New Beer Sunday (week 529)

(4/12/15)
Getting this out sort of late-
What an incredible New Beer Sunday: I’ve been working in the yard got the deck furniture out and I just can’t believe how much I missed everything being GREEN. Hoping all is well with BA Nation and look forward to seeing what you are drinking. Truly Sorry that you are sick @utopiajane, get well soon!

I’m gonna stick with a local brew as my NBS choice this go round and I’m Stoked that it’s a Brown Ale. The reason being is that I was at Barleys Brewing Co. Friday and tried their Brown Ale called Chucacabra and was completely blown away ( I’ll bring that Gem up another time). Will Seventh Son be able to bring the WOW factor?

SEVENTH SON MR. OWL

Double India Brown Ale/ American Brown Ale
750ml bottle -$10.99
Beer poured into Snifter Glass
Beer Temp 50°F
8.5% ABU IBU 75

Appearance – 3.5/5 The head is thin foamy and tan in color, approximately two fingers thick and dissipates rather fast. The lacing left behind in the glass is a simple froth lace. This Brown Ale has a rich syrupy brown quality and resembles cola.
Smell - 4/5 There is a slight orange peel-fruit aroma infused with stronger wafts of malts. The smell also has a bready sweet quality.
Taste - 4/5 It has a slight Hoppy/orange peel reference with malty bread overtones. There is a perceivable bitterness that hangs on your tongue but is by no means offensive.
Mouth Feel – 3.75/5 The beer is medium-bodied with a smooth slick quality which hides the alcohol well. The carbonation is not overpowering and there is a noticeable dry finish.
Overall – 3.75/5 While this Brown Ale did not knock my socks off I am still pleased with the overall quality of this Beer. It had good flavor, wasn’t overly bitter and exuded qualities of a very good Brown Ale. I would buy this again and recommend it to other beer drinkers.

 

Have this Sunday off so thought I'd participate.

Big beer here. Smoother than I expected to be honest. Boozy and sweet for sure though
It has a similar quality to dfh other big beers. Similar to raison for sure. Maybe the house yeast?



No bottling date on this particular one, but the other one that I picked up with this one said 2013 I believe. I'll let that one sit for a bit. Oh and this is WWS. Label fell off of both bottles.

Cheers guys.

 

A beer review and a mystery. I hope it's important in a good way.

 

New Vanilla Rye Sunday

Evening, fellow NBS'rs. Hope everyone's been enjoying the weekend. We had a beautiful one here in Toledo, and I'm capping it off with a beer I've really been looking forward to drinking:



Bourbon County Vanilla Rye from Goose Island.

Ready for that 'nilla....here we go:

Vanilla Rye pours a lot like regular BCBS: dark, maybe slightly thinner than the original, with a rusty mocha head. The nose brings the vanilla so hard: thick, sugary vanilla; creamy, melted marshmallows; and something between almonds and coconut. Highlight of the beer for me.

Tastes great, too, but it's maybe a touch sweeter than what I'd like: sweet and sugary blend of vanilla and chocolate malted balls or Whoppers. Nice dark chocolate and rye whiskey burn and spice on the finish. A good deal less boozy than BCBS. The vanilla is so intense that it comes across as a bit artificial or like vanilla extract. Sweet, but still fantastic and endlessly drinkable.

Mouthfeel is a bit lighter than BCBS. It starts off nice and creamy, but becomes more syrupy, tingly, and even fizzy. Felt like the mouthfeel undermined the intensity of the taste and aromas.

Overall, a fantastic and intensely vanilla-forward BA stout. The nose will knock your socks off with all that vanilla, and the flavors are right behind it. Maybe a bit more like vanilla extract than vanilla bean, but that's just a quibble. Mouthfeel was a bit of an issue for me, but again a minor issue. So a few minor flaws, but all I'm thinking about as I finish the bottle is...I wish I had another one!

Time to get cracking on that crossword...

Cheers,
-Mike

Can't believe I've overlooked JGB all these years:

 

I was in such a hurry to post my Review I forgot the Pix!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cheers

 

just my birthday I was trying it be funny I miss more than I hit

 

Hello NBS'ers!

I predictably envied all those who scored and reviewed their SMS, but not complaining. I had set aside for today this baby:



I've been a fan of Ommegang since my first Hennepin, and I was lucky to sample two of their previous Game of Thrones offerings. Based on this one's name and color I was kind of hoping for an imperial stout, but given that their beers follow Belgian styles, this made more sense.

