So, I was invited to the launch of the place some weeks ago. Now it’s been open to the public for two weeks – time to check it out.
It is still early afternoon on a Friday, perhaps a dozen customers, the beer list a mix of their own brews and guests. Their Amarillo beer seems to have evolved into a weaker version at 4.1%. The newest beer on offer is the IPA, phonetically named Aj Pi Ei. The Thunder Bear Stout is also on,. Guests are Nøgne Ø Tiger Trippel and Weienstephan Hefeweisse. A selected number of bottles, too, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch and US micros.
I enjoy the Aj Pi Ej with its flowery profile. Citrus and a hint of honey, a little marzipan. I would prefer it a little dryer, but it is a very decent beer.
The Amarillo is not as good as the earlier batch I tried. Sure, there are fine Amarillo hops in there, it has the makings of a smooth session beer. But there is an undertone of burned rubber tyres that makes it hard work to enjoy the other elements. Sorry, but this was not up to standard.
A bitter is almost ready, but needs some time in the conditioning tank, and there wi a wheat beer on within a week or so as well. I’m told that they have brewed a test batch of Christmas beer, too, but that the recipe needs a little tweaking before it is brewed on a larger scale.
So. This place is reputedly packed in the evenings, and they have problems keeping ut with demand. I have a feeling they are rushing the beers out before they are really ready.
I hope they are able to stabilize things a bit more, the worst thing to happen is that there are rumours that the beers are not up to standard. Perhaps it is better to focus on two standard beers, I’d suggest a stout and an IPA and make sure they are available at top form at any time. When this is up and running, it is time for the more fun part – one offs and experiments.
I guess I have another place to visit on my next trip to Oslo…
[...] Knut Alberts Beer Blog mener at stedet kanskje kan være et offer for egen populæritet og at de setter de selvbryggede varene ut for salg litt for tidlig slik at de ikke blir lagret lenge nok. [...]
Besökte kjelleren idag och blev dessvärre grymt besviken. En Svensk i baren givetvis som nog aldrig serverat öl tidigare. Frågade efter en beer flight, och efter en stund förstod han vad det är för något och gav beskedet att dessa måste beställas i förväg då endast bar managern kan servera dem. W T F !
Frågade om Pail Ale var amerikansk eller engelsk i stilen och fick svaret Amerikansk. Ja, det finns lite att jobba på i den här baren helt klart. Kommer jag tillbaka för att se om de fått ordning på verksamheten … Knappast!