, it does exhibit some legs on the glass, and there are nice garnet highlights that flicker on the table when light shines through the fluid. Flathead Cherry Mead starts sweet and simultaneously tart—sweet from the honey and tart from the cherries. Cherry flavor emerges in the middle along with more of the tartness, and the finish is dry and lightly minerally with some warmth from the alcohol. There is a flicker of sweetness that returns in the finish; however, while there is sweetness across the profile, the mead is also very dry, which helps accentuate the tartness and cherry flavor. I’ve had other bottles with Scott that had more residual sweetness in the body, but I might be a fan of the tarter, drier version—there is a slight puckering component that I find refreshing, although slightly un-mead like. The body is medium, and since this is a still mead, there is no carbonation. This mead is delicious now, but it does taste a bit young (and not Scott Young)—the alcohol dissipates as the mead warms and the tartness exerts itself, which also allows the cherry flavor to come to the foreground, but it doesn’t quite disappear completely. Ah, time, you cruel mistress—you make things better, but it is so hard to wait. Nice work, Scott—I look forward to seeing how this mead continues to develop over time.

(12/9/2010)

427. Skinny Dave Williamson Barleywine

The latest homebrew to grace my presence; this beer is based upon the Big 10/20 recipe that Dave found on the Brewers Association website. Dave gave this beer to me on National Homebrew Day (May 1) when we brewed a Dunkelweizen on his system, and I dutifully stuck it in my basement. When I came across it the other day while rooting around in the cellar, I decided it was time to pull the trigger on this bad boy. So here we go.

Pure beefcake...

Skinny Dave Barleywine pours a slightly hazy rich caramel copper with a creamy rich tan head; while it has a brilliant and active carbonation made up of very tiny bubbles, the carbonation is very light on the palate. It does, however, look awesome in the glass. The nose is equal parts creamy and rich malty caramel; as it warms, the creaminess comes to the forefront, although the rich malt is still present. Flavors start with balanced caramel malt sweetness, moving into a creamy softer middle, and finishing dry and sweet on the tongue. There is no alcohol or stickiness—just a nice even clean malt flavor across the palate. This beer has had time for the alcohol and flavor to marry together—there is an ever so slight warmth that develops in the back of my throat, but that is it. The mouthfeel is smooth and balanced; there is a slight carbonation bite in the final third, but it mostly helps to put the dry finish on the beer. While good as is, the malt character still needs further time to develop complexity and depth, although the creamy sweetness in the front and middle is delicious. This beer is on its way to someplace better; I’ve cracked it after the first stage of marrying and coordinating flavors, but prior to the second stage of the full development of complexity that comes with age. But it was such a delicious learning curve.

OG: 1.098
FG: 1.016
Malt: mostly 2-row with some crystal
Yeast: WLP002 to 1.034; champagne yeast in secondary to 1.016
Brewed: Easter weekend, 2009
Bottled: June 1, 2009

(11/16/2010)

423. Kevin Lolli Imperial IPA

Yes, I know it looks like I’m drinking a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, but that’s only because someone needs to learn to clean bottles. I’m looking at you, Kevin. I’m also drinking this beer out of a Knoxville Brewers’ Jam tasting glass, which, while a seemingly innocuous and by proxy super-uncool glass, was smelted by hand from the bones of my slain enemies, and then painted with their blood and viscera. So color me bad ass.

In addition to holding beers, this glass reminds me of crushing my enemies, and seeing them fall at my feet.

