Beerswap 2007: Evan!'s Beers

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Evan!

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My recipients were Bird, Cheesefood and Sean. Bird and Sean are reviewing the Winter Warmer and the Imperial Stout, but I sent the Smoked Porter and Steffiweizen to Cheese. With the exception of the Stout, these are all Partial Mash brews (the stout is the last extract/steep brew I did).

So, for your information:

WW: Honey Ginger Winter Warmer. Brewed with several ounces of freshly grated ginger root, plus some baking spices at the end. Fermented around 62f with a crackhead-blend of Bavarian Lager, British Ale and German Hefe yeasts. Lagered for about 5 weeks at 37f. It started out pretty massive and sweeter, but has since dried out considerably, and turned from a ginger-flavored sweet winter warmer to more of a ginger-centric brew.

IS: Imperial Stout
(Or, Dark Horse v1.0). An imperial stout that started high and finished high. I think the FG was in the mid to upper 30's, but much of that has to do with the maltodextrin. Added 8oz of unsweetened chocolate to the boil, and 12 cups (not really, because the "cup" measurement on my coffee carafe isn't really a cup) of local artisan drip coffee added to the secondary. At first it was ALL coffee, but it has mellowed out in the past few months, and has also dried out a bit.

SP: Smoked Porter. Mashed with a few ounces of scottish peated malt, but otherwise, a straight-up porter. Because I had room in my new Lagerator, I cold-conditioned this baby at 36-39f for almost 2 months.

SW: Steffiweizen. Named for the wifey (she likes wheat beer). Not a true hefeweizen; I brewed a wit with a blend of Wit and Hefe yeasts, then strained the wort for the SW right onto the existing cake. So, the presence of the wit yeast negates the official hefe classification, but otherwise, it's a hefe.

Lastly, I sent Bird a few extras, since we had worked out something outside of the beerswap. As such, I would really appreciate any feedback on the rest of those brews, Bird.

So, on with the HONEST criticism. I mean it. Nobody is gonna hurt my feelings with a couple of "ugh"s or "ewwww"s.
 
Review of Evan!’s Imperial Stout:


Let me temper my remarks with the fact that I have never had an Imperial Stout. I like Guinness, but haven’t tried very many other stouts.

Pour: The pour is viscous and develops a rich beautiful brown head that lasted for two or three sips. This beer is not for the timid, or faint of heart.

Appearance: It is black and clean.

Aroma: The aroma is rich smoke and coffee.

Taste: The beer is rich and heavy on the palate, as expected. The initial flavor is coffee, and then the chocolate and smoky – caramelized malts come in. An interesting note is that this beer probably has very little or no hops, but the coffee adds a bitterness of its own that balances the sweetness, or perhaps it is the chocolate that adds the bitterness. Either way it works. In the aftertaste the coffee is a bit too much in my opinion. As the beer warmed a bit the flavor became more complex, and it kept me sipping.

Proximity to Traditional Styles: I really don’t have anything to compare this beer to. It is the biggest, richest beer I’ve ever had. It makes Guinness look like a pansy. Sorry I cannot be more concise.

Overall: Forgive me but I never met a hop I didn’t love. This beer is balanced and rich and delicious, and I think would make an excellent ice cream. I think it is a bit too much coffee, but you said that is mellowing with age.

Thanks for letting me try this one Evan!
:D
 
Evan!'s Smoked Porter (a favorite style of mine, I've been looking forward to this one a lot).

POUR:
Moderate carbonation, appropriate for the style. Brown head that dissipated fairly rapidly (may be my glass). Very dark, essentially black (no light passes when held up to light). Looked clear, not cloudy, as it was poured FWIW.

AROMA:
Smoke, of course, but not overpowering. Definate porter character comes through the smoke, nice roastiness. No hop aroma.

