New Beer Sunday (week 529)

My patience was definitely rewarded when, after aging since 2012 I finally cracked my first one of these last night. It was nothing short of amazing. Cheers to all!

 

Amazing how? Amazingly good, bad, malty, fizzy, sucky - descriptors please.

 

Sorry guys! It was beautifully smooth for being a barleywine over 11%. Still wonderfully carbonated but not fizzy in mouthfeel. It smelled and tasted great. Notes of dark fruit mostly; I got a lot of blackberries and fig. Very clean malt profile and a finish that had me head over heels. It was the first time I'd had it before so I don't have any newer vintages to compare it to, but I can definitely vouch for the 2012!

 

Gonna post a little early than usual today !! Got stuck working on this fine Sunday here in CT the temp is climbing and we're supposed to get near 70 today.. O well my bike is in the shop getting new tires so I might as well work.. Started my workday off with this one here,(benefit of working at a liquor store is sampling) I can se why there is such a debate over this vs. KBS honestly I think weyerbacher has a winner here. I'm kinda partial to it, bourbon notes are definetly up front (not a bad thing) but overall a good stout, almost chewy ?? I think I like it............... i'll be back a little closer to lunch time with the next one up for today

 

damn you beat me by like 5 minutes

 

I was going to go to the local brew pub this afternoon to try a new beer. Sadly I don't think they will be open.
http://www.nj.com/independentpress/...ley_heights_fire_departme_2.html#incart_river

 

Good morning New BSers! It's a sunny sunDay here in the wilds of NW PA and the neighbors are running saws and working on their home projects. Our first project is finished except for the dusting and the wiring I have to do for the extension of the smoke alarm/CO circuit. The residing project is well under way but got temporarily halted Friday when a sink hole opened up in one of the construction guy's back yard - all our recent rain is making the underground waterways really flow.
Maria - I sympathize. I've spent the last couple of weeks with my annual cold, coughing my lungs out, sleeping upright on the couch, unable to taste or smell beer (the worst symptom!).

Today's offering to NBS is not really a new brew but one I last had 9/27/2009 - well before I joined BA and before I used a a style-based rating system. Back in the day I used a pretty simple simple system - Sucks/Eh/OK/Good/Excellent - based solely on whether I liked the brew or not. I still incorporate my taste evaluation in my database but also list my style rating so beers such as this can get a decent rating as well as a horrible personal taste rating.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3818/43687/?ba=Ozzylizard



As I've mentioned before, I keep trying to like Southern Tier since they're pretty local but I find their brews overall to be pretty meh, except for the 2XRye. The creme brulee definitely reminds me of the singed custard dessert I first had in Inverness, Scotland, a number of years ago. The burnt sugar aroma and taste are present as well as the vanilla flavor and aroma. The creaminess is present. The burnt sugar taste lingers through the end adding a finishing bitterness. This scores a 3.92 for me (rDev = +0.3) but will remain in my database as "Sucks" based on how well I enjoyed this experience. It was going to be a drain pour but reading my other email while awaiting NBS to appear drove me to drink!

 

7:30 a.m. Premier League action, but this was not my game beer. I did have one of these before the match though. I know you do not care, but the Chels did score a late winner, padding our top of the table position. If that sounds like a foreign language, then welcome to English football

Shiner Prickly Pear summer seasonal. $14.99 for a 12 pack of cans.

The beer looks like a deep clear copper color, like a cider maybe. A light cream colored head recedes to a light wisp. Very light spots of lacing.

The aroma is immediate: Sweetness and tart. Raspberries! Strawberries? It smells so fresh and fruity. I guess prickly pear is quite the unknown flavor fruit.

The taste is the same ... Lots of tart and sweetness combined, and the comparison to raspberries is undeniable. The beer is very simple as I find a lot of fruit beers.

The mouthfeel is thin and metallic (4.9% ABV). I find some metallic in the taste and aroma, but not overpowering.

Overall -- a crushable beer, but very sweet and tart. Shiner is not a brewery I tend to like. They remind me of Abita ... lots to offer, but underwhelming. I rated this 3.77 for a +12.9 rDev. I guess I am generous. I like this beer, but it's very fruity and thin. But I bought it because sit sounded interesting, and I'm glad I did. Now here is some music from my new favorite band to go along with a kind of southwestern theme:

 

Hey what's going on!?!

I smell a theme folks...

Sorry to hear about the flu there @utopiajane I managed to get a shot and dodged it this year (knock on wood) but my allergies kicked in FIERCE on Monday... finally recovered enough in time!

That being said... What an awesome weather weekend, cherry trees out in full pop lots of crowd, a tailgate with some brews, I must have walked and logged 15+ miles on foot... man my legs are killing me. Good time to stay home and bbq outside!! THat's the plan!

