Author: Matt

Our March meeting brought us down to Stamford for our first (but hopefully not last!) meeting at Hop and Vine. This was an incredible place to have a meeting, with a serve-your-own beer system affording us the opportunity to try tasters of many different beers and styles! The food was great, the meeting was well-attended, and the homebrews were, as always, delicious. This month’s theme was American Hoppy beers, and a few members brought along beers that aligned with the theme (tasting notes below). Tom C. brought along two beers more than 20 years old, both featuring cherries with different treatments. It was a real joy to get to try such unique and old beers!

We had the opportunity to try the beer Andy C. made in the Pinter unit we were sent… and unfortunately the contents just didn’t stand up to much scrutiny, with the primary notes being “thin, ashy, and tannic.” It was a fun experiment, and certainly something we were interested to try out… but I think the majority of our members will be sticking to our current setups. Again, a big thanks to to the folks at Pinter for sending us a unit to try out!

Coming up in just a few weeks is our next meeting at Andy T.’s house, this one focused on mead, with guest lecturer Marina Marchese generously joining to share some knowledge with the club. Hope to see you there!

Tasting Notes:

• Strong Bitter (11c) – Pierre: Grassy hops, asparagus, slightly fruity. Very rich malty nose. Slightly vegetal, corny, tannic, needs more caramel. 8/3/12/4/6 = 33
• American Pale Ale (18B) – Caysey: Floral, clean, fruit pith. American hops. Light nutty note, fruit esters, very refreshing, tannic finish. Good bubbles. All ingredients from SNERHC (Maris Otter + Cascade). 10/3/16/5/8 = 42
• Hazy IPA (21C) – Matt: “It’s got hops in it!” Tropical fruit, sweet aroma. Grassy, flowers. Bright, very bitter. Sweet malt. Too young? Astringent, hop burn. Not bad, will be good. Very very young – kegged 3 days earlier. 7/3/13/3/7 = 33
• American Amber (19A) – Dan: Fruity, green pepper, black better. Phenols, spicy. No caramel, little malt. Boozy. More malt in flavor. Perfume, soap. A little thin a tannic. 6/2/11/3/6 = 28
• Black IPA (21B) – Andy C.: Hop aroma hidden by malt. Clean, balanced. Very roasty, bitter. Harsh finish, but very drinkable. (scored a 32 at TRASH, a 40 and a silver medal at another comp!) 10/3/12/3/7 = 35
• Kriek [Raw Cherry] (23F) – Tom: Green olive, not much cherry. Red wine vinegar. Crystal clear. Acetic acid, yeast stress? Oxidization. No cherry really present. 6/3/10/3/5 = 25
• Kriek [Cooked Cherry] (23F) – Tom: Marzipan, doughy. Cherry, wood, celery. Lots of cherry in the finish. Tart. Much more enjoyable than the raw cherry version! 10/3/14/5/8 = 40
  

This month’s meeting was generously hosted by Spacecat Brewing in Norwalk. We had a great turnout and enjoyed some excellent beers on tap (as well as some great pizza). The night kicked off with our first off-flavor evaluation, as we dosed a beer with diacetyl, to try alongside an untainted sample. Great conversation was had about the different aromas and flavors we picked up, from a buttery aroma, to a more muted overall drinking experience, with lots of flavors dulled by the diacetyl. And, as with most things, everyone had a different sensitivity! A very cool experience that everyone seemed to enjoy. More of these to come at future meetings!

The folks at Pinter.com sent along a demo unit of their beer making kit that we showed off at the club meeting. Pinter is an extract all-in-one unit that you ferment, naturally carbonate, and serve in the single unit. Kits come with liquid extract, yeast, and liquid hops that are designed to be added without oxygen ingress. We are clearly not the target audience for this, but it does represent a well thought out way to introduce new people into the hobby. We voted on trying out the Porter recipe and will judge the resulting beer next month at Hop and Vine in Stamford.

The theme of this meeting was sour beers, and we had two homebrews brought along for evaluation. Pierre brought a wonderful lambic and talked through his process, and how long it takes to make a traditional sour in comparison to the more common kettle sours we often see produced today. I brought a fruited sour featuring cherries, vanilla, and cinnamon – more on these beers (and the lone other entry!) below.

A big thanks to Spacecat for hosting! See you all next month at Hop and Vine – the theme is American Hoppy Beers, so bring along your homebrew to share!

Tasting Notes:

• Lambic (23D) – Pierre: Clove, floral, funkiness in aroma. Bitterness a little high for flavor. Very sessionable. 10/3/15/4/8 = 40
• Fruited Sour (29B – base: 28B) – Matt: Cherries and cinnamon. A little solvent on the aroma. Complex. Assertive adjuncts. A little acetic acid, but not too much. 8/3/14/4/8 = 37
• Czech Dark Lager (3D) – Santi: Not a complex aroma, light esters. Could be richer. Toasted bread, light chocolate, very light astringency. Light body. 8/2/14/3/7 = 35