TASTE:
Predominately the roasty goodness of a good porter - smoke is definately in a complementary role. No harshness to the smoke. VERY smooth and extremely drinkable. A little hop flavor in the background, a modest amount of bitterness that can be felt at the back of the throad, very smooth on the front of the palatte. Nicely balanced. A *little* bit of bite from the carbonation, not bad, but this might be even a little smoother if I were patient and let it sit out a few more minutes. Mouthfeel is full but not overwhelming; more melty than chewey.

OVERALL:
An *excellent* example of a very well-balanced porter with a modest amount of smoke adding a very subtle, complementary touch. Much closer in character to Stone Smoked Porter (a personal fave) than to Alaskan Smoked Porter. Not a rauchbier - a very smooth, quafable brew that would be excellent both around the fireplace in the dead of winter and eating BBQ on July 4th.

VERY nice!
 
Thanks a lot for taking the time to critique, Sean, and thanks for the kind words. I had one of the v1.0 Dark Horsies last night actually, so I'm fresh off it. I agree, there's not too much hoppiness in there. IBU's should be around 65, which is on the lower end relative to the OG/FG. However, as you noticed (impressive, that!), I was anticipating the extra bitterness from the coffee. I don't think the chocolate added much, but the coffee definitely did. I intentionally backed off the flavor/aroma hops (the last hop addition was Saaz @ 30mins from flameout), because I feared a real clash between the hops and the chocolate/coffee.

Yeah, and, um, my apologies that this is your introduction to "big boy" stouts. From Guinness to this is like going from SNPA to to the 120 Minute IIPA. I can imagine it was a bit of a smack in the face, kinda like the first time I had Dogfish Head's World Wide Stout (yikes!). As for the coffee, I'm a coffee freak. A serious snob. To be honest, I'd like to see even more coffee in this brew. :D Anyway, glad you tried it, and thanks again for the review.

Sean said:
Review of Evan!’s Imperial Stout:


Let me temper my remarks with the fact that I have never had an Imperial Stout. I like Guinness, but haven’t tried very many other stouts.

Pour: The pour is viscous and develops a rich beautiful brown head that lasted for two or three sips. This beer is not for the timid, or faint of heart.

Appearance: It is black and clean.

Aroma: The aroma is rich smoke and coffee.

Taste: The beer is rich and heavy on the palate, as expected. The initial flavor is coffee, and then the chocolate and smoky – caramelized malts come in. An interesting note is that this beer probably has very little or no hops, but the coffee adds a bitterness of its own that balances the sweetness, or perhaps it is the chocolate that adds the bitterness. Either way it works. In the aftertaste the coffee is a bit too much in my opinion. As the beer warmed a bit the flavor became more complex, and it kept me sipping.

Proximity to Traditional Styles: I really don’t have anything to compare this beer to. It is the biggest, richest beer I’ve ever had. It makes Guinness look like a pansy. Sorry I cannot be more concise.

Overall: Forgive me but I never met a hop I didn’t love. This beer is balanced and rich and delicious, and I think would make an excellent ice cream. I think it is a bit too much coffee, but you said that is mellowing with age.

Thanks for letting me try this one Evan!
:D
 
Thanks for the crit, Bird. Glad it went over well. I'm very happy with this one. The wonders of "lagering" an ale...it really brought out the smoke and clarified the palate. I wonder, did you let it warm up some before you finished it? This brew is cool like that...it changes substantially as it warms up. That bite from the carbonation surely dissipates as it warms up, and the body expands and smooths out.

The SRM was above the range for a porter, which is why it's so dark, but you're right, it's very "clear", as far as opaque clarity goes. Again, it's from all that time it spent in the lagerator.

This was my first attempt at using smoked malts, and since it was peated and not rauch malt, I had to be really careful not to overdo it. I'm thrilled at the subtle levels of smoke, as the last thing I wanted was a rauch-porter. I was actually trying to get close to Stone's version, of which I'm also a big fan. Speaking of which, if you've never had Stone's porter with a dish of seared sea scallops, then you're missing out. What a great pairing!

So, yeah, thanks again for taking the time to write up the review. Can't wait for yours to get here...:mug:

the_bird said:
Evan!'s Smoked Porter (a favorite style of mine, I've been looking forward to this one a lot).