What is new for our hero today! Yup you guessed it... but also lots of other goodies in the arsenal.

Sunday Morning Stout - Weyerbacher Brewing Co


Weyerbacher Brewing - Sunday Morning Stout by imbibehour, on Flickr


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Poured from the bottle into a snifter glass. Two dates on the bottle looks like bottled on March 27th 2015, good till March 27th 2017.

Pours inky dark walnut brown and nearly black, and completely silent. The snifter takes it easily but without much fanfare. No head creation on a basic snifter stout pour, some faint hint of a really dark mocha mahogany head makes an appearance. Too bad there's no finger of it cause it's really dark it would be nice to see more of it's chocolate like goodness. Settles to a simple tan collar that looks much lighter. Top is virtually non existent except doesn't leave an oil slick at least, and a minor sheen and webbing.

Aroma is very nice, hits at very dark chocolate and fresh ground coffee beans. There's a nice hot spice note coming off this which almost gives off a whiff of hot cinnamon in the back of the throat. A bit boozy but not with much whiskey barrel hinting character, but keeping in step with a great dark chocolate and a sense of thicker mouthfeel to come. Fruity berry notes of grape, maybe plum, and cherry peak out as well.

Palate gives some interesting notes. First sip hints at almost fruit forward ester mix which goes nicely, an almost Eclipse Elijah Craig fruit berry note that hits the mid palate nicely. Palate is a little watery but also slight fizzy but manages to give a neutral chance for the flavors to come through, but it would be nice to have some of that thick fudge character. Aftertaste has a bit tannic barrel note, with some good wood and whiskey character. However there's a sharp hop but tolerable bite, and whiskey finish that really hits a boozy feeling in your stomach. Just borderline watery and missing a good deal of depth for a large stout. Coffee angle also seems real buried after awhile with more of the whiskey character dominating. The lighter feel certainly makes for quick drinking, and even a honey coating sweetness on the lips. Chocolate seems a little muted as well and does take a turn for more of a classic roasty porter quality with husky and ripping grain quality.

Where's the vanilla, caramel, butterscotch, thick chocolate and coffee bursts that can come with such a character brew? Nice first effort though from Weyerbacher in the big stout whiskey realm, but it's crowded up here with the big boys and this one doesn't stand out as much as some of the other big guns.

look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4 | BA score: 4.03

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Well more to come, the day is young my friends... but always remember to stop and smell the flowers.


Cherry Blossom DC 2015 by imbibehour, on Flickr

Cheers all!!

 

Nailed it! I gave it an A- it's a great brew but not on the same echelon of BCBCS. Yet I did enjoy it more than KBS.

 

I figured you'd be doing this beer as well !!! I saw your post in the latest haul, awesome pic w/ the blossoms too, spring is finally here

 

yeah finally! I am gonna be outdoors grillin , side of ribs going on at 2, convection cook on charcoal for many hours. Just going to lazy baby that ribs all afternoon and drink beer... oh yeah..

speaking of which I need to get my rub going...

 

Greetings All, Beautiful day and here's hoping our fine host is feeling better very soon!
The weather is perfect, the trails are full of "sunshine warriors"- never saw them over the Winter. The hounds are in fine fettle and they search for howl-worthy subjects at every step. Never take a Treeing Walker **** Hound into a covert mission. You will be found out!
Today's beer is Olde Hickory Bee Student/ Ale Brewed with Honey. This beer is bone dry with sharp bitterness- and a little nip of sweet, barely, at the end. It's basically an Amber with a very nice white cap that continues to refeed itself, sip by sip. This is a very good ale, with the honey lurking and not cloying. In all, I'd say the honey loses the battle with the hops, which is good! This beer was brewed in collaboration with students in the Fermentation Science program at Appalachian State University/Ivory Tower Brewery.
This is a great brewery that's been around since 1994. They simply continue to crank out an amazing array of beers.
The British Isles have been on my mind lately, so here a a couple of varied pieces. I hope they suit your fancy!

 

New Sunday Morning Stout

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/392/89345/?ba=WesMantooth

I was curious to see what @Roguer thought about this one because we are usually on the same page. Looks to be the case again… for the most part. It appears we have different opinions on KBS.

Finally! A +rdev!! I had 8 -rdevs in a row, and 9 of the last 10. I guess I am getting snobby

4.39/5 rDev +0.9% (Label 2.75)
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25



Pours a pretty viscous jet black with a significant ( for a barrel aged beer) dark brown, frothy head. Has plenty of that dark, sticky, tar like lacing that makes you wonder what it is doing to your insides.

Smells like ground coffee beans and subtle whisky. Aroma improves drastically for me as it warms. Start to pick up some sweet vanilla and chocolates along with some oak and a more pronounced whisky.

