Our November meeting brought us once again to Tribus Brewing in Milford, one of our favorite places. Their beer is great, the back room is secluded and comfortable, and the staff is always good to us. Huge thanks to Tribus for hosting us!

The meeting began with an educational presentation by Andy T. Fully retired now, Andy has far too much time on his hands. Luckily, he also has a fertile imagination and excellent fabrication skills. He keeps coming up with great ideas for new brewery gadgets and building prototypes, several of which he brought to the meeting.

I took a bunch of photos but I will not publish them here. At least, not yet. I don’t want to steal Andy’s thunder. He has (yet another) article coming out in next month’s Zymurgy which explains each gadget much better than I can. You’ll have to wait and see them there. All I’m going to say is that each of them is something you didn’t know you needed until you saw it and can be made for a small fraction of the cost of the nearest equivalent available at retail. Kudos to Andy!

The educational portion done, we turned to judging homebrews. Not very many this month, but most were of excellent quality. It’s getting harder to give constructive feedback on beers these days; there just isn’t much room to improve. Tasting notes:

Weissbier (10A), Andy T: A lot of bubblegum on the nose, “more Belgian than German” according to Pierre, and could use a little more malt there. Flavor nails the style. Dry finish makes it very drinkable. Needs more bubbles. 7/3/17/3/7 = 37

76% wheat, no rice hulls. Andy designed and printed a special manifold holder to allow for a very long braided hose false bottom. 6ft for a mash tun sized for 5gal batches. Thinks he can go to 100% wheat without a stuck sparge.

Marzen (6A), Pierre: Nose is quite fruity, mostly dried fruits. Flavor is right to style except a bit too intense – actually improved with a little water. Needs more bubbles. 7/2/13/4/7 = 33

“Same score it got at SNERHC!” – Pierre

Black IPA (21B), Andy M: Piney, a little citrus. Nose could use a little more complexity but flavor is spot on. Just a hint of coffee. Lingering finish has a hint of bite. Otherwise perfect. 11/3/16/5/8=43

Was afraid it had gotten oxidized due to equipment problems during packaging. Apparently not.

Pre-Prohibition Porter (27), Santi: Chocolate, grainy malt, and licorice with some earthy hops. Squeaky clean, lagery. Gorgeous color and clarity, “blood of the vampire” according to Pierre. Very flavorful. Just about a perfect clone of Yeungling. Dry finish. 11/3/17/5/8=44

This was the base beer to which Santi added coffee beans to create the beer that is going to the second round in the Twelve Percent competition. Pale malt and triticale from Blue Ox plus some pale chocolate malt, fermented with 34/70.

Paul was gracious enough to share 4 different Polish meads with the club that he had shipped back from Poland on his recent trip overseas. His presentation is available on our Discord channel – it’s well worth checking out! Meads are certainly not in my wheelhouse, and I learned a ton during his presentation. Polish meads are a distinct style, where honey is always the most prominent flavor – any fruit or spices will have a light touch. The residual sugar content is balanced by alcohol, rather than acid or tannins, and oxidation is common (and welcome!) in sweeter styles. We tried one of each of the different strengths – with my personal favorite being the Dwójniak.

Following a few pours of mead and the excellent presentation, we continued on to our traditional tasting portion of the evening. Notes are below. Again, a huge thanks to Paul and Kathi for hosting and sharing their home and meads!

Tasting Notes:

