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

So all this time I should have been drinking a Hamms with a lime?

 

I set up a battle of the 24oz cans for tonight, and the competitors are:


Genesee Cream Ale vs. Pabst Blue Ribbon

I did this blind, not knowing what was in each glass.

#1- Doughy corn meal flavor with a fruity undercurrent, almost like grape soda. Moderately full feel with a crisp finish. Decent bitterness. Pleasant overall.

#2- Bready malt flavor that leans a bit crackery, but also kind of diluted. A ghost of corn is present. Crisp and dry with spicy hops on the finish. Could use more bitterness but the dryness works in its favor and the perception is probably higher than it really is. Overall a really nice "light" type beer.

I think I know which is which at this point, and fruity does seem to point to an ale. But if I had to get one again it would be #2 just edging out #1.



So yes, that would be PBR in the #2 glass.

Both of them are still welcome in my fridge, however, and on my walls as well.

 

I was skimming back through this thread looking for posts on the same beer I am planning to do a vertical of this weekend and came across this post.

For the BerrAdvocate IPA Fest, we got to try DDH Pliny, and I really enjoyed it as the closer to that first night. Then a couple weeks ago, I got to have some regular Pliny on tap. As I drank and totally enjoyed it, I recalled enjoying the DDH better. Now, I cannot tell if it was the experience of the IPA Fest (enjoying the beer with a couple folks), my palate difference on different days, or just plain memory doing what it does.

That all said, my memory of the beers matches the notes you wrote up on both, so all that is in question is the aforementioned which would I like better side-by-side? Maybe one day...

 

To make it more confusing I’m pretty sure Pliny for President is supposed to be the same as DDH Pliny. I found I liked P4P better than DDH or the regular version.
I’m sure there’s slight batch variation, and a thousand other factors that affect our perception at any given time.
Thanks for reading my reviews.
Cheers.

 

I have had Pliny the Elder many times over many years but solely on draft. My last pint of Pliny the Elder was about a month ago. FWIW I have found this beer to vary notably. Sometimes I find it to have a very vibrant and enjoyable aroma/flavor and on more than one occasion I had draft pints that had zero (and I do mean zero) hop aroma. Both from my personal experiences but from my various readings it seems that Pliny the Elder has a short window of time in which it is at it's peak of flavor (perhaps just a couple/few weeks). I have got into the practice as regards draft Pliny the Elder to request a small sample pour prior to ordering a whole pint.

I have no experience with bottled or canned Pliny the Elder but from my readings these products also have a short window in which they are 'fresh'. I would think that to do a proper side-by-side of the various Pliny the Elder products the cans/bottles should be at the exact same age and also have been treated/stored under identical conditions.

Cheers!

@zid @bret27

 

I think I've read that Pliny is available in only one or a few places in Philly, so I'm wondering if your experiences have been at the same place? Is it likely the place has regular deliveries of fresh Pliny and good storage practices?

I tend to agree with your assessment about a specific window in time that Pliny is at it's best, but you can say that about any/most/all beers. Pliny's window could be shorter, though.

I've had Pliny several times in bottles, and all were mind-blowing except the last time a few years ago it seemed to be a very average DIPA. I've never paid any attention to the date on the bottles to make any freshness connection. I just acquired a couple bottles, so I'll be very curious to see what I get out of them.

 

Ok, I have a fun task ahead, hoisted upon me by... me. I got the vertical pack of Bigfoot from Sierra Nevada to help get my tally up to free shipping when I ordered the Pale Bock from them. I happened to also have two vintages in the house, bringing the total to six beers

I could side-by-side. I am not so bold as to try them all in one sitting. I will start with these three (2011, 2016, and 2021) and see if there's a direction I want to go with the other options (2014, 2015, 2019).


There have been other Bigfoot comparisons in this thread, I found @o29, @snaotheus, and @Snowcrash000 added to this thread during the barley wine tasting thread. I will compare notes with their posts at some point after I finish mine.

So, bookend and split the past decade, and you have the beers I poured first. The 2016 had the creamiest head. Different style glasses were used, but this difference held up over time. The 2021 had the least head production. The GF mentioned one of the three was "boozy" and revealed it was the 2011.


