Category: Beer

Profiled by Ken Carman for professorgoodales.net

Before I start let me admit something so you’ll understand: this is one of the better fresh hop beers I’ve had, commercially. So many miss the mark and only get harsh. This one: they still probably boiled the fresh a tad too long. But they got the body right, really great caramelized undertones that caress the tongue with a sense of full. The problem is the harsh is still there and it’s so easy to limit. Just add latter.

So many commercial beers hopping on the fresh hop train miss the necessary body to distract from the harsh fresh hop with too long of a boil. This does not, but still could have been more pleasant with shifting some to latter additions.

Nice clarity, with a 3 srm, approx, and a copper/gold mix depth. Pillow head with some medium rock bubbles. It does hang for a short while but then fades.

As it warms the harsh actually fades a tad while malt comes forward: making it even better. That’s weird. Usually hops pop out with warming.

Mouthfeel is a firm body with a deep bitter that is just a tad too harsh. I wouldn’t quite call it “astringent,” just a too long boil hop harsh. Carbonation light yet very evident with a slight carbonic stab to the tongue.

I’m going to cringe and push this into 4 territory: especially since I think I had a previous year’s version and the boil was even longer making the harsh worse. A good part of a great fresh hop is aroma rather than taste, and while this has great aroma too much harsh went into the taste… but not enough to slip it into a 3. So I’m rewarding the direction they’re going with 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.”

Profiled by Ken Carman for PGA

The nose is peach and a hint of wheat. The peach is stronger in the nose: quite dominant, compared to the taste which is slight at best. A White Labs Abbey Ale yeast sense dominates in the taste with a slight wheat-like sense way behind that.

I went to the web site to confirm my suspicions and, yes, it had wheat in it. “Munich?” A whisper at best. Thw acidulated malt may be the White Lab Abbey sense I’m getting, but I’m still holding out for the yeast.

Just a little hazy, pale yellow, head fades fast: tiny bubbles with some pillow.

Mouthfeel is just a bit hop bitter. Very light pale malt.

79 on Beer Advocate, 73 Rate Beer.

The problem here is the balance is off. A great peach aroma is greeted by a so so slight peach taste overcome by the wheat and the yeast and/or the acidulated malt. Can’t give it a 4: cause so boring. More a 3.5.

Probably one of the few Terrapins that have NOT impressed me.

3.5

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.”

________________________Beer HERE

_______________________________________________________________________
Ken Carman was born of a deity named Bill many moons ago when his wife Winnie was fermenting well at the time. He is a beer judge, beer writer and reviewer of brew-based business, beer commentator and BEER GOD. Do not challenge the one who ate too many hops one year, hence the green pigment you see to the left!

Profiled by Ken Carman for Professor Goodales

I’m going to be honest here: I’ve had a few Boulevards that absolutely don’t impress me. This does. There’s just the slightest sour, kind of like Guiness when they back pedal by adding beer that’s been soured a tad. The coffee is just right: not dominant, just a hint background… almost upfront. No hops sensed except the slightest bitter in the finish.

Roasted barley in the background, firm pale malt upfront a tad nicely balanced with and some deeper roasted malts, which provides a complexity that’s wonderful to behold: like chewing on a brownie with sweetened coffee added.

No clarity, a deep brown, probably in the high 20s SRM. Slight off white head, creamy. Head slight that fades fast: tan.

Mouthfeel: slight carbonation to almost flat, yet plenty in the bottle. Coffee on the roof of the mouth. The pale malts and the roasted barley provide a nice balance with the coffee.

Taste and overall impression: a very balanced quaff with coffee just right and the roasted barley, pale malt background a-calling. Almost uncarbonated but, to be honest, this sat on the table a while. The interplay between roasted barley, pale malt, coffee and higher abv: 9.3, but hardly noticeable, is about perfect. A sweetish malt sense dominates too.

Beer Advocate has it at a 90, Rate Beer has it at 97 with 99 for style.

I give it a very firm 4. Close to 5.

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.”

A Lips of Faith and Cigar City collaboration

Sweet chile nose: skin of chile-like that helps pale malt waft up to the nose. Very pleasing. Like being in a field of slightly sugar coated chiles, but not earthy. Slight chill haze, pillow head… massive. Yellow, srm about 2. Almost chocolatey on the palate.

The chilies are up front but very much supported by firm low side of medium pale malt background. The balance between the two is almost perfect.

Mouthfeel is full, yet moderate on the top of the palate Just a hint of pepper, probably driven by the chilies. Not sure this could be better. You NEED to try this. I give it a 4, only because it’s not quite as pleasing at warmer temps, but oh so desirable, and oh so close to a 5.

As it warms the chilies assert themselves even more: a great experience. This is a sipping beer as it warms, however, it gets more peppery… though the sweetness is still in the background. Not a quick quaff.

This is like a nice IPA only with chilies.

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.”

The Topic: Aroma Points in Judging

Ken Carman is a BJCP judge; homebrewer since 1979, club member at Escambia Bay and Music City Homebrewers, who has been interviewing professional brewers all over the east coast for over 10 years.

