Session #7: The Brew Zoo
Animals everywhere. In an effort to save the beer animal kingdom from extinction, beer bloggers across the globe are banding together to rescue these endangered creatures. As we file them onto our “beer ark”, two-by-two, we revel in their incredible beauty, smell and taste (no animals have been cooked during the production of this blog post). I chose to go with some smaller animals, including one odd animal that is an anomaly. Interested? Read on….
Moorhouse’s Black Cat: Leading the feline charge is a dark brown/black cat that pours clear. A nice medium brown head adorns this creature. With a nose of sweet molasses, raisin and light chocolate, this cat smells like a winner. We take a taste, and we are greeted by a medium/thin body (has this cat eaten in awhile?) with hints of light roasted coffee and chocolate. Somewhere from behind, molasses perks its head, but softly. Raisins sit on the front of the tongue, while a roastiness that is redolent of the char on grill grates brings up the finish. With hops out of the way, the finish is quick. You can visit this cat over and over in a single evening. Very sessionable.
Otter Head: A fairly blase’ example, this watery creature has a taste profile to match. Despite the pretty medium copper/red color and the sweet aroma of caramel, meat and vanilla, the taste of the beer doesn’t stack up to it’s body. Sweet caramel and raw dough make up the palate, with a bready finish. Simple through the mouth…perhaps too simple considering the body of the beer. Worth a shot to experience this animal once…probably not again.
Daleside Brewery Monkey Wrench: Ok, ok. I realize that a monkey wrench isn’t an animal. BUT, it had a monkey on the label. Take my word, and read on. This primate has a thin head atop a ruby clear body, a nice contrast to the beige carpet and dark table it sits against. Taking a whiff of the nose reveals a subtle earthy character (this seems appropriate, no?) with caramel, sweet malt and dark fruit. Medium carbonation and body meets the mouth, as the sweet caramel flavors balance out the light wash of English hops across the back. A bit of light smoke in the background supports the dark fruit and light bread, moving into a medium length dry finish that clears nicely, leaving you ready for another sip. According to ratebeer.com and beeradvocate.com, this is an Old Ale. I disagree. This seems much more like an ESB to me. Perhaps my palate isn’t sophisticated enough, but the level of caramel seems to suggest otherwise. That said, this one is certain to be monkeyed around with…a great beer.
Duck Rabbit Imperial Stout: Perhaps the oddest creature on the boat. Water meets land in this black, opaque animal that shows a pillowy and persistent dark tan head. Get close enough to this animal and you’ll find a sweet aroma that is spiked with dark fruit, roasted grain, alcohol, prunes, raisins and sweet milk chocolate. Certainly, this is a complex beast. Have a taste will you? You’ll find roasted dry coffee beans with a rich bitterness across the back of the mouth. A distinctly astringent note hints at Black Patent malts with alcohol sitting in the center of the mouth. As you swallow, notice the long roasted finish of coffee beans, chocolate and espresso.
These animals certainly make up a diverse addition to the ark of animals we have sailing across the ocean of craft beer. Hopefully, you’ll be able to find one of these exotic creatures and take your own look!
Make sure to check out all the other creatures in the Brew Zoo!
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