What’s The Difference? Share Your Side By Side (2024)

Ok, so on to that vertical I was thinking of last weekend, Bigfoots at half-decade intervals. The newest if 0 half-decades old, and the oldest sits at 10 years old. This 2014 came in a vertical box purchased from Sierra Nevada during COVID. I think they offer similar boxes on occasion, if anyone wants to check it out.


Anyhow, I took a little care in pouring the bottles in an attempt to decant them without any sediment that may be in the older beers. At the end of this, I'll likely check what's left in the bottles. I can say that the GF's glasses show a little bit of haze in gradients you might expect considering her pours came after those in the picture.

I noted as I poured that the head on the 2019 beer was a darker beige than the off-white coloring on the 2024's foam. I then lost focus and didn't really pay close attention to 2014, though I think it was about the same as 2019. It is more likely the lighting, but the 2014 looks just a little lighter of a rust color than the others.

Starting aroma comparison with the 2024, it has an aroma that promises a bit of alcohol, though it's enveloped by amber malts and earthy pine notes. Moving to the 2019, the malt brings more caramel in its profile and a little less booze. There is a small bit of oxidation in the earthy pine here. The 2014 extends the oxidation that is on even footing with the core notes; it also brings just a little tang into the mix.

Reversing course for tasting notes, the 2014 is a bitter amber brew with the makeup of said quality being shared by earthy, piney hops and oxidation. Tannic tea, a hint of spice, and pine wood and dry needles - it's always fairly impressive how this beer holds up.

The 2019 is actually a little more smooth, with a lighter amount of overall bitterness. It has a slightly more floral persona than the relatively earthy 2014. I'd liken it to fresh tea leaves in 2019 versus dried tea leaves in 2014.

The 2024 brings back assertive bitterness, maybe a tad less than the 2014 up front, but definitely more in the finish and linger. I think blind I'd easily be able to pick out this as the freshest of the three. I'd say where 2019 seemed more floral than 2014, 2024 seems a little more fruity than 2019.

The GF is giving her opinion as I finish those notes. She finds the 2024 to be "perfumy" and easily counted out the 2014 as not her favorite. She was waffling on whether she liked fresh or five year old Bigfoot more.

Even though I said I was mildly impressed on how the 2014 held up, I agree with the GF that among these, it is just a little bit less enjoyable. Do I enjoy the classic west coast bitterness of the 2024 or the relative balance of the 2019 more today? Again I am parroting the GF, I can't decide. Let me get to the bottom of things and report back.

---

As I exhale as the clock went under 7:00 with UVa "clinging to" a 20+ point lead, my glasses sit near empty and at cellar temp or above. The malt in each has mounted a comeback a better than Louisville could muster, though the newer beer remained hoppy bitter overall. The choice of favorite I think comes down to whether I want more of an American barley wine or a strong American IPA.

I just can't make that decision today, so I combined the two newer beers. That worked out pretty well, though it oddly seemed to add a lime pith sort of citrus note into the mix. So, what the hell, add in a little of the 2014, and that was a bit of a mistake. A brighter beer got weighted down by the oxidation effect.

In closing, the 2014 and 2019 dregs were just that. The last ounces of the 2024 were still pretty clear. The very ugly older remnants weren't bad - and the 2014 was actually somewhat tasty - there was a little more sweetness that seemed to be missing from the cleaner pour.

Another long one from me, though it did take me a little short of two hours to complete, reducing my words per minute efficiency a tad

 

I love when you side by side @cjgiant , and your Bigfoot review was exceptionally enjoyable!

I have five 2020 Bigfoots in my cellar per my inventory confirmation on Friday, and it sounds like I better get to them. I typically like bitter beer over sweet, but when it comes to certain selections like Bigfoot, I do enjoy them more aged then fresh out of the gate to balance things out better, at least for my palate!

Cheers!

 

I concur!

 

Unfortunately, it appears Bell's has discontinued, or at least paused production of, Third Coast Ole Ale.

 

Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing that announcement. Darn...!

 

Here's two AAL-adjacent beers that probably aren't directly comparable but close enough in that they're meant as 'crafty' substitutes.


Braven Bushwick Pilsner is meant to be in the style of the NYC local brews of the 50s and 60s- stuff like Piels and Trommer's, that were reputably hoppier than their contemporaries. Still made with a good percentage of corn, and sharing a philosophy closer to the pre-pro classic American Pilsners than what you see from the major brewers of today. Bushwick is a neighborhood of Brooklyn, where many of these brewers were located.

It's pretty full bodied for the style yet the carbonation is coarse and soda-like. I appreciate the crisp finish and zippy undercurrent, which would suggest some kind of acid rest. The malt flavor is also coarse, unfortunately, and along with the corn seems to come across as resembling corn flakes. Bitterness is pretty forward for the style and is probably this beer's saving grace. There's also a funky hop flavor that doesn't quite fit.

I must admit that I was expecting a lot more from this beer. Even evaluating it visually you can see that there are fundamental brewing issues at play, especially in terms of the overall protein makeup (hazy, and carbonation feel.) It's now contract brewed in Rhode Island, and doesn't resemble the same beer I remember from 5 years ago when it was made by the original owners. A very disappointing C (2.5) and borderline drain pour.

On the other side of the spectrum is Bonesaw Silver Queen. They're calling it a Golden Ale, but it's made like an AAL with 20% NJ white corn. Essentially a cream ale. Now I'm really glad that I did these side by side, because it's stunningly obvious that everything wrong with the Braven is done to perfection in the Silver Queen. It's literally textbook in terms of mouthfeel carbonation and lacing as I drink the glass.

