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Kitchen Table Tasting

In keeping with the theme of this issue, this month's KTT featured several beers that have been hanging around in the fridge or cellar for a few weeks waiting to be tasted. As such, there is no theme to this one, nor rhyme nor reason, for that matter.

The participating tasters this month were my wife, Christine, and our good friends and fellow beer aficionados, Alastair and Laura Hood. Because, really, who else can you get to help with your spring cleaning if not your closest friends?

The first three beers tasted were all from the Pennsylvania Brewing Company: Penn Pilsner, the brewery's flagship beer; Helles Gold, an award-winning Munich-style lager; and Penn Dark, their dunkel offering. This being an informal tasting, I just opened the three bottles, set them on the table and let everyone help themselves in whatever order seemed appropriate to them. (Although I personally began with the Helles, moved on to the Pilsner and ended with the Dark.)

The general opinion of all of the tasters was that the Helles didn't really excite anyone, but I fear that this reaction came as a result of "big beer syndrome," where tasters today tend to look for bold and intriguing flavours before delicate and subtle ones. And the Helles definitely is delicate, perhaps even a little too much so.

The Pilsner, on the other hand, was very well received all around the table. The overall dry palate complemented by a nice malt backdrop produced very positive comments from everyone, particularly Alastair, who said that he really quite liked it. "Refreshing" was an oft-repeated word.

The Dunkel fared less favourably. Most tasters found it somewhat astringent and even slightly bitter-sour, with complaints about the way in which the dark malt presented itself heard from all corners of the table. The dry, roasty finish did redeem the flavour a bit, though.

The next trio of brews came from Bert Grant's Yakima Brewing Company, now owned by Stimson Lane Vineyards and Estates. First up was the Bert Grant's Scottish Ale, and the decidedly hoppy interpretation of what is normally a very malty style got good but overall subdued reviews from the table. I personally enjoyed its fairly complex blend of mellow hop, dried leaf, orange and chocolate notes, but Laura commented that she wanted more out of the beer and while the others handed it their approval, they did so without any great enthusiasm.

The Bert Grant's India Pale Ale and Bert Grant's Perfect Porter tasted subsequent received much better notices, with the Porter in particular generating much enthusiasm from both Christine and Alastair for its balanced roastyness and pleasing fruit. Interestingly, although my notes record the Porter as "dry and enjoyable," Alastair perceived sweetness in that particular brew. The hop hit of the IPA was also well-noted and well-received, even though Alastair allowed that he was not normally a lover of hoppy brews.

The final beer of the tasting, Bison Brewing's Pecan Smoked Scotch Ale, received what could only be termed rave reviews, thus demonstrating why I was so enthusiastic about the Berkeley, California brewpub in my story about them last month. A BIG beer of 7.5% ABV and 1082 original gravity, the light smokiness and full, pleasing sweetness of the Scotch balanced beautifully and made the beer a natural to set aside for further consumption after dinner, which we did and were that much happier for it.

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