POUR:
Moderate carbonation, appropriate for the style. Brown head that dissipated fairly rapidly (may be my glass). Very dark, essentially black (no light passes when held up to light). Looked clear, not cloudy, as it was poured FWIW.

AROMA:
Smoke, of course, but not overpowering. Definate porter character comes through the smoke, nice roastiness. No hop aroma.

TASTE:
Predominately the roasty goodness of a good porter - smoke is definately in a complementary role. No harshness to the smoke. VERY smooth and extremely drinkable. A little hop flavor in the background, a modest amount of bitterness that can be felt at the back of the throad, very smooth on the front of the palatte. Nicely balanced. A *little* bit of bite from the carbonation, not bad, but this might be even a little smoother if I were patient and let it sit out a few more minutes. Mouthfeel is full but not overwhelming; more melty than chewey.

OVERALL:
An *excellent* example of a very well-balanced porter with a modest amount of smoke adding a very subtle, complementary touch. Much closer in character to Stone Smoked Porter (a personal fave) than to Alaskan Smoked Porter. Not a rauchbier - a very smooth, quafable brew that would be excellent both around the fireplace in the dead of winter and eating BBQ on July 4th.

VERY nice!
 
I fridged mine last night. I'll try it on Sunday.

I owe a big apology to my recipients. I'm so sorry for being late. I'll make it up to you big time.

Also, thanks to Evan for doubling up my order!
 
Evan! said:
Can't wait for yours to get here...:mug:

Yeah, uh, sorry about that... my damn swap and I'm going to miss the swap deadline... :D

I should have everything packed tonight, but I think that means it goes out on Monday. I owe beer to like five people, I feel like a total dick. :(
 
I'm waiting till Monday too. No use in it sitting in a warehouse over the weekend. My excuse is that I'm out of town most of this week.
 
Guys, guys, no worries. It'll get here when it gets here.

Speaking of which, the shop where I work got in a new 750mL bottling from Dogfish Head yesterday---'Red and White'---which looks like a Wit (coriander and Curacao), which has pinot noir juice added to it, then is aged in pinot barrels. Think I'll get into it tonight. I'm hyped!

Hope you enjoy, Cheese. Be sure to get all the yeast from that Hefe bottle, it's gooood stuff. And let the porter warm up before you finish it off.
 
Review of Evan!’s Honey Ginger Winter Warmer:



Pour: The pour is good, develops quite a tan-ish head that lasted most of the way through the beer.

Appearance: Beautiful amber and brown color, not really clear, but clean.

Aroma: The aroma is Spicey ginger. This is obviously fresh ginger. You also get just a hint of clove.

Taste: When it is cold this beer is all about the fresh ginger. It is piquant with fresh ginger. As it warms the other flavors start to come out and it develops into a very complex beer. The ginger remains, the clove, becomes more evident, and a bit of maltiness is there. It also has the distinct dryness that honey adds to a brew. I’m not sure if that is from the cleanness of the ginger, or the dryness of the beer. It has a very clean finish.

Proximity to Traditional Styles: ??

Overall: Evan!’s beers are all there; full flavored, but also complex. This one has a bit too much ginger perhaps. I enjoyed the way this beer changed while I drank it. I was really wishing for some spicy Thai food to go with this beer. It would be killer with some scallops in green curry coconut broth and steamed jasmine rice.

Thanks Evan!
 
Thanks for the complements and the honesty, Sean. I agree that the ginger is a little much, but oddly enough, that's only happened lately. When this first got bottled, it was not as dry, and the ginger was much less up-front. Amazing what happens when a beer dries out and ages. Next time I think I'll back it down from 3oz of ginger to 2oz, seeing how the aged bottles tend to feature the ginger much more than the younger ones. Thanks again for the feedback!
thk.gif
 
Smoked Porter

Pour
: Nice pour. Thin head on it, but nice aroma released.
Appearance: Thick, opaque brownish black. Like chocolate syru.