2021 sip first, and it brought a nice blast of bitterness atop a mildly sweet malt base, producing a bit of earthiness but really a lot of pine with a little bit of grapefruit. The hops don't leave my palate for a little while, and require a sip of water to clear things up.

Flipped to 2011 next, after some additional sips of water. As expected, there is considerably less bite to the bitterness. There is still noticeable hops, they just provide a little bite on the edges versus an all encompassing mouth-drying bitterness of 2021. There is more toffee and citrus in the 2011, but still some pine in back. There's also a nice lingering PNW hop aftertaste. I like this quite a bit.

Oddly, on first sip I felt the 2016 was sweeter than the 2011. It had a lingering bitterness similar to the 2011, though the hops came through stronger during the taste. So this had a sweeter opening than the 2011, but a more bitter counter, ending in nearly the same spot after the beer left my palate.

There's a little more brown sugar and pine needles to the 2016 vintage compared to the 2011, where the 2021 had some brown sugar candied orange rind with a whole pine tree in back. 2016 had a little fuller mouthfeel than 2011, while 2021 seemed a little thinner, relatively.


So, in sweetness, it goes high-to-low: 2016, 2021, 2011
In bitterness, it goes to expectations: 2021, 2016, 2011
In enjoyment, the 2011 stood a little above; then I gotta go with the 2021 edging out the 2016 (the perceived extra sweetness was the deciding factor).
The GF liked the 2016 (I wondered if she might, especially if she perceived the same relative sweetness level), then 2011 and 2020 in a tight race.

As feared, these small pours are enough for me tonight. I'll take these notes into a future tasting of the 2014 and 2019 and see if they help fit the beer into any pattern when added to these three.

 

Nope. Lots of places obtain PtE in the Philly area. I had a glass of PtE earlier this evening in Conshohocken, PA.

I am happy to report the PtE today was very good - excellent. A very expressive hop aroma/taste.

Cheers!

 

Battle of can vs. bottle - Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier

A couple of weeks ago in the Online Tasting: Wheat Beers (June 18-20) thread I discussed my first time having Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier from the can. A bit of a repeat from my post in that thread (with emphasis in bold this time around):

“A couple of weeks ago I discussed in a NBW thread the fact that I am seeing more and more German beers in cans and I discussed a canned Paulaner Hefeweizen beer. In that post I made mention of:

“I am a HUGE fan of Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen and I have been searching for the new can version of this beer but to no avail.” A week ago I made my periodic trip to my ‘local’ Total Wine & More store (Claymont, DE) to buy some wine. While there I strolled through the beer section and to my surprise & joy I saw a four-pack of cans of Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier. I immediately picked up a pack and put it into the cart (maybe I should have bought more?).

On the label of the can is listed:

“The World’s Oldest Brewery

Brewed in Bavaria Germany since 1040”

Hindsight being 20/20 I suppose I could have purchased bottled Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier to conduct a side-by-side taste test. Perhaps an exercise for some other day.”

Well, today is that day! I purchased a sixpack of Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier and I will see how this beer in these two different formats tastes. I will not be doing this blind and in past correspondence with Chris (@zid) I speculated that maybe a difference is the can might not be can conditioned while the bottle is bottle conditioned?

First some ‘housekeeping’ on the two beers:

· On the bottom of the can it lists “01.13.2022” which I presume means a best by date of Jan. 13, 2022. And if we assume a one year best by duration this beer was canned on Jan. 13, 2021 (so a little over 5 months old).

· On the bottle label it lists “5081”. And pulling out my handy-dandy Little Orphan Annie decoder I reckon this beer was bottled on Feb. 15, 2021 (so a little over 4 months old).

The bottled beer is a bit younger but in the big scheme of things these two beers are basically comparable from an age perspective. I personally use a 6 month cut-off for purchasing German imports so these two beers are ‘fresh’ for me.

Let’s drink!

Served in my Polish Pilsner glasses (which have a sorta Hefeweizen glass shape):

Appearance:

Can: A hazy golden yellow with a large billowing white head.

Bottle: Ditto

Aroma:

Can: A pleasing combination of clove and banana. The aroma is more vibrant in comparison to the bottle beer.

