I opened a bottle of my homebrewed Marzen tonight. I brewed this beer back in March (Marzen = German for March) and it's been lagering at 34-35 F for about a month after fermentation was complete. I bottled it about 1.5 weeks ago. I think that besides my Southern English Brown Ale, this is probably one of my favorites. It was easy-drinking with a great malt character. I thought it would be fun to fully judge this beer with my review, and I've included scores for each of the sections as per the BJCP scoresheets. Also, for your reference, here's a link to the BJCP style guidelines for the Marzen (aka Oktoberfest), which I judged against: BJCP Marzen/Oktoberfest Guidelines. I tried to be as unbiased as possible, though it's tough, because, well, I did brewed it. Oh, and regarding the post's title, I've decided to name my home brewery, The Reinitzgebot Brewing Company after the famous Reinheitsgebot (the German beer purity law). And as for the name of the beer, you can figure that one out. Here it goes...
Aroma: Strong malt with hints of toast. Some background notes of dark fruit, though it's very faint. No hop aroma, and pretty clean. The fruit is inappropriate for the style if it's coming from esters produced by the yeast. I have a feeling the fruitiness here though is coming from the Munich malt, as it's very subdued. (9 out of 12 points)
Appearance: Medium copper with an orange tint. The clarity isn't great. Small off-white head dissipates quickly, leaving very little lacing. (1 out of 3 points)
Flavor: Biscuity and, like the aroma, there's a toasty aspect to it. Mild hop bitterness with no hop flavor. There's an initial malty sweetness that lingers a little, finishing sort of semi-dry (and maybe not dry enough for the style). Clean overall. (14 out of 20 points)
Mouthfeel: Carbonation is low to medium. The body is a little thin. No astringency and very smooth. (3 out of 5 points)
Overall Impression: A smooth, malt-focused lager. Carbonation is a little low--it could probably use a little more time to condition in the bottle. Increased carbonation will help a great deal with head formation/retention as well as the thin body. Quite tasty and very drinkable though--the flavor and aroma are really nice. (6 out of 10 points)
Total Score: 33 out of 50 points, which falls into the "Very Good" range.
So there you have it, I brewed a 33 point beer, which is something to be proud of. Yes, it's a 66%, but any score in the 30s is very good for a competition (plus 66% is better than I did on any college exam). For those who live in DC, I'll be visiting this weekend, and I plan on bringing a six-pack with me to share.
On the DC note, I'm heading down there for the weekend to attend SAVOR on Saturday, which I'm really excited about. SAVOR is a craft beer & food pairing event held at the National Building Museum. In addition to the main event, I also have tickets to a mini "salon" of beer and chocolate pairing--how could you go wrong?!?! Full update on that after the weekend!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
A Wit and a Marzen Walk Into a Bar...
...and then I drank them.
This past weekend I shared a keg of my homebrewed Belgian Wit (that's actually a photo above--thanks Seamus) with a bunch of friends down at the guido-tastic Jersey shore. Between fist-pumping and spiking our hair, we somehow found the time to drink some beer. The beer came out good, but I was a bit disappointed, because it wasn't what I was shooting for. I was trying to produce a Blue Moon clone, but with a little extra flavor from a true Belgian yeast (Blue Moon uses a clean American yeast). I think the beer was good, and judging from how quickly it was consumed, so did my friends, but it just wasn't what I was looking for. A few things I would change:
1. Increase the bitter orange peel, orange zest, and coriander. I cut back on the suggested spice amounts from the recipe I used, so that I wouldn't over do it. An overly spiced beer could be disgusting. Next time I brew this though, I'm going to increase the spices a little--they were barely apparent in the flavor and aroma, and I would've liked to see a little more citrus character.
2. The recipe called for a portion of the fermentables to be pure dextrose (corn sugar). This thins the beer out a little, and it could've used a little more body. I'll probably cut the sugar in half next time and replace it with a 50/50 split of wheat and Pilsner malt to maintain the gravity.
