Blue Collar Beer Review #8: Ex Pat Brewing - Life Begins At The Hop

 

  I've found great perks in having a blog.  I don't have wide readership, this really is mostly a way to keep notes for myself.  All the same it has resulted in me getting free beer (though maybe not exclusively).  Really good beer.

   What I have here is another quality brew from my friend Paul at Ex Pat.  It's a single hop, Citra IPA.  I've been eager to try it as Paul specialises in IPAs and Pales.  This really isn't quite like any IPA I've had before.

Ex Pat Brewing - Life Begins At The Hop


American India Pale Ale

? ABV

Appearance: LBaTH pours a medium-light gold/straw, which darkens to a pale copper.  It sports a resilient, rocky white head.

Color gradient isn't very distinct, I got thirsty.

Aroma: The aroma is deliciously hop forward, yet delicate and not over-powering, with distinctly lemon-citrus and pine aromas.  A subtle malt sweetness wisps about underneath.

Taste: A pleasant bitterness starts right away and builds all the way through the palate just to the right level, never overmuch.  Hops are dominant, but very mild especially compared to the aroma.  Much less 'artificial lemon' tasting than other Citra focused beers I've had.  The malt sweetness is much more even in flavor than aroma.

Mouthfeel: Light carbonation, very light bodied.  Crisp, clean, very refreshing.

Overall: I've not been a fan of many Citra central IPA's I've had, due to a fake lemon flavor as mentioned above.  LBaTH has a great citrus flavor that I really enjoy.  Appropriately, it drinks like an English Pale Ale due to the delicate, light carbonation, with the flavoring of a mild American Pale Ale. Reminds me a bit of Mirror Pond, though a different citrus flavor.  It really hit the spot since lately I've been craving mild American Pale Ales that aren't a 25lb hammer of hops right to the gob.  However I think this beer could benefit from a slightly larger hop presence, maybe bigger late and flame out additions.  A bit of Maris Otter and/or Crystal malt to add more body and malt back up for the additional hop flavor.  All the same, this is just as amazing as I expected, precisely the type of beer I've been wanting.

Cheers, Paul!

Blue Collar Beer Review #7: Stubborn Agnes Rude Boy Oatmeal Brown

  The masses have been patiently waiting and the moment is here.  In ways this brew turned out just as I had hoped, and in many others, much differently.  This beer is full of surprises. Age seems to have been my friend with this brew turning it from 'meh..not too bad' to a subtly complex, surprisingly mild and drinkable beer that I'm quite proud of.  Within the first 2-4 weeks in bottle, there was a noticeable tang, some described as metallic, others medicinal.  I've found that now that's all been cleared away and the blandness I first observed has opened up to surprise with more flavor.
  This really says something about how fresh beer really needs to be.  Most people insist that beer must be fresh to truly experience as it was meant to be, that aging really does nothing for it but allow the flavor compounds to degrade.  Rude Boy is proof of the opposite.  While I agree, most hoppy beers are designed to be drunk sooner rather than later, some time can open up other flavors no one knew were possible in a given beer.
   I'm not talking about aging a beer for 18 months, or three years (though that is a very interesting concept, especially with barleywines or Belgian Quads).  A few weeks to a couple months can make all the difference. There are also many that think, especially with homebrewing, that that delay in drinking is required.  There is no hard and fast rule, and it's all subjective.  Rude Boy did better after a minimum of 1 month in the bottle, but was still drinkable after 2 weeks.  Pale ales are usually quite a bit faster to reach maximum drinkability, possibly due to a higher reliance on hops.
   I suppose what I'm getting at is that with beer, time is not always our enemy.  Like with wine, beer deserves patience, deserves to be savored.  Beer is a living entity and deserves to be given an opportunity to bloom into something amazing.

Stubborn Agnes Brewing - Rude Boy Oatmeal Brown
American Brown Ale
5.4% ABV

Appearance:  Rich, dark reddish brown pour with a creamy, off white, robust head. Light-Moderate lacing. Good clarity.

Aroma: Mineral, slight hop aroma with dark malt and a hint of caramel and molasses back up.

