we moved onto the Ales and Bitters, 3 English and 3 American brews, accompanied by three outrageously good cheeses, breads, and pickles which all were good matches for these pub-friendly beers. Our new ranking system (Looks, Smell, Taste, Mother Fucker...er, Mouth Feel, Overall) was added up for each beer, receiving a perfect score by each of us tonite would've been 150 pts. In order of the tasting, from lowest to highest alc. % (highest was only 5.3) :
Lake Superior Special Ale
Received a cumulative ranking by Taste Budz of 77 points. The coloring, head and overall appearance was nice, as it was for most of the beers tonight. Comments were about it's slight bitter finish (in a good way), a bit metallic on the tongue, crisp, not terribly complex but pretty drinkable.
Surly Bitter Brewer
Excitement was high for a moment...the pour was nice and the aroma was great - fruity and fresh. The first sips replaced this excitement with a what-the?, how-the? why-the?! There wasn't much there. There was a bit of lingering bitterness but for the most part any hint of flavor was gone in seconds and didn't show up much in the first place. Described as having a soapy finish, bit astringent, and disappointing. Somehow our Taste Budz rating placed this at a 77 - a tie with the clearly superior Lake Superior above. Why Surly? Why
Timothy Taylor Landlord
This was good...a beer we all agreed should be drunk while lingering in a dark pub with buddies. We ranked it an overall 92 and had comments about it's uniquely British smell - seemed to be a special yeasty-ness. It was surely the most complex beer yet of the evening, a little sweet, well balanced, not too bright - in fact, it was called a little dull. Still, a very nice beer that we'd all drink again.
21st Amendment Bitter American
Beer in a can received a cumulative Taste Budz rating of 100, easily the highest score and the favorite brew. It was brighter and livelier than the Landlord and best of all, Refreshing! It was the beer that we all wanted to have someone repeatedly bring us after mowing the lawn and kickin' it in the hammock. Their were bright explosions over the tongue with the most flavor hitting the back of the tongue, leaving you with a nice finish and wanting more. Plus, there's a monkey on the can.
Coniston Brewing Co. Bluebird Bitter
meh. This was called forgettable, underwhelming, very metallic finish, etc. Our ranking put it at 63.5. A beer we will not be seeking out anytime soon.
Fuller's ESB
We gave it 71 points...drinking it in a different context, we all agreed it would've stood alone better. It was a surprisingly good food beer - the pickles were especially tasty with it. It was easy to drink with nice color and clarity but didn't really stand-out in the end.
The cheeses we paired with the beers were outstanding tonight:
Brie (Fromager d'Affinois) which should be readily available at Co-ops and cheese-shops. Super creamy and buttery.
Widmer's 4 year Cheddar from Wisc. Just a yummy good cheddar that was a little sharp.
Carmelized Onion English Cheddar from Trader Joes. Outrageous...a bit sweet. Would make the best cheeseburger ever.
