New Beer Sunday (week 533)

Oh I was just there last week, so I have some suggestions. The Sunday deal may be a problem though......

 

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/718/2184/?ba=Bitterbill

Had to do that after some influence, if you will, from drtth.

 

Smuttynose, my friend!

 

Industrial Way in South Portland is usually where you want to hit: Allagash, Austin Street Brewery, Bissel Brothers and Foundation are all located here. Just checked though and they are all closed Sunday. However Maine Brewing just outside of Portland in Freeport is open 12-5 that's worth a trip. Then in Portland downtown you have Grittys, Sebago, nice local brewery called Liquid Riot. Then J,s Oyster Bar is a great local hangout- just get the bucket of steamers and the Grittys Summer Ale. Check out Portland Public Market for a fantastic selection of both local hard to find and just unique brews, and liquors from local distilleries. Have Fun and a safe trip!

 

Oh man, I erred. Obviously, not a new brew to me. My second bottle.

 

Yeah, that was kind of my impression looking over it. I was hoping to check out some of the facilities themselves, but it's looking like that may not be as plausible as I was hoping. Oh well!

Unfortunately the Sunday deal is the only inflexible component of that leg of the trip, so I've got to plan accordingly

This is definitely in the plan for on the way either one direction or the other!

This is exactly what I was looking for. Yeah, I saw (unfortunately) that several of the local 'heavyweights' wouldn't be available due to our Sunday schedule, but such is life! I figure I can still try and grab bottles of those that do so, and enjoy the rest that fit our timing. Thanks!

Like I said, I kind of settled on Portland for the aforementioned reasons (I'm sure Lauren will fret and complain that it's too far, but I really didn't want to just go back to Boston). I basically just pulled up the lists of breweries in the adjacent states and tried to find an area that clustered several solid ones without wandering too far.
I've been looking at the local (and semi-local) breweries utilizing brewerymap and the listings here on the website. Then searching the Northeast forums I came across this helpful thread that reminded me of the facesheets some lovely locals have put together for the big three brewing regions up here (PDX/SEA/Bend): http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/portland-trip-driving-from-boston.268831/#post-3522702, but I figured I'd throw out the question here and grab some more specific and first hand experiences/suggestions. As has been alluded to and outright stated many times, this thread feels somewhat more tight-knit and congenial (yes, I realize how I sound ughhhh....), and though I don't really ACTUALLY know any of you (hell, I only even know a couple of government names, and even then mostly just because I've seen you refer to one another by them!), I trust your judgement and experience.
I appreciate the answers received thusfar and look forward to any further insights anyone may have!
Thanks!

 

I'm going to save the aged Red and the. .50 50 sour for next time, or not. Have you tried the 50 50?

 

Yes we ARE like family, no doubt....

 

Yeah, my friend had 330ml size bottles of each, which we split. The Pale was the only one I thought worth the trouble of a repeat and I'd be perfectly happy to pass by the other two in the future. Seemed like the 50-50 had potential, but I figure the Pale is worth a review and a place of its own. Sort of like a good single malt. It could be used in blending to get some things into the blend, but since it shows so well on its own, what's the point...?

 

Good afternoon, BAs !!!! Wow, is it New Beer Sunday again already ?!? It's a breezy, overcast day here in the north Charlotte area of North Carolina, and I've just returned from a tasty but stuffy Mother's Day lunch at the 'country club' that my better half's parents belong to. I like the food, and happy to spend time with her and her family, but that is most definitely NOT my scene. If you've seen the movie "Caddyshack", then you get the general idea about this place. I had to make an immense effort to not start making Rodney Dangerfield-esque quips and observations at everything.

Anyway, this week's offering comes from the land of bratwurst, sauerkraut, and efficient engineering : Ayinger's Celebrator Doppelbock. Poured from a 330ml bottle into the only clean glass I had that was remotely appropriate.




Appearance : True to the style, this is dark, yet still faintly transparent, with a 3/4" head with low carbonation and a small amount of lacing in the glass. (4.75)

Smell : What's German for 'roasty' ??? I get roasted, roasted, roasted malt goodness all day long, with just a twinge of coffee that has been sitting for too long on the coffeemaker. Absolutely no hop presence whatsoever. (4.5)

Taste : The logical continuation of the smell, with a deep and rich roasted malt flavor. There is a stylistically representative subtle immediate sweetness, but this moves to the side as a pleasant bitterness comes forth, not from hops, but rather from the aforementioned burnt coffee lingering in the undertow. The 6.7% abv is appropriate, and a couple notches below what I consider 'warming'. (4.75)

Feel : Smooth and rich, and a malt-lover's delight. Coats the mouth with the same bitterness that a good strong cup of black coffee would. (4.5)

Overall : Not a style I drink often, but of the doppelbocks I have had, this certainly ranks right up there with the best of them, and I'd definitely give this one a second (or third, or fourth...) try. Due to the 'heavier' nature of the the style, many people have called this a 'meal in a bottle' or whatever. Perhaps, but when I drank this, I just wanted to go make a very thick Black Forest ham and mustard on Pumpernickel sandwich and sit in the cellar and contemplate whether Frederick the Great's 1756 attack on Saxony was a military necessity or just political grandstanding. (4.75)

Total rating : (4.65)

'Musical' accompaniment : The 'What is best in life ?' response from Conan in 'Conan the Barbarian'.

Cheers, and Happy NBS !!!!!!!

 

There are 4 different beers in the mixed 6-pack. 3 Bottles of the Aged Pale, 1 each of the Red, Oud Bruin, and 50 50, which is a blend of the Pale and Red.

