Describing Beer

[DirtyDog]

I'd like to be better able to describe beer. Example:

How would you describe a beer like Fat Tire that leaves an after tast like you were sucking on a mouth full of pennies? Is there a certain ingredient that they are using too much of? Like ass maybe? Perhaps they should use less ass and more hops?

[H8R]

I'd like to be better able to describe beer. Example:

How would you describe a beer like Fat Tire that leaves an after tast like you were sucking on a mouth full of pennies? Is there a certain ingredient that they are using too much of? Like ass maybe? Perhaps they should use less ass and more hops?

In this case I think ass = hops. My understanding is that hops provides alot of the bitter finish in a beer.

Are you sure your roommates aren't playing a joke on you and wiping the top of your beer bottle someplace bad while you're in the kitchen during a commercial?

[DirtyDog]

In this case I think ass = hops. My understanding is that hops provides alot of the bitter finish in a beer.

Are you sure your roommates aren't playing a joke on you and wiping the top of your beer bottle someplace bad while you're in the kitchen during a commercial?

My beer may have seen some crack.

I don't think bitter is the problem. I like bitters. Have you ever had Fat Tire? There are other beers like it - they just have this particular flavor that I really dislike and I've always wondered what part of the brewing process creates this ass taste.

[Toshi]

what do you think of arrogant bastard, aaron? that's as hoppy as they come afaik (barring double bastard or whatever it's called), and was too much for me to even finish the bottle.

[DirtyDog]

what do you think of arrogant bastard, aaron? that's as hoppy as they come afaik (barring double bastard or whatever it's called), and was too much for me to even finish the bottle.

Never tried it. I'll get some in the name of science.

[H8R]

Metallic: Tastes tinny, bloodlike or coinlike; may come from bottle caps.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/101/terms.php

[narlus]

i think fat tire's got little hops; to me it's way too sweet.

toshi, the hoppiest beer i've ever tried was 120 minute IPA from dogfish. like liquified, distilled hop blossoms. nasty. and i like hoppy beers.

an exercise in extremism.

[BikeGeek]

Have you ever had Fat Tire? There are other beers like it - they just have this particular flavor that I really dislike and I've always wondered what part of the brewing process creates this ass taste.

If you're referring to the slightly sour taste, there are 2 possible causes. It could be the particular strain of yeast they use. A lot of Belgian and Belgian-style ales possess the same quality. I didn't realize the effect yeast had on flavor until I started homebrewing. The same recipe (grains/water/hops) with 2 different yeasts will often yield 2 very different beers.

It could also be caused by the pH of the water. Lower pH will cause a slightly sour finish to the beer.

[I Are Baboon]

Generally speaking, I don't like beers made with ass. Of course, there are always exceptions.

[BikeGeek]

Generally speaking, I don't like beers made with ass. Of course, there are always exceptions.

I'm sure Dogfish Head will eventually try it. They seem to be really in to the experimental brewing.

Can you imagine the brewing notes?

Filter water through damp riding shorts, boil with grains, add hops....

[SkaredShtles]

what do you think of arrogant bastard, aaron? that's as hoppy as they come afaik (barring double bastard or whatever it's called), and was too much for me to even finish the bottle.
Arrogant bastard is really not terribly hoppy. I would characterize it as overly malty. For hoppy extremism, try any of the following:

Great Divide Hercules Double IPA
Avery Brewing Maharaja Imperial IPA
Stone Brewing Ruination IPA (this is a bit less than the other two)

Be warned - the first two only come in bombers and are pushing 10% alcohol. :eek:

[Mackie]

I'd like to be better able to describe beer. Example:

How would you describe a beer like Fat Tire that leaves an after tast like you were sucking on a mouth full of pennies? Is there a certain ingredient that they are using too much of? Like ass maybe? Perhaps they should use less ass and more hops?
Actually, i find that metallic tatses - pennies, salty sour - umami, whatever you want to call it - are typically going bad. They are lightstruck, past the expiration date, or have been through warm/cold cycles.
Craft stuff is more suceptible to this kind of thing.

I recently picked up a 6 of double bag, and it tasted like their were roofing nails in the beer. Sure enough - expired by 3 months.

[berkshire_rider]

I recently picked up a 6 of double bag, and it tasted like their were roofing nails in the beer. Sure enough - expired by 3 months.

That sucks. Double Bag (I assume you are referring to Long Trail) is usually pretty good. Strong, but good.

[Mackie]

That sucks. Double Bag (I assume you are referring to Long Trail) is usually pretty good. Strong, but good.