Pouring a tea-colored copper with a creamy, long-lasting head that provides a fair amount of lacing, Kevin’s Imperial IPA is the second version of this beer that I’ve sampled of late that is based upon the recipe in Jamil Zainasheff’s Brewing Classic Styles. The nose is big hops with a slight underlying candy caramel aroma—I get evergreen, resin, pine, and citrus, followed by a slight amount of grassiness—sort of like if they made a hoppy version of kettle corn. Flavors start bitter with a big caramel front, the former helping to keep the latter in check. The middle has a drop in sweetness, allowing the bitterness to come the forefront, along with resin and evergreen hop flavors. There is a touch of candy sweetness that comes back in the finish, as well as some grassiness, along with a nice long lingering hop bitterness. The beer has a medium to heavy body and a creamy mouthfeel mixed with a touch of astringency from the hops, although nothing overbearing. There is a slight tang of alcohol heat, but it is pretty subdued, and the carbonation gives the beer a bit of silkiness on the tongue, helping to round the beer overall. The grassiness does build a bit as the beer warms (and it tastes like pellet hops grassiness as well—the green sludge mixed with the yeast helps confirm this), especially in the lingering flavors on the back of the tongue, as does the alcohol heat, but this is overall a solid and enjoyable beer. It does have less overall hop complexity as compared to Jeffrey’s version, but this beer also has less alcohol warmth and astringency. And seriously, the head is still hanging around. Thick, too—not some of that thin covering crap. The beer is gone, but there is a layer of foam left in the bottom of the glass. Now, how about cleaning the labels off those bottles, tough guy?

(11/9/2010)

409. Jeffrey McElfresh Imperial IPA

While this beer concludes Jeffrey McElfresh Homebrew Drinking Week, I am certain that Jeffrey has many more excellent beers on the horizon. Thank again, Jeffrey, for all of the delicious beer, and for making this week better.

Jeffrey’s Imperial IPA beer pours the color of bourbon—it is a dead ringer when held up next to my bottle of Old Potrero—and is crystal clear. Like really clear. How the hell did you do that, Jeffrey? The head is eggshell (with some lacing), and the nose is hoppy goodness—I get a spicy, pine-y, and resin-y evergreen with citrus and a bit of grassiness in the back. There are probably other softer aromas, but the big fragrance of spicy pine (Simcoe?) overpowers and drowns them out. Flavors start out hoppy, transition into hoppy, and then finish hoppy. OK, not completely, but pretty damn close. There is a touch of malt sweetness in the front that is hidden by some of the slightly herbal hops flavors dancing around in the front; the middle kicks you in the teeth with the bitterness (but in a good way), as well as bringing the pine, resin, and spice hop aroma from the nose into a living presence in your mouth. There is a brief flash of creaminess and sweetness along with a bit of bite from the carbonation in the turn to the finish, which is a long slow run down bitterness lane—it both builds and lingers pleasantly on the back of the throat. The body is medium to heavy with a clean but slightly sharp mouthfeel. There is a decent amount of alcohol warmth in the back of the mouth along with small amounts of hop astringency and grassiness. While the heat is more intrusive than the astringency, the overall beer is still delicious and enjoyable, although I wouldn’t recommend housing it down—there is a slight flush forming on my cheeks as I finish this delicious tidbit. I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that means this beer has a solid punch. I’d like to see what happens to this beer with some age. While the hop complexity might drop out, the lessening of the alcohol warmth and the marrying of the alcohol with the other components would further round the beer. But let’s save the philosophical meanderings, and instead offer mad kudos to Jeffrey for being the brewing dynamo that he is. I’ll make you a deal Jeffrey—you keep brewing, and I’ll gladly keep drinking your beer. That certainly sounds fair, doesn’t it?

(9/3/2010)