Not reading the warning on the label of pouring carefully, this is how the first glass looked like:



Following that, I was more careful, but still this is the beautiful look of this beer in the glass:



While to me it smells and tastes like a typical saison, it has some slight roasted malt flavor that probably helped with the almost black color.

And this is the glorious lacing left behind after too brief time enjoying it:



With spring weather outside, this drank great. It also the timing was fortuitous for me as one of the fans of the Game of Throne series everywhere getting ready for the new season/saison

4.14/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from 750ml corked and caged bottle into Hennepin tulip glass

Aspect: Pours an almost solid black color with huge beige foam that stays on forever. After the forever it leaves behind rich lacing

Smell: Spice and yeast, typical to a saison

Taste: The herbal bitter dominates, but it is nicely balanced by spice, malty sweet and some sour

Mouthfeel: Medium strong, with a crispy finish and after taste on the bitter side

Overall: Very good saison, great execution

 

I'm running on fumes at this point, but I'll squeeze in one more. My kegerator has been lonely as of late and needed filling. Half Acre is usually a staple here as they're kegged on demand, and uber fresh. I saw Vallejo IPA on their list and was curious as I never had it before. I'm always pleased with their beer, so I took a blind leap of faith and ordered a sixtel. The abv. is listed at 6.7 percent. Here goes.....

Pours a cloudy pale gold from the faucet with a generous amount of frothy white foam. A lively and inviting pour!

Aroma is passion fruit forward with some grapefruit. Very tropical and dank smelling with that rubber/bicycle inner tube aroma.

Flavor is biting passion fruit, grapefruit, everything tropical and juicy. A residual bitterness from the hops lingers at the finish. This tastes much bigger than the pale color and 6.7 percent suggests.

Mouthfeel is juicy and biting citrus goodness.

I took a gamble on a keg and it payed delicious dividends. Another tasty Half Acre hop concoction at the great price of $70 for a sixtel. I will definitely add this to my rotation of their products. My score was a 4.31 / rDev +4.1%.

 

I've got a lot of love for NBS and its fellow participants. I'm always thinking ahead now, trying to keep new beers stocked up every week, specifically for this occasion. If it weren't for this thread, it probably would have taken me even longer to get around to this beer. After seeing most people rave about this beer, I'm stoked to be finally experiencing the inspiration behind all the horrible devil puns that get thrown around in it's name. I should also thank the local beer shop I frequent for offering this special limited edition with the glass included. With so many beers out there that I've yet to try, its a no-brainer when an awesome tulip is tossed in the mix. So, without further adieu...I possess and consume the Duvel (or is it the other way around??).



Appearance: A hazy light golden yellow. The carbonation is crazy. The line between a gentle and a vigorous pour here is very fine. Nice fluffy white head that sticks around.

Smell: Initial aroma is that classic belgian yeast accompanied by some fruity notes, specifically sour apples and white grapes. Also getting a grassy/earthy aroma.

Mouthfeel: Very crisp, fully carbonated, and dry finish (not too dry, just right).

Taste: Follows nose with the belgian yeast bringing that sour apple and white grape taste up front, followed by a slight citrusy/hoppy flavor. For this being a belgian pale ale, the hops are a lot more balanced with the rest of the beer than I was expecting. You could probably tell me I was drinking a tripel and my inexperienced palate wouldn't have argued.

Overall: This is far from my go-to style but I was pleasantly surprised. The mouthfeel really stood out for me which is why I described it before the taste. I just wasn't expecting it to be so crisp and then so full of flavor. All in all, very pleased. I'm not ready to call myself a Duvel Worshipper but I could be easily converted .

 

Cloudy Minnesota evening, but the beer is funky (in an excellent way).



Look: Golden-hued, cloudy, 3 fingers of white fluffy head.

Smell: Da funk, wit da hopz.

Taste: The funk hits up front, then the hops slide in as they do with any Stone IPA. Very dry, which is nice. A little booze on the back side.

Feel: Excellent carbonation, almost frothy.

Overall: Full disclosure - I absolutely LOVE Belgian IPA's, and Stone hammered this, IMHO. Da funk is grand, and da hopz take it to another level, as you'd expect with any Stone IPA. Rating = 4.19

 

Ballast Point: Habanero Sculpin


3.77/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

In the interest of complete transparency, I have had regular sculpin once before. I did not much care for it either, maybe I am crazy but the medicinal grassy notes just rode my sinus in a unpleasant fashion similar to when you taste perfume. I am still surprised such a highly rated IPA affected me so negatively. I intend to revisit in in the future someday to see if my palate changes and I may completely change my mind.
Now onto the beer at hand the habanero version. The beer pours a amber yellow with a thin white soapy head. The nose is of grapefruit and spicy pepper. Taste wise I get a bit of grape fruit rind with allot of grassy herbal notes and a big slice of hot pepper on the end. slightly more enjoyable than the regular Sculpin. The herbal grassy notes are still riding the sinus slightly, however they seam to be held in check my the habanero which definitely has allot of burn going on. I like hot peppers and am a avid fan of hot sauce on allot of my food. This is definitely the hottest beer I have had when it comes to hot peppers and may be a bit much as far as the hot goes, not a drain pour for me though. and preferable to the base Sculpin. I have the grapefruit version in the fridge and will be cracking it in the near future.