• Czech Premium Pale Lager (3B): Santi – extremely subtle, biscuity, a touch of honey, crackers. Not very much hops… maybe a little herbal? Geranium as it warms – sweet floral. Freshly picked corn. Could have more head… could be a little clearer. There’s a bit of a sharp hop bite, harsh bitterness. Peppery. Malt character is there, very crackery. Bitterness is pretty aggressive. We thought it needed more bubbles, but we were wrong. A nice beer, but a bit out of the style, and the bitterness comes across harsh.
  7/2/12/5/5 = 31 – Totally agree with all the comments. Used all Saaz that is low AA (5oz 5gal) and it was a lot of hop matter to boil. “That’s what you get when you boil the shit out of hops”
• German Pils (5D): Mara – this is lovely – so floral. Not much malt. Light honey-cracker malt. Light cucumber. Could use a touch more pils malt character. Could be a little clearer, could use more head. Firm, clean bitterness without being harsh. Invites another sip quickly. Very dry. Maybe a touch of cardboard. Could use at least one more bubble… a little astringency. Really nice beer. I would pay for a pint of that – Paul.
  10/2/16/3/8 = 39 – All Thrall Pils
• Vienna Lager (7A): Santi – full marks on appearance. Just a stunning beer. Okay, back to aroma. Like sticking your nose in a bag of Vienna malt. Toasty. Bready. Super clean. I want to jump into the glass. What would you want different? Wow. Amazing flavor – great balance between the malt and hops. A small touch of astringency in the finish. Not a soft finish. Could be a water profile thing – could maybe be a high sulfate level? Maybe a grain husk-y quality.
  12/3/15/4/8 = 42
• Marzen (6A): Santi – again, gorgeous. Drinking with our eyes first. A good amount sulphur that’s dissipated. Some barnyard/hay. Toasty, crusty bread. Honeydew melon? A hint of honey. Could be that the fermentation could be a little more clean. Flavor is a lot of crusty bread, a hint of maybe burnt bread… molasses? New Haven style bread. It has some real character. Maybe a touch of smoke? It’s certainly not boring or un-interesting. Missing some of that clean fermentation character. A little tiny bit astringent.
  8/3/13/4/7 = 35
• New World Cider (C1A): Pat – looks gorgeous, could be a tad clearer. I smell apples. Full of apples, a little floral. There’s a little alcohol there. A little peppery, but pretty clean. Very drinkable. The alcohol is a little present. A little more sweetness could balance it out a bit more? Good acid. Dryness lingers, makes us want to drink more. Has a wine-like character. Just a really nice cider.
  6/9/20/8 = 43 – Beardsley 2024 w/ yeast added
• Cyser (M2A): Pat – needs some clarity – it’s almost a hazy white. Aroma is very subtle – but there’s a light apple, a touch of grapefruit pith. A little lemon. Some wet papery notes. No honey at all in the aroma. Could be good with some herbal additions. Flavor is quite watery, with some astringency. There’s a salty quality to it, too. Some apple-like character, but nothing is strong here. A bit bland. 3/6/12/5 = 26 – Only 2# of honey added – lots of comments about it being just a cider, wouldn’t enter as a cyser
• Mead w/ Red Currant: Andy T. – lots of legs, fucking gorgeous. Very earthy. Alcohol is readily apparent – not harsh. Deep berry, tart, not juicy. Very layered. Tart – it’s got a great bite. There’s a vegetal, almost green and stemy… broccoli rabe? Currents are super present… almost overtaking the honey, but it’s still there. Vermouthy… there’s a bitterness to it. Would like some more honey flavor. It’s very drinkable, especially given the alcohol.
  6/9/18/8 = 41 – 6 years old!
• Mead w/ Buckwheat Honey and Black Currents: Lyn – BLACK… purple and mahogany hues around the edges. Clear. Not noticing much in terms of legs. Aroma is pretty good. Molasses. Coffee. Barnyard. Feels like the buckwheat is coming through well. The fruitiness of the currents are present. Alcohol is noticeable but not dominant or offensive. Warming. T.A.R.T. Currants are making themselves known. Very dry, out of balance there – aroma gave an expectation of some sweetness. This would go really well with food – savory. Pomegranate molasses. A controversial one – especially given the difference between the aroma and flavor!
  6/10/15/7 = 38

Summer meetings can be small. People are busy with vacations and other activities. But turnout was solid, with about 10 people braving the heavy rainstorms to make the trip. Several of us came early to sample Berlinetta’s beer and pizza and we were not disappointed.

No lecture topics this month. So, once we were suitably filled up, we started judging homebrews.

That’s when we came face to face with our limitations as judges.

Andy C presented us with an American Light Lager. You’ll see in our tasting notes below that we liked it a lot. In fact, we thought it was a great example of the style and scored it very highly. The joke was on us. The grist was 30% rye – half flaked and half malted! It truly did not have the viscosity or the spicy notes one expects in a rye beer. And, in our defense, competition judges agreed with us. Still, we were left wondering how we could have missed such a large rye addition.

As usual, the homebrews were generally quite good. Tasting notes below.

With just a few to judge, we had time afterward for more Berlinetta tipples and some conversation. We also detoured into cookie judging, trying the rye cookie recipe that Justin is tuning for potential retail sale. We rated it “Yummy. 12/10. Would recommend.”

