Name: ECKHARDT
Brewer: Tamamura Honten Co. (Japan), Hair of the Dog Brewing Company (United States)
Style: Mixed-Style Beer (Base Style: Belgian Golden Strong Ale)
ABV: 12%
Review Year: 2020
The Nagano-based brewery, Tamamura Honten joined forces with Portland’s Hair of the Dog for the fifth time to create ECKHARDT, a “Special strong golden ale” brewed with rye and “dark sugar.” ECKHARDT is a tribute to Fred Eckhardt, a pioneering American beer journalist. This collaboration beer is also known as the bigger Japanese version of Fred, a popular beer brewed by Hair of the Dog.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Mixed-Style Beer (34B), combining Alternative Grain Beer (31A) and Alternative Sugar Beer (31B), with Belgian Golden Strong Ale (25C) as the base style in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
ECKHARDT is a golden colored beer with a foamy white head and settles to clarity. Some sediments settle at the bottom of the beer. The nose opens a box of almonds, Turkish Delight, sweet pears, and hints of citrus fruits.
This beer is medium-full bodied, moderately carbonated, and has a slightly syrup-like mouthfeel. Meanwhile, the flavor balance reveals caramel, Turkish Delight, and butterscotch. Hints of lemon citrus and peppery heat accentuate the mentioned flavors, but perceived bitterness is low. The aftertaste lingers with the familiar cast of sweet almonds, Turkish Delight, and some black peppers. No harsh alcohol and unusual raw aromas or flavors were detected.
THE VERDICT
Overall, ECKHARDT is a smooth and strong ale that exhibits a very unique and complex aroma and flavor characteristics. While we do not have enough information to categorize fully this beer, we think ECKHARDT is closer to a Belgian Golden Strong Ale (but brewed with rye) than a full-flavored and bitter American Strong Ale.