How did i know that you would chime in?:)

You know that sometimes the setting/occasion makes a beer even better.
A Double Bag was one of the best beers I have ever had in my life. My wife (she had just become my fiance at the time) and i had just finished the first day of a B&B to B&B bike tour in Vermont. We did 60 miles that day, and that evening, after dinner, we sat out on the porch of the B&B and watched the sunset & drank a couple of Double Bags. It was just about a perfect moment.
It was the first time I had had the beer as well.

I'm glad I can get it in NY now, I just wish they would rotate the stock!

[OGRipper]

what do you think of arrogant bastard, aaron? that's as hoppy as they come afaik (barring double bastard or whatever it's called), and was too much for me to even finish the bottle.

Ahem. Check my avatar, I love the stuff. But like SS I don't really find it overly hopppy, I think it's well balanced and if anything a bit on the malty side. To me Fat Tire is even more on the malty/sweet side, I wish it was less so. I really like the New Belgium Loft brew though, much better IMO.

But this might help:

"A hop plant is a type of flower. When the flower is dried and added to beer, hops provide bitterness and aroma. Why do we want beer to be bitter? Because the sweetness of the malt in wort is overwhelming. Without hops, having a beer would be like drinking pancake syrup. Well, maybe not that bad. But you get the picture. All good things in life require balance, and beer is no exception."

[SkaredShtles]

<snip> To me Fat Tire is even more on the malty/sweet side, I wish it was less so.
For some reason I have trouble finding *any* flavors in Fat Tire. :think: :D

[OGRipper]

For some reason I have trouble finding *any* flavors in Fat Tire. :think: :D

Yeah I know. I really really want to like it - I mean come on, it's got a bike on the label - but I know what you're saying. A lot of people feel the same way. Maybe they will come out with New Fat Tire, like new coke or something...

[SkaredShtles]

Yeah I know. I really really want to like it - I mean come on, it's got a bike on the label - but I know what you're saying. A lot of people feel the same way. Maybe they will come out with New Fat Tire, like new coke or something...
I used to like it. It *does* have more flavor than, say, Bud. Of course, that's not saying much. :p

[berkshire_rider]

How did i know that you would chime in?:)

You know that sometimes the setting/occasion makes a beer even better.
A Double Bag was one of the best beers I have ever had in my life. My wife (she had just become my fiance at the time) and i had just finished the first day of a B&B to B&B bike tour in Vermont. We did 60 miles that day, and that evening, after dinner, we sat out on the porch of the B&B and watched the sunset & drank a couple of Double Bags. It was just about a perfect moment.
It was the first time I had had the beer as well.

I'm glad I can get it in NY now, I just wish they would rotate the stock!


Maybe your beer store doesn't sell a lot of micro brew beers, only mainstream stuff, so it sits for awhile? :confused: Pretty soon Long Trail will start brewing their fall seasonal - Harvest. Make sure to try it, if you have never had it.

[reflux]

Question: where do you guys go to get these beers? WHERE!?!?!?!1! I'm dying in So Cal to try something different, but don't want to have to go to the Yardhouse to try it. Thanks!

[SkaredShtles]

Question: where do you guys go to get these beers? WHERE!?!?!?!1! I'm dying in So Cal to try something different, but don't want to have to go to the Yardhouse to try it. Thanks!
:think:

I just go the two blocks to my local liquor store.

For even more selection I'd go here:

Applejack! (http://www.applejack.com/)

[berkshire_rider]

Question: where do you guys go to get these beers? WHERE!?!?!?!1! I'm dying in So Cal to try something different, but don't want to have to go to the Yardhouse to try it. Thanks!

Just about every town in the Northeast. There's a bunch of good local micro breweries around here, plus they carry beer from all over the country. Isn't there any of the large beverage marts in your area that are the size of a supermarket? If not, maybe you can visit some of the local micro breweries, and take home a growler or three.

[SkaredShtles]

Ok, I actually work in the Beer industry, <snip a whole lot of inane babble>. and thats my expert opinion!
please e-speculate.
I'm going to speculate that your opinion is something considerably less than "expert" :rolleyes:

[Radarr]

I'm going to speculate that your opinion is something considerably less than "expert" :rolleyes:

I don't know... Did you see where his location is? I'd sure place him as an expert...

[TN]

I don't know... Did you see where his location is? I'd sure place him as an expert...
sounds like a swingin' pad. I bet he walks around in a smoking jacket with a pipe, sipping Budweiser from a brandy sniffter.

but back on track here...I tried a Green Man Golden Lager from this joint in Asheville & it was described as tasting like a biscuit & that was spot on. The breath you took afterwards (the finish?) tasted like the crunchy bottom of a biscuit. :thumb:

It was cool place too, if you are ever in Asheville check out Jack of the Woods.

[Changleen]

I don't know... Did you see where his location is? I'd sure place him as an expert...Uh, I love lamp.

