Styles of Gin

Gin is one of the groups of spirits with the most variation within styles.  While two well vodkas, or two well rums are likely to have a similar taste, as are two top shelf vodkas or two top shelf rums, every gin is distinct.  The legal definition of gin (in the United States) is simply "an alcoholic beverage of no less than 40% ABV that possesses the characteristic flavour of juniper berries."

This clearly leaves some room open for interpretation, as is clear from the range of products on the market.  There are a few major categories which, although flavors vary even within the categories, can help tell a little bit about the gin.  I am going to list them in the order I think most American drinkers are likely to encounter them in.

London Dry gin is the most common type of gin.  It is dry, focuses primarily on the juniper flavors, and is generally fairly crisp and clean.  Tanqueray, Bombay, Boodles, Beefeaters, Seagram's, etc. all fall within this category.

New American gin is basically any gin which fits within the legal definition of gin, but not necessarily within any of the other styles.  Generally speaking, although not always, they tend to put more of an emphasis on citrus, floral, or herbal flavors, than London dry.  Hendrick's is probably the best known new style gin.

Sloe Gin is not really gin (any more).  It is a liqueur which uses a gin base, blackthorn berries (also known as sloe berries) for flavor, and is oak aged.

Genever (several different spellings exist) is starting to make a come back, but is actually the original style of gin.  It is attributed to the dutch.  This is a style which can be made from malt wine or a mixture of malt wine and sugar cane derived spirits, which are the redistilled with juniper and other gin flavorings, and are sometimes aged.  The key difference is that the grain (in oude genever) or other (in jong genever) spirits, as well as the aging when that takes place, are expected to actually contribute to the final gin flavor.  Where other styles focus on a crisp, clean spirit that highlights the clean flavors of gin, genever has more of a rough, grain spirit flavor.  Bols Genever and Genevier are the best known examples.

Old Tom gin is a sweeter style than London dry.  It actually predates London dry, as during early days of gin distillation, the alcohol and distillation flavors were so strong and offensive, that sweeter flavorings were needed to make gin palatable.  It is the gin originally used in a Tom Collins.  There are not a lot of well known brands of Old Tom gin, but the names for brands within this category usually include "Old Tom" or "Old English" right in the name.

Plymouth Gin is similar to London dry, but more earthy in flavor.  It must be produced in Plymouth, England, and as of right now, there is only one brand of true Plymouth Gin, coincidentally called Plymouth Gin on the market.

Tasting Notes: New Glarus Moon Man No Coast Pale Ale

Appearance: Pours a somewhat dark, orange-gold, with a thick, but light bodied head, with decent retention and definite lacing.

Aroma: Floral and grassy, but a decent malt balance on the nose.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied.

Flavors: Balanced, but hoppy.  Mostly grassy, earthy, hop flavors.  A light floral note, and just a touch of pine.  I didn't get much, if any, citrus hop flavor.  More malt balance than a traditional American (read: West Coast) Pale would have.  Enough hops that they are the first and last thing you taste, but between them being more aromatic, and less bittering, and the smooth maltiness that comes mid-palate, still manages to be balanced and not overwhelming.

Overall: Very interesting and unique beer.  I am far from a hop head, and tend to favor other styles over American Pales and IPAs, but this beer is one I would order if I saw it on tap.  In a way, hoppy enough that it could please an IPA drinker, but because the hops steer away from the citrus and bittering varieties so popular on the West Coast right now and because of the smooth malty backbone, much more approachable than many West Coast IPAs, or even pales, even for the non-IPA drinkers among us.

Tasting Notes: New Glarus Spotted Cow

The beer that New Glarus is probably most known for, and the first craft beer I ever had.

Appearance: Light, golden blonde, a little hazy, but more translucent than I would expect for a farmhouse ale.  Small head, but good retention.  Effervescent.  It has been poured for about 3 minutes, and there are still small bubbles rising through the beer to the top.

Aroma: Yeasty, but balanced.  Bread, with a little bit of sweet malt aroma and a touch of grassy hoppiness, but the bready smells are definitely prevalent.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied, effervescent.  Rolls right through the palate, and the carbonation is definitely noticeable, and a little playful on the tongue and the roof of the mouth.

Flavor: Malt and yeast heavy.  Doughy, fresh baked bread flavors.  Just enough hop at the end to give it a little bit of crispness and make you want to come back for more.  Although the bread flavors are heavy, it is not overwhelmingly sweet.

Overall: A great beer.  Manages to come off as very bready and malty without being overwhelmingly sweet.  Light, smooth, very sessionable and drinkable, but not boring or bland.  A beer that craft beer drinkers can enjoy, but that people used to mainstream lagers can definitely palate too.  Perhaps the perfect gateway beer?

Tasting Notes: The Bruery Mother Funker

Just opened this one up today.  This is from their Provisions Series, which, up until last month, was a set of beers only available at their retail store.  Unfortunately, Provisions has closed.  Reading the FAQ on their website, it looks like the series will continue to exist, and will be called the Preservation Series.  They will be available at their tasting room in Placentia, and, it appears, to members of a new bottle club they are adding.  Now, on to the fun stuff.

