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Started By
Message
Ghost in the Machine
Posted on 9/16/14 at 12:27 pm
Posted on 9/16/14 at 12:27 pm
I did a taste test with GitM, Pliny the Elder, and Boneyard's Hop Venom, yesterday at Belmont Station (a local taproom/bottleshop here in Portland). The participants were random bar customers that claimed to be hop heads, and I'm certain that at least two of them had some experience brewing IPAs. There names were Brent, Joseph, and unpronouncable.
The beer was poured blind, but everybody could probably figure out which was which as the beers all looked dramatically different. I would be surprised if anybody didn't know what they were, but everyone seemed to give it an honest effort.
Technically, all three beers tied based on relative position in taste and smell.
Pour - we didn't rate this, but the Ghost in the Machine was cloudier than the other two beers. Hop Venom was the darkest of the three, but was clear, which threw off one of the voters. Pliny was clear, also, but was lighter than HV.
Smell - Ghost in the Machine was the clear winner. Hop Venom had an "off" smell that one voter apparently liked. Pliny was much more neutral and the nose was less pronounced than the other two. I didn't think Hop Venom smelled bad, but didn't smell like it usually do. More on that, later.
Ghost in the Machine - 1,1,1,2
Pliny the Elder - 2,2,2,3
Hop Venom - 1,3,3,3
Taste - Nothing wrong with the way Hop Venom tasted. Intense hop flavor, very little residual bitterness. I think the taste came down to the dankness. Pliny had a very clean profile, and I didn't like it as much as either HV or GitM. I like the dankness of HV and GitM. I voted GitM 2nd.
HV - 1,1,1,1
PtE - 2,2,2,3
GitM - 2,3,3,3
Overall,
PTE - 1,2,2,3
HV - 1,1,2,3
GITM - 1,2,3,3
I rated GitM 1st. I was trying to be as objective as I can. I was a little surprised at the nose on Hop Venom. It seemed off, and a couple of the other testers noted the same thing.
Boneyard is currently brewing from a new, expanded facility and they have been tweaking things to try to get the taste/flavor back to where it was before. Hop Venom used to have an incredible nose and had the same kind of cloudiness that you see in GitM. They have lost that, at least temporarily. That hurt the beers score. I think if they get HV back to where it was before Boneyard expanded (which they are trying to do), then my results would have been different.
At any rate, all of the testers and the bartenders (who did not participate, but did sample GitM) were very impressed with GitM.
This was not a true blind taste test, but it was a fun experiment.
The beer was poured blind, but everybody could probably figure out which was which as the beers all looked dramatically different. I would be surprised if anybody didn't know what they were, but everyone seemed to give it an honest effort.
Technically, all three beers tied based on relative position in taste and smell.
Pour - we didn't rate this, but the Ghost in the Machine was cloudier than the other two beers. Hop Venom was the darkest of the three, but was clear, which threw off one of the voters. Pliny was clear, also, but was lighter than HV.
Smell - Ghost in the Machine was the clear winner. Hop Venom had an "off" smell that one voter apparently liked. Pliny was much more neutral and the nose was less pronounced than the other two. I didn't think Hop Venom smelled bad, but didn't smell like it usually do. More on that, later.
Ghost in the Machine - 1,1,1,2
Pliny the Elder - 2,2,2,3
Hop Venom - 1,3,3,3
Taste - Nothing wrong with the way Hop Venom tasted. Intense hop flavor, very little residual bitterness. I think the taste came down to the dankness. Pliny had a very clean profile, and I didn't like it as much as either HV or GitM. I like the dankness of HV and GitM. I voted GitM 2nd.
HV - 1,1,1,1
PtE - 2,2,2,3
GitM - 2,3,3,3
Overall,
PTE - 1,2,2,3
HV - 1,1,2,3
GITM - 1,2,3,3
I rated GitM 1st. I was trying to be as objective as I can. I was a little surprised at the nose on Hop Venom. It seemed off, and a couple of the other testers noted the same thing.