Taste is surprising to me. I was expecting more in your face coffee, but it is really more on the back end in the aftertaste. Up front it is much more whisky dominated. Sweet, but faint chocholates. Fairly bitter, especially in the follow through. Plenty of deep roasted/charred malts and some oak. The alcohol is not hidden by any means, and truthfully starts to drink pretty "hot" as it approaches room temp. with a little nostril burn.

It is a very full bodied beer. Nothing wrong in this department, especially being a barrel aged brew.

I can see where this is going to be compared to KBS, and it already had been for the past couple of weeks so let's do this.

They are very similar to me in an overall sense. While they are both fantastic beers, they both have issues, and they both change signifigantly at different temperatures. To me, KBS is way too strong on the coffee side, which really detracts from a lot of the other flavors, but improves in flavor as it warms. This one does the same thing, except on the whisky end of the spectrum, and I feel it starts to weaken as it warms. I keep saying whisky because it tastes like cheaper bourbon, to me. Not terrible, but I do like the BOURBON flavor (when you can taste it) more in KBS.

In the end, I would say it depends on what you are looking for. If you want more coffee forward - KBS. If you want more barrel forward - SMS. I kind of figured this is how it would play out since my brother had it first and thought it was just too much. He is a huge stout guy, but I do the bourbon drinking. He likes the more balanced/subtle barrel aged beers. Given the closeness, I would take this one all day at almost $10 less and being more available (for now). Neither one is remotely close to Bourbon County Coffee though.

I have KBS at 4.29 in case anyone cares.

Gotta get outside and do something constructive. Cheers!

 

Starting here with one from a few hours ago, then leading to the current event.





This is definitely nice. As I understand it, Hermitage is where Almanac does their brewing these days, and I think a few other contract breweries too, but until recently I hadn't seen any bottles from the host brewery.

Citra aroma! Right on. Sort of soft orange, low-acid tangerine—like sumo citrus, actually. There's good body, creamy, hefty, hints of bread, and late on the palate a touch savoury?, asparagus?. Uh, in a good way. Really, this is quite good, not just one-note 'orange', but some other interesting vegetal qualities peeking out from behind the curtain of supple fruit hoppiness. I'll make time for a morning field trip to get some more I think—and probably will sign on for the other single hop beers.

Also of interest, this morning, I noted that this beer was pretty well-received in the paste magazine list brought to my attention by this thread. Seems a bit under-the-radar.

 

Start off with the good news: Got to see one of my very good friends from college -- who I hadn't seen since -- for breakfast yesterday. Trying to slowly convince him to move his law firm out this direction. I think the seeds are nicely planted. Porter got her surgery and she is no longer a full-fledged lady. Or some other way of phrasing it that's a little more respectful.

There are two distinct reasons I chose Valar Morghulis for today's new offering. The obvious reason being that Game of Thrones season 5 starts this evening (I'll be at work, so Tuesday it is for catching up!). I've been saving this one for basically that (the best by isn't until 2017, so I think I'm safe). The other reason is a little more difficult. Lives end. That's what they do: it's part and parcel with living, death. Many people have died, many more will going forward. I've had people with whom I was closer die, but for some reason this one has hit me and lingered moreso than the others. Growing up on a small island, there's a certain bond. Even if you're not super close best friends with someone, you're close in a way that doesn't always make sense, and that transcends logic: like why you open your home to someone you don't really know but your brother did at 2AM because they no longer had a place to stay. Age comes into play as well. Parents, as they say, should not bury their children, and he was young enough to have played HS ball with both my brother and myself. And knowing those parents, and knowing about the them of before your own time adds to it as well. Though we were never overly close, I'd always seen him as almost like a little brother/padawan type. What he was doing in a holding cell in the first place -- let alone a padded 'safety' room -- and further HOW he died in there (CoD still unknown). I'm rambling. There are many people who knew him better than I, and who are undoubtedly feeling his loss moreso than I -- not the least of which being his parents, Fred and Tiffany (seeing his mom going through his old fb posts and liking/etc on so many of them is heartbreaking all over again each time).
Anyway, sorry to cast that sort of cloud over the proceedings: I didn't mean to digress so deeply or for so long. I understand this is not a unique situation, but this forum has seemed historically to be an expression of recent experiences and thoughts, and this has dominated both. So, in honour of Cap'n Brownbeard: thoughts to the family, and cheers.

sorry

Valar Morghulis is a dubbel style from probably the biggest belgian-centric brewery in this country, Ommegang. Everyone knows them, most love them, some know nothing. This particular offering is all about dried dark fruits. Cherries like what, some fig and plum dominate the flavours and temperments. Actually, it reminds me of the dried plums I have in my pantry.


This is the one that kept running into my head for some reason

Valar morghulis, forget the dohaeris
Cheers all! Have a wonderful Sunday, and drink well!