[narlus]

dude, talking about drinking coors light doesn't help in the rep dept.

[SkaredShtles]

dude, talking about drinking coors light doesn't help in the rep dept.
:stupid:

He adds to the stupidity with the wine commentary. :rolleyes:

"I'm an expert" "I like to drink Coors Lite" are two mutually exclusive quotations. :p

[Mackie]

Maybe your beer store doesn't sell a lot of micro brew beers, only mainstream stuff, so it sits for awhile? :confused: Pretty soon Long Trail will start brewing their fall seasonal - Harvest. Make sure to try it, if you have never had it.
They do a brisk micro business, but i think that the Long Trail stuff does not really have a following here yet.
I'm working on changing that.
:thumb:

[SkaredShtles]

Yet I'm the only one on this fourm that actually pays my morgage by working in the beer industry.

<shrug>

This *obviously* does not make you an expert.

Witness the Coors Lite comments. :rolleyes:

[TN]

<shrug>

This *obviously* does not make you an expert.

Witness the Coors Lite comments. :rolleyes:

ya know....I agree with this fella'. He never said Coors Light tasted good or was a quality beer...he just likes to pound them. nothing wrong with that. IMHO, if you tear through a sixer of Hoegaarden & dont savor the delicate orange hints & the subtle taste of corriander, you might as well be pounding fermented rice water. I, personally, dont have a stomach that can handle a lot of good beer, so I opt for Miller Lite when I know I will want 2 or 6. :o:

[OGRipper]

If you like to drink like I do, drink Coor's light, you can drink it all night long.

True beer drinkers don't act like WHINE lovers. Please don't turn something great like BEER into something stupid like smashed grapes and its lame ass following.

Son, you are either joking or you are a joke.

This is stupid on so many levels that I hope you are just trying to incite a few insults. If not, I don't know where to begin. But listen up:

First, if Coors Light is the best kind of beer for drinking like you do, then I don't want to drink like you. Wait, let me guess: Drinking "like you" means drinking as many beers as possible in the shortest amount of time, in an effort to get hammered quickly and cheaply. Yeah I went through that stage too. About 15 years ago.

Second, by dissing wine and generalizing about people who enjoy wine, you have exposed yourself as an ignorant clown with very limited exposure to the world.

Third, if you think it is lame to carry on an intelligent conversation about the merits of a particular beer in the same way some people analyze wine, then you are not a real player in a serious beer business. Real brewers are craftsmen who appreciate the subtleties and respect distinctions in other beer.

Dude, go ahead and enjoy your Coors Light. Thanks for leaving the good stuff for us.

[Radarr]

Yet I'm the only one on this fourm that actually pays my morgage by working in the beer industry.


IMO beer snobs are funny.

But it you feel like its a right of passage, go with guy!

Don't you mean that we pay your morgage?

Speaking of which, where's my beer?

[Radarr]

I think that everyone is being a little hard on scurban - sure, he's said some dumb stuff, but he does have a point. Every beer has it's place.

For example:
Coors Light - it's great for really hot summer days after a bunch of hamburgers - you know, the time where if you couldn't drink an oatmeal stout becuase you already finished dinner. It's also good for watching NASCAR events, either live or on TV.

The darker beer is great for drinking after a long day's work. Like a Black Butte Porter. It isn't something that really goes well with eating a lot of food. Just when you want to sit and do absolutely nothing but enjoy the beer.

I know that I've got 5 different types of beer in my fridge right now, just depending on my mood. PBR (in the bottle), Rainer, a home-brew hef, the afore mentioned porter, and another home brew that's maybe a dark amber. I don't know about that one, my friend's mom made it for us.

[SkaredShtles]

I think that everyone is being a little hard on scurban - sure, he's said some dumb stuff, but he does have a point. Every beer has it's place.
Yes - every beer has its place.

If we're talking about Miller, Bud, Coors, PBR, etc., etc. it should be placed directly in the kitchen drain.

I don't like to drink beer that I find tasteless swill.

Others are free to drink said swill.

Somebody's gotta keep those multinational swill brewers in business.

I don't like crap beer after a burger, during a NASCAR race, or any other time. I like the beer I like and I don't want to bother with the rest.

I've got Michelob in my fridge that's probably two months old. Eventually someone will drink it when they come over.

YMMV.

[Changleen]

Stella Artois you ****ers.

[boostindoubles]

on a recent trip through the midwest i found keystone light bottles, and busch light bottles. I have never been more appaled at the state of drinking. And i think that fat tire on tap is better tasting than when i drink it out the bottle.

Its strange to me how the same beer tastes different in a can than in a bottle than on tap. anyone else know what i'm saying? is it in my head?

[scurban]

its not in your head.