408. Jeffrey McElfresh Weizenbock

This beer comes in the nice, tall 16.9 oz (500 ml for those of you scoring at home) German-style beer bottle. All authentic and shit. Awesome. Pouring a rich toffee and molasses brown, this beer also has ruby and orange hints that emerge when held up to the light, even with the slight cloudiness from the yeast. The head is ivory, and slightly profuse, with a rich, lightly sweet malty nose mixed with dark fruit—raisins and possibly prunes—backed up by molasses and soft banana esters. Flavors open with bready malt coupled with wheat flavor, chewy melanoidins, and low levels of spicy clove phenol; the middle has banana yeast esters and some richer molasses sweetness that shifts into a more candy-like sweetness combined with a wheaty nuttiness in the finish. The finish also contains a small amount of hop bitterness that helps balance the light alcohol flavor, both lingering lightly on the palate to help the beer end clean, although with some residual flavors. The mouthfeel is creamy and a bit chewy, with a alcohol warmth at the back of the throat, and the carbonation is bright but does not limit the rich maltiness of the beer (although combined with the alcohol and bitterness does help dry out the beer on the palate). A good beer, but one I know less about as a whole, so I am less able to place it. The beer has good flavor; the alcohol warmth is slightly high, bordering on providing a bit too much heat. But the malt complexity and depth works well in the beer, and provides a solid body. Aging this beer could allow the flavors and alcohol to better marry, helping limit the warmth at the end while also allowing some of the fruit flavors to further develop across the middle.

You can’t hide that Grand Cru from me!

(9/2/2010)

407. Jeffrey McElfresh The McElfreshinator Dopplebock

My first official proclamation of year 2 of what we’re drinking: I am naming this beer The McElfreshinator. So it is written, so it shall be. The McElfreshinator pours a creamy toffee chocolate, and has an ivory tan head that reduces to a ring after about 45 seconds. Aromas include a maltiness, melanoidins, and dark fruit—specifically plum and raisin. Flavors start malty, with melanoidin, warm bread crust, and a rich caramel toffee framing the front. Fruit flavors and dark sugars emerge from the middle—plum and raisin mixed with brown sugar and molasses. The finish features a return of sweetness and some slight alcohol warmth, although very subtle, and more of the malty fruitiness, ending rather clean with only light lingering brown sugar and raisin sweetness. The McElfreshinator has a smooth, rich mouthfeel—the body is medium to heavy, and the carbonation is low to medium. I would like it to be a bit chewier in the mouthfeel; the flavors are good, but a bit more creamy chewiness to thicken out the mouthfeel would help push the “liquid bread” elements of the beer. Nonetheless, a delicious beer that is finally starting to come into its own—it tastes much better than the last time I tried it. That last bottle I’ve got is getting tossed in the basement to try again later. If you’re nice, I might let you try it. But probably not.

(9/1/2010)

406. Jeffrey McElfresh Smokey Brown

Here comes day 2 of my new most favorite week of the year: Jeffrey McElfresh Homebrew Drinking Week. Tonight’s delicious victim is Jeffrey’s Smokey Brown, which, not surprisingly, pours a clear toffee brown color with some slight red highlights. The head is tan and persistent, but not abundant, and the nose has a touch of malt sweetness, although the smoky wood aroma almost completely covers it over. There is also just a touch of that alluring bacon-like wood smoke aroma you find in classic Rauchbiers. Smokey Brown opens with a mix of dark malt sweetness and smokiness—there’s some chocolate and biscuit flavors mixed with the smoke that create a toasty richness, all in pleasant harmony. There is a slight rise in sweetness in the middle, with molasses and brown sugars hints that emerge in conjunction with some of the smoked wood flavor, leading into the dry finish that contains small amounts of bitterness and lingering rich smoke flavors at the back of the throat. As the flavors disperse, there is a nutty flavor that crosses the back of the tongue. The beer has a medium body with a creamy, almost chewy carbonation—it is low to medium and soft; mixed with the smoke flavors, it has a slickness and substance that sits pleasantly on the mouth. Smokey Brown does have some smokiness and tackiness that also contributes to the mouthfeel. This beer is a study in balance between the smoked malt and beer characteristics. The overall experience and sensation of drinking this beer is wonderful—this beer is heavenly. Of all of Jeffrey’s beers that I have tried, this is hands down my favorite. Damn, that’s some tasty beer.

Guess who’s bringing sexy back like Timbaland and Timberlake?

P.S. I’ll bet you didn’t know that Smoky Brown is the name of a type of cockroach. Further, it’s also the name of outsider artist Smoky Brown. That’s what Google is for, isn’t it?

