A taste of… Ola Dubh, Harviestoun Brewery, Scotland

Preface.
Over the last two months I’ve had the opportunity to attend to beer tastings hosted by B. United International. The first of these involve their selection of Italian craft-beers. The second tasting involved ale that was aged in oak casks that held progressively older “vintages” of Highland Park Single Malt. This event was held at the prestigious watering hole in downtown New York, called Gramercy Tavern. There, I had the chance to taste all three of the beers they presented aged in casks that contained 12-year-old, 16-year-old, and the 30-year-old Highland Park whiskey.

I was impressed enough to go out and purchase a bottle myself. Following notes of the two the one aged in oak casks formally used to mature, Highland Park’s 16-year-old single malt Scotch whiskey.

As it is a Friday, I’m going to treat myself. The following are my tasting notes…

Appearance.
This is an incredibly deep coffee colored opaque brew topped by a quickly dissipating head. The relatively chilly temperature that this beer was poured probably affected the head.

Aroma.
Unfortunately this bottle has taken on quite a chill so I let it warm up in the glass.
The initial aromatic impression is one of molasses. There is very little if any hop aroma. However, with the brew of this high alcohol content (8% alcohol by volume) it is not to be expected.

Mouth feel.
As noted earlier with the lace, and the foam, this is a very high alcohol beer. The initial mouth feel is surprisingly light, the operative word being surprisingly. By this time it’s not the mouth feel that you noticing it is the flavors…

Flavor
The sensory sensation between lip and sip consists mainly of hints of molasses. The first impression with a closed mouth is of something not quite sweet. Once you swallow and open your mouth to experience the full aromas and flavors the impression is of highly roasted malt used to balance out, again with the molasses, sweet flavor. In between, there are accents of sour cherries, plums, and prune. None of these are overpowering and all are as fleeting as the next.

Finish
At the finish is actually where you find the effervescence. Despite its name, which is supposed to mean something like “old oil,” this is a surprisingly light feeling beer in the mouth. Here, also, is where you will find what essence there is of oak in the flavor.

Comments
I have had the chance to sample beers that have been aged in oak casks in the past. Those beers were brewed in the United States. Having had the chance to speak with the Head Brewer, the marketing people, the design people, and the people who imported into the United States, at the event in New York City, I find that the more I know about this beer, the more I can appreciate it. In most cases this same can be said for almost any beer. The event was a very social situation and sharing good beer is one of my passions, however, the one bottle that I have left is the Ola Dubh aged in the 32-year-old Single Malt barrels. I don’t think I’m going to share that with anybody either….

BREWERY WEB SITE:
http://www.bunitedint.com/portfolios/producers/harviestoun/ola_dubh/overview.php

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Cheers!

Peter LaFrance

( http://www.beerbasics.com )

A taste of… Tailgate Sweet Stout

Tailgate Beer (Contract)
Irvine, CA


Preface:
This is the second of the Tailgate contract brews that were sent to me by Tailgate’s owner Wesley Keegan. As I noted in “A taste of … Tailgate “Light”,” he had great big stones including a “Light” beer with the other three beers. Well, this time I’ll see what there is to his Sweet Stout. As always, the beer is poured at 50F into a standard straight-side pint glass that is beer clean. I try to do tastings before 1000 hours so that taste buds have not been affected by previous food or drink. Without further ado, the following are my tasting notes for Tailgate Sweet Stout. II was impressed that this was not the twist off top.

Appearance.
Just short of opaque, this is a deep dark beer. The head is a relatively rocky dark sandy head, made up of medium to small bubbles.

Aroma.
The first impression in the aroma is of the patent and other heavily roasted malt. There are undercurrents of coffee that remained dominated by the aromas of the black malt.

