New Beer Sunday (week 536)

Sorta makes me ISO. Maybe I can find a hobo who has upgraded from CL.

 

Your best bet could be the frat-sorority mixers at WWU - I think that's the demo being targeted.

 

Second appearance today on NBS. I wanted to tell you about Free State Dirty Kanza 200 -- a kolsch style ale.

This beer pays homage to the 200 mile bicycle race through the Flint Hills in east-central Kansas. For all of you folks who think Kansas is flat --you are very wrong. It's not quite Colorado-esque in beauty, but I appreciate the Flint Hills every time I drive through on my way to Kansas City.

In the background you'll see my pumpkin plants growing -- they have not been pollinated so it seems we will not have any actual gourds again this year. We always try.

The beer:

A clear golden colored body with a frothy white head. Light spotty lacing after recession.

The aroma is malty up front with an undeniable spiciness. I could not find out what kind of hops are used in this but the white pepper spiciness is dominant.

The beer tastes like it smells with a subtle cardboard graininess up front followed by peppery, spicy hops. The finish is very tangy.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, I think this beer hovers close to 6% ABV upon my research, nothing confirmed though.

It's okay. I rated it 3.92 which is 0% rDev. I love it when I nail the rDev rating. I won't buy it again but I rarely buy most beers twice. The sad fact of a beer wanderer. Cheers again. I'm off to do some yard work and enjoy this grey, 70 degree Kansas day without rain ... Finally.

 

Ha! We had a stash of Wild Blue at the cabin that we used as juice with breakfast in the morning. Never thought it was that bad for what it was, but "it" was also never "beer". Thank goodness there are now coffee stouts more widely available for us to have with breakfast .

 

Happy NBS! Well, after busting ass cutting down a tree and digging up the stump (let's be real, it wasn't exactly a red wood) by myself, I thought this would be the perfect time to try Neshaminy Creek Trauger Pilsner for the first time. I've really been enjoying Neshaminy's beers lately.



Even though I was sweating like a pig and thirsty as can be, I took a little time to check out its appearance. Pretty light yellow, cloudy with lots of carbonation. Slightly sweet, bready aroma. Not great at describing lagers but anyway, tastes of sweet bread, a bit of sharpness with a slight hop bite. Very refreshing at any rate. To those who don't care for session IPAs, this is a tasty low ABV (not technically a session beer at 4.8%) session(able) beer. Enjoy your Sunday people!

 

This brew pours a 50% transparent straw color with a minimal head; although some of it does last as a collar until the end. Lots of carbonation and even some lacing.

The smell is like straw and wet grass with some lemon. There are some peppery hops in there too. Cracker like and crisp.

The taste is surprisingly crisp and cracker like. Sweet malts and straw. There is a very slight caramel malt backbone and the peppery hop finish is surprisingly lager like.

I don't normally drink Kolsch but I will visit this one again. Good for hanging out outside on a hot summer day.

 

So NBSers, I've taken a bit of a hiatus from actually rating and submitting reviews on the site. (I know, shame on me). Call it laziness, call it a busy work schedule, call it what you will. Sometimes I just want to sit down and enjoy a great beer without thinking about it too much. After all isn't that what this is all about.

Well I was wrong. I was on vacation in Texas last week and so was blissfully absent from last weeks postings. I had a change in heart the week before upon a visit to Half Acre to get some Galactic Double Daisy Cutter. I suddenly felt the urge to tell everyone I know how awesome that beer was. Unfortunately that is not my beer for today. (I wish I had more)

Today's beer marks my return to submitting ratings and reviews to more than just the NBS crowd.

Today's offering: Coffee Dino S'mores from Off Color Brewing.


Pours a pitch black color with a very slight mocha colored head. The head doesn't stick around at all. Even with a vigorous swirl of my glass the head doesn't come back much. 3.75/5

Smell is intense on the vanilla and coffee. Roasty, creamy chocolate is present as well but more faint. Slight graham cracker sweetness as the beer warms. Coffee comes out as the beer warms as well. 4.25/5

The taste has faint coffee, but heavy on the sweet marshmallowy vanilla and bitter chocolate. The beer becomes sweeter the longer it lingers on the palate. Smokiness become present. Not intense, just slight enough to be noticeable after a nice big sip. Coffee becomes more present the more I drink, but it's by no means heavy on the coffee. I had some intelligentsia yesterday in Chicago. I was impressed by how subtle the flavors were in the coffee, and I can draw similar conclusions here. The coffee isn't intense, but is subtle and complex. 4.25/5

Mouthfeel is honestly a little light. For an imperial stout I would expect something with a little more oomph. 3.5/5

Great beer, slightly sweet. My only reserve is how light is is on the mouthfeel. 4/5

Overall 4.1/5 -3.5%

 

Good afternoon all,

So, so many NB's on this S that I hardly know where to begin!

Let's go with something we should never have to worry about on a Sunday, Gridlock! This is a colab IPL from Mad Fox and Duclaw



Hazy pure golden yellowness with a fine looking white foamy head and proper lacing.

