It’s all downhill from here. Today was the Summer solstice; the longest day of the year. If I have any regrets from the year so far, it is that I haven’t been able to hop on my bike and go for some rides. At least I can take some comfort in that summer has officially started and there’s still some time left.
On the heels of Brian’s previous post, I decided that Brian and I should meet up today at Faultine Brewing in Sunnyvale to try their beers out. Many of their beers did medal at the California State Fair Pro-brewing competition and I thought it would only be fair to head over there and give them a shot. While I have been critical of Faultline in the past, my latest experience there was a good one. I was curious to see if that trend would continue.
Kölsch, 4.7% ABV
Brilliantly clear gold with a thin, white head. Aroma has a hint of fruit character and a slight sulfur note in the background. The beer has a slightly sweet pilsner flavor, with a little bit of grain-like sweetness followed up by a med-low hop bitterness for balance that doesn’t linger long on the palette. This is a medium bodied beer with high carbonation and a dry finish.
Out of all the beers I had this long evening, this was the only one I ordered a full pint of. I had walked to Faultline from work and by the time I found myself a seat in their bar area, I was sweatier than anticipated. The kölsch went down smooth, crisp and refreshing. Great way to start the evening. I let the beer warm up a bit to see if any off aromas or flavors would develop but I was greeted with more kölsch goodness.
Hefeweizen, 5.2% ABV
Cloudy gold color with a white head. Very aromatic; lots of banana, a bit of lemony citrus, slight clove notes and even a little bit of bubblegum. The flavor echoes the aroma; I initially taste the fruity/banana portion, followed by slight lemony/citrus flavors, then a slight bit of spicy, clove-like flavors with a little bit of bubblegum in the finish. This is a medium-low/medium bodied beer with a spritzy carbonation and light astringency.
I actually like this hefeweizen, well, there’s no “actually” about it: I like this hefeweizen. There’s a lot going on, especially with the fruity ester just radiating in the aroma and the body feels fuller than it really is with all the yeast floating about. Many places will do an American style hefeweizen but this is a decent German style hefeweizen. If I have any critique about this beer, it may be that it’s not as balanced as the European styles I’ve tasted as the character leans towards the fruitier side but then I’m not sure if I’d like it as much.
Pale Ale, 5.1% ABV
Clear amber colored beer with an off-white head. Balanced beer; toasted malt aroma with a light roasty charcter and a bit of caramel sweetness. The beer has a medium-low/medium level of hop bitterness. The aroma echoes the flavor. Medium bodied with a prickly carbonation, the beer finishes dry and is slightly astringent in the mouthfeel.
If you’re looking for a big, hoppy American pale ale, expect to be disappointed if you order this beer. It’s not that this beer is poorly made, it’s just that this is an English Pale Ale. The result is a more balanced beer with a more complex malt profile and, when compared to it’s American counterparts, subdued hop profile. So far, these three beers have been a hit and just what the doctor ordered for this warm summer evening.
Belgian White, 5.5% ABV
Cloudy as the hefeweizen but with a white hue to its color and matching head. Some initial fruit flavors, pear-like (?) with some peppery yeast flavors and a sweet, wheat malt present in the finish. Hop bitterness and flavor are both low. This is a medium-low/medium bodied beer with an effervescent carbonation and slightly dry finish. I let the beer warm up some before I took notes on the aroma and I found the aroma to have a predominantly yeast/sulfur character with light fruit and yeast-derived spiciness.
After three good beers, this one was a little bit of a let down. Such a pity as it looked like what a witbier should be. In particular, the aroma was a little unsettling; I expected fruity, citrus, wheat and spice but got more sulfur instead. The aromatics were there, just overpowered. The flavor was solid but I didn’t pick up any of the citrus or corriander character this style is known for. Even though I’m being kinda critical of this beer, it wasn’t bad, just not as good as the ones before it. If you’re a fan of Blue Moon, then you would like this witbier.
Batch 1000 – Oak Aged English Amber, 5.5% ABV
This beer was brewed to commemorate the 1000th batch of beer brewed at Faultline. That’s one helluva milestone to reach. 1000, as I’ll call it, poured out a slightly hazy brown color with amber highlights and an off-white head. Toasty, almost roasted malt flavor with bits of caramel and oaky flavors… maybe a hint of whiskey as well. The aroma follows the flavor closely. This was a medium bodied beer with high carbonation and an oaky astringency.
For a milestone beer, I thought it was solid; it didn’t “wow” me but it had an interesting flavor, no noticeable flaws and was drinkable. I’m happy that they still had this beer around as I wanted to stop by last week to give it a shot but just couldn’t make it. It worried me that it was no longer on their website but when I walked in, there it was. As the beer warmed up, I found it a little harder to finish. I will be the first to admit that this could’ve been because I reached my limit; it could’ve also been palette fatigue. I pushed through and finished it anyway.
