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Malted Minis - Guinness Open Gate Brewery "Old Fashioned Inspired Ale"
124 Plays2 years ago
This weeks "Malted Mini" episode, we sample Guinness Open Gate Brewery's "Old Fashioned Inspired Ale" and get into a deep converation on orange jucie pulp.. riveting podcasting right here.
Beer description:
"We love a cocktail-inspired beer here at the OGB. This time around, we bring back an experiment we launched initially more than two years ago - a Barrel-Aged Old Fashioned-Inspired Ale. We start with an English Barleywine, age it in bourbon barrels for six months, then finish the beer with sweet cherry and orange purees. The result is exactly what you'd expect - rich malt characters of toffee and raisin, warming vanilla and oak, and just a touch of the classic orange and cherry found in the cocktail."
Intro and outro music provided by @FluidMinds
Check out all our episodes at www.themaltinghour.com
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Transcript
Introduction and Format Change
00:00:24
Speaker
Welcome to the malting hour, specifically the malted minis. Here we are in January, 2023. I am joined by the way, I'm Tony going and I'm joined always with.
00:00:36
Speaker
I don't think we did this last time. Dan's here too. If you're listening for the first time in 2023 this is a weird time to start because this is something new we're trying out. But this is the malted minis because in January we're taking some time off so we decided in December let's record a whole bunch of episodes. By a whole bunch of episodes I mean three because we already had two ready to go.
00:00:59
Speaker
There's no Clark in January, except for the Maltese, and that was in the beginning of this month. So sorry Clark, you're missing out on some fun beers. You guys, what's this beer that we're drinking this
This Week's Beer: Old-Fashioned Ale
00:01:11
Speaker
week? On the Maltid Minis, which sounds like a delicious cereal. So from Open Gate Brewery, which is Guinness, an old-fashioned inspired ale. You should have some way. We're on Zencaster. We really should. Maybe not like the depressing music, but do you have anything that's like
00:01:29
Speaker
Now it's symphony wise. It's literally all the depressing music. Oh yeah, I don't do that. Let's not do that. It sounds like a sad beer. Open gate brewery by Guinness. Old fashioned inspired ale. Ale aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels with orange and cherry. Brewed and bottled by Guinness Brewing Company, Baltimore, Maryland. Well, it seemed over the top for that type of description.
00:01:56
Speaker
So we're we 10.8 percent alcohol by the way. And this is what is an 11.2 percent or not two percent 11.2 ounces bottle. Right. Is that correct, Dan? That's right.
Appreciation for Old-Fashioned Cocktails
00:02:08
Speaker
Blue ounces to be precise. So on a Christmas episode, Dan, you weren't a part of this around Christmas time, maybe and after the final port during the pandemic, we had a Bell's old fashioned inspired ale that me, Brandon. Yeah, you weren't on the show yet, Dan.
00:02:23
Speaker
me, Brandon and Clark really, really liked. And I personally am a big fan of old fashioned. Brandon are, according from the text that I got from your wife, you two have your own ways of making old fashions. Apparently we need to come by for a showdown. I have my way. She has no way. So. Oh, no. That sounds like a February showdown that I'm looking forward to for my birthday. But no, if you remember that night we were hanging out drinking.
00:02:50
Speaker
Are you still old-fashioned cubes? Not really. Oh yeah, no, that I do remember. Those cubes were fantastic. Oh my god. That was the last drink I didn't need to have. Dan, do you like old fashions? That's actually my go-to.
00:03:06
Speaker
Interesting. Boy, we, you know, we really need to hang out all four of us. I'm throwing Clark in there when we're not recording and maybe just, you know, have a cocktail or two together because an old fashioned is probably my go to now. Jeff, my neighbor, is a big fan of the Manhattan. Well, how do you guys feel about me in hands? I don't I don't know if I've actually ever had a Manhattan. I don't usually go for cocktails, but if I do, I usually go old fashioned. What are you, Brandon? You're right. A Manhattan. I can't say that I have.
00:03:35
Speaker
So they're quite similar, actually. And off the top of my head, I can't tell you what the
Guinness' Creative Brews
00:03:42
Speaker
difference is. There's one or two ingredients that are different, but they are quite similar. So Guinness, as we know, in the last, I don't know, three or four years, we've had some random fun beers from the Guinness Brewery. I think we had a chocolate mint.
00:03:58
Speaker
stout from them. I can't think of anything else that we've had from them, but at least we've talked about it. But they have done like, oh, we've done a barrel aged stout from them. They've also done a gingerbread. And God, I can't think of anything else that they've mass produced to put out. But it's kind of fun that Guinness has decided to branch out and do different types of beers. And this is definitely a different type of beer.