3. I'm going to try this beer with an American yeast next time. This way, I can get the other flavor components to where I want them. Once I get everything else in place, I can try it with the Belgian yeast again to see how it complements the beer.
I'm looking forward to brewing this one again and trying to tweak a recipe to my liking--it's definitely a warm weather beer, so I'll either take another stab at it at the end of the summer or it will have to wait for next spring. In addition to the Wit, my Marzen was bottled just about 2 weeks ago, and I'm planning on opening a bottle tonight. If I'm feeling saucy, maybe I'll try to post some tasting notes on it later this evening, so be on the lookout for a second post in one day! Until tonight, may the schwarzbier with you! (Yes, I know that was horrible)
Monday, May 18, 2009
Musings on Work & Longshot Traditional Bock
Yes, I know it's been awhile. Work has been busy to say the least, and the last thing I've wanted to do when I get home is sit in front of the computer. The beer I had tonight inspired me to get back at it though. Before we talk about the beer, let me draw you a picture of what's giving me a headache at work (I'm sorry, I need to vent):
Without going into too much detail, we're building a system for our client, represented by A1, to replace their old system, represented by A2. B is a new system that the client is building, and C is an existing system that they're going to keep. I work on the Integration team, building interfaces between A1 and B. We just got into systems testing, and this is how it works: User 1 enters information into A1, while User 2 simultaneously enters the (supposedly) same information into A2 without communicating with one another. Then, a set of existing interfaces extracts data from A2 and sends it to C. At the same time, the new interfaces I built extract data from A1 and sends it to B. An additional set of new interfaces (that I had nothing to do with) then extracts data from B and sends it to C. Someone at C then compares the extracted data from B and A2, and by some miracle of Yahweh himself, they're supposed to be identical. Obviously they're not, so it gets thrown at me as a defect against my A1 to B interfaces. Now, I'm just a beer-drinking schmuck, but I count roughly 10 different places besides my interfaces that this process could potentially fail. And 9 times out of 10, it's one of those 10 other places, but nonetheless, it's up to me to crack the case. What this means, is that by the end of the day, I'm really regretting not listening to that career test I took in college that said I should be a plumber.
OK, enough about work. In other news, I kegged my Belgian Wit early last week and am planning on taking it with me to the shore this weekend to share with some friends. This past weekend, I bottled about 40 bottles of my Marzen that's been lagering for a month--it tasted awesome; I'm really excited about this one. The Marzen should be ready in about 2 weeks. I just got ingredients to make an IPA and the recipe is based off a Lagunitas IPA clone recipe. I'm planning on brewing that for July 4th weekend, so I'll probably brew the first weekend in June. Also, I finally invested in a mill, so I'm excited to crush my own grain for this IPA. While work's been a drag, I've had some awesome weekends to look forward to starting with this one:
May 22-25: Heading to the shore for Memorial Day weekend with some friends.
May 29-31: I'll be in DC for SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience.
June 5-7: Brewing this weekend and judging a homebrew competition in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
June 12-14: Hanover, NH for my brother's graduation from Dartmouth!
June 17-21: Flying out to Oakland, CA for the National Homebrewer's Conference....really psyched!
June 26-28: Nothing planned right now, but I think my beer judging study group may have a party with our leftover beer.
July 1-5: Beautiful Garnet Lake for Seamus' annual July 4th extravaganza!
Enough about me; on to the beer! Tonight I had Alex Drobshoff's Traditional Bock from the Sam Adams Longshot pack. For those who aren't familiar with the Longshot, it's a homebrewing competition that Sam Adams hosts. The top two winners get their beer brewed and distributed by Sam Adams in the Longshot pack. In addition, a third beer is chosen among entries from Boston Beer Company employees. This year's pack had a Cranberry Wit and a Double IPA in addition to the Traditional Bock. I had the Cranberry Wit over the weekend, and it was nothing special--a decent Wit with some tartness from the cranberries, but they didn't provide much character. I was pretty blown away by the Bock though--it was an excellent beer and helped me forget about A1, A2, B, and C after a long day at work.
