Two Tettnangers In A Microbrew
Against The Grain Brewery

 

Sight - Carb is low. Red color. Because of the 2 day old growler - low head retention.

Smell - Sweet, Floral, Citrusy, carmel, herbal, perfume.

Feel - light and smooth

Taste - chocolate, nutty, carmel, floral, piney, citrus

has the smell and taste of an APA.

served in a mini snifter.

est. temp: 38

So, what's there to do with more pilsner and munich malts and a ton of German and New Zealand hops than is needed for a single batch? Where the ordinary brewer would say to make two batches of beer. But we never said Against the Grain is normal, now did we?

It turns out that their overzealous pilsner gives in to its Vienna lager roots with a medium amber appearance that looks similar to honey. Firmly carbonated, an eggshell white foam separates from the beer beneath and caps the beer assuredly, as to lace the glass intricately- much like an IPA.

Hoppy like an IPA, the nose registers hops immediately- but not with the typical American citrusy profile, yet with a spicier, grassier, and somewhat stemmy scent of freshly shreaded bark. Lightly lemony and gin-like, the herbal hop nose evokes the sense of sassafras and lemongrass. Delicate in its perfume yet rugged in its woodiness, the hops are a certain standout above the savory toasted notes of baked bread and woodish nuttiness.

Acting in reverse order, its the taste of malt that rises first. Elegant crusted bread flavors deliver the taste of fresh baked bread/ bread crust but without the tangy dough flavors that are usually accompanied. Lightly nutty, seemingly of pecan, it's these flavors that perform the bridge that is the perfect segway to the discussion of hops. And that's where all the spicy, twiggy, and juniper flavors rise at middle palate and carry the beer into a tannin-rich bitterness of raw french oak and perfumy sandalwood. It's a very straight-forward flavor, much like an IPA, but simply done with traditional German lager ingredients- just with the proportions all mixed up.

And like IPA's, the malt sweetness and malty weight are suppressed in order to allow the hops to shine. And that allows for a terse creamy upstart that quickly gives way to hop dryness and mild leafy astringency. The more the hops grow, the further the malts recede until all that's left is a malty-dry snap with minty warm alcohols- all pushed along by the resiny dryness from hops.

I have typically had a soft spot of these kind of hoppy ales, those that use lager-employed malts such as pilsner and Munich, because they are drier and lighter in their taste and drier in their texture. This allows for a much more vivid showcase of hops- which for IPAs is where the attention belongs.