Anniversary Pilsner – Old Credit Brewing Co. Ltd.

So this past week I found myself in Port Credit, meeting a new potential client, and also connecting with an old friend before the work-meeting.  The work stuff went well, and the coffee with a friend (Rob), was also great, especially because when we were done, we wandered over to the Old Credit Brewing Co.  It’s funny, because they are just up the street from where he works.  So we poked our noses in, and I succumbed to temptation and bought a bottle of their Anniversary Pilsner (it was all for you, dear reader). I won’t speak about the brewery, as we were in and out, but I would like to go back, and get the 411.  I promise I’ll try.

From a 680ml bottle with no freshness date, the beer pours pale yellow, with a good head that quickly dissipates, but leaves a blanket of foam that laces the glass well.  Aroma is all grains and malt, like what I expect the inside of a brewery to smell like.  There’s also a little hint of yeast, though that could be romantic, it’s got a pretty bready grain character.  Wow, taste is mild, very grainy, though there’s hints of a caramel sweetness to the beer.  Oh my goodness, pardon me, I think I’m actually getting hints of diacetyl.

Sidebar:
Geeks, indulge our less geeky friends.  I hear you.  “What the heck is diacetyl?”.  Allow me to explain:

Diacetyl (IUPAC systematic name: butanedione or 2,3-butanedione) is a natural byproduct of fermentation. It is a vicinal diketone  (two C=O groups, side-by-side) with the molecular formula C4H6O2. Diacetyl occurs naturally in alcoholic beverages and is added to some foods to impart a buttery flavor.

Got it?  No?  Okay, how about this:

Diacetyl is produced during fermentation as a by-product of valine synthesis, when yeast produces α-acetolactate, which escapes the cell and is spontaneously decarboxylated into diacetyl. The yeast then absorbs the diacetyl, and reduces the ketone groups to form acetoin and 2,3-butanediol, relatively flavorless compounds.

Closer?

Here’s the deal.  Diacetyl gets produced when beer gets made.  Some beers produce more then others, and some brewing processes include a rest time of a few days, when the yeast gets to re-absorb the diacetyl.  In beers where it is present, you normally notice a buttery or butterscotch FEEL (that’s important, diacetyl is not something you will notice in aroma, though the sensation can cause a placebo effect and make you think you are tasting butterscotch).  In many British styles of beer it’s expected and desired.  A pint of bitter with no diacetyl would be lack-lustre at best.  However, in most other styles, it’s considered a fault.  Especially in lagers, EXCEPT in Bohemian-style Pilsners (the original Czech style).  For the record, what I’m drinking is a Bohemian-style Pilsner.

Back to the beer, there is definitely a bit of a herbal hop, but it’s fairly subdued. The beer is really smooth, buttery, but with not much linger, just a bit of grain and the dry hop.  Mouthfeel is unexpected, very carbonated, but also smooth, with that butteriness to it.  It’s a very drinkable beer, though it’s actually a touch out of the range of what I call “gateway beer”, which is to say, a beer you could give a bud drinker.

So now I’m thinking about the beer as an arm-chair brewmaster.  I like it, and as I’ve said, diacetyl in pilsners is okay, especially historic ones.  But this one is pretty buttery.  So I’m wondering if my bottle/batch got a little too much.  If not, I’m impressed by the boldness of this brew.  If so, I count myself lucky, and will enjoy the rest of this happy mistake.

I like that this beer, which I expected to be nice, caused me to have to think so darn much.

Cheers, Port Credit.  Cool place, cool beer (no, not that Cool Beer).

By the way, thanks to the mighty Wikipedia for the technical descriptions of diacetyl (they’re LIES) and also the cool 3D image of the molecule.