Appearance: Pours a really bright, lively, golden color.  No haze or cloudiness at all.  Very little head, and it dissipated almost immediately, with no lacing.

Aroma: Sour.  A slight vinegar aroma, a bit of lemon, but overall just a very sour smell.

Mouthfeel: Very light bodied.  Also pretty flat, not a lot of carbonation on this one.

Taste: Starts out with a pucker-up, tart, sour ale taste, vinegary with a hint of lemon.  Mid-palate I got a moment of funk, barnyard, Brett-like flavor, and then back to the pucker up kind of sour, with a lingering lemony, band-aid-ish finish on it.

Overall: I loved it, and was pleasantly surprised.  I tend to like the tart, sour style of sours and wilds more than the funky, barnyardy, Saisony style.  Based on the name, I was expecting a lot more funk and less tart from this beer.  It has a lot more funk than some other tart sours, but still has a solid tartness to it.  If you like sours, this is a great beer.  If you're not a fan of sours, I would stay away.

Tasting Notes: New Glarus Hometown Blonde

Appearance: Pours a nice, blonde color, with a nice, frothy head, which sticks around for a bit, and definitely laces on the glass.

Aroma: Nice balance.  Definitely a lot of bread on the nose, but also some nice hop aromas as well. 

Mouthfeel: Light, refreshing.

Flavors: Balanced, as with the aroma.  Pretty bready and doughy at the start, then a little bit of grass or hay, and a nice crisp bitter finish.  Get a lingering floral hop at the end.

Overall: Nice use of pale malts, and crisp hops to make a refreshing beer.  I'm drinking it on a day off, and in the winter, but I bet after a hot day working out in the sun in the summer, this beer would really hit the spot with its malty sweetness, light body, and crisp use of hops.  The hops are definitely a major player in this brew, but in more of a German crisp, refreshing way than the in your face bitterness way I've gotten used to from a lot of U.S. craft beers.

Tasting Notes: New Glarus Serendipity

This beer is subtitled  "Happy Accident Fruit Ale" and the story of the beer is printed on the side of the label.  There was a drought in Wisconsin, which made the cherry harvest less than ideal, and also made it difficult/expensive to produce Belgian Red, one of New Glarus's most popular beers.  So along with what they could get of the cherry harvest, they bought apples and cranberries, and made this fruit ale with all three, using wild fermentation.  Sounds interesting.  Now for the tasting notes:
Appearance: Poured a deep, brownish red.  A little more translucent than a Flanders Red, but similar color schemes going on.  The head was interesting.  Solid, firm base, but also some effervescence, almost like a glass of champagne.  Watching the beer itself after pouring, and even the top of the thicker head, you could see smaller bubbles rising to the top and popping through the foam.

Aroma: A tiny bit of green apple bite, but mostly sour cherry.

Mouthfeel: Light, rolls right over your tongue.  Definitely pick up on the same effervescence I noticed in the appearance after pouring.

Flavor: Starts off with tart cherry, then moves into the more sour cranberry flavor, then finishes on the sweeter side of the cherry, with a lingering sweet/tart cherry finish.  I don't get a ton of the apple on the palate.  Not as sour as I was expecting from a sour/wild fermented beer mad with three tart/sour fruits.  Good balance between the sweetness of the malt and fruit and the tart/sour side of the beer.  Doesn't leave you puckered up at the beginning or finish like a lot of sours do, but definitely a refreshing sourness to it.

Overall: Great.  Would definitely buy this regularly if they distributed out here (my current stash of New Glarus was smuggled back to California from a side trip on my Thanksgiving voyage).  Probably a little less sour than some "sour" fans would like, but also more sessionable and drinkable for the average beer drinker than a lot of other sours.  I could definitely see myself having more than one of these, unlike a lot of other sours I like.  Also, at 5.1%, wouldn't be so terrible to have a few.  I hope they decide to keep this beer around even if the cherry harvest is nicer to them next year .

Tasting Notes: 2010 Mouton Cadet Bordeaux

Appearance: Deep, purplish red.  Almost completely opaque.  No legs whatsoever

Aroma: Mostly tart cherry, but not an overwhelmingly strong aroma.

Body/mouth feel: Medium to light bodied, not too heavy, especially compared to what I expected from an unoaked, fairly young French red.

Flavor: Tart cherry, a little vanilla, and a very faint trace of chocolate.  Kind of reminds me of Cherry Garcia ice cream.  Starts out with cherry, then gets a little more complex, rolls into the tartness, and then has a little bit of a bitter, tannic bite.  Not too bitter or astringent, but enough in the finish to cut off the rest of the flavors and leave you thirsting for another sip.

Overall impressions: Probably not the most complex, refined, or elegant Bordeaux out there.  But also comes in at well under $20/bottle.  Very light, and easy on the tannins (it is a Merlot dominant blend), but still get some of the bolder, darker flavors of the Cab and Cab Franc showing.  Nothing out of this world, but a reasonable wine to drink on its own or with a casual dinner, especially for the price.