What's the Difference? Share your side-by-side (2023)

I often think it's been a while since I did a comparison, and then when I check this thread, it's actually only been a week or two. Today, I see it has been over a month, so let's get into one.

Today, I have the chance to do a comparison I think I might've done at some time in the past, but a quick search of the site didn't turn up an obvious post. I didn't think I could've done one too recently, as I haven't seen either of these beers very often over the past few years. However, as noted in my NBW post earlier, Baltimore's Union Double Duckpin and DC Brau's On the Wings of Armageddon (OTWOA) are both available to me at the moment.

Going in, both of these beers are more classic American DIPAs - I might've classified these as west coast-style IPAs in the past, right or wrong. Trying to recall past experience, I expect Double Duckpin (DD) to be a little more citrusy and have a late bitter linger and OTWOA to exhibit a little more strength and be a little more bitter during the sip. Let's see.

Looking at the hops, DD uses Cascade, Mosaic, CTZ, Amarillo, and Galaxy and OTWOA uses Falconer's Flight and Citra (I could've sworn it was 100% Falconer's in the past, though I also seem to maybe recall stories of an issue with that hop's availability in the recent past... but I won't swear to any of this).


OTWOA is a little clearer, with a more classic golden body color, noticeably different than DD's orange-tinged slightly hazy body. Both have nice heads and good lacing. On the nose, OTWOA is a little more grainy and earthy, with some grapefruit rind than DD's spicy tropical and citrus notes. Based on the nose, I think my guess on which beer would have more bite might be wrong.

OTWOA has a sticky honey opening with a pine needle and woody bitterness laying under it, temporarily. As the hop notes open up, there's a little bit of spice as the malt and bitter notes co-mingle. Dry grass impression fades into the more pine than pith flavors that turn more and more bitter into the finish.

Double Duckpin does have a little more toasted note in the malt - a flavor that is a little more cereal and definitely less sweet than OTWOA. The sweetness that the beer does exhibit comes a little delayed and in the form of candied citrus and tropical fruit. Sweet is much more a relative term for DD, and the pithy bitterness of the hops regains control by mid-taste. There is a distinctive citrus flavor throughout this beer.

Both of these beers have me with a smile on my face as I drink them. I started with the DC beer, and thought, "This beer is going to be my favorite today."

Then I had the Baltimore beer and thought, "This beer is a little more approachable than OTWOA."

I go back and forth, as these beers are more distinct than I expected them to be. This sitting, I think I am leaning a little more towards the Union beer. I am definitely happy to have both in my fridge right now.

 

Haha... I happened to be paying too much attention to the other thread, glad you posted here.

Luckily the edits I've made and unmade have distracted me from my college team's travails.

 

Good morning, I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. I had a relaxing one with my parents and GF - lots of food, a few beers, and a couple wee drams of whiskey. Plus, I won at Scrabble (my mom usually kicks our ass, but I got some good letters late to pull away).

Today we both took off work, without plans to do anything. Apparently Black Friday isn't what it once was for brick and mortar retail, but we'll still be avoiding it. As such, I have a tentative plan to try to get in a few side-by-sides that have been patiently waiting in my fridge - mostly verticals.

The first is from a Virginia brewery, a year-over-year comparison of Bourbon Barrel GBS from Hardywood. The pours are fairly close in look, though the newer beer had more initial head buildup that had a little darker color (last year's is on left, this year's on the right)


The older beer has an impression of a chocolate liqueur soaked gingerbread cookie. It's nice that the added items that make this beer what it is still come through fairly well. In contrast, the ginger is much more prominent in the new beer. It sort of masks the other notes, which makes the older brother the better experience in beer aroma.

The ginger is front and center in the taste on the newer pour, but not as dominant as it is in the taste. Sweetness plays in more than I'd like, but the spice balances it well enough. The stout itself seems content to play it cool in the background.

Switching to the year-old beer, I'm a little surprised at how similar it is. The ginger has a little less sharpness / bite, but is still in front; it is also similarly sweet. The stout has stepped forward a bit, which I think is the main difference in the two.

