Ladies of Craft Beer

Posted By: Sara Bryce

Tweet

I am not a stout fan. I understand that this makes #StoutDay problematic.

My fiancé, lucky for me on this holiday, loves stouts. To know this is true, one only needs to gaze upon the lumberjack-style beauty that is his beard; we are both convinced that his facial hair growth is fueled by his hearty consumption of the stuff.

I decide to send him out on this quest alone. This will either be exponentially profitable, because I get to wear pajamas before 7 p.m.; or a serious mistake, since he may not return for five hours and every single text with which I attempt to ascertain his coordinates will go unanswered (this actually happened for an entire work day during our local Oktoberfest). I am putting all trust in his judgment. I am also trusting that he won’t fall into the Beer Abyss of Unanswered Texts.

Anticipating the feared scenario will happen anyway, but hoping to be pleasantly surprised, I retrieve a leftover Ace Joker from the fridge.

Pleasant surprise happens at 6:30, when he enters the apartment with 7 stouts in tow: Founders Breakfast Stout; Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout; Bell’s Java Stout; Bell’s Double Cream Stout; New Holland Dragon’s Milk Oak Barrel Ale (yup, I’m from Detroit so I’m excited to get so many western Michigan beers in stores up here in Wisconsin); Southern Tier Mokah Imperial Stout; and Weyerbacher Tiny Belgian Style Imperial Stout.

The question of the day: Where to start?

Founders Breakfast Stout
He says: Let’s start with Founders’ Breakfast Stout, since that’s the one no one can get in Florida and we can laugh.
(We moved here from Tallahassee)
She says: It smells like a coffee shop. Good sign!
He says: Slick, but not oily. Velvety? It has a slight hazelnut scent.
She says: Tastes more like chocolate than I thought it would. Reminds me of the chocolate chip pancakes my dad makes.
He says: Mmm, it’s on my mustache.
She says: I have a sudden memory of Penny on Pee Wee’s Playhouse.
He says: *burp* That’s a good’un.
She says: Part of a balanced breakfast.

Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout
She says: Less coffee or chocolate. Fewer memories of Saturday morning cartoons.
He says: I started too fast, even after a mouth rinse.
She says: Thoughts are turning now to Fraggle Rock. I’m not sure why. Maybe I’m just having visions of extreme facial hair in the wake of all this stout?
He says: There’s a bit of a toffee note. Tasting some vanilla and chocolate. Coffee-colored head. They talk like that on Ratebeer.com
She says: I don’t talk like that.

Bell’s Java Stout
She says: Huge coffee smell, but the coffee taste is slightly stale after having Founders’.
He says: It actually reminds me of Eight O’Clock Cuban coffee.
(We drink this coffee every morning)
She says: Oops.
He says: More stout in my mustache. I’m sure it’ll be wire-thick by morning.
She says: (entering her selections into her iPad, viewing Untappd’s suggestions) Dude, Untappd, I know I would like Southern Tier Crème Brûlée. #StoutDay will not be about mourning those beers I cannot have, but about appreciating those that I can.

Bell’s Double Cream Stout
She says: Tastes boozy. Me likey.
He says: Caramel notes hide the booze taste a little. There’s an oily mouth feel. Definitely my favorite Bell’s stout.
She says: (watching a replay of a questionable Florida State run that has been ruled in FSU’s favor) Yay! Bell’s Double Cream makes fumbles go away!

Southern Tier Mokah
He says: Heavy sweetness. It almost smells like bubblegum. Cuban coffee aftertaste.
She says: Too chocolatey for my taste. It might go well with something really spicy, like an entire bottle of Cholula.
He says: Fun beer fact–the carbonation will cut through the hot pepper oils on your tongue.

Dragon’s Milk
She says: Smells almost spicy. Ooh, bourbon barrel aged.
He says: Beautiful lacing on the glass. It’s a little less opaque than the first few beers. Barrel age taste is there. This beer is going to age well.
She says: Clearly I like liquor, because I’m loving this one, too.

Tiny:
(Last beer of the night. There’s a cork. Technical difficulties, but we finally open the beer without the use of a sword)
He says: Wonderful dark brown head, Belgian notes of glory and a spicy finish.
She says: Oooh. Smoother than Dragon’s milk but not fraught with the sweetness of Mokah. Solid beer with a Belgium feel. I’m totally on board.
He says: There’s a trip to Pennsylvania “brewing” inside my head due to this beer. I have to have it on tap.
She says: I can’t believe it’s only 9:30 and I’m feeling like this without any liquor. Note to self and to readers—Eat square meals on He Said/She Said nights. You don’t make friends with salad.