Boneyard is currently brewing from a new, expanded facility and they have been tweaking things to try to get the taste/flavor back to where it was before. Hop Venom used to have an incredible nose and had the same kind of cloudiness that you see in GitM. They have lost that, at least temporarily. That hurt the beers score. I think if they get HV back to where it was before Boneyard expanded (which they are trying to do), then my results would have been different.
At any rate, all of the testers and the bartenders (who did not participate, but did sample GitM) were very impressed with GitM.
This was not a true blind taste test, but it was a fun experiment.
Posted on 9/16/14 at 12:30 pm to Jax-Tiger
A little blind maven tasting is never a bad thing.
Posted on 9/16/14 at 12:49 pm to Jax-Tiger
I saw that post last night. I am going to try a test with Double Jack and Maharaj. IMHO, smell is nice but maybe only 10% of the beer drinking experience as long as its not a bad smell. Taste is really the main thing....and I have a big nose.....
Posted on 9/16/14 at 12:49 pm to Jax-Tiger
Ghost is definitely the best smelling beer I ever had
Posted on 9/16/14 at 12:53 pm to RonFNSwanson
quote:
Ghost is definitely the best smelling beer I ever had
definitely
Posted on 9/16/14 at 1:01 pm to Jax-Tiger
GOAT GOAT GOAT GOAT GOAT GOAT!!
Posted on 9/16/14 at 1:07 pm to Zappas Stache
quote:
taste is really the main thing
I agree...and the marketing/homerism aspect
Posted on 9/16/14 at 1:12 pm to Zappas Stache
Disagree when it comes to DIPAs. Ghost 1 had that onion/diesel thing going on somewhat.
They've got to have an in your face aroma you can smell across the room when you crack the bottle. Why do you think heady gets so much love?
They've got to have an in your face aroma you can smell across the room when you crack the bottle. Why do you think heady gets so much love?
Posted on 9/16/14 at 1:17 pm to Zappas Stache
quote:
Taste is really the main thing....and I have a big nose.....
Agreed, but I think a great nose is important and gets my salivary glands going, which can enhance the taste. Food is the same way.
The nose sets the great ones apart. I thought the HV tasted great, but the nose was off. Weird. The GitM was pretty close in taste, but way ahead on the nose. That's why I put it at #1, by a nose (pun intended).
There are other beers that I think would have won this taste-off, as well, but I picked the most mavenly place I could that would let me do this, and we went with what was on tap. And the competition was very good - none of those beers are slouches.
Breakside's Fresh Hop IPA was the best beer I had all night, FWIW.
Posted on 9/16/14 at 1:18 pm to s14suspense
quote:
They've got to have an in your face aroma you can smell across the room when you crack the bottle. Why do you think heady gets so much love?
And yet they say to drink it out of the can.
Posted on 9/16/14 at 1:19 pm to LSUBoo
quote:
And yet they say to drink it out of the can.
Have you not seen the "official" way to open heady and enjoy from the can?
Posted on 9/16/14 at 1:30 pm to s14suspense
quote:
They've got to have an in your face aroma you can smell across the room when you crack the bottle.
An ugly woman with nice perfume is still an ugly woman. :inb4misogynistahole
Posted on 9/16/14 at 1:32 pm to Jax-Tiger
quote:
Overall,
PTE - 1,2,2,3
Posted on 9/16/14 at 1:37 pm to Zappas Stache
quote:
An ugly woman with nice perfume is still an ugly woman
#truth
Posted on 9/16/14 at 1:39 pm to LoneStarTiger
quote:
Overall,
PTE - 1,2,2,3
I'm the one who had PtE #3...
Posted on 9/16/14 at 1:41 pm to Jax-Tiger
quote:
I'm the one who had PtE #3...
It's well known that people in the PNW hate California, so there is bias
Posted on 9/16/14 at 1:43 pm to Jax-Tiger
quote:
GOAT in the Machine
fify
Posted on 9/16/14 at 1:43 pm to LoneStarTiger
quote:
It's well known that people in the PNW hate California, so there is bias
We don't hate them. We just want them to stay the frick out of Oregon.
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