[Changleen]

Def. not in your head. Nearly all beer tastes different and often better from the tap. Guiness is an extreme example.

[HenryTheHammer]

If your into the hops, You gotta try the Industrial IPA from the DiamondKnot Brewery (http://www.diamondknot.com/). One of the best, if not the best, IPA I have ever drank.

[SkaredShtles]

<snip>When I drink "GOOD BEERS" (which I again would like to state I don't like the taste of)
Well, why the hell do you drink them? I don't drink beer I don't like the taste of. :rolleyes:

You'd have saved alot of time and effort on this one by simply not posting. :think:

[narlus]

Its strange to me how the same beer tastes different in a can than in a bottle than on tap. anyone else know what i'm saying? is it in my head?

not sure if this is totally correct, but it's my recollection that kegs aren't heat pasteurized, whereas bottles and cans are.


Any true player in the beer business doesn't work for a Micro brew company.

substitute "beer" for "music", and "indepedent label" for "Micro brew company" and you'll also see why i predominantly prefer small, interesting labels for my musical needs.

[BikeGeek]

not sure if this is totally correct, but it's my recollection that kegs aren't heat pasteurized, whereas bottles and cans are.

Except in the case of bottle conditioned beers. Pasteurization would kill the yeast giving you flat beer.

[SkaredShtles]

not sure if this is totally correct, but it's my recollection that kegs aren't heat pasteurized, whereas bottles and cans are.




substitute "beer" for "music", and "indepedent label" for "Micro brew company" and you'll also see why i predominantly prefer small, interesting labels for my musical needs.
Or "cheese" or "bread" or anything else considered artisanal. Sure some of it's crap, but by in large I find the good stuff often comes from small, local producers. <shrug>

I don't really care what "players" do, I want to drink beer that I like.

And unlike "players" I usually drink one or two beers in any one sitting, not "all night."

[OGRipper]

...stuff...

Fair enough I guess, we can just not agree. You seem to equate being a "player" with economic success rather than producing a quality product, and I don't really agree with that (for beer, music, movies, bikes, or pretty much anything else), and you also say you associate fine beer drinkers with frat boys, which is pretty ridiculous: You will see frat boys hunched over and puking regardless of what they are drinking. (But hey it's your head, feel free to associate as you please.) And seriously, if you choose to drink lower alchohol swill just so you can drink it all night, you might have a problem. I mean, try having a glass of water after every couple of beers...

Whatever, to each his own. And sorry if calling you "son" was offensive but you really sounded like a youngster back there...

[narlus]

scurban, if that's yr idea of trolling, at least take it to the political forum...

[caputo1989]

I thik fat tire has some almond extract in it. ????

[SkaredShtles]

yeah, but I wouldn't have had as much time playing devils advocate to you, and frustrating you. :nuts:
I have to say it wasn't frustration. I was just pointing out that you sound like a retard. :D

[OGRipper]

I guess we can agree on a few things Yeah, but we also disagree on a lot and like you said that's ok too. I understand that you make your living in the beer industry but even still, you should able to admit (to yourself, if not here on RM) that economic success often has very little to do with the quality of a product. It's all opinion anyway, but to me quality is not defined by net sales. Anyway cheers, and thanks for leaving the good stuff for us beer snobs!!

[Radarr]

It's YOU'RE welcome.

[narlus]

It's YOU'RE welcome.

give him a break, he's out of his skull on coors light.

[SkaredShtles]

give him a break, he's out of his skull on coors light.
And tequila, apparently...... :think:

[BikeGeek]

Ummmmmm... I'm drinking a Coors Light right now, it tastes like Ice cold Rocky Mountian Water, with a hint of Bananna's and Hazlenuts. Its fantastic!
I taste water with a hint of rice and hops. :)

[Changleen]

Who here likes Marmite?

[SkaredShtles]

I taste water with a hint of rice and hops. :)
I tried it and it didn't even taste as good as decent water........ :think:

[bluebug32]

a beer like Fat Tire

Damn, I really want to try Fat Tire (despite the sucking on pennies comment). Can't get it East of the Mississippi though. Does anyone want to be nice and send me some?? You'll be my favorite monkey and I'll love you forever. I'll even send you some kickass eastern beer :thumb:

[SkaredShtles]

Interesting, especially since you probably don't even get quality water in your van down by the river
I have a filter. :eviltongu

[SkaredShtles]

Damn, I really want to try Fat Tire (despite the sucking on pennies comment). Can't get it East of the Mississippi though. Does anyone want to be nice and send me some?? You'll be my favorite monkey and I'll love you forever. I'll even send you some kickass eastern beer :thumb:
Just so you feel better:

IT'S NOT VERY GOOD. You're not missing anything.

:p