I’m not sure why I’m not a fan of stouts, because I did actually like giving these a chance. Stouts just don’t have what I love in a beer. I’ve heard the argument before that ladies “should” like stouts because of their ability to taste like baked goods and other things “girls like,” but give me a huge, stinky, hopped up double imperial pale ale any day!

What are some of your favorite stouts? What stouts did you celebrate with on Thursday? Let us know in the comments!

Posted By: Stevie Caldarola

Tweet

He Said / She Said is a series where a lady contributor from Ladies of Craft Beer will pair up with a person of the male persuasion- be it her husband, boyfriend, brother, father, friend, uncle, co-worker, etc, and as a pair they will review two or three beers in succession.

The object of this experiment is to get an idea of how men taste different brews versus how women taste different brews- are there really distinct differences or is it mostly just due to the fact that different people in general have different tastes- while having a blast in the process. What is the real answer? (Is there a real answer?)

Working on the He Said/She Said piece for tasting required me to obviously coral the “services” of my “He,” Chris.  Chris, always game to drink beer, was easily convinced but that quickly led me to mark the first difference in our approaches to tasting beer.  You see, be it at home or in a bar, Chris’s first reaction when handed a libation is to take a bit more than a sip. He doesn’t stop to look at it. He doesn’t stop to smell it.  I’m not sure, in that first quick gulp, he even stops to really taste it. So, my first comment during these tastings usually was, “Wait, we’re supposed to be tasting this!”

I, on the other hand, try to take note of the color, the head, the clarity and then finally I’ll take a whiff or two or three before said libation even touches my lips.  It doesn’t mean I’m right and he’s wrong; it just means I’m focused on sharing some impressions and he’s focused on enjoying.  Do I normally go through these steps when drinking a beer?  Sometimes, especially if it’s a beer I haven’t had before and/or a much-hyped beer (can you say, “Pliney?”) but other times, after a long bike ride or a hard day, I’m just as happy gulping and asking questions later.

The other thing I noticed when I focused on tasting these beers, it is like when I taste wine, I don’t have a “vocabulary.” Does one even exist for beer? You know how wine people will use words like jammy, tar, earthy, red currants, etc., when describing wine, but do such standard scents and tastes exist for beer drinkers to use to describe? Does it matter?  To me, not so much. If the stuff smells like glue, say that.  If it tastes like vomit, well, use that too (actually I do below).  I think what’s important is that you like what you drink and you drink what you like.  Don’t get caught up in the words used to describe what your tasting. Heck, I think I’ve seen BasicallyRed use chicken soup to describe a beer.  Not sure I’ve ever experienced that scent or taste in a beer but I definitely like that she used it.

Okay so on to our beers. The first one I’m going to write about is the allusive Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS).  You should know that I like stouts (among other styles), especially on a cold winter’s day.  Chris on the other hand is a hop head – give him a big brash double IPA and he’s in heaven.  This was our second time having this beer and this time we both stopped to take notes before imbibing.  I found the smell to be of vanilla with a slight hint of bacon; Chris smelled the bourbon right off the bat (well, yeah, it’s aged in bourbon barrels).  On taste, he found a good one – molasses – though I think tasting molasses straight is kind of gross, but had to give him that one; he was right.  I continued with my smoky theme from the bacon and thought it reminded me of something else when I tasted it.  I had the strongest sense of tasting … punks.  Not sure if everyone knows what punks are or as a kid, pretended to smoke them, but that’s what we kids in central New Jersey did (especially the ones who grew up near swamps/lakes where the punks grow).  Tasting this beer reminded me of that slightly sweet smokiness the punks give off when lit. Both of us found it thick in our mouths but creamy too, and to steal a bit from the wine drinkers, not overly chewy. For a stout, this one went down pretty easy and smoothly.

The second beer we tried was Blue Point’s Rastafa Rye. I smelled Juicy Fruit gum and that carried through on the tasting for me with a grapefruit and citrus-finish.  Chris, on the other hand, detected no scent really and thought while bitter it reminded him of rye bread.  Well, yeah, they use rye in the process. Noticing a pattern here?  Chris seemed to smell or taste what he already knew about the beer from the bottle/menu description.  So for our third tasting, I thought, “Let’s do a blind tasting.”

