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Beer Reviews |
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Other European Beers |
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Some of the beers in this section have been reviewed during tastings that contained mostly North American beers, so are included on that page as well. Beamish Stout (Beamish & Crawford PLC, Cork Ireland). ?% (Beamish isn’t saying). Tasted during Goose Island February Beer Academy - Stouts. Comments in quotations come from the host and Goose Island Clybourn Pub brewmaster’s notes handed out at the session. “From the City of Cork (also home to Murphy’s). This city in the southern part of the country produced most of the stout in Ireland up until the 20th century.” It is very like Guinness in consistency. Our portions came from the usual Irish tall cans with the nitrogen widgets for creating a draft-like head (which never works, and didn’t in this case either). Grade 5 (same grade I give Guinness, by the way). O’hara’s Celtic Stout (Carlow Brewing Company, Carlow, Ireland). 4%.
Tasted during Goose Island February Beer Academy - Stouts. Comments in quotations come from the host and Goose Island Clybourn Pub brewmaster’s notes handed out at the session. “An award-winning stout from one of the few microbreweries in Ireland. Due to pressure from larger stout producers in the country, Carlow Brewing has turned to the U.S. market for a large portion of its sales.” The award, according to the brewer’s site, is the 2000 “Champion Stout in the International Dark Milds, Stouts and Porters competition in addition to the Gold Medal in its own category for beers between 4.2-6.9% abv” A very different start flavor - oaky, even discernibly pruny. It crosses the palate becoming darker, if you will, then simply slowly fades. A new stout flavor that is worth looking for. Grade 7.5. Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout. 7%. “From the independent, family owned brewery in Tadcaster, England. Approximately 5% oats comprise the total grist.” The web site says:
This brew has a molasses-flavored beginning that is quite strong and pleasant. It goes across the palate sweet and spicy with no discernible hop accent. It remains on the palate with a winey follow. Grade 8.0. Caution! A really nice stout, but one needs to be quite careful about how and where one buys it. Merchant du Vin, the importer, insists for marketing reasons on having the American versions of this and most of the Samuel Smith beers packaged in clear bottles. If they sit on a store’s shelves for any time at all, the ultraviolet from the store’s fluorescent lamps will very quickly destroy the beer. Buy only beer that has remained refrigerated in unopened cases. Young’s Oatmeal Stout. 5.2%. Tasted during Goose Island February Beer Academy - Stouts. Comments in quotations come from the host and Goose Island Clybourn Pub brewmaster’s notes handed out at the session. “From the Ram Brewery in London, England,” touted as England’s oldest continuous brewery (since 1581). This standard has a sweet front end, a bit of a raisin flavor, with a toffee middle and a constant tartness. The beer has an unusual character at some point in the tasting: it “opens up” kind of like a small revelation, then quietly disappears in the follow. Grade 7.0. Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale. 4.8%.
An ale “from the independent brewery in Tadcaster, England, where they have traditionally fermented their beers in slate squares since 1758.” The web site says:
Unfortunately, this beer is very bland with not much across-the-palate flavor. It is very “mass-market.’ It seems to have suffered from light exposure in its clear bottle (see Samuel Smith Caution in Stouts discussion above). Grade 4.5
An example of a Baltic Porter. These beers developed as a result of an appreciation of Russian Imperial Stout. This can be seen in the color and alcohol content - but they are often brewed with a lager yeast. Okocim was founded in 1845 by a German brewer named Jan Goetz in Okocim in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire, later to be part of Poland. According to the corporate web site, Following a merger with Denmark's Carlsberg in 2001, Carlsberg Okocim Group (currently Carlsberg Polska) was founded, with a 14% market share. Okocim Brewery became the largest brewery of the Carlsberg Polska group and a key plant for Carlsberg Breweries A/S in Europe. Strong chocolate nose with alcohol off the top. Sherry-like, sweet, very stoutish, with a heavy chocolate middle. Has a very nice balance. Grade 8.0.
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Beers Discussed on This Page Beamish Stout |