Peculiar Wang Old Ale II & Small Wang Experiment Brewday

The basics of the last version turned out good, so although it will take some time to determine the ultimate value of the original Peculiar Wang, I figured I’d make another version to build up the backstock. The picture is from some of the bottles of the last batch I labeled for a recent family event back in Sea-town, handed out with instruction to not drink until at least December. Which means that it should all be drunk by, oh, next week? I will admit, however, that there is nothing like mocking family via the gift of booze.

96. Peculiar Wang Old Ale II
Mash:
11 lbs. Thomas Fawcett Maris Otter
1 lb. Muntons 2-row
½ lb. Franco-Belges Kiln Coffee
½ lb. Crisp Pale Chocolate
½ lb. Breiss Caramel 6-row 60° L
5 oz. Dingemans Pale Malt
¼ lb. Muntons Dark Crystal 2-row 135-165° L
3 oz. Weyerman CaraWheat
2 oz. Simpsons Roasted barley
1 oz. Weyerman Chocolate Wheat

Mashed @ 154° F for 70 minutes w/5 gallons RO water; collected 3 gallons @ 1.072
Batch sparged @ 168° F for 20 minutes w/4 gallons RO water; collected 3 ½ gallons @ 1.030

Collected 6 ½ gallons, brought to a boil (90 minutes) and added:

w/60 to go: 1 oz. Columbus pellet 14.4% AA
.5 oz. Mt. Hood pellet 5.2% AA
.5 oz. Chinook leaf 11.3% AA
.45 oz. Warrior pellet 15.8% AA

w/15 minutes to go: 1 tsp. Irish Moss
1 lb. Brewer’s Garden Belgian Candi Sugar Aromatic Extra Dark

w/10 to go: 1 lb. (454 g.) Lyle’s Black Treacle

Chilled and racked to carboy on 94. Chicory Coffee Mild yeast cake (Wyeast 1332 Northwest Ale)

Brewed: 7/19/2011 @ 68° F; free rise to 72° F over the first 12 hours
Secondary: 9/17/2011 @ 66° F & 1.014
Bottled: 9/22/2011 w/ 2.75 oz. table sugar & re-yeasted w/ Safale US 05 (mixed packet into half a 12 oz. bottle of bottled water; used to re-yeast this and two gallon batches of 91.

OG: 1.076
FG: 1.013

Tasting Notes (10/18/2011): Jason Morgan’s Peculiar Wang pours a deep, rich chocolate brown; while generally clear, there is not a lot of light getting through. The head is a dark tan, and has good staying power—there is quite a bit of small, tiny bubble activity that creates a silky layer when the glass it tilted. The nose is a mix of creamy and chocolate malt at first, followed by a subtle fruitiness; as it warms, a touch of bitterness and alcohol emerge, and the chocolate and coffee get more prominent. Flavors start sweet and rich; there is chocolate and caramel in the front, plus smaller hints of cocoa and coffee. The middle dries out on the palate; there is a fair amount of bitterness and what I would describe as a creamy roundedness that balances the bitterness. The finish has a rise in sweetness—there is a touch of treacle and caramel—followed by a slight chalkiness, then alcohol warmth and lingering bitterness. A fair amount of lingering bitterness, in fact. The mouthfeel is rich but potentially a bit thin—the brighter carbonation may have something to do with that, but it also creates a delightful silkiness to the beer on the tongue. As well, the treacle flavor is more subdued in this version—in 91, treacle flavor was front and center, while this version contains only a touch in the finish; as it warms, it does become more pronounced in the middle, however. All and all, an interesting beer, but one that strikes me as rather young yet—the malt flavors has not come together, and the bitterness and alcohol flavors are still very pronounced. Sadly, the re-yeasting with US 05 might pose a long-term danger to the beer—I’ll need to pay attention to the carbonation in regards to the yeast’s ability to continue eating residual sugar. The FG was already rather low at 1.013, but I’d still rather be ahead of the curve on this one. This one wasn’t an issue, but I had a bottle that was significantly over-carbonated a couple of days ago—it did get transported by bike, which could have contributed to the problem. So I’ll try a bottle every couple of weeks to see where we’re at, I know, I know—you all feel so sorry for me, don’t you? Let’s hope some of this lasts long enough to become more interesting.

