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How do you figure out what you like in a beer?
- Thread starter Chevette Girl
- Start date
So here are my tasting notes from my visit to the Mill Street Brewery, Ottawa location...
Valley Irish Red - quite the bite, but nice malt aftertaste. Too bitter for my palate, front-tongue bitterness.
Organic Ale - I think I've reviewed this before, very pleasant, the bitterness to it is there but fades really quickly.
Paradise (forgot to ask more about it, it was a seasonal special and not on their menu), very strong back palate bitterness that I found unpleasant, but underneath the bitterness there was an under-flavour that had a lot of potential, couldn't put my finger on it exactly though.
Raspberry - I really savoured this one, I've been disappointed three times now by raspberry beers where I couldn't find the raspberry... the aroma was quite promising, and I was pleasantly surprised at a discernable raspberry flavour when I took my first stip. And the beer underneath it was nicely balanced between bitter and sweet. WINNER!!!
Valley Irish Red - quite the bite, but nice malt aftertaste. Too bitter for my palate, front-tongue bitterness.
Organic Ale - I think I've reviewed this before, very pleasant, the bitterness to it is there but fades really quickly.
Paradise (forgot to ask more about it, it was a seasonal special and not on their menu), very strong back palate bitterness that I found unpleasant, but underneath the bitterness there was an under-flavour that had a lot of potential, couldn't put my finger on it exactly though.
Raspberry - I really savoured this one, I've been disappointed three times now by raspberry beers where I couldn't find the raspberry... the aroma was quite promising, and I was pleasantly surprised at a discernable raspberry flavour when I took my first stip. And the beer underneath it was nicely balanced between bitter and sweet. WINNER!!!
Coeur Brisé, raspberry flavoured beer.
Again, promising aroma... subtle raspberry taste and a surprising sourness on the centre of the tougue, I'm not really detecting any hops bitterness but that sourness is balancing it really nicely. I'd buy this again. It's very different from the Mill Street raspberry, yet also very nice.
Again, promising aroma... subtle raspberry taste and a surprising sourness on the centre of the tougue, I'm not really detecting any hops bitterness but that sourness is balancing it really nicely. I'd buy this again. It's very different from the Mill Street raspberry, yet also very nice.
CG, I am on my last 6 pack of Raspberry wheat I made and admittedly I drank most of them too early but the later ones had nice head and great raspberry flavor. I actually made a 2.5 gallon batch with 2 lbs. frozen raspberries in the primary. I used Wyeast Belgian Strong yeast (mostly because of temps). There was a very tart strong raspberry flavor on my first tasting, about a week after bottling. But after that I tried one every other day or so and it just got better and better. The tartness subsided and the heads got better and the beer flavor became more pronounced. All in all I am happy with the batch although I was too eager to drink it. The bad thing is I got some fruit floaties in it when bottling because of the straight fruit in the wort. Other than that and my impatience it was not bad.
Now, because I was ticked at all the fruit crap in my beer I started another batch that was basically the same. Wheat DME with very mild hops put in at start of boil just to add some bitterness (not flavor). I again used Belgian Strong but this time I let it ferment for about a week to where it was not getting much activity. I transfered it to my secondary/bottling bucket then I added a muslin bag of 1 lbs. of raspberries for only 2 days. I took the bag out and it looked to be depleted of all its goodness and was covered with yeast so I felt ok. I took a reading and had a taste and the raspberries were not very pronounced but that was ok because I felt the first bath I did was a bit too fruity. I am going to take another reading tomorrow and see if it is still at 1.016 (which is has been the last 3 times I tested) and if it it is still 1.016 I'm going to give it a slight stir to get the yeast a bit more attenuated and let it sit for a few hours then bottle prime it.
So, if you want to make a good fruity beer I would suggest a wheat type beer. I like wheat beers anyway and they seem to take the fruit flavor better than others. My only problem with my first batch was I couldn't taste much beer until it aged more but that was my own fault for drinking it so green.
Also, if you like hops and you just want the flavor add those toward the end of your boil. Me I don't like really hopped up beer so I go light on it. Especially with a wheat. I like to add some just to make it not so sweet and give some bitternes.
In short, I'd start with a wheat DME and whatever fruit you want in the primary if you want a really fruity beer. But i you want to get the beer flavor coming through make sure to give it time in bottle. This has been my observation so far.
