In what I hope is a yearly tradition, here is our 2nd annual Beerfest. Same as in 2006, we weren’t able to get tickets to the World Beer Festival that happens yearly in Durham, so we had our own. Also just as with last year, we divided the beer tasting into 2 sessions. This year, for the first session, we were joined by our friends Kelly & Greta. Typing this up made me VERY thirsty…
Session #1 - 10/13/07
1. Sierra Nevada Harvest Hop Ale -
Jenn – IPA Hoppiness, traditional flavor of S.N., only a bit more spice – dry finish
James – Hoppy, natch. Similar to re. Sierra – a bit more “spice”. Decent.
Eric – hoppy sweet
Julie – bright, hoppy with a mellow finish
Kelly – tastes just like normal SN Pale Ale, perhaps slightly more hoppy. Crisp!!! Slightly more spicy!
Greta – Love it – better than regular Sierra Nevada – really good w/ Jenn’s hummus- more spice than regular w/o the bite
2. Steelhead Extra Pale Ale –
Jenn – Light, slight scent of citrus, fizzy, clear, refreshing
James – Kinda creamy, but in a light way. Nice, smooth & mild.
Eric – Pale, lingers, mild nutty
Julie – Very light in color, slight hoppy scent, very mild hoppy taste & clean finish
Kelly – Definitely extra pale! More like a pilsner. Not chewy enough for my tastes. Hoppier as the glass empties. So Light!
Greta – Sweeter, less heavy than Sierra, goes down so easily – I like this so much! Almost buttery.
3. Spaten Oktoberfest –
Jenn – Sweet, clean, stella-esque only not bitter
James – Smells like a Spaten. Tastes like Stella. Decent overall, but not great for an Oktoberfest.
Eric – soft pumpkins, hay
Julie – Slight lemony smell. Smooth, smells a little like Stella
Kelly – Smells super skunky!
Greta – Smells like hops – almost no taste until it’s down – with more sips, slightly bitter taste comes out. Tastes like a whiff of cigarette smoke smells
4. Weihenstephaner Kristall Weissbier –
Jenn – Foamy, spicy & citrusy, sweet, airy, like a very light Belgian – Really Good!
James – Fuck yeah. Really good Belgian. Very foamy. Really good. Quite filling.
Eric – Like a Belgian, heady, filtered wheat
Julie – Creamy head, smells like wheat vs. Belgian. Very smooth, airy, no aftertaste.
Kelly – Slightly fruity. Maybe even a little too bitter to be a Belgian. What’s wrong with me? I don’t like it if it doesn’t have an over-abundance of hops.
Greta – Smells like formaldehyde but tastes light & wheaty – no bitter taste – smooth
5. Dogfish Golden Era Imperial Pilsner –
Jenn - Hoppy – dry but characteristic sweet dogfish taste
James – Too hoppy. Kinda gross. Don’t care for it.
Eric – Very hoppy, even for imp. Fairly intense.
Julie – Smells clean, deceivingly hoppy when tasted, malty finish
Kelly – Superb! Crispy and almost a pale ale. If I couldn’t have my Sierra, I’d definitely pick this one!
Greta – Smells like summer afternoon by a lake. Very hoppy – slightly bitter aftertaste – lots of flavor. Good w/ smoked almonds to balance out taste. Would be great w/ parrano cheese.
6. Lefthand Polestar Pilsner –
Jenn – Light – probably better colder, but tasty refreshing
James – I don’t know, it’s average. Tastes just like a basic pilsner.
Eric – Needed to be colder.
Julie – Almost Spanish-like in aleness – only a slight hoppy
Kelly – So light compared to DFH! Funky aftertaste. Ooey!
Greta – Light color like lemonjuice. Slightly sweet & smooth w/ slight bitter taste on the back of the throat.
7. Ayinger Jahrhundert-bier –
Jenn – Hoarhound. Herbal, sweet.
James – Filling – kinda plain. Decent. I’d rather not drink it.
Eric – Strong what? Loc Bavarian lager.
Julie – Bavarian lager. Creamy, light, malty, very nice ale
Kelly – Earthy, but blah.
Greta – Hoppy! Tangy, smooth, syrupy. Century Celebration Bavarian.
8. Taj Mahal Premium Lager –
Jenn – Laggery – Lightly bitter, good compliment to spice or cream, chestnut
James – Again, kinda plain. Not very good.
