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

Boneyard Bone-a-Fide next to Melvin Hubert

They look really similar in color, but there’s a noticeable difference in the head. Bone-a-Fide‘s head dissipated quickly with very little lacing left behind. Hubert’s head appeared much thicker and more creamy, and lingered for much longer. Pouring temperature might account for such a big difference. Bone-a-Fide is a bit more opaque while Hubert is surprisingly transparent.

Bone-a-Fide‘A aroma has it all. An even play of sweet malty backbone and dankness with waves of citrus. There’s an underlying fresh green character reminiscent of Fremont HFD—don’t know where that comes from but it is awesome. Hubert is clean and crisp bright citrus, not much else.

They taste much more different than I would have imagined. Hubert is lively pithy bitter and citrus up front that slowly fades into subtle sweetness. Lingering citrus. Bone-a-Fide is clean and complex. Citrus and fresh green dank carry through the entire sip, sweetness never dominates and is very well balanced. The lingering resinous bitter is even balanced with a subtle cloying sweetness.

Overall, Hubert checks all the pleasant citrusy pale boxes but lacks in complexity. Bone-a-Fide is not as lively but brings all sorts of nice subtle complexity.

Really nice to compare some APAs side by side. The differences were unexpected and not sure I would have noticed them on their own.

 

You'll get a good head in a Teku with most beers, so not comparable IMO

 

Great thread. I'll do an IPA vs IPL on the weekend. 99.9% I like the IPL better (all good attributes of an IPA + crisper) but we'll see.

 

I went through a 4 pack of JA Kiwi Rising last weekend that was the most enjoyable hoppy beer I've had since the holidays. Might be worth checking out if you can get it.

 

Just for a larf I decided to check out the ratings here on BA and saw that it's the #1 beer of the style. So I guess I'm not exactly sharing any secrets here, lol...

 

Regular PtE vs DDH PtE...
These beers are very very very similar.
If I did a double blind test I would likely fail to choose the correct one.
The differences.
DDH has a very slight haze to it vs traditional which was crystal clear. Head retention and foam the same.
Traditional has a stronger crisp pine nose, whereas ddh has a bit more dank catty smell.
Taste is very similar.
DDH has less carbonation.
Overall: PtE is a classic I’ve had countless times. DDH version is fun to try but I think I prefer OG. They’re so similar though, it really comes down to personal preference.
Cheers.

 

Ok, a surprise entry for me tonight. Mainly because I realized this was my last can of 2019 Barrel Aged Narwhal. What surprised me is I a) recognized this and b) recalled I wanted to do a vertical with a bottle from the remnants of my cellar.

First note: I don't know what year the bomber is, but I'd guess 2016-2017 range.
Second note: the bottle spent all but the last maybe 6 months in a dark but inconsistently cool cellar.
Third note: the can spent probably half its life in cellar/fridge

So, let's have a look...


Ok, in the photo, the head of the canned beer doesn't look to bad, even though I poured it, realized I wanted to compare these, recovered the comparison beer from the aforementioned cellar fridge, and poured it immediately before the picture.

And after I typed all this up - the heads on both beers sport a thick collar - maybe not 70s polyester style, but not far from it.

There's a little bit of an umami aspect to each - though it's stronger on the newer version. Surprisingly, the bourbon note is a little more poignant in the older beer - perhaps because of the umami note. Deeper in, I think the roasted notes are stronger in the newer canned version as well.

>> Overall, there's a little more depth to the newer beer, but I like the simpler notes I am getting from the bottle.

Roast, burnt toast that has a hint of char morphs into a pseudo-soy note greet me in the glass that holds the canned beer. It has a decent bitterness to it, and the bourbon seems to add mild notes of light brown sugar and a hint of bourbon-and-coke mixed drink.

Dark chocolate, very dark roast coffee, and a familiar (from a couple seconds ago) roasted barley come from the older bomber. The bourbon is a little sharper and stands out a little more distinctly in this beer relative to its competitor. There's a little fizz that accentuates a similar bourbon-and-coke note to the newer version.

