Notch Brewing (2018)

I mean I tend to agree with you, I'm a bit over the haze craze myself. I still like a good NEIPA, but I'm not trying to catch them all like I was 2 years ago.

But a year or two ago I would have disagreed with you, and plenty of craft geeks are at the phase I was then. I definitely get the appeal.

We can all agree pastry stouts are bullshit.

 

Decoction will never be the next dry hop. Decoction makes beer taste like beer. DDH makes beer taste more like wine coolers.

Whatever the next thing is to make beer not taste like beer will be the next trend.

 

You've been drinking some strange wine coolers.

 

Ha I thought the same thing. But still, delicious malts will never be the rage. They're not flavors universally loved. If they were, some of the imported Pilsners would be rated as high as New England IPAs.

Many of the imported Oktoberfests utilize decoction mashing and make wonderful products that hit the shelves here in good condition and fresh enough to be rated highly...but they're not.

Many will argue decoction mashing isn't necessary in today's brewing, but for my palate many of the lagers that use this technique have a depth to their malt profile's that are markedly different than those that are not.

For example, as much as I dig Notch Pils, "The Standard" on tap at the brewery might just be my favorite beer of 2018 (different ABV's aside). The creamy mouthfeel alone from that beer is enough to make one swoon. It looks like whipped cream was dolloped on top of the beer.

And the flavor...a smooth, sweet breadiness, with unmatched depth...and not a hint of harshness. And as a bonus it had a great hop bite to it as well, not overly done, and just enough to balance the beer out.

 

Ok then alcoholic juice. You get what I’m saying. Everything thats “fire” right now in beer are processes/ingredients that make beer taste less like beer and more like some sweet juicy drink or dessert. Overly hopped IPAs with no bitterness, insanely high fruiting rate kettle sours, and thick sweet stouts filled with adjuncts that make beer taste like your favorite after dinner dessert.

Love me some fine lager beer made in the traditional way. Decoction makes a difference, as does cold fermentation, natural carbonation, and extended lagering times. It’s so rad to see US craft breweries embrace these ideologies when making these beers. So many craft “Pilsners” in the US are so horrible. Made in the same way a brewery would turn and burn a 2 week hoppy beer with maybe 1-2 weeks lagering and that’s it. I was back east twice this summer and while I had some of the best executions of pils/Helles I’ve had in the US at HF, Suarez and Notch I had way more hazy overly hopped terrible “Pilsners” than I ever could have imagined.

Love what Notch is doing! One of the breweries that inspires me the most.

Got a single Decoction Pils that’s on week 4 of 6 lagering in the fridge and about to Krausen a double decocted Helles of my own.



#lagerislife

 

Which breweries made these?

 

Depends on how much you intend to drink. If you're sampling one pint, a ddh IPA packs a punch of flavor and abv. If you're looking to session-drink beer, anything Notch does is the way to go. I'm not going to compare Notch to a Trillium or Tree House because what they make is very different. If I'm at dinner with friends, an Infinite Jest is what i'll pick. If I'm at a beer-centric gathering with flights, I'd prefer the latter two.

 

Point taken. Though as a former wine geek, the path that beer popularity takes could be the same as the trend in wine to make overly extracted, fruit forward wines (meaning that the OJ IPA trend would always play a role). In my example, I suppose that pilsners would be Burgundies (many california Pinots have extracted fruit to compete with Cabernet palates, so only French Pinot would fit). The big Cab or a big Aussie Shiraz (you can pick) would sit in the same camp as a BA Stout or a NE IPA, where austerity is hardly a common description. The parallels don't exactly fit as the highest rated (or most expensive) wines are Burgundian, but that might just be due to the more formalized/professional rating system for wines. Beer is still generally rated by the masses, otherwise Pilsners would certainly have a higher standing.

There are just still so many people who haven't tried a NE IPA that I think there is plenty of runway. This is largely due to distribution, but also due to the dominant presence of Inbev and other mega breweries.

 

I love a good DDH IPA, but I also love to drink four beers and not have to crawl to bed.

Thank you, Notch.

 

This sounds amazing. Single decoction neipa with Hallertau Blanc, Mandarina Bavaria, and Huell Melon

 

While it does sound good, I'm curious the reasoning for using decoction mashing for a New England IPA.

Personally I can't pick up on much from the malt profile in a New England IPA, but maybe that's just me.

@ChrisLohring

 

Decoction is the new lactose. Joking aside, we really don't know the impact yet, but wanted to try it. If we brew a Voll IPA again, it will most likely not employ a decoction for comparison.

 

The Standard is exceptional. One of the best pils I've had in a long time

 

I believe The Standard is the double decorated version of session pils

 

The Standard is twelve Plato whereas session pils is ten Plato. Besides the starting gravity I think the two are very similar.

 

I'd be curious to taste the two side by side in a blind tasting, see if I could pick out the differences in the malt profiles. Or more generally, see if I like one more than the other.

Just off the top of my head, when I have a New England IPA that utilizes Pils malt as opposed to something like American 2-row, I don't notice the Pils malt. The only difference in the one that would use Pils malt is it's lighter in color.

 

I think they'd technically be two different styles. Notch Pils being Světlé Výčepní (lower gravity; e.g., 10°) and The Standard maybe being Světlý Ležák (moderate gravity; e.g., 12°).

And I think the Czech's would call the weaker one a Desítka (ten) and the stronger one would be a Dvanáctka (twelve).

Here in the US we just call them all "Czech Pils" or "Bohemian Pils", which isn't accurate at all. That would be like simply calling all IPAs in the US, "American IPAs", when there's clearly a difference between say, a West Coast IPA and a New England IPA.

Sessions Pils uses Saaz too, while The Standard uses Sterling. Not sure if there's any difference in the malt profiles whatsoever though, as one is listed as using "floor malted Czech Pils malt" and the other is simply "Pils". I'd guess they're both the same.

If I recall correctly The Standard at least appears filtered, while Session Pils is not.

All that being said, their web site says that The Standard is a "step up in strength from our Session Pils".

I just know that The Standard on tap at the brewery is a "Nectar of the Gods". Not sure how to say that in Czech.

@ChrisLohring can probably correct any of this, as I could be off on some parts...except the Nectar of the Gods part

 

I think @mrmattosgood nailed it with decoction being the new dry hopping.

 

Well done! This is 100% accurate: Notch Pils being Světlé Výčepní (lower gravity; e.g., 10°) and The Standard maybe being Světlý Ležák (moderate gravity; e.g., 12°).

Session Pils is Saaz, Standard is Sterling (for now, that hop is being phased out by growers). Malt is slightly different, as we want distinction between the two. Both the Standard and Session Pils are unfiltered.

We also have two other Czech Pale Lagers (Pilsner) in rotation at the Tap Room - Tenner, triple decocted 10P; and At The Swans, double decocted 11P.

 

Really want to try more Notch stuff but just way out of the way for this south coaster.

The one time I was in Salem last year Notch was closed