Eric – Lagerific
Julie – Very lager-esque. Mild, slightly lemony finish. Clean – crisp, but not a lot of flavor or meat
Kelly – Better than the other lagers. A Touch fruity, but watery! Musty!
Greta – Sweet and smooth – a bit nutty
9. Alagash Grand Crü –
Jenn – Citrus fruity caramel, smokey (caramelized)
James – Smells good. Everyone else says it’s “smoky”. I don’t taste. Not bad.
Eric – Smokey sweet
Julie – Oh, interesting. Sweet & smoky.
Kelly – Sweet but light. Still.
Greta – More amber. Strong, sweet w/ smoky flavor. Can taste the color – almost caramel.
10. Ommegang Three Philosophers –
Jenn – Fruity (orange), caramel, Autumn (Indian Summer) in a bottle – yummy yeast
James – Eh. It’s not bad – I think being full of beer at this point is a detriment to this beer. I’d drink this again, even though it’s filling.
Eric – Caramel
Julie – Foamy. Damn, this shit’s good. Caramely delight. Sweet.
Kelly – Blah!!! On 2nd taste, I think it is just a touch too rich, too sweet.
Greta – Red – caramel – sunshine in a cup with strong aftertaste – a little honey w/ hoppy
Session #2 10/31/07
11. Flemish Primitive Whirligig Wild Ale –
Jenn – Best Belgian evar! Citrus and wild yeast, light body, malty – yummy
James – Kick ass Belgian. Has a great taste & smell. Looks “light”, but has a certain heaviness in the mouth.
Eric – Floral eucalyptus.
Julie – Eucalyptus-y – very strong smell, floral taste, crisp.
12. Delerium Tremens –
Jenn – Sharp after (the Whirligig) – “domestic” Belgian, light.
James – Smells like butt. It’s not bad. I’ve had better.
Eric – Good
Julie – I like the smell of butt. J/K. Delicious! Fruity & delightful.
13. Red Hook Late Harvest Autumn Ale –
Jenn – Nutty, rich, good w/ spicy food. A nice seasonal.
James – Pretty good. I think it’s not the best Red Hook. Slightly above average.
Eric – Nice even mildly foamy autumn ale
Julie – Nice & amber.
14. Shiner Bock –
Jenn – Weakened by spice, I think. Watery after spice, “Brown”.
James – Shiner Bock, bitch! It’s a nice heaviness. Love it!
Eric – Bocky
Julie – college-esque. Yee Haw.
15. Heavy Seas Peg Leg Imperial Stout –
Jenn – Cocabutter fragrance, honey, coffee. Sweet & nutty w/ acidic end, like coffee.
James – Decent stout, it’s not flat, but the taste is a bit flat.
Eric – Tootsie rolls.
Julie – Strong alcohol smell, deep, dark unusual stout taste
16. Breckenridge Avalanche Amber –
Jenn – Weak, like malt water w/ a slightly dry finish
James – Don’t care for the smell too much. Decent, I’d rather not have it again.
Eric – Wet bark & ski slope snow
Julie – Smells kinda sweet, tastes kinda like butt & sorta snowy
17. Ommegang Rare Vos –
Jenn – Spice & cinnamon, clove in the taste but less full bodied than the scent. Slight citrus.
James – This is nice. Jenn mentioned it’s fruity – I agree. I like the foam, it’s quite flavorful.
Eric – Rich, deep Belgian.
Julie – Smells Belgian-y. Nice balance between clean & crisp.
18. Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale –
Jenn – Smells like pumpkin pie, tastes kind of like pie too, without the characteristic sweetness.
James – It does smell like pumpkin pie & cinnamon. Nice bite at first, then smooth. This is fucking good! Best fall beer ever!
Eric – Toasty pumpkin pie.
Julie – Cinnamon smell, nutmeg & pumpkin taste. Really fuckin’ good.
19. Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale –
Jenn – Awesome dark herbal ale, dry but floral, rich, malty & toasty too
James – This looks like pure bad ass-ness. Not as strong as I thought it’d be. A little mild for a dark beer. Pretty good!
Eric – Smokey sweet cheese.
Julie – Smells syrupy, tastes rich & smoky.
20. Great Divide Wild Raspberry Ale –
Jenn – Tart, actually like raspberry but beer too
James – Raspb-tacular. Actually the raspberry is the only good quality. The rest is just average, a bit plain.
Eric – Raspberry flavor.
Julie – Surprisingly raspberry smell. Tastes even more raspberry-licious. So disturbing…
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