00:04:25
Speaker
Now we cracked this open before we started recording. Dan, what did you say about this beer when you first smelled
Aroma and Flavor Discussion
00:04:31
Speaker
it? It reminded me of a butterscotch, which I get like butterscotch and like movie theater, buttered popcorn, like a mix. Ooh. Ooh. There's a word for that. I know that's an off flavor diacetyl. I know diacetyl. So do you think it's maybe the butterscotch more so and maybe a little, I mean, I don't get diacetyl.
00:04:56
Speaker
I get butterscotch like candy because there's a sweetness behind that. Yeah, it's not like the diacetyl. I just I don't know. I occasionally get a whiff of it, but it's not like the diacetyl butter popcorn. I don't know. I know that sounds weird. Yeah. And just as a note, like we're not me specifically, I'm not going in there with the expectations that I'm going to love this mirror. I am.
00:05:18
Speaker
I'm going in with the expectation that I want to love this beer, because, dude, that bells old fashioned literally, that's the bar for me right now. If they really need. I mean, the only reason why they released that in bottles was because they have their bells fest around Christmas time. It was during the pandemic. So.
00:05:36
Speaker
They had it ready to go, so they bottled it, and I'm really bummed that they haven't continued to bottle that because that is fantastic. That is like- There has to be a liquor store somewhere that has a four-pack sitting on the shelf somewhere. We'll go to Capone's. Maybe Capone has it sitting there still, just waiting for someone like me to swoop in two years later to grab it. Brandon, what are you getting on the aroma on this?
00:05:59
Speaker
Same thing, I'm getting like some butterscotch, a little bit maybe like toffee-ish. Okay. But super, super sweet. So that like that butterscotch sweetness and I said saying toffee but caramel kind of coming through. Yeah, I could I could say that because I mean toffee is just butter and brown sugar that's cooked. So toffee I can I get from that as well. But like
00:06:26
Speaker
The Carmel, for sure. I mean, Toffee and Carmel are cousins. Yeah. And for me, it's it's it's a really pleasant aroma. I enjoy it immensely. So I can't say anything bad about it. So have you taken a sip? Oh, yeah. What do you what do you get from it? Yeah, I know. It's what's the ABV on this again? It's 13. Right. Ten point two. Ten point two. OK, it's Thursday night. We're recording. So it's my work.
00:06:53
Speaker
boozier than I thought it was going to be. But not in an unpleasant way, because I'm going in knowing this is supposed to be old fashioned inspired. Yeah, I want there to be some sort of alcohol heat from a beer that is inspired by a cocktail.
Flavor Profile Debate
00:07:13
Speaker
Yeah, I'm not getting so much orange, maybe slightly what I am getting. It tastes a lot like
00:07:22
Speaker
maraschino cherry juice, yes, yes, kind of on the back end, the you nail on the head right there, I am missing the orange, I do get barrel, I do get some caramel. And I do get this like maraschino cherry, like sweet cherry flavor.
00:07:42
Speaker
I'm missing the orange from it. Yep. And I read the full description. Jesus, Dan, you were a full description. Like, and you don't. I mean, it's not like that. Back up from the mic, Dan, back up from the mic. So there we go. Thank you. Jesus. So it says a. We start with an English barley wine aged in bourbon barrels for six. Finish the beer with sweet cherry and orange purees.
00:08:08
Speaker
Which that annoys me because would not just be orange juice. Anyways, no. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Like the deals there, too. Yeah. Dan, number one, continue to back up your fucking microphone. Number two or turn your game down. Yeah, there's a there's a difference between puree and juice because you two are the only two clipping like consistently. I am not clipping. I can see my sound waves.
00:08:36
Speaker
It's Dan. Is that better? No, that's higher. Yeah, other way. Yeah, Dan, Dan, Dan's still learning. Yeah, there we go. That's great. So the difference between puree and juice is that, you know, the puree is like the actual fruit, like mashed up and there's juice up in there. So there's, oh, yeah, there's actual like, what if it's plush in the shoes?
00:08:57
Speaker
There's just pulp from the orange juice. Do you think when you buy? OK, I quit. This is why. Yeah. Go ahead. Walk away for a second, Brandon, because Dan and I are not. I said on the last episode. Here's Tony's rant on Dan. I said Dan and I should have maybe made amends for this year. It's not going to happen. Brandon, you're getting what you want. Do you think that when there's pulp in orange juice, it's just giant chunks of oranges floating in there, Dan?
