BUZZ
Tasting Notes
It seems only fitting that we at BUZZ let everyone know what we are
drinking, and what we think of it! You will find a variety of
tasting notes here. The notes are organized alphabetically by
name. The name is made up of brewer, variety, style, source
(bottle, draft, etc.), and ABV.
Click on a letter below to jump to that section of the page.
A...B...C...D...E...F...G...H...I...J...K...L...M...N...O...P...Q...R...S...T...U...V...W...X...Y...Z
Affligem, Blond, Belgian-style
Golden Ale, bottle (7% ABV)
Dave
Houseman: Appearance: Gold color. Good clarity
but not brilliant. Big head lasted quite a while in a tulip glass
but eventually subsided to a thin covering of fine bubbles. Aroma:
Alcohol and esters dominate with a peppery spiciness. A Candi-sugar-like
sweetness. No hop aroma. Flavor: Sweet up front with a
peppery spiciness. No clove but some phenols. No hop
flavor. Lots of alcohol evident. Some phenols, but not
clove-like; more like black pepper. Estery but not banana or other
identifiable (by me) fruit. Medium-high hop bitterness. Dry
finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Lightly
carbonated. Smooth with a slight astringency in mouthfeel from
hops. Overall: Overall this beer comes across as a Tripel
done with a mild Belgian yeast.
Chris Clair: Aroma: Malty, spicy, with some hints of
pear. No real hop presence. Appearance: Bright gold
color, lasting white head, slight chill haze. Flavor: Spicy
malt flavor with some hop bitterness and hints of honey or candi sugar
dryness. Finishes with some hop flavor, peppery & earthy.
Mild fruitiness covered by dry, spicy, finish. Mouthfeel:
Prickly high carbonation. Medium body though might be covered a bit
by high carbonation. Overall: Malty blonde ale that doesn't
seem as big as 7%. Spices (pepper) and some mild fruity flavors and
esters add some complexity to this nice example of a Belgian Strong Golden
Ale.
Allagash Brewing Co.,
Double Ale, Dubbel, bottle
Chris
Clair: Aroma: Coffee, with some hint of roasted, burnt
toffee. Brown sugar with some mild fruity esters. Appearance:
Deep copper color, very clear. Fleeting head. Flavor:
Dark malt flavor with hoppy finish. Again, coffee notes with some
bittersweet chocolate. Very clean finish (some hops linger).
Mouthfeel: Medium-high carbonation but overall soft. Medium body
with a very "clean" feel. Overall: Not really a Belgian
Dubbel, too hoppy and malt profile is not to style (coffee and dark grain
flavor). Yeast gives it a Belgian profile, but overall not very
complex. A well made beer but lacks complexity and dimension to make
it special.
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Brasserie Friart, St. Feuillien Brune, Belgian
Special Brune Ale, bottle
Dave
Houseman: This is a wonderful brown ale. Not an Oud
Bruin. No sourness. But the maltiness of a Dubbel with
moderate esters and only the lightest phenol spiciness. Sweet, malty
with balanced hop bitterness, no hop flavor or aroma. Light,
effervescent mouthfeel due to higher carbonation. Medium
bodied. Dark brown. Long lived head. Doesn't seem to the
typical Belgian yeast character, more softness to the finish. In
fact that's a key descriptor for this beer. A softness in mouthfeel
and flavor that I've only noticed with few beers, one of them being
Koelsch. Brown ales aren't usually one of my favorite styles but
this is an exception.
Braurie Bovik, Petrus,
Oud Bruin, bottle (5.5% ABV)
Dave
Houseman: It is labeled an "Old Brown Ale Aged in Oak Cask
for 2 years." It's already listed as an example of the
style. The reason I'm commenting on this beer is because of the
aging in oak cask. This beer definitely has an aroma and flavor of
oak. Not bourbon and oak; just oak. Actually very good.
This beer grows on you ;-)) But this is an excellent example of the
conflict that could result from the wood-aged beer category. Where
would one enter this beer? Especially since it exhibits oak.