Nose is a little muted but what I do get is reminiscent of spicy noble hops, which is exactly what it tastes like until it gives way to a little pine.

This really is a great tasting beer!

Edit* I missed the whole IPL thing somehow but NOW I get it!

 

Here I is, with mines! 4.9% alcohol. 35 IBU. Brewed in Colorado.

2.35/5 rDev -38.6%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.25

Pinner Throwback IPA has a relatively thin, off-white head, a mostly clear, slightly bubbly, golden appearance, with minimal-to-no lacing left behind. The aroma is of sharp, citrusy, hop resin and maybe some white bread. The flavor is of the same thing, with low-level bitterness. Mouthfeel is thin, and Pinner Throwback IPA finishes mostly dry and rather dull. I found it inferior to Miller High Life, if that's telling you anything.

RJT

 

Hola NBS. Today my new beer comes courtesy of a trade, thanks to @IggyWH. It's Crooked Stave Petite Sour Boysenberry.

It comes in a delightful rich-pink shade which I love; it really advertises "this stuff has berries in it!", which is always a good thing for me. The aroma's a bit on the mild side, but the tartness and light fruity character really play together well. It's amazingly refreshing, which is perfect on a hot summer day like today.

Overall I gave it a 3.97, which is a little under average for this beer, but it's still a delight to drink.



Cheers all!

 

Wild Blue lol... yeah it's for someone that wants a more expensive alternative to Boone's Farm

 

If you take away the "beer" and the "blueberry" aspect, I agree. I have had worse stuff actually.

If it were not for NBS, I would probably never have reviewed any. I still just do ratings for a majority of what I drink (only 162 reviews out of 699) for the reason you mentioned. I do feel like I owe something back though since I have utilized this site as a valuable resource for several years. Now I just need to start throwing out a few for Best Buy and Amazon occassionally!

 

they have it at Walmart here lol

 

Good rant. No worries. It sucks when some of are efforts are disregarded by those who should have a' "How can I help?" attitude. Keep fighting the good fight @Ozzylizard .

 

New American Barleywine Sunday
I regret not trying to take a good picture of this one since it was a very pretty beer.


3.6/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured out of a 2/13 dated can that appears to be 8 to 10 oz. Doesn't say anywhere, but my New Belgium snifter has a 16 oz. line (technically .47l so not quite) and it seems to be about halfway??

Anyway, it is a beautiful looking deep reddish -orange/ copper/mahogany color. Murky with a significant off white to tan head that stays around the entire time as a film toward the end.

This thing does not smell good at all. Astringent alcohol, sour, musty.

Tastes much better than it smells. Some orange and pineapple sweet and sour up front, followed by candied sugar, bread, caramel, some dark sour fruit, and green hops and alcohol at the end.

Medium body. Pretty drying.

Probably not fair to review a 2 1/2 year old American Barleywine from a can, so I took that into consideration with my scores. As in I thought it smelled worse and was more like a 3.5 on taste. Still decent hop profile, but it just drinks pretty boozy and a little harsh at times. I have been a fan of many of 21st's beers, but I dont think I will seek this one out again.

I see fellow NBS Ba's @puboflyons and @utopiajane had a similar experience with this one, so I feel pretty good about it.

 

Agree this is a nice interpretation of the style, clean enough to let the hops come through, but not so overpowering that it tastes like hop tea. Had it in bottle and at Mad Fox on tap, and both versions were enjoyable, but apparently I didn't review it. Need to grab another at some point to rectify that situation.

 

Back with my first beer actually consumed today, Doublecross from Crux, which I picked up in Kennewick, WA, back in March. I figured at 11% abv, it could sit a bit. Maybe I was wrong, although it seems it's not a universally hailed beer regardless:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29415/92524/?ba=woemad

Promising aroma and flavors that seemed compromised by a bit of diacetyl and way too much heaviness for a Belgian-inspired beer, this was a struggle to finish even with a 12.7oz(?!) bottle. If in a bomber, I'd have probably had no recourse but to drainpour a portion of it.

 

Classic PIC.

 

New DIPA Sunday,

Greetings NBSer's,
A truly lovely late spring day in SCMN. Still only in the 50's, but sunny with a light breeze. Perfect for getting things done, of which I am in the middle of doing. Yesterday was graduation party day for children of several buddies and today is work day.
Thanks to @beertunes for taking on NBS BIF #2. Great fun it is to be a part of that. And, of course, thanks to our hostess today, @utopiajane, for managing the only forum I attend regularly.
A semi-local brew today - our neighbors to the east, but this town probably gets most of it's media from the TC area, and I'm sure they market heavy there too.
I liked this DIPA more than most others, largely because it hits the marks I like for style and still held a uniqueness that I found pleasing.
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/9877/113586/?ba=garymuchow#navigation

I hope you find a beer to enjoy as much as the one I discovered today.
Best to all
(And thanks again to @larryi86 for a great glass, that I received as part of NBS BIF #1)

 

The more I tip this one back, the more I fear I'll have to visit this one quite often. It's indeed tasty as hell!