We popped into the Blind Tiger in New York City on a day when Hill Farmstead was taking over the taps and asked the bartender to pour us something but not tell us what it was.  Chris couldn’t just chug this time, he had to stop and smell and he smelled … nothing.  I told him to try again and he came up with fennel while I smelled pineapple (were we drinking the same beer?).  On taste he picked up bacon and Italian sausage (well, to Chris, there must be fennel in Italian sausage so you see the connection), while I tasted vanilla, lemon and that sour finish which I can only describe as how vomit tastes in the back of my throat- a clue that it was a beer style I normally don’t tend to.  Chris guessed saison and he was right; it was their barrel-aged saison, Art, which accounts for that smoky taste Chris interpreted to be bacon and why I found it a bit sour (I’m not a big saison drinker).

So, three different beers, three totally different styles and a couple of beer drinkers later we learned it is fun to stop and smell the vanilla, grapefruit or fennel but it is even more fun to sit and enjoy some good beer with a person who appreciates it as you do.

Kim Riemann loves to eat, drink, travel and cook – probably in that order. When she’s not at home in central New Jersey, you can find her organizing and leading food, wine and beer tours in Europe as co-owner and operator of GrapeHops. Follow her at Facebook.com/grapehops and @grapehops.

Related Posts:

• He Said/She Said #3 Dogfish Head Ancient Ales
• Beer & Disney, Perfect Together
• He Said / She Said #2 – Shiner Old-Time Alt, Sam Adams White Ale, “Boris” Homebrew & Firestone Walker Velvet Merlin
• “Most Arrogant Bar in America” Celebration
• Vicki Stowe – Brewmaster (The College Years, Part 18)

Posted By: AWeller

Tweet

He Said / She Said is a series where a lady contributor from Ladies of Craft Beer will pair up with a person of the male persuasion- be it her husband, boyfriend, brother, father, friend, uncle, co-worker, etc, and as a pair they will review two or three beers in succession.

The object of this experiment is to get an idea of how men taste different brews versus how women taste different brews- are there really distinct differences or is it mostly just due to the fact that different people in general have different tastes- while having a blast in the process. What is the real answer? (Is there a real answer?)

My husband and I have very different tastes in beer.  He loves stouts, porters and all things dark.  I love hops.  The more hops the better. MORE HOPS!  For our He Said/She Said reviews, we thought it would be interesting to tackle styles of beer neither one of us drinks regularly or has a set opinion on.  We’d been wanting to get our Untappd Ancient Ales badge, and thus the plan was born!

But first, to Buffalo!  Dogfish Head isn’t sold in Ontario.

We managed to get our hands on 3 different Ancient Ales to sample: Chateau Jihau, Sah’tea, and Theobroma.  Over two days- these are strong beers in big bottles!- we sampled and took notes.

First up: Chateau Jiahu

This beer is based on a recipe found in pottery in ancient China.  We were pouring into a tulip glass and a goblet.  Hey, these beers are pricey so we got out the ‘fancy’ glassware! Both of us noticed the intense carbonation in this beer immediately.  It bubbled more like what I would expect from a champagne than a beer. There was also a fair amount of sediment present.  I found the aroma to be very sour, whereas hubby just found it (quoting here) “weird”.  Both of us found the taste to be more in line with a mead or wine than a beer.  That is to be expected, I imagine, given the heavy use of honey in the style.  It was very boozy and  we knew we were drinking 10% beer.  Speculations were held on just how drunk the ancient drinkers must have been.  At the end of the large bottle, we’d both had enough.  Neither one of us were big fans of this particular beer, although it was great to try.  Bravo to Dogfish for resurrecting the recipe.

Second: Sah’tea

According to the website:  ”A modern update on a 9th century Finnish proto-beer. ” Right then: time to dive in.  The nose on this was really spicy.  We both found that and really loved the overall aroma.  In fact, hubby notes it was even “sexy”.  It had less carbonation than in the other beers we tried, but still bubbly. There was actually some head on this beer.  Yay! As in the Jiahu, there was a ton of sediment in our bottle. The taste followed through on the spicy aroma.  I even found it a bit woody in parts, though hubby didn’t seem to find that.  As Juniper berries are used, I would suspect them of bringing the herbal notes. This was definitely the most ‘beer-like’ of our samplings and the one we liked most. We would have this again for sure, though probably in a half pint or a smaller bottle.

Third: Theobroma

We did this on the second day.  We were really looking forward to its promise of cacao and chilies.  The recipe is based on an ancient Honduran alcoholic chocolate drink.  Alcohol and chocolate! What’s not to like? I found the nose on this to be WHAM! booze!  Interestingly, hubby didn’t find it had much aroma at all.  Maybe I was hallucinating in the anticipation of chocolate.  As with the other ancient ales, there was more carbonation present and not much head.  The taste on this was more complex than the other two.  We both found it very sweet upfront and then a tingling  on the tongue as it leaves the palate.  This could be from the use of chilies. The chocolate was really not to be found, sadly.  I got more honey than chocolate from the sweetness. Much like with Chateau Jiahu, finishing the bottle was enough for both of us.  We’re glad we tried it, but probably wouldn’t seek it out again.