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97. Small Wang Experiment
Third runnings from 96. Peculiar Wang Old Ale II

Mashed @ 158° F for 45 minutes w/2 ½ gallons RO water

Collected 2 ¾ gallons, brought to a boil (30 minutes) and added:
1 lb. Bavarian Wheat DME

w/15 minutes to go: 1 tsp. Irish Moss
1 oz. Millennium leaf 16.6% AA

w/10 to go: 1 oz. Chinook leaf 11.3% AA

w/5 minutes to go: 1 oz. Amarillo leaf 10.7% AA

w/0 minutes to go: 1 tablespoon hibiscus leaves

Chilled and racked to carboy onto 92. Small Wang Pale Ale cake (Bam Biere yeast from secondary)

Brewed: 7/19/2011
Secondary: skipped
Bottled: 9/1/2011 w/ 2.75 oz. table sugar

OG: 1.044
FG: 1.002

Tasting Notes (12/12/11): Pours a rich caramel and orange color—it is very reminiscent of a Belgian dubbel or maybe an American amber (something bigger, like North Coast’s Red Seal Ale), although the resemblance ends with the color. I’m not sure what happened to the hibiscus, however. There are plenty of tiny, white streaming bubbles up the sides of the glass that allows the eggshell head to maintain a thin but complete covering across the top of the glass. The nose is bright and funky; it is very similar to 93, but there is a dry biscuit and cracker malt that wasn’t in the other beer. Flavors start with a flat, dry biscuit malt flavor that reminds me of the taste I dislike in most red ales, and is coupled with a funky wild yeast character. This beer is far less tart and sour than 93, although I’m guessing it is via the grain bill, with the bigger and darker flavors covering some of the more delicate tart components. The middle is dry—all that is left of the grain is huskiness and biscuit chalkiness. When mixed with the musty and papery funk flavors, any stray molecule of moisture is quickly banished. There is a twang of citric sourness that emerges in the finish as the beer starts to warm, but it is mostly fleeting. An interesting experiment, but not the best beer. This beer is probably more interesting than I am giving it credit, but the mix of flavors don’t quite work for me—I like the yeast character, but not the effects created by the residual malt characters, which harsh and a bit abrasive on the palate. For me, the two just don’t mesh. Thus, I plan on sticking with a lighter and gentler malt bill for subsequent wild beers (well, except for the upcoming Flanders Red)—think MFB Pilsner, think MFB Aromatic, think pale malt. Let the funk shine through, dammit.

Rockit Cup Saison Brewday

Time for another installment of the Rockit Cup. Ridiculous, I know, but what with the 3711 that I just can’t resist, I am powerless before forces greater than myself. Help me, Obi-wan, you’re my only hope.

95. Rockit Cup Saison
Mash:
3 ¼ lbs. Weyerman Bohemian Pilsner
3 ¾ lbs. MFB Pilsner
1 lb. Flaked Oats, roasted @ 250° F for 20 min.
¾ lb. Torrified Red Wheat
¾ lb. Weyerman Light Munich
½ lb. table sugar

Mashed @ 148° F w/ 3 ½ gallons of RO water for 75 minutes
Batch sparged @ 158° F w/ 4 gallons RO water for 20 minutes

Collected 6 gallons; added to brew kettle and topped off to 6 ½ gallons; brought to a boil (60 minute) and added:

w/60 to go: 1 oz. Tettnanger pellet 4.8% AA

w/15 to go: ½ lb. table sugar; 1 tsp. Irish moss

w/0 to go: 1 oz. Tettnanger pellet 4.8% AA

Chilled, racked to carboy, and pitched Wyeast 3711 French Saison

Brewed: 7/16/2011 @ 73°
Secondary: skipped
Bottled: 8/3/2011 @1.000 w/4 0z. table sugar

OG: 1.048
FG: 1.000

Tasting Notes (10/11/2011): Another 3711 beer...bring on the deliciousness. In the Rockit Cup competition, I ended up getting 4th out of the four beers made (smooth, I know), but, interestingly enough, got 3rd with the same beer at Beerfest. So go figure.

Rockit Cup Saison pours a clear straw color with a thick, persistent white head—light and delicate with active carbonation streaming in the glass, making it is a rather attractive beer. The nose is the delicate perfume-y and fruity yeast ester aroma I associate with 3711; there is some slight mustiness and creaminess mixed with earth and loam; the hop character is a bit indistinct in the nose. Flavors start dry and crisp, but with just a dash of residual sweetness—it is a bit crackery via the dryness, and there is a slight carbonic bite. The finish is crisp and bright with a touch of wheatiness, but not much in the way of hop bitterness—I would agree with Gordon Strong’s comments (yes, Gordon Strong judged this beer) that “bitterness is probably the most important thing to fix.” The mouthfeel has a slight silkiness along with the dry body; I might be projecting here, but that was the intention in including the pound of Flaked Oats. Good, and eminently quaffable, which was the initial goal of the Rockit Cup, but it could be tweaked a bit to improve the beer—a stronger hop bitterness and a more distinctive malt character (drop the wheat and something else like MFB Aromatic or Acidulated Malt) would bring this beer together.

