Beerswap III: Bobby_M's Beers

**Bobby_M** · 11-18-2007, 12:47 PM

Ok guys, please be honest (and complete) in your feedback.

Just as a key:
The American Amber is labelled amber on the cap.
The Belgian Wit has a "B" on the cap.
The Peach Wheat has a "PW" on the cap.
The American Pale is the other one.

eriktlupus · 11-21-2007, 06:00 AM

aroma: malt hits first followed by the hops. no esters present no off aromas

appearence:nice coppery color, moderately cloudy. very little/ no head (lace only). the lace did stick around for the duration tho

flavor: malty up front then the hoppy balance shows with a little lingering taste of citrus. citrus flavor stays for awhile

mouthfeel:kinda thin feel(carbonation?) no alcohol taste or pucker just a nice tartness from the citrus

overall: nice overall very simalar to the Spanish Peaks 'Black Dog Amber' that's in the cooler. carbonation need to improve to improve mouthfeel and appearance.

PS. these arrived today @ noon and went straight into the fridge so that may account for some of the cloudiness of this beer but it;s still a good job bobby

Chad · 11-21-2007, 09:48 PM

American Pale Ale -- Bobby M's Warrior Pale:

Let me start off by saying that I like this beer very much. My glass is emptying rapidly and I'm sorry to see it go.

Fill level looks fine. Light hiss on opening. Good pour with a thick, frothy head that dissipates to a light cap of foam after about a minute. The beer is a lovely amber or topaz in color with a slight cloudiness. There is a mild hop aroma during the pour but it's gone by the time the glass is full. If you stick your nose down in the glass there is a faint caramel/malt aroma. I'm not getting any fruity esters at all.

Up front there is a quick hop bite when you first sip the beer. It backs off very quickly to reveal some malt and finishes with a nice back-of-the-throat bitterness. The mouthfeel is light, crisp and refreshing with a lingering mild bitterness and faint maltiness that sets you up for the next sip. This is not a heavy beer and goes down easily. I could see drinking many of these, though the 5.5%abv sneaks up on you.

Checking the information sheet I'm very surprised to see 3.2oz of hops used. I would not have guessed. This beer is not that bitter at all. If you aerate or "chew" the beer you get some hop flavor/aroma in the back of your nose, but that's about it. This is a very balanced beer and possibly a little malt-heavy for a pale ale. As the beer has warmed slightly in my glass while writing this, it has become more sweet caramel malty.

If there is a flaw to this beer it is that it is a little one-dimensional. Nothing stands out or grabs your attention. It is pleasant, not filling and has no sharp or striking features. That's great for a sipping beer but probably not great for a competition beer. Those seem to need one big characteristic that makes them pop on the judging table. That's just my opinion, though, based on limited experience.

All in all, I like this beer a lot. It is balanced, restrained and enjoyable to drink without the "Look at me! Look at me!" out of control hoppiness of many American Pales. As I said, that's what I like. A BJCP judge may be looking for a little more hop flavor and aroma than is present here.

Hope this helps,
Chad

eriktlupus · 11-22-2007, 08:15 PM

warrior pale

aroma:low to moderate hop aroma, very little malt comes through

appearance:small head, good lace hung around thru the beer.nice bright copper color

flavor:very clean no off flavors nicely balanced. good finish with a hint of citrus

mouthfeel: light and refreshing, good carbonation nicely bubbly on the tongue

overall: very nice-maybe add some dry hop to improve aroma.need +1 more

**Bobby_M** · 11-23-2007, 12:31 AM

I totally agree on the pale needing more hop nose. I had meant to throw 1/2 oz of whole leaf cascade in the keg but there's only like a gallon and a half left now.

Chad · 11-27-2007, 03:59 AM

Bobby M's American Amber - Take Two

American Amber is my favorite beer style. There are always a couple of different examples in my fridge. This past week I've had my own Apex Amber, Rogue's American Amber, Duck Rabbit's amber and Spanish Peaks' Black Dog Amber, so I'm coming at this with the bar raised pretty high.

Very high fill level and a very light hiss upon opening. I was afraid that it wasn't carbed because the sound on opening was almost negligible. I was wrong. It was carbonated perfectly. The beer poured a hazy copper bronze with a creamy tan head that compacted to a tight 1/4 inch in a matter of minutes. It subsided to a thin foam cap that lasted until the beer was gone.

Aroma -- hell yeah! More hop than malt but just about perfect picked up from head-height above the counter. Sticking my nose down in the glass gave me a light citrus character with a little resin.