 

Good Evening NBS, I hope utopiajane feels better soon, we had the pleasure of going
to Armsby Abbey today for a stoutfest brunch. Great people and as always fabulous food and drink.
Warm in WMass and the yard work is commencing. At home trying a confounding offering from TO OL
the title is below. A complex triple/barrel aged farmhouse? I found the beer to be quite challenging in all the best ways,
hope everyone enjoys the rest of the night.
Cheers all

Fuck Art - Let's Dance!

To Øl
Tripel / 8.30% ABV

3.86/5 rDev -1.5% | rAvg: 3.92
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a modified tulip glass at 40 deg F.
A - Blood orange, dark honey in color. A little coaxing leads to a 1/2" cap of froth that lasts for quite some time. Steady stream of champagne size carbonation rises steadily and relentlessly to support that cap.
S - Initial nose is muted, almost subdued. With time and temperature, an explosion of dried pineapple, mango, oak, honey dew in late afternoon warm all rush to be noticed.
A fine Khorosham bread note supports those fruits. Belgian sugars and yeast dance together well.
T - A sharpness that must be the yeast keeps this out of balance. lots of overripe tropical fruit, orange blossom honey and sweet malts are all present. The triple aspects are all on display for certain, fine oak notes run quickly through and quickly exit.
F - Wonderfully rich, slightly slick with a linger that overstays its welcome. The sweetness leads things off, with time however that ever so slight hop bitter moves things along.
O - This offering is billed as a triple, and a wine barrel aged farmhouse? That's a lot of ground to cover for sure. Exceedingly complex with a rise in temperature, smooth in body and form this is quite a treat, certainly worth the experience.

Cheers

 

Ello Friends & Fiends.



I'm pretty sure this is my first post to NBS, so thanks for having me. Work has been pretty hectic lately, but today I simply cleaned and supervised, which was a sobering experience. Someone in the department had a death in the family, so I spent the last few days cheering her up and making sure things ran in a smooth order.

Ze beer, Ya?

A- Mocha 1.5 finger head dissipates quickly to a thin crown. Dark bold body with slight lacing.

S- Bam CINNAMON! Mild Chai with some nice vanilla. Obviously heavy, yet unexciting, malt.

T- Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Vanilla, Chai. Once again, spice dominates with a slight roast.

M- Didn't seem sluggish, slimy, or at all off point. A smooth sipper that kept me begging for more.

O- Decent, but I would rather have a straight RIS. I wanted to love this beer, but the cinnamon killed it for me. I feel like if this were done oak and heavily monitored it could've been great.

Happy Sunday! I'll be reminiscing with some less than popular Ipa's that hit the Paste article.

 

Good Evening everyone! Hope everyone had an enjoyable Sunday!
Today's entry is:
Oskar Blues Pinner Throwback IPA

Pours a clear golden body with a white head; leaves a sick amount of thick lacing in the glass
Citrus and dankness on the nose.
Taste matches the aromas and is a decent IPA with a light finish and a lingering bitterness on the tip of the tongue.
Overall, a pretty good session IPA not sure if I'd search this one out again, either.



Cheers Big Ears!

Cross-posting w/ WBAYDN#904

 

You're doing it wrong - you're supposed to drown the flu virus!
Science fact: Alcohol kills most viruses and bacteria, so if you can get your BAC high enough, you'll kill those flu viruses all the faster- and have more fun doing it - plus think of the great naps you'll have!

Until then, feel better

 

Happy (insert appropriate number here) st/nd/th! You should treat yourself to that Black Maple

 

i may take the doctors order and thank you I just turned 18 I only feel 80

 

D' Extra... 18% so good.

 

Welcome!! I had this beer on tap recently and thoroughly enjoyed it (mouthfeel especially). Apparently this is a pseudo-BA version of Opposite Day as two beers I have enjoyed have not met fellow NBSer approval, so to speak (note: phone capitalized the day). I liked the straight RIS as well and need to revisit it soone. Cheers!