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