Great Lakes Oktoberfest
An amber lager with rich malt flavor balanced by fragrant noble hops. (Description provided by company)
I arrived at Old Town Beer Exchange in downtown Huntsville eager to find a good beer to review. My malty sweet tooth was in control, so when I saw Florence's Singin' River had a doppelbock out, I immediately knew I would be taking a crowler of Orchestrator home with me.
Shortly after getting home, the crowler was popped open and the clear copper brew was poured into a glass. I may have been a bit timid with the pour but I expected a little bit more than the very thin cap which never quite melted away. It seemed to be mostly made up for the fact that it left plenty of white lacing on the glass.
I got a general sweet smell when I first brought the pint glass to my face. As I drank more, I could discern caramel and a bit of booze. I'm a bit disappointed by the lack of aroma. I decide to leave the crowler on the counter to warm up in hopes of eliciting a stronger aroma on my second glass. Sure enough, the aroma bloomed as it warmed. The caramel still dominated, but I started to pick up some vague dark fruit aromas (kinda plum-ish) along with a char affectation to the caramel sweetness. The warming definitely helped. It wasn't a night and day difference, though. The second glass seemed like a more fuller experience.
Beer is made of these core ingredients: barley/malt, hops, water, and yeast. In this blog post, I'll be writing about malt and some of what I've been reading in Robert Moser's Tasting Beer. First off, barley is the grain of choice for making beer, although other options exist. But regular old barley isn't in a good condition for releasing starches for making alcohol. Barley first needs to be malted.
First, barley is soaked in water for about 24 hours, or until it reaches 45% water content. The grain is pulled from the water and allowed to cool and dry. During this process, the grains will start to sprout. This growth and cracking of the shell is vital to getting what brewers want from the malted barley. The grain is then kilned to complete the drying process and to roast the grain to the desired darkness. It is possible to create two different malts of similar color but different flavors by varying the moisture content during kilning. If roasted dry, there will be a sharp, biscuit-like toastiness. If roasted moist, there is more of a toffee-like richness.
An amber lager with rich malt flavor balanced by fragrant noble hops. (Description provided by company)
In the style of a German Maibock, using our proprietary Pacman ale yeast. Deep honey in color with a malty aroma and a rich hearty flavor. (Description provided by company)
A voodooized blend of Czech, German, and Polish pilsners as it is higher in alcohol and much hopper than is typical for the style. Brewed with a blend of 8 different European hop varieties, Pilzilla is crisp and refreshing. (Description provided by company)
Prima! It’s a German exclamation of joy. It’s a recognition of accomplishment. It’s what escaped from our lips the first time we sampled this mighty pilsner recipe.
Stronger than strong. Powerful aromas and an intense flavor.
A smooth lager that strikes a delicate balance between sweet malt and dry hop flavors. (Description provided by company)
Originally brewed at a monastery in northern Italy, "double bock" was quickly introduced by Bavarian brewers to compete with bock. Doppelbock names end with the suffix "-ator."
Bock has been brewed since 1913, almost as long as the Spoetzl Brewery has been in business. However, it wasn't until a few decades ago that Shiner began producing Bock year-round. Bock was considered a lent beer, and therefore was only made around that season.
Carlsberg Elephant is a true Carlsberg classic. First launched in 1959, it is strong like an elephant in both flavour and alcohol content, offering adventurous beer drinkers across the continent a unique and exotic taste experience.
Introducing a true original. New Guinness Black Lager is cold-brewed with roasted barley for a refreshing lager taste like no other. Your first sip will surprise you. (Description provided by company)