Now, because I was ticked at all the fruit crap in my beer I started another batch that was basically the same. Wheat DME with very mild hops put in at start of boil just to add some bitterness (not flavor). I again used Belgian Strong but this time I let it ferment for about a week to where it was not getting much activity. I transfered it to my secondary/bottling bucket then I added a muslin bag of 1 lbs. of raspberries for only 2 days. I took the bag out and it looked to be depleted of all its goodness and was covered with yeast so I felt ok. I took a reading and had a taste and the raspberries were not very pronounced but that was ok because I felt the first bath I did was a bit too fruity. I am going to take another reading tomorrow and see if it is still at 1.016 (which is has been the last 3 times I tested) and if it it is still 1.016 I'm going to give it a slight stir to get the yeast a bit more attenuated and let it sit for a few hours then bottle prime it.
So, if you want to make a good fruity beer I would suggest a wheat type beer. I like wheat beers anyway and they seem to take the fruit flavor better than others. My only problem with my first batch was I couldn't taste much beer until it aged more but that was my own fault for drinking it so green.
Also, if you like hops and you just want the flavor add those toward the end of your boil. Me I don't like really hopped up beer so I go light on it. Especially with a wheat. I like to add some just to make it not so sweet and give some bitternes.
In short, I'd start with a wheat DME and whatever fruit you want in the primary if you want a really fruity beer. But i you want to get the beer flavor coming through make sure to give it time in bottle. This has been my observation so far.
Thanks for the suggestions, Kelvin.
I do seem to be drawn to wheat beers, but I'm not sure if it's the actual wheat malt I like or if it's that they always seem to use that for fruity beers (which I tend to like) or if it's that they don't tend to hop wheat beers too much. It may be the style or it may be the wheat... I've already got some light DME so my first whatever I do decide on will be made with that.
I'm going to need to figure out a yeast that's happy in the low-to-mid-20's, and figure out what fruit I actually want to use, I've got this feeling that red currants would work very well.
And if I go with raspberry, I'll probably go with more rather than less raspberry since out of the four or five raspberry beers I've ever tried, only two of them actually tasted anything like raspberry to me.
One of my friends at a BBQ last night was drinking some blackberry wheat beer she'd brought home from the 'states, it sounded pretty tasty but I didn't get a taste since by the time we ran into each other she was on her last sip... but since I know 12 oz of blackberries in a gallon of JAO is enough to be noticeable, it's another starting point... because, you know, my to-brew list isn't long enough! ;D
I do seem to be drawn to wheat beers, but I'm not sure if it's the actual wheat malt I like or if it's that they always seem to use that for fruity beers (which I tend to like) or if it's that they don't tend to hop wheat beers too much. It may be the style or it may be the wheat... I've already got some light DME so my first whatever I do decide on will be made with that.
I'm going to need to figure out a yeast that's happy in the low-to-mid-20's, and figure out what fruit I actually want to use, I've got this feeling that red currants would work very well.
And if I go with raspberry, I'll probably go with more rather than less raspberry since out of the four or five raspberry beers I've ever tried, only two of them actually tasted anything like raspberry to me.
One of my friends at a BBQ last night was drinking some blackberry wheat beer she'd brought home from the 'states, it sounded pretty tasty but I didn't get a taste since by the time we ran into each other she was on her last sip... but since I know 12 oz of blackberries in a gallon of JAO is enough to be noticeable, it's another starting point... because, you know, my to-brew list isn't long enough! ;D
I recently had one of Akueck's pale ales, it was a very nice flavour, not terriffically carbonated, my only complaint was that the hops were a tad bitter for my taste and it had like a 5-minute hang-time on the back of my tongue. I did finish it though, which I probably would not have been able to do before I started sampling beers 
I am very much looking forward to trying his vanilla cinnamon beer but I think it probably still needs a couple more weeks to carb.
I am very much looking forward to trying his vanilla cinnamon beer but I think it probably still needs a couple more weeks to carb.
Currently drinking Akueck's vanilla cinnamon beer (yes, I realize he left it here months ago, I keep the house too cold in winter to really enjoy beer but for some reason I'm warm today). I'm actually tasting ginger instead of cinnamon for some reason, but I think I can pick out what the vanilla has contributed. I like this, a lot, even if "vanilla cinnamon" isn't how I'd describe the taste. I'm almost picking up citrus notes which makes me wonder what hops were used... Not bitter, nice and clear, the tastes that cling to my tongue after swallowing are pleasant. I'd drink this again anytime, Aaron!
Nice! Glad you liked it. I'll have to go figure out what I did use in there, it was a bit of a leftover beer that got thrown together in a hurry. wildoates' vanilla extract did feature prominently. ;D
Beer is consider as most popular alcoholic beverages. there are various types of beer and each one of them have content their own flavored. I would prefer for Old Milwaukee I like this a lot it contains of non alcoholic it is also have a great taste combining the malt and hops.
Phineas, when you add mostly-irrelevant comments or ones that contain information that everyone already knows (for example, that beer is a most popular beverage or that there are many types), especially to old threads like this, it makes you look like a spammer and eventually someone will tag you and you'll get asked pointed questions by the moderators if not booted off outright.
