New Beer Sunday (week 520)

Happy 10th bday NBS!

My new beer today is Heavy Seas Siren Noire (Bourbon barrel aged chocolate imperial stout).

This beer has a real depth of flavors, sweet chocolates, dark cocoa, vanilla, caramel. Surprised to get some nuttiness too, it almost has a hazelnut/peanut butter taste. More oaky/woody from the barrel than a boozy bourbon, im betting because this only spent 5 weeks in the barrel. But, it does have some sweetness from the spirit of the barrel, its just subtle. Drawbacks are its a tad thin on the mouthfeel and i guess the lack of barrel characteristic (by that i mean bourbon). All in all, it is enjoyable though, very rich and decadent.

I rated it a 4.14, and i will very much enjoy sipping this and watching the Bar Rescue marathon as the snow just keeps coming down outside.

 

Hello everybody,

Sitting here awaiting more snow, apparently we just don't have enough of it yet. It was a pretty busy week, so today is to be spent adhered to the sofa with the remote.

Starting my NBS with this: Trappistes Rochefort 6.

A: Pours a deep, murky amber brown with light, one finger head of tight foam that dissipates quickly leaving traces of bubbles on the edges.

S: The aroma is fruity (figs, banana) and floral, quite pleasant.

T: Beautiful and complex, it's certainly still fruity with raisins, figs, and banana all coming in. The alcohol is very well hidden and there's a nice malt note in the background. The end is spicy and actually very pleasantly sour. I absolutely love this bitter finish.

F: Thick body and creamy feel, great level of carbonation.

O: This beer is certainly getting into the pricey category for an 11.2oz bottle, but wow is it impressive. A superb drinking experience on all levels.



Cheers!

 

I agree. Nice move, @utopiajane. My personal favorite of Dvorak is his cello concerto.

 

OK I'm getting sick and tired of the damn cold and white stuff falling from the sky. Do we really need 3 ft of snow on the ground with more coming??!!

So with winter in full force I decided to try my first ever biere de garde, Winter Garde from SARA.

Full review here: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28019/111588/?ba=huddyball



Here's to another 10 BA's!

Cheers!

 

As someone who grew up in the era dominated by corporate rock (though I had the satisfaction of watching grunge wash much of it away, at least before alternative became the new corporate rock) I think that's what was so cool about music in the 60s & early 70s - that you could have R&B and proto-Springsteen sharing the bill. Nowadays a record company would be involved, dictating that their star be paired up with something of the same genre, but not likely to steal the spotlight.

 

Nice music tie-in with the is it/is it not the 10 yr anniversary of NBS "controversy" above (for the record, I'm on the celebrate more than once bandwagon - that way there's more excuses for pulling out killer beer!).

 

Greeting NBS!

So glad I joined this thread shortly after becoming a BA. Definitely my favorite thread, and I look forward to choosing my beer selection every week just to share with everyone here. Onto new business though...

First up: Boulevard Tank 7


I drank this one while reading through the rest of NBS, and forgot to take notes... So no review, but is absolutely Loved this beer. Very light with amazing light citrus and white pepper. Nice yeasty farmhouse quality, but very approachable.

I bought the Boulevard smokestack series sampler pack (it came with the glass, and I'm a sucker for glassware). I've heard good things about Boulevard and up until now, I have only had Love Child no.4. Drank the double wide IPA and the Dark Truth stout last night. Saved tank 7 and the sixth glass for today, so my next beer is:

Boulevard, The Sixth Glass


I'm usually a little hesitant on American takes of Belgian styles, but this one does not disappoint.

Pours a dark red/ amber color with a tinge of orange. nice fluffy off white head.

Smell is of dark stone fruit and booze. Not too complex, but very good in its simplicity.

Taste begins with a mixture of some dark fruit and maybe some bitter orange peel. Moves into a malty sweetness that finishes nice a clean with a bit of lingering sweetness, cut by the nice fruity esters present. Very good.

Mouthfeel is creamy with just enough carbonation to keep it in style.

Overall a very good beer that I would be glad to revisit in the future.

If you're wondering what my final ranking of the 4 Boulevard beers were here they are:

Tank 7> Sixth Glass> Dark Truth Stout> Double Wide IPA

Going to pop in a little later with another beer or so. I figured that since NBS is celebrating a milestone, I will break out something special.

