I'm almost embarrassed to be writing this blog post. You see about 4 months ago Brian @ Untamed Beer sent me a box of his beer. I always enjoy Brian's blog, and in the past have really enjoyed his homebrew. Brian sent me six of his beers, and for reasons I can't even try to justify, it's taken me this long to work through the beers and write up a proper review.
Regardless of how long it took, it was amazing to experience. I'm not trying to be dramatic, Brian (and his wife's) beers are incredible. The creativity that goes into his beers is the stuff that inspires me as a homebrewer. I had made the decision to get back to trying to push the envelope and be creative in my brewing and Untamed's beers reminded me of why I need to do that. Brian sent me six beers; Kolsch, Smoked Chocolate Porter, 2009 Bourbon Oak Aged Imperial stout, a Gruit and two beers his wife brewed, a Thai Pale Ale and a Curry Stout.
Per Brian's suggestion I started with the Kolsch which was bottled off the keg. I'll write up the rest in order of drinking them:
Kolsch: This beer poured light straw gold with a thin white head. Wonderful fruity aromas, floral and almost apple notes. Sweet, but not overly sweet at first. A subtle floral sweetness followed by some grainy flavors. Finishes crisp and slightly dry, almost bitter as one would expect of a kolsch. A very refreshing, true to style kolsch.
Thai Pale Ale- Pours cloudy orange with a thin white head. Amazing aromas of ginger, floral hops, and slight spiciness. Smooth and sweet at first. Wonderful complexity of flavors, the "Thai" flavors don't overwhelm, but there is some nice lemongrass in the finish that works so well with the pale ale. It's malty with a great lingering sweetness. It's unique, but so well balanced and the lemongrass and other spices really play nicely with the pale ale. Very good!
Smoke Chocolate Porter- Pours jet black with a two finger khaki head. Chocolate and roasted aromas with some nice smokiness coming through. Excellent texture, milkshake like creaminess with a full but smooth mouthfeel. As it warms, the chocolate and smoke start to stand out more. It's complex but clean, not overly smokey, just a touch to add some nice character to a great chocolate porter.
2009 Bourbon Oak Imperial Stout- Pours motor oil black with a thick khaki head. Chocolate, bourbon, woodiness and roasted barley aromas hit you right away. Smooth and chocolaty at first, followed by some nice woodiness and some licorice in the finish. The bourbon is faint, a hint in the nose and the finish. The woodiness blends really well with the roasted notes. Just a fantastic beer.
Massaman Curry Stout- Pours black with a thin white ring around the glass. Smells so aromatic, not surprisingly, smells exactly like curry. I've never smelled a beer like this before. Really interesting and unique. Spices dominate, I know Brian's wife Nicole threw in a ton of spices:whole cardamom pods, dried chili peppers, cinnamon sticks, crushed cloves, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin, nutmeg, mace, coconut flakes. The cardamom is really the spice that dominates, but there really is a unique mixture going on. After the intial layer of spices, the stout starts to come through, with some faint chocolate and roasted notes. The beer is good, and definitely unique, but not one I could drink often. Very impressed with the concept, and I think I'd like it more if the spices weren't so dominate.
Gruit - I was very curious about this beer. An old beer style brewed before the use of hops. This beer is brewed with sweet gale, rosemary, juniper berries, cardamom, star anise, caraway seeds, ginger and bay leaves. The beer pours mahogany with some red highlights and a thin white head. Again, spices come through, especially the cardamom, ginger and star anise in the aroma. The flavor is sweet, with the star anise coming through nicely in the finish. It's unique, very sweet, obviously not bitter. A very interesting combination of spices and sweetness, very easy drinking.
Overall, I was really impressed with Brian and Nicole's brewing. The beers were unique and well crafted. While the curry stout and gruit might not be beers that I would drink on a regular basis, I applaud their approach. It's why we homebrew, to create something without restrictions. The Thai Pale Ale is a perfect example of what happens when you take risks, you end up with an outside the box concept that works so well that it makes total sense in the end. A big thanks to Untamed for the box of beer, (patience waiting for this review), and the inspiration to keep pushing the envelope.
Salud!
Bearded Brewing.
