There's been a lot of banter and agro about beer styles recently in the blogging world, so I thought it was time to throw in my 2 pennies; Welcome to the world of Boxes and Bitches!
This is not a comparison of the flaws (if any), or which beer comes out on top, no, that would be unfair to both brewers. This is a "educated" post about the stylization of beers in today's society.
I came into this drinking session thinking that both these beers would be completely different, and I did have an idea that one would be better than the other from what people had told me about the beers, but that's not what this post is about, and you will come to find out what I thought about both (and how wrong I was!). You can make your own judgements about both by buying and sampling both.
Lets start with the darker, but lighter % of the two, Queboid. This 8% brew comes from the relatively new, up and coming brewery Hardknott, up in the cumbrian district. (run by a man/wife/puppet combo!) The beer confronts the senses with a big fruity malt aroma. You get a big whiff of oranges, grapes and some dusty hay. I'm thinking plum crumble all over. Big on the malt body, it makes itself known. A thick and juicy beer body, there's a big fruit salad zing about the beer which leads on to a really drying peppery belgian yeast finish. There is alcohol warming-ness in there within the orange pithy tang, but it's so moorish you can fall into a drinking trap very easily! A really superb beer and one I would definitely visit again, a great meld of IPA's and belgian ales.
The second brew comes from the American brewery; Flying Dog. In terms of scale you could see this as the mass market producer of craft beer when it comes to the 2 breweries (don't get confused though - they both make 'well good beer')This lighter looking but stronger beer comes across the nose with a bouquet of fruity hop aromas - I'm thinking lychee, lemons and grapes. To the body, start thinking caramel apples, mixed through an obvious smooth belgian yeast carbonation. A great brew with a super bitterness which leaves the mouth wanting, it has some of that straw like, biscuit malt flavour that makes you want to drink and drink. - really well made beer.
Beers drunk... so what is my point about drinking both these beers, both the same styles of beer? They may have there similarities but they are (as I thought) completely different beers. (Even though they are the same style!)
It all comes down to a compromise from both parties.
We (as drinkers) have to realize that any and all beers do not taste the same, even if there in the same style; All pale ales will not taste like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, all imperial stouts will not taste like Thornbridge Imperial Stout, all wheat beers will taste like Erdinger hefeweizen, ect!...
If a brewery produces a beer and names it in the style they want, that is there interpretation of that style of beer, and it's not for us to say there wrong! It's there interpretation. Take it as it is! Drink it and be merry, thats all!
The same can be said for the brewers. If you brew a beer to a specific style, one would assume that you have done research on the beer you are trying to create, and will try to produce a beverage in that specific style, in your interpretation. So if it doesn't pay some respects to previous beers then you can imagine you'll get some flack for it.
Both these beers fit into the Belgian Double IPA category, really well! I was really impressed, if I'm being honest, with the Queboid. It was exactly what I needed at the end of my shift. I could never pick a favourite from the two though, as there so different. So if you have a problem with a beer because you don't think it fits into your style knowledge... tuff luck, it's not your beer is it? Take the beer as it is, as a brewers interpretation.
Once again, I would certainly recommend these both to anyone looking for a flavoursome beer, so get your ass down to Beer Ritz and grab both! Ghost out.
'Well good beers' is a much better term than 'craft beers'.
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