>> I'm digging the older bottle a bit more, it oddly seems more defined with the edges of the flavors more crisp

I think that enjoyment might be the feel, in a way. The newer version is a slight bit heavier and thicker. This seems to server to maybe blend the flavors a bit more.

This can be a good thing if the notes are otherwise conflicting. But the notes I am getting in the old version are complimentary, and getting to experience each a little on their own is more interesting to me. And, actually the GF agrees with me (in enjoyment factor, she couldn't care less about the other 1000+ words I just typed up).

So, I must say this BA Narwhal held up pretty damn well. I really like the base beer as well, and happen to have a mini-vertical (of past 2 years) regular Narwhal that I plan to post here eventually. I'm sure y'all can't wait.

 

I posted the below earlier today in the New Beer Weekend thread:

Let’s Lager Up!

A fellow BA very generously sent me a beer I never had before: Red Oak HopGarten Bavarian Pils.

I am very much looking forward to drinking this beer since I have had other beers (lagers) from Red Oak in the past and I have very much enjoyed drinking them. Those beers were Hummin’Bird Helles and Bavarian Amber Lager.

On the can Red Oak proudly proclaims their brewing ethos:

“Fresh lagers brewed under the Reinheitsgebot … 1516 Law of Purity. Bavarian malted barley, noble aroma hops, lager yeast and naturally carbonated. Unfiltered, unpasteurized, no preservatives. Fresh, pure and wholesome. Real Beer.”

I went to the Red Oak website to see if there are additional details on this beer and I found:

“Style: Bavarian Pilsner

Barley: Barke

Hops: Spalt and Saaz

Alcohol: 5.3% ABV”

For today’s NBW I will be conducting a pseudo-blind side by side tasting of this Red Oak beer with another Pilsner I have in my fridge: Mainstay Poplar Pils.

The brewer/co-owner of Mainstay Brewing is Brian O’Reilly who was the head brewer of Sly Fox until a couple of years ago when he left to start Mainstay. I am very familiar with the various high quality lagers that Brian brewed at Sly Fox and to a lesser degree the beers he has brewed for his new brewery of Mainstay. This is the first time I have purchased Poplar Pils in cans.

Some information about Poplar Pils from the Mainstay website:

“Imported malt from Bavaria combines with Tettnang and Hallertau hops to create a bone-dry brew with a bracing hop forwardness.

Hop & Malt Profile:

Bavarian malt; Tettnang and Hallertau hops.

5% ABV”

For this tasting I solicited the help of my wife to pour these two beers into two Polish Pilsner glasses and while I can see the beers I have no prior knowledge of which beer is which: pseudo-blind like I made mention earlier.

As they would say in Bavaria: Oans, zwoa, drei, g’suffa! (one, two, three, drink!)



Appearance

Left: Straw yellow, crystal clear with a white head.

Right: Straw colored, very slightly hazy with a white head.

Aroma

Left: Mostly bready but with some herbal hop aroma as well.

Right: Mostly sweet-ish Pilsner malt aroma but there is a hint of herbal hop aroma too.

Taste:

Left: A combination of bready malt and herbal hops (more noticeable as on the nose) with a moderate bitterness.

Right: Mostly sweeth-ish Pilsner malt but with some herbal hop flavor and a moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel

Left: Medium body with a dry finish.

Right: Medium body with a dry finish.

Overall

Both of these beers are very good. I thought that the left beer was a bit more balanced between malt and hops vs. right but frankly I enjoyed drinking both of these beers.

The BIG reveal: the left beer is Red Oak and the right beer is Mainstay.

My wife was intensely watching me taking notes throughout this tasting session and I asked her: what do you think? As she drank one beer vs. the other she muttered: “The two beers taste very similar” and “I really can’t tell them apart”. So, I asked the ultimate question: “Which one would you like to finish?” She kinda shrugged her shoulders and picked the Red Oak beer. No bad choices here.

Cheers!

