This Weeks Brew: Bitch Creek Extra Special Brown
And now comes part two of the double header this week as the tour takes me all the way back west to the state of Idaho. I don't have anything clever to say about Idaho really, minus maybe a pretty bad potato joke so I won't even take a crack at it. I will say that I was glad to find a beer that came from this state. Considering how embarrassingly little I know about this place, I can now at least say that they have some craft beer that you can go purchase and enjoy.
The Grand Teton Brewing Company is based out of Victor Idaho and has been around since 1988. They are also a regional brewer with their beer only being available in 15 of the 50 states, most of which are located out west (except for South Carolina, strangely). They produce 10 beers in total, five of which are brewed year round and the other five are part of what they call the Brewer's series which are beers they make in larger bottles and are also available year round. Bitch Creek is a type of beer known as an extra special/strong bitter, which I've never officially had before. This style of brew is known by having a balanced approach to its hop and malt profiles and has similar taste characteristics to a porter. I'm normally a fan of darker beers so I'm looking forward to tasting an unknown offering from an unknown state (at least to me).
Nuts & Bolts:
Color & Pour: The color is similar to that of a porter with this beer having some hues of dark copper and deep red. There is virtually no head much like the beer from earlier this week because of its overall low carbonation.
Smell: It has a deep, earthy profile that could almost be mistaken for chocolate from the malts being used and just a little bit of floral notes peeking through from the hops.
Feel: It has a thicker feel than most porters or any other dark beers like brown ales or amber lagers. It feels more closely associated to a stout but doesn't sit as heavy.
Taste: It has a nice toasty profile that doesn't taste burnt, but in place of that burnt sensation you might have been expecting is the little bit of spice and bitterness you get from the hops. Neither of these taste characteristics are overpowering of the other and you can experience both almost simultaneously.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Pints
I managed to pick two good ones in a row after a brief string of frankly disappointing efforts from previous weeks. The type of beer suggests something more similar in taste to an IPA but that is quite misleading. It is noticeably hoppy but you also get great flavors of toasted malt as well. It's a very well balanced beer and I can guarantee that if you enjoy darker beers, you'll enjoy this one among your usual favorites as well.
Cheers,
Mathu











