Friday, February 27, 2009

Communiversity - Almost About the Beer

I recently attended a communiversity class on beer tasting. Communiversity is a program conducted by the University of Missouri Kansas City. This one was held a McCoy's in Westport, a restaurant and bar section of Kansas City. The instructor's name is Jim Quinn. He has quite a lot of beer knowledge although a few points were apocryphal. The beers tasted initially were McCoy's brews and included a Lager, Raspberry Wheat, an IPA, a Brown Ale, a Stout, and a Wheat. All were fine with the Brown Ale being the best of the bunch. From McCoy's we moved to the Foundry and tasted bottled beers such as Coors, and Boulevard's Pale Ale. The class needs some work. The discussion included some beer history and a brief discussion of styles, but very little on the tasting experience. There were too many enrollees and some were obviously there to just espouse their own knowledge. It was hard to hear the instructor and often he just conversed with the folks down front. I was able to talk to the Assistant Brewmaster and had some questions answered about oxidation and light exposure. I would go back to McCoy's which gets a 3.5 out of 5 on being About the Beer. I would give the class another go, but it only gets 3 out of 5 on being About the Beer. Maybe they will work out some kinks.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Erdinger Hefeweizen

This is a hefeweizen from Erding, Germany. I was able to have it while in Spain and it was incredibly fresh. A little harder to find in the U.S. but it is well worth seeking out. This pours up with a high white head that holds fairly well. Aroma is sweet pineapple with slight banana, but no cloves as with a lot of wheat beers. Nice balanced beer and very easy to drink. Some slight alcohol taste with low hops. Finish is yeasty.
Rating: 5/5

Bavik

This is a Belgium pilsner. Blonde color with a nice white head that recedes quickly. A full bodied pilsner with some soft malts and light hops.
Rating: 3.5/5

Chimay Tripel (Chimay White)

Golden to amber in color with a low white head. Estery aroma with a hint of clove and strong alcohol overtones. Nice light beginning with alcohol taste in the middle finishing with a balanced amount of hops. Lighter than most Chimays, I'm guessing due to wheat malt. Very complex
Rating: 4/5

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Spaten Franziskaner Hefeweisse Dunkel

High estery aroma like a weisse. Dark color with some cloudiness. Grainy smell with slight banana. Heavy mouthfeel. Not as deep a malt as a lot of dunkel. Nice hop beginning as opposed to finish. Finish was more malts and grains. This is somewhat the reverse of what is expected. Very good for a dunkel.
Rating: 4/5.