Time to get vertical again! (Which usually results in assuming the horizontal.)
Vancouver Island Brewery‘s celebrated Hermannator has been available for a while this winter, but the season is far from over and there are plenty of six-packs left on the shelves – so there’s still time to stock up the cellar with this year’s vintage.
It’s also a pretty special time to be celebrating Hermannator, as a few months ago VIB was celebrating the big boozy eisbock’s victory at the B.C. Beer Awards, where it took best in show. Not sure which vintage was submitted for the awards, but the simple fact is that all the vintages are good. You will not regret letting time work its magic on this beer’s malty charms, and its fascinating to see how Hermannator can change over the course of just a year. Just remember to take long, laborious notes, like I have below. Fun!
This year marked my first four-year vertical of Hermannator. Heaven for the senses. Hell for the liver. Confusion for Beer Cat.
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Lined up side by side, each year is visually identical colourwise: a dark, dark garnet with hellish red highlights. Let’s see how things have progressed from there, starting with the youngest.
2013
A very lively tan head fizzes up frantically, then disappears almost as quickly to barely anything at all.
The aroma is surprisingly vague, with just a hint of dark fruit, sugary malt and a spicy booziness.
Despite the lack of head, this year’s release is highly carbonated and the consequent prickly mouthfeel doesn’t do the beer any favours. It’s best to open this and pour at least half an hour before drinking if you want to get any flavour profile. As the carbonation mellows, subtle notes of fruit and fudgy malt appear with slightly sharp peppery notes. A slightly creamier caramel malt with a hint of leather then develops, followed by a well-judged bitterness that rounds out the flavours and holds up the sweetness, as the alcohol warms the jaw.
There’s some astringency in the finish and cola flavours in the aftertaste.
Honestly? It’s disappointing — altogether a little thin and lacking depth. Probably my least favourite fresh batch of Hermannator in the four years I’ve been drinking it. Nevertheless, it’ll be interesting to see how this one ages.
2012 (aged 1 year)
Again, strong carbonation, which, like the 2013, disappears very quickly.
But this is more like it. On the nose are bold, heavenly aroma of prunes, figs, black cherry jam and marmalade backed by luscious dark chocolate and some molasses and leather. It’s a sensational smell.
Similar flavours of rich fruit, with plum and cherry most noticeable, envelop the tongue and blossom into an elegant bitterness. As this fades, creamier malt notes of rich caramel and toffee come into play, fading into a warm breadiness.
The finish is dry and superbly spiced with peppery alcohol. There’s also a yummy, chewy, bready-malt aftertaste to look forward to, with some tobacco in there too.
2011 (aged 2 years)
The head here is slightly lighter in colour. It laces well on the glass and lasts a lot longer than its younger siblings, fading to a thick rim.
The vibrant fruity nose of the 2012 is here replaced by richer, mellower notes of oak, creamy caramel-toffee and warm sourdough, although there’s also a complex raisin backing and a hint of tobacco.
In the mouth it’s creamy yet surprisingly light, with almost milky toffee malt notes and ever-present overtones of steeped fruit. These flavours fade into a long, warm, slightly earthy breadiness that wraps into a gentle bitterness and a gentle dry finish. There’s a chewy, slightly tart-fruity aftertaste. Subtly complex and very delicious.
2010 (aged 3 years)
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My last bottle of 2010 *sniff*. A wee special mention here to Rob Ringma, now VP at VIB, who sent me this bottle in its own neat wooden case all those years ago.
In terms of head and carbonation, this is pretty much identical to the 2011.
The rich creaminess of the 2011′s aroma is here augmented by a big plumminess, with further esters of cherry and plum hovering above the glass forming an extra layer of depth. These meld with rich, concentrated caramel, while bready toffee and some molasses provide a sturdy base.
Plums and slightly unripe strawberries are up front on the tongue, making for a slightly sharp flavour. This quickly melds into slightly scorched caramel, which in turn gives way to gentler, bready malt flavours, a judicious bitterness, then a dry sherry-like finish with hints of tobacco.
But this vintage’s true strength lies in its aftertaste, which just keeps going and going and going through various shades of red fruit and caramel malt.
Overall, it may have lost its power though, with the 2011 and 2012 both showing greater harmony of flavours. But who knows? The 2010 may peak again. Such are the mysteries and joys of cellaring beer.
And then there’s…
The “Quadrannator” blend, 2010-2013
So, this always seems like a great idea at the tail end of a vertical (not so much the next morning): a 1:1 ratio blend of all vintages (so I guess in this case it would be 1:1:1:1).
In this case, happily, it makes for the best of all worlds. There’s a decent head on top and a great mix of the creamy oaky aromas with sharper, boozy fruit.
Flavourwise, a lovely mix of smooth, creamy, toffee malt is backed by tart, estery and booze-spicy fruit. There’s a lightly dry, rather brisk finish that sets up a long, chewy bready-caramel aftertaste with lovely licks of tobacco, oak and brandy.
That, my friends, is one Hermannator you cannot buy in any shop.
Read my account of last year’s Hermannator vertical here.
Get all my tasting notes of Hermannators of varying vintages in the original Brewed Awakening review.
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Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