Aroma: Spicy and smokey. Reminiscent of drinking a beer while grilling over charcoal.

Taste: Not as smokey as I expected. Tangy. Smooth blend of sweet and spice. Not very bitter, but definitely hoppy.

Proximity to Traditional Styles: ??

Overall: Really enjoyable. I was afraid I might not like it, but boy did I love it. It would pair great with a good quality steak or lamb chops. This is more of a dinner beer than a daily drinker, but what an explosion of flavor.
 
Stephiweissen

Pour
: Beautiful.
Appearance: Creamy head on a blonde body. Semi-opaque.

Aroma: Whimsically beautiful. Sweet notes of fruit, esters and sugars.

Taste: Crisp, sweet, complex. As many notes as a scherzo from Mozart.

Proximity to Traditional Styles: Great.

Overall: One of the better Wit's I've had. All sorts of flavors and layers. Really good.
 
Thanks Cheeseman. I'm really happy with both of those. Unfortunately, I've only got one 12oz and one 750mL of the Steffi left. Gotta make more, and soon, seeing as how the weather is changing, and I'd be a fool to get into barbecue/party season at my place without a good stock of Wit and Hefe. It's been way too long since I've brewed. I do believe this is the longest stint I've had since I started brewing last July...but sometimes stuff just piles on. But I'm in NC right now, and we picked up the new dog this morning. He's awesome. A big ball of energy though. Whew. Makes our other dog look like she's living in slow-mo.
 
Cherry Stout:

Appearance is very dark, essentially black (shocking, I know). Not a lot of carbonation - not sure if by design or not. Very little head, no head retention. Aroma is faintly cherry, but not overpowering. A bit of roasty, again, not overpowering. No hop aroma, but a little bit of base maltiness comes through.

I'm not a big fan of stouts generally, but this is a very drinkable brew. The cherry is still not overwhelming, it's present and identifiable, but not dominant. Not much bitterness to speak of. Actually, the base flavor that's probably most pronounced is sour, which isn't really bad in this brew. The cherry is definately bringing it into a different realm, partway to a roasted kiek-dom.

It tastes pretty light-bodied and definately much, much more refreshing that I would expect a stout to taste. I wouldn't call it a girly-drink, but it's more on the fruity than beer-y side of the equation.

There's almost a little sweetness in there; not sure if it's coming from the cherries, or if you added a touch of lactose. I suspect the former (because of the relative dryness).

Good beer - very refreshing, and well-balanced. It's not TOO roasty, or TOO bitter, or TOO sour; it's a nice combo of the three.

EDIT: As the brew warms up, the roasted character is coming through a bit more. Still not overwhelming, but it tastes more like a stout after twenty minutes in the glass.

Is this the cranberry-cherry stout? 'Cause I could imagine some of this tartness coming from cranberries, as well, I can get a little bit of that flavor in there now.
 
Yeah, that's got cherries and cranberries. I wasn't originally planning on using the cranberries, but I fell far short of the necessary amount of sour cherries, so I substituted a little bit of fresh cranberries to achieve the requisite sourness that the cherry stout is famous for.

The lack of carbo wasn't by design...though, some bottles are more carbonated than others. I think that it could've used a little longer in the carbonation room, but I didn't want it sitting in warm temps for too long.

The touch of sweetness is, I believe, from the maltodextrin. No lactose in there. It finished out relatively low...mid-teens I believe, down from 1.055.

I get the same roastiness after warming up the beer. I really like the light, fruity character...that's why I call it a "Spring Stout". Something lighter on the palate for springtime...

Next time, I think I'll try to procure more sour cherries, and do something about the carbonation.

Anyway, thanks for the excellent review...much appreciated!
 