Flavors.
This is perhaps one of the gentlest stouts I have ever tasted. Nothing during the moment between lip and sip was there any hint of the flavors to come. The first flavors to develop are those of the highly roasted malts. This is quickly followed by a hefty wallop of hops. The combination of the slightly tannic in the slightly tart finishes without either one of them losing the contest

Mouth feel.
There is a surprising amount of mouth feel here. Without the thick texture associated with most stout, I was expecting a medium to thin range to the mouth feel. However there is a good deal of body to this beer.

Finish.
There is a noticeably metallic finish to this beer, but it doesn’t hang around long enough to be obnoxious.

Comments:
If I were to blind taste test this beer I would have this said that it was a porter rather than a stout, and reduced points for being too dark and using too much kilned malts. However, as the label says it is a Sweet Stout, I applaud the effort and note that it is an ideal introductory stout, for people who don’t think they like dark beer. Without a doubt I would also suggest that this beer be used in, and enjoyed with a fine beef stew.

Website: http://tailgatebeer.com/

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A taste of... Green Lakes Organic Ale

Preface
This beer arrived recently, sent to me by the folks from Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon. It appears to be in good shape and has been well handled. There are two notifications on the label - one is a seal by the US Department of Agriculture declaring it to be “organic”, it is also “certified organic” by the TILTH of Oregon. There is also a note “The idea for our Green Lakes ale evolved quite organically. Made with five types of 100% organic malted barley and balanced with Crystal and Salmon-Safe Sterling hops , this auspicious Amber ale is as easy to drink as it is on mother Earth So when you drink a Green Lakes organic ale everyday becomes Earth Day.”

Appearance
This is a red copper brew that is quite effervescent. It is topped with a very rocky, head of brilliant bubbles. The head is light sandy brown color and is very rocky throwing an excellent Belgian lace.

Aroma
There was quite a sense of malt about this product. The first aroma is definitely of malt, but then it is quickly followed by a sense of floral hops. The hops are definitely not in the foreground of the aroma of this beer.

Mouth feel
This brew has a mild mouth feel, with a slight sense of fullness delivered by the effervescent. Altogether a medium bodied brew, a fairly mild alcohol content 5% by volume results in a medium mouth feel.

Flavor
The sensory sensation between lip and sip consists mainly of toasty accented malted barley. There is however a sensation that it almost immediately hits the back of the palate with the introduction of the hop contributions to the flavors of this beverage. The hops flavors include echoes of mineral and metallic tangs with accents of green-forest that remain at the back of the palate.

Comments
I believe this to be quite a drinkable Brown Ale, with less hops it would be a classic British bitter. However, the energetic hop character makes this a particularly North American beer.
That said, I shall now address the word “organic” as it relates to beer. I have not done a great deal of study on the chemistry of the perceived differences between organic and commercially grown produce. I can believe that a great deal of care went into the cultivation of the malt and hops that went into this beer. However, I would be interested in blind tasting and organic version of this beer and a non-organic version.

BREWERY WEB SITE:
http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/default.aspx

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A taste of… Tailgate Light

Tailgate Beer (Contract)
Irvine,CA

Preface: This contract brew is a case of meeting market demand with a business plan rather than a brewery. When I spoke to Wesley Keegan, the young man who founded Tailgate, I was impressed with his grasp of how to meet a market demand and do it in a way that did not totally defy business logic. At my request he sent a selection of his products. I will admit he has great big stones including a “Light” beer. The following are my tasting notes…

Appearance.
This is a straw blonde beer with fine fermentation and a sparkling white rocky head.

Aroma.
There is a aroma of malt with slightly sour undertones. It reminds me a great deal of the Schaeffer beer of the 1960s.

Flavors.
Naturally the very first impression is that of a cool refreshing liquid. The second sensation between lip and sip reveals very little. There is a hint of malt at the very beginning and the finish is definitely slightly hoppy.

Mouth feel.
There is a surprising amount of mouth feel here medium in range and the effervescence adds a little bit of volume.

Finish.
This brew finishes off with a surprising amount of hops on the palate. Not surprisingly, as a reveler off a tailgate.

