New Beer Sunday (Week 527)

On to my next:



3.83/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Dark and opaque with a fleeting cream colored head that yielded great lacing and just a little fizz about the top. Nose is immediately chocolate that fades into a more malty design. Taste is similar to the nose as it hits quick with chocolate but slowly fades to a more bitter offering that loses most of the sweetness but never really loses the chocolate. Like bitter dark chocolate. Not too much peanut butter, if any at all that I can detect. Finishes quite bitter but oddly, unlike the travels of the taste, it finishes with a cloying sweetness. Thin, slightly crisp. Taste is not bad at all, but lacks a little depth in the body.

Alrighty then, let's crank it up just a smidgen.......

 

What do you get when you cross and elephant and a rhino?

Elephino! (Hell-if-I-know.... ;P)

Anyway. Working my way through the pickups from that state I visited a couple of weeks ago. Today's offerings are both from a very aptly titled brewery per my Utah experience: Red Rock.

(so much concrete... it's so depressing . The forced planters only help marginally...)
Elephino is the first up. It's their DIPA. It's a highly decent offering. Good sweet floral fruity aroma, flavour carries the theme but augments with a bluntly dominant pine bitter. Creamy smoothe finish and a medium body. Solid. Not spectacular, but solid.
Drioma is their RIS offering. Though I don't get as much RIS as I do other stouts. I keep wanting to say dry irish. @JMS1512 might have better insight into the granularity between stouts (We know you killed it this week boy-o!), but I am shamefully bad at... things. Things I love. Knowing things. It wasn't always so! Anyway, the point is, there are enjoyably components to this brew. Sniff sniff sniffing I get... not that much. Womp womp. Dry acrid coffee with three or four lumps touch the tongue. As it warms, the sugar and chocolate come forth and it grows. Burnt toast underneath. I don't know. I feel like it's better than the numbers it accumulates (Ve must follow the formula strictly!), but nothing warrants adjustment. This one is one of those hard-to-pin-down-my-feelings-on-it types. I guess it's lucky then that I'll probably never see it again! At least the artwork is gorgeous (on both of them).

The bro-man got back from SE Asia yesterday afternoon.. Glad to have him home. Dem adventures, dough... My favourite story/set of pictures he's shown me so far is the abandoned-half-finished-luxury hotel/thing he and his friend found. Fifty stories. Completely abandoned. The view of Bangkok from the roof... Not to mention the awesome graffiti. Side note: there's a difference in my opinion between spray painted vandalism and legit graffiti/art. There was plenty of both in this hollow shell, but the pieces that fell on the latter (hopefully no one fell off their ladder...)... Add in the thai script... Well done graffiti is one thing, well done graffiti in a foreign (to me) script is something else. Well done graffiti in a foreign (to me) script that is as beautiful as Thai can be... Anyway, some neat stuff.
Work does as work is as work does. The weather has been gorgeous: I keep forgetting some of you poor saps are stuck in the real world, where it's still only just beginning to be spring. And winter seems to have a serious case of FOMO. Or however the kids say it these days (I just learned what ______ on fleek is. Or at least that it's a thing. I don't understand kids these days).

More of the random runnings through my mind (as it is...)





Cheers!!

 

I never heard of grapefruit sculpin in a four-pack—is this a new thing they're doing? I hope not!

 

A bit later than usual for me, but what do you expect. I was elated after WI took down AZ yet again in the Elite 8. College basketball is my favorite sport to follow and this WI team is making history before my 38 year old eyes. Wasn't in the mood for a beer until after lunch today.

I picked a very local beer that was brewed by Mobcraft for a local liquor store. This imperial stout was aged in 12 year old Elijah Craig barrels.

The aroma is pleasant. Starts off with hints of vanilla and bourbon with caramel and roasted malt. There is a dark chocolate aroma with notes of dark fruit. The roasted malts in the stout have some chocolate, caramel, along with hints of dark fruit flavor. The barrel brings flavor of vanilla, bourbon, and marshmallow. There is a bit of heat on the finish.

This turned into a decent BB stout that reminds me of the early Central Waters BB stouts.

