Charlottesville Area Masters of Real Ale

I had one of these over the weekend without remembering what it was.  I knew the homebrew was Jamey's but had forgotten just what the code on the cap meant.  This made it kind of fun, as it was sort of like a blind tasting.

The beer pours a very dark brown, almost black.  It was a little cool when I first smelled it, but I tasted a wiff of funk over a backbone of malt.  There was a little head on the beer, but it quickly disappated.  The flavor was very interesting.  I detected malt on the front of the tongue that changed to a very dry flavor on the rear of the tongue.  The drying aspect was a very detectable sensation, very interesting.  The aftertaste was very unique - and you will think me strange for typing this - but it reminded me of the aftertaste of nacho cheese goldfish crackers.  I don't mean that the beer tasted like cheese or anything, but there was a sensation at the end of the drying nature of those crackers.  I feel like I should be on Craft Beer Radio, and my wife laughed out loud when I told her about the goldfish crackers, but that is what I thought.

A very interesting beer.  I will save the other bottle and see how it changes in a couple of months.

I know what you mean about wacky taste impressions. Sometimes the resemblance between flavors or flavor-memories seems uncanny or in this case goldfishy. My wife has at times remarked that various brews taste of "deli sandwiches" and "ashtrays." I've interpreted her comments and rewritten them to read: "Burtonized" and "earthy-smokey."

Belgian yeasts are among my favorite--I really like the complexity they bring to a beer's profile.

FYI: My wife wasn't referring to my HB but to Greene King Tanner's Jack and some other British beer I've forgotten.