Until I start thinking of the barrel. The older beer has a little more of the bourbon character than the newer beer - though it is light in both. There could be many reasons for this, but I think the newer beer's fresh ginger flavor has sharper elbows, jabbing into the barrel more deeply than the worn down and rounded elbows of the older.

The GF thought the older beer is a bit sweeter and thinner, with the newer one being thicker and more complex. I think the older beer is a bit more smooth and coating, so I sort of disagree on feel, though I think I understand what she is saying on complexity. She says she might like the older a little better. I think I might lean that way by an ever so slight margin, as well.

 

Ok, a little unasked for insight into one of my many flaws. I think others share this, but sometimes I leave beers in the fridge to have for a special scenario or time and it just never seems to come up. A special case within this is that, with these comparisons, I sometimes think I bought a version of a beer that I didn't. Because time goes by faster as I get older - pretty sure physics and maths prove this.

As such, I did not buy this year's version of this next comparison, which I saw fairly recently, thinking I had 2023 Narwhal in the fridge already. I do not. I don't have any not in the fridge, either. But I do have a lot of both 2022 and 2021. That gives me a little backup considering:

• I washed the glasses from the previous tasting
• I might not have rinsed and drained them as well as I tried / thought, given
• the heads fizzled away quickly in 2 of 4 glasses (mine), and quicker than expected in the other two (the GFs)

Oh well, the comparison:


It was interesting watching the bubbles I may have killed rise from the grave slowly - each beer's black mirror evolving a galaxy of bubbles that foamed for a whiff before fading. The 2021 beer held up a little better in this regard. It had a licorice and sassafras note to it before some roasted coffee came in. The 2022 was similar, but more muted.

Both beer flavors were less rooty / spicy than their noses offered - though the older beer hung onto them a little more. The main difference is a dark roast coffee in the 2021 versus more of a dark fruit medium roast in the 2022 (which seems to match notes @unlikelyspiderperson got in his 2020). The newer beer, to me, came across a bit more sweet, with the hops seeming a tad more spicy compared to the 2021's piney bitterness.

This comparison was easier to choose for me, as the older beer's obvious piney bitterness stood out. The GF chose the same, even though she found the newer beer sweeter, which is generally the one she picks in stouts. She got a slight smoke in the aftertaste of the 2022, and found the 2021 "more drinkable, whatever that means."

Overall, the 2021 seemed more of a classic American imperial stout, while the 2022 seemed to have a little bit of Belgian strong dark ale in the mix. Independently, I think I'd quite enjoy the 2022 for this, but aside the 2021 today, it was a relative step down.

 

Ok, pacing seems fine, but my palate is still getting a little fatigued, but I have at least one more after lunch. The GF enjoys this beer more than I do, but I've slowly come around to appreciating it more than I once did - Bell's Hopslam.

The newer beer has a best by date, versus the previous year's package date. The latter is somewhat ironically dated about two year before the more recent release's best by date (also a bit surprised I've had the "cellared beer" for about two years).


The older beer's body looks a little more clear and amber than the newer, which has a bit of an orange tinge. The older beer initially foamed a bit, and has a looser head structure than this year's batch.

There's a bit of oxidation in the 2022 packaged beer, but its smell of slightly stale grass and grain isn't horible. It actually has a character that is easier to discern than the newer beer. The fresh beer has an expectedly much fresher aroma, of citrus rind and, oddly... cucumber?

After tasting the old beer, I figured this wouldn't be much of a matchup. And the opening note of the first beer seemed to confirm this. The middle of the two beers were more similar, though the piney bitter end and linger of the fresh beer was at least a notch above the more oxidized finish of the older beer.

For an IPA, Hopslam seems to have held up about as well as one could reasonably expect. But I can't figure I'd intentionally age it (I didn't intentionally hold the can I show here).

 

Thanks for taking the reins, @beergoot - I had to go for slightly sweeter drink as I while away the day. I was most curious on your rating scores on the nose - as I would probably reverse those scores based on the notes you supplied. Definitely some big hitters where the nuances can be magnified for the good or bad, for sure. Cheers!

