Beer of the Weekend #153: Mystery Homebrew #1
What’ll ya know? A Monday night tasting. I am in serious breach of my alcohol rule.
But that's cool. I’m allowed to suspend it for sensible reasons and special occasions. This, I think, is a sensible reason.
[Cue the theme music from the retro “Mystery Date” game commercial.]
Yes, tonight I am on a beer mystery date. A few weeks ago I helped my aunt and uncle with yard work and house cleaning as they prepared for a pre-wedding party, and one of my payments was tonight’s beer, which I will call Mystery Homebrew #1. It is brewed by one of their friends.
The bottle has been sitting in the fridge for about two weeks and I have no clue how long my aunt and uncle had it, or even when it was brewed. I don’t even know what style of beer it is. Tonight seems like as good a night as any to try it. Plus, sometime soon I need to return the bottle to the brew master so it can be used again.
I’m a little weary of homebrews. A guy I worked with told me a story about someone he knew who brewed his own wine. (“My best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend…”) The man had a party in which his home wine was served, and the next day he received a lot of calls from friends who were pissing blood. Not cool. The alcohol content was apparently sky high for wine, and the fact is there was really no way he could know. I assume there’s simple, but costly, equipment one can buy to make sure their home product is safe to drink, but I think a lot of people wing it from prior experience. Frankly, I hope I’m not pissing blood tomorrow.
Serving type: One 50 cl (that’s centiliters, people; so .5 l and 500 ml) bottle with rubber stopper at the top.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is a clean, clear brown with a burgundy undertone. Almost opaque, but light passed through. Almost zero head. There was no carbonation out of the bottle; no “pop” when I popped the rubber stopper. What head there was was light colored and bubbly. It vanished so quickly I couldn’t even catch the color. I did notice, though, a good amount of yeast sedimentation at the bottom of the bottle.
Smell: The aroma is much like a brown ale; similar to Newcastle Brown, but a lot weaker than The One and Only. Toasted caramel malts and a hint of brown sugar.
Taste: The texture and mouthfeel of beer is there, but the flavor complexity is wanting. Very watered down and faint. It follows the standard brown ale structure with caramel malts, but there is nothing else until the beer warms considerably and hints of apple cider and banana emerge, likely from the yeast. The only other flavor I can pick out is rubbing alcohol.
Drinkability: This is likely a bad bottle. My uncle said some of the bottles are flat, especially if there is no initial “pop” of pressure at the opening. The appearance, however, was solid, and I can definitely see that other bottles may be better. My cousin did proclaim that Mystery Homebrew #1 was the best beer he’s ever had. I’m assuming he’s only had good bottles. Drinking this bottle boosted my respect for real brewers who make the sweet nectar day in and day out. It is not easy to make good beer, but it’s also apparently difficult to even make decent brew. Mad props to them and those who can do it from home.
Fun facts about Mystery Homebrew #1:
-No fun facts for Mystery Homebrew #1, though next time I will have to give the brewer a ring for an interview. I have no doubt there’s an interesting story behind the crafting. I should also get some tips. Home brewing (or is it “homebrewing”?) has been something I’ve wanted to try for a while. For many reasons, the “home” part of the home brewing equation was not ideal until now. This winter I’ll give it a try. I can drink it, but can I brew it?
The Quiet Man’s grade: D+.
But that's cool. I’m allowed to suspend it for sensible reasons and special occasions. This, I think, is a sensible reason.
[Cue the theme music from the retro “Mystery Date” game commercial.]
Yes, tonight I am on a beer mystery date. A few weeks ago I helped my aunt and uncle with yard work and house cleaning as they prepared for a pre-wedding party, and one of my payments was tonight’s beer, which I will call Mystery Homebrew #1. It is brewed by one of their friends.
The bottle has been sitting in the fridge for about two weeks and I have no clue how long my aunt and uncle had it, or even when it was brewed. I don’t even know what style of beer it is. Tonight seems like as good a night as any to try it. Plus, sometime soon I need to return the bottle to the brew master so it can be used again.
I’m a little weary of homebrews. A guy I worked with told me a story about someone he knew who brewed his own wine. (“My best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend…”) The man had a party in which his home wine was served, and the next day he received a lot of calls from friends who were pissing blood. Not cool. The alcohol content was apparently sky high for wine, and the fact is there was really no way he could know. I assume there’s simple, but costly, equipment one can buy to make sure their home product is safe to drink, but I think a lot of people wing it from prior experience. Frankly, I hope I’m not pissing blood tomorrow.
Serving type: One 50 cl (that’s centiliters, people; so .5 l and 500 ml) bottle with rubber stopper at the top.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is a clean, clear brown with a burgundy undertone. Almost opaque, but light passed through. Almost zero head. There was no carbonation out of the bottle; no “pop” when I popped the rubber stopper. What head there was was light colored and bubbly. It vanished so quickly I couldn’t even catch the color. I did notice, though, a good amount of yeast sedimentation at the bottom of the bottle.
Smell: The aroma is much like a brown ale; similar to Newcastle Brown, but a lot weaker than The One and Only. Toasted caramel malts and a hint of brown sugar.
Taste: The texture and mouthfeel of beer is there, but the flavor complexity is wanting. Very watered down and faint. It follows the standard brown ale structure with caramel malts, but there is nothing else until the beer warms considerably and hints of apple cider and banana emerge, likely from the yeast. The only other flavor I can pick out is rubbing alcohol.
Drinkability: This is likely a bad bottle. My uncle said some of the bottles are flat, especially if there is no initial “pop” of pressure at the opening. The appearance, however, was solid, and I can definitely see that other bottles may be better. My cousin did proclaim that Mystery Homebrew #1 was the best beer he’s ever had. I’m assuming he’s only had good bottles. Drinking this bottle boosted my respect for real brewers who make the sweet nectar day in and day out. It is not easy to make good beer, but it’s also apparently difficult to even make decent brew. Mad props to them and those who can do it from home.
Fun facts about Mystery Homebrew #1:
-No fun facts for Mystery Homebrew #1, though next time I will have to give the brewer a ring for an interview. I have no doubt there’s an interesting story behind the crafting. I should also get some tips. Home brewing (or is it “homebrewing”?) has been something I’ve wanted to try for a while. For many reasons, the “home” part of the home brewing equation was not ideal until now. This winter I’ll give it a try. I can drink it, but can I brew it?
The Quiet Man’s grade: D+.
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