Our February meeting took the Underground Brewers to North Haven to visit Ray at Valor Wines. To say that Ray is a wonderful host may be the understatement of the year. In addition to sharing his space, Ray was generous with his knowledge of all things fermented, as well as opening a number of beautiful bottles of wine. Conversation shifted between different fermented beverages, the process of making ice cider, to the impact of wildfire smoke on hops and grapes. As always, our time at Valor was well spent.
As we shifted from enjoying Ray’s fantastic ciders and wines over to homebrew, we also got deep into a conversation led by Andy T. about chlorophenol. We discussed the origins, chemical traits, and how homebrewers can avoid this fault through the use of campden tablets, filtration, and boiling. It was an incredibly enlightening conversation – and a welcome addition to the meeting. Some additional notes are included below, with Andy’s 10 year old sour that he brought to demonstrate the fault for all in attendance.
Tasting notes are included below. Mark your calendars for our March meeting at Pierre’s house!
Tasting Notes:
- American Blonde (18A): Santi I. – Smells like beer, floral, a sweet bread/corn, very clean (maybe some sulphur). Golden, no head. Paul “could drink that all day.” Very clean. Nice biscuit. Finish is slightly tannic, a little dry, just right. A little honey sweetness. Good bitterness. It needs bubbles. Great body. More bubbles would round everything out. First criticism – it’s not a pint (Andy T).
10/3/17/3/8 =41 – opened a can with more bubbles… immediately +3/4 points. - British Golden (12A): Cam – lightly woody, coconut? Cracker/biscuit. Maybe some acealdeydle. Earthy hop. Appley ester. Straw, low white head, cloudy/hazy, opalescent. Good bitterness – a little sharp, lingers. Very dry, nice finish. Flavor a lot like the aroma. Earthy. Resiny-fruity hop mid note. Finish is a little harsh and lingers. Tannic. A little astringency present.
7/2/13/5/7=34 – 3 weeks old - Witbier (24A): Cam – a little bubblegum, lots of clove/banana. Menthol (Santi). Carrot (Paul). Cheese (Andy). Peppery. “I like the aroma.” Inviting. Missing the malt. Complex. Great color. Not cloudy at all. Completely clear. No haze. No head. Clove very strong on the flavor. Goes into menthol. Missing some of the bready-malt. A little too heavy on the spice balance. Needs more bubbles. Otherwise fine. Very drinkable. Maybe a touch of lactic sourness.
9/1/13/3/7=33 - Pre-Prohibition Porter (27): Santi I. – hint of cocoa/nibs, roasty, light tobacco. Maybe a little more aroma needed. Brilliantly clear. Lots of red/brown hues. Could use a little more head. Burnt malt seems a little high? Raw dark chocolate. Acidity from the chocolate. Molasses. More than moderately dry. Not heavy. Water + Hersheys cocoa powder. Seems a little more balanced towards the hops. Thin but appropriate. Slightly astringent.
10/2/14/5/7=38 - American Porter (20A): Matt – happy noises from Paul. Roasted malt aroma. A touch of raisin. Coffee covered raisin. A little alcohol heat. A little fruitiness. Fig. Cocoa. Great amount of roast. Not overpowering. Some kind of dried fruit. Complex. Medium brown, ruby highlights. Good head retention. Very well balanced. Nothing sticks out. Quite dry. Starts out sweet. Complex. Cocoa. Not aggressive. A bit of burnt malt character. Great mouthfeel. Slight dark malt astringency.
9/3/17/5/8 =42 - Apricot Sour (28C): Andy T. – dried apricot, spicy. Slightly sulphuric. Maybe some solvent w/ swirl, then blows off. Some acetic. Gummy apricot ring. Not a juicy fresh. Paul has a chunky thing floating in his. There are some floaties. Great balance between fruit and sour. A slightly acetic finish. Dry without being harsh. Does that tongue smack thing. Beautiful balance. Good body.
9/2/17/5/9=42 - Sour Cherry Pomegranate Cranberry (28C): Andy T. – tons of cranberry. Ethyl acetate. Something like tobacco/leather, maybe Brett? Gorgeous appearance. Very tart. Cinnamon/cherry pit. Lots of cranberry. Some more of the ethyl acetate – there but not a real flaw/fault. Cherry and cranberry more present than pomegranate. Tannic finish. Lovely mouthfeel. High carb.
8/3/14/5/8 =38
The Sour Cherry Pomegranate Cranberry was the “bad beer of the month.” A 10 year old beer, but this bottle was quite a bit better than the one he opened over the weekend. That beer was not carbonated and had more prominent chlorophenol notes.
- Chlorophenol – plastic/mouthwash
- Comes from the water, mostly.
- Humans are super sensitive to chlorophenols.
How to get rid of chlorine?
- Boil (will not get rid of chloramines, or at least not quickly)
- Filter (charcoal filters, RO)
- Potassium metabisulfate (takes out chlorine/chloramine almost instantly)