What’s the Difference? Share your Side-by-Side (2022)

Here's a quickie:

Side by side: Troegs Nugget Nectar and Double NN.

There's definite similarities but as you'd expect the Double has more alcohol oomph, a really fresh leafy and chewy hop quality, and some brown sugar sweetness on the finish. It even makes the regular version seem bitter by comparison.

Overall they're different enough to make trying the Double worthwhile.

 

Gosh NN is one of the most beautiful beers. I had one the other night and couldn't stop staring at it. I was hoping to try double too but no luck at the two stores I shop at. Though i'll be honest the 9.5% kind of scares me, any heat to it?

 

Definitely some heat but not obnoxious or anything.

I found it at my local Bottle King, if you're near one.

 

So I bought a single of each. Cape May/Workhorse and Workhorse/Cape May collabs. Here they take basically the same beer, hops, malts, etc (but apparently not the same ABV) and make a west coast ipa and a black ipa. They look and smell very different and taste different. While they share a piney aroma and taste, the black ipa is somehow thicker despite a lower ABV and has more roastiness than the regular ipa. The regular ipa is clear with more of a bitter hop taste. Both are great for different reasons.

 

I had a draft pint of Cut from the Same Cloth earlier this evening at the Workhorse Brewing taproom. I enjoyed it. It tasted like a Black IPA (but it is an IPL).

Cheers!

 

Sorry Jack but the can says the final product is a black IPA.

 

I spoke to the bartenders and this beer was brewed with lager yeast at cool temperatures (50 degrees F).

This detail is listed below: "Brewed with German Malt and Lager yeast..."

 

Yup and it also says it’s a black IPA, not a black IPL. Just saying. Just look where it says cold fermented India pale ale right above. Right there on the label.

 

To quote the bartender: "It's just marketing crap since people don't know what IPL means."

But you are a smart guy, you know better.

Cheers!

 

A comparison of two local Lagers that have impressed me on multiple occasions.

Both served at starting temp around 49 degrees.

Odell- Colorado Lager -My score 3.56

L-The look of the beer is a pale straw color with a short low head due to the careful pour. Slightly more transparent than the Wibby.

N-On the nose I get a bit of fresh baguette and maybe a little spicy hop note and a whiff of sulfur, but that goes away quickly and is instead replaced with a musty note as the beer warms.

T-Tasting reveals a slight sour note that keeps the malty sweetness on the very low side. There is a slight apple note and little hop bitterness, but you know it is there along with a more prevelent musty note as the beer warms.

M-Lots of fine carbonation and medium body with some slickness on the finish. Seems lighter than I remember and is in comparison to the Wibby.

O-Overall surprising that the malt and hop notes come across as more subdued and lighter than I remember. It is well balanced and not sweet yet comes across as a slightly lower quality beer than the Wibby.

Wibby- Home Team Pilsner Lager – My score 3.69

L-This beer is a darker and richer looking hue of gold with slightly more head.

N-Very little hits the nose a bit of greenish hops and that is all

T-At first some sweetness envelopes the edges of the tongue with a light metallic, lightly dry hop streak down the middle. I get hops that lean more toward pine and earthy than fruity.

M-High carbonation with lot of fine bubbles and a medium feel with some slickness. In comparison a slight bit more body than the Odell.

O-Overall nicely done with some good round malt notes and a nice subtle bitter ending.



It will be nice to compare the Wibby to some other locals like River North or Elevation.

I am glad I tasted these together. My original reviews reveal a bit more notes coming through on both, with the Wibby now tasting less like my year old notes of the review. I like both and with the Odell coming in at almost half as much in cost, it would normally get the go ahead to the rotation list, but the musty note is its weak point.

 

This side by side is one I'm excited about and is wholly due to the generosity of two tremendous fellas. @bret27 sent me the SARA brew unnannounced like a boss and @SFACRKnight reached out and made every effort to get some bierstadt lagers in my hands..


The contenders are Sante Adairius Rustic Ales - Little Bit helles lager out of Santa Cruz, CA and Bierstadt Brewing - Helles lager out of Denver, CO.

For those of us not up to speed, Bierstadt is one of the preeminent producers of classic old world lagers in the country (so I've been told, @SFACRKnight has provided my only first hand experience. Bless his heart.) and SARA is among the most respected producers of saisons, mixed fermentation beers, and general american craft styles on the west coast. I do not believe I've tried any lager styles from them. Suffice it to say, my expectations are high!



(Ya, I know, my glasses aren't beer clean. We can all deal with it together ok?)


Well, right off the bat, the SARA brew was a bit of a dud. Slightly hazy and hosting a tepid and soapy head that barely lasted for the whole pour. The Bierstadt brew, in stark contrast, offered up a massive cumulus of white sticky foam rising like a welcome source of shade over a crystal clear summer day of golden beer.

The nose followed along with the SARA brew offering up a mild and somewhat muddled aroma that was pleasant grainy sweetness while the Bierstadt brew presented a crisp and bready aroma.

The mouthfeel saw the distance begin to shrink. SARA has a soft and light feel while Bierstadt presents a little bit crisper on the palate. And in taste, there was a similar experience. The SARA beer had a very pleasant white/French bread character, but didn't bring much complexity. The Bierstadt beer brought that white/French bread character along side a bit more of the crusty/toasted note and a pleasant touch of grassy crispness.

Overall, this comparison gave me a great insight onto the differences between American brewing and European brewing, or maybe it's just a difference of ale brewing vs lager brewing. The SARA beer was very enjoyable and refreshing and I wouldn't hesitate to order it on tap, but put beside the Bierstadt beer you really see how a pale lager can be elevated to an elegance that is often reserved for the more complex styles that SARA specializes in. From the marketing photo worthy appearance to the extra level of complexity in the aroma and flavor, it offered everything the SARAbrew did, plus!

Both very enjoyable beers and both artifacts that prove exactly why BA is the best place on the internet. So grateful that I was able to try both of these beers compliments of the generosity of two wonderful BAs

 

I'd expect a bierstadt saison to fall short of SARA. I should have taken notes, I had that death and taxes next to a strange Gateways. Totally different beers, each very drinkable in their own way.

 

Ya, I definitely think it's a case of two great breweries meeting in an arena where one specializes and the other dabbles.

Both very enjoyable beers, Bierstadt just takes it to an elite level in the style. I may try to track down a fresh German example ( he said with a straight face knowing that's never happening before the desire to drink the tasty helles eliminates them from the fridge). But my local watering hole recently had Weihenstephaner Original on tap, and I can aver that this Bierstadt beer reminded me of that beer very favorably

 

I was on the lookout for the Black version - but even though my local beer store has a good selection of both Workhorse and Cape May beers, they didn't have it. I guess the distribution was limited.

 

Maybe keep looking? I saw it in a couple places only and they didn’t have a lot of four packs.

 

Glad you enjoyed it and you’re welcome. One thing to consider with all SARA brews is water. The Soquel water is very hard. This adds a minerality to their saisons that are their signature and most people love.
This same water has given them trouble with IPA’s, and I heard it was a few years before they dialed them in.
As far as lagers I can’t say if it makes them better or worse. It likely makes them so they don’t check all the boxes for traditional styles though.
Another recommendation is Hell from Wondrous (I don’t think I included that one).

 

Any particular reason they can't adjust their recipe depending on what type of water they have for each type of style they desire?