(8/31/2010)

405. Jeffrey McElfresh Hefeweizen

I am officially declaring this Jeffrey McElfresh Homebrew Drinking Week. You couldn’t stop me if you tried. Although I don’t think anyone is really trying to stop me. Which is tragic, as it makes my ranting seem only that much more desperate. Anyway, you all remember Jeffrey from our session of playing Brewmaster, right? Well, Jeffrey is also a damn fine brewer in his own right, board game brewing master or not. And since he recently dropped me off a package ’o brews, I’m throwing him into the mix and under the bus in one quick fell swoop.

Jeffrey’s Hefeweizen pours a soft cloudy straw with a fluffy white head—it even looks soft and pillow-y in the glass, which is saying something. The nose is zesty and estery—there is breadiness from the malt, banana, and just a touch of clove in the background. The banana and malt aromas combine to create a banana bread smell that is dee-licious, fresh, and clean smelling. Flavors start lightly sweet and fruity—mostly banana, but also some fleshy fruit hints—in the front, combining to offer the banana bread flavors promised by the nose in the middle of the beer. There is a touch of graininess to the middle, and clove traces start in the middle as well, rising in the final third, along with a slight pepperiness that I thought added nicely to the beer. There is also a return of some of the sweetness of the front in the final third. The clove flavor lingers lightly in the back of the mouth, as does a slight mineral flavor and feel, finishing with just a touch of banana to close things out. Starting with a soft, gentle mouthfeel, the beer gets brighter as it sits on the palate; there is a nice bite from the carbonation as the beer heads into the final third, ending with a light clove tang on the sides and front of the tongue. A light and refreshing beer—I could drink a whole lotta this stuff. Nice job on this one, Jeffrey.

P.S. I think we should make Jeffrey McElfresh Homebrew Drinking Week an official national holiday. Who is with me?

(8/30/2010)

396. de Glazen Toren Saison d’Erpe-Mere and 12: Huckleberry Wheat

And the decadence continues. The Brooklyn Flea is right around the corner from Adam and Jenn’s place. After perusing the spoils of basements from all over the greater NYC area, we dined on lobster rolls, wood-fired pizzas, and buffalo jerky. Jenn also went with the grilled cheese. Oh, and I can’t forget the porchetta sandwich. Must remember that.

After our self-inflicted food comas, we retired a while to recuperate. And since I had brought along several deuce-deuces of my fine homebrew products to sample (after all, who doesn’t travel with beer?), we decided to pull out the Huckleberry Honey Wheat beer I brewed a little over 2 ½ years ago. Ah, aged beer. It’s been over a year since I sampled any of this batch, and that year has been very very good to this beer. Let’s just say that I’m sad this beer is on the verge of extinction. Crisp, tart, dry, and the oxidation that has developed works well with the huckleberry flavors. I need to remember to score myself some more of that huckleberry honey next time I am out west. Scoring pounds of fresh huckleberries is gonna a tad more difficult...

12: Huckleberry Honey Wheat
Mini-mash:
8 oz. Rahr 2-row Pale
4 oz. Durst wheat
8 oz. Dingeman’s Biscuit
8 oz. Weyerman Pale
8 oz. Maris Otter

Mashed @ 150° F for 45 minutes
Sparged with 1 gallon of 170° F water

Added fluid to brew kettle, brought to a boil (60 minute) and added:
4 lbs. Alexander Wheat Malt
2 ¼ lbs. Huckleberry Honey
8 oz. Belgian candy
1 oz. German Hallertau pellet

w/10 min. to go:
1 oz. German Hallertau pellet
1 tsp. Irish Moss

Cooled wort, racked to bucket, and pitched Wyeast 3942 Belgian Wheat

Brewed: 9/28/2007
Secondary w/fruit: 10/6/2007; added 3 lbs. frozen and crushed huckleberries
Secondary: 10/26/07; @ 1.009
Bottled: 11/04/2007

OG: 1.050
FG: 1.008

Saison d’Erpe-Mere...

