Wee Heavy strikes again
Tasting session 5
Beer 1 Choices: Doppelbock, Belgian Dubbel, Wee Heavy, British Brown Ale
Beer 2 Choices: Schwarzbier, Imperial Stout, English Porter, American Porter
Score: 0/2
Beer 1 things to look for:
Doppelbock: clean yeast, German malt character
Belgian Dubbel: spicy yeast phenols, fruity yeast esters
Wee Heavy: light esters, heavy body
British Brown Ale: fruity yeast esters
Notes:
When I took the Certified Cierone exam, my wife told me that if I got Wee Heavy on the test I should put whatever the opposite of what I thought down as my answer. That’s how much I struggled with Wee Heavy last time around. If I would have taken her advice, I would have gotten a perfect score.
For this tasting, the first thing I noticed was the ester profile coming from the yeast. Tons of fruit! So I could eliminate Doppelbock. It also had an alcoholic warmth, so with that clue I got rid of British Brown Ale. Now between Dubbel and Wee Heavy. The guidelines we are set to follow for the exam state that Wee Heavies should be boozy, have a heavy body with residual sweetness (they go so far as to call it “chewy”), and restrained fruity esters. Belgian Dubbel, on the other hand, should have prominent fruity esters, low/moderate spicy phenols, and a light and dry (not sweet) finish.
When I tasted this beer, the things that stuck out to me were that this beer was very fruity, pretty dry, and contained some alcohol warmth. Both styles are known to exhibit some alcohol warmth/booziness, but it’s usually much more prominent in the balance for Wee Heavy. However, since this sample was left out to warm slightly for the exercise, the booze was accentuated. I think that since the beer was so fruity that my brain mistook booze for light booze+spice. That’s why I chose Belgian Dubbel. I think that I need to drink more Wee Heavy to gain a deeper understanding of the style. It’s one I don’t often reach for because I usually can't find it. I’ll get you right one day, Wee Heavy!!!
Beer 2 things to look for:
Schwarzbier: roast, not bitter, clean yeast
Imperial Stout: booze
English Porter: fruity yeast esters
American Porter: US hop character and bitterness
Notes:
I did myself dirty here. Upon initial smell/taste, I thought I detected fruity esters. English Porter is the only option from this list that usually features fruity esters, so that kind of sealed it for me. It for sure wasn’t boozy (Imperial Stout) or prominently bitter (American Porter). After going back to Beer 1, which tasted extremely estery, this beer didn’t taste fruity at all in comparison. And the more I sat and smelled/tasted, the less fruit I detected. I even told myself this tastes like German malt! However, I convinced myself that it only tastes less fruity now because I just tried Beer 1 which was super fruity. So I went with my gut. Whoops.
The Schwarzbier I had was almost a year old, so I’m wondering if the aging/oxidating effects of malt shift were happening. As a beer ages and the malt profile starts to degrade, it’s common for fruity sherry-like flavors to emerge. I’m hoping this was the case, but it’s certainly possible I just blew it. I wish there was a way for me to try this beer fresh to find out.
That’s a huge struggle of this exam: am I learning what these beers are intended to taste like, or am I learning what old imports taste like? After my recent trip to Köln, the latter was for sure true, at least regarding Kölsch. This exam is hard!
