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

A rainy day with just enough of a nip in the air to think a quick vertical of a barrel-aged winter release stout would be in order. The down side? I am not sure how old the older, larger format bottle of Bourbon Barrel GBS is. I believe it is two releases before the smaller bottle, which is from this past winter, so a 2020 vs a 2022. I am more certain it isn't older than 2020 I am that it is only a year (and a half) old, whatever that is worth.

I guess I could try to research when the Hardywood font might've changed from serif to sans, but I am not that motivated. We also have a format difference in the comparison, but it seems easy to say that any differences from that would be dwarfed by what changes are caused by age and batch differences.


Counter to what is visible in the photo, both beers had a decent sized head that fell fairly quickly to a medium thick ring - the older bottle might even be the slightest bit more appealing on that front.

Initially, the ginger is more prevalent on the newer beer, with the older beer seeming a bit more vanilla sweet without the bite the rhizome brings. As I start to notice the ginger in the older beer, it seems more mellow and integrated in the overall aroma of the beer. Relatively, the ginger in the newer beer is a bit sharper; this version also has more of a coffee aroma than its larger ancestor.

The older beer is a bit more creamy in feel. It has more bite from the ginger than I expected, even though I expected a little bit from its appearance on the nose. The newer beer has a little more carbonation and seems just a little drier on the finish than the older brew. I want to say the bourbon extracted from the barrel is more pronounced in the older bottle, but it could be that the ginger bite is hiding the barrel more in the newer stout.

These are pretty close, and the GF was struggling to decide which she liked more given her similar perception. She ended up choosing the newer bottle without a lot of conviction. I lean the other way with similar reticence. In the end, I think this basically just confirmed that I can feel okay aging this beer - one of my top couple beers from VA - for a couple of years.

 

@ESHBG - always like seeing a comparison I might be able to replicate to compare notes on top of comparing the beers. So far doing so has not caused any comparison overload for me.

@beergoot - glad to see another comparison of the Boston Lager recipes. It seems to me in how you described them that the slight differences you noted are more due to changes in recipe rather than the slight difference in age - perhaps excluding the carbonation levels. Would that be accurate to how you assessed them?

 

As predicted, @TwentyDimes - a comparison of American versions of Czech Pilsners, one from each of our coats, sorta (guessing the Summerfest in my possession was brewed in Sierra Nevada's NC location, but didn't check - pun unintended until I realized it was one). The Sunny Ridge suffers from about 2 months of age differential at least (the date is non-existent on the Jack's Abby can, but late January to early February is what I recall).

Also, it turns out this is my last Sunny Ridge. Perhaps unlike @Bitterbill, though, I am expecting a return of this beer next year. But enough build up, let's get to the comparison...


As the picture shows in nice outdoor light, Sunny Ridge is more amber orange than Summerfest. The clarity is more deceptive, but Summerfest does seem a bit clearer as I get into the comparison. Perhaps age is affecting things, but Summerfest easily produced better head, sustaining itself better as well.

Relatively, Summerfest displayed more fresh and sweeter bread in its aroma compared to Sunny Ridge. The latter seemed a tad fruity in the comparison, with both displaying a promise of a balancing, yet indistinct, bitterness.

In judging taste, I sipped Sunny Ridge first. It's very light toasty note (typing in retrospect) is what makes this beer work for me. Trying the Summerfest second, I miss that note. But, I like what I am getting in the Summerfest.

Here is where I asked the GF her thoughts (blind as is often the case). Summarizing: I don't like one better. They do taste different. [Summerfest] is a little more bitter.

I almost, kind of, agree with her on the bitterness, but can't decide if it's a factor of pure bitterness, freshness, or contrast to the opening. The listed IBUs would indicate the latter (28 for Summerfest, 40 for Sunny Ridge). Summerfest does seem more light and crisp, with Sunny Ridge having slightly more depth - and I use those terms subjectively in this case.

So, I really like Summerrfest. I have it underrated in my mind as I hit reply on this post (note: I rated "harder" years ago and am working myself back to that state). But I love Sunny Ridge. The beer just works for me, and though I might give a barely perceptible nod to Summerfest here in an attempt at objectivity, I feel it'd be all due to freshness, and my heart would not be in it.

To end the post, I'm very happy to have quite a few Summerfests in the fridge. But I'd absolutely love to have the opportunity to throw more Sunny Ridge in to join them.

 

Today, having a little time after the NCAA baseball selection show and while I watch Notre Dame jump to a first half lead over Duke in the college lacrosse finals, I decided to share another Bigfoot tasting with the GF, this time between our oldest and second newest bottles - 2011 and 2022.

On the pours, the 2011 body is lighter and lightly hazed, more iced tea-like in appearance, compared to the quite clear copper of the 2022. Looking back at my comparison of 2015 and 2023 above, 2011 is lighter than both of those, as well. The heads are near equivalent, with the older being maybe a tad more sticky.


The 2011 seems to have more of a tea-like aroma than I expected, as well (wonder if describing the looks twisted my brain a certain direction). However, the 2022 isn't too different, but has a bit of a minerality when compared against the 2011, that in turn seems to have a bit more caramel than the 2022. There is a bit of oxidation in the 2011, but not a lot; there's a hint of citrus in the 2022 relative to the 2011, but it's very light.

