Last Octobers Octoberfest

New belgium fat tire

New Belgium is now in Tennessee!!!  Fat Tire has to be one of my favorite beers.  I've had new belgium beers a couple of times and really enjoyed them.  

When this beer is opened, its has a playground of flavors that meld together wonderfully.  The spicy nose tingles with clove and roasted cinnamon (if you can imagine such a thing).  Up front this beer is fruity, but that mellows into a light toasty flavor.  Then the biscuit flavor hits you and its just great.  What is great is that there is just a touch of noble hop flavor in this beer thats almost not there, but just winks at you from the corner.   "How ya doin?  Yep, I'm still here."  

One of the things I appreciate about this beer (and maybe its just this batch because I didn't recall this from previous tastings), is the soft malt flavor.  Its not over carbonated, so you don't get that massive bite in the beginning.  I appreciate this actually.  Its nice and subtle, but a little lower carbonation can go a long way.  

I tend to undercarbonate my beers when I brew them.  They're not flat, but have maybe 1.5 - 2 volumes of CO2, which for most styles of beer is on the low end.  Maybe its just my taste buds, but I feel that it lets the flavor of the beer come out more.  It seems that that acidic carbonic bite can cover alot of flavor in the beer that would otherwise be missed.  

Ah, but I digress.  Get this beer.  Mine was really FRESH too.  Its great.  9/10

Nice

While I think all beer is beer and believe that there is a place for
every beer....

This is funny.

Upstream Brewing Company

Situated in the Old town district of Omaha, Nebraska lies Upstream Brewing. Named after the indian word for Omaha, Upstream has a wonderful repitiour of great beers.

I'm in Omaha this week because my brother is swimming at the US Olympic Trials. Two nights ago, I suggested we visit this fine establishment. Our experience was well worth it. The food was amazing and our waiter was fabulous. It was quite the experience.

I was fortunate to sample three of their well crafted beers. Everything I had I really enjoyed and could tell it was very well made. Zack, the head brewer, has begun some interesting projects with lambics and barrel aged beers, but unfortunately, I didnt get a chance to sample any.

Amber Ale, Served on Cask

When it was poured from the hand pump, the bartender brought it to me with an overflowing head of rich white foam. He handed me the glass and I was pleasently surprised by the temperature. Cask ales are best served at 55 F and this felt to be in that ball park. The aroma was malty with some great earthy hop tones mixed in. Tasting was similar. Very smooth and malty up front with a great english/earthy hop tone mixed with a lingering dextrounous body. There were some flavor hints in there of toasted caramel, which accented the full body of the beer well. The cask conditioning really helped this beer and it seemed perfectly suited for this style of dispensing. The balance is to the sweet side, but that probably has a bit to do with the cask as well. Great rich finish. I would order this again in a second. Fantastic pint. 8/10

Honey Raspberry Lager.

I thought this would be a great beer for my mom, but she ended up stealing my next pint (tell you about that in a bit). This beer has a good CO2 bite up front, but becomes very smooth and leaves your mouth with hints of raspberry. The honey is there, but its much more fleeting in the finish; more of a note than a flavor. This beer is very smooth and clean. Well balanced, with a malt forward angle. The best thing about this beer is it has a great dry finish that leaves you wanting more. This would be a perfect beer for a summer afternoon sitting on your porch. Instead of an Iced Tea or lemonade, I would sip on this. 7/10 Solid.

Imperial Maple Stout.

This seasonal was the evening's winner by far. My god what a beer. I ordered it, took my first sip and was blown away. I gave a taste to my Mom, and had to fight her to get it back!! Rich roasty nose up front. Color as black as tar on a moonless night. Velvety roasted malt flavor up front with a niced balanced body. Not overly thick as some imperial stouts can get, but with a hint of sweetness that accents the style. The maple comes through in the finish but does not overpower. It lends a great note that rounds out the heat: At almost 7.5% (9% by our server's standards), this beer is strong. However, its extreemly well crafted and doesnt blast you with liquid buzz; the roasty flavor slides nicely into a maple note and finishes like a roasty red wine. Rich in flavor, high in alcohol, but not overpowering or ethanol sweet. Great Finish. One of the best. All I can say is Roasty toasty roasty toasty toasty roasty maple goodness. If you can get to Omaha before this is gone, BUY THIS BEER. 9/10

Today, between prelims and finals, I had some free time so I went to Upstream to get some reading done and have a beer.

IPA

Solid IPA, well crafted with a great citrus hop aroma. Rich creamy head with great lacework. Nice hop cloudyness to this pint. Taste is hoppy with a good malt backbone. I was surprised however to detect some munich notes in there (I could be crazy, but It might be there). There is also a hint of caramel, mabye crystal 60, but I cant be sure. I had this with a snack of toasted french bread and cheese and they went extreemly well together. The cheese cleansed the hops from my palate and the hops returned the favor. A soft overall character in this beer, with a great hop finish.

