Month: November 2013

Courtesy beerpulse.com

Profiled by Ken Carman for professorgoodales.net

This is supposed to be an Imperial Coffee Porter? Coffee, I get: almost espresso, but not quite. About 30 srm, black, but clarity for that srm good. Low side of medium body that clings, along with the coffee, to the roof of the mouth. Imperial? No, not really: one would expect more body and at least the slight sense of a higher abv.

This has a long lasting, tan, pillow head. The presentation was pleasing, for a robust with coffee. Well, perhaps a tad too much coffee for balance. Malt bill seems rather simple: pale, hint of chocolate, maybe splash of roasted barley… in no way as complex as even just a robust porter should be. I can only give it a 3. Nice. Pleasing. But, frankly, I think the consumer would be looking for, um, Imperial Porter?

86 at BA. Looks to me like they may have been hacked. A lot of lower scores then a few super high. I always find that suspicious. Rate Beer was even worse. A 97 yet I noticed quite a few in the 2 point range. A few jacked it up high… that’s even more suspicious.

Seriously, stop hacking the ratings folks. Thank God you can’t touch us here at PGA.

The nose is the best part. Anubis does smell like a robust: not Imperial, porter should. And the rest, well, OK, but not impressive enough for the style it’s supposed to be.

Welcome to the PGA beer rating system: one beer “Don’t bother.” Two: Eh, if someone gives it to you, drink. Three: very good, go ahead and seek it out, but be aware there is at least one problem. Four: seek it out. Five: pretty much “perfecto.”

Profiled by Ken Carman for PGA

Also known as New Belgium brewery.

Nose in bottle: curry and coconut, some wheat but very, very soft: almost no nose in the glass. Odd how that can happen sometimes: it wasn’t open very long.

Appearance: nice pillow head that lasts, probably due to wheat. Hazy due to wheat proteins. Light yellow, perhaps a 2 on srm scale. Clarity? Hell, no, but not expected.This is what a wheat beer looks like. And also tastes like a perfect wheat beer should, with an additional, nice stab, of curry. Once again Lips of Faith redeems themselves, however the coconut is far more subtle than it should be. Nice, solid, wheat sense that lingers all the way down: kind of like Wheaties without the toast, or as much sweet: slight at best.

Mouthfeel is wheat protein fullness. Curry on the roof of the mouth, no coconut. Wheat and a hint of pale malt.

Taste: wheat, curry, some toasted coconut. Nice wheat, slight bready, in the background. Very soothing, mostly balanced, quaff. Like liquid wheat bread only with curry and hint of coconut. I could see myself sipping this watching the sea under a palm tree.

78 on BA, 80 RB.

This could use a hint more coconut, but otherwise would do well in any competition. Otherwise perfect balance-wise: just needs a hint more coconut.

This is one of those, “gee I wish I could give it a 3.8” beers, “but I really feel a 3 is not quite right…” all due to the annoying fact the coconut sense is not quite there, except in the nose and so far in the background in the taste hardly worth mentioning. So, a 4.

Welcome to the PGA beer rating system: one beer “Don’t bother.” Two: Eh, if someone gives it to you, drink. Three: very good, go ahead and seek it out, but be aware there is at least one problem. Four: seek it out. Five: pretty much “perfecto.”