Homebrewing – Kolsch

My friend and I recently brewed a Kolsch from a recipe which was cloned from an internationally shipped Kolsch.  In other words, this recipe was developed from a large commercial recipe to be used by homebrewers.  I was looking forward to it as I generally like a good Kolsch in the summer.

A Kolsch is traditionally produced in Cologne, Germany under some strict guidelines.  Generally, though, it is a pleasant lager, though fermented at close to room temperature, bottled and then lagered, or chilled to 32 degrees or so.  In making this beer and another more recent beer with the same instructions, we immediately stuck it into the refrigerator to lager.  However, when you bottle, you add sugar that reactivates the yeast which creates carbonation.  By refrigerating the beer, we were keeping the yeast too cold to act, so our beer was not very carbonated.

After doing some reading online and realizing our mistake, we removed the beers, brought them to room temperature, and shook them up a bit.  After seven to ten days, which is the typical time for carbonation, we refrigerated the beers again, hoping for a much better experience.

I am finally trying the beer again after letting it (hopefully) carbonate.  The flavor was good when we first tried it, even thought it was flat, so I am hoping for the best.

I have poured it, and it already seems much more carbonated, so I am excited.  It smells like the aroma hops we used, which are the Spalt and Czech Saaz.  There is a little sweetness in the smell, from the malts we used, I assume.  It is a lighter gold.  It is still not as carbonated as I would prefer, but the flavor is great.  It is very full-flavored almost immediately, with a sweet, fruity flavor.  Still, the flavor does not last and leaves a short, light finish.  It is a great summer beer, which is why we chose to brew it for hot weather.  It is very refreshing, though I think if its carbonation was as it was supposed to be, it would be even better. 

I do think I could find a better Kolsch recipe than this cloned one, so I look forward to trying some new recipes next summer.  While the weather is still warmer here, I will enjoy drinking this beer.

Beer 170 – Mother Earth

This beer was recorded as a Dark Cloud, but my notes do not indicate that I was drinking a Munich Dunkel.  From the description and my recollection, I must have ordered the Endless River.  My notes are limited given that this is a final beer, but it does appear this may have been a Kolsch, which is what it is advertised to be.

Anyway, this beer was light with some sweetness and citrus flavors that reminded me more of a wheat beer than a Kolsch, though a Kolsch can have a sweet flavor.  At first there was not much flavor, though eventually some malt and the sweet citrus taste I described came through.  While eating, this beer seemed to taste better.  However, on its own. the taste seemed to leave.  Basically, it is not a good beer for just sitting and drinking beer.  Still, when I tasted this beer, it was when Mother Earth was almost brand new, at least in the Raleigh market.

I give this beer 6 out of 10, and I look forward to trying this beer again.  I’ve tried to visit the brewpub in Kinston before, but it was Sunday and it was closed.  I look forward to visiting them in the next few months, however.

Beer 169 – Brasserie de Cazeau Tournay Black Belgian Stout

I apologize for the long delay, but life has been a little crazy since hitting beer 200.  Anyway, I am looking to catch up on all my beers, and move my focus to my own brewing and more brewery tours.  Micro-brewing, whether home brewing or small batch commercial brewing, is a huge movement.  Further, because the law changed in North Carolina right around the time the micro-brewing scene exploded, I think we have a unique opportunity in this state to experience beer made by people who really care about the craft. 

I am also considering drinking some beers outside of the U.S. and Europe, namely central and South America, the Middle East, Africa, and the like.  I think it may be fun to step out of the norm.  In the meantime, however, here is my take on another Flying Saucer Beer.

Brasserie de Cazeau Tournay Noire - This beer came in an 11.2 ounce bottle and is 7.6% alcohol by volume.  The beer was very dark when I poured it, but not a heavy beer in tasting.  It was difficult for me to pick out specific flavors, but there were some nice malts, and the flavor went quickly to the back of the mouth.  The beer was very effervescent and refreshing, so I would consider it a good dark stout for warmer weather.  The flavor is very full by the end, though still delicious and refreshing.  I would not consider it a traditional American or European stout, but I found it to be an excellent beer.  I give it 8 1/2 out of 10.

Beer 1 – Negra Modelo

Even though I still have over thirty beers to blog about, I will start my blog over with my new beers.  The fire sale today is the Negra Modelo, a fairly common Mexican beer, though behind Corona and Dos Equis in preference.  It is dark amber to red in color, with a small white head.  This is my third beer of the day, so take this into consideration in reading my review.  It smells much like a lager on th nose – light in malt and hops.  As noted by other beer drinkers, it is much darker than other Mexican beers.

This beer tastes immediately like a mass=produced beer, though not a bad beer.  It is somewhat full-flavored, though light.  There is a hint of caramel, with a little citrus, maybe lime, on the taste. It is a draft beer, so there is no lime in it to affect the flavor.  The malts are nice, especially in comparison to the recent hoppy beers I tasted along with.  It starts to develop a bitterness, but not in a typically hoppy manner. It’s bad to give this beer a high-ranking given its mediocrity, but a lighter beer is always a legitimate choice.  I would have this beer again just because it is cheap, but overall is it way off-balance.  Since my cheap beer preference is Miller Lite, I give this one 4 out of 10.

Beer 168 – Smuttynose Barleywine

THIS SHOULD OFFICIALLY BE BEER 200!!!  As I have said in previous posts, I am behind in blogging about them all, but this beer officially makes my 200th beer if they are all counted properly.  I have been to the Saucer a lot recently because I have been SO close, and it has finally paid off!  I did not meet my goal of doing it in the year 2009, but I think I did it responsibly.  I also enjoyed other beer experiences – tastings, brewery tours, and the like.  Overall, this has been a great experience!  Since I still have thirty some beers to blog about, this blog is far from ending.  So keep reading!

