On the heels of my vertical tasting I am doing a tasting of the Brewdog Unleash the Yeast Series. These beers were made using the same malt recipe, the same IBU was reached using Cascade & Amarillo BUT using 4 different yeasts: Bavarian Weizen, Pilsner, American Ale & Belgian Trappist.
Considering the malt bill & hops don't really match any style but the American Ale I feel this series is somewhat gimmicky but it still does what it set out to do which was highlight the yeast. If you try this or any other yeast series' beers (like Mikkeller's) I recommend tasting them side by side or at the minimum 2 by 2.
I started off on Saturday with the Bavarian Weizen as it is a style my wife enjoys and the Pilsner Lager as I had a new pilsner glass to try out.
Brewdog Yeast Series - Pilsner Lager
Bottle from Asahiya. Served in a IKEA pilsner glass. Drunk side by side with the Weizen of the yeast series. 6.3% ABV I don't get that, other than for the Trappist Ale that is way too high for any style of beer in this series!
A dark gold pour, I guess they choose a malt bill that would be mid-range for all styles. Crystal clear with some effervescent carbonation rising through the beer to a thick head with little staying power that leaves behind nice lacing.
The aroma is sweet clean light malts with a certain floralness lurking in the background. After sniffing the weizen I don't get much from the pilsner I suppose the aroma is too subtle. Medium bodied, somewhat slick mouthfeel. The taste is floral with biscuity malts, a hint of bitter grass & a clean finish. The malt profile & color is all wrong for a pilsner but the taste is decent. I think the Centennial & Amarillo make it somewhat fruitier/more citrusy than your average pils but it isn't bad actually it is quite tasty just not really pils like more like a pale ale.
Brewdog Yeast Series - Bavarian Weizen
Bottle from Asahiya. Served in a weizen glass. It initially has the same dark gold pour as the pilsner which is no surprise as they have the same malt bill. This beer is also crystal clear but it has TONS of effervescent carbonation rising through the beer (much much much more than the pilsner) to a thick foamy head with great lacing & staying power. In appearance, it has a much more active carbonation & a thicker more solid head of foam. That's the yeast's effect!
A lightly spicy aroma with a vague hint of banana & bubblegum, sweet but with no malts coming through. It has an interesting zesty flavor and an almost citrusy fruitiness then some spice while the finish is quite dry & ascerbic for a weizen but it does have hints of banana & spice.
I am wondering what the hopping was like for this series... hopped with Centennial & Amarillo hence the citrus and not so weizen like flavor. Those hops are usually used in IPAs, Pale Ales and other much more bitter beers so they kind of fight against rather than work with the yeast. Overall not bad, not at all to style but it does showcase the yeast which is what it set out to do. The malts & hops are not usually used with a Weizen yeast plus the ABV is too high but you can see quite significant differences in the flavor profiles of the beers.
Actually, I am kind of wondering how they got all the beers to the same 6.3% ABV. Yeast work differently so I would have expected the yeast to stop at different points. I guess Brewdog have great production control to get such a result!
Next up are the Trappist & American Ale yeast beers. These are closer in terms of style to the malt bill that was used, the ABV & hops so I am thinking I may enjoy them more...
Brewdog Yeast Series - American Ale
Bottle from Asahiya. Served in a pint glass & drunk side by side with the Belgian Trappist beer from the series.
I am now seeing significant variation in terms of color. While the Bavarian Weizen & Pilsner were virtually identical in terms of color these two look quite different.
The American Ale pours a slightly opaque honey brown while the Belgian Trappist pours a clear copper gold.
The Ale has a thin foamy head which leaves behind nice lacing and a layer of foam lingering on it's surface.
The nose on this is very floral & citrusy, quite IPA or Pale Ale like with a solid undercurrent of crackers or biscuits from the malts.
The mouthfeel is surprisingly velvety but quite light, the body comes across med-light. The taste is mostly bitter citrus with hints of lime/pine & just a touch of a cracker like flavor from the malts.
A decent pale ale my only complaint would be the body comes off somewhat light. Probably the best of the bunch by a hair but then again the malts & hops match a US style ale best so it is no surprise.
I am now seeing significant variation in terms of color. While the Bavarian Weizen & Pilsner were virtually identical in terms of color these two look quite different.
The American Ale pours a slightly opaque honey brown while the Belgian Trappist pours a clear copper gold.
The Ale has a thin foamy head which leaves behind nice lacing and a layer of foam lingering on it's surface.
The nose on this is very floral & citrusy, quite IPA or Pale Ale like with a solid undercurrent of crackers or biscuits from the malts.
The mouthfeel is surprisingly velvety but quite light, the body comes across med-light. The taste is mostly bitter citrus with hints of lime/pine & just a touch of a cracker like flavor from the malts.
A decent pale ale my only complaint would be the body comes off somewhat light. Probably the best of the bunch by a hair but then again the malts & hops match a US style ale best so it is no surprise.
