Everyone in the Underground Brewers makes their own beer, cider, mead, and/or wine. Most of us also enjoy sampling commercial offerings from time to time. Some collect beers to cellar, to see how they change with age. A select few take this last activity to extremes.
Clay is one such member. His cellar is vast and varied. And he is exceptionally generous, sharing special items from that cellar with anyone who will appreciate them.
So, meetings at Clay’s are always amazing.
It’s not just his cellar, of course. He is also an excellent cook. Our meeting last Wednesday night included pulled pork with slaw and an assortment of cheeses and sausages. We all ate more than we should have.
Embarrassingly, we totally forgot to pass the hat to help reimburse him for this. We would never have forgotten before the pandemic. But we are out of practice at having meetings in members’ homes. We deeply apologize.
There was homebrew to be judged, of course. Tasting notes below. But in and around the homebrews, Clay arranged some special tasting experiences from his cellar. We don’t get to partake in such things very often.
First up was a “vertical” of tupelo honey meads from Garagiste Meadery in Florida. Four tupelo meads: dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sweet with oak. All yummy, but the dry was the most complex, with excellent honey presentation.
Later, we had another “vertical” featuring English old ales from The Bruery, aged in oak for 6, 12, and 18 months respectively. Surprisingly, the 18 month was not noticeably more oaky. But it was definitely drier and better balanced. Even more surprising as was the ABV – all were well north of 16%. Absolutely could not taste it.
There was more. But I had to stop imbibing after a certain point. Very long drive home.
We had four homebrews to judge and one for “beer clinic”. Tasting notes:
- Vienna Lager, Andy C. Lots of Vienna malt and perfumy hops. Dry finish. Clean. Could be more complex. A bit thin and needs more bubbles. 9/3/13/3/7 = 35
- American Pale Ale, Andy T. Grapefruit, apricot, and resin. Maybe a little candied orange peel. Quite bitter and a little harsh in the finish. Some astringency lingers. Very young; should mellow. 9/3/11/2/6 = 31
- Winter Seasonal, Cameron. “Smells like the holidays.” Cinnamon, raisin, fruitcake. Some plastic notes. Some astringency. A little boozy. 9.8% ABV with nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, and ginger. 9/2/13/3/7 = 34
- Dark Sour With Currants, Liam. Grape and tart cherry. Vinous. Not really sour, just a little tart. Tastes like an oaky merlot. Very tannic but not at all astringent – smooth. Alcohol is very well-hidden. Yummy. 6.5 years old! 10/3/16/5/9 = 43
- NEIPA, Paul B’s son. Smoky, with plastic phenols. Low hop aroma. Harsh, bitter finish. Thin. Probably a combination of chloramine in the water and a Brett infection eating away the hops. No score.