 

Happy New American Pale Wheat Ale Sunday!

Finally a new beer for me here in Utah. Low 50s, some sun. This is a pretty tasty brew, nice thirst quencher.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28908/171656/?ba=Wasatch

Cheers!

 

"Looks good on you, though."

 

"Now I know why tigers eat their young !"

 

Hey What's going on?!?

oh dear lord, my lawn is killing me... but at least it's done on this gorgeous hot day outside. My mom is probably not at home right now and still not back from her trip to England so there's no point giving her a ring. Still thanks to all the mother's out there, and remember... home brunch is better and less expensive I make the best French omelettes stuffed one with some crab meat today... oh god it was good.

SO...

Also thanks to @utopiajane for getting NBS started and in check for the weekend and all her hard work.

SO...

..

What's new for our hero today? Time to dig into some new goodies!!!?!?!?!

Hop, Drop 'n Roll - NoDa Brewing Company


NoDa Brewing - Hop Drop 'N Roll IPA by imbibehour, on Flickr


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

Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass. Canned April 21st 2015.

Deep golden orange body, fairly clear looking body, with slow rising carbonation. Head manages off tan and fluffy to creamy retention, standing about three fingers tall with pill like lacing, and island creamy top in the middle. Good looking IPA.

Nice mixed hop aroma. Hints of tropical orange and citrus, nice oily and zesty. A real smokey and weedy mix in the background as well with a hop angle. Juicy and smokey a real fun combination for a hop bouquet. Not particularly sweet or bitter either, very impressive.

Palate really sings and gets the basics just perfectly. Great hop forward front juiced angle. Hits of smoke and earth fruit, hints citrus to tropical with big juice filling palate. Washes real juicy on the finish, with a smoke pop finish and lots of earth pine action. Excellent hop play and balance, even some residual sweetness comes out so subtly on the finish as well.

Fantastic IPA, really well done, one that isn't overboard either but just keeps itself in check and control. Excellent brew.

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5 | BA Generated score: 4.43

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

well folks! Winding down and taking it easy, heading over to a friends house in a short hour so enjoy your new beers!

Cheers!

 

New American Barleywine Sunday!​

Good day to all,

It's mother's day so my brother and I will attempt to cook a nice dinner for our mum. The weather is nice but a little on the warm side. I was surprised to see this in the store when I was picking out some beer to give for mothers day, mum likes beer but she would be hard pressed to buy new beers on her own so it's a theme that my brother and I pick out some new stuff that she would like. It is actually a lot harder picking out beer for others to drink than it is to pick up something for yourself. Anyway have a great and to the weekend and treat your mothers right.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/287/126810/?ba=FatBoyGotSwagger

 

Greetings NBS friends! It's another very cool and wet day along the southern shore. It seems like a very appropriate time to review this winter leftover that I picked up while visiting Greenbush a couple of weeks ago. Taking Krampus 1 Winter Ale from Greenbush Brewing for a spin! Label states 91 IBU and 12.6% abv.

Pours a very dark brown with light tan foam that lingers around. A very lively beer.

Aroma is piney hops, raisin, some molasses, and a hint of spice. Perhaps nutmeg?

Flavor is very hop forward with a predominance of sticky pine, followed by malt sweetness. There is a bit of spice in here that I'm not putting my finger on. Smelled like nutmeg, but tastes a bit more like allspice maybe?

Mouthfeel is sticky from the piney hops and malt sweetness. There is a bitter bite in the finish.

The scoop? Winter/Christmas brews are hit or miss with me so I tread lightly and only bought a single. I don't remember the exact price, but it was on the higher side for a 12oz. bottle around five bucks. All said, this was a solid beer and something that I'll pursue in the future. It tastes more along the line of a heavy barleywine than a traditional winter ale, which was confirmed when I rated it after consuming. This may cellar very well because of the characteristics. My rating was a 4.27.

The sun is starting to peek out as I finished. Have a great week gang!

Edit: So happy we can jam again! Thanks......

 

"Hey everybody, we're all gonna get laid!"

OK- enough of that...

We're having a beautiful weekend for getting a lot of outdoor work done, so yesterday and today I made a ton of headway with the much-needed pressure washing. Last year my new machine tended to trip the breaker every 10 minutes or so, which resulted in a very frustrating day as I had to keep running into the house to re-set it. I obviously had to consider some other options during the off-season. I went with the one where the electricians simply installed a new 20A breaker. (The other option being having my older son sit by the electric panel with a walkie talkie, and reset the breaker as needed. He is a member in good standing of the United Brotherhood of Teenagers, and his stand-by rates are astronomical- so I think I made the right call here...)

Now I'm enjoying a nice IPA before I go through with my annual pretense of 'saving the lawn'. Then it's off to cook up a tasty prime rib dinner for Mother's Day.



I have here a very tasty treat from Big Muddy called Galaxy IPA. It's quite lively for a 7.5% beer- nicely floral and fruity, with tangerine, peaches and apricot chief among them. The finish is clean and inviting, with just the right ratio of residual sugars and bitterness. I can see this making a very nice substitute for Two Hearted cans when I can't get up to NY. I'm hesitant to grade this without having had it in a glass, but I'm digging it enough to give it a solid 4 (A-)

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, and everyone else have a great Sunday!

 

Good afternoon all and happy mother's day as well!

First new beer for today is the Starr Hill King of Hops.


Starts off nice enough looking with a nose of onion, grain and alcohol. Tastes similar to nose but add a touch of grass with a alcoholy finish. Very thin this one. Not incredibly impressed.