Competition: Dayton Beerfest (9/10/2011): 32.5; 3rd place Saison

Chicory Coffee Mild Brewday

This beer was Elli’s idea; after trying this coffee and complaining about the need for more of a caffeine pick-me-up, she followed up with the observation that the roasted chicory and coffee flavors would work well in a mild. How’s that for the best observation ever over breakfast? So here we are...

Picture on loan from French Market

94. Chicory Coffee Mild
Mash:
6 lbs. Thomas Fawcett Maris Otter
½ lb. Muntons Crystal 60° L
½ lb. Muntons Dark Crystal 2-row 135-165° L
½ lb. Crisp Chocolate
½ lb. Breiss Flaked Maize

Mashed @ 154° F w/ 3 gallons of RO water for 60 minutes
Batch sparged @ 168° F w/ 3 ½ gallons RO water for 20 minutes

Collected 5 ¼ gallons; added to brew kettle and topped off to 6 gallons; brought to a boil (60 minute) and added:

w/60 to go: 1 oz. Sonnet leaf 4.1% AA

w/15 to go: 1 tsp. Irish Moss

w/5 to go: 2.45 oz. French Market Chicory Coffee cold-pressed for 24 hours in 30 oz. (weight) RO water

Chilled, racked to carboy, and pitched slurry from batch 88 (Wyeast Northwest Ale 1332)

Brewed: 6/29/2011 @ 73°
Secondary: 7/19/2011 @ 1.010
Bottled: 8/3/2011 w/ 2.75 oz. table sugar @ 70°

OG: 1.040
FG: 1.010

Tasting Notes: at bottling, this was tasty both warm and flat, so here’s hoping that some carbonation and cold make this dee-licious!

(12/7/2011): I damn near drank all of this before I realized I hadn’t typed up any notes. And as it stands, this is one of the last ones left. So this is mainly for posterity. Which means I am doubly anxious to get at the most recent version of this beer—the Coffee Mild I bottled last Saturday. Chicory Coffee Mild pours a clear chocolate; there are some orange hints that are almost highlights, and a pretty solid tan/cream head that absolutely refuses to depart. You know, like relatives during the holidays. The nose is chocolate and coffee with a touch of roastiness and creaminess (which could be the head). Flavors are a nice balance between coffee and chocolate with small amounts of roast flavor in the background, which is either from the coffee or the chicory, since no roasted barley went into the beer. There is a touch of caramel sweetness, but it is rather subdued—the coffee and chocolate are more pronounced. There are, however, enough residual sugars to give the beer a delicious mouthfeel—light, but not dry, with just enough presence to linger subtly on the tongue. Mixed with the touch of creaminess, the palate sensations are excellent once the carbonation calms down (yes, it was a tad overcarbonated). The flavor is complex, but the beer is light, refreshing, and crisp—I know I’m gonna keep experimenting with this beer, if for no other reason than to have it on hand at all times. Done well, it is easy drinking magic. Does this mean I’m falling for a malt-focused beer? Oh, the deliciousness!

Hoppy Belgian Pale Ale Brewday

Much like 87, the previous version of this beer, this one is something of a mutt, which means that it is odd but lovable, and a naughty irascible scamp. Other than the different yeast, however, the only real difference is a slight change in the hop profile—I used Magnum as the bittering addition instead of Simcoe. And since 87 was delightful and dreamy, let’s hope for good things from this beer as well...

Like Ivar said, “Keep clam.”