 Isn’t 12 points for aroma in judging beer a bit too much?
  The scene: pre-judging at Rebel Brewing for The Music City Brew Off. I have noticed this many times before: the beer I am judging has almost no aroma, but on first sip the mouthfeel, the flavor… wow! Or, yack! Or “in style.” Or: not. Almost always between all the aforementioned.
  I understand that aroma has a lot to do with the experience of drinking beer, affects everything when it comes to beer, even flavor profile. Absolutely. But it doesn’t have to. And I must ask: if aroma is pretty much absent but everything else is spot on, should aroma really be worth 12 points? Really? Continue reading “Brew Biz: Werts and All”

There were 312 entries and 155 registered participants, judges, and stewards.

1st Karl Weiss Kolsch 6C: Kolsch Morris Area Society of Homebrewers (MASH)
2nd Julie Belles Sugar Shack Brown 23A: Specialty Beer none
3rd Julie Belles Green Pond Pale Ale 10A: American Pale Ale none

Knickerbocker Battle of the Brews
Saratoga Thoroughbrews
Held at: The Pump House, Albany, NY

  “Clear!”
 ”Clear!”
  Restarting a heart may not have as many problems as restarting a competition. Once restarted a heart usually finds its rhythm. Done all the time in operations. Yet restarting a competition can be problematic. Luckily, unlike starting a heart that hasn’t been beating for almost two years, restarting a competition isn’t impossible. It just will have some problems, that’s all. I found this out when I submitted to a competition in Michigan earlier in 2013: web site not operating properly, instructions unclear…little of that at Knickerbocker Battle of the Brews, because the competition master was back in charge.
  We judged Knickerbocker Battle of the Brews about 4 or 5 years ago. Then, according to Greg Mobley: organizer extraordinaire, he bowed out and unfortunately the ball was dropped in 2012.
  No organizer should have to organize forever,so I understand.
  But this year it was.. on! And, as expected, there were a few bleeps and bloops, but due to an experienced organizer the show did go on.

  The day: Saturday, November the 9th. We were supposed to start at about 9 but there was a bad computer glitch according to our steward: Data had been corrupted. I think it was Riker who had started feeding him barleywine and the electronics went hickity Betty Boop-ity-bop…

  Yes, I’m joking, but Greg and staff should have been “in a panic.” Interesting: I don’t think I’ve actually ever seen Greg panic. He seems to keep a cool head. Having helped run a few competitions that can be a big problem when glitches keep beating at your door. “Glitches” tend to be a frequent “bugaboo” of competitions, or also could be described as… well let’s just say it rhymes with both “glitches” and “Mitch is.”
Sign in, check out, prizes and main pull out hair out station due to computer glitches[/caption]
 And, uh, Mitch Miller says ah one, ah two: back to the competition…
Continue reading “A Beer Judge’s Diary: KBOTB”

Image courtesy jclyde.com

Profiled for the Professor by Ken Carman

Huntsville, AL

Deep brown head, plenty of, black as hell, thick. Murky in a great, yet, foreboding way. I would expect Nessie lives somewhere beneath these waters. Pillow and a few big rocks in the head. Aroma: Cabernet, deep roast malt with a hint of roasted barley overtones.

This is like gruel in the pour. Beautiful gruel.

Mouthfeel: Cabernet coats the roof of the mouth and the thick viscosity is like 30 weight motor oil, only tasty, pleasing. Carbonation light, yet perfect. Coats the mouth like a good, pleasant tasting motor oil-ish brew in the pour should.

Taste is roast: deep and pleasing, a bit like plums soaked in Cabernet and some dark cherry. There is a wood sense here: but way in the background. Mostly just the Cabernet. Sweet Cabernet dominates: that with a caramelized brown sugar-like sense. There’s also a toasted sweet pumpernickel–like character in the background

I dare you to put it in your mouth and NOT have it take over your taste buds like the Borg of beers. They WILL be assimilated.

I have to give it a 5.

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.”

Against the Grain
401 East Main St. Louisville, KY
Lousville, KY
(502)515-0174

 

Ken Carman is a BJCP judge; homebrewer since 1979, club member at Escambia Bay and Music City Homebrewers, who has been interviewing professional brewers all over the east coast for over 10 years.

  I have wanted to try Against the Grain for quite a while, when I first read that the owner and brewer wanted to start a brewery that pushes styles into new territory.
 For some reason I thought they were on the south side of Louisville, maybe off of Newburg Road. Wrong! Against seems right at home in downtown Louisville, part of a rather “bat-ty” ball park called Louisville Slugger Field. Being from the home of Adirondack bats: where the wood used to pass through the gate my grandparents watched over, I was immediately offended.
 Yeah, I’m kidding, but why skip a chance to give a plug for my old hometown, right?
  I knew I had been here before. Something looked familiar. This was Browning’s Brewery’s old location… sort of. Been a while and something has changed, but don’t remember quite what, other than the obvious: a different brewery.
  Be aware that, as of right now, the GPS lady will try to take you down a street that’s under construction, but you can pull through the parking lot on the street just south of Main, and it does feed onto Main. It’s a little convoluted, but should get you there. Make sure you feed the meter. A guy pulled up after I came and the tow truck was there almost immediately. The not so obvious entrance is on the east side. Continue reading “Brew Biz: Werts and All”