Bottle: There is a combination of clove and banana but there is also ‘something’ in the background which represents an ‘off’ aroma for my palate. It sorta reminds me of a stagnant pond.

Taste:

Can: The flavor follows the nose with clove & banana being front and center but also the aspect of wheaty malt as well. There is a low bitterness.

Bottle: Ditto

Mouthfeel:

Can: This beer is medium bodied and smooth with an off-dry finish.

Bottle: Ditto

Overall:

Can: This beer is very good - excellent!

Bottle: This beer is very good too with the exception of the ‘off’ aroma aspect previously discussed (which is very subtle).

For emphasis I should point out that I did not perceive any difference in these two beers as regards mouthfeel.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH @Bierman9

 

A side by side of Czech style pilsners from two relatively new Tampa breweries…on the left “Král” from Magnanimous Brewing and on the right “Failsafe” from Woven Water Brewing:



Král

The beer pours gold with excellent clarity; thick whit head and very good cap retention; heavy ring; spots of lace on agitation. The nose is spicy floral hops. Taste follows nose with spicy hops, baked bread and semi sweet malt; very little bitterness; floral hop finish. Light clean crisp feel; moderate minus carbonation; light body. Overall, very well balanced; very pleasant nose and taste; quite enjoyable.

4.5 | 4.25 | 4.5 | 4.25 | 4.5

Failsafe

Pale gold/straw pour; thin white head quickly retreated leaving a small island of micro dots; poor cap retention; thin ring; spots of lace on agitation. Subtle semi sweet malt with a hint of citrus nose. Taste is light bitter hops, grainy sweet malt and a touch of lemon. Light clean crisp feel; medium minus carbonation; light body. Overall, the beer seemed out of balance, and as it warmed it tastes buttery; otherwise a very easy drinking beer and enjoyable.

4.0 | 4.0 | 4.25 | 4.25 | 4.0

In sum, I liked the Král better. I enjoyed the spicy hops and on the whole it was, to me, a better crafted beer. My brother and I split the beers and he liked the Král better too. Of interest, he thought the second beer was hoppier in the nose but he also picked up notes of pencil eraser…I would gladly drink either again. Cheers!

 

Yours | War Horse Brewing Company | BeerAdvocate
Mine | War Horse Brewing Company | BeerAdvocate

War Horse Brewing, Geneva. NY packages a mixed four-pack with "Yours" and “Mine”. The stated intention is for these beers to be blended, as a St. Valentine’s release. "Yours" is a Stout and “Mine” is a Wild Ale.


What follows is a review of each on its own merit, and then blended 50%/50%. This was conducted 17 Feb 2021, and I only just now got around to typing up the notes.


YOURS

Look:
Yours - is clear, very dark brown (SRM 31-33) with milk chocolate
highlights. The head is thin, fine, and beige. Spotty lace is left
on the Pretentious Beer Glass Co. pint glass, after the head
quickly becomes a ring.
Blended - is almost clear dark cola. Again, no head, while the film
is markedly thinner and less clinging to the glass.

Smell:
Yours - opens with sweet/bittersweet chocolate and rich fudge.
Light roasted malt gives way to blackberries.
Blended - the berries are softened, with light sourness added.
Chocolate and malt dominate the background.

Taste:
Yours - Bitterness is modest, while sweetness is mild, effectively
overwhelmed at first. Chocolate fudge is contrasted with the
roasted malt, vs. the compliment from the aroma. The finish
is long and building, with roast at the core being mitigated by
berries at it warms.
Blended - added sourness while bitterness is diminished a little.
The finish takes-on a medicinal cherry flavor which strengthens
with warmth.

Feel:
Yours - has a medium body and silky texture. Alcohol is as expected,
as is the light fizzy carbonation.
Blended - brings on a medium body and slick, silky texture.
Carbonation is modest, and alcohol is as expected.

Overall Impression:
Yours - is a decent Stout, and more dessert oriented than savory.
Still by no means a Dessert Beer.
Blended - is also good, and a fun experiment. However there
was no special transformation as hoped, or frankly as advertised.


===========================================================

MINE

Look:
Mine - is almost clear, candy apple red, with no head. There is a viscus
film on the Pretentious Beer Glass Co. pint glass.
Blended - is almost clear dark cola. Again, no head, while the film is
markedly thinner and less clinging to the glass.