93. Hoppy Belgian Pale Ale w/Jolly Pumpkin yeast
Mash:
9 lbs. MFB Pilsen malt
1 ½ lb. Dingemans CaraVienna 20°

Mashed @ 152° F w/ 4 gallons of RO water for 60 minutes
Batch sparged @ 168° F w/ 3 ½ gallons RO water for 20 minutes

Collected 6 ¼ gallons; added to brew kettle, brought to a boil (60 minute; had false bottom in for this one) and added:

w/60 to go: 1 oz. Magnum pellet 10.0% AA, 2 grams gypsum

w/15 to go: 1 oz. Simcoe leaf 14.1% AA, 1 tsp. Irish Moss

w/10 to go: 1 oz. Centennial Leaf 11.5% AA

w/5 to go: 1 oz. Willamette Leaf 4.8% AA

Chilled, racked to carboy, and pitched on to Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere yeast cake from batch 92

Brewed: 6/22/2011
Secondary: skipped; didn’t have a spare carboy
Bottled: 9/1/2011 w/ 5 oz. table sugar

OG: 1.048
FG: 1.002

Tasting Notes (12/10/2011): Hoppy Belgian Pale Ale pours a vibrant clear straw with just a touch of haze; it has a thin white head that is constantly replenished by the cascading tiny white bubbles streaming through the beer, giving the beer a bright mouthfeel. At the same time, there is a soft slickness that combines with the carbonation, creating some bubbliness at the top of the mouth, but none in the back of the throat—it is interestingly creamy as I swallow. The nose is minerally and musty with a slight funky sourness: it’s not quite barnyard, but it is more than mere cellar character. Flavors follow and build on the nose—there is a bright sharp lactic sourness, sort of an even mix of vitamin C and sour milk, which continues to rise into the middle of the beer. There is also a touch of hop bitterness, although the previous hop flavor has been dispensed by the sharp sourness. As flavors disperse, a slight residual slickness that is both bitter and sharp lingers in the middle of the tongue. Bright, tart, sharp, and clean. It has also become a bit more aggressively sour since the last bottle I had, which is nice. This beer pretty much solidifies the need to begin experimenting more vigorously with harvesting yeast from commercial beers; as opposed to 92 and 97, which were small beers made off of the third runnings of an old ale, this beer has the light grain body that allows the funk to shine through. Next time, I would probably even add a couple of pounds of wheat to further lighten the malt character. But good stuff here.

The Session #52: Breweriana

Like most former 30-somethings, I was initially seduced by the ease and grandeur of the internet. This reciprocally led, of course, to my e-Bay period. You know what I’m talking about. I mean, you can pretend that you don’t know, but you’d be lying. Anyway, while others focused on things like favorite childhood toys (Thundercats, for example), I went in for Olympia beer paraphernalia. Why that? Mostly because my grandfather had worked for Olympia back in the day—I remember getting the all access tour as a kid and being blown away by the size of the tanks. Plus, we got to check out the sweet falls pictured on the label. Anyway, because of this, Olympia always felt like family.

Can you see the family resemblance?

The initial thing I went to e-Bay looking for was a “Powered by Oly” patch. It featured a keg with smoke and dust shooting out behind it—as if it was a car peeling out really fast. Both of my brothers and I had these patches on our overalls as kids. Nothing like rocking the Oly patch on our OshKosh B’goshes. Looking back, it does seem kinda odd to have a beer patch on the clothes I wore to school, but, after all, it was the 70’s. Anyway, I looked and looked, but could never find one. But there were tons of other cool Olympia merchandise. So I started buying it. The quirk to my collecting was that I generally mailed whatever I bought to other family members—sweet glassware and pitchers went to my brother with the kegerator, while I doled out hats, Hawaiian shirts, t-shirts, sweaters, patches, bottle openers, bottlecaps and all kinds of other crap to everyone else. I even had family friends ask to be included on the list I used to pass stuff out. While I kept a few things for myself (like this sweet beer can hat), most of it went elsewhere.

Two things led to the end of my e-Bay collecting. One, I realized I was spending far too much time trolling e-Bay for esoteric purchases. After all, since I lived in the Northwest, the vast kinds of arcane beer and hydroplane paraphernalia was well-nigh overwhelming. But the real nail in the coffin was when the old tanks from the Olympia brewery started showing up on e-Bay. Yep. Seriously. After using the Olympia brewery for years to brew all of the regional beers it owned (which was, at this point, all of them), SABMiller decided it was time to shut down the brewery and move production to a newer and out-of-state facility. Now, while I knew this was happening, I didn’t realize that all of the liquidated stuff no one wanted would end up on e-Bay. And it kinda drove it all home. So while I still have a couple of my e-Bay finds, I’ve moved away from the collecting. Although I do want to end on a happier note: the coolest thing I scored from my days with e-Bay were 300 unused Olympia beer caps, most of which I’ve subsequently used on my own beer. Now that’s awesome!