00:09:23
Speaker
He is from Florida. No, I'm just saying my question is is that why you're so sensitive about orange oranges? You guys a power in a field home and I'd raise anyway, well then you know, then I apologize I'm sorry. I think they threw whole oranges with the peel and everything and they just no no, I think I think I think Pureed is just like the flesh and everything like it's it's mashed up because you're still gonna get you're gonna get flavor
00:09:47
Speaker
from the actual flesh itself. So hypothetically, you buy simply orange, very extra pulp, whatever it's called. Right. Hey, Shazi or Aggie, what's up? And does that mean that the heavy pulp orange juice is actually puree and not juice? Is that what you're telling me?
00:10:08
Speaker
No, it's part flesh. Look, I'm not an orange juice expert. I don't know if we're going to do intros to these episodes, but if it is, that's the intro right there. I feel like it's just parts of the orange that comes in from the pulp. It's just flakes of the skin. But when you emacorate any fruit, there's mushed up fruit because there's oils in that flesh, and then there's juice in there as well.
00:10:37
Speaker
That's why I think they went this regardless went this way. Regardless, they didn't hit it. Although I will say this, I didn't know was a barley wine. So I think that's why we're getting that caramel and and and and butterscotch and toffee. So that's very nice. I also feel like that comes from like the six months in the barrel. I get that a lot. Yeah, short term barrel aging.
00:10:56
Speaker
Yeah, that's that's a good point. But you know what? And as we're talking and maybe it's just because I'm putting orange juice and, you know, pulp and just fucking smashed up oranges. I'm kind of getting in the after after after taste. And I just burped and there's kind of like an a citrusy taste to it. Brandon, just Brandon, did you get that as well? It is a little bit looks like baby food, but this is orange puree when you Google it.
00:11:26
Speaker
What are you talking about when you Google what? Orange puree? Yes. That's not what's in orange juice, Dan. No, I know. That's what's in this. No, that's what you're saying in general. Oh, okay. I just want to make sure we're not on the... I think we need to have a separate juicing hour with... That's like working out with steroids. The juicing hour with Dan and Tony. They're pumping iron and juicing steroids.
00:11:53
Speaker
Tony and Dan are getting ripped so they can box at the end of the year. Who's gonna win? Yeah, there is like, now that we've talked about it, and maybe that's just like, you know, a mental thing since we've been, you know, arguing about what pulp and puree is. There is like a citrus aftertaste though. Yes, slightly. Dan, do you get that at all? I know you're going in for like the big whiff and smell. The whiff is like the smell is caramel, candied,
00:12:22
Speaker
I guess I do kind of get that buttery popcorn, but not in a bad way. It's not like, oh, there's this off aroma and there's like an off flavor to this. This is one that like, for example, in the last episode, we talked about that Rocky's Revenge, that barrel aged brown ale. I got that buttered popcorn off of that too. And I wonder if it's just like,
00:12:46
Speaker
a barrel character that comes off on short term aging. I don't know. But it's sort of that that same like butteriness that I get in that other beer. You know, we really we should we should do. There is a test you can buy. I think it's like 100 bucks to do off flavors. We should because you can't even taste the asshole. I can because you know why I can taste the asshole. Didn't we have together? I'm sorry. Didn't we have a beer together? And I was like, I taste the asshole.
00:13:15
Speaker
Maybe, but the reason why I can taste diacetyl, again, this is two episodes in a row. My vaping, I go very heavy on custard and there is diacetyl in that, which is great because it's coating my lungs. It's coating my lungs. It's called popcorn lung. And eventually I will die from it. So I need to stop vaping.
00:13:35
Speaker
That happens with people who work in popcorn factories. Exactly. So that's a big downer for everybody. I'm slowly killing myself with beer and diacetyl. But I definitely can taste diacetyl. So the aroma, when you said that, I was like, no, I kind of get butterscotch. But now, going back in there, after putting in my mind that there is orange puree in here,
00:13:57
Speaker
I don't know if it like off balance it or whatever or like set it off, but like now the aftertaste is kind of citrusy. There's that cherry on the taste with a little bit of barley wine and barrel and the sweetness and caramel. But the aroma is that butterscotch and maybe a little bit of butter, maybe a little diastole.
00:14:14
Speaker
To me, it's more butterscotch, though it is more butterscotch overall. Yeah, I would agree. More butterscotch for sure. But to me, it's like you're you have like those cherries in a jar like the syrup and you're like taking a sip of the maraschino cherries like maraschino cherry or those or those like really good Luxardo cherries. Oh, yeah. I don't know. I'm just talking. It's like that. Like you're going to maraschino cherries where it's like bright red.