Comments:
As I said at the beginning of this review, it took a lot of stones to send me a light beer. Nevertheless, let me say that overall, this is a step above most of the light beers I’ve ever tasted. On a hot day in August, sitting on a wood deck overlooking the sea, with a pile of steamed clams in front of me, I wouldn’t be afraid of ordering a six pack of this beer.

Website: http://tailgatebeer.com/

What others say:

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A taste of… Lucky Kat

Magic Hat Brewing Co.
South Burlington, VT

Preface: Federal Express delivered this bottle to me at 1300 hours on Wednesday 19 March 2008. It was sent to me from the folks at Magic Hat Brewing Co…. Lucky Kat was the first bottle unwrapped from a customary swaddling of black tissue paper. All of the samples they send me are wrapped in paper to protect them from light. Today I am tasting semi-blind in that I have no idea what this beer is all about; because I did not read any of the enclosed marketing material. And so, I opened the Lucky Kat and here is what I found…

Appearance.
This is a deep amber copper colored, very effervescent brew, topped with a very rocky, sparkling sandy tan head.

Aroma.
There is a lot of rich, toasted grain aroma to the beginning of this beer. The hop aroma that is there has almost a fresh grape character.

Flavors.
This is quite a hoppy beer. If I was pick what “beer style” it would fit best it would certainly be an India Pale Ale. (And sure enough, there it is, right there on the label.) There is a good measure of malt flavor to this beer particularly rendering a brown sugar flavor. The hops in this brew are particularly interesting. There is in fact, a little spice to them.

Mouth feel.
This is a rich, creamy beer, but not too alcoholic. (After reading the promotional material I find it to be 5.8% abv.) It leaves a good Belgian-lace that retains its quality on the glass.

Finish.
The slightly spicy, floral bouquet of this beer carries over from the aroma all the way through to the finish. The finish stays with you for a very long time, and is quite a remarkable palate cleanser.

Comments:

I enjoyed the “left over” from the tasting with a “Lamb with orzo and goat cheese MJH (Meal Just Heat) from “Fresh Direct.” My impression that this beer is a fine palette cleanser was proven. The intense goat cheese sauce and the full flavor of the thick and just-rare hunk of lamb was challenged but not defeated by the hops onslaught.

The promotional material provided by the Magic Hat people notes that this is the "first ner addition to the year-round selection of brews in a few years.

Website: http://www.magichat.net/

What others say:
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http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/magic-hat-lucky-kat/84367/

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http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/96/4099

Cheers!

Peter LaFrance

The Science of Science?

Greeting,

The following appeared in the New York Times on 18 March 2008 (The day after St. Patrick’s Day – Just a coincidence?) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/18/science/18beer.html?ref=science

In this piece “For Scientists, a Beer Test Shows Results as a Litmus Test” , by CAROL KAESUK YOON it is posited by a “Dr. Tomas Grim, the author of the study and an ornithologist at Palacky University in the Czech Republic” that scientists who drink beer have less success in getting their research published.

The piece ends with a quote from the good professor – “In spite of his study, Dr. Grim, who said he would on occasion enjoy more than 12 beers in a night, is not on a campaign to decrease beer drinking among scientists. Why not? His answer: “I like it.””

I have not found the actual article as published in Oikos “a journal issued by the Nordic Ecological Society and is one of the leading peer-reviewed journals in ecology” but I take immediate exception to the method of his thesis. Did he compare his results to those who drink wine? Did he compare his results to those to drink spirits? I think not. The sort of “research” that posits and then “proves” the thesis is not only counterproductive but bad science.

As I understand the concept of true scientific research it involves throwing as wide a “net” as possible and then sorting the information into a coherent result. The sort of research done by Dr. Grim is as valid as the offering of the results of a “successful experiment”. The essence of “experiment” is to discover the unknown. To exercise a search or to test a predetermined posit is bogus science of the worst sort.

Cheers!
Peter LaFrance