Way, way back in time, when your humble blogger first joined the Underground Brewers (c. 2002), the geographical center of gravity for the membership was Newtown, CT. The most active members – and most of the best brewers – lived near there.
Two of that Old Guard were Mark Tambascio and John Watson. Both fantastic brewers. Both active club members.
Mark got busy running his restaurant and started brewing less, although no less well. John started brewing more and more, sweeping every competition he entered, including the Nationals.
15 years passed. John shut down his plumbing business and went pro, building the Watson Farmhouse Brewery in his backyard. Mark opened his own brewpub, NewSylum, and hired John as head brewer. Neither brewed as amateurs anymore. We saw them less and less at meetings.
But membership in the Underground Brewers is a permanent condition, impossible to shake off. They are still members. And a club meeting at NewSylum is an opportunity for the Old Guard to show the kids how it’s done.
Now, a lot of us brew pretty good beer. But we don’t brew beers that win medals at GABF, like the rauchbier that John brewed on NewSylum’s system. When Mark poured that, we knew we’d been owned.
A fantastic meeting overall, with a larger-than-usual attendance, new members to welcome, a number of excellent homebrews, and a tour of the catacombs by Mark. Huge thanks to our hosts for the hospitality and the beers!
Tasting notes:
- Hoppy Blonde, Matt: Like a session IPA, very light, very clean, dry, tasty. Not scored.
- Kolsch, Pierre: Pear esters, too fruity, not very Kolsch-y. Cloudy. Some oxidation and grassy notes. A bit big and astringent. 9/2/10/4/6=31
- Czech Pils, Pivo and Pierre: Tons of Saaz aroma. Crackers. Clean. Single decoction, 34/70 yeast. 12/3/18/5/9=47
- Cream Ale, Cameron: Melon, orange, grapefruit, Granny Smith. A bit vegetal. Not thirst-quenching enough. Pils + corn, Magnum and Willamette, US-05. 6/3/10/3/5=27
- Marzen, Matt: Very buttery. A little sea salt. Some caramel. Exceedingly dry. 5/2/11/5/5=29
- Marzen, Jim: Some ethanol and solvent. A lot of tea. Herbal. A little astringent. A year old, has oxidized and attenuated. 7/3/10/4/6=30
- German Pils, Cameron: Fruity. Hoppy, but not noble hops. Beautiful to look at. Crisp, dry, bitter finish. “Super-quaffable”. Excellent beer, if a bit out of style. 7/3/15/5/8=38
- Helles Bock, finished in rye barrels, Watson Farmhouse (ringer): Clean. Burnt oak and pils malt. Lager-y nose. A little heavy on the rye – “session rye whiskey”. Very dry finish. Would be perfect if the base beer was just a little more prominent. 10/3/17/5/9=44
- Belgian Pale w/Mandarin Orange, Pivo and Pierre: Generically fruity, hints of Brett? Orange is too subtle to call out – don’t tell the judges. S-33 yeast. 9/3/14/5/6.5 = 37.5
- American Wheat, David and Andy: Hop forward – Citra and Mosaic? Very clean. Very refreshing. Crisp and easy to drink. “Peach Chobani yogurt.” Actually used Lemon Drop and Citra, Belgian Wit yeast. 8/3/16/5/8=40
- Rauch Bock, NewSylum (ringer): Clean smoke, with almost nothing else. So clean. Dry finish. Too perfect. Cannot feel the strength at all. 12/3/19/5/9=47
- NE Pale Ale, David and Andy: IPA nose – VERY hoppy. Clean. Mara likes it. Could use a little malt backbone. Astringent finish, like grapefruit pith. 10/3/12/4/6=35
- NE Cider with Maple, 16%abv, Paul B-S: Lovely maple aroma and flavor. Plenty of apple to balance. Cannot sense the alcohol at all. Dangerous. 5/8/20/8=41