00:14:41
Speaker
Yeah, I guess. I'm just saying, I don't get like... Don't say you get... There's a difference between maraschino cherries and luxardo cherries. No, that's fine. I'm just saying... What are you using in your old fashions? Are you using lux... I mean, I don't make them myself. This is gonna be a rant number two, I swear to god damn.
00:14:57
Speaker
I'm just saying, like, if you have, like, so you think about, like, New Galeras, Wisconsin, Belgian Red, that has chairs. I'm just saying it's a way different cherry. I'm just trying to get that one across. Yeah, no, no, no, you're right. No. And I was just joking around about between Luxardo and Maraschino. I mean, they are, like, two different cherries. Like, Luxardo cherries are, like, the dark cherries that, oh, Aggie, hello. Welcome.
00:15:20
Speaker
Uh, it's like a dark cherry and there's like a dark cherry juice and it's, it's very good. I think there might be some alcohol in there, but Maraschino cherries are, you know, you put on your fucking Sunday or something. Yeah. Luxardo cherries though. Hey you guys, I mean this summer, come on by. We'll do a little fashions at my house. We'll do Luxardo cherries. It's fantastic. The dark, dark, dark cherry. It's very good. Okay. Here it is. I've never had anybody, I've never had anybody's old fashions.
00:15:48
Speaker
Becca, Tony, Brandon, blind tasting for me. I'm pretty sure Clark also does old fashions as well.
00:15:57
Speaker
So yeah, me and Clark, blind tasting. So maybe we do a, okay, so this, hey, here we go. Now we're starting this, we're doing the malted minis. I think we could do a whole, you know, old fashioned episode. I think that'd be a good way to do it. And then maybe we just sneak into Shalanda to just throw in her old fashioned where she throws in fucking revolutions beer. Yeah, that's right, Shalanda, I'm calling you out, calling you out right now.
00:16:27
Speaker
If they can make it orange or a cherry beer? Death by cherries? There is death by cherry. I think, if anything, it would be a freedom beer that would be put into that. It's got to be a freedom beer that goes into that. Overall, let's do our round up here. Dan, I'm going to start with you.
00:16:51
Speaker
We're going to go with five cherries here. OK, Dan, five cherries. Give your overall rating what you like about it, what you don't like about it, and then give it, you know, it's send off. All right. So Aggie is last. Yeah, she is mad. So I try to think I don't this isn't this isn't my jam. It's not my style.
00:17:16
Speaker
OK, I don't know. I don't really get old fashioned when I'm drinking it to be completely honest. It just kind of tastes like a sweeter, butterscotchy with a little bit of cherry to me. That's kind of what I'm getting out of it. I'll give it a three because I don't want to be harsh to it. I just don't think it's for me. Three cherries. I like it. I'll do three cherries. That's fair enough. Yes, it's not my not my jam. I get it. And I don't dig the like super buttery that I get here and there.
00:17:46
Speaker
Yeah, I can see that. Brandon, what about you, man? We're going five cherries. What's your overall rating on this one? I'm kind of in the same boat, man. Three was my number because it's I'm now I'm more focused on that buttery aspect and that's becoming more and more prominent as I drink
Comparison to Barley Wine
00:18:08
Speaker
through this. And I can't get past that.
00:18:12
Speaker
Yeah, it's, and in my mind, again, I don't have it here for comparison. It's nowhere near that Bell's beer. So yeah, I'm calling with three. I will say this, and thank you, by the way. Overall, I think it's a good barley wine. I think it's a good barrel-aged barley wine. If they said this was a barrel-aged barley wine with a hint of cherry, I would probably rate it a little bit higher
00:18:40
Speaker
The butterscotch was nice up front in the aroma. And the booziness is nice also because it feels that thank you. It feels like, you know, you are drinking an old fashioned. I wouldn't kick this beer out of bed if somebody offered and said, hey, I got this. Do you want to have some? Like, yeah, sure. It's not a terrible beer.
00:19:01
Speaker
But just like Brandon, based off of the Bells old fashioned and enjoying old fashions myself, I'm with you guys on the three. It's...
00:19:12
Speaker
It's not bad. It's not a bad beer by any means. It's too sweet for me, really. I don't think I said that earlier, but it's just a little too sweet. I know they say it's sweet cherry they added to it. But I mean, a barley wine is also sweet. You don't get many dry barley wines. Like, barley wines are sweet. And a barrel aged, I mean, if this was, I'll tell you this, if this was just marketed as a barrel aged barley wine, I'd probably go closer to like a 3.75 or a four because what do you give it? What do you give in like straight jacket then?
