But is it fruity?!
Tasting session 26
Beer 1 Choices: Helles Bock, American Lager, Cream Ale, German Pils
Beer 2 Choices: Saison, Witbier, Gose, Gueuze
Beer 3 Choices: Witbier, American Lager, Munich Helles, Kölsch
Beer 4 Choices: Kölsch, German Pils, Munich Helles, International Pale Lager
Score: 3/4
Beer 1 things to look for:
Helles Bock (Maibock): Bock booze/body
American Lager: neutral profile, rice/corn
Cream Ale: neutral profile, corn
German Pils: bitter, hop forward
Notes:
It’s all about the body and boozieness here. Right away I realized it had way too much hop character to be an American Lager or Cream Ale, which usually have very little bitterness/hop aromatics. Out of the remaining two styles, I’d expect both to have some bitterness. With German Pils, hops remain in the forefront regarding balance. Helles Bock has ample bitterness too, but it’s in pretty close balance with upfront toasty/bready/Maillard malt character. I detected those malt notes in the sample along with a heavier body and some alcohol warmth, which sealed the deal for Helles Bock.
Beer 2 things to look for:
Saison: phenols, esters, bitter
Witbier: orange/coriander
Gose: coriander and lactic acidity
Gueuze: earthy with complex acidity
Notes:
I wasn’t detecting any acidity in the aroma or flavor, so I felt comfortable eliminating Gose and Gueuze, which have very upfront acidity. This beer smelled and tasted like a Wit with upfront orange peel and coriander notes, so I felt comfortable going with Witbier. In addition, the beer didn’t have much detectable bitterness, which is usually a giveaway for Saison.
Beer 3 things to look for:
Witbier: orange/coriander
American Lager: neutral profile, not bitter, clean yeast
Munich Helles: clean yeast, not bitter, round malt
Kölsch: esters? Bitterness?
Notes:
The sample had no orange or coriander notes, so I could eliminate Witbier right away. I also wasn’t getting much bitterness, so I was tempted to eliminate Kölsch- but you never know with imported Kölsch. The flavor profile was so plain and neutral though that my gut told me American Lager. Since the body was also so thin and the foam almost non-existent, I felt comfortable choosing American Lager.
Beer 4 things to look for:
Kölsch: esters? bitterness?
German Pils: hop forward, clean yeast
Munich Helles, malt forward, clean yeast
International Pale Lager: neutral profile
Notes:
I wasn’t detecting much bitterness, so the first style I crossed out was German Pils, which usually has very prominent bitterness. The other styles should have some bitterness too, but it’s more there to balance the sweet malt. The sample had subtle hints of fruitiness, so my gut told me it was Kölsch. My thought was that I was picking up some fruity esters that’s expected in Kölsch, but out of place in Intl Pale Lager. The body was thin, which should have been a vote for Intl Pale, but that fruitiness kept pulling me back to Kölsch. I ended up guessing Kölsch, which was incorrect.
I popped open a Kölsch to compare it to the sample. The profiles were so similar that I’m still not sure how I would differentiate them. Neither had strong fruitiness, but there was some faint red apple character coming from both samples at near equal levels. They had similar levels of bitterness too. The body on both beers were comparable and certainly not different enough to make that a deciding factor. I’m praying I don’t get Kölsch on the exam, but I bet I will. If their examples are fresh, I’m hoping I’ll notice a more concrete distinction.