So if all of this wasn’t enough, we headed off to Prime Meats in Brooklyn for dinner. Nothing like a dozen oysters, steak tartare, and a wild mushroom risotto. Plus, they had de Glazen Toren Saison d’Erpe-Mere on tap. That’ll round out dinner just about perfect. Dee-licious. Oh, and Brouwerij de Glazen Toren is in Erpe-Mere, Belgium. Belgium is to saison like beer is to tasty. Saison d’Erpe-Mere has a spicy bubble-gum ester nose. While it was delicious across the board, I recall the nose. That, and I’m still not taking notes. Suck it up and deal.

From the Brouwerij de Glazen Toren website: “Bitter in the nose like citrus, dry and sweet bitter in the mouth, long gradually spreading bitter aftertaste.”

ABV: 6.9%

The wild kingdom took a hit today, what with all the various creatures we ate. Alas, my hedonistic run is about to be closed.

And where o’ where is the fish-ball man? My visit to Clinton Hill is not complete without your delicious repast, oh fish-ball man...

(7/31/2010)

382. 34: Saison

So I threatened that we might actually start drinking and commenting on homebrews this year, and I’m here to make good on that threat. This beer is part of my “epic” run of nine saisons brewed between Fall 2008 and Winter 2009. Mostly, I was just experimenting with different ingredients, and since saisons are described as something of a catch-all for randomness in Phil Markowski’s Farmhouse Ales, I figured I’d go to town. I saved a couple bottles of each saison to try as they aged, and pretty much across the board, they’ve only gotten better. I’ll be starting a new run of saisons shortly, but for now, let’s enjoy the fruits of posterity.

Pouring a mostly clear dirty gold with a creamy white head that leaves a fair amount of lacing, 34 has a fruity nose made up of pears, apples, and a light lemon citrus accompanied by small amounts of candy sweetness. There are no discernable spicy or hop aromas. Fruity sweetness opens the front of the beer, along with some bright, candy-like sweetness—pear and apple mixed with Belgian candy sugar; the middle quickly dries out, leaving some light phenolic spiciness on the back of the tongue. A slight amount of sweetness returns for the finish, lingering briefly and competing against the highly attenuated dryness of the beer; as with the front, the sweetness is a mix of faint fruit and candy. The carbonation is bright and tart on the palate, accentuating the dryness of the medium to light body and leaving a light mineral and/or sharp acidic feel on the palate. While the carbonation is lively, the mouthfeel of the beer itself is dry and soft. There is less spiciness than I expected in this beer, although the fruit flavors mix well with the soft candy sweetness in the body, and the light creaminess I hoped the flaked oats would impart has still not materialized. Oh well. The dryness is almost crackly on the palate, which also goes well with the fruitiness. I am pleased that this beer has smoothed and married across the profile with age—while very dry, it is still bright, refreshing, and effervescent, even after 20 months in the bottle.

34: Saison
Mini-mash:
1 lb. Rahr 2-row
8 oz. Fawcett Oat Malt
4 oz. Weyerman Carahell
4 oz. Flaked Oats

Mashed @ 130° F for 30 minutes, raised to 150° F for 45 minutes; batch sparged with 1 gallon of 165° F water for 10 minutes

Added fluid to brew kettle along with (70 minute boil):
4 lbs. Alexander Pale Malt
1 lb. Sparkling Amber DME
1 oz. Fuggle leaf 4.6% AA
½ oz. Glacier pellet 6.0% AA

w/15 minutes to go: ½ oz. Fuggle leaf 4.6% AA and 1 tsp. Irish moss
w/3 minutes to go: ½ oz. Glacier pellet 6.0% AA

Cooled wort, and pitched on pancake of Wyeast 3711 French Saison

Brewed: 12/17/2008 @ 64°
Secondary: 12/31/2008 @ 1.004
Bottled: 1/25/2009 with 1 ¼ cup Pilsen Light DME

OG: 1.038
FG: 1.002

(7/17/2010)