Episode 3: Beer De Nodak & The Knights of A-B

This week we discussed:

We reviewed:

Episode Notes:

Sorry for the audio clipping this week — we’re still getting a hang of the mics. It should be better next episode.
We were probably a bit more harsh on Fargo Beer Company than we needed to be — if you’re from FBC, feel free to comment and we’ll talk about it in the next episode.

Crispin ‘Cho-Tokkyu’

Review

Appearance: This cider has a cloudy appearance with little visble carbonationa and no head. It looks like melted lemon drops.
Smell: It smells very much of fruity apple and sugar… The apple is the definitive part of the aroma, with a hint of dry starch which must be the sake components asserting themselves.
Taste: The taste is fairly dry throughout, with a definite bite that is striking but not unpleasant, the starch sweetness comes through. It’s a very clever blend of sake and cider flavors. With an almost juicy wine quality to it.
Mouthfeel: Juicy, with more carbonation in the feel than in the appearance, lively and very viscous, it leaves little behind as it goes down.
Drinkability: Highly drinkable, though the faster you drink it the more of the subtlety that will be missed.

Score (out of 5)
Brian: 3.5
Devon: 4.25

Review

Appearance: A more pronounced straw yellow color; more cloudy with more carbonation, but again no head.
Smell: A rather jubilant fruity smell to it, it’s hard to say for sure that but there is a slightly bready aroma that I will attribute to the the Belgian yeast. Apple abounds, of course.
Taste: A very sweet though not cloying cider. Apple comes through, with an almost wine-like quality to it. The maple comes through stupendously on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Juicy, mildly carbonated, lively and viscous.
Drinkability: Pretty drinkable… only time (and several bottles) could tell wether or not the maple would become cloying after a time, as I suspect it would.

Score (out of 5)
Brian: 4.5
Devon: 4.0