No one remembered to take pictures.

Major thanks to Berlinetta Brewing for hosting us!

Tasting notes:

American Light Lager. Matt. Lovely floral hop nose with pilsner malt and maybe a little elderflower. Crystal clear and pale. Bone dry and perfectly clean. Lightly grainy and just a little too bitter for style. Very drinkable. Only real ding is that it might be too flavorful and aromatic for the target style. 9/3/18/4/9 = 43

American Light Lager. Andy C. Subtle melon and green apple but a very “macro” nose. Crystal clear and pale yellow. Grainy and a little sweet up front with a dry finish. Almost no hops. Nails the style. Very drinkable. 10/3/17/4/9 = 43. Ha-ha, contains 30% rye!

German Pils. Cameron. Butterscotch nose which hides the hops, with honey rather than crackery pils malt. Hazy and pale gold. Subtle notes of wintergreen in the flavor along with honey malt. Solid bitter finish which lingers. A bit too full in the mouth, probably due to the diacetyl. Still, very drinkable and not too far out of style. 5/1/12/3/6 = 27

Hazy IPA. John. Hardcore fruit salad nose: grapefruit, orange, melon, passionfruit, kiwi. Everyone in raptures. Cloudy, rather than opalescent, and without a head. Very sweet up front with a little too much bitterness in the finish. A little too much tannin. Tons of hop flavor. Can feel suspended hop material. 12/2/15/4/7 = 40. Grain to glass in 6 days with kveik yeast; still very young. Will be amazing when the hop material drops out.

Our July meeting – coming right on the heels of our club’s trip to Vermont, was graciously hosted by Andy T. at his home in Trumbull. Given recent conversations within the club around different fermentables, Andy put together and conducted a presentation on different sugars, with a focus on brewing of course. He went through slides that analyzed the chemistry of these sugars, their diferences in perceived sweetness, fermentability and other related topics. This was met with much interaction and discussion about mashing techniques and wort composition, which is to be another educational moment down the line.

At the end of the slides, Andy had prepared solutions of equal concentration for a variety of different sugars for us to taste and compare their sweetness and flavors. (Author’s Note: I am deeply disappointed to have missed this presentation – and I certainly can’t wait to pick Andy’s brain, and the brains of those who attended the meeting!)

It was the perfect finish to a fantastic educational segment outside on a gorgeous summer night. Everyone was so wrapped up in the presentation that the only thing we’re truly missing is pictures from the event to capture all the new learning!

On Friday, Hill Farmstead was gracious enough to offer a space for us to gather and enjoy their fantastic beers. There were plenty of lagers poured, including their fantastic 15th Anniversary Festbier, and more than a few bottles opened as well. A particular highlight and topic of conversation was the fantastic hop water, No Bad Parts, brewed by Hill Farmstead. Lightly fermented, and featuring lime juice and Strata hops, this was a huge hit with the club, and has led to more than a few attempts at creating a copycat hop water!

Saturday was spent relaxing on the lake, where we shared excellent food, beers, and naps (see pictures below). Some of us even took advantage of the lake for some kayaking, canoeing, and fishing! A day by the lake was exactly the recovery we all needed after the hours spent at Hill Farmstead. While there are a few pictures to document the days we spent up in Vermont, for the most part we were simply enjoying each other’s company, which seems like a perfect way to continue our anniversary celebration. It certainly will not be the last time the Underground Brewers make their way up to northern Vermont!

A few months after claiming the title, Andy got the chance to brew his beer at Twelve Percent – and on Friday, May 23 we got together to celebrate and try out the beer – which was absolutely fantastic (although I may have a bias towards the homebrewed batch). The release party was even better – with friends and family coming together to enjoy a great beer and celebrate the brewing accomplishments of an even better person. Cheers, Andy! Here’s to hoping you can retain the title at this year’s competition!

Pierre & Andy (with the help of Beth!) brewed up a 7(!!!) decoction grisette that may or may not have reached a full boil as the day progressed, while Matt and Santi brewed a take on the Underground Brewers Golden Anniversary Ale using Nugget and Victoria hops from Argentina!

If you’re interested in trying out our take on the 50th Anniversary recipe (appropriately named Dorado Anniversary Ale), it will be pouring at our 50th Anniversary Party on June 20!

