The Beer: Karma Ale
The Brewery: Avery Brewing Company of Boulder, Colorado
The Style: Belgian (Pale) Ale Brewer's Description: We believe in Karma. We suspect most of you do, too. It truly is a global concept. Very simply put, "you get what you give." Inspired by this principle and the wonderful farmhouse and pale ales of Belgium, we've created Karma Ale, a decidedly fruity and estery ale, intricate in body and nose, all driven by a unique Belgian yeast strain. Remember, good things DO happen to good people. Here's to being good!
Color: Poured into whiskey glass, transparent gold with minimal white head
Aroma: sour vinegar, apples.
Taste/mouthfeel: high carbonation, light mouthfeel. Flavors of pilsner malt, some light honey, apple esters, and cedar. Taste is not as sour as aroma would lead one to believe, but there is still a small amount of farmhouse "funk".
Finish: surprisingly bitter and dry finish.
Notes: Purchased at Publix grocery in Tampa, FL. I am not sure if the funky/sour/vinegar notes were intended in this beer or not. Regardless, I was not a fan of this beer. The beer tastes awkward and has little personality beyond a slightly off-putting aroma. It feels like it doesn't know if it wants to be a quenching, light belgian ale or a dry Flemish-style sour ale.
2 comments:
Are there typical effects of improper shipping conditions for beer? I know that some breweries make a point of shipping cold. Does this make a big difference in the flavor of the beer? (I would assume it would since heat changes the chemical equalibrium in many closed systems)
That being said, the 'sour apple' aroma might put me off of it immediately.
angela:
Heat will definitely age beer faster. As far as creating off-flavors, usually this is not an issue.
Most beer is pasteurized, filtered, force-carbonated, and bottle. Little off flavors will occur during shipping with this beer.
However, some beer is "bottle-conditioned". This means the beer is not filtered and has been naturally carbonated with yeast. The yeast is still active. Temperature fluctuations can definitely cause off-flavors in fermenting yeast.
Post a Comment