| Russian Imperial Stout |
| Section | Gordon |
Beth |
Dave |
Scott |
| Aroma | alcohol/bourbon aroma - strong. wood character - vanilla. moderate fruit. roasted malt is moderate. generally clean. has some age. a bit of sourness. complex. 10/12 |
Celery. Yeast. Coffee. Vanilla. Oak comes forward as the beer breathes. No hop aroma. Some bready malt aroma. 7/12 |
Oak aroma up front and dominant. Lots of alcohols. Lack of noticeable roast characteristics. Low/no hop aroma. Low vanilla. Low acidic notes. No diacetyl or DMS. Low esters. 8/12 |
Some coffee notes but more emphasis on black patent malt - lends a burnt, smokey character. High esters, dark fruits and alcohol lend complexity. Has some single malt Scotch character. 8/12 |
| Appearance | low brown head. jet black. opaque. 3/3 |
Black with brown head, appears as a right around glass - does not persist as head stand. 3/3 |
Black. Opaque. Thin head and low retention. 2/3 |
Black, opaque but clarity through a thin layer looks fine. Tan head is appropriate for the style; good head retention. 3/3 |
| Flavor | quite sour. roasted malt is somewhat washed out. a bit of smoke. oak is apparent in flavor. fruity, with sourness giving it an almost metallic quality. well-aged. dry finish. wine-like flavors. 9/20 |
A bit tart, acidic - Currant, dark berry but has some burnt character. Oak in the middle. Has a vinous character. Roast barley flavors are dominant with oak character. 13/20 |
Lactic sourness dominates flavor with low roasted barley and malt character. Low hop flavor. Oak tannis and vanill evident. No diacetyl. Low berry-like fruity esters. Alcohol evident. Balancing hop bitterness. Dry finish. 10/20 |
Low malt initially - expect more depth to support the fermentation flavors. Finish has a moderate sourness from lactic acid bacteria. Hop bitterness is on the low side for the style. Finish is also dry - probably from the oak aging. 10/20 |
| Mouthfeel | thinnish body. low carbonation. sourness is strong. body is thin, based on tannins and sourness. seems strong. 2/5 |
Has a tannic, dry character - astringent. Medium body - acidic bite. Soft, almost no carbonation. Body thins as the beer warms. 3/5 |
Moderately full-bodied. Lactic nature lightens mouthfeel. Warming from alcohols. Some astringency but not to a fault. 4/5 |
Body is thin - the lactic acid bacteria consumed some of the residual sugars. Carbonation level is good. Some alcoholic warmth - good for style. Some astringency - okay for style. 2/5 |
| Overall | barrel character is wild - lactic has gotten out of hand. look at barrel health. underlying beer is a bit hard to assess - seems nicely aged. base beer is probably good, should do well on its own without barrel aging. 4/10 |
Drinks very much like a Cabernet, including the slight fruitiness and vanilla. Tartness indicates age as well as possible contamination. It is not offensive, actually rather interesting as a beverage but does not score well as an RIS. 5/10 |
A very interesting and drinkable sour, oaked stout. While not traditional, the lactic sourness adds a very nice dimension to this beer. If lactic sourness not intentional, then sanitation needs to be reviewed and controlled. Additional roasted barley would add to malt complexity. 6/10 |
Good effort but the lactic sourness is a little too assertive. Some would add complexity but should be balanced with the hop bitterness and roasted malts. Process-wise, rotating sanitizers is an effective way to keep these bugs in check. 6/10 |
| General |
- Total: 28/50
- Stylistic Accuracy: 2
- Technical Merit: 4
- Intangibles: 3
- Descriptors: Alcoholic, Estery, Sour/Acidic
|
- Total: 31/50
- Stylistic Accuracy: 3
- Technical Merit: 5
- Intangibles: 3
|
|
- Total: 29/50
- Stylistic Accuracy: 2
- Technical Merit: 4
- Intangibles: 3
- Descriptors: Alcoholic, Estery, Sour/Acidic
|
| Kölsch |
| Section | Gordon |
Beth |
Dave |
Scott |
| Aroma | fruity, caramelly. no hops. way too many esters and caramel for style. seems a bit stale/oxidized. 4/12 |
Peach, bready malt. low spicy hops. some acetate notes. shows some oxidation. caramel malt emerges as the beer warms. should be cleaner. 6/12 |
Fruity, estery notes with caramel malts - not appropriate to style. Plastic phenol notes. No hop aroma. Low to moderate diacetyl. No DMS. Caramel - oxidation. 4/12 |
Bready aroma - great example of this characteristic. Light fruitiness in the background - within bounds for the style. Slight wininess - again okay. No hops apparent. Some mustiness emerges as it warms. 6/12 |
| Appearance | medium amber color - too dark. no head at all. moderate haze - should be clear. 1/3 |
Amber - much too dark for style. Clear. Little head or retention. Clear but not bright. 1/3 |
Black. Opaque. Thin head and low retention. 2/3 |
Copper color looks more like an altbier. Slight haze - which is a flaw for a style that must be filtered. Head retention is low, but okay for a keg beer. 1/3 |
| Flavor | bitter, watery malt. some harshness in finish. somewhat harsh, almost phenolic edge (plastic-like). dryish finish. 6/20 |
Fruity esters - peach, a little earthy yeast notes with a little tea quality. Shows some oxidation. Spicy hop bitterness balance. A bit of caramel. 9/20 |
Plastic phenols. Caramel notes. No hop flavor. Not balanced with hop bitterness. Low/med diacetyl. Low/no alcohol. 4/20 |
Has the breadcrust flavor up front; overall profile is fairly neutral - as it should be for a Kolsch. Moderate esters - a little fruitier than the classic examples. Moderate hop bitterness with a chalky mineral character in the finish. 8/20 |
| Mouthfeel | low carbonation. medium-light body. astringent finish. standard strength. 2/5 |
Body is thin with no CO2. No creaminess. Astringent dryness. 2/5 |
Medium to thin bodied. Slick mouthfeel. Astringent harshness. Flat/very low carbonation. 2/5 |
A little watery, even for this style. Also has some astringency. Low carbonation - work on the conditioning. 2/5 |
| Overall | has stylistic and technical issues. suggest looking at ingredients, recipe and process. seems like it has oxidized (watch handling), and it may have some infection problems (check sanitation). color is way too dark and caramel isn't appropriate. if an extract beer, try using lighter extract, and boiling less. if all-grain, stick with pils malt. 4/10 |
This would have been a better beer when fresher. The oxidation and acetate quality is a little disheartening though the tea quality is somewhat refreshing. A little rich for style and a little over the hill. Check style and santiation. 3/10 |
Misses the style completely. Lighter malts in a full boil to achieve the light yellow/gold. Fresh malt and watch oxidation. Look at use of hops to correct hop flavor, aroma and bitterness. Sanitation is also an issue to be addressed. 3/10 |
Good effort - pleasant enough to drink but misses the mark both technically and stylistically. A lighter base malt would be one place to start, but a cleaner fermentation profile is also critical to achieving the subtle balance demanded by this style. 5/10 |
| General |
- Total: 17/50
- Stylistic Accuracy: 5
- Technical Merit: 4
- Intangibles: 5
- Descriptors: Astringent, Estery, Oxidized, Phenolic
|
- Total: 21/50
- Stylistic Accuracy: 5
- Technical Merit: 4
- Intangibles: 3
|
- Total: 14/50
- Stylistic Accuracy: 5
- Technical Merit: 5
- Intangibles: 5
|
- Total: 22/50
- Stylistic Accuracy: 4
- Technical Merit: 4
- Intangibles: 4
- Descriptors: Astringent
|