But oak casks are a part of Oud Bruins as well. Just a thought, that
we have to write up that style carefully so as not to confuse matters: Appearance:
Brown, nearly opaque with some haze. Big head initially but it died
off rapidly. Not a pretty beer. Aroma: Low
malt aroma. Lactic sourness in aroma. No hop aroma. Low
esters. No phenols. I don't think I'd have noted oak in the
aroma but I did as the beer warmed and especially since I knew it was aged
in oak. An aroma of wet, freshly cut oak planks. Flavor:
Pleasant lactic sourness well balanced with sweetness. Not all that
malty but some chocolate notes are evident. The fresh cut oak
character and tannins are very noticeable. No hop flavor.
Balancing hop bitterness. Astringency in aftertaste from the
tannins, but not the sort of astringency from poor mash practices or
excess hops. Dry finish. Low esters. No phenols. Mouthfeel:
Low side of medium body. Somewhat thinnish mouthfeel from the low
pH. Fairly smooth with some low puckering mouthfeel. Overall:
A good sipping beer that grows on you.
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Brouwerij
Corsendonk, Belgian-style
Brown Ale, bottle
Chris
Clair: Aroma: Fruity with plums and raisins. No hops
evident. Appearance: Big tan head which lasts a long
time. Deep copper color, clear. Flavor: Raisin, slight
smokiness, even a touch of sourness. Some dark grains are evident
but not a roasty flavor. High carbonation hides some flavors. Mouthfeel:
Huge carbonation - almost too much. Medium-high body. Overall:
Nice flavorful beer. Sourness and high carbonation may indicate age
or bad storage but a nice anyway. I would definitely seek it out.
Brouwerij De
Koninck, Cuvee De Koninck,
Belgian-style Golden Ale, bottle (8% ABV)
Chris
Clair: Aroma: Fruity esters (pear) with alcohol evident.
Some mild, earthy hop aroma. Appearance: Clear, deep gold
color with fleeting white head. Flavor: Sweet with mild
bitterness. Alcohol evident as is use of candi sugar. No hop
flavor. Mouthfeel: High carbonation with medium
body. Some drying of tongue due to alcohol. Overall:
A sweet golden ale. Hops keep it from being too sweet but candi
sugar covers any other malt flavor. Not bad but not terribly complex
either.
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Dogfish Head
Craft Brewery, 90 Minute IPA, Imperial IPA, bottle (9%ABV)
Chris
Clair: Aroma: Huge hop aroma. Earthy, no real C-hops.
Some malt evident with a faint smokiness. Appearance:
Fleeting head. Light copper color. Flavor: Some
chocolate malt and smoke flavor up front with a malty sweet finish.
Earthy hop bitterness. Mouthfeel: Medium body and carbonation
with some alcoholic warmth. Overall: Nice, complex
beer. An Imperial IPA with almost perfect malt and hop
balance. No one flavor dominates. Truly enjoyable.
Duvel
Moortgat, Maredsous 10, Triple, bottle (10%ABV)
Dave
Houseman: Appearance: Deep gold. Fair
clarity. Thick, creamy, long-lasting head. Aroma:
Sweetness, slight spicy notes with fruity esters and alcohol. All
very subtle. Flavor: Sweet maltiness, well balanced with
moderate hop bitterness. A hint of spiciness, both from hops and
yeast. Spiciness is peppery. Alcohol very evident but blends
well with the background malt sweetness. Not hot. Esters
abound. Soft finish. Perhaps fermented with a Rochefort yeast.
Some phenols in aftertaste. Mouthfeel: Soft, warming, smooth
mouthfeel. Medium-full bodied. Overall: An excellent Tripel.
Subjectively, I really like this Tripel since it presents esters more than
phenols.
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Heavyweight Brewing Co. Lunacy (2000 Vintage),
Belgian-style Golden Ale, bottle (7.7% alc/vol)
Dave
Houseman: Appearance: Deep gold -
Light Amber, much darker than the Affligem. Thin head, dissipated rapidly.