In tasting, there's no major hop bitterness except on the finish. Slight orange peel nose with mild evergreen flavor when aerated/chewed. There is a back-of-the-throat bitterness that builds over time. There are no esters, diacetyl or astringency. This is a very clean beer. The malt/caramel flavors come through a little more strongly as the beer warms to room temperature (68°F). Mouthfeel is full with a slight warmth and a mouth coating finish.

Overall this beer is restrained, both on malt and hops. It is well balanced and laid back. It is closer to the Spanish Peaks' Black Dog than anything else. My own amber is somewhere to the left of this one but not as far out as Duck Rabbit's wild-ass pineapple flavors. If I were to make any suggestion it would be to try a yeast with more character just to up the interest level a little. I've had good luck with Wyeast 1332 Northwest Ale and Wyeast 1968 London ESB. Both have moderate attenuation (69-70%) and a mild fruitiness that accentuates and counterbalances the malt body and gives the beer some extra personality.

Chad

Chad · 11-29-2007, 05:12 PM

Bobby M's Peach Wheat

Nice. I like it. My points of reference for this beer are Allagash White and Foothills' Salem Gold. Those are the two American Wheats that I've had the most experience with.

Good fill level. Great pour with a thick, creamy head that quickly settled out to a light foam cap that remained throughout. Got a big whiff of wheat spice, malt and esters on the pour. Sticking my nose down in the glass revealed a very slight stewed fruit aroma. From the use of extract perhaps? The beer was gorgeous BMC gold (no, that's not an insult, it's just a color description) with the characteristic wheat haze.

Bubblegum esters are the dominant characteristic with a slight fruit tartness. Very subtle peach hints on the finish but the flavor of peaches is otherwise hidden. When the beer is chewed/aerated I got a stone fruit flavor -- I knew it was fruit; I knew it wasn't citrus, but it wasn't immediately identifiable as peach. No hop flavors or aromas. No lingering bitterness but not sweet either. Very nicely balanced.

Medium high carbonation gives the beer a crisp mouthfeel that still manages to be slightly creamy.

Overall I like this beer a lot. It doesn't have the spiciness of the Allagash White, but I could see this becoming a summer favorite, especially with a little more of the peach coming through.

Chad

Chad · 11-29-2007, 05:32 PM

JD's Wedding Wit

My reference points for Belgian Wits are primarily Blue Moon and Hoegaarden, just so you know where my tasting comparisons are coming from.

Good fill level, and everything as expected on the pour. From almost the second the cap was off the bottle the aroma screamed Belgian! The beer was amber gold and surprisingly clear. It poured with a thick white head, and I had to wait for it to settle out a little before I could finish pouring the bottle.

On the palate I got gum flavors -- not generic bubblegum, but specifically Wrigley's Juicy Fruit, the one that used to come in the yellow pack. The strong resemblance took me by surprise but I enjoyed it. This beer is less tart than the peach wheat. Unlike the peach, I can sense the hop backbone on this one. There's no hop flavor or aroma to speak of but when the beer is chewed/swished I can get a taste of the Saaz. This wit is not as dry as Blue Moon or Hoegaarden and has more body and a medium weight mouthfeel. Not much in the way of fruit or spice flavors.

All in all a good beer but not a great example of the style. I enjoyed it but suspect that a BJCP judge would ding you for being more on the malty side of the equation rather than the spicy/crisp side. If it were mine I'd try to get it to attenuate just a hair more to dry it out a little and perhaps add some extra orange peel for brightness and acid.

Chad

Orpheus · 12-02-2007, 01:25 AM

Finally got around to pouring this one.

It begins with a true-to-style spicy character in the nose with just a subtle hint of peach. Nice hazy straw color.

An up front tartness hits first on the way down, followed by slight spices. It is a good balance all around. I like that you didn't go overboard with the peach flavoring on this. It really suits the wit having just that hint of peach.

Moderate head quickly dissipates leaving a nice ring around the top of the beer and decent lacing on the glass.

A very good beer. Wit is not a favorite style of mine, but you really do it justice. I could easily drink these on a hot summer day and be very happy.

Orpheus · 12-02-2007, 01:45 AM

Wow,

This must be filtered!? Crystal clear on the pour right to the last drop in the bottle. Nice thick head. Gorgeous looking beer with a nice golden color.

Slightly sweet aroma with not much else going on. Interesting! Not at all what I was expecting when I took my first sip. Caramel flavor up front giving way to a slight bitterness for the finish.

I started with the two lighter beers. This one is also very nice and drinkable. I'm looking forward to trying the amber and pale. Those are my favorite styles.

Bobby, the first two are really masterfully made. Color me impressed!

And thanks for sharing!