The Bar Towel

Thanks Perry, I will try to buy up the older stock and keep an eye out for the new batch.

I just picked up a six pack of the new, Heritage-brewed, Sgt Major and sampled some. Where's the hops? Yes, I know my palate might be described as somewhat, um, unrefined. I don't know much about 'mouth feel', but I know what I like. I like hops. I like beer that tastes like grapefruit and smells like feet. This new stuff is, well...I'm thinking: what would happen if I bought a bottle of my favourite Islay to find someone had balanced out the smokiness with, oh, something else not quite so smokey and mossy and uncouth? Well, obviously, tasting notes aren't my strong point, but I will miss the Sgt. Major of years past.
Final question: do those hop heads over at Augusta's taste the pre-Heritage recipe? How would they judge this development?

Where did you get it? I'd like to pick some up.

midlife crisis wrote:Where did you get it? I'd like to pick some up.

I picked it up at the Summerhill LCBO...

midlife crisis wrote:Where did you get it? I'd like to pick some up.

I picked it up a few weeks ago from the LCBO on Front between C'est What & the St. Lawrence Market (looks like they still have a few)...

You can check the LCBO website for "stores that have stock":
http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/ProductRes ... EM_NUMBER=

We're looking at the recipe for the Sarge. The IBU's are there at 68.7, but the maltiness seems to mask it. We will be backing off the Crystal malt a little in the hopes of getting the citrusy hop notes back and more perception of bitterness.
I really like the way it tastes right now. It was how it tasted when ot was introduced at the Judge many moons ago. But, I am sensitive to the desires of our customers ( esp. Ralph!) and we will tweak things until we get it perfect. New batches won't hit the bars for another couple of weeks. I'll let you know when it arrives so you can all judge the progress for yourselves
Keep me posted with your comments. They are important to me.
Perry

Yes, I know, thanks, but in this case I'm trying to differentiate between new, Heritage-brewed stock and the old stuff which I think is still in the system as well (saw it recently at Wilson & Dufferin).

PRMason wrote:The IBU's are there at 68.7, but the maltiness seems to mask it.

This was the impression I had as well. There is still a nice hoppiness but the malt now has a greater presence. It also seemed a little more sensitive to temperature as well - it needed to warm up to release the flavours more so than the previous batches. All-in-all, I think I might actually like the new formulation a little bit better since it seems more balanced to me. But I'm fine either way.

Maybe make 2 version - Sgt. Major's and Sgt. Minor's... ;^)

JWalter wrote:Maybe make 2 version - Sgt. Major's and Sgt. Minor's... ;^)

Or how about "Major Classic" for the Church Key made style?

Seriously, I guess beer is a complex biological/chemical thing & these deviances should not be considered wildly unusual while changing over brewmasters / facilitites.

I'm actually curious to sample the 'maltier' Sarge available on tap right now, as an historical aberrance we might not ever see again.

Or rename the older version "Regimental Sgt Major".

I look forward to trying the new version, I like a malty quality and hops should (in my view) not be too forward anyway.

Gary

The maltier version is what is currently available on tap at Volo, Allen's and beerbistro.

I've revisited my little six pack and have calmed down enough to back away from my initial negative response--I really don't deal well with change.
Although I do prefer the previous Sgt Major, I can taste that citrusy hoppiness, and the malt is interacting with it in a really interesting way. It's a verra good beer, does improve with a higher temperature more than most.
This whole thing reminds me of the time my dad put butter and brown sugar atop my grapefruit and broiled it. Mixed feelings.
A side note, and I'm going to reveal my general ignorance here: when is a pale ale no longer pale enough to be pale? The new batch has a definite...swarthiness to it.

Lubaka wrote: A side note, and I'm going to reveal my general ignorance here: when is a pale ale no longer pale enough to be pale? The new batch has a definite...swarthiness to it.

Of the top of my head I think the reference point is compared to a porter or a stout, not fizzy yellow lager.

Lubaka wrote:I've revisited my little six pack and have calmed down enough to back away from my initial negative response--I really don't deal well with change.

It's the paradox of beer afficionados - we demand both unrelenting novelty & innovations, while at the same time expecting machine-like consistency in other respects.

It's also a paradox that we acutely enjoy beer yet we often (intellectually) spoil our own enjoyment of what's in the glass by by refusing to go along with what it truly offers - instead we are "fighting" the experience with our preconceptions.

In reality we've never had it so good in terms of both innovation and consistency; imagine how different things might have been in pre-industrial times - perhaps in centuries past your 'favorite' beer was made a little different each time!