First sip of 2022 brings out the citrus right up front, followed by clay-like earthiness and then an oddly ashy pine in back. The start of 2011 is a bit sweeter and a little more full and sticky relative to my sip from the other glass. The back of 2011 is actually a little like the middle of the 2022, with mineral-rich earth notes coming into play, along with a more muted (and non-charred) pine. I tried a quick transition from the 2011 to the 2022, and it seems to create a full evolution of a single beer more than a distinction between two. (Note: the reverse wasn't a drastic distinction, wither, but definitely different than old-to-new).

Both beers finish bitter, which is no surprise, and this started weighing on my palate over time with the impression of a coating dryness (if that makes any sense). The older beer's bitterness is a little stale, as to be expected, but it's not too bad given over a decade of difference in brewing dates. To wit, the GF was surprised at the difference when she indicated she blindly preferred the fresher version by a slight amount.

It's always interesting how close these Bigfoot tastings can be. These two vintages have some obvious differences, and I wonder if brewing techniques or recipe tweaks can explain them as much or more than age.

Overall, I am leaning towards enjoying the 2011 version because of the malt it is presenting to me more distinctly than the 2022. I poured about an ounce of each together at the end, and that ended up being quite tasty, surprisingly so. I think I'll repeat that with the last couple of ounces left in the bottles.

 

Ok, it's been a short while for me here, but as I suggested in the Oldies but Goodies thread, I wanted to check a beer I'd gotten to re-enjoy after a while with another beer that popped into my head as I described it. So this is a comparison of Union's Double Duckpin vs the Maryland brewery's neighboring state's big brewery, Dogfish Head and it's 90 Minute IPA.


Well, the pours are even more similar than I anticipated, though DFH 90 Minute has seems a bit more tightly put together as it falls. I think Union might be a slight be lighter in body color, but it took some judging from various angles to come to this conclusion.

Union's brew is a bit fresher smelling (it is a month old, and I can't tell without some research how old the Nov 2023 best by date 90 Minute is) - or a bit more vibrant. I am getting a bit more pith and pine wood from 90 Minute versus a relatively more grapefruit and tangerine peel vibe from Double Duckpin.

90 Minute starts with a light caramel sweetness before its pithy, somewhat earthy and piney hops take over. Double Duckpin has a bit more of a toasted bread malt profile before citrus peels take over leading to a piney bitter finish. DFH 90 Minute, being a bit higher in ABV, has a little thicker feel that I can imagine might be related to its sweeter opening, as well.

In the end, 90 Minute starts a little sweeter but has a slightly more powerful and robust bitterness that lingers more than Union's similar journey from toast to citrus peel and a solid dry bitterness. So there is a bit of similarity in makeup, but having these together shows that are distinct variations on a common theme more than being truly similar beers.

 

Well, I decided today to pair the two Sierra Nevada lagers they recently re-released in different forms. Nowhere on the Summerfest can does it say Czech Pilsner, but it listed on this site as such. At least Nooner indicates it is a Pilsner, and reading the fine print, the marketing does say it's SN's take on a German Pilsner, confirming its listing as such on this site. As such, I'm looking at these as different Pilsner styles brewed by the same, well-respected brewer and wanted to see the differences they put into the two beers.

Both lagers are quite clear, with Nooner having a better lasting, tightly connected white head (although having seen @zid's comparisons between can and bottle, it's possible there is some aspect of this involved). Initial pour had Summerfest with a little more head production on as similar of pours as I could make, but I'm not sure I did so well as to meet any statistical margin of error. Also within a margin of error, I'd say Nooner is a tinge more golden versus Summerfest being a tad more "white" - but only if a gun were held to my head.

I'll note here that the beers were packaged three days apart from each other.


First whiffs has Summerfest with a honey sweet and grassy to slightly spicy aroma coming through. Nooner isn't so forthcoming with its aroma, for one reason or another. I'm getting a hint of grain sweetness but none of the bitter agents I am aware are coming when I taste this beer.

So, I'm a little surprised that I am getting the sweet cereal flavor in Nooner I got in the taste, and that it's overall a bit more balanced than I recall from the first bottle I had a couple days ago. That said, there is a lingering note of grass sprinkled with ground coriander.

Summerfest is a little lighter, cleaner, honey-like sweetness in comparison. Having this alongside Nooner, I note its bitterness does take a little longer to allow its makeup to be known (after sneaking a quick sip of Nooner to check, it "behaved" more in line with my impression of the first bottle). Summerfest is a bit cleaner and softer, making what I would call a bit more "drinkable" - though that term is wrought with a definition that cannot be exactly pinpointed.

Nooner's bitterness continues to push forward and leaves grassiness a bit and gets into a slightly tannic vibe, like that of the skins of softer fruits. I mean only the skins, devoid of any attached fruit; in fact, I might even shift to fresh sweet green vegetable here - something like just picked green bean or snow pea. I know I've never used that as a descriptor, and it's not the predominant note, but there's something bitter with fresh chlorophyll that isn't grass.

Side note: the nose on Nooner opened up slightly, and what it exposed to me was a bit of that fresh, sweet, fresh-picked vegetable note with some bread mixing in with the cereal and a hint of malt sweetness. Summerfest seems to add just a little spice as it warms.

In closing, I will go back to the fact that Summerfest is easily the "less challenging" of the two beers. I enjoy both, and I know that mood would drive my preference, so there is no true preference from this comparison. I rated these separately and a year apart 6-7 years ago with essentially equal ratings. I mentioned that this new batch of Summerfest has my score as underrating ita tad, but I think (considering style) I have Nooner about right.

 

You’re welcome. It’s always fun for me when something comes to mind to describe an aroma or taste that isn’t one I use very often, even if it’s just an impression or a small part of the profile.