Brownage

Tasting session 30

Beer 1 Choices: International Dark Lager, Belgian Dubbel, American Brown Ale, British Brown Ale

Beer 2 Choices: Wee Heavy, Märzen, Strong Bitter, Irish Red Ale

Beer 3 Choices: International Dark Lager, Wee Heavy, Märzen, Munich Dunkel

Beer 4 Choices: International Pale Lager, Witbier, Munich Helles, German Pils

Score: 3/4

Beer 1 things to look for:

International Dark Lager: neutral/watery

Belgian Dubbel: spicy phenols and fruity esters

American Brown Ale: clean yeast, US hops/bitterness, chocolate

British Brown Ale: fruity esters, UK malt/hop character

Notes:

There wasn’t any spicy phenolic character on the nose or palate, so I was able to eliminate Dubbel first. Foam stuck around for a while, and the malt character was deeper than I’d expect in an Intl Dark Lager, so that was next to go. The prominent notes I was getting were chocolate, some roast, and bitterness without much hop aroma. The bitterness and chocolate screamed American, so that’s what I picked; I’d expect a British Brown to be focused on biscuity/toffee character with noticeable fruit coming from the yeast. 

Note: Prominent levels of roastiness are not a traditional characteristic of brown ales from any country. Roast usually comes into play in heavier beers like Porters and Stouts. The BJCP guidelines we need to follow for our exam state this, but list Brooklyn Brown as a commercial example of American Brown. This could cause a lot of confusion in blind tasting settings if answer choices included Porters since this beer is so roasty. 

Beer 2 things to look for:

Wee Heavy: esters, alcohol warmth

Märzen: clean yeast, rich malt/toasty

Strong Bitter: esters, UK malt/hops, bitterness

Irish Red Ale: light esters? Not bitter, caramelly

Notes:

The body was medium-light with no alcohol warmth/booziness, so I eliminated Wee Heavy first. I’d expect an Irish Red to be lighter than this was though, so I got rid of that next. There wasn’t rich maltiness, toastiness, or any Maillard browning character, but I was sensing some bitterness. I didn’t detect any esters that would have boded for Strong Bitter, but since some of the imported Bitters I’ve tasted had a more subdued yeast profile, I wasn’t sure if I could count on that information. 

Since the malt character was less rich than what I’d expect in a Märzen, a beer that usually highlights rich bready/toasty notes, I went with Strong Bitter. I’m not sure if this Märzen lost some of its oomph since it was quite old, or if I just haven’t had enough of them to be confident in the distinction. To my palate, the malt wasn’t very deep/complex, and the bitterness matched the intensity of the malt. Too bad I need to wait until Oktoberfest to try more! 

Märzen used to be the prominent style of beer served at Oktoberfest until Festbier, the “more poundable” version of Märzen, took over. Fun fact: “more poundable” is a direct quote from the head brewer at Paulaner Brauhaus! 

Beer 3 things to look for:

International Dark Lager: watery/neutral

Wee Heavy: alcohol warmth, fruity esters

Märzen: clean yeast, rich malt/toasty

Munich Dunkel: clean yeast, Maillard brownage, no chocolate/roast

 Notes:

Hard one! I didn’t get any alcohol warmth, and the body was light/medium-light, so I got rid of Wee Heavy first. The malt was richer and body heavier than what I’d expect in an Intl Dark Lager, so I eliminated that next. The profile of this beer was dominated by Maillard browning character- not roast, not chocolate, not toasty, not burnt. 

It’s weird to think about because the flavors from Maillard browning are usually associated with foods that are rich and/or sweet, but this beer was not. The effect is a beer that is light in body with malty richness that doesn’t come off as sweet. It’s kind of like taking a piece of white bread and getting the perfect toast on it. The bread isn’t sweeter or richer, but there is a deeper flavor going on. That’s akin to what’s happening here and is the hallmark of Munich Dunkel. This, along with the lighter body, is what made me select it.

Beer 4 things to look for:

International Pale Lager: neutral/watery body, corn/rice

Witbier: orange and coriander

Munich Helles: not bitter, round malt

German Pils: bitter

 Notes:

There was no orange or coriander going on, so Wit was first to go. There was a little bitterness on the palate, but it wasn’t prevalent enough in the balance for it to be a Pils. Intl Pale vs Helles is tricky- both beers are malt driven and light bodied with clean yeast and low bitterness. After swirling the beer, I noticed that the foam was pretty weak and the head was made of tiny bubbles only that disappeared quite quickly. This was a vote for Intl Pale as the corn or rice used in place of malted barley takes away foam retention. The flavor and aroma seemed to support this corn/rice flavor, so I went with Intl Pale.