 

Okay, since the NCAA football committee decided to just throw together match ups they wanted to see, I figured I'd do the same. Unlike the committee, I feel my selection of beers won't be questioned by much of anyone, since it fits in within the expectations of beer comparisons - a typical mini-vertical.

I have pulled out two more of my Sierra Nevada Narwhals, from 2022 and 2021 (since - as mentioned a couple weeks ago, I forgot to get a 2023 Narwhal). The beers were bottled in August of their respective years.


I poured the older beer (left) after the younger, so the image does show more head for the older one, but that is not out of context with what I saw. The older beer was a slightly darker tan in color, built up just a little more, and held on just a little longer.

The newer beer has a more powerful nose, with charred malt and a mild amount of hoppiness. The older one is a little more of a rooty vibe, with a hint of licorice; though there's a bit of this in the 2022, the previously noted aspects push it to the background. There's a little bit of oxidation coming though on the older beer.

The taste parallels the nose, especially in boldness. The 2022 has deep roasted malts covering a pine woody bitterness. There's a little bit of a bite in the finish - vaguely but not quite that licorice noted specifically in the older beer's nose. The 2021 has less carbonation, giving it a bit of a longer life than the newer beer. The oxidation level is a little more obvious than the nose, but not too bad. I'd say the 2021 is a bit more of a lighter dark roast with faint caramel aspects relative to the bold, intense roast of the 2022.

In this sitting, I am leaning towards the 2022 (which is the opposite of the GF's choice, to my expectation). The perceived bolder and hoppier beer happens to be more fitting to my palate today. There's just enough perceived oxidation in the 2021 that throws a little dent in its performance, as well.

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Looking back after typing this up, it is odd the outcome is almost the opposite of what I found about 10 days ago. I am positive I didn't mix up the glasses today, though I'm pretty certain I didn't last time, either. Seems like another tasting may be in order this season to see if I can determine which I may truly prefer... "on the field," so to say

 

I try not to complain

 

The GF has had a tough couple days at work, so I decided to pour some beers today. Granted, I'm also asking her to compare them - and they aren't beers of a style she particularly likes. She's not complaining too much, though.

So they "style" is a "spruce IPA" - with the two beers being Masthead's Sleigh All Day and Dogfish Head's Pennsylvania Tuxedo.


I only quickly checked the style of Sleigh All Day, though a little looking shows the mention of a "red IPA" to help clarify my surprise it was darker than the solidly amber Penn Tuxedo. Both heads were eager to top their beer, and wait patiently for me to dig in.

Neither beer exhibits a lot of the featured ingredient in the nose. Both actually seem almost malt driven or at least balanced. There's a toastiness with a hint of mineral and general citrus in the Masthead beer, and a bit of grapefruit-specific citrus in the DFH beer. We'll see if this changes much with warmth.

First sips of Sleigh All Day ends up a pretty dry feeling, quite bitter beer with a typical red ale malt profile that offers a medium toast with a very thin spread of berry jam. However, the emphasis is on the hops - quite piney and a little earthy, with the spruce tips coming out late in the taste.

First sips of Pennsylvania Tuxedo show a beer that is a little sweeter and a bit lighter. The sweeter impression I think is more the perception of the lack of the strong bitterness the Masthead beer has than it is a measure of relative residual sugars - as the brief malt note I get from Sleigh All Day isn't devoid of sweetness. Flipping the nose a bit, Penn Tuxedo actually shows a relatively more generic citrus - a mix of orange zest with a thin slice of grapefruit.

The spruce tips in the DFH beer come as the more dominant bitter note, with a lighter, fresher evergreen note than the pine-heavy Masthead beer. There's a near spearmint quality to the late notes in Sleigh All Day, and the spruce actually seems a little harder to pick out as I sip; the opposite is true of Pennsylvania Tuxedo.

So, in the end, if I am looking for a more classic bitter, hop-forward IPA from a few years ago, I might grab the Masthead beer. The DFH is a little more nuanced and balanced, but the spruce shines if you don't drink it at refrigerator temperature, and I find myself liking it a bit more as I finish this comparison. The GF basically agrees, picking DFH by a slight margin.