Coming Soon to the LCBO

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Thu Jan 29, 2015 2:27 pm

Taste associations don't land the same for everybody. Some people make strong, immediate, associations where others won't have them at all. It doesn't mean you're not picking up the same flavours, it just means your brain isn't making the same association.

I find I don't make nearly as many flavour associations as other people do. I also don't get "flavour memories" where you taste something and it evokes a strong memory for you like a lot of people do. I think it's all part of whatever it is about me that completely stops me from visualizing.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Thu Jan 29, 2015 2:55 pm

I agree with craig, people may be individually sensitive to certain flavors. Some people go beserk at a hint of Diacetyl buttery-ness, others can't tell it's there.

I have definitely tasted oxidated/madeirized flavors in beers - maybe soy, definitely old black olive or sometimes port/sherry/madeira. Thomas Hardy has that Madeirized (soy?) thing going on for me more than Rodenbach GC. Tsarina Katerina had the black olive (hmm, a number of my TK bottles seemed infected as well, producing sour milk and cigarette ash, blech so I hope olive isn't a bad thing.)

All aging of beverages is a slow degradation, sometimes wonderful, sometimes not beautiful to the beholder.

boney · Post by **boney** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 11:49 am

Yeah, there are a ton of biological and chemical factors that determine what anyone can and cannot taste and at what intensity. Taste, like most things, has a huge genetic component both in terms of single genes and complex genetic combinations. There's also taste bud density, salivary composition and molecular interactions (again at least partially genetic) with the ingredients within the beer and whatever for you are concurrently eating or have just ate. Combine all those same factors with olfactory/smell factors, which is a huge component of what you "think" you are tasting and it gets irreducibly complex. On top of that, you then layer on how the nervous system translates the chemical signals that are there and how your brain processes them in terms of perceived sensation, which are again slightly different in everyone, it's simply amazing that one person can say "this tastes like X" and other people say "yeah, you're right!".

Interestingly, getting back to smell, many people have stronger "smell memories".....emotions and associations triggered by smell, than "flavour memories" because the olfactory areas of the brain are very geographically close to memory centers, so there's a lot of neuronal cross talk.

Nerd out complete.

Wheatsheaf · Post by **Wheatsheaf** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 1:44 pm

I agree with all of that. I remember seeing Ferran Adria pass around a substance that some found very bitter, while others tasted nothing. But here we're talking about perceived flavour changes over time; atomeyes sees degredation in as little as a year, I haven't seen any over 10 years. Not sure what accounts for that. Maybe the beer isn't what it used to be?

I just cracked open one of my old bottles of RGC the other day because of this discussion. I stand by my opinion. I've seen very little change. Slight loss of carbonation, as you might expect after a decade, flavours a little more integrated, but no less sharp or complex--minor changes, really. I think it'll remain enjoyable for another 10 years. I think the Vintage should hold up just as well, as should the Jacobins.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 1:54 pm

You can see the difference in people's taste buds just from their tolerance to bitter IPAs and super sour lambic beers. For me DIPAs are A-OK but Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus is harsher than vinegar.

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 9:33 pm

Belgian wrote:Tsarina Katerina had the black olive (hmm, a number of my TK bottles seemed infected as well, producing sour milk and cigarette ash, blech so I hope olive isn't a bad thing.)

Yeah, my few remaining Tsarina Katerina have gone sour/bad too, unfortunately.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Sun Feb 01, 2015 1:05 pm

midlife crisis wrote:
Belgian wrote:Tsarina Katerina had the black olive (hmm, a number of my TK bottles seemed infected as well, producing sour milk and cigarette ash, blech so I hope olive isn't a bad thing.)
Yeah, my few remaining Tsarina Katerina have gone sour/bad too, unfortunately.

Dunno what happened with it. The brewmaster had said this was pretty much a tribute to the original Courage Imperial Stout, which is an ale that would hold up for decades, let alone have any trouble in a few years.

Aside: Has anybody had luck ageing the John By version of Perry's RIS, as made by Heritage a few times? Wow, those were different times in Ontario.

spinrsx · Post by **spinrsx** » Wed Feb 04, 2015 10:10 pm

Read that NAC submitted smuttynose bouncy house as a full time lcbo listing. This beer is really good, hopefully it works out

PeenSteen · Post by **PeenSteen** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 11:37 am

Neustadt 456 Marzen
Kilannan Kolsch
Smithworks Kellerbier
Left Field Eephus
Underdogs All Of Nothing Hopfenweisse

spinrsx · Post by **spinrsx** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 12:03 pm

saw this on instagram - stone at the lcbo in may?

PeenSteen · Post by **PeenSteen** » Wed Feb 11, 2015 6:03 pm

Central City Red Racer ISA
Central City Reign Of Hops Mix Pack

TheSevenDuffs · Post by **TheSevenDuffs** » Wed Feb 11, 2015 6:37 pm

PeenSteen wrote:Central City Red Racer ISA
Central City Reign Of Hops Mix Pack

This would have been amazing in 2013.

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Wed Feb 11, 2015 9:46 pm

spinrsx wrote:saw this on instagram - stone at the lcbo in may?

Ditto.

BakaGaijin · Post by **BakaGaijin** » Wed Feb 11, 2015 11:42 pm

Robohop returning later this month.

PeenSteen · Post by **PeenSteen** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 4:10 pm

Kichesippi Heller Highwater
Flying Monkeys Genius Of Suburbia 6-Pk
Hogs Back Ontario Pale Ale
Block 3 King Street Saison
De Leite Cuvee Sour Oak Aged Kriek Ale
Amsterdam Sweetwater Squeeze Radler
Amsterdam Oranje Weisse Tall Can
Nickel Brook Winey Bastard
Trafalgar The Mighty Oak
Brouwerij Van Viven Porter
Beaus Dunkel Buck
Beaus B-Side La Formidable
Camerons White Oat Savant Brown Ale
Macleans IPA
Granville Island Hey Day Hefeweizen
Duvel Triple Hop 2015