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T

Thor

Thor Iverson
Hilberg-Pasquero 2005 Vareij (Piedmont) Smooth blue fruit, candied and dull as hell. Everything interesting has been buffed and polished and ground from this wine, leaving a core of emptiness. The tedium is immeasurable. This is brachetto?!? (with some barbera, but still) (10/08)

Unibroue Quartre-Centime (Qubec) Are these beers getting more boring by the year, or am I suffering from malty overstimulation? Should I blame corporate brewing? Is this an actual tasting note? No, probably not. (10/08)

Fullers 2007 Vintage Ale (England) Strident and uncompromising; the upshot is that Im not at all sure I like it, but it sure is very much what it wants to be: bitter, raw-grain zing in drinkable form. Im tempted to say this is brilliant, except that its hard for me to be so positive about a beer I really, really struggle to take in more than single-sip quantities. Still, I have to believe that this is a personal issue, and those who like this sort of thing will find it an ale for the ages. (10/08)

Kumeu River 2005 Chardonnay (Kumeu) The elephant in the room: theres some obvious reduction at first opening (this wine is screwcapped by one of New Zealands most ardent advocates of widespread screwingwait, that came out wrong). It completely disappears after about 15 minutes, though its replaced by a sulfurous, matchstick edginess. And then, theres brilliant, sunrise-through-a-window acidity, brittle grapefruit, and a lot of primal, grapey rawness. This is structured and strikingly long, and though it lacks complexity now, I suspect time will bring some. Kumeu River remains one of New Zealands best producers of this often-insipid grape. (10/08)
 
originally posted by Thor:
Unibroue Quartre-Centime (Qubec) Are these beers getting more boring by the year, or am I suffering from malty overstimulation? Should I blame corporate brewing? Is this an actual tasting note? No, probably not. (10/08)
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I find most of these commemorative or special one-off brews to be generally underwhelming and usually avoid them. But just about every brewery does it. I wouldnt necessarily blame corporate brewing. Its damned hard to make a good, drinkable AND unique beer. That being said, Trois Pistoles (year-round production) from the same brewery is quite tasty, especially during the cooler seasons. I just drank a bottle a couple weeks ago while hanging out in a garage with the door open to low 40s.
 
Zachary, maybe I just had a lousy bottle. But it sure tasted like a lot made of very little to me.

Todd, the corporate snark was more directed at Unibroue's ever-expanding lineup since the change in ownership, which reminds me of what's happened to Ben & Jerry's. And the other thing that reminds me of B&J's is that the quality has, for my palate, been showing signs of slipping...though I'm certainly open to the idea that it's all in my head. I used to be a regular consumer of much of the Unibroue lineup, but now I'm more wary.
 
originally posted by Thor:
Fullers 2007 Vintage Ale (England) Strident and uncompromising; the upshot is that Im not at all sure I like it, but it sure is very much what it wants to be: bitter, raw-grain zing in drinkable form. Im tempted to say this is brilliant, except that its hard for me to be so positive about a beer I really, really struggle to take in more than single-sip quantities. Still, I have to believe that this is a personal issue, and those who like this sort of thing will find it an ale for the ages. (10/08)
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I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss your impression as merely a personal issue. Some of these vintage beers are a bit over the top. As you note, there are plenty of people who enjoy that, but I don't think it's wrong to assume that beer -- even strong ones -- be quaffable and pleasant to consume. With the exception of beers that were bulked up for traveling or storage, it's always been for bulk consumption, whether in a social setting or as sustenance. Of course, a valid argument might be that this needs more time to lose some of the harshness. But if it's still drinking hard in a year or two, I don't know if not liking a bitter, rough beer is at all just a "personal issue."

And the other thing that reminds me of B&J's is that the quality has, for my palate, been showing signs of slipping...though I'm certainly open to the idea that it's all in my head. I used to be a regular consumer of much of the Unibroue lineup, but now I'm more wary.
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It's always rough when companies try to get away from what they do well for the sake of gimmickry, which is essentially what new constant parades of special new flavors really amount to. I think Todd's right regarding their standard line-up. Screw the one-offs. Trois Pistoles, La Fin du Monde, Maudite, etc -- still nothing wrong with those beers today.
 
I don't drink a ton of beer but from my limited experience some of these Special Brews are definitely overdone.

That said, I heard good things from J Parrott about a special wet-hops Sierra Nevada that was being poured last week and sounded like more than just a gimmick.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
Wots wet-hops?
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I didn't know until Jake told me about it, so hopefully he (or someone else) can chime in here, but from my understanding essentially it means they are brewed the same day they are picked.

Apparently most beer uses dried hops that have been aged, gotten stale, etc.
 
I'm actually drinking a "special" brew right now that I like, though it's definitely extreme: Gouden Carolus "Cuve Van de Kiezer" -- a stonking 11% alcohol, and somewhat inhibiting me from finishing the column that's due tomorrow -- but sweet and intense. Maybe too intense, maybe not; I like it, either way.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
I didn't know until Jake told me about it, so hopefully he (or someone else) can chime in here, but from my understanding essentially it means they are brewed the same day they are picked.

Apparently most beer uses dried hops that have been aged, gotten stale, etc.
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Its simply the process of using fresh hops. Plenty of breweries do it. I believe Sierra Nevadas (wet hop) Harvest Ale is easiest to get nationally.

My pal Noah was married at the Historic Scarab Club of Detroit around this time last year. Not only was it memorable for the explicit nude paintings on display at the time but also for the hop vine that grew on a trellis in the courtyard where the ceremony was held. After a few gins I gathered a pocketful of hop cones and proceeded to insert them into peoples bottles of Miller Genuine Draft. I figured I was doing these folks a service.

Im kind of pissed I have that Pina Colada song in my head now.
 
I was under the impression that Sierra's Celebration Ale was also "wet-hopped."

Anyway, I agree with Todd that it's dumb name for what is a not-all-that-uncommon practice.

And anyway, hasn't the hop backlash begun? You know, let the malt shine through and all that? Aren't the hipsters drinking sans houblons these days?
 
Hops backlash started long ago. Hops are the new wood of beer.

To see it in print, Asimov has commented on it, as I'm sure others have as well.
 
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