GRADE: B
This brew came up in conversation at our last Brew Council tasting as a solid stout. Canned beer, for me, conjures up images of my very first beer at the ripe old age of 18 years old back in 1985: Budweiser. And, sadly, it was not a good memory. I remember thinking, "I waited all this time to drink a beer and it tastes like THIS?!" But as I looked all around me, everyone else seemed to be enjoying drinking this urine water. And, not wanting to seem even more out of place, I pretended that I was drinking the best beverage money could buy. In fact, I kept this act up until my junior year when I had a Corona with a slice of lime at a local Mexican restaurant: beer actually can taste good!
After my band played a gig down in New Hope, PA, my wife and I spent the night and did a little antiquing the next day. Before we headed back home, I asked a local shop whether there were any good beer stores nearby. I was directed to a place that I later discovered is a very highly rated store with a pretty incredible selection. The name of the store is The Candlewyck Beef & Ale and it lived up to the hype! Among the other things I found (Bells Two Hearted Ale and Founders Imperial Stout to name a couple), I found this gem. Can beer in a can be any good? Apparently so...
Appearance: Syrupy think with a mocha/tan two finger head after a fairly hard pour. For some reason, it seems especially blacker than other stouts I've had. It looks like carbonated black coffee.
Smell: I had a really hard time picking out a distinctive aroma for this one. It was at cellar temperature so couldn't be that it was too cold. Even my very nose-sensitive wife had a difficult time for the first 3-4 minutes. As it warmed, I finally began to pick out chocolate, alcohol, bready biscuit and dark fig. But all of it was very subtle and subdued.
Taste: Again, very difficult to pick out a dominant flavor but followed the nose. At first, it's licorice and coffee followed by a bitter hop finish. The taste is very balanced. However, drinking this is akin to listening to a good song with the volume too low. The bitter finish tens to linger and I can't say that it's completely pleasant but it does keep you interested.
Mouthfeel: Very little carbonation. Almost flat. Even with constant agitation, not a lot of lacing or retention. It's smooth and syrupy and coats the tongue nicely.
Overall: There is no denying that this is a good beer. Just like when drive BMW, you know it's a good car by how it feels sitting inside and how it handles on the road. Unfortunately, there's no real excitement in the flavor. I think it may need some time in the cellar to develop some character. I wasn't sure how long cans could age but a little online research revealed that I can keep them for at least a year. A good find but it think I'll have to revisit this one again next year.
No comments:
Post a Comment