I am incredibly grateful for everyone who came, hung out, and brought things to share. I can’t wait for the next one – hopefully this fall. Group brews and big bottle opening sessions are the best – thanks again to everyone for coming to hang out!

Tasting notes from the meeting are included below. We took a break in the middle of the tasting for an “educational interlude” where Andy T. led the group through a discussion about butyric acid including what can lead to its development, how to avoid creation of the compound in the first place, and the limited options for remediation (mostly through the use of brettanomyces to metabolize the compound into a more desirable flavor) should you find it present in your beer. It was an incredibly informative and engaging discussion, and I think we all learned a lot from the conversation! Some notes from the session are included here:

• Butyric Acid – it doesn’t smell or taste very nice. Vomit/rancid/cheese flavors and aromas. Not dangerous. Very beneficial – we have a lot of it in our gut… but not flavors/aromas you want in your beer.
• Human taste sensitivity – 2-10ppm… but aroma is much more sensitive (0.2ppm)
• Where does it come from? Raw food – glucose… bacteria converts to butytric acid (glucose + water) – source is from the grain!
• Water + grains gives you glucose and the bacteria are present… still active below 150F, and apparently they can still survive a boil of 90 minutes.
• Biggest risk is between mash and boil (TIME)… and a slightly lower risk between boil and fermentation – Time is the biggest factor.
• Adding CO2 increases activity of the bacteria.
• Reduce risk: grain – dry, cold, sealed. If you are doing a kettle sour or sour mash, lower the pH below 4, bacteria can’t work below that. Time – minimize time between mash/boil/start of fermentation – yeast outcompetes, takes up the glucose… alcohol produced hampers production… and lowers the pH.
• So what do you do if you have it? The longer you boil, the more you concentrate it. Brett – some strains will convert it into Ethyl Butyrate (pineapple).

Tasting Notes:

• Czech Pale Ale (3A): Matt J. – smells cold, very clean, meadow – grassy, in a good way. Herbal hops – more hoppy than malty. Light honey, lemon. Could be maltier. Lightly hazy – not quite brilliant. Bready comes through more on the flavor. More malt driven on the flavor. A little herbal-spicy hop character. Well carbonated, beautiful lacing. Maybe a little astringent. Very drinkable. Solid 7. Easily down a liter.
  8/2/15/5/7 – 37
• American Pale Ale (18B): Jon/Joe/Ernie – guava, pear, grape. Very tropical. White grape. NZ vibes. A touch of fresh mint. Not getting a ton of malt, but could just be hiding behind the hops. Absolutely beautiful. Herbal flavor… thyme, mint… pine? Spruce? The malt needs to be brought up to support the hops. Whatever the source, it’s overpowering the balance. Clean, well fermented. A little more body, a little more carb. 
  10/3/11/3/6 – 33 – Spruce Tips and Cascade
• Session WCIPA (21B): Pat S. – Orange rind/peel, pine resin, the aroma is almost chewy, light prune, maybe some green apple. Maybe too much going on in the malt… too much crystal for an American IPA. Stunningly beautiful beer. Right on the upper limit for color. Tastes like 1991. Bitter. Super bitter. Lingers forever. Gives some alcohol off that. Wouldn’t declare it as a session. Bitterness overpowers… would live well in a Red IPA. Lots of hop-plant flavor. A little harshness from the bitterness, missing some body – not quite smooth. Drinkable, needs some tweaks and would be better as a Red IPA.
  9/3/13/3/6 – 34 – leftover expired extract cans… Cashmere/Columbus/Centennial/Chinook
• Belgian Dubbel (26B): Pierre – missing some malt character. Some spicy/pepper. Yeast phenolic – good fermentation character. Needs everything to be turned up a bit, this is a little subtle. Gorgeous beer, maybe needs more bubbles. Hard to tell with these glasses. Coming across like a biere de garde. Needs more bubbles to carry it through. Sweet bready, light cherry. Needs more phenolic and esters, and some more deep malt character. Peppery. A really well brewed beer. As a BDG it would be higher. Could use at least 1 more bubble, but preferably quite a few. He should bring his bubbly friends. Delicious, drinkable, loving it… just not to style. Very sessionable.
  7/3/13/4/7 – 31 (Pierre) – “it’s a fair assessment” – aiming for a quad or a dubbel… lots of tweaking… brewed for the Armada event. Way too much residual sweetness… blended with a Czech amber lager! 50/50 blend.
• Belgian Tripel (26C): Pierre – strong phenol… but it’s so nice. Melon. Ripe banana, light clove. Baking. Inviting. A touch of earthy hops, a little apple estery. On the dark end. Maybe missing some head/effervesence. Too sweet. Lots of overripe banana. Needs to be drier. Some green banana too. More attenuated this would be spot on. Sweetness is really hurting it. No off flavors, but that’s what’s hurting it. A little thick/sweet. Some astringency. Needs more bubbles. Still quite drinkable. Needs to drop a bunch more points.
  10/3/10/3/6 – 32 – shooting for a Belgian strong blonde, but classified it as this for the Armada comp
• Irish Stout (15B): Matt J. – roasty, pale chocolate. Something vegetal. Dusty. Licorice. Light green pepper maybe? Something lightly solventy- like a water-based polyurethane. Brownies. Apple-y esters. More chocolate than coffee roast. Gorgeous appearance. Complex, dry… more roasty grain in the flavor, but still moderately low. Carrot? Coffee flavor kind of lingers. Light creaminess. Pretzel like bready quality. Toasted almond? Infinitely more complex than Guinness. Mouthfeel is fantastic. Carbonation is just right. 
  7/3/15/5/8 – 38
• Lambic with Roselle: Andy T. – smells beautiful. The barnyard-y notes are subtle and supporting, adding to the complexity. Light raspberry/fruits… vinegar… appearance is perfect. Flavor complexity is off the charts. Maybe a little something savory/meat-y… acidity is so wonderful. Sweet cherry, raspberry. Bone dry, a little tart, and so drinkable. What else would you want? Wonderful mouthfeel. Just exactly what you want from a beer with dinner.
  12/3/18/5/10 – 48 – 9 years old, using Roselle (hibiscus) from Thailand.

