ClubGonzo’s Get Down and Boogie Woogie

Mead, 12.5% ABV.

ClubGonzo’s Get Down and Boogie Woogie, mead batch 38.

This celebratory mead has been aged on whisky barrel oak chips, I guess I should have seen that one coming!

In the glass the Get Down etc. looks clear, and it has a dark golden colour.

The aroma is moderate, and the whisky oak chips have clearly done a thorough job: the peaty whisky is quite dominating at first, and I have to swirl the contents of my glass in order to bring forth the sweet honey notes. A complex, unusual and nice aroma!

In the mouth the peaty whisky contribution is less omnipresent, it blends more in with the very sweet honey profile. This mead is brewed with maple syrup, but I’m note sure if I manage to identify it (unless it mainly creates an additional layer of sweetness).

Conclusion: a nice touch with the peaty whisky notes, but maybe a bit too sweet. 

Aroma:      7/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste:      6/10
Palate:     4/5
Overall:   13/20
Ratebeer score: 3.4/5.0

Dr. M Lønn for strevet

Lønn for strevet by Dr. M, India Pale Ale, 6.3 ABV, 140 IBU.

Interleaved between all the Belgian ales that Dr. M usually brews, here’s an IPA!

It has a crisp, moderate aroma with a generic fruitiness, pale malts and faint citrus, and there are also some herbal traces. And then there is something strange… You know this beetle that excretes a not-that-nice-smelling liquid when disturbed? Just a moment, let me google that for you… Ah,  green shield bug, Palomena prasina! Yep, I actually find hints of bug excretes in this beer! You haven’t seen that one in a beer review before, have you? The lack of tropical fruits, pine, a citric punch or other elements that tend to pop up in IPAs, combined with the strange Palomena prasina makes the aroma very far from that of a regular IPA.

The flavour is a bit faint, with notes of pale malts, fruitiness and a bit unclean boozy hints. What kind of yeast have you used in this one? I get some yeasty notes that I don’t find very typical for an IPA, maybe I’m biased due to Dr. M’s previous brews, but I find it more Belgian than e.g. the good old US-05. Light sweet taste with a moderate bitter finish (I don’t believe for a second that this one has 140 IBUs!).

It’s mid-bodied, has a moderate carbonation, and there is a light dryness in the finish.

Overall: an unusual, faint and not too exciting IPA, with some strange off-flavours. Not undrinkable, though. Are you wondering about the name, Lønn for strevet? It turns out that Dr. M has added maple syrup to this one, but I fail to pick up any clear syrupy notes. Unless it’s what I identify as bug excrete.

Aroma:      5/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste:      5/10
Palate:     4/5
Overall:    8/20
Ratebeer score: 2.5/5.0