Smell:
Mine - has a sweet/sour fruit punch aroma of cherry, raspberry, and
strawberry. There is a distinct dustiness.
Blended - the sour berries are softened, yet still present. Chocolate
and malt dominate the background.

Taste:
Mine - is sweet, as suggested by the aroma, with light sourness being
elevated. There is a modest brine, with raspberry and strawberry,
while the cherry is gone. The finish is long and modest.
Blended - the sourness is diminished while bitterness is added.
The finish takes-on a medicinal cherry flavor which strengthens
with warmth.

Feel:
Mine - has a surprisingly modest body and soft fluffy texture. Presence
of alcohol is well above expectations, and the carbonation is high.
Blended - brings on a medium body and slick, silky texture.
Carbonation is modest, and alcohol is more in line with the stout's
reported 6.3% abv.

Overall Impression:
Mine - is a decent fruity wild ale. While enjoyable as an aperitif, I don’t
see another suitable occasion to have this beer.
Blended - is also good, and a fun experiment. However there
was no special transformation as hoped, or frankly as advertised.


===========================================================

As an aside, I played around with different proportions, and found the higher ratio of Stout to be more to my personal liking, than the straight "Yours” and/or “Mine" or the 50% blend.

 

A pair of DIPA's from Finch Beer Co. In Chicago.

Skull Hammer
3.7/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a 16oz can.
L: Cloudy but bright orange, with a small eggshell colored head. Lotsa' sediment in this one.
S: Fruity and sweet.
T: Citrus and mango.
A: Medium body, nice carbonation.
O: I'm under the impression that Finch considers this a New England style IPA, if so, it's the first one I've tried and it won't be the last. This was solid, but I'll take their Hardcover Chimera over this one.

Harcore Chimera
4/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy gold with a huge white head that lasts. Incredible lacing.
Aroma is piney and citrus.
Tastes of orange and grapefruit.
Smooth, creamy texture.
This is one I look for every year. Really good stuff.
May 04, 2017 Edit Delete

 

So this just happened, lol!

Natural Ice vs. Corona Extra, canned versions.

What could lead to this particular pairing, you wonder? My parents hosted a major shindig last weekend for the 4th and this is what the younger generation was drinking. Well...if you call "shotgunning" drinking. On the way home this Monday I snagged a can of each because, what the hell, you know: why not try something you'd probably never come across any other way?!

I also am curious if my own beers ran out, could I have been fine with either of these two? No need to do this blind because I really have no horse in this race; I just want to see if I like either of them.

Corona Extra: really crisp yet washed-out tasting. Not much there, exactly, but thankfully nothing off tasting either. Slight corn tortilla quality on the finish, which is more astringent than bitter.
Overall it's inoffensive, and I really had to take big gulps over half a glass to register any flavors at all, really. Does not bring "beer" to mind either, except in the vaguest terms. I can, however, see how something like this could be popular just for being so neutral.

AB Natural Ice: definitely more flavor than the Corona, but not as crisp either, with a rounded and hearty-feeling palate. Flavor is still light but present, dominated by wonder bread and corn meal. Unpleasant twang on the finish. No hops to speak of, except as a barely perceptible bitterness. It could be a lot worse, but it's still something I'd rather not have again.

I guess Corona wins this battle by playing it so safe it's barely there.

Still, the remainder of these cans will go to good use catching slugs. No sleeper winner here, I'm afraid.

 

My kinda post. I wonder what you'd think of Corona Familiar.

 

If they sell them in the big single cans I could actually be convinced to pick one up some day. Do you think it has more character than the Extra?

 

They do...
I do.*

*Well, I wouldn't use the words "more character" though. I'd spin it by saying that it feels less compromised as a beer, but that reaction might be a very weird take. Keep in mind that people here argue about if it's the same beer as Extra.

 

For a second I blanked and thought he was drinking Familiar, which was a surprising winner on a day when I taste tested a few AALs. Interesting someone used the same reasoning as @TongoRad for a "favorite" - from the linked post:

 

If you really want to properly compare Extra to Familiar you really need to conduct a blind triangle taste test. Maybe do this more than once?

Cheers!