New Beer Sunday (week 536)

Another New American Barleywine Sunday
This is my first beer from Seventh Son in Columbus. I have read/heard many good things so I grabbed this during the winter. I regret choosing this one. Not just because it wasnt very good, but I don't like to review limited stuff here. At least not this limited, because it is not very useful to anyone else. Here it is though.



3.2/5 rDev -17.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

750 ML bottle (#344 of 500) into a Deschutes snifter.

Appearance is a beautiful copper orange to ruby red. Semi transparent. Look a little too light bodied for a Barleywine, but we will see. The thin off-white head dissipates into a ring around the glass. No lacing to speak of.

Aroma is pretty muted for me. Mostly sweet. Lots of citrus. Kind of a stale bread smell too.

Right off the bat you taste alcohol and zesty citrus. Very ripe and tart. Mouth puckering orange, grapefruit, lemon and lime... A touch of caramel and vanilla in there. Bitter and numbing aftertaste with a floral bouquet type of hop flavor.

Very, very drying. I feel like I need a Gatorade and a glass of chocolate milk to rehydrate. Carbonation is kind of high too.

Not only do I think this is a very mediocre American Barleywine, it is a very average beer in general. Flavors are all very flat. Disappointing.

 

Good evening NBS friends, and thanks to Maria for keeping us focused today. We spent the last few days in Vermont with our friends in the NEK. Great time at Parker Pie last night.
What a temperature shift, 82 deg yesterday, 40 this morning, 50 this afternoon, with some much needed precipitation.
On the way back to WMass we stopped at the ever wonderful Lost Nation brewery, amazing food!
And now for a New Keller/Pils Sunday! A nice mash up of styles, with a strong nod to the Pils tradition.

Cheers all
TPT Keller Pils

Lost Nation Brewing
Kellerbier / Zwickelbier / 4.80% ABV

3.85/5 rDev n/a | rAvg: 3.85
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

On draft at Lost nation, poured into a Pilsner glass.
A - Straw colored, hazy gold. Wonderful carbonation, topped off with a generous white froth. Lacing clings effortlessly all throughout.
S - Aromatic hops, some noble, some new world, jump out of the glass. Fresh spring aromas.
T - Fabulous treatment of the dry hopping, light lemon, floor malt backbone is not overwhelmed, simple and delicate.
F - A slightly thick lager, not out of line, that hazy look transfers to the feel, think of a "heavy Pils" but in the feel only.
O - A really nice stretch of styles here, hoppy pilsner/keller. light in touch but robust in body.
Very much enjoyed this, well done

 

Late entry today- I started out in 80 degree Pittsburgh and ended up in 50 degree Cleveland
Please tell me I'm not misreading this label- every time I look at it I see BlackBEARD not BlackHEART!! I know the middle three letters are the same but I can't be crazy...?!?
Either way, always nice to try a new FFF beer.

I appreciate the style and this is solid overall, just not to the same complexity/depth of their American pale ales.
It's got a nice hop/malt balance, but the hops aren't nearly as bold/distinct as they are in most of their beers. Still well-made and recommended, 4/5 final score

 

Not surprisingly, I also read it as "beard".

 

Figured I'd add one more beer today, another beer I've obtained from someone else. This one came from @richj1970 - Sierra Nevada's Barrel Aged Bigfoot.

This one looks nice, chestnut brown, hint of auburn, nice tan foamy head. Nose was hard to pick up much other than bourbon when cold. Warmth brings some of the wood (and/or woody hops), and some dark fruit. Taste is heavy on the bourbon barrel up front, whiskey, wood, vanilla. The alcohol stays to the end, which does finally show the base beer.


I appreciated but was not a huge fan of the regular Bigfoot, but I've only tried it young. I think this was a tad better, but maybe also could use some age.

Been a little warm here recently. Got to golf Thursday and made it to about hole 14 before I had to turn on automatic pilot. Definitely need to tighten up my game, as I shot in the high 80s. Also have 2 more weeks of softball (assuming no rainout Tuesday). Hopefully my calf is healed so I can stop playing tentatively, as I have the past two weeks. I do recall a day when my body healed more quickly (and injured less easily). *Sigh*- I need (to finish) a beer.

 

I believe all the New Glarus 750ml fruit beers are capped and waxed.

 

Greetings All:

Cheers from the great northwest where I am just finishing a brief "staycation" here on the ranch. I've played golf a couple of days, done a little light gardening and auto maintenance, grilling of course.

So today it is the Sister Imperial IPA. A very fruity and drinkable brew for the style.
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20680/72584/

Today the brew kettle was going. I had an unfortunate accident with a batch of beer yesterday. I chill the wort in a water bath (garden hose and cooler) I got distracted by a sprinkler and the kettle floated and overturned. Three hours of my life I'll never get back. Batches of beer are worse than kids. I've raised both. Turn your back for a second and something bad happens. ;-)

Tomorrow back to work, and looking forward to the next NBS.

Until next time,

Happy Trails!

