After a one week hiatus, I'm back at it and I'll be trying to make regular updates again. This past week has been crazy between work and studying for the BJCP exam, which I finally took this past Saturday. I think I did well on the test (at least well enough to pass), so hopefully pretty soon I'll be a Recognized Beer Judge! The exam was definitely tough; I know some people might laugh and think a beer test couldn't be that hard, but it's a really comprehensive and technical exam. For the written portion (worth 70%) I filled up eight regular loose-leaf pages (one-sided though), and I judged four different beers for the practical portion (worth 30%) including a rather poor example of a Belgian Wit, a decent Mild, an excellent Doppelbock, and a (purposely) soured American Amber Ale. Although my hand was cramped after writing for three hours, I had a lot of fun taking the exam and went out to a nearby brewpub, Krogh's, for some beers afterwards with a few of the guys I've been studying with. An excellent day overall!
But now it's a new week, with new headaches at work, and some new beers to quell those headaches. Tonight's beer, though, unfortunately gave me a headache with some unappreciated fusel alcohols. Without further ado, here is my review of Coopers Vintage Ale, an English strong ale from down-under.
Aroma: Sweet malt with hints of honey and raisin. There is a slight alcoholic note on the nose. No hop aroma. The aroma finishes with some caramel and toffee.
Appearance: Dark copper with a slightly off-white head that lingers leaving a beautiful lacing on the glass. There is some haze, but that's probably cause the beer was bottle-conditioned and I accidentally just dumped all the sediment in (long day at work and I was rushing to pour my evening beer).
Flavor: Some biscuity malt, but the beer is fairly well-attenuated, finishing dry. There are some intense solvent-like alcohols, which are a bit overwhelming. Mild bitterness. These higher alcohols are really masking much of the flavor--there's not much else I'm picking up.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium-high carbonation, lending a slight carbonic bite. The alcohols coat my mouth and provide an intense warming sensation.
Overall Impression: This was a vintage-dated bottle dated 2008, so I probably drank it a bit too soon. Overall, those higher alcohols were the dominating flavor in this beer and were harsh at best. I'm thinking of buying a few more bottles and seeing how it ages over time, as this beer definitely needs some years to mellow out.
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