Aroma: Malty caramel with hints of toffee and freshly baked bread. Some dark fruit notes sneak up in the background. No hop aroma. There is a slight sensation of alcohol on the nose as well.
Appearance: Medium-brown with a slight reddish hue. Good clarity. The head is small and white in color, though it does not last long.
Flavor: Malty upfront with some residual sweetness that lingers into the finish balanced with a mild hop bitterness. There is the faintest hop flavor as you swirl the beer around in your mouth, and a warming sensation as it goes down. As in the aroma, flavors reminiscent of bread and toffee are present, as are some dark fruity esters (cherries and blackberries come to mind).
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a medium-high carbonation. The beer is relatively clean with no astringency. Some alcohol is noticeable as mentioned previously.
Overall Impression: An excellent example of a Traditional Bock. Commercially available Bocks tend to lean more towards the Doppel Bock side, and this is a well-welcomed departure from the norm. It's an incredibly drinkable beer and goes well with food or by itself. I definitely recommend picking up the Longshot pack, even if it's just for this beer. Kudos to Alex Drobshoff!
Without going into too much detail, we're building a system for our client, represented by A1, to replace their old system, represented by A2. B is a new system that the client is building, and C is an existing system that they're going to keep. I work on the Integration team, building interfaces between A1 and B. We just got into systems testing, and this is how it works: User 1 enters information into A1, while User 2 simultaneously enters the (supposedly) same information into A2 without communicating with one another. Then, a set of existing interfaces extracts data from A2 and sends it to C. At the same time, the new interfaces I built extract data from A1 and sends it to B. An additional set of new interfaces (that I had nothing to do with) then extracts data from B and sends it to C. Someone at C then compares the extracted data from B and A2, and by some miracle of Yahweh himself, they're supposed to be identical. Obviously they're not, so it gets thrown at me as a defect against my A1 to B interfaces. Now, I'm just a beer-drinking schmuck, but I count roughly 10 different places besides my interfaces that this process could potentially fail. And 9 times out of 10, it's one of those 10 other places, but nonetheless, it's up to me to crack the case. What this means, is that by the end of the day, I'm really regretting not listening to that career test I took in college that said I should be a plumber.
OK, enough about work. In other news, I kegged my Belgian Wit early last week and am planning on taking it with me to the shore this weekend to share with some friends. This past weekend, I bottled about 40 bottles of my Marzen that's been lagering for a month--it tasted awesome; I'm really excited about this one. The Marzen should be ready in about 2 weeks. I just got ingredients to make an IPA and the recipe is based off a Lagunitas IPA clone recipe. I'm planning on brewing that for July 4th weekend, so I'll probably brew the first weekend in June. Also, I finally invested in a mill, so I'm excited to crush my own grain for this IPA. While work's been a drag, I've had some awesome weekends to look forward to starting with this one:
May 22-25: Heading to the shore for Memorial Day weekend with some friends.
May 29-31: I'll be in DC for SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience.
June 5-7: Brewing this weekend and judging a homebrew competition in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
June 12-14: Hanover, NH for my brother's graduation from Dartmouth!
June 17-21: Flying out to Oakland, CA for the National Homebrewer's Conference....really psyched!
June 26-28: Nothing planned right now, but I think my beer judging study group may have a party with our leftover beer.
July 1-5: Beautiful Garnet Lake for Seamus' annual July 4th extravaganza!
Enough about me; on to the beer! Tonight I had Alex Drobshoff's Traditional Bock from the Sam Adams Longshot pack. For those who aren't familiar with the Longshot, it's a homebrewing competition that Sam Adams hosts. The top two winners get their beer brewed and distributed by Sam Adams in the Longshot pack. In addition, a third beer is chosen among entries from Boston Beer Company employees. This year's pack had a Cranberry Wit and a Double IPA in addition to the Traditional Bock. I had the Cranberry Wit over the weekend, and it was nothing special--a decent Wit with some tartness from the cranberries, but they didn't provide much character. I was pretty blown away by the Bock though--it was an excellent beer and helped me forget about A1, A2, B, and C after a long day at work.