We had a lot of fun tasting these beers and comparing notes.  With only a few minor cat-based interruptions, we were able to sample ancient ales inspired by 3 different time periods and cultures.  I think it is amazing that Dogfish Head is doing this and it certainly provides a unique opportunity to look into the past.

Related Posts:

• He Said/She Said #4- Guest Post by Kim Riemann
• Women in Beer Series – Maggie Foley
• Interview with Randy Mosher about Women and Beer (Guest post by Ingrid Calderoni)
• Beer Apps for Techno Geeks
• How Do You Judge a Good Beer Bar?

Posted By: Guest

Tweet

He Said / She Said is a series where a lady contributor from Ladies of Craft Beer will pair up with a person of the male persuasion- be it her husband, boyfriend, brother, father, friend, uncle, co-worker, etc, and as a pair they will review two or three beers in succession.

The object of this experiment is to get an idea of how men taste different brews versus how women taste different brews- are there really distinct differences or is it mostly just due to the fact that different people in general have different tastes- while having a blast in the process. What is the real answer? (Is there a real answer?)

You be the judge.

~~~~~

My boyfriend, James, is a homebrewer and craft beer fanatic, so when I told him we would be doing a He Said/She Said beer tasting, he was pretty excited. Any excuse to get me drunk get me drinking craft beer makes him happy. With the only stipulation being that we were not going to be drinking any IPAs (I hate them and will not drink them at all), we set out to pick our poisons. Wanting a variety of styles, we eventually chose an altbier, a winter ale, an oatmeal stout and a homebrew stout. I would include pictures but they are all stuck on the camera with no way to get them out. So close your eyes and imagine what they look like – oh wait, don’t close your eyes, you can’t read this!

 

Starting with the Shiner Old-Time Alt (ABV 4.2%), we poured half the bottle into our wide mouthed glasses. This was a surprise addition the Shiner Family Pack James got for his birthday last month. Since he reviews beers for Ratebeer.com, he carefully took his notes while I dove right in. I noticed the low head and the amber/reddish color. I am the artist in the family, so James’s description was merely “light brown.” He noted a bready aroma, and once I had a few sips I noted the bread smell, too, but it was more a sensory memory than an actual experience. Drinking it made me think of breakfast toast. As I continued to sip, I noted a sharpness that I tend to associate with a lager, but deeper than a Rolling Rock. Once I said that, James noticed the lager-y-ness, too, but also thought it had a bready, chewy taste with a metallic tinge. Overall, it wasn’t bad, but not a great beer.

Next, we tried the Sam Adams White Ale, aged one year (ABV 5.4%). James choose this for the second tasting for its reported spices, and he did taste coriander once he sipped (though I tell him he ALWAYS tastes coriander in every beer). He described it as very floral, almost lavender-like, though the taste didn’t match the strength of the smell. My first response when it was poured was how very light the color was. Apparently, this beer was once the spring ale from Sam Adams and it tasted like it. It was very light tasting, with a medium-thick mouthfeel. James agreed, saying the spices help mitigate the sweetness, making it a great drinking beer.

 

Of the two stouts, we decided to try the homebrew next, dubbed Boris II, since it was a second version of a previously successful stout. Having really enjoyed the first one, we had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, from the first, we could tell something was wrong. It was highly carbonated, but with absolutely no head. Made in January and bottled two weeks ago, it was very young. Unfortunately, we both agreed it smelled “funky.” For James, once you got past that funkiness it tasted alright. But for me, I couldn’t past the overripe fruit stand smell. I tasted bad red-skinned apples. Either way, neither of us was happy with the outcome, but hope it gets better with age.

The last beer in our tasting was the Firestone Limited Release Velvet Merlin Oatmeal Stout (ABV 5.5%). James immediately noticed it was sweet smelling, roasty with chocolate notes. I thought it smelled dark and creamy, not really roasted. I was excited to drink this one, since it was one I picked out while we were buying beer on a recent trip to Arizona. However, it was disappointing once it got in my mouth. The front end was smooth but then it was like it just evaporated off my tongue. As James put it, it was light and made you want another drink – not how I want my stout to taste.

 

James and his friends get together a couple of times a month to taste several beers and when they are done, they rank them in the order of preference. So we did that with the four we drank this afternoon. James’s picks: Velvet Merlin, the Sam Adams, the Shiner and the homebrew. I thought the White Ale was best, nice and light, followed by the Shiner, the Velvet Merlin and the homebrew. Seems neither of us could get past the funky homebrew.

In the end, we had fun trying the different styles and I look forward to next year’s release of the Sam Adams White Ale.