Taste: Raisins, caramel, slightly bitter, very slight tang, crisp.  Hops much more subdued than I had anticipated, especially after the large late addition. After some time, as previously stated the tang disappeared and the beer became more flavorful with a distinct, subtle green apple flavor, and more roasted malt flavors playing through with caramel, raisins and molasses more prevalent than before.


Mouthfeel: Medium body, lightly tingling carbonation.  Initially a short palate but it has matured to a long pleasant finish.

Overall: This so far is the best I've produced (the 2nd being my first batch, a Drop Top clone that was delicious), in my opinion.  The main goal was to make a delicious beer that really didn't quite fit in any particular category, that rides the fringes and I think Rude Boy fits this exactly.  The way the flavor opened up, it was very surprising, like drinking a different beer altogether! I definitely slowed down, and took my time with it and I believe it shows. It still needs some polishing, but I like it enough that I want to perfect this recipe.  I think a dose of CaraMunich malt will really do well in Rude Boy, I'll have to pick some more experienced brains for an amount.  I think another small late addition of Columbus, which were used as bittering hops will help move the hops a bit more forward.  This is a delicate operation because I don't want to go overboard with them.  I think it's a good balance, not too bitter, not too sweet.  It isn't heavy, and goes down smoothly and easily.  Despite it's name it's just a good mild, very drinkable beer as is.

Blue Collar Beer Review #6: Ex Pat Brewing Wunderbar Weizenbock

 

 Ex Pat Brewing is the operation of Paul May, a friend of mine who is a very talented home brewer.  Like myself here at Stubborn Agnes, Paul brews too little, especially too little of his Weizenbock (which I'm not convinced isn't a re-bottled Ayinger brew...).

   This was, to date, the easiest, and my most favorite beer to review.

Ex Pat Brewing - Wunderbar
German-style Weizenbock

6%

Appearance: Rich dark brown, like thin coffee.  Very creamy, dense off-white head.

Aroma: Smell of Belgian yeast, or of that common in many Ayinger beers.  A prominent sweet malt smell with just a hint of underlying hop crispness.

Taste: Molasses, very slightly bitter at first with a wave of malt goodness after, slightly floral yeast flavor. Very sweet finish, just shy of cloying.

Mouthfeel: Rich, creamy, yet clean and refreshing.  Surprisingly a bit of alcohol heat, but only a tiny bit.

Overall:  This is the first home brew I've had that wasn't my own, and easily one of my favorite beers, period.  Home brew or otherwise. It's unfortunate how limited it is, being a home brew.  Paul is very humble, but has every right to be otherwise.  This beer is better than many commercial beers and what I, and other home brewers strive to make.  It is nothing pretentious, just a great example of the style.  Strong, refreshing, and perfectly balanced.  Along with the strong malt profile, the contributions by the yeast add subtle, but interesting complexities.  For it being 6%, it's surprisingly warming (must be a high 6%!) which makes it a great choice for a chilly fall night, drinking out of a tall ceramic stein.  I hope I can brew like Paul when I grow up!

Blue Collar Beer Review #5: Two Beers India Session Ale

   Two Beers Brewery (Seattle, WA) is a small, relatively young brewery that has only started canning and bottling this year.  They do an excellent job and have a substantial devoted customer base.  They have a well balanced year-round line up that includes something for just about everyone, a wit, brown, IPA, pale ale, and an amber.  They also have several seasonals at any given time, though some are similar styles to their year-rounds.

Two Beers Brewing - Trailhead ISA
American IPA - 4.7% ABV

Appearance: Rich, slightly cloudy gold with light, white head and great lacing.

Aroma: Green, resinous hops.  Then a few more hops.  Aroma reminds me of Pliny the Elder, little malt presence.

Mouthfeel: Soft, smooth and creamy, very refreshing.  Light-medium carbonation.

Taste: Hops again dominate, mostly bitter but also distinctly citrus, specifically lemon.  Really quite bitter on the finish, malt doesn't come through much.

Overall: Though I wouldn't mind if the finish wasn't quite so bitter, it's balanced well with aroma and flavoring hops (though I can never have enough C hops).  It's an amazingly full-flavored beer, and what a session beer should be.  Not only is it low alcohol, and refreshing, but it tastes great and it's a beer you'll want to drink more than one of because of that, not just because you can.  Highly recommended and it's placed the other Two Beers brews higher up in priority for beers to try.