 

Greetings, fellow NBSers, & thanks to all out various hosts & hostesses who have kept this going for 10(ish) years!

Mid 50s and mostly sunny in the Republik of Spokanistan. Today marks the first time I've seen the color of the sky in about two weeks (ironically the last time I saw it was east of the summit of White Pass on January 26). It had been raining in torrential amounts the last couple of days and with gusts of 30+MPH when I was at work yesterday, but today it's calm and mostly sunny. A bit surreal when compared with matters in the East right now.

With such an important NBS anniversary being celebrated, I figured I'd better pull out a good 'un. I had originally planned to drink this after the Super Bowl, but the way that ended, I decided to hold off on it instead of tying it to a moment when I had a bad taste in my mouth, so instead it followed a late breakfast of omlette and coffee. Speaking of coffee...
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20680/143753/?ba=woemad
Not as much coffee as I expected, but like the spices in Spice Wars, the coffee version of this beer is enhanced by the coffee rather than dominated by it. Things are rich and a little more complex than I was expecting.

Worth the hype!

I'll be back later with one of the big boys sent to me by the great @Ozzylizard!

 

Hey what's going on!?

Woah 60 degrees today? how does that happen? And what a perfect day to be having this NEW brew for me to day, which turned out to be just incredible. Perfect for the weather too as the temps have strangely soared and it's a wonderful day to be out doing yard work a bit.

What is new for our hero today? Well... let us see.

Fierce - Off Color Brewing


Off Color Brewing - Fierce Weisse Beer by imbibehour, on Flickr

Review here or read below: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31678/122625/?ba=smakawhat

-----------------------------------

Poured from the bottle into a wheat ale glass.

Wow what a winner out of the bottle. Controlled decant just brings a supper controlled big, giant, FROTHY and foamy bright bleach white head. Grabs a nice fist full and clear with a foamy top and settles slowly, hanging around big and large. Body color is straw yellow, extremely pale but with a brilliant light green hue to it and shimmering crystal clear. Big thin rising carbonation, uniform, and tilting and cascading on every angle to keep up appearances. A clear berliner, and just an awesome looker.

Excellent aroma follows. Deep hints of bread and very light spritzy lemon. Nice hints of lacto sour qualities. An almost smoked and husky ripping grain quality on such a brew, it seems like a big beer is coming. Controlled tartness with lemon and zest following nicely.

Palate just hits all the right notes. A huge flavor driven mid palate of wheaty chew and lemon candy drop bursting. Mild tartness and big full body for such a low abv. Thick and cooked white bread, with toasty finish and light driven sour lemon qualities. Slight mild sugars up front but the palate just sings of tart lemon and light cake and bread. Creamy palate and controlled with a big controlled malt backbone that has an almost honey like coating everywhere.

What an excellent Berliner this is, wonderful stuff.

look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5 | Final score : 4.83

---------------

Just a great brew, really loving this, unfortunately it's the only one I have, and ironically of all the Off Color brews it's the one that is never around in my area. Also I am out of new beer!! oh man what's up with that?! Guess the budget got hit hard a little... so... such is life... but always good beer.

I'll work on some good six packs of Anti Hero, and Wings of Armageddon, so all is well.

Cheers!

 

Hello all, hope your sunday's are going well. Today I'm sampling a new DIPA courtesy of an amazing BIF box (well 3 boxes ) that @SammyJaxxxx sent me. Can't thank him enough!


This is my first time trying any Carton Brewing beers, but I've sure seen them posted throughout WBADYN so I'm really excited to give it a try.

This beer pours a lovely golden color with a fairly good sized head. The lacing is really nice on this one. On the nose I get subtle lemon, citrus, and hop bitterness along with a piney smell. The taste is almost the same as the smell, in a great way! The citrus and pine work together nicely and it makes for a smoother IPA than most on the west coast, at least in my opinion. Definitely reminds me of Pliny due to the appearance, smell, and taste. Overall a great beer and I'm really glad I got to give it a try. Thanks again Greg!

4.44/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cheers everyone and looking forward to reading through all the reviews after I post this!

