Another month has passed since I last tasted my EBY beers. Below you'll find short tasting notes from 12 oz. bottles of each beer. Thanks again to Sam at Eureka Brewing for the yeast strains (blog link) and to Jeffrey Crane (blog link) for designing the recipe.
EBY014 (Brettanomyces lostfontain I)
Aroma: still dominated by green apple, but gives way to more balanced 'Belgian' ester profile with underlying funkiness
Appearance: good clarity despite visual evidence, effervescent, lasting head
Flavor: balanced, simple; low to no spice flavors; grainy finish from earlier tastings is all but gone
Mouthfeel: good carbonation; medium-low body; no slickness or other detractors, perceived crispness from the apple/esters, slight acidity and carbonation
Overall: A bit watery, which also adds to drinkability. Nice, but simple like slightly funky Belgian Blonde.
Overall: A bit watery, which also adds to drinkability. Nice, but simple like slightly funky Belgian Blonde.
Aroma: complete lack of fruity esters of 014. significant but pleasant barnyard funk. I'm not detecting the smoky aroma from last tasting.
Appearance: now much hazier compared to clarity of 014
Flavor: Subdued (muddled?) flavor; again there is a coriander-like spice but now more subtle. Funkiness of aroma does not come through much in the flavor.
Flavor: Subdued (muddled?) flavor; again there is a coriander-like spice but now more subtle. Funkiness of aroma does not come through much in the flavor.
Mouthfeel: Oddly 015 now seems to have significantly more body than 014 (014 probably was not fully carbed last tasting).
Overall: Nothing wrong but a bit boring. If 014 is a funk Belgian Blonde, then 015 with the spiciness is a (slightly) funky Biere de Garde. The funk is still present in aroma much more than the flavor.
Overall: Nothing wrong but a bit boring. If 014 is a funk Belgian Blonde, then 015 with the spiciness is a (slightly) funky Biere de Garde. The funk is still present in aroma much more than the flavor.
EBY010 (Brettanomyces cantillon IV)
Aroma: mild funky spice. I still get some of the juicy peaches and lemon, but now smells much more like 015.
Appearance: brilliant clarity and good carbonation but not effervescent
Flavor: very light lemon and spice; soft and watery up front, but with crisp finish. Maybe even less complex than prior tasting, but still has a nice quenchable mineral quality.
Mouthfeel: good carbonation; medium body probably carbed up a bit more from last tasting
Overall: Still probably my top choice of these 5 beers. The awesome fermentation performance has me dreaming up a few EBY010 primary Belgian pale recipe. I think the mineral quality would pair well with significant late-additions of noble hops
Overall: Still probably my top choice of these 5 beers. The awesome fermentation performance has me dreaming up a few EBY010 primary Belgian pale recipe. I think the mineral quality would pair well with significant late-additions of noble hops
The most disappointing strain so far is EBY019, which as mentioned may be due to contamination during shipping. Keep that in mind if you read these tasting notes. Thankfully though, the beer does seem to be improving with time and I will be curious to sample again in a couple months.
Aroma: the sour apple, vinyl, nail polish aromas have mostly vanished(!!); still has that hot ester aroma but now much more subdued and generic; reminiscent of high gravity Belgian beers
Appearance: great clarity, still looks good in the glass despite pics
Flavor: Not bad but really muddled. The simplicity does this beer favor but there's still not much to like. So dry that it's the only sample I experienced any bitterness.
Mouthfeel: similar carbonation, but drier than others
Overall: This beer has improved a lot. Not terrible but still not something I want to drink. As I go back to the other samples it really hits home that this is my least favorite product.
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