 

What's up nbs players. Yet another thaw out here on the island. Sunny but still a bit cold with more melting snow. I hope that's the end of winter but I seem to have declared that at least 3 times before. Got everything done round the house, and am all set for the work week. Spending the rest of my day/evening knocking brews back and watching ncaa bball, and the walkers season finale.

My new beer today is Framinghammer, a Baltic porter from Jack's Abby. I have a notch on hoponius union and mass rising but this is my first dark offering from them.

The pour is slick black with a white head. The nose is nicely floral with rich malts and chocolate. Initial sip offers a big flavorful punch right to the face. Big time roasted malts, dark chocolate, and a pungently sweet finish with a touch of lactose. The 10% is there but it's really blended well thanks to all the other bold flavors. Mouth feel is deep, rich and creamy. A highly enjoyable brew that I would probably give high 4's all around. Only mistake was on my part in only buying a single bottle,

 

Great Rhythm Backstage Series Doublestop Dopuble IPA from Portsmouth, NH. This brewery opened about 2 years ago and for the first year mainly produced and sold their Resonation Pale Ale. But they have expanded and grown. This is their second offering in their "Backstage Series." It was released in Mid-March 2015 so this is new for "New Beer Sunday." Only available in the great state of New Hampshire. 8% ABV. Golden yellow pour under a tremendous foamy white head. Great clarity. Loads of citrus, grass, and floral hops on the nose with toasted bread behind it all. Medium but somewhat acidic body. Bitterness abounds in the taste right up to the end.



The 1966 original version of The Beatles "Got To Get You Into My Life." From the 1996 Anthology collection. I actually like this version better than the famous one.

 

When I make brunch, I burn the tortillas a bit on purpose, there is a lot of bacon and I take the opportunity to drink a nice glass of water before sippin' on something new.




New American Double/Imperial Stout
Poured, appears very dark with just a tan ring on the top that quickly disappears..Whooo, smelled the bourbon right away. It does dominate but there is also a very nice oak scent. The taste is...cough, amazing. Great malt, rye, a bit of molasses. Oak bourbon is very much present but very balanced. I can't stop smelling it as I consume this wonderful beer. I also find myself letting it just sit as long as possible to get that oak taste. The finish is very warm and pleasant.

I am learning from posting here on NBS: I love a great balanced stout aged in bourbon. This one is a great example.

I had to write this quickly as my wife is hounding me to get ready for a date at the museum, otherwise, I would sit here and go on forever about this one! This should was our wedding song, so that bought me some time!

cheers!

 

What better way to spend my birthday then going out for breakfast, volunteering at our local animal shelter and sharing a new beer on NBS?!
4 Hands Brewing Co. Divided Sky Rye IPA

Pours a dark golden orange body, thick 1 finger head. Leaves a small amount of lacing in the glass (my new Surly glass )
Nice tropical fruit aroma with some spiciness and a little dankness.
Tastes phenomenal! I typically like beer with rye added in, it gives a nice spicy almost pepper like addition to it. Tropical fruits up front dank spice on the finish.
Only downside to me is the thinness on the end, it has a nice refreshing bite to it, but just at the end it's almost too light. There is a lingering bite to it that is nice.
Overall this is a decent rye IPA and one I will definitely have more of in the future!



Cheers Big Ears!

Cross-posting with WBAYDN#890

 

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/13907/165964/?ba=Bitterbill

C&Ps outta the way...Happy New Beer Sunday!!

I guess we, in Casper, have not fooled Mother Nature so she's been very kind indeed! Nice 60F temps for today and the fairly long term forecast looks as promising.

My new beer for today, I had to add it to the BA database. Hmmm. I bought a Howler of it at Liquor Shed. I had no clue that this would be yet another newish brew that generous Breweries seem to always send to THAT store for my pleasure. And doing the work of adding it still is, and always will be, a pleasure.

Crabtree Magna Carta IPA. Sounds English, does it not?, and I'd bet old King John would have refused to drink it. Well, I suppose he could have been forced to. lol.

It's not quite the typical English OR American IPA but it is good. And there's nothing wrong with drinking any beer that is just plain old good.