Brewdog Yeast Series - Belgian Trappist
Bottle from Asahiya. Served in a chalice like St-Feuillien glass.
This beer poured a clear copper gold with minimal head & virtually no lacing while the ale poured a cloudy honey brown with a decent head.
The aroma was subtle, fruity, a bit soapy with a more solid malt presence. It has a smooth full-bodied mouthfeel.
The taste is kind of middle of the road, citrus at first then some malts before ending on a more belgian note with subtle barnyard & a slightly metallic almost brett like character in the finish. Fruity, tasty but tame compared to a true belgian.
Actually, after having some sips after the American Ale I think the belgian component actually comes off somewhat stronger. I am liking it more & more, probably equally as much as the American Ale. It’s an approachable belgian similar to a belgian blonde dubbel, surprisingly good.
This beer poured a clear copper gold with minimal head & virtually no lacing while the ale poured a cloudy honey brown with a decent head.
The aroma was subtle, fruity, a bit soapy with a more solid malt presence. It has a smooth full-bodied mouthfeel.
The taste is kind of middle of the road, citrus at first then some malts before ending on a more belgian note with subtle barnyard & a slightly metallic almost brett like character in the finish. Fruity, tasty but tame compared to a true belgian.
Actually, after having some sips after the American Ale I think the belgian component actually comes off somewhat stronger. I am liking it more & more, probably equally as much as the American Ale. It’s an approachable belgian similar to a belgian blonde dubbel, surprisingly good.
I definitely thought the Belgian Trappist & American Ale were the better realized out of the set but then again the construction of the recipe favored those yeast strains.
I think this series was a really successful experiment, it definitely highlighted the different just swapping the yeast can make. None of these beers blew me away but that wasn't what Brewdog was trying to do. They wanted to educate the public of the role yeast plays in making a good beer. In that I think they succeeded admirably & I preferred this set to the Mikkeller 2.0 Yeast Series I had.
These are definitely worth trying out but do try to get the whole set for an educational comparative tasting!
"the same IBU" - for an American ale and a weizen?
ReplyDeleteThat's Brewdog, destroying the status quo with their 'genius' new revolutionary techniques!!!!
Wow! Just, wow!
There guys don't just toe the line like the rest of us sheep. They draw the bloody thing wherever they want it. Squiggly, spaghetti line that it is. 15% weizen with roast barley and whale vomit? You got it! That's not a normal weizen , you say? screw you, you sheep! join the revolution!!! We are GODS!!!!
Sorry, slight rant there.
I think rather than 'showcase' the yeast, they are really showcasing their marketing skills.
If the malt bill is the same then they must all have wheat because it is the wheat that makes the weizen, not necessarily the yeast. Also, I think it is the proteins i the wheat contribute to the head.indeed in any beer. If you do a too long protein rest (breaking down the long protein chains by enzymatic activity), you'll have problems keeping a good head on the beer. i think some brewers add wheat to their recipe to bump up that protein count a bit and add a fluffier, more solid head.
ReplyDelete"Brewdog have great production control" - that's news to me.
ReplyDeleteWell they need some kind of ability to make 4 different yeasts end at the same ABV, unless they just slapped on the same ABV on the label which is also possible...
Deletep.s. sorry to appear critical, I'm not trying to, I'm just (as you can tell) not overly impressed by Brewdog's 'style' or at times, seemingly lack of. They can make great beers, they can also make, lets just say, not so great beers. I'm not looking for a reason to attack them, but I'm not sure this serves much educational purpose other than "look how easy it is to get people to buy our beers if we add a gimmick to it". They should really make the ebers as gentle as they can, THEN use the yeast in a way that accentuates the yeast flavours. keeping ABV and malt bill constant and hopping the same is just defeating the object, IMO. As you pointed out, the beer styles come out wrong and the hops or malt bill at times interfere with the yeast flavour. You end up not tasting the yeast difference, but the difference a yeast PLUS an strange combo of hops and malts tastes like.
ReplyDeleteBut hey, the gimmick sells.
I also appreciate the efforts you make to time and time again tastes beers and put out your thoughts so many of us can learn from them and use them to help us make educated decisions in buying beers for ourselves.
I think you probably got as much out of their gimmicky 'experiment' /way to sell more beer as you possibly could, so well done, there.
Hey Chuwy, I always appreciate the comments. I think I used the appropriate glassware for the styles which tend to work in the yeast favor. If I had done them in normal pint glasses I probably would not have noticed as much variation in terms of head & aroma. From what I know the malt bills are the same and the same hops, as mentioned it matches a US style ale but not the others so much. I think it is educational for people who choose to drink it like me. If you just have one on it's own they tend to be disappointing average beers at best or disappointing if you're expecting the style on the label.
ReplyDeleteA good idea though you may fault them on the execution of it. It is the kind of experiement I could see myself doing as a homebrewer though... they just saved me the trouble!