Anyway, Smuttynose is a decent brewery out of New Hampshire.  I have had several of their beers, and my recollection (which cannot be trusted when I have been drinking) is that I have enjoyed most of them.  I also have not blogged about many, if any, barleywines, so I thought I would go for it.  Rumor (aka the internet) states that a barleywine is merely called a wine because of the high alcohol content.  It is definitely a beer because it is brewed from wheat.  This barleywine is appropriately served in a snifter and is not very expensive.  It is dark amber, almost red, in color and clear.  It has a thick, though not very tall, head.  It is very hoppy on the nose with a strong smell of alcohol.

The taste is immediately full flavored.  While there is a strong bitterness, it is a little more balanced than some at first.  However, the aftertaste is very hoppy/bitter.  It is a little more balanced than the Stone Self-Righteous, which I also tasted today.  There is a little more sweetness which mellows the strong bitterness of the high-alcohol hops.  This beer is over 11% alcohol, so it needs some mellowness.  It is the 2009 beer, so it has sat for a while.  It is very nice though still maintains that bitterness at the end.  It’s very powerful and not for every day drinking.  Still, I give this beer 7 1/2 out of 10.

Beer 167 – Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale

This beer is a limited release from Stone Brewing Co. and is about 8.7% alcohol.  It is usually served in a 22 ounce bottle, but it is on tap right now at the Flying Saucer, so it is served in a snifter which is a much better size.  It is very dark with a thick, tan head.  The chinook hops are very apparent in the smell, as well as the sweetness that is common in high alcohol beers with hops. 

There is a little caramel in the flavor, though it is not sweet.  It just has that cooked sugar flavor.  Although it is not extremely high in alcohol, it is a hot beer, meaning there is a residual alcohol flavor.  The hops are very prominent, and not necessarily balanced with the rest of the flavor after the first couple of sips.  It is very full and strong flavored, though only medium bodied.  After further tasting, the residual sugars common in these highly hopped beers starts balancing out the hoppy bitterness.  Towards the end, the beer was still slightly off-balanced, but still delicious.  I would give it 7 out of 10, since, again, there are so many hoppy ales.  Still, it was a good beer.

Beer 166 – Old Speckled Hen

The Old Speckled Hen is an English Pale Ale.  It has a very heavy head, which is very traditional for an English beer.  It is dark amber in color with a foamy, white head.  The aroma is rather light, a little hops, a little light malt. 

In flavor, this beer is strong for an English beer.  It has slightly sweet malts and an immediate flavor of hops.  It is very well-balanced, though a little on the hoppy side which is balanced for me.  As I continue to taste, the beer gets more bitter.  This is a third beer so my thoughts are limited, but overall I think it is an ok beer, a little unbalanced towards the bitter side.  I give it a 6 out of 10.  I would drink it again, but I would not look for it.

Beer 165 – Unibroue Ephemere

At the advice of my waitress, I decided to try the Unibroue Ephemere as my next Belgian beer.  It is available only in a bottle right now.  It has a nice head, and is dark golden in color and cloudy.  It is flavored with apple, coriander, Curacao peels, and other flavorings, so I am trying a flavored beer and a Belgian at the same time.  The apple is somewhat prominent in the odor, and the spice also stands out a bit.

The taste is quite spicy and astringent.  It is not overly sweet.  As I continue tasting, the balance really starts to appear.  It is still a little sweeter than I would naturally gravitate towards, but it is so nicely balanced I really appreciate it.  Though closer to medium bodied, the mild astringency and effervescence make it a lighter tasting beer.  The apple is really starting to stand out, but is not overwhelming.  It is only 5.5% alcohol, so rather light for a Belgian style ale.  I think this is very drinkable and light for a Belgian, which can be a little too sweet and distracting in terms of flavor.  It gets harder and harder to rank beers, because there are so many different kinds, so many different flavors.  I think I have to give this one 8 out of 10.  I still do not prefer the Belgian style, but I would drink this again.

Beer 164 – New Holland Full Circle

Since Kolsch is a great summer beer, I thought I would give one a try.  This beer is from New Holland brewery out of Michigan and is a light golden color.  It has a nice light head and is clear.  The smell is not very strong, a little herbal and hoppy.

In tasting, this beer is PERFECT for summer.  It is light, crisp, and refreshing, to sound like a beer commercial.  It is not full mouth flavored, but that adds to the lightness.  I had to check the alcohol content on this one because it is going down pretty quickly.  I should probably get a glass of water or something.  It is 4.9%, so not bad at all.  This beer is just very drinkable.  I would definitely drink it again.  I still believe in sticking with the cheap, low alcohol beers (Miller Lite, etc.) for heavy (RESPONSIBLE) drinking, especially in the summer.  Still, this is a nice one to have several of and not have to worry.  It’s not a flavor bomb like many beers I prefer, but it really hits the spot on a hit summer day.  I give this beer 9 out of 10.  It is  nothing like most of my high-ranking beers, but it is really what I needed today.

Beer 163 – Breckenridge Agave Wheat

This beer looks like a traditional wheat, unfiltered and golden in color. It is mildly sweet on the nose though not in a wheatish way but maybe because it is flavored with agave.

The taste is not very sweet at all. The agave is mild, and the wheat does not have the sweet fruit of many wheats that I do not prefer. It is a lighter beer and nice in this weather. The flavor is mild, too, though still full flavored. There is enough bitterness from hops to make this a very pleasant beer. Towards the end, a little more sweetness comes out, but again the lightness of the beer makes it not overwhelming. I give this beer 8 out of 10 and would definitely drink it again.