Santi, our Events Coordinator, and his wife recently bought a lovely new home in Stamford. It shows considerable fortitude that they allowed the stinky hordes in for a club meeting so soon afterward.
Well, “in” needs a bit of qualification. The meeting was actually held on the back porch. An invitation to enjoy the autumn weather or a way to protect the carpets from the barbarians? Our hosts weren’t saying. But they did allow us inside to grab food from the luxurious spread and to use the facilities, so maybe they do trust us?
Either way, it truly was a lovely evening, the food was fantastic, and both homebrews and commercial beers were flowing. We also met a new member, Paul IV, a Polish ex-pat, taught by Santi, who is proving to be an excellent brewer.
We also handled some club business and talked about other matters. But the focus, as usual, was on judging:
- “Light Porter”, Lock City Brewery, Stamford: Very subtle nose with just a little cocoa. Roasty flavors with some vegetal notes and a LOT of minerals. Very bitter finish. Tastes a bit like balsamic vinegar. Thin and flat. Brought by Pat who reports that all their beers taste “off”. 9/3/10/3/5=30
- Schwarzbier, Paul IV: Spicy, slightly dank. Squeaky clean. Flat, unfortunately. Cola notes with just a hint of Necco wafer. Quick fizzy in the keg, apparently; Paul needs to work on his packaging technique. 10/2/14/3/6=35
- Weissbier, Paul IV: Lots of banana, some bready notes, a little clove and bubblegum. Very nicely balanced. Dry finish with balanced bitterness. Extremely nice but badly undercarbed. Again, this seems to be a packaging issue. 10/2/17/3/7=39
- Vienna Lager, Santi: Butterscotch and caramel. Sweet up front with a firm bitter finish. Floral hops. Oxidized? 9 months old, so that’s likely. Blue Ox malt for interest. 7/3/11/4/5=30
- Pyment, Andy T: Great fruit/honey balance. Tastes like currants or boysenberry. Just the barest hint of solvent. A bit tannic in the finish – could use a little backsweetening or a hint of acid. Still, delicious and better balanced than most melomels. 8 years old, was fermented on the grape skins. Was fruitier but hotter when young. 9/6/19/8=42
I only got one picture and it only caught about 1/2 of the participants. Sully is out of frame to the left. Paul IV is out of frame to the right. That’s Mara’s foot. I’ll do better next time.