(6/3/2011)

Peculiar Wang Old Ale & Small Wang Pale Ale Brewday

The name for today’s beers stem from the childish albeit amusing antics of my family: at a homebrew party I threw a couple of years ago, underneath the list of beers they began adding their own beer names. When someone asked me where the Peculiar Wang Ale was, they all started giggling like schoolgirls. Ah, family. So Morgan, John, Jason, and Sean, this beer is for you. And since the the Old Ale recipe is a big one, I’m making a small beer to maximize my brewing enjoyment.

91. Peculiar Wang Old Ale
Mash:
14 lbs. Thomas Fawcett Maris Otter
12 oz. Breiss Special Roast 6-row 50° L
8 oz. Breiss Caramel 6-row 60° L
4 oz. Muntons Dark Crystal 2-row 135-165° L
4 oz. Weyerman CaraWheat
3 oz. Simpsons Black Malt
2 oz. Weyerman Chocolate Wheat
1 oz. Simpsons Roasted Barley

Mashed @ 154° F for 90 minutes w/5 gallons of distilled water; 2 ¾ gallons of 1.080 wort (@ 150° F)
Batch sparged @ 166° F for 20 minutes w/4 gallons of distilled water; 4 ¼ gallons of 1.030 wort (@ 145° F)

Collected 7 gallons, brought to a boil (90 minutes) and added:
5 g. gypsum
1 lb. Turbinado cane sugar

w/60 to go: 1 oz. Magnum pellet 10.0% AA
.7 oz. Galena pellet 14.1% AA
.25 oz. Tettnang pellet 4.7% AA
.25 oz. Cascade leaf 7.5% AA

w/15 minutes to go: 1 tsp. Irish Moss

w/10 to go: 1 lb. (454 g.) Lyle’s Black Treacle

Chilled and racked to carboy on Wyeast 1056 American Ale cake from 90. Session IPA

Brewed: 5/30/2011 @ 72° F; free rise to 78° F over the course of 12 hours, with vigorous fermentation after 6 hours

Secondary: 6/15/2011 @ 1.020

Bottled: 7/15/2011 w/ 2.4 oz. table sugar at 70° F

OG: 1.088

FG: 1.018

91a. I had an extra half-gallon of wort left, so I put it in a growler and pitched Wyeast 1968 that was on hand; I racked it onto 1 lb. of Bing cherries (6/29/2011), then bottled it with .35 oz. table sugar and US-05 to re-yeast (9/22/2011).

91b. Pulled ½ gallon from secondary; put it on ½ lb. frozen ground cherries (6/29/2011), then bottled it with .35 oz. table sugar and US-05 to re-yeast (9/22/2011).

Tasting Notes (4/26/2011): Morgan Lewis’s Peculiar Wang has, sadly, still not carbonated, which means it probably never will; there is a slight hiss when the bottle is opened, but nothing beyond that. The underlying beer is interesting, but without the carbonation, it is a bit muddied and indistinct—I’ll be interested to more explicitly compare it with the two ½ gallon batches I put on fruit. The beer pours a rosy caramel chocolate and is flat and clean across the surface; there are some orange highlights in the glass and on the table through the glass. Aromas start with chocolate, rum raisin, and dark fruit, including cherry, fig, and dried fruit. I get something reminiscent of a tannic oak sharpness, which, since I used no oak, is odd—my best guess would be this is from the treacle. Flavors open with caramel and treacle—it almost has a pine and peaty character to it, or something similar that I lack the descriptive vocabulary to locate—before transitioning into a clean and dry middle that has vinous and slight oxidized cardboard notes. Again, I’d note something of a tannic oak bite and flavor, although I have no clear sense where the flavor is from, unless it is a combination of the treacle and slight oxidized flavors. I also get hints of the dark fruit from the nose in the front and middle, but much less evident in flavor than aroma. There is a touch of bread dough chewiness before ending with treacle, molasses, and brown sugar with a touch of paper. As the flavors indicate, the beer has also started to pick up some vinous and oxidized notes—I’m guessing that the lack of carbonation allowed the small bit of oxygen in the head space to speed up this process. Again, nothing over the top, but it is more prominent in a flat beer, and it increases the dryness on the palate. The body is medium, but dry—it does suck a bit of the moisture out of the mouth, but not in an overbearing way—it does strike me as distinctly British. There is, however, a touch too much alcohol—it is more in the flavor than in the heat, but again, it is within the parameters of the style. When I do this beer again, I want to raise the mash temperature 2° to 156° F and go for a colder fermentation; it doesn’t need more sweetness (I’d also cut the treacle in half—it is good, but dialing it back a notch might improve the malt character), but a touch more body would round the beer on the palate, especially if the carbonation comes through. The strength is the caramel flavor and complexity—via the treacle—and the developing oxidized notes. The lack of carbonation is a big problem. I might have to buy one of those carbonation caps for a plastic soda bottle, and make Jeffrey carbonate it for me to see what it would be like otherwise. Chock this up to lessons learned. 