Quite hazy, even at 48oF. Would not score well here. Aroma:
Fruity aroma - berries come to mind. No hop aroma. Some slight
toasted/caramel malt notes. Flavor: Sweet up front and in
finish. High fruity esters. Alcohol content subdued. Slight toasty/nutty
character with caramel notes. No phenols. Medium hop bitterness. Low hop
flavor. No phenols to speak of. Finish is quite sweet and much less dry
than the Affligem. Mouthfeel: Smooth and chewy with
medium-full body. Alcohol warming. No astringency. Overall:
This is a beer that could sneak up on you. Lots of alcohol but it's quite
subtle. While I get caramel in the flavor and aroma with a light amber
color, the bottle states that this beer is pilsner malt and European
hops. So I'm guessing that there is significant kettle
caramelization; perhaps there is candi sugar or they just made this beer
with malt and a long boil. This really reminds me of an Imperial
Bierre de Garde. Very different from the Affligem. The yeast seems to not
be a typical Belgian yeast but could be just a very fruity ale yeast. I
like the flavor of this beer but couldn't drink a lot of it.
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North Coast Brewing Co. PranQster, Belgian-style
Golden Ale, bottle(7.6% alc/vol)
Dave
Houseman: Appearance: Dark gold. Hazy (even at 48oF). Big
head. Fairly long lasting (but no Guinness). Bottle conditioned. Aroma:
Slight malt and phenol aroma. No hop aroma. Little esters. Alcohol evident
in aroma but not too assertive. Flavor: Sweet up front with
lemony notes and balanced with phenols and hop bitterness (medium+).
Finish is malt but fairly dry. No hop flavor. Nicely balanced; the best of
the lot so far. Phenols are more noticeable as the beer warms. Mouthfeel:
Only medium body with lighter mouthfeel due to high carbonation; almost
Weizen-like in nature this way. No alcohol warming. Overall: Overall,
the most drinkable and well-balanced of the Belgian-style Golden Ales. The
strength isn't as assertive and the carbonation helps to sustain the beer,
making it seem lighter.
Chris Clair: Aroma: Malty, no hop presence, some candy
sweetness. Fruity esters present but subtle (slight plum?). Appearance:
Deep gold with no real head, slight white ring around glass. Slight
haze. Flavor: Sweet with some candi sugar flavor but also
grainy malt (nice mix). Some hop bitterness but no real
flavor. Mouthfeel: Firm, medium-high carbonation with
medium body. Some alcohol warmth but subtle. Overall: Nice
brew. Simple but just enough complexity to keep interest. Very
easy to drink.
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Victory
Brewing Co., Hop Wallop, Hybrid Style (Imp. IPA & Harvest Ale), draft
(8% ABV)
Dave
Houseman: The new beer is an 8%, light amber ale. Moderate hop
aroma but BIG HOP FLAVOR. Sweet and malty with
balancing hop bitterness. I guess around 30-35 IBU.
The soft maltiness is impressive; different from Hop Devil. The flavor
hops didn't seem to be any of the "C" hops but rather East Kent
Goldings or an American derivative of EKG. As Chris
observed this was a cross between a Harvest and
Celebration Ale. But even more flavor hops. An excellent
beer.
Chris Clair: My first thought was that it filled the space
between Celebration and Harvest by Sierra Nevada. It had a
very light amber, almost gold color and medium mouthfeel
(highly attenuated for 8% ABV beer). Nice malty flavor but
not much caramel, mainly a pale malt flavor. There was just
enough bitterness to support the malt because the focus
here was the hop flavor. Big, yet soft. No citrus, I
also suspect generous amounts of EK Goldings or
relative. Nice floral, some earthy flavors. Just a
great tasting beer that is hard to fit into a style.
Seek this out folks, it is great.
Victory
Brewing Co., Hop Wallop, Hybrid Style (Imp. IPA & Harvest Ale), bottle
(8.5% ABV)
Dave
Houseman: Hummmm....tasting this beer at home tonight. From the
bottle it seems to be much more bitter, with a
lingering bitterness in aftertaste, than the same beer
on tap at the Draughting Room. IBUs seem definitely higher than 30-35
IBUs. Still both wonderful hop and malt flavors. More hop
aroma it seems, but then smokey bars aren't the best
place for aroma sensing. In the bottle Hop Wallop
seems similar to Anderson Valley's Hop Optin (sp?) Ale. Bottle also
says that this is 8.5% alc/vol. Deceiving; doesn't seem like it.
Joe Lynn: The first thing I notice is the piney aroma. I get
a bit of malt in there too but it really struggles
to come through those hops. I don't think that the
pine is EKG, but I was wondering if it is just the intensity? (What
would a pound of EKG with 15 minutes left smell like
anyway?) I think the mouthfeel is one of the
really nice characteristics of this beer... it's
very silky, almost oily. I think it seems too full for candi sugar.
