Bradford on Beer
Mirror and Sam
Posted May 7, 2009 2 Comments | Post a Comment
After a ridiculously silly hour or so at the gym, I hadn’t earned a trip to the pub, and, instead, went home for leftovers and whatever was in the fridge.
I lucked out! Not with the leftovers; that was my curry from the night before. Not bad, but not memorable. No, I had forgotten that I’d brought home a two six packs, one of Boston Beer’s Samuel Adams Boston Lager and the other of Deschutes Brewery’s Mirror Pond Pale Ale. Sweet!
Frankly, these are two world class beers, which seem to have a lot in common. They rely on balance and character at the same time. Each is a stand alone evening. No need to wander far from either over the course of a few hours of beer.
They also reflect some basic beer loving tendencies, which is what intrigued me. I think it came down to similar standards of excellence, but moving in slightly different directions, members of the same family with their own variations. These two beers are of a piece in quality, attention to detail, what they are bringing to their consumer.
Words like classic come to mind. Steve here at the office was playing around with the idea of direction: they are just solid beers not pushing in any particular or peculiar direction. Any other ideas, here, readers?
I had a difficult time chasing down good specs on both beers. However, all of the data suggests that Mirror Pond may be a tad lighter in body and alcohol than Sam Adams, a tad. The information also suggested a slight color variations. However, they remained steeped in their respective traditions with Sam Adams honoring the German hops and Mirror Pond redolent in the Pacific Northwest Cascade profile.
As for the actual sensory appreciation, well it depends on how much you love hockey. I’m a New Englander by birth and heritage and a Southerner by choice and affection. Last night the Carolina Hurricanes slapped the Boston Bruins, taking game three. I had a hard time staying with the beer research.
I used a couple of New Belgium’s glasses because I like the lightness of the walls and the inward curve of the shape. Again a bit more rich color in the Sam Adams. The aroma of the pair had a distinction I couldn’t articulate. Mirror Pond might have been more fruity, citrusy and Sam Adams more piney, herbal. They both started with slight hints of sweetness in the beginning and Mirror Pond seemed more toasty while Sam Adams more nutty. Both finished with drama, lots of drama. I’m not even going to try to differentiate their hop finishes.
It would be great to do something like this with Garrett Oliver or Steve Beaumont and do it blind. This is both fun and frustrating. What great beers.
How did you get ahold of Deschutes? Are you out West or do you have a secret connection? I’m jealous. Ever since a trip to Oregon in the fall of 2007, I’ve been in love with Deschutes. Unfortunately, it’s been unrequited since they aren’t within a thousand miles of South Carolina.
My answer to your question about what to call beers like the Boston Lager and Mirror Pond: “gateway beers.” Since they are solid all-around and don’t really seek to push the envelope, I find that they make a good starting point into craft beer for those people that have only had wine, Bud, or cider (i.e. “don’t like beer”).
My gateway beer was Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Good malt flavor and just enough hops to let you know it was there, but not overpowering for a novice like myself at the time.
All three are classics, indeed!
I’ve used that work in the past, but now feel it diminishes the impact of these wonderful beers. They are more than mere transitions to different more directional flavors. They stand alone, classic, sometimes overlooked in the haste towards more personality.
As for getting my hands on a beer like that. Well, with my exalted position as publisher of a beer magazine, I hector a few favorite breweries into sending samples. A little bit of abuse of position on that one.
Thanks for the comments.
Daniel