Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.
Issue link: https://loumag.epubxp.com/i/53439
THE NOSE KNOWS "Show the beer respect," says Scott Shreffler, 34, a regional brewery representative for St. Louis-based Schlafly Beer and one of Kentucky's two certified cicerones — basically, beer sommeliers. "Look at what you're tasting, but most importantly, always stick your nose in it." Shreffler buries his nostrils into a tasting glass of Upland Brewing Co.'s Wheat Ale at Flanagan's, the member of the O'Shea's pubs with our favorite beer selection. See, we enjoy beer but aren't articulate about why. Shreffler reads things like Tasting Beer and The Oxford Companion to Beer, a Christmas gift he hopes will help him become a master cicerone. (Yes, there'll be an oral exam.) Shreffler says there are only a handful of master cicerones in the world, and one day, he wants to open a brewery. We're already learning: Beer should be 55 to 60 degrees ("Cold masks flavor") and served in a fluted room-temperature glass that focuses the nose. Is Shreffler a beer snob? "No, I'm a craft-beer geek," he says. "Well, it's going to sound snobby, but I don't drink Bud, Miller, Coors. I drink for taste, something more than a buzz." And if we're going to taste, Shreffler says, "We should try as wide a range as possible." Upland Brewing Co.'s Wheat Ale: "An easy- drinking Belgian-style ale spiced with coriander and orange peel. The aroma has a touch of banana. I definitely get a little bit of that lemony-wheat char- acter, a little bit of fruitiness from the yeast. With the olfactory senses, it's personal. But you can be wrong. If you tell me you smell paint thinner, I'm gonna say no. But if you smell eucalyptus, yeah, I can see that." Dogfish Head Brewery's 60 Minute IPA: "I'm defi- nitely getting some herbaceousness out of it. This is herbal, like lavender. The hop aroma is the first thing that'll start dissipating with age. IPAs and hoppy beers should be consumed as fresh as possible." Avery Brewing Co.'s Ellie's Brown Ale: "Brown ales are going to have some chocolate character, some nice roasted notes. This one tastes like cocoa nibs — not milk chocolate but pure chocolate." Unibroue's La Fin du Monde: "This was my gateway beer. When I smell it, I'm getting a lot of baking spice. The thing that always hits me about this beer — the reason they won't do it on draft — is the carbonation is not bubbly, but that very fine and prickly carbonation. If I knew what I know now, I would have served this at my wedding instead of champagne." Schlafly's Irish-Style Extra Stout: "It's chocolate up front, then dark roast coffee on the back end — almost like a burnt flavor, but not at all in an unpleas- ant way." Brooklyn Brewery's Black Chocolate Stout: "The malt is the star of this show. It has a dusty cocoa char- acter to it. I get that dark, 70-percent chocolate as opposed to a milk chocolate, just a tinge of bitter- ness. The lingering taste is a great kind of dark cherry note." Too advanced? Just say it smells like eucalyptus. — Josh Moss THE BEER SNOB GO TO MEAT (1076 E. Washington St.) Drink: Two beer options on tap, as far as we're concerned: the crisp golden ale known as "light meat" or the porter called "dark meat," which is slightly ruby in color. Meat and Cumberland Brews collaborated to create these smooth "sessions," meaning the alcohol content shouldn't knock you off your barstool. FYI: Meat co-owner Jeremy Johnson says the "light meat" has a "biscuit-y" flavor. Sit: Push aside the entrance's heavy velvet curtain and plop onto the couch facing two wingback chairs and, just beyond them, a small stage with old-school, industrial theater lamps. You'll have a great view of the live musicians and, to your right, the cocktail-concocting bartenders, some of them dressed like they're on Boardwalk Empire. Observation: The word "dim" to describe Meat's lighting would suggest too much brightness. Check out: Johnson calls it the bar's "snack tower," but it's actually a collection of glass jars used long ago in a Brazil- ian pharmacy. Instead of pills, Johnson fills it with goodies: wasabi peas, freeze-dried green beans, chocolate-covered espresso beans, beef jerky. Grab a wax-paper bag and load up, free of charge. Why is the beer trend here now? "Young profession- als have the palate and the interest but can't afford a $60 bottle of wine," Johnson says. "Beer is a way to explore the palate on a smaller scale. Plus, we're such a food town, and beer is such a food-friendly thing." What's in Johnson's fridge? "I have a six-pack from New Glarus Brewing, which you have to get in Wisconsin. I've been rationing it," he says. "I also have some Bud Light tall boys. I'm not afraid to admit I'll drink swill for relaxation purposes." 2.12 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE [43]