Big Bold And Beautiful Tasting

Considering the current popularity of big aromatic American style beers it was surprising that a rounded fruity malt accented barleywine from England won the popular vote on the first night. However once the votes from both nights were in, it was the very American style of Imperial Porter that took the tasting.

The beers tasted were as follows:

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 6.8%abv

Showing that we meant business we launched the tasting with a big zesty American India Pale Ale that weighted in at 6.8%abv. Sierra Nevada Celebration is released for Thanksgiving and Christmas each year. It seems very appropriate that the Californian brewery releases a hop accented IPA each winter rather than the malt accented styles that are more traditional. Celebration Ale is Sierra Nevada’s second biggest selling beer by volume after the iconic Pale Ale, quite remarkable considering it is only released seasonally each year. Celebration presents a big resinous grapefruit aroma with tangy hops in the mouth an oily malt backbone and a long dry finish.

Renaissance Bourbon Porter 2006 6%abv

Second up we had a very rare and special beer from Blenheim’s Renaissance Brewing Co. In 2006 Renaissance Brewing Co teamed up with a local winery to produce a very unique beer. The winery supplied 5 Heaven Hill bourbon casks, barrel racks and a racking spear. A very traditional porter recipe was devised with a large proportion of traditional brown malt, a lesser amount of pale malt, some roast malts and a blend of four New Zealand hop varieties. Fermentation was initially started in stainless steel and then the beer was transferred into the bourbon barrels to ferment for 8 weeks. This method of barrel fermentation is both a very traditional English method of ale production and the method used when producing barrel fermented wines. The beer then had cellared at Renaissance from 2006 until being brought up for the Regional tasting. The resulting beer presented a complex aroma with hints of bourbon, oak, a meaty brown malt note and an hint of dark cocoa. In the mouth the beer was dry and chocolaty with a log dry roasty finish.

Yeastie Boys Pot Kettle Black 6%abv

Pot Kettle Black was the first and so far most popular beer released by local post modern brewing company Yeastie Boys. Brewed on contract by Invercargill Brewing Co and named after a Wilco song Pot Kettle Black is one of a new breed of hoppy porters that are often referred to as Black IPA’s. Combining a big aromatic blast of fruity New Zealand hops (Nelson Sauvin, New Zealand Cascade, Styrian Goldings) and a rich roasty chocolaty almost smoky malt character PKB is a complex juxtaposition of a beer.

Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter 7.8%abv

Imperial Porter is a very new style that in many ways stems from the American fascination with taking American styles of beer and making them bigger and stronger. Called Imperial after the very strong Imperial Stouts that used to be exported from England to Imperial Russia, Imperial Porters take the smooth rounded chocolaty porter style and expand it making it higher in alcohol and more intense in its flavours and aromas. Flying Dog’s take on the style was brewed to celebrate the life the iconoclastic journalist Hunter S Thompson after his death. With a big zesty aromatic hop character and hint of chocolate, leather and roast malt on the nose Gonzo delivers big in the mouth big loads of malt weight and a long hoppy finish. Described by the English beer journalist and retailer Zak Avery as being ‘slightly eccentric but good fun’ those attending the two nights obviously agreed voting Gonzo best beer of the tasting.

Flying Dog Kerberos Tripel

The Flying Dog brewery was founded by Aspen native George Stranahan. Soon after he met and befriended Hunter S Thompson and the surrealist illustrator Ralph Steadman. Steadman soon began designing the labels while Thompson was quoted in advertising material. Flying Dog are now a big successful brewery with production based in Maryland on the East Coast of America.

Kerberos Tripel is a Belgian style Tripel from Flying Dog Brewery. This American take on the classic Belgian style combines light zesty hop notes and hints of spice and stonefruit on the nose before delivering a very smooth palate with hints of vanilla, citrus, clove and a long smooth finish.

Fullers Vintage Ale 2009

Fullers are an established independent family brewer in Chiswick in the Thames Valley. Vintage Ale is a barleywine that is brewed each year to the same recipe but with varying varieties of hops and barley. With the characteristic Fullers yeast character that gives a marmalade citrus fruit note and a ginger cake malt character Vintage Ale 2009 was brewed with Goldings hops and Tipple malted barley. Vintage 2009 presented some nice light earthy hop aromas, a clear crisp nutty malt profile and a long rounded rich finish. Vintage Ale 2009 won the popular vote on the first night and came second over all.

Flying Dog Horndog Barleywine

Horndog was a very English style barleywine despite the fact that it was brewed on the other side of the Atlantic. With a big rich aroma that combined hints of caramel, nuts, raisins, liquorish, brown sugar and dried fruit in the mouth Horndog was rich and warming with a big malt weight and a satisfying long malt accented finish.