What’s the Difference? Share your Side-by-Side (2021)

Ok, in an attempt to dominate this thread, no one has ever done this before...


I also gave the GF the same three blind - first pours, though I think I decanted mine pretty well stopping as the sediment became visible in the neck of the bottle. All poured with a fairly significant effervescence that allowed me to pour slowly and view the sediment easily.

It's been so long since I've had any of the Rochefort, and just a bit less for the St Bernadus - so I have only vague preconceptions. Spoiler alert - they turned out to be true.

So the Rochefort 8 was the least sweet and relatively most bitter. It was also lighter and less full. It definitely has its place, but its a bit out of it compared to the other two.

The Rochefort 10 and Abt 12 are pretty close to each other - I think Rochefort 10 s a tad sweeter with a little more sweetness to the dark fruit notes. The Abt 12 has a little more tang - red wine grape, perhaps, comparatively.

So, I am liking Rochefort 10 a bit more than the St Bernadus tonight. I gave the GF the beers blind, and she liked them in reverse order from me. She thought Rochefort 10 was "more bitey" - which is odd to me, but a perfect example of how all our palates are different.

 

I must admit I did not - as I mentioned I got a little more pumpernickel bread than [multi-]grain toast relative to the other two against which I was comparing. As a follow up, I will say I was actually a little bit surprised the Port City was closer than the von Trapp to the Ayinger.

 

In my opinion on of the 'features' of conducting a side-by-side tasting is that certain subtle beer qualities may be more noticeable as part of the compare/contrast aspect. It would be interesting to see whether the flavor of chocolate/cocoa would have been as noticeable if you just drank the Ayinger Dunkel as a standalone beer.

Cheers!

 

This post reminded me of the three-way side by side of St. Bernardus 12, Rochefort 10, and Westy 12 last summer for my birthday - all three were about 2 year old bottles:

While the Westy was the lightest in color, the flavor profile was about the middle of the other two in terms of boldness and sweet/dryness. St. Bernardus being much sweeter, and Rochefort being dryer and a touch roasty to balance the dark malt flavors. But all three being super smooth and enjoyable overall.

 

Nice!

Interesting you noted St Bernardus being "much sweeter," which was not what I experienced - not that either of us is wrong. On the other hand, I could perhaps see an aspect of "more roasty" based on what I recall from last night.

One day I'll get to delve into a Westy XII - and if I get more than a couple, I can see me doing something similar. Cheers!

 

How old was your bottle of St. Bernardus? In post #126: "all three were about 2 year old bottles".

These beers (Quads) will indeed evolve over time with a notable change in flavors (and other qualities).

Cheers!

 

Coded 16 06 24 - I'm guessing best by mid 2024? The Rocheforts had mid-2025 dates.

 

I know St Bernardus uses a 5 year best by date. I think Rochefort does as well on the 8 and 10.

 

So, it appears this beer would have been 2 years old in another 4 months.

Also, the conditions in how a beer is 'cellared' (e.g., temperature) will influence how a beer evolves with age.

Cheers!

P.S. And for completeness each individual's palate is different so there is this aspect as well.

 

I like this thread and try to post when the timing aligns and I drink 2 beers at the same time that are similar enough to compare.
I also generally don’t like to cross-post.
Any yllib sent me 2 of the greatest NEIPA’s on this site and I got to try them back to back.
King Jjjulius & Juice Machine.

they look extremely similar...

King Jjjulius
4.6/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

12 day old can courtesy of yllib.
Look: orange juice. Creamy fluffy head.
Smell: orange sherbet, ripe papaya.
Taste: papayas, mango, orange sherbet. No alcohol presence. Minimal resiny bitterness.
Feel: perfectly juicy, but not so much it is filling or thick.
Overall: very impressive. This is the kind of neipa I am generally critical of. Too sweet, not bitter enough. This is perfect despite lack of bitterness. Treehouse is just masters of this style IMO.

Juice Machine
4.58/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

5 day old can courtesy of yllib.
Look: pure mango deep orange juice. Fluffy creamy off white head.
Smell: tropical, stonefruit.
Taste: papayas, mango, orange sherbet, cream, grapefruit. No alcohol presence.
Feel: juicy, but not so much it is filling or thick. Slightly dry finish.
Overall: another great neipa from treehouse. Pretty soft and sweet but no unpleasant. The freshness is a huge bonus.

 

A little impromptu side by side when I realized I still had a scrimshaw left

scrimshaw is a 1/03 packaging, pFriem is 2/01

Scrimshaw is also a fridge staple for me (I even brought a couple on vacation since I knew it'd be at least one night before i could get to an Oregon beer store!) But pFriem is brewery and pilsner that I know and love.

A: the head contest is a blowout to pFriem, great staying power and wonderfully pillowy. Scrimshaw is nice but soapier and dissipated much faster. After the head clears the pFfriem is a touch paler, scrimshaw is surprisingly rich amber/gold.

S: scrimshaw is rich malt and slightly grassy. pFriem is honey and flowers. Edge to pFriem but I know the age difference is at play here.

T: surprised that scrimshaw took the narrow win here, full doughy malt flavor with a nice herbal bitterness. So well balanced. pFriem is delicious too but the malt is a bit thinner and sweeter. Also, while I thought (think) of pFriem as a crisp beer I am startled at how much crisper the scrimshaw tastes.

F: another nod to scrimshaw. Better carbonation lending to a slightly lighter experience on the palate.

Overall I'm kinda stunned by the result. I know I love both these beers but expected that I'd like pFriem better (especially given. The age difference in this tasting). Maybe just a case of taking the fridge staple for granted.

Thanks for the thread, I should do more of these

 

Are those paper/cardboard coffee cups?

 

Haha yes they are. The only cups offered at the hotel and I wanted the "glassware" to be equal

 

Lol. I guess you have to work with what you have. Being at a hotel explains it.

 

I've seen 12 packs of cans, apparently contract-brewed by Gordon Biersch but can't find or they don't have dates on the box(?), so I've passed them by. North Coast beers on the east coast have been somewhat notorious for being old for many years... in NJ, they're distributed by Black River Traders which carries a lot of not particularly popular brands - and I've never been too impressed with their brands' freshness.

 

It's in NJ in Total Wines and Buy Rites but again freshness is the big question