A zippy pH quality is here too, though a lot more subtle than the other brew. Malt is nicely crackery, with gentle corn coming out on the finish. It's really dry and crisp, yet never comes close to feeling watery. Bitterness is really snappy and perfectly woven into the profile, very much in the Goldilocks zone. Hop flavor is noble hop spice that works hand in hand with a touch of delicate fruit from the yeast. It's hard to pin down, but I'm thinking kiwi and/or pear.

Wow! This beer absolutely exceeds my expectations, and at $10 a sixer is a genuine bargain. A legit A (4.5), but could even go higher as I get more familiar with it.

 

Michael,

I discussed Braven Bushwick Pilsner in a NBS thread back in 2017.

“On the bottle they provide the following information: “Brewed and bottled by Releta Brewing Company, Saratoga Springs, NY for Braven Brewing Company, Brooklyn, NY”. So, this is a contract brewed beer.”

I enjoyed drinking that beer but as I noted in my post:

“Overall

I enjoyed drinking this beer. If I had to choose a single word to describe this beer it would be malty.

The flavor profile of this beer is more reminiscent to me of a Vienna Lager vs. a Classic American Pilsner.”

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-sunday-week-657.538051/#post-5651210

It sounds like this Rhode Island contract brewed beer is a step backwards?

Cheers!

 

Yeah, it's very disappointing, Jack. I've had it numerous times in the old days, usually on draught, and quite liked it. And I was very happy to see that they kept the brand alive, too.

 

Side-by-side! Unpeated on the left, peated on the right.

Lupulin Sword Maiden Scotch BA Imperial Porter, 11% ABV. Pours thick and black with a one-finger light-brown head that left no lacing. Aroma is smoke, bourbon, maple syrup, and chocolate. Taste is scotch, maple syrup, chocolate, smoke, moderately sweet, slightly bitter, no burn. Decent mouthfeel, overall world class.

4.52/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5


Lupulin Sword Maiden Scotch BA Imperial Peated Porter, 10.8% ABV. Pours thick and black with a one-finger light-brown head that left no lacing. Aroma is smoke, bourbon, maple syrup, chocolate, and peat. Taste is scotch, maple syrup, chocolate, smoke, peat, slightly sweet, slightly bitter, no burn. Decent mouthfeel, overall world class.

4.46/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5


OK, I know I'm supposed to to say the peated version is better, but when it came right down to it, I preferred the smell of the unpeated. I don't hate the peat, it's just that it cloaks the smell of the other ingredients. Both are outstanding. I also rediscovered that I'm not a big fan of smoke. Without that I would have rated these even higher. Note that the two glasses are the same brand and model, but look how different they are due to being hand-blown. One is taller, the other is wider.

 

The world needs more Scotch barrel aged beers, IMO - based solely on the fact that I’ve had one I really liked and I’d like to see if there could be more. I’m a tad jealous you were able to get a side-by-side of two of them.

 

My wife wasn't as excited to see me drinking two beers, and pointing out that it was a side-by-side didn't help any.

 

Maybe it was triggered by the fact you didn’t share?

Or the time you spent analyzing the bottle shapes

 

Nah, she's not much of a drinker, and certainly not beer. I'll tell her she needs to smell or taste an epic beer I'm having and she revels in always saying "it tastes/smells like beer". But she has helped me shop for beers on out-of-state beer-runs, and has never balked at the prices. Go figure.

 

We actually went to the movie in the early 80's.

 

BTW, I LOVE peat, when done well. I had a Robroy (with an aged peated) vermouth a few years ago, at Argos Inn in Ithaca, NY, that blew me away.

 

This was my second peated beer. The first was a peated maple bacon scotch ale that I got a growler of for only $1. A store had it on the shelf for a month so they offered it to me for $1. It was excellent.

 

Bringing this back to the top...

I have one can left of Sierra Nevada Hop Bullet, Magnum Edition. So I decided to do a side by side with Torpedo. Not the most original idea, but hey, whatever



The color is obviously different right away.

Hop Bullet: Pale yellow, foamy head. Very aromatic, with plenty of citrus. A nice bitterness, with substantial sweetness. Though plenty bitter as well, the citrus seems to lighten this up just a bit. It is an older can, so not as vibrant as when I first had it, but still plenty hop character.

Torpedo: An orange color, with foamy head again. There is a citrus like component here, but more pine and resin like. More chewy, with some caramel like malts, but lingering earthy bitterness.

Body wise, Torpedo holds up with Hop Bullet, and Hop Bullets alcohol heat is nowhere to be seen, so they tend to match up on that end. Even with some differences in ABV of course. No clear favorite, both really good beers, and always have to love Sierra Nevada.

 

Side by side of a quad from Florida and the Christmas version of it: Infinite Ale Works West Floridian and West Floridian Christmas. West Floridian is in the vicinity of 1.5 years old, and no idea about the West Floridian Christmas.

Appearance: Christmas is way, way more carbonated, has a big head, and impressive retention. Color and clarity are very similar.

Smell: Christmas is dominated by the spices, the underlying quad is there but peeking out of the corners. Non-Christmas is more in the traditional vein (surprise) with dates / figs, but something darker and more bitter.

Taste: Non-Christmas follows its same pattern, traditional dates and toffee, but again with the dark bitter note throughout. Christmas is a fascinating balance of Christmasy spices with the dates and dark bitterness, but again, the headliner of this show is definitely the spices.

Mouthfeel: Both fairly similar -- not as heavy or sticky as I was expecting. Christmas might be a bit chewier.

Overall: They are very, very different beers, though they definitely have some family resemblance.