Vienna or International?

Tasting session 31

Beer 1 Choices: American Amber Ale, International Amber Lager, Irish Red Ale, Vienna Lager

Beer 2 Choices: Munich Helles, German Pils, Helles Bock (Maibock), American Pale Ale

Beer 3 Choices: English Porter, American Barleywine, Irish Extra Stout, American Stout

Beer 4 Choices: Belgian Tripel, Saison, Weissbier, Witbier

Score: 3/4

Beer 1 things to look for:

American Amber Ale: US hops

International Amber Lager: neutral profile/thin body

Irish Red Ale: esters? Diacetyl? caramelly

Vienna Lager: clean yeast, bolder Intl Amber

Notes:

This was a hard one- the only style I could confidently get rid of was Irish Red since the bitterness was moderate (I’d expect it to be lower for Irish Red) and I didn’t detect any yeast character. I felt pretty sure it wasn’t an American Amber since I didn’t detect American hop character (grapefruit/pine/cannabis), but since several American Ambers in our guidelines are modeled after German ambers, it complicates things. That being said, I eliminated American Amber because I’d expect the sample to be a little more bitter than it was.

Comparing the BJCP guidelines for Vienna Lager and Intl Amber Lager doesn’t help things very much. The only distinction it states is that Intl Ambers have “less well-developed malt flavor than a Vienna Lager, often with an adjunct taste”. Perhaps if you tried a Vienna next to an Intl Amber you’d be able to tell which was richer or deeper in flavor, but in a blind setting the distinction is pretty tough. It’s made harder when you consider that not all Intl Ambers provided in the commercial examples in our guidelines have adjuncts (corn/rice). 

I selected Intl Amber because I thought the tiny bubbles making up the quickly disappearing foam signaled adjuncts, as corn and rice in the grist usually decrease foam retention. Perhaps I swirled more than I should have and knocked too much CO2 out of solution, and that caused the foam character I was witnessing. I was bummed this trick didn’t work since it has been reliable for helping me distinguish styles like American Lager and Intl Pale Lager when comparing against styles like Helles or Pils.

Beer 2 things to look for:

Munich Helles: not bitter

German Pils: bitter, Nobel hops, not boozy

Helles Bock (AKA Maibock): Bock booze

American Pale Ale: US hops

Notes:

American hop character was absent after a smell and taste test, so American Pale Ale got eliminated first. The beer had noticeable alcohol and body, and there was moderate/moderately high bitterness that created a fairly even balance. Had there been a lighter body and less alcohol presence, I would have guessed Pils, but all signs pointed toward a Bock beer.  

Beer 3 things to look for:

English Porter: roast, fruity esters

American Barleywine: tons and tons of US hops and malt

Irish Extra Stout: Diacetyl? Roast! Bitterness comes from roast

American Stout: roast, US hops/bitterness 

 Notes:

I didn’t detect any yeast character on the nose or palate, so even though there was roast, English Porter was the first to go. The roast presence helped to eliminate American Barleywine, which I’d expect to have none and be way more bitter, sweet, and full-bodied. Deciding between American Stout and Irish Extra Stout came down to hop presence since I didn’t pick up any diacetyl (a compound that provides a buttery flavor).  If I detected diacetyl, that would have indicated it was likely the Irish Extra as it’s not uncommon for UK brewers to incorporate that flavor into their beers.

After I swallowed the sample, I picked up piney/cannabis notes that lingered and grew in intensity, which signaled it was likely an American Stout. I’ve noticed that Irish Stouts have more of an astringent finish and that bitterness in the balance comes primarily from roasted malts, while American Stouts have much more hop bitterness and aroma. 

Beer 4 things to look for:

Belgian Tripel: body/booze, phenols, esters

Saison: phenols, esters, bitter, Tank 7?

Weissbier: Weizen yeast (clove+banana only)

Witbier: orange/coriander

 Notes:

I knew after swirling this beer that it was Belgian; the dense mousse-like foam stuck around after every sip I took during this tasting. Yummy. Aroma revealed deep complexity: there was banana and clove like there’d be in a Weissbier, but also black pepper and pomme fruit, so that Weissbier got eliminated first. The body was much too heavy to be a Wit, and since the profile wasn’t dominated by orange peel/coriander, Wit was eliminated next. The sample had some bitterness, but there was noticeable alcohol and body indicative of a Tripel. 

I took a beat and tested for Tank 7 (a Saison they can use for our test that doesn’t follow the traditional expression of a Saison), but there wasn’t much American hop character going on and the bitterness was too low, so I didn’t think it was Tank 7. In my experience, Saisons are usually lighter-bodied than Tripels, have no alcohol warming (except for Tank 7), and are balanced toward bitterness and peppery phenolics. The ripe banana notes, booziness, and heavy body lead me to Tripel.