Let’s start at the end of the night… jumping ahead to the end of the tasting portion, where Andy T. brought along some samples from a company working to create “umbrella” valves that work at different pressures, making a cheap alternative to currently expensive spunding valves that homebrewers use. The possibilities are really cool – as is the fact that they are using 3D printers to come up with the prototypes! Connect with Andy for more info – I know I’m excited to see how these work when they come to market.

As for the tasting portion of the night, this was a particularly spectacular evening. Everyone brought incredible beers – some of the best examples of styles many of us had enjoyed in quite some time, and beers that would clearly medal in competition. The scores may seem high, but they were all well deserved! There were some memorable quotes… and they’re included in the tasting notes below.

Tasting Notes:

• Roggenbier (27): Santi – cloudy, banana- clove. A little bubblegum. Very classic. Light spicy phenol. Rye doesn’t seem to show in the nose. Beautiful fermentation. Almost like juniper. Beautiful head, lasts. Cloudy hazy. Exactly as describe. Perfect color. Right down the middle of the flavor. Rye flavor is present. Toasty rye bread. Light caramel. Orange peel. Maybe a bit too much bubbblegum. Full marks mouthfeel. Lots of bubbles. Full mouthfeel. A wonderful example of the style.
  10/3/17/5/8 – 43
• German Pils (5D): Santi – very delicate smell. More malt than hops. Crackery Pilsner. A little earthy on the hops instead of floral. A little herbal. Brilliant clarity, great color. Right firmly bitter finish. Crackery, dry, very clean. Super drinkable. Snappy. Would benefit from some more bubbles. Quite drinkable, very enjoyable. A summer day beer for sure. 
  7/3/16/4/8 – 38 – meant to be the bad beer of the night – over oxygenated the beer, and it had a sharp metallic quality… but it appears to have aged out. Could it be that the yeast was still in suspension when tried previously? This is a very good beer!
• Belgian Wit (24A): Pat – lemon zest, coriander, floral aroma. Bitter orange. Seems to blend quite harmoniously. Very appealing, inviting. Fruity. Bread dough. Orange marmalade. Opens up with thermal enhancement. Full marks on appearance. Light. Hazy. Gorgeous. “Oh man that flavor.” Spicy fruity flavor. So much beautiful malt carrying through. Dries out nicely, beautiful bitterness on the finish. A few more bubbles and it might be absolutely perfect. Needs more, larger bubbles. It has everything but the bubbles. Just a phenomenal. Honey, spice.
  12/3/20/3/9 – 47 – added spice tincture post-ferm
• Flanders Red (Mulberry) (29A – base 23B): Andy T  – “that’s a happy smell.” Berry – you can tell there’s fruit there. Otherwise, very classic Flanders red. Red currant. A touch of vinegar, very balanced. Light red copper, missing some head. No acetic at all, even when it felt like should have been there. Beautiful complex sourness. Cranberry tartness. All sourness in the tongue. Very tannic, but not astringent. Low carb, “yeah, that’s it.” It’s a beautiful beer – worth the wait. “It’s old enough to be drunk.” – Steve V.
  12/2/18/5/9 – 46
• Brett American Porter (28A, base 20A): Paul H. – licorice. Young Brett, very light. Coffee. Light Cherry. Could use more porter and brett. Lots of light notes. Some roast. Beautiful brown with red highlights. Looks like a porter. Way more Porter in the flavor. Very drying finish, roasty, some astringency. Needs some age, time. Needs bubbles. 