00:19:41
Speaker
Because straight jackets way better than this in a barley wine to me. Straight jackets like a 4.75. Oh yeah, 100%. Yeah, straight jackets. It's so good. No, no. If this was just a barely aged barley wine from Guinness, specifically, just because it's Guinness, that's like a four.
00:19:58
Speaker
Like a four out of five right there. And that's that that's better. Still has the match. It was like the butterscotchy buttery aroma. Like, yeah, it's and I think I think because we talked about the diacetyl, I was drawn into that more. And that's why I like suggestion. Thank you. That's.
00:20:21
Speaker
I think the power suggestion made that happen for me. But I still get like a butterscotch candy, like a Werthers original off the aroma on that overall. There is like a slight orange citrus aftertaste on the sips that I'm having.
00:20:44
Speaker
No I'm not. Will I finish this tonight because we have to do one more? Probably not, because it's so high in alcohol. If we were just doing this tonight, yeah, I'd probably finish this. If I saw it again, would I buy it? I don't know.
00:21:02
Speaker
I don't I don't think so. I would probably lean more towards trying the gingerbread because I feel like gingerbread is a fun one to do. And maybe if they decide to do it also, I can look at it. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. But we didn't do that. We did the chocolate chocolate. It was fun. I liked it more than Brandon and Clark did.
00:21:21
Speaker
Which is funny because I'm more of a chocolate mint guy, but you guys weren't getting much of the chocolate mint combination there. Yeah. I mean, it's no goose island shamrock stout that you still have sitting in your refrigerator, Brandon. I almost brought it to that bottle share. Sounds like that might be our St. Patrick's Day episode beer. Oh, dude, two years in a row. Yeah, we got gingerbread boy is a stout. Oh, OK.
00:21:46
Speaker
Alright, well yeah, so I get behind that cinnamon Yeah, I mean I just you know what you know what this kind of reminds me of a Poorly made old-fashioned that's watered down yeah, a little bit the ice cube melted the ice cube is melted and now it's like room temperature and
00:22:07
Speaker
I'm not going to finish it. Sorry Guinness, that's a three. The giant sphere that they put in there is now melted. Hey man, I had a giant sphere on Christmas day and that got me through three drinks and it was fantastic. I will say though, on the Guinness note, I am excited about their Chicago location.
00:22:23
Speaker
Yeah, looking forward to that as well. Yeah, I still want to try their ballast point or something like that. Why do I ever think I've heard that? No, and I don't think it is, which is shocking to me. I think they're building like a whole new complex and it's like not just like some hey, it's it's a brew pub. It's like a brewery.
00:22:42
Speaker
Wait, didn't we say we were going to take the old ballast point area and make it the multi hour brewery? Yeah, as we should. That's what I thought. OK, anyways, Dan, I have to say something. OK, great. Old fashioned calls for sugar.
00:22:57
Speaker
Uh, Manhattan employees, sweet vermouth. Yes. Ah, so yeah, that's no, that was good. Uh, because Jeff, my neighbor loves Manhattan and that's why I have sweet vermouth, but I can also do, uh, an old fashioned. I might, I might really like in my head and I like, like the herbal, like herbaceous. Man hands are good, man. Man hands are good. Uh, there's, you know what, maybe that's an episode we should do the Manhattan old fashioned episode. That's.
00:23:25
Speaker
That will come under the banner of the malted minis, which we are introducing this year of 2023 because, well, we are not drinking a whole bunch in January and we need a fucking rest.
Closing Remarks and Social Media
00:23:42
Speaker
I mean, episode one hundred and one just came out, you know, a couple of weeks ago. It was great. Anyways, Dan, hey, man, I can't wait to drink some old fashions in my hands with you.
00:23:52
Speaker
Yeah, and I can't wait to hang out outside the podcast one day when you're able to. I don't know about all that. Brandon, I love you, buddy. Love you too, man. Hey, everybody. Thanks for listening. I don't have anything else.
00:24:11
Speaker
This has been The Malting Hour. Be sure to follow us on all social media by searching The Malting Hour and at themaltinghour.com. You can also follow us individually on social media. Brandon can be found on Instagram as bmdub81, on Twitter, bdub81, and on Untapped as bdubdrinksbeer. Tony can be found on Instagram and Untapped under Ace of Hope Chicago. On Twitter, The Ace of Hope Chicago. Clark can be found as Clarkowski on all three.
00:24:39
Speaker
Dan can be found on Instagram as hip underscore underscore hops and hip hops on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe, like, and rate the show on your preferred podcast listening platform. Until next time, cheers from all of us at The Malting Hour.