I hope before I leave tomorrow I will be able to sample more of their fine beers. However, my brother is swimming tomorrow in the 100 freestyle and that is much more exciting than any beer I could ever taste. If he wants a nap and I get some free time, I might just pop in for another pint.

How lucky the people of Omaha are to have such a great brewery. This is FANTASTIC beer. I'm really impressed.

Coronado Brewing Company

Great tap handle from Cornado Brewing Company!

I recently went to San Diego on vacation. We stayed on Coronado Island, which is one of the barrier islands that forms San Diego harbor. While I was out there, I got to sample some of the local brew.
























First, the Coronado Golden.

Great refreshing beer. Noble hop aroma, pilsner malt aroma, tastes a bit fruity like an ale, but with a great pilsner malt backbone. Good malty finish. Easy drinking beer.

This is a perfect lawnmower beer. Great for a hot afternoon working outside, or sitting by the lake. I can see this is a crowd pleaser. 7/10























Next, the CBC red.

Hoppy aroma, nice hop flavor that lingers. Great head retention. Tastes like centennial hops, but not too bitter. When this beer warms up, the flavors come out and explode. This beer would be better with a lower degree of carbonation, mabye on cask, but its still a great hoppy beer.

7-8/10

Stone IPA and Barrons Wattle Seed Ale

Oh the delicious offerings of Stone! What a great brewing company and the lupulin delivery viehicles they procure. So wonderful to sample these fine ales in their native environment!!!!!

Stone IPA

I’m in San Diego touring the city and what a wonderful way to spend my time than examining the beers that are local to this city. I’m only privy to some west coast ales in Tennessee, but not many. So I’m taking advantage of this opportunity to explore.

First up is the wonderful local san diego brewery, Stone brewing company. I love their Arogant bastard ale, and it’s a favorite of mine. Even though I can probably get their IPA back home, I haven’t reviewed it yet.

Served in a bomber 22, this beer pours a wonderful golden color with a rich hop bouquet. It screams cascade, but the wonderful thing about this beer and the hop aroma/presence is that its never overly assertive. Some hop heads might disagree with me here, but for me its nice when I have a hoppy beer that dosent leave my clothes smelling of hops after a pint. That being said, the flavor of this beer has that same character. The hops are solid, but not completely blasting you over.

I love this beer’s flavor. Great taste, without the grapefruit notes of cascade. Its also subdued a bit, but still strongly an IPA. the malt is extremely well balanced in this beer, with a smooth bitterness that’s not puckering. I had a hard time picking out the malt background of this beer. It tastes almost completely two row, with a ‘touch’ of toasted malt. The finish is quite hoppy and lingers nicely. It does not cloy with bitterness, its not sweet or dry either. Just well balanced and fantastic.

I recommend this to almost any hop head lover, although if you are a hop head, no doubt you’ve heard of stone and their fantastic beers.

9/10

Baron’s Wattle seed ale – black wattle superior.

So I’ve never heard of wattle seed before and have no earthly idea what it is. However, I must say, that this is a GREAT pint. Imported from Australia.

This pint pours dark, and looks overly aggressive on the roasted malt side, but I was pleased that it did not taste like that.

Rich aroma; very malt forward with nice chocolate notes and a hint of black licorace. Low-er corbonation which helps accent the sweetness of the malt.

Upon tasting, this beer first presents itself as a mild carbonic bite on the tounge, then it dissipates, coats, and unleashes a very full bodied flavor. I taste strong chocolate, hint of roast, and a spicyness that I cant place. Its almost tastes like the sting you get from a good cinnamon, but very, very mild. Quite rich, but not overwhelming. It must be the wattle seed or the yeast.

Very smooth beer. It is a sweet beer, but leaves your mouth dry. It may be a combination of the chocolate malt and the wattle seed that does it, but it leaves you wanting another sip.

The finish is nice with a lingering chocolate flavor. Somewhat like semi-sweet; not bitter, not sweet, but nicely in between.

Hops are very, very subtle if there at all. I love the flavor of this beer. Wish I could get it back home!!

8 out of 10.

Genessee Bock

This is a great beer. I love rich lagers and have brewed several of them myself. But this one is great.

Upon pouring, it has a great head, but dissapates farily fast (could be because of the glass), it has a rich malty bready aroma that has some light toasty notes. Its color is a deep red, almost black, but has a great clarity that allows that discernment. Upon tasting, the initial carbonic bite is solid, but it smoothens out with a great bready malty rich taste. Very easy drinking, and not sweet. I can tell this is a big beer, and its got a good amount of dextrins to it, but is nowhere near cloying.

This is a great beer. Perfect for a springtime evening, or a fall afternoon. Its nice smooth finish would be great all year round though. I think I'll have another!

8/10

Wildmer Hefeweizen

This one caught my eye the other day. I had never heard of it before, but I like hefeweizens.

Upon pouring, big yeasty aroma, nice frothy white head. It had a golden yellow color. Nice and cloudy. The bottle was still ripe too, the yeast weren't clumping and autolysing which sometimes happens with old heffeweizens.