 

Hello, folks. I might be cheating a little here (if so, someone please let me know). I first had 1 bottle of this beer Friday night, but it wasn't in the proper setting and I saved 1 for today. Another gorgeous sunny day in central OK with temps hovering around 70 or higher. Sitting on the front porch with this Boulevard Long Strange Tripel. 9.2% abv with a best by 5/29/15 date. Poured into a snifter. Beautiful golden with about a 1/2 inch head that holds and stays steady at 1/8 to 1/4 inch. First smell is banana. Uh-oh. I don't like banana. First taste is, well, banana. Uh-oh. I kinda struggle thru this. Banana taste keeps me from enjoying this or even picking out other notes. Boulevard is one of my favorite breweries and I'm sure this is a great beer. Just not for me. Do y'all pick up banana in it?

 

So last night, I think I received the last BIF Box (for this round at least). The generous giver..... @aoampm . Here's what he sent


wow!! 12 beers I have never had before so I needed to start sampling today. My first choice, Pizza Port's Swami IPA


This IPA pours a slightly hazy golden color with a quarter inch of quickly dissipating white head. This ale, canned on 1/13/15, was obviously fresh and was very enjoyable. I would say the aroma was mostly grapefruit, maybe orange and bit of breadiness.

Taste wise, the beer shines. Nicely carbonated, not overly hoppy/bitter. I am guessing Centennial or Simcoe hops but not sure. Finishes quite dry for an IPA with a slight bitter aftertaste.

Overall, a very enjoyable IPA that I would love to make a "go-to" brew. Easy drinker but tasty, very tasty. Someone send me some cases

 

Now time for a new English IPA.

Moving Parts The Ever Evolving IPA: Batch No. 2 - Victory Brewing Company
3.45/5 rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle poured into a snifter

A- A clear amber color with a three finger white head.

S- Grainy/biscuty malts, citrus, herbal hops, some tea, floral.

T- Follows the nose, but has a wet grass finish that lingers and is pretty off putting.

M- Medium body.

O- If it wasn't for the grassy finish I will really enjoy this beer. I feel this beer is a miss for me I still can't wait to try the next Moving Parts.

 

nice tunes for today!!

 

I am currently enjoying my first 90 Minute IPA and I will definitely be buying more. Kicking myself now for waiting so long to try it.

 

Ska Brewing ESB Special Ale, 5.7 ABV...dated best by 3/24/15

Part of a mix six, obviously could be fresher but considering the style and the fact that it is in a can I don't think it's mattering much.



Drinking from a can so I cannot comment on the color. As with the color, the aroma is greatly muted by the can.

Nutty caramel with a hint of honey on the first sip. Medium carbonation, a touch of earthy bread dough and a slightly bitter finish rounds off this rather mild ESB. That said, it isn't really supposed to knock your socks off and I actually like it's smooth approachable take on the style.

This is an easy drinking ale that would pair well with anything cooked on the grill or baked on a pizza stone...

CHEERS!

 

I find myself on the final ascent of the American Black Ale peak this afternoon. I may have taken too long to reach this point as this one has been waiting for longer than it should have.

Coffee/cola brown with a latte head. Pleasant enough but not rocking my world. I will not rate until I give it a fair shake.

 

Okay, time for new beer #2....

Trappistes Rochefort 8.

A: Pours dark brown, very little light escapes. The head is beautiful, slightly over a finger of caramel colored foam with swirls of burnt toffee brown that resemble cinnamon on top.

S: The aroma is slightly boozy on this one, with figs and malt shining through.

T: This is an altogether stronger, more full bodied, albeit less complex, offering. It has a pretty strong alcohol character, and relies much more heavily on its fruity, figgy notes to carry it throughout. There is a subtle toffee sweetness on the finish.

F: Good body, pleasant and thick with good carbonation.

O: Another super solid offering from this brewery. I really enjoyed 6, and this one as well, but for different reasons. It's simple, fruit and booze in a well balanced presentation. Very well done and worth the price of admission.



Cheers!

(Can anybody guess my next beer....LoL! )

 

I remember this beer! It was a bit meh for Me. This brew was so dry, the flavor erased as soon as you swallowed. It was nice to try though.

 

Lemme Guess... Number 10?

Edit: 10 is a great beer. 8 is great in its own right. I still prefer 10 though.