 

That was the first time side by for me, it was very interesting. If I would have drank them a day apart I’m sure I couldn’t tell any difference between them, both were outstanding. Side by side only the finish separated them. I should just do thumbs up, thumbs down or a sideways thumb for an average beer. The small subtle notes are better left to more sensitive palates than mine. But even at the higher price the Hanabi would still be an occasional buy.

 

Please do.

And as you can read in NBW maybe my wife screwed up which was which for my tasting? I would be interested in the appearance of the Red Oak HopGarten.

Cheers!

 

Doh, I have come to learn that I was screwed up here. The left (clearer) beer is Mainstay Pilsner and the right (slightly hazier) beer is Red Oak Bavarian Pils.

Thank you to Dale (@nc41) for his help in setting the record straight.

Cheers!

 

Lol, purely by accident, as it’s all relative when you do side bys.

 

Repost from WBAYDN #3052

Another old world / new world matchup. Andechs Vollbier Hell vs Schilling Paulus Helles. Both tip the scales at 4.8% abv. Andechs is slightly lighter and clearer. Andechs has aroma of grain (homebrewers who mill their own know this smell) while Schilling is has a slightly more sweet aroma. Taste follows the nose, with a slightly more grainy flavor with the Andechs. Paulus has a slightly fuller mouthfeel, but is very drinkable. While I very slightly prefer Andechs (perhaps more if I could get it as fresh?) I think these two are very evenly matched.

 

I did a Pilsner tasting tonight, and the three that I included are as follows:

North Coast Scrimshaw
Dinkelacker CD Pils
Sixpoint The Crisp

I was mainly interested in the Scrimshaw, and the other two candidates were chosen because they were the best available at the time. Troegs Sunshine Pils was on the shelf, but was past the freshness date.

Still, as is always the case, it was instructive to do this kind of thing blind and I was actually surprised with one of the results..

I didn't do the cuvee option because I was by myself tonight and it is hard enough to pull off a tasting like that as it is. .

Here's the initial pour after randomizing with my super high tech white background grabbed at literally the last second just to give a better impression of the colors:

#2 was noticeably paler than the other two.

#1- Mild aroma of bread dough, spice, lemon zest and something a touch sweet underneath like white raisin.
Great lean yet muscular mouthfeel and crisp dry finish, with a superb snap of bitterness.
Flavor is mostly bready/crackery with some hop spice on the finish. Good beer, solid B+ (3.8)

#2- very gentle aroma with a nice blend of cracker and hay.
Similar lean yet muscular mouthfeel as #1 but a bigger snap of bitterness. Flavor is more crackery with a good dose of hay riding all the way through. Made with finesse but still could have more oomph. Better than #1 but still a B+ (3.9)

#3- most potent aroma but also pretty coarse. Dominated by spicy hops with a resiny edge, mostly white raisin underneath.
Neutral malt profile lacking breadiness. Very hop driven flavor more evergreen than spicy, coarse and aggressive. Doesn't feel like a Pilsner, but does finish nicely dry and bitter. Okay beer, even on its own terms. B- (3.25)

Time for the reveal:

Oddly enough the same order they started in , funny how that happens sometimes.

I was surprised with my reaction to #3, and even more surprised to find out that it was the Sixpoint. I remember enjoying it more in the past and was kind of pegging that one as the Scrimshaw in my mind.

The bottom line, though, is that the Scrimshaw fared quite well placed up against a good German beer and should see its way into my rotation more often.

Cheers, all!

 

I knew 3 was Sixpoint when I read your descriptions. The dry-hopping with American hops makes it an instant outsider regardless of the European hops also used in it.

 

I feel like it also spoke to me as #3 by the way the lacing clung to the glass. It is definitely a hoppier pils and the protein show

 

I suppose you guys are right and maybe my memory is faulty, but I remember it being more like Prima in a way and not as "American" in its flavor profile.

But now, yes, it's more of an IPL.

 

I do believe they also “updated” the recipe? Does Shane still frequent BA? I don’t remember his handle