Jadyn and I went to Cambridge Brewing Company on Sunday afternoon (March 22nd) for drinks after a quick stop in lab. They had two new beers on tap, both with Beatles themed names. I had to give both a try.
993. Golden Slumbers
From the website:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.2
I normally don't seek out pilsners, because it seems like most that I try are substandard, flavorless affairs. They're easy to drink because they're lacking in flavor. I'm rarely disappointed by the CBC so I wanted to give theirs a try.
Golden Slumbers, like its name, pours a lightly cloudy, golden color. It's topped by a compact, bright white head that fades to a persistent film leaving patches of lace. Like most pils, the aroma is fairly subtle with grassy and herbal hop notes, as well as a bit of peppery hops.
Clean, malt flavors upfront, with only a mild sweetness running throughout the beer. Peppery and herbal flavors appear in the center with an accompanying hop bitterness in the finish. Clean, simple, but flavorful. Light-bodied and vigorously carbonated with a crisp, mildly dry finish.
This is what I like in a pils, a nice amount of flavor with a nice hop presence in the finish.
994. Sgt. Pepper
From the website:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.0
Overall: 3.7
Pours a cloudy, golden amber. Topped by a white head that thins to film and leaves a bit of lace. The white pepper is the strongest component of the aroma, but there are also notes of caramel and a hint of Belgian yeast fruitiness.
Sweet malts upfront with a bit of caramel and banana fruitiness in the center. The finish is very peppery with a good amount of accompanying heat. Good but a bit peppery for my taste. Medium-bodied, vigorous carbonation and a lingering, warming spice.
An interesting, flavorful beer, but the spiciness is a bit much.
993. Golden Slumbers
From the website:
Our first lager beer in nearly eight years, our pils was brewed pilsner, Vienna, and Melanoidin malts and a touch of flaked rice to assist in providing dryness to the palate but rich malt flavors up front. Hops were a traditional combination of Czech Saaz and German Hallertauer and Tettnanger. Pure lager yeast from the Augustiner Brewery in Munich was employed, and temperatures were kept cold to accentuate malt and hop character. Lagering (or cold-aging) took place at 32*F for over one month, and this beer is presented to you in its beautiful golden, unfiltered state. Clean in the nose with floral and herbal hop notes, the palate is a hop-forward experience with cereal and malt flavors, a hint of sweetness, and a very crisp, clean finish.Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.2
I normally don't seek out pilsners, because it seems like most that I try are substandard, flavorless affairs. They're easy to drink because they're lacking in flavor. I'm rarely disappointed by the CBC so I wanted to give theirs a try.
Golden Slumbers, like its name, pours a lightly cloudy, golden color. It's topped by a compact, bright white head that fades to a persistent film leaving patches of lace. Like most pils, the aroma is fairly subtle with grassy and herbal hop notes, as well as a bit of peppery hops.
Clean, malt flavors upfront, with only a mild sweetness running throughout the beer. Peppery and herbal flavors appear in the center with an accompanying hop bitterness in the finish. Clean, simple, but flavorful. Light-bodied and vigorously carbonated with a crisp, mildly dry finish.
This is what I like in a pils, a nice amount of flavor with a nice hop presence in the finish.
994. Sgt. Pepper
From the website:
Beer Stats:It was twenty years ago today…
Well, almost twenty years ago today, as we present to you the first of three special Anniversary Beers in celebration of our upcoming Twentieth Anniversary!It was April Fool’s Day, 1989, when Phil “Brewdaddy” Bannatyne first opened the doors to what would become one of the preeminent breweries in the country. Of course, true to the spirit of the day, it would be another month before the first house-made beers would be available on draft.
Sgt. Pepper has been brewed with Pilsner, CaraVienne, and Rye malts, plus Magnum and Spalter hops. But the driving force behind this beer is the contribution from whole peppercorns! Black, Green, White, and Pink Peppercorns were added to the brewkettle, and they provide a noticeable fresh, herbal spiciness to the nose and through the palate. Pink pepper provides a high, floral character mostly as an aromatic, and Green pepper offers an herbal freshness with slight heat. White pepper contributes a subtle earthiness, and Black pepper engages the palate in a lingering, tingling warmth. All combine to accentuate the complexities of our Belgian yeast, and are balanced by crisp malt character with a hint of sweetness.
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.0
Overall: 3.7
Pours a cloudy, golden amber. Topped by a white head that thins to film and leaves a bit of lace. The white pepper is the strongest component of the aroma, but there are also notes of caramel and a hint of Belgian yeast fruitiness.
Sweet malts upfront with a bit of caramel and banana fruitiness in the center. The finish is very peppery with a good amount of accompanying heat. Good but a bit peppery for my taste. Medium-bodied, vigorous carbonation and a lingering, warming spice.
An interesting, flavorful beer, but the spiciness is a bit much.
Labels: Cambridge Brewing Company, German Pilsener, Saison
