Professor Good Ales

Profiled by Ken Carman

I have reviewed the barrel series of this ale, let’s see how the Christmas ale did, OK?

Nose in bottle cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg: a hint of brown malt.

Mouthfeel: spices with a medium side of light body. No a big beer in that sense. The spices coat the top of the palate.

Appearance: 17 srm A definite brown with pillow head and a few small rocks and off white. Slight tan hints. Clarity good.

To be honest I think the barrel series provides a depth the regular Xmas ale doesn’t have. It’s not that there’s anything wrong, it just doesn’t have the complexity that makes it a 4. If I could I’d go with 3.9. It’s that close. But I really feel it needs more complexity to stand on its own. What a shame.

83 on BA, on ratebeer.com: 88. The barrel rated higher.

A very pleasant quaff with spices balance well with light malt and hint of brown malt. Carbonation pinpoint, but light: slight carbonic. To be honest, again, if they had gone with a more complex: Cigar City Maduro-like recipe, this might even be a 5, in the barrel aged series. But the Brown Ale recipe is really good.

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 professorgoodales.net

Paare don moi’ but I bought this with a cringe, because New Belgium’s brews have a mixed history with me. The Lips of Faith series even more so a “mixed history.” The last one I remember reviewing was the Pluot and I likened its aroma to someone who ate a lot of fruit and then had to vomit. Hard to get past that to the medicore’ taste. Odd, because I have found strong tastes or aromas often lacking in their Faith series.

They have redeemed themselves.

I have never liked dandelion brews, but this worked well with the peach, which you find first in the aroma. The taste is also light peach, medium body with a hint of caramel malt and even less a hint of dandelion. The color is between gold and straw with a hint of haze and a big, long lasting, pillow head. Moderate sweetness on the palate.

While the abv, at a stiff 9%, is not noticeable at first, as it warms it expresses itself, but never obtrusive or hot. Very well balanced. Mouthfeel is solidly balanced with sweet coming in first, body second, peach third with Lady Dandelion a distant 4th. Grains of Paradise are in here, but I’ve judged many GP beers and have yet to be able to actually taste GP. If they’re “paradise,” paradise is more than a tad bland, in my opinion.

Some folks claimed “wild yeasty,” but tasted like a typical ale yeast to me. No clove, banana, sour or otther indications of such. Either I missed it or they were mistaking some of the peach sense for a wild yeast flavor. The brewer claims “wild,” but not so… IMO.

81% at Beer Advocate and 85@ Rate Beer.

I’d heartily recommend that you try it for yourself, and rate it at a PGA4.

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.”

Mikkeller’s Chipolte Porter
Lockchristi-Hufte, Belgium

Some list it as “Texas Ranger”

Profiled by Ken Carman for professorgoodales

90 at BA. 99 at RB. Both well deserved.

I’ll say from the start I have had mixed opinions on this brewer. I’ve had a few that were so problematic they should have tossed the batch; like higher alcohol-ish brews. This is NOT one of “those.” Also, from the start, I gave extra credit. This one was at least 2 years old and I noticed no “cardboard,” or other defects.

Nose: roasted malt and chipotle. The malt bill for this, wow.

Incredible depth to this beer, and that’s ignoring the chipotle burn with gathers steam and continues to assert. Love to see the malt bill on this bugger: incredible complexity, roasted, to caramel, to pale, to a hint of chocolate, maybe some Munich… No hops sensed, but I’m guessing the chipotle covered that. Chipotle flavor has faded, probably due to age.

Obsidian, brackish deep brown and black, with a big, brown, dense pillow head. Excellent presentation.

Soft, slight, carbonation on the palate. yet also sticky sweet with that deep, somewhat roasty, complexity. Maybe the roast faded too, or it could have been more caramel and pale, less darkly roasted malt. Heavy body: very.

Oh, dense, in all senses of the palate: thy name be Mekkeller Chipotle Porter.

A 4. Seek it out.

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.”