Beer swap

Beer swap

I have a running agreement with a buddy in Cali. I ship him homebrews (2-3 bottles of each batch) and he ships me several brands that I can’t get here in AR, to sample. I got the first box this week. It had He’brew Jewbelation 11, Meantime Coffee Porter, Traquair House Ale, Saison Dupont (750ml).

1)Jewbelation 11: I personally did not like this beer. I felt it was way too bitter. The bitterness was harsh and lingered a very long time after I had swallowed. It seemed like some of the bitterness was from some astringency, possibly. It made it hard for me to focus on what little malt flavor I could pick up. It was hard for me to finish. I enjoy plenty of big, high IBU beers, but this didn’t do it for me.

2)Meantime Coffee Porter: This is weird, but I really liked this beer, and it didn’t taste much like beer (and I don’t like/drink coffee). In fact, they could have called it “Coffee (enter any black ale name here). It had a very strong coffee flavor and aroma, but I found it very pleasant to drink. It was rather full bodied and finished with some lingering sweetness, but not overly sweet. Very well balanced. Not something I would drink a six pack of, but definitely something I would enjoy in the evening. It made me wish I had some decadent cheesecake to go with it. Very surprising….

3)Traiquair House Ale: This was my favorite. The color was a deep, dark brown, with hints of red. A chewy, full bodied beer. It had a light, roasted malt flavor over a solid, sweet malt background. I had one bottle and I was so impressed with the malt character, I didn’t pay much attention to the contribution of the hops. This is a solid beer that I would buy regularly if it was available in AR.

I haven’t tried the Saison Dupont, yet (saving for this weekend).

Let me say this, I understand that taste with beer is like almost any consumable. Much of it is subjective. That’s why I don’t say any beer is “bad,” etc. This is my take on these products. And I will be the first to admit that my palate varies from day to day. My perception of bitterness or sweetness can change varies.

Some taste is subjective, but quite a bit is objective. The best thing I've found if I really want to give a beer an accurate rating is to use a BJCP scoresheet, and read the style guidelines before drinking the beer. Or I'll drink the beer, then compare with style guidelines.

The last step for me is always to go to a site like Beeradvocate and compare my ratings to other people to see what other things they might have tasted in the beer.

Never read the reviews first though, because then the power of suggestion kicks in and then your opinion gets skewed.

If you like Traquair House, try the one in my recipes. It's a slight variation on Skotrat's original clone and it is damn close

Where in AR are you??

I live n central Arkansas. About 4 miles north of Bryant, on the Saline county/Pulaski County line.