  “I’m just thinking about whether it needs more bubbles.” – Paul
  “Paul likes big bubbles and he cannot lie.” – Andy
  7/3/14/4/6 – 34
• Sour Porter (28B – 20A): Pierre – lots of dark fruits, chocolate. Not roasty. Very pleasant. tart not sour. Very clear. Pretty. Lots of the same on the flavor. Tart finish. Refreshing, loaded with fruit. Wine like – could use a little more body, maybe more bubbles to carry that. Very drinkable. Chocolate just carries through.
  10/3/17/4/8 – 42 – similar, but older version to Paul’s. This was a mixed fermentation beer, not just brett.
• Belgian Tripel (26C): Santi – all the bubbles! Very spicy. Maybe a little sulfur/farmhouse that blew off. Complex phenolic. Impressions of something that makes you think of orange. Zest. A touch of coriander. Stunning. Want to give it four points for appearance. Lovely fermentation character. So light and dry. Good balance between the bitterness. Creamy effervescence. I don’t know what the alcohol content is, but it’s so easy to drink. A hint of warmth. Not boozy, just sneaky. That one defining character. I wouldn’t change a thing. Where would you knock points? What do you want different?
  11/3(+1 pt from Pierre)/20/5/10 – 49
• Cider with Other Fruit (C2B): Pierre – Pear + apples. Maybe a little paint thinner. Apple skin. Creamy pear. Can tell it’s not pure apple. A little cloudy. Opalescent. Very tannic, expected from pears. Good balance between – apples more present, but creamy pear balances out. Some of the fruit flavors come across as unfermented, holds it back. Very drinkable. 
  8/5/19/8 – 40
• Cider (C1A): Steve  – very inviting cider aromas. Lots of tannins. A little tobacco. A little touch of sulfur that blew off. Maybe could have more intensity. Clean and subtle. Lovely. A little cloudy. Beautiful color. Opalescent (there’s no such thing as too much). Very tannic. Not harsh. Not astringent. Tannins linger forever. A cider to drink by the pint. “If you had to shotgun a cider, it would be this cider.” – Santi. Do we want more acidity? Might impact the drinkability. Light bodied. Goes down. Paul doesn’t want more bubbles… the crowd is silenced. A cider for a hot day.
  9/5/21/9 – 44 – just kegged, hasn’t had a chance to settle out.
  “Do you intend to drink in quantity?” – Andy T
  “That’s why it’s on tap.” – Steve
• Beardsley 2024 (C1A): Steve – a little sulfur, takes a bit more time to blow off. A little funk? Smells like apples. Slightly cooked, almost apple sauce “Smells like Shelton” – Pat. Brilliant clarity. Beautiful appearance. The balance is really nice between the tannins and acidity. The apple is there. The sweetness carries it, but the finish isn’t overly sweet. “Difficult to fault it but we’re right bastards so we can do it.” – Andy T.
  8/6/20/9 – 43
• Cider with Raspberry (C2B): Pat – blended with a commercial cider to bring back the sweetness – raspberry seeds, flesh. Raspberry dominates the apple. Tea-like. Raspberry Arnold Palmer.

As we shifted from enjoying Ray’s fantastic ciders and wines over to homebrew, we also got deep into a conversation led by Andy T. about chlorophenol. We discussed the origins, chemical traits, and how homebrewers can avoid this fault through the use of campden tablets, filtration, and boiling. It was an incredibly enlightening conversation – and a welcome addition to the meeting. Some additional notes are included below, with Andy’s 10 year old sour that he brought to demonstrate the fault for all in attendance. 

