Our January meeting took the Underground Brewers to a new brewery – Sly Bandit Brewing in Wilton, CT. The location was incredible, with the brewing operations on the first floor, and a second level for the taproom, kitchen (with an extensive menu!), and even a “Brew Lab” that would make any homebrewer jealous. The meeting was well attended, with some new faces and some old, and some who we haven’t seen in quite some time!
Both the beer and food at Sly Bandit were excellent. With so many “Big Dark Beers” brought by members to enjoy, I didn’t get to try nearly enough of their offerings, but both the Helles and Vienna lagers were standouts. Don’t sleep on the reuben egg rolls, either! Sly Bandit were incredibly gracious hosts, and if you haven’t checked it out yet, you are highly encouraged to do so!
With some beer, food, and great conversation enjoyed, we got down to the business of the meeting, beginning with our annual club executive committee elections. With many dues-paying members in attendance (learn more here), and a number voting via email due to being unable to attend in person, the full slate of nominees was confirmed unanimously. We extend a huge thank you to our outgoing Education Guru, Caysey Welton, who has certainly served the club well and brought a ton to the role. We also welcome Andy Tipler into the education role, one he is incredibly well suited for! His extensive knowledge and experience as a brewer (and as a writer!) will help all of us improve. Andy even brought a barleywine with an unannounced flaw to the meeting, asking all of us to sample and see if we could detect the off-flavor present. It was a welcome addition to the meeting, and Andy has encouraged anyone with beers that have a flaw present to reach out about bringing one to a future meeting for a similar exercise. Andy Cox (Treasurer), Santi Irigoyen (Events), Pierre Margraff (Outreach), and I (Communications) will continue in our roles for the next year. If any of these positions are of interest, please consider joining the executive committee next year! We are always in search of new voices to help guide the club.
As previously mentioned, there was no shortage of homebrew brought to sample. We began with a few lighter beers, before moving on to a wide variety of darker, higher octane beers for the remainder of the sampling. Full tasting notes are included below. We ended the night with a variety of commercial big dark beers, including Westvletern XII and a Bruery lineup that included a port barrel aged Black Tuesday from 2017 – a huge thanks to Clay for sharing! Next month’s meeting will take us to Valor Wines, where we’ll also be discussing the new BJCP Guidelines for Ciders!
Tasting Notes:
- Best Bitter (11B): Santi I. – Fruity, caramel, “smells like a dessert,” caramel-covered pear. Too estery? Flavor is toastier. Justin would drink a lot of it. Matt likes it a lot.
8/3/17/5/8 = 41 - Hazy IPA (21C): Santi I. – Smells like dust in the bottom of a bag of hops. Peach, pineapple, guava even? A little high on bitterness for some, not for others. “A whole mess of tropical fruit.” Malt is a little bit of toast and biscuit. A little astringent, could use a little more malt, and maybe more bubbles.
11/3/14/4/7 = 39 - Belgian Dark Strong (26D): Andy C. – Cherry Twizzlers, a little acetone, acetic (?). Brown sugar, loads of caramel, dry finish. Incredibly drinkable.
9/3/17/4/8 = 39 - Wheatwine (22D): Andy T. – Leather, bread doughy, plenty of alcohol on the nose. Honey, caramel, boozy. Tastes of beets, especially on the finish, lots of residual sugar, bitter finish. A bit hot. Some saying it tastes young and could use more time.
10/3/11/5/6 = 35 (14% ABV, about 2.5 years old) - Imperial Pastry Stout: Andy T. – Glazed donuts, confectioners sugar, chocolate, licorice, “rum-soaked bundt cake.” Some alcohol, good winter beer. Dark and clear. Lots of sugar, lots of roast. Bitter finish, chocolate cake, “dark chocolate awesomeness.”
11/3/18/5/9 = 46 (14%, brewed with Biscoff cookies – recommendation: try adding coconut) - Winter Seasonal (30C): TJ – Tons of spice, fruity esters. Andy T. says “good.” Taste has spice, but no fruit, very tannic finish, malty. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg.
9/2/13/2/5 = 31 (very young, brewed in December – recommendations to use Biofine/gelatin to get some of the spices out of solution) - Flanders Red (23B): Andy T. – Farmhouse nose. Balsamic, complex. Apple, red currant, moss, hint of solvent, earthy. Taste – acetic, lactic, malic – great blend of acidity. Not harsh at all. Santi wants more malt. Red wine.
8/3/17/5/8 = 41 (12% ABV) - Barleywine (17D): Andy T. – Brought to help us identify faults in beer. Andy says “It has a fault, what is it?” Wet cardboard, oxidized, damp hay. Andy says “Tastes better than it did 10 years ago.” Oxidation from hops.
[NOT JUDGED]