It seemed just perfect for a spring afternoon. This beer has a smooth spicy character with a nice dry finish. It tasted a little cool for my tastes, so I let it sit for a while to warm up, and I was rewarded when it did. Wonderful esters exploded into my mouth. Orange, lemon, with a banana finish. Complementing the smooth, sweet, yeasty taste. Spices lingered on the side of my tounge for several minutes. All the while frothy white head lingered nicely.

Great beer. I love the fruity esters. Pick this one up for sure.

7 out of 10.

Bell's Pale Ale

Let me be frank: I love Bell's beers. This is my favorite brewery in the whole world. They make interesting beers, that have such awesome subtle flavors. The Pale Ale is no exception.

Malty aroma, without being sweet. Wonderful bouquet of fruity esters; not overpowering though. Big frothy white head. Very mild yet spicy aroma. The malt really comes through, as well as the spicy phenols from the yeast. Tasting is a similar experience. This is a well balanced beer, but the emphasis is on the malt. The finish is very malty. Its a smooth drinking beer with a lot of character.

I don't think they use any specialty malts; all pale ale malt. It tastes like British marris otter, but I'm not sure.

Overall this is a great pale ale. If you like pale ales, I would recommend trying it. Its definitely got some spice to it; this represents Bell's unique twist on this classic style.

9 out of 10.

Big River Red Ale

This is a red ale that won a 2006 GABF gold medal in the red/amber American ale category. I picked it up at my favorite beer store (JJ's). Red ales are quite tasty. I've made a couple of them myself (one for my wedding that got rave reviews).

Upon opening the bottle, and pouring, the head just vanished. I'm sure it wasn't residue on my glasses. However, this beer gave off a nice citrusy hop aroma, that turned malty. Very intresting. I can defiantly tell they used cascades (as they say on the bottle) but its got a nice subdued character that's balanced by the malt aroma, not too much one or the other.

Tasting this beer was less appealing. It had a sharp carbonic bite up front, with a subtle citrus hop character, that turned quite sweet. It was balanced well, with a mild bitterness, but the bitterness didn't power through to the finish. Because of this finishing sweetness, it ended up being a bit cloying at the end. Its a quite clean beer that doesn't really have much malt flavor.

While some people may really love this beer, it didn't do it for me. Its got this residual sweetness that I just don't find especially appealing. Its almost like an extract beer (not that they're bad... its just a character). Now that being said, in no way would I refuse to drink this if someone handed me one. Lets be honest here.

Overall, some people may really like this beer, I didn't find it especially appealing, but its ok.

5 out of 10

Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Pale Ale

I've had a few of Samuel Smith's beer's before but haven't had the opportunity to try this one yet. English Style Ales have appealed to me recently, and I've had relative success brewing them. Ah, but I digress.

This beer came as a full Pint (550mL), which is quite fun.

I bought it from my favorite beer store, where it was in a cooler, so I let it warm up a bit before I cracked it open. English ales are best served a little warmer (~45-50F). It helps bring out the full flavors.

As you can see, a nice pour, very copper color. It had a thick white head, which lingered pretty long. Clear, with lower carbonation.

A strong caramel aroma greets the nose, hops are almost non-existant, except for a nice earthy undertone. The aroma smells of maple syrup, plums, (hints of black cherry?); probably due to the crystal malt. English yeast make wonderful esters during fermentation that lend a rich boquet of aromas to these beers.

Upon tasting, the beer is malty and smooth. Quite sweet, yet not cloying. It does this wonderful dissapearing act inside your mouth; Coating the tounge with rich dextrins and then scurries to the rear, where it vanishes, leaving you wanting more. The finish is nice, with earthy undertones and bitterness from the hops. This is a very balanced beer. Its malt forward, but not too sweet.

Personally, Its quite enjoyable. I like English Ales, but I'm not a fan of crystal malt. However, this beer pulls it off nicely. It balances that caramelly sweetness with a drying bitter finish that doesn't cloy. It makes you want that entire Pint after just one sip! 8 out of 10.

Science and beer?

I'm starting this blog for several reasons.

First, I want to learn how to write better. I'm a graduate student and one of the most important things about being in science, is learning how to effectively communicate your results with the world.

Second, Science is a passion of mine. Rarely do I find a scientific article, news piece, talk that is not interesting. I want a forum to summarize my ideas about things, and hopefully teach others what I have learned from reading scientific literature.

Lastly, I'm a huge fan of beer. Its fun to learn about, explore, and consume. Now, I'm not a raging alcoholic (I rarely have more than 1 beer a day, if at all), but I really enjoy talking and learning about the science of making beer and creating the interesting flavors that develop from this process. To this end, I want a forum to write about the flavors I uncover when I drink a beer, so I'm going to try and write objectively about what I taste. I'm also an avid homebrewer (I make beer in my basement... yes, its legal) and part of the fun is creating new recipes, making them, and sharing the beer with friends.

I hope you enjoy reading this site.

Sincerely,
-Jud Schneider