A Flowery Song

Background: A dark lager flavoured with chocolate mint leaves, aniseed, and vanilla. (That’s not a typo, there is actually a variety of mint called “chocolate mint”, and it’s one I’ve encountered before. It doesn’t exactly taste like chocolate; rather, it tastes like the memory of chocolate.) I picked up this beer because I love black licorice, though I have doubts about how well it will translate to beer.

Nose: Clear notes of anise on a roasty malt background with hints of dusty cocoa.

Taste: Brown sugar sweetness off the bat, with hints of chocolate and lightly herbaceous mint. Licorice starts to come through near the finish, but is quickly overpowered by a sour, clinging aftertaste. Not much trace of the 8% alcohol in the taste, but that could just be because the finish is so nasty after a while one can’t taste anything else.

Overall: Given that the word “nasty” showed up above, I doubt you’ll be surprised that I’m not a fan. It’s an interesting idea, but the execution just falls short. Accompanied by some nice noodle soup it becomes a bit better, since the clinging sensation is wiped out by the food instead of being reinforced by the beer.

Background: The brewery’s a new one on me, and I’m not even sure offhand where Mount Pleasant is. The beer has a decent label and is described by the brewers as a “classic, sweet stout”.

Nose: Repressed, slightly sweet and roasty.

Taste: Moderate sweetness, counterbalanced by a deep coffee roastiness and medium to high hop bitterness.

Overall: Quaffable though not spectacular. The finish is slightly acrid, but there’s none of the smokiness that would make that acceptable.

Background: Made from clover, wildflower and buckwheat honeys along with fresh-pressed Michigan apple cider, cinnamon, and cloves. Aged at least partially on American oak.

Nose: Crisp apples and floral honey with mild pie spice influences. Faint hint of acetone.

Taste: Medium sweetness, hints of malic tartness. Dark, sweet flavours from the buckwheat and earthy apple cider. Middling amount of cinnamon on the finish.

Overall: Very competently done. Not too sweet, with a good balance of flavours where the spices complement rather than overwhelm.

Background: Beer, probably made with molasses. Also, it’s named after a pneumatic drill that killed miners with dust inhalation-related illnesses.

Nose: Subdued, slightly metallic, not much going on.

Taste: Slight molasses flavour, light tartness, smooth biscuity malt.

Overall: The can isn’t lying when it calls it light bodied, and a slight metallic twinge isn’t helping. It might make a decent quenching summer beer, but I’m not loving it.

Background: Founders’ strong Scotch Ale is called “Dirty Bastard”; the bottle only gives us “ale aged in oak bourbon barrels” as the description, but I think it’s a fair assumption that the base beer is Dirty Bastard.

Nose: Fresh corn bourbon and vanilla oak.

Taste: Sugared oak. The caramelisation from the wee heavy plays nicely with the sweet bourbon flavours from the barrel, but the extra alcohol really thins out the body. Somewhat fruity.

Overall: I like barrel-aged beers, I really do. Unfortunately, I find that the bourbon barrels most commonly used have a tendency to overwhelm even the most robust base beer, giving them a distressing sameness. This is good beer, but it’s not great and it’s very bourbon.

Background: The first (and so far only) pumpkin beer from Jolly Pumpkin, this golden ale is flavoured with pumpkin, cacoa, and spices.

Nose: Dry, tart, with hints of cinnamon and chocolate.

Taste: Dry, tart, with hints of oak and squash. Very negligible spice influence, really.

Overall: Good beer. But while it’s what I expected from a Jolly Pumpkin beer, it’s not really what people expect from a pumpkin beer.

Background: Belgian-style farmhouse ale, available as a seasonal release in 750ml bottles. Very energetic carbonation; make sure to chill before opening, and it may be wise to open it over the sink rather than your computer keyboard or photographic equipment. Even a gentle pour produces an impressive head of foam.

Nose: Funky and earthy; a bit of barnyard, a bit of cellar.

Taste: Tart and refreshing. Lemons, black pepper, coriander.

Overall: Good Saison! Not a traditional choice for the middle of winter, but the acidity and earthiness went nicely with the steak and kidney pie I was having.

Background: Spiced pear melomel from Sandhill Crane Vineyards in the lovely prison town of Jackson. If you’re wondering, melomel is a category of mead made with fruit, but that fruit is not grapes (which would be a pyment) or apples (cyser). Ah, the wild and wacky world of mead categories. This particular mead is made with local honey, locally grown pears, and some cinnamon (spiced meads are also called metheglins).

Nose: Lovely aroma of honey and cinnamon. Very fruity, with lightly floral influences.

Taste: Smooth and spicy. Hard to pick out any specifically pear influence, especially with the high amount of residual sugar. But there’s soft fruit there, along with musky honey, citrus, and some cinnamon.

Overall: Very nice, but unless you fancy going into a sugar coma this is best enjoyed in small amounts.

Background: A smoked rye doppelbock that is “[a]n homage to all things pig”. The smoke comes from cherrywood-smoked malted barley, then there’s some rye, and two other unnamed malts.

Nose: Smoke! Also fruity malt. Dried figs. And some alcohol.

Taste: Ooh, lots of smoke, balanced with a deep, rich molasses-like maltiness.

Overall: Should go well with pork, as indicated on the bottle. And this really does need to be served along with food, else the smoke gets pretty overpowering.

Background: From Keweenaw Brewing up in that other part of Michigan. You know, the bit that’s not shaped like a mitten.

Nose: Sweet grain and a light hint of fruity hops.

Taste: Smooth, sweet, and mild malt with the barest touch of spicy noble hops.

Overall: Light and easy-drinking, but with well-balanced flavour and nicely zippy carbonation.