White House Honey Ale Tasting
by Jim Vondracek on 10/28/12
A few weeks ago, we invited a group of friends over to brew a beer based on the White House Honey Ale recipe - you can see the recipe, view a White House video and read more about it here. Although it is still relatively young, tonight, I sat down with a glass and wrote down some tasting notes.
Aroma Honey is prevalent, with jasmine and lavender elements, perfume-like; malt and hops aroma, if present, are overwhelmed by the honey.
Appearance Deep copper with gold highlights; white head that dissipates and leaves good lacing; some haze, you can see through but it is not brillantly clear; it might be 'chill haze' which would go away if refrigerated for a few days.
Flavor While the malt and hops were not apparent in the aroma, they do come through in the flavor; they are balanced, with good hop bitterness, as in a good English pale ale; honey flavor is also apparent, very pleasant, again with a lavender or jasmine element, not cloying; there is an underlying earthiness, which might be from either the honey or the English hops, or both.
Mouthfeel Some alcohol warmth, but not fusel or 'hot'; medium bodied but with an easy-to-drink dryness to it.
Overall Impression The honey-character of this beer is apparent from the first sniff and on through tasting; it gives the overall impression of an English pale ale but with significant honey aroma and flavor; it is dry and easy-to-drink, but the honey gives an impression of sweetness and fullness, which isn't really there.
As always, if you'd like some of this batch, let me know (click the Contact Us button to the left). We'll be drinking one or two of these on election night, to either celebrate the outcome or cushion the disappointment.
