Vienna Lager - Frequentem Aroma has toasted malt, lots of dusty grain, light soapiness, and no hops whatsoever. Flavor is fairly bitter, from the malt, with toast and charred edges. Quite dry with a lingering astringency in the lingering finish. Medium body, texture of cotton balls, and a slick softness. Light carbonation, abv as expected.
LOL! That puzzle drove her crazy but she finished it last night! Getting into an oak aged Rice Lager from Forbidden Root. I understand that Randy Mosher, the Tasting Beer author, was or is involved in this brewery. That book is a must read if you are considering becoming a cicerone. The oak aging dominates the sweet rice malt base but there is a touch of perceived flutiness in post sip aspirations. Well balanced and refreshing at 4.2% abv. Cheers! Tom
Spirit of Light - Talking Cursive Inspired by the eponymous main sculpture on the electric co. Niagara Mohawk Headquarters across the street from the brewery. The building could be a The Chrysler Building’s sibling, albeit MUCH shorter. The architect, Melvin King’s firm is still going strong in Syracuse. Aromatic, lemon, spicy, and floral. The can notes cedar which definitely comes across. Flavor follows the nose, with spice first. Mild bitterness and slight sweetness. Light body, fine silky texture, no trace of alcohol. One could easily session this all afternoon. This may well be my favorite of their beers so far.
Enjoying another light lager from Forbidden Root, this a lovely Czech Lager in the fridge courtesy of @ATL6245 - thanks David! Classic representation of the style, doughy/bready with a nice herbal hop that leans more towards balanced than hoppy like some in the style. Well done! Cheers! Tom
That one surprised me. I picked it and the Rice Lager out of the beer fridge at GW completely on a whim. I didn't know much about FR at all. A light drinkable pale lager with plenty of character.
Hometown - Four Sons - Talking Cursive This is the last of a batch that I picked up when in Syracuse recently. While technically maybe not a lager, it is a Cream Ale. IMO a successful experimental Cream Ale, and therefore worthy of note beyond the Mid-Atlantic thread. The aroma is coconut forward, yet not obnoxiously so. The flavor is a pleasantly mild malt/coconut with mild bitterness in balance with sweetness. Toss in a touch of cream and honey. Medium bodied, soft neoprene texture, and abv as expected. This might pair well with a brie or mild havarti. It definitely works well with casual conversation while the birds sing in the background. Awfully specific, I know, but you get the picture. And let there be no mistake. I know why my father had this album in his collection.
That Tijuana Brass cover got me in a lot of trouble back in the day. I won't say anything more, but suffice it to say that covering your girlfriend in whip cream is not a good idea (pretty hilarious though).
Today I'm trying another beer from Brauerei Knoblach, this time their Pfingststöffla. A 5.8% abv Festbier. Lighter in color than the Urmärzen, and it's a bit different in other respects as well. In the aroma I would say that there is a light but fresh aroma of hops with a very light sulphur note in the beginning, which subsides after a while. In the taste it is lighter in body than I was expecting, this is the first thing that strikes me, I thought that this one was going to be in line with the Urmärzen but lighter in color but it is rather different in my opinion. I haven't been able to find any conclusive numbers as far as original gravity is concerned, but I would imagine this is around 13% plato and so relatively well attenuated. The beer tastes dry. The taste is a mixture of moderately prominent fresh herbal hops, a decent hop bitterness that is likely close to 30 IBUs, and a mild pale maltiness (there is probably something more in there besides pilsner, but whether it is munich or a light caramel malt, or both, I couldn't say). The freshness of the hops is probably what stands out the most in this beer, which gives you a sense that this beer was made by a smaller brewery. I would have preferred a fuller bodied beer however. The body and maltiness is a bit light for the abv for my tastes. However, if one considers this as a take on an old school Export beer: light in color (though this one is probably a bit too dark for a proper pale Export beer), abv of 5.8% and an OG of circa 13%, highly attenuated and dry with a solid hop bitterness and some good hop aroma and flavor, then I'm more enthusiastic. It comes down to expectations and preferences, stylewise, for me. For a Festbier I desire a fuller body, and I don't mind if the beer verges on being sweet, as long as there is hop flavor and bitterness there to match it. This one could use a bit more heft.
Having Motueka from Cellarest in West Asheville. Tropical hops in a pilsner are not my favorite but have to say i don't have a major palate conflict as the pilsner malts are not as pronounced and clashing with this one. Nicely done. Cheers! Tom
I bottled a batch of Motueka IPA earlier today. Motueka provides a number of flavors but the highlight for me is the lime zest aspect: I have yet to brew a Pilsner featuring Motueka but maybe I should!?! Cheers!
Hexenkessel - Schwarzbier from Wild East This brewery probably makes the best European‑style beers in New York.
Wild East will be at this year's Logjammin' Lager Beer Festival this weekend. I will make sure to visit their booth. Cheers!
Timbo Pils from Highland Park Brewery Pilsner with an American twist ( Mosaic and Motueka dry hopped)