This beer seems heavier than Golden Monkey to me even though it's 1%
less. I do get a very strong
hop flavor, but I would describe it more as pine than citrus.
I think that there are at least some American hops in here, but it's
definitely not the average 4-C beer. I do taste English
hops as well, unless my tongue is just getting
confused because it is such a Wallop! Definitely a pronounced
hop bitterness that lingers in the aftertaste, and borders on harsh.
The malt I taste has a touch of caramel flavor. But between
the hops and the alcohol, I find it hard to focus on
the malt in itself. I think there's enough there to
support the hops, but just barely. Overall I
really like this beer, but I've still not had more than one in a sitting.
It's definitely not a session beer. I don't detect a lot of change in
the past week, but it will be interesting to see how it ages.
Chris Clair: Aroma: Hoppy, some fleeting
citrus. Some grainy malt sweet aroma but mostly earthy, floral
hops. Appearance: Light golden, amber color, very clear with
fleeting white head, little retention (prob. due to alcohol). Flavor:
Hops, lots of hops. Alcohol present but not hot, no fusals. Hops are
not typical C-variety, probably lots of EK Golding. Lingering
bitterness but not harsh. Mouthfeel: Relatively light body
for size of beer. Alcohol and hops do cause drying on the
tongue. Medium carbonation. Overall: WOW! The only way
I can describe it is as a big version of Sierra Nevada's Harvest Ale only
with EK Goldings. A great beer but dangerous because it is so good
and so big (*% ABV). A winner in my book!
Victory
Brewing Co., V12, Belgian Quadruple, 750 ml bottle (12% ABV)
Chris Clair: Aroma:
Alcohol and raisins with additional fruity esters. A touch of
toffee. Appearance: Light copper, very clear with fleeting
beige head. Flavor: Sweet raisin flavor with some fusal
alcohol - minor and should fade with time. Hops just there to
prevent cloying sweetness. Mouthfeel: Full body with thick
finish. A chewy beer with alcoholic warmth. Overall:
Nice, big Belgian with aging potential. Alcohol is a little hot but
still hides the true strength under a big malt flavor.
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Weyerbacher
Brewing Co., Merry Monks, Belgian-style Golden Ale, bottle
Dave
Houseman: Appearance: Gold. Bright/brilliant clarity.
Little head or retention. Under carbonated. Aroma: Medium
esters; banana and lemon. No hop aroma. No phenols. Low alcohol presence.
No malt aroma. Flavor: Estery of ripe banana and lemon. Sweet
with a slight grainy character. Medium-low hop bitterness leaving an
overly sweet finish. A slight solvent, library paste character. Very light
phenol presence. Second pour of the last of the bottle yielded a bit more
complexity and interesting character. Mouthfeel: Medium+
body. A bit light on tongue. Somewhat creamy. Low alcohol warmth for the
style. Overall: Probably only pilsner malt and candi sugar.
This was bottle conditioned. Yeast a bit neutral; maybe a Wit beer
yeast. Somewhat lacking in complexity compared to the Affligem.
Weyerbacher
Brewing Co., QUAD, Quadruple, bottle (12.2% ABV)
Dave
Houseman: Appearance: Dark amber, hazy, little head or
retention. Aroma: Sweet malty, chocolaty, with big alcohol
presence. No hop aroma. No phenols. Some fruity esters. Flavor:
Alcohol up front and in the finish. Hot alcohol presence, young beer
or excessive fusels. Malty sweet with fairly balancing, high hop
bitterness. Chocolate malt notes. Low to medium hop
flavor. Moderate fruity esters. No phenols. Mouthfeel:
Medium+ body with big alcohol warming sensation and hot alcohol on the
tongue. Astringency in the finish; seems to me from hops. Overall:
A big sipping beer. Alcohol is so dominate as to make the beer
unbalanced as a whole. This comes across as a big, alcoholic
Barleywine. There is little Belgian-like character from a Belgian
yeast. For a Belgian-style ale it would fall into the Belgian
Specialty category, but I'd see this as a Barleywine. Definitely a
complex and interesting beer worth drinking on a cold night. This
one could probably stand to age for a year or two to mellow out the
alcohols.
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