Well, I gotta get ready for our 4th monthly bottle share so Cheers! to you all. I *may* do a new rating or 2 at that event; I find it difficult to do actual reviews at these sorts of things.

***The big question is: Reigns or Lesnar? *** Sorry, I've been a wrestling fan for over 50 years.

 

Having my first stone delicious today...
I love the lemon zest component and what it brings to the bitter hops profile.

Link to my review: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/109789/?ba=Gear54

 

Happy Birthday!!!

 

I enjoyed the grapefruit ok, and my girlfriend really enjoyed it, but neither near a 5...

... I agree mostly. My girlfriend loved the nose but felt the taste didn't quite live up to it. With the aside that I appreciated it more on my last tasting, I definitely (and by definition, personally) don't see a 5; it still seemed like they "added" the adjunct grapefruit. Now maybe the GF and I both need to revisit it to confirm or adjust our thoughts. Love having a "scientific reason" for having a beer.

 

Another New Carton Beer Sunday
I could get used to this
Here are some extra pics for @Premo88







4.18/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

As I dumped all 16 oz from the can into the glass, it produced a huge, mainly khaki, foamy head on top of the nearly pitch black body. Leaves a solid 1/4" ring and moderate amounts of laciness.

Aroma is big citrusy and somewhat floral hops. I don't notice any charred/roasted malt, but I do notice a slight dankness.

The taste is a blast of hops right off the bat. Very zesty and biting. Citrus - in the form of grapefruit, orange, and lemon. There is also some west coast piney flavor in there too along with the slight dankness I could smell. I never really notice a lot of roasted malt in this other than the aftertaste. There is a very strong bitterness long after finishing. I think the hop flavors just drown it out for the most part. It is a tad boozy, but not in your face.

The body is a solid medium. It is actually a little heavier than several porters. Carbonation is also on the higher end of medium I would say.

I am not real good with picking out hop varieties, but I do thing I can compare them to other beers fairly well. This one screams Great Lakes Chillwave to me. Both in smell and taste. This is where it became hard for me to score this because I love Chillwave, and I am really digging this.

I went back and forth with the taste from 4 all the way to 4.5 several times. I finally settled on 4. The main reason is, to me, I feel black ales should be as close to a 50/50 balance of a porter and an ipa as possible. Of course, that may just be me, but this is why Lagunitas Nightime and The Brew Kettle's Black Rajah remain my favorite in this style. All of that being said, this beer goes all the way to 11, and is one of the top 3 black ales I have had so far. It is a monster of a beer at 10%+ and 100 IBUs, but drinks so well. Much better beer than Founder's Dark Penance for reference. From my experience, I have a feeling that Carton beers may become more and more difficult to find in the near future.

I had picked up some more new beers this week, but something happened to them so enjoy your Sunday!

 

Another new beer, this one from Otter Creek. They have really stepped up their game lately and this beer is no exception. Backseat Berner (no idea what the reference here is cough cough). Looks awesomely unfiltered with all the bits suspended in there. Can't smell a ton but part of that is my somewhat stuffy nose. Still get a great taste: dank and fruity at the same time. Great IPA for a great price. Not world class, but I'll take it any day.

 

Great beer! Wish I had some left.

 

Indeed. I always call 'em as I see 'em even if it is something I made, but I feel like I may be nitpicking theses days. So many great beers right now.

 

Holy cows! That's beer pictography overload. I'm gonna look at it again ...

... after this New Famous American Craft Beer Sunday!

Look, y'all ... a famous craft beer (and Concho, a not-so-famous aloe vera):


Needless to say, when I saw Lagunitas Sucks on the shelves at the Smith's Street Spec's in Houston last week, my arm shot out, the hand grabbed a bottle, and I went about my merry way -- thinking did not happen. Pure reflex.

Head shot:

That stack! Holy bubbles!