Tasting notes are included below. Mark your calendars for our March meeting at Pierre’s house!

Tasting Notes:

• American Blonde (18A): Santi I. – Smells like beer, floral, a sweet bread/corn, very clean (maybe some sulphur). Golden, no head. Paul “could drink that all day.” Very clean. Nice biscuit. Finish is slightly tannic, a little dry, just right. A little honey sweetness. Good bitterness. It needs bubbles. Great body. More bubbles would round everything out. First criticism – it’s not a pint (Andy T).
  10/3/17/3/8 =41 – opened a can with more bubbles… immediately +3/4 points.
• British Golden (12A): Cam – lightly woody, coconut? Cracker/biscuit. Maybe some acealdeydle. Earthy hop. Appley ester. Straw, low white head, cloudy/hazy, opalescent. Good bitterness – a little sharp, lingers. Very dry, nice finish. Flavor a lot like the aroma. Earthy. Resiny-fruity hop mid note. Finish is a little harsh and lingers. Tannic. A little astringency present. 
  7/2/13/5/7=34 – 3 weeks old
• Witbier (24A): Cam – a little bubblegum, lots of clove/banana. Menthol (Santi). Carrot (Paul). Cheese (Andy). Peppery. “I like the aroma.” Inviting. Missing the malt. Complex. Great color. Not cloudy at all. Completely clear. No haze. No head. Clove very strong on the flavor. Goes into menthol. Missing some of the bready-malt. A little too heavy on the spice balance. Needs more bubbles. Otherwise fine. Very drinkable. Maybe a touch of lactic sourness.
  9/1/13/3/7=33
• Pre-Prohibition Porter (27): Santi I. – hint of cocoa/nibs, roasty, light tobacco. Maybe a little more aroma needed. Brilliantly clear. Lots of red/brown hues. Could use a little more head. Burnt malt seems a little high? Raw dark chocolate. Acidity from the chocolate. Molasses. More than moderately dry. Not heavy. Water + Hersheys cocoa powder. Seems a little more balanced towards the hops. Thin but appropriate. Slightly astringent.
  10/2/14/5/7=38
• American Porter (20A): Matt – happy noises from Paul. Roasted malt aroma. A touch of raisin. Coffee covered raisin. A little alcohol heat. A little fruitiness. Fig. Cocoa. Great amount of roast. Not overpowering. Some kind of dried fruit. Complex. Medium brown, ruby highlights. Good head retention. Very well balanced. Nothing sticks out. Quite dry. Starts out sweet. Complex. Cocoa. Not aggressive. A bit of burnt malt character. Great mouthfeel. Slight dark malt astringency. 
  9/3/17/5/8 =42
• Apricot Sour (28C): Andy T. – dried apricot, spicy. Slightly sulphuric. Maybe some solvent w/ swirl, then blows off. Some acetic. Gummy apricot ring. Not a juicy fresh. Paul has a chunky thing floating in his. There are some floaties. Great balance between fruit and sour. A slightly acetic finish. Dry without being harsh. Does that tongue smack thing. Beautiful balance. Good body.
  9/2/17/5/9=42
• Sour Cherry Pomegranate Cranberry (28C): Andy T. – tons of cranberry. Ethyl acetate. Something like tobacco/leather, maybe Brett? Gorgeous appearance. Very tart. Cinnamon/cherry pit. Lots of cranberry. Some more of the ethyl acetate – there but not a real flaw/fault. Cherry and cranberry more present than pomegranate. Tannic finish. Lovely mouthfeel. High carb.
  8/3/14/5/8 =38

The Sour Cherry Pomegranate Cranberry was the “bad beer of the month.” A 10 year old beer, but this bottle was quite a bit better than the one he opened over the weekend. That beer was not carbonated and had more prominent chlorophenol notes.

• Chlorophenol – plastic/mouthwash 
• Comes from the water, mostly. 
• Humans are super sensitive to chlorophenols.

How to get rid of chlorine?

• Boil (will not get rid of chloramines, or at least not quickly)
• Filter (charcoal filters, RO)
• Potassium metabisulfate (takes out chlorine/chloramine almost instantly)