I let SWMBO sample it after I wrote my review, and she came up with the same observations as I. She thought it might be a little bit too sour. She's also Irish, so I think she was hoping for a little more roastiness in her stout ;)
 
the_bird said:
I let SWMBO sample it after I wrote my review, and she came up with the same observations as I. She thought it might be a little bit too sour. She's also Irish, so I think she was hoping for a little more roastiness in her stout ;)

As this was my first cherry stout, I was a little worried about over-doing the roastiness and obscuring the cherry. There's only 3/4 lb of chocolate and 1/4 lb of patent in there. No roasted barley, because I was out of it. next time, I'll have the roasted barley. I know, a stout w/o it? Well, now you see what happens.

iq.gif
 
SteffiWeizen...

Pours very pale and golden, lots of carbonation, thick, creamy head. Aroma is fruity, maybe a little sour (as wheats tend to be), no hops. Slightly hazy, again, appropriate for the style. Light, tart flavor. Nice bite from the carbonation. Fruity notes, almost cherry-like. Not sure that I'm getting sweet out of it, more sour that anything else. Bitterness is in the background, just a little bit in the back of the mouth. Very drinkable. Wits aren't my favorite style, but this is definately something that I could drink more of. Very good example of the style. Nice beer!
 
Lemon-lime pale ale:

First thought was - a lot of hops. Lot of aroma. Piney/resiny at first, I thought initially I was getting into an IPA. Very clear, nice orange color.

The citrus really comes through. It's complementary to the hops. I just had a little belch that was 100% lime, though. The more I drink, the more the lymon comes through in the flavor. Carbonation is good. Beer is pretty thin, but that's good for the style.

I am picking up a bit of a harshness in the flavor, I think it may be coming from the rind. I'm assuming there's real citrus in this? I think I'm picking up a bit of the pith, it's sitting on top of my tongue. The lymon is definately getting stronger as the beer warms up.

I'm really not sure how I feel about this one. Your smoked porter was one of the best homebrews I've had, miles beyond how mine came out. The cherry stout isn't my favorite style, but I thought it was a very good execution of the style and a very drinkable, quenching beer. This one; that pithy bitterness is bothering me. Ialmost want to say it tastes a little waxy? It's not going away, either, it stays on the tongue.

I'm going to let it sit for a few minutes and see how it delelops as it warms up. I'm suspecting that maybe it's just a little too heavy on the lemon/lime. I don't know.
 
Definitely too much lemon-lime, IMHO. Was not expecting so much. This was wacky experimentation, but in the end, aside from the novelty of a lemon-lime beer, I don't think it works. It's just weird. No malt character, just like alcoholic lemon-lime.

Actually there is zero rind in here. The lime comes from lime basil, this cool variety of basil that tastes like lime but not basil at all. The lemon comes from lemon verbena leaves.

I told you this one was weird. I don't expect people to like it :D , so don't be shy. Thanks fer your honesty, though. This won't get a repeat :p , but it was fun to try it anyway...and there's always a special place in my heart for beer made with ingredients from my own garden.

the_bird said:
Lemon-lime pale ale:

First thought was - a lot of hops. Lot of aroma. Piney/resiny at first, I thought initially I was getting into an IPA. Very clear, nice orange color.

The citrus really comes through. It's complementary to the hops. I just had a little belch that was 100% lime, though. The more I drink, the more the lymon comes through in the flavor. Carbonation is good. Beer is pretty thin, but that's good for the style.

I am picking up a bit of a harshness in the flavor, I think it may be coming from the rind. I'm assuming there's real citrus in this? I think I'm picking up a bit of the pith, it's sitting on top of my tongue. The lymon is definately getting stronger as the beer warms up.

I'm really not sure how I feel about this one. Your smoked porter was one of the best homebrews I've had, miles beyond how mine came out. The cherry stout isn't my favorite style, but I thought it was a very good execution of the style and a very drinkable, quenching beer. This one; that pithy bitterness is bothering me. Ialmost want to say it tastes a little waxy? It's not going away, either, it stays on the tongue.

I'm going to let it sit for a few minutes and see how it delelops as it warms up. I'm suspecting that maybe it's just a little too heavy on the lemon/lime. I don't know.
 
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