Lagunitas Sucks is more or less what I expected: A caramely American double IPA with some bitterness to balance the sweet. The flavor seems to concentrate on candied orange, but mango, caramel, pineapple, grapefruit and even a little pine make appearances. The mouthfeel is arguably unique. It's thick but somehow light ... and the carbonation seems to be growing (?) what the hell? Yeah, the carbonation seems to be increasing in effect as it warms, making it more drinkable, and it started off pretty dang drinkable.

How does anyone keep from sucking this down too fast?

The bitter aftertaste is really helping it out for me, minimizing that caramely sweetness and helping accentuate the bitter hop flavor -- I like those things.

I also like sticky heads:


The damage:

3.83 (-12% rDev)

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/220/74986/?ba=Premo88

Yes, I know, I've underrated a legend. Sorry about that. Chalk it up to my general meh feelings for all American IPA/DIPAs that aren't either grapefruits or pine trees. But 3.83 translates into "beer I would buy again" for me, sooo ... well ... stupid numbers.

Thanks for the show, @WesMantooth ... show off!

Cheers!

 

HaandBryggeriet BA Porter in Aquavit Barrels. One of the most interesting and unique beers I've had. Aquavit is a spirit that is very traditional to the Scandinavian peninsula. It is made with various herbs and spices (especially caraway or dill). Traditionally, it is room temperature and served in a shot glass to be sipped, usually during festive occasions. Some believe it complements dark beer well and will chase their sip of aquavit with a swig of dark beer. I'm assuming this is where HaandBryggereit came up with this idea.

This beer is at least 2 and a half years old, but has aged wonderfully. The aquavit barrels blend very nicely with the base beer, which is really just an awesome imperial porter. Get a good amount of the spirit and barrel up front: spearmint, spruce, caraway, licorice, light cocoa, and light roasted malts. Then in the middle the base beer comes out more. Getting bittersweet chocolate, coffee, licorice, slight tobacco, and carmel, which is still complemented by some light spearmint, caraway, and spruce. The finish is mostly the same as the middle, along with some light vanilla notes from the barrel and more sweet carmel. Very smooth and pleasant.

Glad I aged this beer as long as I did. I don't think I would of enjoyed a stronger presence of the spirit and barrel. Age allowed that to mellow out and bring out more of the great base porter. Extremely unique and very delicious!

 

Hello NBSers! Beer time!

Even though it's still pretty cold out, we have sunshine so I figure I'd get me a vitamin D boost. Well, as much as I can get by going in and out of the garage. With a coat on. This can was waiting for me in there-


Some winter damage in the background- the rosemary is dead as a doornail, the thyme looks that way but just may have some surprises in store, and the chives, well, those things will survive a nuclear winter so of course they are already poking their heads out of the ground. I'll take it! It's a minor sign of growth, but it's there.

So, just how is the Molotove Lite? It's hard to say- I see the potential in here, but it's marred by diacetyl (butter) as soon as I smell it, so I may have gotten a bad can. The flavors are mostly tropical (guava, mango, pineapple) but there's also some grapefruit peel in there, especially at the end, along with light caramel, and I'll be damned if I don't get a very slight hit of juniper, too. The mouthfeel is fairly full with generous amounts of malty sweetness, cut with an equally generous whack of bitterness to keep it all honest. Very little of the butter makes its way to the palate, so it's much better in the flavor department than the nose; that's kind of a shame, though, because I usually love smelling IPAs. Still, it's coming across better overall than I had originally thought it would. Overall grade: I (incomplete), but working on somewhere between a B+ and A-.

One of my favorite mix discs that I ever made for the car is of all of the interpretations of Witchi Tai To that I could find (at least 8 of them)- somehow it doesn't even feel repetitive, since the source material has so many influences to begin with. Oregon's has always been the big mack daddy to me, although Pepper himself definitely brings the majesty in the one you played. Enjoy!

 

Got to try 2 new beers today, while visiting family in NJ. Went to the Brickwall Tavern in Asbury Park, & had on draft:

1. Lagunitas High-Testified Imperial Coffee Stout - Really outstanding. Nice coffee & barrel notes, rich & delicious.

and

2. Meantime Naval College Old Porter - Never had a Scotch barrel aged beer before. Peaty, smoky nice porter. very enjoyable.

Happy New Beer Sunday!