Ohiobrewtus's Beers

Kyle aka Ohiobrewtus sent me a nice sampling of his beers. I lost notes for a few, but am going to try to recreate them and give accurate reviews for as many as I can.

This first review will be for his Old Ale

Appearance: Hazy brown, tan head with no lacing.

Aroma: Butter toffee, caramel, and hints of cocoa. At first I thought diacetyl, but that wasn't it.

Flavor: Absolutely too many to fully describe. On the first sip, I got a very sour, almost vinegar bitterness and was concerned. The following sips proved that initial assessment was off. I picked up toffee, caramel, cocoa, wine notes, and so much more. I can't even begin to characterize all of the flavors that are in this beer. It had this numbing winey/hoppy bitterness that came first, followed by the sweet candylike flavors of the malt. The alcohol is well masked and sneaks up on you when you try to write the review.

Mouthfeel. Numbing winey bitterness.

Overall: I thoroughly enjoyed this beer. The complexity was amazing and satisfying. Although there is probably no such thing as a perfect beer, I can't find anything to mark this down on. So I'm going to give it an A+.

Great! I'm glad that you enjoyed it!

I have been doing a poor job of reviewing the fine beers that Kyle sent me. It's time to catch up.

I did a side by side of my California Common (Yooperbrew's recipe) and Kyle's (don't have his recipe available).

First Kyle's

Appearance: Pours copper amber color with thick off white head, random lacing patterns. Head retention is admirable with foamy mountain that slowly subsides into the beer outside edges first.

Aroma: A sort of winey (more on that in another post) aged smell intermingled with spicy floral hops and a bready caramel aroma.

Flavor/Taste: Seems to be malt focused, with hints of a floral hop. Not picking up the CC signature Northern Brewer hop, could be a function of age. Overall very pleasing, smooth.

Mouthfeel: Thicker and breadier than mine.

Overall: Not sure how this beer would score competition wise. I liked it for sure. Seems like it needs a bit more hop character, and maybe a bit more crispness to fit in with the BJCP guidelines, but again it may be a function of a bottled beer vs. my kegged beer. Either way, it's a damn good beer and I'll say it's around a 32 out of 40.

McKBrew's CC

My CC is one of the beers that everyone seems to like.

Appearance: Yellowish, thick white head, excessively carbonated (a known issue). More BMC like in color.

Aroma: Hints of minty hops, malt undertones, not as carmelly as Kyle's.

Flavor: This beer is more hop centered even after a few months in the keg. Seems more typical of style.

Mouthfeel: Excessive carbonation does detract from the beer. Not as thick as Kyle's, more crisp.

Overall: This is where I feel like a dick, even over a few points. I'd put mine at a 36 out of 40. I feel that mine is closer to style, but we are supposed to be honest, right.

Still, I don't want to take away from a really damn good job by Kyle. Even if I don't think it totally fits the style bill, it's still a damn fine beer that I thoroughly enjoyed. In fact, at this moment in time I enjoyed it more than my own CC.

Thanks for sharing the beer.

Thanks for the review, McKBrew. I did, in fact, only use NB hops in that brew, but I brewed it about 7 months ago, so it's understandable that the nose has faded. I'd pour one myself and find out, but I don't have any left.

This is the last one I had. It kind of hid in the keezer until I remembered it.

Appearance: Poured golden orange with a thick white head. Medium bubbles flowed into the head. One of the most beautiful beers visually I have ever seen. That head was thick, full and long lasting.

Aroma: Distint hops and hints of an green apple sourness.

Flavor: Pronounced hop bitterness with hints of malts. The hops and slight sourness coupled with the strong carbonation were the bulk of the flavor. Would have liked a bit more malt character, but it was still very flavorful.

Mouthfeel: Tingly sour numbness at the roof of the mouth.

Overall: This beer is appears to be dead on for style. I was impressed with the appearance and head retention. Not too familiar with this style, but it seems like it would make for a great, refreshing summer beer.

Well Done!

What is the style on the last one?

EDIT: Nevermind saw it in the title...I never look at those.

From the BJCP website for 7C (Dusseldor Altbier):

Comments: A bitter beer balanced by a pronounced malt richness. Fermented at cool ale temperature (60-65?F), and lagered at cold temperatures to produce a cleaner, smoother palate than is typical for most ales. Common variants include Sticke (“secret&#8221 alt, which is slightly stronger, darker, richer and more complex than typical alts. Bitterness rises up to 60 IBUs and is usually dry hopped and lagered for a longer time. Münster alt is typically lower in gravity and alcohol, sour, lighter in color (golden), and can contain a significant portion of wheat. Both Sticke alt and Münster alt should be entered in the specialty category.

Oh, and thanks again for the reviews. McKBrew!