Overall
The first three beers were solid while the last two stumbled a bit. Yet I left Faultline not only pleased but encouraged with what I found. These beers continued an upward trend went a long way to restoring my faith in this brewpub. My first few visits left me wanting and now I can say that I want no more.
Keep in mind though that many of the beers brewed here, perhaps all of them, are brewed in a European style. What does that mean? Well, it means that the beers are going to be balanced and not too bitter. In an age defined by, “Bigger. Better. Faster. More”, it is a pleasant surprise to find a brewpub making sessionable beers. The strongest ales we had tonight topped off at 5.5%, which bode well for my ability to stay up and write this post.
The other thing I really love about Faultline is that you can order “smalls” of their beers. Instead of a full pint glass, you received a smaller pour, maybe about 3-4 ounces less. While they may not be cost effective, I was able to try 5 beers altogether without feeling too drunk to work. At this stage of my drinking “career” if you will, I receive more enjoyment out of trying a wide variety of beers as opposed to a lot of a single, type of beer.
For food, we ordered the fried calamari and the blueberry crème brûlée. The calamari was “okay”; pieces were a little big and not as flavorful as others I’ve had. The crème brûlée was pretty good but didn’t go well with the Belgian White we were drinking at the time. The service started off well but there was a point where my glass stayed empty for about 15 minutes. <sarcasm>The nerve!</sarcasm> Well, in a way the level of service did drop off in the later part of our stay but that just allowed me to process all the beers prior; a blessing in disguise if you will.
While I didn’t review it, I did try their cask-conditioned IPA and found it to be fantastic. It’s an English IPA so don’t be expected a huge hop bomb but the aromatics reminded me of guava. Gotta find out what kind of hops they used for this as I think it would’ve complimented the lychee pale ale we’re currently brewing.
In any event, we had a good time at Faultine and I’m looking forward to coming back.
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Is that Tony Hsieh?
No, no. That’s just his fatter, less wealthy beer stunt double… me!
Like Peter, I was pleasantly surprised by my experience at Faultline. I tasted every beer on tap as well as had a “small” of both the Pale and the 1000th Batch. Though nothing was a knock-out-must-have-before-you-die, I found everything to be well made and solid brews.
My personal favorite was the Pale Ale which is the beer that recently took Gold at the California State Fair. This beer alone is worth a trip to the Faultline. As Peter said, don’t expect an American Pale. This version is malt forward with soft caramel and is distinctly English in character. I found it well balanced and quite drinkable.
Also English in character was the IPA. Again, unlike American IPAs that are hop bombs these days, this beer was dominated by a soft caramel malt with a firm IPA bitterness. The most interesting thing about this beer is that it had a light guava aroma that must come from the hops being used. Decidedly, NOT English, but refreshing and pleasant.
Both Peter and I felt the cask conditioned IPA was derived from the same base beer. I suspect also that it had an additional charge of dry-hop which gave it a much stronger guava aroma similar to Hansen’s Guava Juice. Compared to the standard IPA, it had the same color, though slightly hazy (also indicative of dry-hopping), was lower in carbonation, and was (of course) served warmer. If you like cask conditioned beer, or are just curious, order these two together and compare and contrast.
Finally, with regards to the 1000th Batch special beer, the only thing I can add it is that it had a surprising roast component in the nose. If I would have smelled this beer blind, I might have expected it to be black like stout. Though the roast wasn’t huge, I was surprised to find soft malt character on the palate.
Thanks Peter for suggesting this outing!
I was fortunate enough to be an assistant at Faultline a couple years ago. The head brewer Peter is a great brewer and teacher. True his beers aren’t extreme, but he does a great job of brewing traditional styles. English style IPA, pale ale, nitro bitter, porter, nitro stout. German hefe, oktoberfest, dopplebock, Belgian dubbels and wits, and kolsch and pilsner. He usually has pale, ipa, and best bitter on rotation for cask. Not many brewers could attempt to brew so many different styles and have them taste good. It’s good to see he’s finally getting recognition for his beers, but he’s been winning awards for years. Do yourself a favor and grab yourself and IPA when you get a chance.
Mike,
Thanks for the insight. The beers Peter has on rotation vary significantly stylistically and it’s cool to walk in there and see a lot of different choices on the board. While there that night, Brian, my wife and I noted how traditional the beers were and how there weren’t “Americanized” versions of those styles.
I did enjoy the cask IPA and was glad Peter got back to me via Twitter regarding the hops he used. As a homebrewer, I think I’m going to have to revisit some of my recipes to include those hops.
Thanks for reading and leaving a comment, I appreciate it.