Though I clearly said on Monday when starting this week of posts that I was going to look back at five beers, I could not help myself from going with a pair for the middle of the week to make it a total of six. There was no reason to decide between the two very similar beers so I didn’t.
Clicking on either of the photos below will take you to a pumpkin beer that I did not care too much for at the time of the evaluation . . .
In revisiting some of the home brews that I still have around the house I expected that they would all taste a bit old to me and have a good drop off in grade. That really has not been the case until this one, but as one of my favorites I guess it had farther to fall. While still pretty good, it definitely tasted a bit old. Either way I still plan on brewing it again when the pumpkins are available down here. My brewing operation actually has to wait until fall to brew a fall seasonal, but has been worth the wait each time so far.
I did purposely rename this beer to the way that it should have been spelled the first time around. It will probably be easier to just put the year on each going forward.
One game gone and the full Sunday of football ahead . . .
Brewery: Blueprint Brewing (Winter Park, FL)
Name: A Gourdeous One Too
Style: Vegetable Beer (and I suppose Spice Beer)
ABV: 5.70% (+/-)
Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and pulled slightly early to warm a bit before being served in a stemmed goblet.
Aroma: A full spicy aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. with a sugary caramel-like malt profile as a base. Really quite nice overall. – 9/12
Appearance: Deep amber in color with strong tones of copper. One finger tan head that dissipates very quickly without leaving much of a trail. Mostly clear with some haze and floating particulates (resulting from pouring a bit too quickly) and tons of rising bubbles visible. – 2/3
Flavor: Moderate amount of brown sugary (caramelly) malt sweetness. The pumpkin pie spices are definitely there and pretty consistent from start to finish. They are not subtle, but not overwhelming either. Does have some vegetal quality to it still. Finishes with a bit of dryness and some lingering spice flavor. – 13/20
Mouthfeel: Medium body with a high level of carbonation that lends some bite. There is some crispness up front, but is a bit more smooth toward the finish. – 3.5/5
Overall Impressions: It does taste like it has fallen off a bit over time and the higher level of carbonation that it now has does not help the flavors. Certainly still drinkable, but I can tell that it is tasting a bit old even more so when it warms up a bit. Still a recipe to brew again when pumpkins are available. This beer (and pretty much all pumpkin beers) is one that I only need to drink one or two of as the flavors tend to meld together on the palate and flatten the more you drink. -6.5/10
Grade: B (34/50)
Blueprint Brewing - A Gourdeous One Too
After sitting down to evaluate this beer again I took a look at the first review I did of it months ago and there are not too many differences between the two. I am hoping that is because the beer has not changed all that much and it is not because my palate has not evolved over that time. The thing that stays the same with each of these home brew revisits that I do is that each one reminds me how long it has been since I have brewed even one batch. A brew day needs to find a way onto my calendar very soon.
Getting back to it after a Monday off . . .
Brewery: Blueprint Brewing (Winter Park, FL)
Name: CMS Report
Style: American Stout (if not S-H-V Beer)
ABV: 3.28% (+/-)
Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and pulled slightly early to warm a bit before being served in a pint glass.
Aroma: A nice, slightly sweet roasted malt aroma with notes of chocolate and seemingly a hint of herbal spiciness (root beer-like). Not overwhelming but very nice. – 9.5/12
Appearance: Dark, dark brown (let’s say black). Two finger plus light brown head that is frothy with pretty good retention and leaves some lacing on the glass. Opaque even when held to light though you can barely see through at the edges. – 3/3
Flavor: Slightly sweet roasted malt flavor up front with good notes of bittersweet chocolate after that. Some roasted bitterness and hop bitterness from middle to finish. There is an herbal character at the finish that is subtly menthol-like. Light dryness on the finish with quite a bit of lingering roasted malty sweetness. – 12.5/20
Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with a high level of carbonation that lends some bite. Smooth and somewhat creamy, but also with some astringency. – 4/5
Overall Impressions: Really good head retention actually that helps it present well. Still a pretty good beer overall, but definitely on the way down (tasting a little old). Has some rougher edges than I remember from before but I am surprised it has held up this well with the low ABV. definitely enough there to try the recipe again in the future (hopefully without the boil over). Would make some good ice cream and would pair well with chocolate cake.– 6/10
Grade: B (35/50)
Blueprint Brewing - CMS Report
| © 2010 A Night With The Hops | "He was a wise man who invented beer." - Plato | Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha |
What Others Say