Dubbel Yum

Tasting session 17

Beer 1 Choices: American Wheat Beer, Kölsch, Weissbier, International Pale Lager

Beer 2 Choices: Wee Heavy, Belgian Dubbel, Doppelbock, British Brown Ale

Beer 3 Choices: Irish Red Ale, International Amber Lager, American Amber Ale, Best Bitter

Score: 3/3

Beer 1 things to look for:

American Wheat Beer: orangy hop flavor/aroma, doughy/grainy

Kölsch: fruity esters

Weissbier: Weizen yeast (banana/clove), not bitter 

International Pale Lager: even balance/low intensity

Notes:

I got tons of orange in the aroma and a taste test confirmed this. With that, Weissbier and International Pale got eliminated. An orange zest aroma/flavor would be possible to find in a Kölsch as a product of fruity yeast esters, but typically in far lower levels and in the presence of other fruit like apples or white wine grapes. With that, I chose American Wheat.

American Wheats are usually made with ale yeast, and though many American brewers ferment their ales to be low in fruity esters, some subtle notes could come from low levels of ester production. Perhaps it’s a combination of the hops and yeast that gives it that flavor and aroma- I’m not totally sure, but it really tastes like there’s orange peel in there! 

Beer 2 things to look for:

Wee Heavy: esters, cherry/sherry

Belgian Dubbel: spicy phenols, fruity esters, high carbonation and dry

Doppelbock: bready, clean yeast

British Brown Ale: esters, lower alcohol/body

Notes:

I really love Chimay Red (Première), which was the Dubbel used in this exercise, so after sniffing/sipping, I was pretty sure that’s what this was. It’s the only beer on this list that exhibited spicy yeast phenols, and that was on full display here. There were tons of spices I associate with homemade root beer or cola on top of apricots and toffee, but with no residual sweetness. The dryness (lack of sweetness) and high carbonation sealed the deal.

Beer 3 things to look for:

Irish Red Ale: malt forward, low intensity, low bitterness

International Amber Lager: some bitterness, clean, low intensity

American Amber Ale: clean yeast, US hop flavor/bitterness

Best Bitter: yeast character, UK malt/hop character

Notes:

Right off the bat, Best Bitter and American Amber could get eliminated due to the lack of hop flavor, aroma, and bitterness. This wasn’t a bold beer, but that could suit either of the remaining styles. One difference between the styles is that Irish Reds are usually lower in alcohol. Though imported versions are usually stronger, reds on tap in Ireland can have super low ABVs; 3.8% is very common. In these versions, carbonation is usually lower to accentuate the subtlety in the malt/hop department. This sample had that subdued but flavorful balance and low alcohol presence I’d expect in a red, so I picked that. 

It really helps that I’ve had a lot of Irish Red since International Ambers have the potential to present similarly in balance and presentation. If the sample had a similar malt profile but was much more bitter, that would encourage me to pick Intl Amber. It was very helpful though that I was familiar with the style and could recognize it.