If you have questions about mead, beer, wine or other spirits, please post them in your own thread in the appropriate forum section.
This thread is clearly about how to figure out what you like in a beer with an eye to eventually making my own beer, and I can't de-alcoholize a beer like they do with Old Milwaukee or other near-beers. Most beers DO have a good combination of malt and hops, that's what makes it a good beer, but the combination of malt and hops in say an IPA is quite different from a pilsner or my beloved coffee porter, is it a bitter hops and a sweet malt or a bitter malt and a sweet hops?
If you have questions about mead, beer, wine or other spirits, please post them in your own thread in the appropriate forum section.
This thread is clearly about how to figure out what you like in a beer with an eye to eventually making my own beer, and I can't de-alcoholize a beer like they do with Old Milwaukee or other near-beers. Most beers DO have a good combination of malt and hops, that's what makes it a good beer, but the combination of malt and hops in say an IPA is quite different from a pilsner or my beloved coffee porter, is it a bitter hops and a sweet malt or a bitter malt and a sweet hops?
I'm fairly certain Phineas is a bot...
(Apologies if you're not, but your posting style/pattern is very reminiscent of one)
(Apologies if you're not, but your posting style/pattern is very reminiscent of one)
Well since the thread is revived... Coffee porters are amazing! I'm also just discovering milk stouts and sours at the moment. Ive only got to have this beer once, but it is my all time favorite. It's called Coal Porter by Atlantic Brewing company, I cant for the life of me. Find it anywhere. Heres the beer advocate
Coffee porters are pretty good, but I just realised I haven't had a treacle stout in a very long time.
Think this means I have to add a treacle braggot to my list...
Think this means I have to add a treacle braggot to my list...
How about a bochet braggot! Too crazy. I would like to try that, maybe a small amount of brown malt to bring out those flavors, and a light hopping with fuggles? Now that's a beer (braggot/crazy thing)!
. I would like to try that, maybe a small amount of brown malt to bring out those flavors, and a light hopping with fuggles? Now that's a beer (braggot/crazy thing)!I think with a bochet braggot, your malt selection should help to balance out the mead more. My bochet is really dark and smokey, so I would probably go with a lighter one like a vienna malt and something heavier for a lighter bochet, like chocolate or caramel malt.
I would think 2% brown, 13% Vienna, 50% burnt honey, and 35% pearl/MO (by fermentable sugar content) would make a nice braggot. Slight nut to compliment the smoke and burn marshmallow, slight roast to get that burnt honey signing and some nice bready notes. 30-35 IBU.
Man now it's on my list.
Man now it's on my list.
Hehe, I'd been contemplating a bochet braggot once I got a batch or two under my belt, what would we call that anyway, a bragchet? Bochot?
Flying Monkey brewery's Hoptical Illusion, "almost pale ale". I think they dry-hopped because though this packs a lot of hops flavour, it's nowhere near as bitter as I expected it to be.
Amazing things can be done just by changing when hops is added to a brew. Half the fun (for me, anyway) with brewing any beer, is to take basically the same recipe, and just switch them around and use a different one for the bittering, the one I used for bittering now goes in for the aroma, etc. It's fun to let people try it too and tell them that they're the "same beer", only I added the ingredients at different times.
I just got through making a simple brew with crystal malt (low Lovibond), some light liquid malt extract, and two different kinds of hops (Fuggles and Cascade). The next batch I do, I'm going to just reverse the two hops (if I can bring myself to do it; I'm a "brew experimenter", and rarely do I make the same or even close to the same brew back-to-back; I like variety).
It's amazing what a simple brew can be too. My sons are constantly trying to make off with the stuff. "Dad, this is really good! You should open your own brewery." Or, "Jimmy, Bill, Catherine, Alex, Brandon, and Paul all liked your beer. Said it was better than anything they'd had." And I'm checking my beer reserve because it's dwindling fast! Darn kids, always stealing my suds.
I just got through making a simple brew with crystal malt (low Lovibond), some light liquid malt extract, and two different kinds of hops (Fuggles and Cascade). The next batch I do, I'm going to just reverse the two hops (if I can bring myself to do it; I'm a "brew experimenter", and rarely do I make the same or even close to the same brew back-to-back; I like variety).
It's amazing what a simple brew can be too. My sons are constantly trying to make off with the stuff. "Dad, this is really good! You should open your own brewery." Or, "Jimmy, Bill, Catherine, Alex, Brandon, and Paul all liked your beer. Said it was better than anything they'd had." And I'm checking my beer reserve because it's dwindling fast! Darn kids, always stealing my suds.