___________________

92. Small Wang Pale Ale

Third runnings from 91. Peculiar Wang Old Ale

Mashed @ 157° F for 45 minutes w/4 gallons of distilled water

Collected 4 ¼ gallons of 1.016 wort, brought to a boil (90 minutes) and added:
3 g. gypsum
½ lb. Turbinado cane sugar

w/60 to go: ¾ oz. Simcoe leaf 14.1% AA

w/15 minutes to go: 1 tsp. Irish Moss

w/10 to go: ½ oz. Centennial leaf 11.5% AA

w/5 minutes to go: ½ oz. Simcoe leaf 14.1% AA

w/0 minutes to go: ½ oz. Centennial leaf 11.5% AA

Chilled and racked to carboy (3 gallons); pitched on starter made from the dregs of a Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere on 5/19/2011

Brewed: 5/30/2011 @ 70° F
Secondary: 6/22/2011 @ 1.002
Bottled: 7/15/2011 w/ 2.75 oz. table sugar

OG: 1.032
FG: 1.002

Tasting Notes (12/14/2011): While this beer got hopped like a pale ale, the remaining malt and yeast character pretty much takes that style out of the running. It pours a crystal clear dirty orange/tawny color with a thin tan head. Aromas are musty and lightly tart with a touch of barnyard—it has more going on in the nose than 97, and is lighter in color. In regards to flavor, the front is a dry husky malt that leads into musty funk; the middle is chalky and tart—it reminds Elli and I both of Smarties (the rolled candies, not the Canadian rip-off M ’n’ M’s)—which leads into the finish that is a mix of what I would call goat-y (for lack of a better term) and bitter, which seems to be the only remainder of the hops. The bitterness is clean and dry, and lingers with the funk on the palate. The carbonation is bright and spritzy on the tongue, but is also dry and flat. There is also a slight touch of cardboard, but I don’t believe it is from oxidation—rather, the yeast has just consumed almost every possible bit of sugar, leaving the dry residual grain flavors behind, but not much else. For example, I can taste the Breiss Special Roast as one of the lingering astringent flavors in the middle and on into the finish. I like this version better than 97, but they both mainly serve as experiments confirming the need for a lighter malt bill. Well, that, and the need to make more small beers. But who doesn’t know that already?

The Session #51 and ½: The Great Online Beer & Cheese-Off, Part Deux

This tweener version of the Session (see results of Session 51) allows for more cheese and more beer. Always good together. My plan was to focus on the one cheese I could actually find, Humboldt Fog, and then grab as many beers from the list as possible. Or at least what was affordable. Oh, and invite a couple of friends over to assist us in the tastings, as some of these beers only come in big bottles. Oh, the humanity.

What we’re drinking:
Schneider-Weisse Adventinus (from Brookston Beer Bulletin)
Duchesse de Bourgogne (from Wine and Beer of Washington State)
Saison Dupont (from The Brew Lounge )
Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere (that was us)
Harviestoun Old Engine Oil (from 99 Pours)
21st Amendment Monk’s Blood (from Ramblings of a Beer Runner)

Since I didn’t take notes, the top 3 cheeses from each of us will have to suffice:

Elli
1. Harviestoun Old Engine Oil
2. Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere
3. Saison Dupont

Jeff
1. Saison Dupont
2. Harviestoun Old Engine Oil
3. Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere

Jeffrey
1. Saison Dupont
2. Harviestoun Old Engine Oil
3. Schneider-Weisse Adventinus

Tom
1. Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere
2. Saison Dupont
3. Harviestoun Old Engine Oil

Tabulating our rankings in a reverse-point manner (3 for 1st, etc.) makes Saison Dupont our overall winner (9 points), followed by Harviestoun Old Engine Oil (8 points), Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere (6 points), and Schneider-Weisse Adventinus Weizenbock (1 point). The Duchesse did surprisingly poor, although I would say it was the bottle we had more than anything else—very very sweet and almost no sourness or complexity. Dupont was the best match for the entire cheese—it mixed well the crumbly inner cheese, the funky outer cheese, and the sharper rind. Dee-licious!

Thanks, Jay, for the great idea. A fun time was had by all, even if we don’t have the notes to prove it...

Cheese it!

(5/20/2011)