Bitters are bitter

Tasting session 35

Beer 1 Choices: Best Bitter, International Amber Lager, Irish Red Ale, Märzen

Beer 2 Choices: Weizenbock, Belgian Dubbel, Eisbock, Wee Heavy

Beer 3 Choices: Fruit Lambic, Gueuze, Berliner Weisse, Gose

Beer 4 Choices: Irish Red Ale, Strong Bitter, Märzen, Belgian Blond Ale

Score: 3/4

Beer 1 things to look for:

Best Bitter: bitter, UK malt/hops, esters? diacetyl? 

International Amber Lager: thin body, clean yeast, bitter?

Irish Red Ale: not bitter, light body, esters? diacetyl? 

Märzen: malt forward, heavier body, clean yeast, toasty?

Notes:

My first impression was that there was no detectable yeast character, low bitterness, and caramel/biscuity malt notes. The body was heavier with more residual sweetness than I’d expect in an Irish Red or Intl Amber, so I felt comfortable eliminating those. Since I wasn’t picking up diacetyl, yeast esters, or much bitterness, I felt like it had to be Märzen, even though it seemed a little lighter in body for a Märzen with less toastiness. 

When I checked my answers and realized I got this wrong, I went in for the nose plug test to check for bitterness (by plugging your nose and taking a sip, it’s easier to identify basic tastes). It was actually pretty bitter! This was strange because I wasn’t getting much bitterness when I was sipping during the panel. I think it was balanced toward bitterness, just not in an in-your-face way, and I missed it because I wasn’t checking carefully enough. Note to self: if “bitter” is in the name, nose plug for bitterness! I’m curious to try a fresh example to see if there’s yeast or hop character that I’m missing out on. 

Beer 2 things to look for:

Weizenbock: Weizen yeast (banana+clove), Bock booze

Belgian Dubbel: high carbonation/attenuation, phenols, esters

Eisbock: clean yeast, boozy, bigger Doppelbock

Wee Heavy: esters, sweetness, not bitter, big body

Notes:

My first thought after smelling this was that it smelled like really stale wheat. That set me up for confusion as Eisbocks don’t usually contain wheat. They’re essentially Doppelbocks that have water removed from them in the form of ice to leave a more concentrated beer behind. Beer availability is limited where I live, and this was the only Eisbock I could find when selecting beers for these panels, so I was hoping this would give me an idea of what to expect from an Eisbock. Even though it wasn’t “traditional”, I was still able to select the right answer.

I knew it was for sure not a Dubbel because of the high amount of residual sweetness and alcohol warmth. I wanted to eliminate Weizenbock for the same reason, but since I smelled wheat (a key ingredient in Weizenbock) I doubted myself. After some more sips though, I felt confident that a Weizenbock wouldn’t be this sweet or boozy. That left it to Wee Heavy vs Eisbock. I usually pick up a lot of residual sweetness and booziness in Wee Heavy, but this beer was thicker and more syrupy than I’d experienced when drinking Wee Heavy. With that, I went with Eisbock.

Beer 3 things to look for:

Fuit Lambic: Gueuze+fruit

Gueuze: complex acidity, earthy, Brett, other bugs (good bacteria)

Berliner Weisse: high lactic acidity, Brett?

Gose: clean lactic acidity, coriander

 Notes:

I missed Berliner Weisse on a previous panel, so was keen to sniff and sip carefully here. I wasn’t picking up any earthy/leathery/over-ripe pineapple/marshmallow root notes that would indicate Brett or other souring bacteria, so I felt confident it wasn’t Gueuze or Fruit Lambic (there also weren’t any detectable fruit additions). 

Berliner Weisse isn’t always super Brett-forward, and the acidity can present very similarly to that in a Gose. In my experience, Gose has a less intense acidity, but in a blind tasting setting and not a side-by-side comparison, this distinction can be difficult to parse out. Salt and coriander are unique ingredients in Gose that are not in Berliner Weisse, but these notes are harder to pick out than they seem. In my experience, traditional Goses don’t taste salty- the salt is more there to soften the mouthfeel. 

The soft mouthfeel would be easier to detect in a side-by-side comparison, but in a blind setting like this, the mouthfeel didn’t come across as noticeably soft. The coriander flavor is what made me select Gose. It’s tricky though, as the beer is so acidic that the coriander presents much more subtly than it does in styles like Witbier or other pale Belgian beers. I’ve experienced American interpretations of Gose to be much more in-your-face regarding salt and coriander, so tasting traditional versions is key to understanding the balance for this exam. 

Beer 4 things to look for:

Irish Red Ale: not bitter, thinner body, esters? diacetyl?

Strong Bitter: bitter, UK malt/hops, esters?

Märzen: malt forward, heavier body, toasty?

Belgian Blond Ale: phenols, esters

 Notes:

Caramelly/toffee malt notes popped out to me first, along with subtle bitterness and some fruity notes that I suspected were esters. I felt confident that this wasn’t a Belgian Blond as there were no peppery/clovey phenols. It also seemed too light-bodied and fruity to be a Märzen. The flavor profile of the malt seemed Irish Red adjacent, but the fruitiness was out of place. The body was a bit heavier than I’d expect in an Irish Red, but it was the nose plug test for bitterness that sealed the deal for Strong Bitter. 

Similar to the balance of the Best Bitter in sample #1 of this tasting, bitterness wasn’t overpowering or in-your-face. When analyzing carefully though, there was clear bitterness coming through in levels that were much higher than they would in an Irish Red. I’m stoked to visit the UK soon and dive more deeply into these styles. The bitter beers I grew up drinking don’t exactly practice subtlety like their British ancestors (as most who drank American Pale Ales or IPAs in the earlier 00’s can attest).