~~~~~

 

Nicole Ferweda is a freelancer in Houston who is learning about craft beer, making cheese and who likes to spend her time volunteering for good causes. You can find her at @Nferweda on Twitter and her blogs on DigestThis! at HoustonEntree.com.

 

Related Posts:

• He Said/She Said #3 Dogfish Head Ancient Ales
• Holiday Gifts for Home Brewers (Or Those Who Want to Start)
• Vicki Stowe – Brewmaster (Part 21)
• A Beer Drinking Woman in a Beer Man’s World
• Women in Beer Series – Audra Marotta

Posted By: Stevie Caldarola

Tweet

Welcome to another beer blogging experiment series here on Ladies of Craft Beer! You may have seen this before- I started this series on my previous blog- BasicallyRead – To Be Read, Basically.

How this He Said / She Said series will work is this: a lady contributor from Ladies of Craft Beer will pair up with a person of the male persuasion- be it her husband, boyfriend, brother, father, friend, uncle, co-worker, etc, and as a pair they will review two or three beers in succession.

The object of this experiment is to get an idea of how men taste different brews versus how women taste different brews- are there really distinct differences or is it mostly just due to the fact that different people in general have different tastes- while having a blast in the process. What is the real answer? (Is there a real answer?)

You be the judge.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the first ever He Said / She Said on Ladies of Craft Beer- between myself and Lee Norman Williams of Hoptopia.

Beer 1: Panil Barriquee (Italian Version) / Panil / Flanders Red Ale / 8.0% ABV

The Nose: Lee immediately started in by smelling unwashed, soily potatoes and old, musty leather-bound books. There’s a definite sour funk on this beer. For me, it smelled of omelettes I used to make during my much less adept cooking days- complete with potatoes, carrots and peas out of a can and bacon bits. I think what really caused the odor memory, however, was the onion and garlic powder that I’d use in the omelettes. Lee also caught white grape juice and the carbon-ish scent of drawing charcoal.

The Taste: Again, Lee beat me to the punch, stating that if you took the sugar out of Ocean Spray Pomegranate- Cranberry juice (and added some alcohol), you’d have Panil Barriquee. The taste was definitely tart cranberries and raspberrys, but I also caught a hint of citrus- grapefruit. Lee called this beer very red and full of tanins from the skin of the fruits, like wine.

Overall: Panil Barriquee is not what Lee looks for in a sour beer, but he does like it. This batch was very different from the first batch he tried. If he was to drink this beer again, it would go very well with a roast bird, like chicken or duck. I liked this beer a lot because I’m not a huge fan of funky sours and this had a nice subtlety about it while still having a lot of flavor present.

Beer #2: Three French Hens / The Bruery / Belgian Dark Ale / 10.0% ABV

The Nose: While Lee smelled banana cream pie and filter coffee, I got Pina Colada Lifesavers- not so different. Do you remember those fluoride treatments you had to get as a kid? The ones where they’d squirt lots of that disgusting gel in a mouth tray and shove it right in your mouth? Yeah- that’s what I smelled as well- well, that, mixed with the weird gunk that they would use in the orthodontist’s office to make a mold of your teeth in order to shape your retainer. Maybe this beer just smells like dentists offices in my mind? Lee also got trading card bubble gum and fried eggplant, while I got hints of rotted stain and scenery paint, which is made with animal fat.

The Taste: It’s very creamy and too funky for my taste. Lee tastes almond, tart apples, and cooling peppermint on the finish. He also gets a little bit of sweet fondant. I taste dark figs, (it is a dark belgian ale, of course), but also a bit of toffee.

Overall: I hate it. (I know, I know… “Boo!”… “Boo!”…) Lee says it’s exactly what he would like to see in an Imperial Brown Ale and that he likes how oddly refreshing Three French Hens is.

Cheers!

Have a question? Email me here:[contact-form 6 "Untitled"]

Related Posts:

• Philly Beer Tour #1
• Beer 2 Garden Presented by Brew York
• Get Real NY Craft Beer and Food Festival
• Holiday Gifts for Home Brewers (Or Those Who Want to Start)
• Women in Beer Series – Audra Marotta