For our May meeting, we were once again hosted by one of our pro-brewer friends. In this case, it was Aspetuck Brew Labs who graciously provided space. Owner Peter Cowles was behind the bar, pouring his delicious beer, and also gave us a tour of the brewing area, answering our many nosy questions.
Aspetuck is part of Bridgeport, of course. Connecticut natives of a certain age, like me, grew up with a mental image of Bridgeport. Not a good one. There was even a song about it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvvPsFTjPRM), released when I was in high school and played in heavy rotation on the New Haven radio stations for a while.
Can a brewery change the image of a city? I’m thinking maybe so. ABL is cozy, friendly, and makes great beer. Definitely a destination worth traveling to. Maybe it’s time to retire that song.
Peter provided the space. Zach provided the food and poured the entries. He handled both of these duties like an old pro despite the fact that this was his first time. I forgot to take pics of the spread (or of anything, oops), but nobody went home hungry.
Zach was faced with a happy problem which we’ve had at a number of our recent meetings: a zillion homebrews for judging. The club seems to be in high gear, with everyone brewing often and looking for feedback. We were awash in beers. Zach had it all organized. Never broke a sweat.
We had a number of new members as well, another happy trend of late. We’re never organized enough to get everyone’s name. All are welcome, nonetheless.
We also saw one of our longest-serving members, who hasn’t come to a meeting in years: Gregg Hero Glaser. Let’s hope he rejoins us on a regular basis.
Tasting notes:
- Dark Mild, Eric: Dark sugars and molasses, fruity, coffee notes. “Wonderfully watery, just like it should be” (Andy T). Dry, tart finish. Low carbonation. To be served on beer engine at Homebrew Con. 34.
- Ordinary Bitter, Andy T: Fuggles and sulfur, light malt. VERY bitter finish, almost astringent. Very dry. “I’ve just been to England and this is what they taste like there” (Andy T). 32.
- Czech Pils, Caysey: Very fruity, phenolic, green apple, grassy, tannic. Very young. Needs time to clean up. 27.
- Pilsner, Mara & Liam (Makehaven): Banana, green apple, butter, chlorophenols?, no hops. A bit sweet. Cloudy. Needs bubbles. 25.
- NEIPA, Caysey: Grapefruit and pineapple and a million other tropical fruits. Super strong aroma. Smells sweet. Whiff of chamomile. Dry, bitter, slightly tannic. Drinkable. Needs bubbles. Session strength, 5.5%. 41.
- Session IPA, Andy C: Resiny, piney, grassy. Hint of malt. Opalescent. Tannic and fruity. Needs bubbles. Nugget, citra, mosaic. 3.8%. 36.
- German Lager, Andy C: Banana, green apple, butterscotch, somewhat medicinal. A bit sour. Dry and bitter. Needs bubbles. Stressed yeast? Starter was very old and a little funky. 26.
- IPA, David: Clone of Pliny The Elder. Mint, menthol, SUPER bitter, malty, rich. Truly old school. Not scored.
- American Amber, David & Andrea: Toffee, subtle hops, clean, inviting, drinkable, yummy. 41.
- Coffee Chocolate Porter, David & Andrea: Lots and lots of coffee. Some roasty malt. Bitter finish. No chocolate. Hard to find the beer under the coffee. Needs bubbles. Dry-“hopped” with coffee beans. Chocolate in the boil for bitterness. 30.
- Hoppy Kweik Farmhouse, Mara & Liam (Makehaven): Bandaid, grass, pine, green pepper. Cleaner flavor. Hoppy and bitter. Tannic. Needs bubbles. Drinkable. 36.
- Tripel, Pierre: Clove and bubblegum. Candy sweetness. Traditional. Metallic, dry finish. Thin, but drinkable. 37.
- Tripel, Pierre: Clove and bubblegum, citrus (lime). Sweetness. Pepper. Perfectly clear with a great head. A bit chalky and thin. 31.
- Lemon-ginger Hydromel, Andy T: Fantastic nose, great mouthfeel, fizzy, enormous mousse-y head. Very drinkable. Not scored.
- Raspberry Berliner Weisse, Liam: Tons of raspberry. No lactic acid on nose. Clean and tart. Berries overpower the beer. Beautifully pink and clear. Needs bubbles. Drinkable. 34.
- English Cider (dry), Pivo: Tobacco and cloves. Clear. Tastes like apple pie. Dry and very drinkable. Soft tannins. Cider Days blend. 42.
- New World Cider (medium dry, sparkling), Pivo: Lots of Brett – horse blanket, mussels, brine. Not quite enough apple. Flavor cleaner than aroma. Not scored.
- Bochet Cyser, Jackson: Smoke, mushrooms. Boozy. Made with freeze-concentrated juice, Lapsang Suchong tea, peat smoke? Honey boiled for 25 minutes. 33.
Were there more? Probably. I began to lose track by the end. Sorry!