Episode 8: Bit-o-Bubbly

This week we discussed:

• Bell’s Hopslam (1:42)
• A beer/champagne showdown (4:32)
• What’s special about champagne? (6:13)

Episode Notes:

• The “champagne” we reviewed is not really champagne, as we note in the show. Brian was in charge of buying the champagne and opted for the cheapest bullshit he could find. Success!
• We’ve adjusted our format! Please let us know what you think at fans@brewhallashow.com.

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Cook’s Extra Dry (California Champagne)

Review

• Appearance:  Totally translucent, with little to no color distortion.  Obviously massive carbonation.  No legs, really.
• Smell:  Smells of fruit and almost chemical tanic sugars.
• Taste:  The taste is simultaneously dry and sweet, with a very light body as is to be expected from a sparkling wine.
• Mouthfeel:  Bubbly (duh), with little to know alcohol burn.  Due to the high carbonation, it seems much sweeter.
• Drinkability:  High drinkability, but nothing particularly unique.

Score (out of 5)
Brian: 3.5 (this is way too high and I wish I’d said 2.5 -BWN)
Devon: 2.5

Boston Beer Company Infinium

Review

• Appearance:  Transparent, though cloudy, and amber in color; sexy carbonation rolling up throughout.  Nice head after pour, with decent retention.
• Smell:  Aroma is primarily malt an hop, but there is some scent here that is tantalizing familiar and irritatingly unidentifiable.  It has light roasted notes, brown sugar, and just a touch of heat.
• Taste:  With a little bit of boozy heat up front, it comes down heavy on malt backed by hops.  The heat is gone almost as quickly as it showed up, while the taste of the malt remains and resolves into something remniscent of graham cracker.  The finish is hops entwined with some other flavor which is once again simultaneously and frustratingly familiar and unidentifiable.
• Mouthfeel:  Creamy at the same time it is efforvescent.  It’s very bubbly, making it seem light, and creamy, making it seem heavier.  The bubbling again makes it seem sweeter than it is, and the creamyness plays to the hint of hot.
• Drinkability:  Pretty high, given that it’s as potent as it is.  Perhaps the most compelling aspect is that familiar yet hard to identify taste that generates the “what is this!?” question and coerces the next sip.

Score (out of 5)
Brian: 2.5
Devon: 4.0