Aroma: Malty caramel with hints of toffee and freshly baked bread. Some dark fruit notes sneak up in the background. No hop aroma. There is a slight sensation of alcohol on the nose as well.
Appearance: Medium-brown with a slight reddish hue. Good clarity. The head is small and white in color, though it does not last long.
Flavor: Malty upfront with some residual sweetness that lingers into the finish balanced with a mild hop bitterness. There is the faintest hop flavor as you swirl the beer around in your mouth, and a warming sensation as it goes down. As in the aroma, flavors reminiscent of bread and toffee are present, as are some dark fruity esters (cherries and blackberries come to mind).
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a medium-high carbonation. The beer is relatively clean with no astringency. Some alcohol is noticeable as mentioned previously.
Overall Impression: An excellent example of a Traditional Bock. Commercially available Bocks tend to lean more towards the Doppel Bock side, and this is a well-welcomed departure from the norm. It's an incredibly drinkable beer and goes well with food or by itself. I definitely recommend picking up the Longshot pack, even if it's just for this beer. Kudos to Alex Drobshoff!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Brasserie Dieu du Ciel's Route Des Épices
I apologize for slacking on the updates; I've been real busy at work--the solution's not going to deliver itself after all. This past weekend was chock full of some great beer. On Saturday night in the city I went with some friends to d.b.a. where I had an excellent German rauchbier (I can't remember the name unfortunately), followed by Sierra Nevada's Brown Saison, and one of my go-to favorites, Fuller's London Porter. Afterwards, we headed over to The Rabbit Club, where I drank some great Belgians including Rodenbach Grand Cru on draft, a bottle of the Trappist Achel 8, and lastly a bottle of Christoffel Robertus, and incredible Vienna lager. Clearly an awesome beer night, but it left me less than stellar in the morning (as Sully can attest to). Despite the hangover, we headed over to Zum Schneider on Sunday afternoon for their annual May Fest and some fresh Maibock straight from Germany. I had the Einbecker Maibock and Sully had the Hofbrau Maibock, both in massive 1 liter glasses. We enjoyed some classic German food while listening to a live Oompah band and watching this crazy German dude dance on the benches. Here's a pic of me getting uber-excited about my Maibock:
Enough about my weekend though; let's talk about today's beer! The Route Des Épices (literally Spice Route) is a rye beer brewed with peppercorns from Brasserie Dieu du Ciel, a Canadian microbrewery in Quebec. This exotic brew went extremely well with my shepherd's pie dinner--the spiciness of the beer complemented the hearty "meat & potatoes" meal and enhanced the overall flavor of the dish.
Aroma: Sweet malt with hints of molasses and dark caramel. There's some background spicy notes from the rye and peppercorns, but the initial aroma seems almost cloyingly sweet. No hop aroma.
Appearance: Deep amber to light brown with a small off-white head. Poor head retention overall. There's some lacing, but it falls back into the glass quickly.
Flavor: Not nearly as sweet as the aroma suggests, though there is some substantial maltiness to back up the spicy flavors. I feel the spice in the back of my mouth and on the sides of my tongue, and it lingers into the finish. There's some toastiness and a light toffee-like flavor as well, adding an even further level of complexity to the beer. The spice hinders the detection of any hop flavor, though there is medium hop bitterness supporting the malt.
Mouthfeel: Medium-full bodied and slick on the tongue. My mouth is left tingling afterwards, a product of both the spiciness and the carbonation.
Overall Impression: The peppercorns add a really nice touch to what is already an excellent rye beer. I think this is definitely a "drink with food" beer--the spice is much more pronounced as I drink it after my meal than while eating. I'd definitely recommend giving this one a shot, and I'll probably pick it up again if I see it.
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