 

Hey NBSers almost forgot it was Sunday. Not really but it is a work day for me and a day to plan the week and get organized. As my business grows I'll get busier on this day. So I was gonna skip this week but living with a variable case of OCD it kicked in so this Sunday habit took over. So to find a new beer? I usually seek this out during the week so off to the beer fridge to forage. Ah not totally a new beer since I've had both variants. So looks like its the base beer:
Jacks Abby Barrel Aged Framinghammer Baltic Porter.
And practicing with the Duvel Tulip
Pours a moonless night sky black with a nice coffee colored head that not surprisingly dissapates rather quickly.
On the nose bourbon smacks is you right in the kisser complimented by notes of coffee, chocolate, caramel, raisins and alcohol. Just a complex and wonderful aroma.
Taste follows:sweet chocolate,caramelized sugar (toffee) anise, dark fruits, coffee, dark cherries, oak and alcohol with a touch of hops to smooth out the sweetness. All these flavors sing in harmony while the flavor lingers on and on with each sip. Delicious.
Creamy with a dry finish and medium carbonation.
I am not a barrel aged fanatic but enjoy this style occasionally. Loved both variants but this was my favorite.
Unabashed BA flavor explosion. Jacks Abby never dissapoints.
And on those old plastic things that they used to put music on I recommend Hot Tuna's song Candyman with this one.
As always thanks for listening and have a great week!

 

Embarrassed to say this is my first time with this one. If it were in my distro I'd be looking for it regularly. Beautiful brown-ruby pour, strong bourbon aroma along with the expected vanilla and caramel notes. Taste is quite the same, bourbon is well integrated with the chocolate and marshmallow flavors of the base stout. Mouthfeel is my only minor criticism of this one. A bit thin for what I was expecting, but overall this is a great beer!

 

Hello, NBS BA's. Your humble servant ovaltine offers this review for your viewing pleasure .....



4.25/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Look: the classic West Coast IPA look - golden hues, two fingers+ of pure white head.

Smell: citrus all OVER the place. Grapefruit is really prevalent, but I get lemon and mango, too.

Taste: superbly fruity, the grapefruit smacks you upside the melon, but the lemon adds another dimension.

Feel: a little oily, but not too much.

Overall: a Chicago brewer offering a world-class West Coast IPA - perfect. I love Half Acre's Daisy Cutter (a world-class APA), and this magnificent beverage is every bit Daisy Cutter's equal. I do not type that lightly.

 

Hopefully we aren't seeing a "Single White Female" thing here, are we?

 

Nice to see you here Matt. Good review too. Thanks for putting this one on my radar. It's a new WANT.

 

We had a beautiful afternoon on Long Island today, watching a Ducks game at Bethpage Stadium, where I partook in many indulgences, including pulled pork and cheesesteaks, and some pretty nice Trout Town amber lager. I even have the sunburn to prove it. This was, incidentally, a well-deserved break from the last three weeks of solid work around the house getting it ready for a big party next weekend. At the moment, though, I am back at work on assembling a bunch of crafty gift items.

To help me through this task I have opened up a damn fine 'bonus' beer that I purchased at Total Wine yesterday while also picking up the beverages for next week's bash. Mmm, bonus beer.....



Great Divide's Colette has never shown up at my local haunts, so it seemed like a wonderful opportunity to acquaint myself with her. She's a stunner! The nose is complex and well-knit, but easy-going at the same time. Straw, dried orange peel, wildflowers, candied ginger, dried pineapple and apricots all show up in varying amounts. The palate is at first fruity and lush, before quickly drying out to a hit of spiciness and closing on a lingering toasty bitterness. It's also incredibly drinkable and tasty- and makes you want more. Excellent beer 4.4 (A).

 

Ha-I know, wondered who would get it.

 

We saw Rumble at Total Wine yesterday, which I don't think I've seen before. Had one yesterday and found it quite enjoyable. Liked a lot of the Great Divide beers I've had, however finding them fresh, when needed, can be an issue.

 

Got off work 45 minutes early today due to things being so slow, and used that spare time to stock up on a few things at the grocery store. Then came home, and... well, not much else left to do today now. I guess I could clean up some stuff around the house, but... nah, it's not that gross yet. XD

So instead I'm having the first bottle of this one from the Sierra Nevada summer pack, the last "new to me" beer in there since I already tried the Kolsch earlier this week. Apparently this is a year-round beer from them, from what I've heard on this site, but I have literally never seen it in stores around here (a lot like their Porter and Stout -- I know they exist, but finding a six-pack around here? not possible, apparently. The only Sierra Nevada beers I've seen in stores are Pale Ale, Torpedo, Nooner, and the seasonals.)



First thing I notice is that the smell is... a bit odd. Nicer once it's in the glass compared to just sniffing the freshly-opened bottle, but still hard to really describe exactly what I'm getting here. The only description I can really come up with is "yeasty weirdness." Of course, considering that "hefeweizen" basically translates to "yeastywheats" that probably isn't too unusual. XD

Looks dark yellow and very cloudy, as expected based on the one previous hefeweizen I've had and what I know about the style in general. One of the cloudiest beers I've seen -- definitely cannot read my phone through it, and the light from its screen only shows through well in the narrower part of the glass.

Taste is... actually really nice! Especially in comparison to the smell, which had my expectations a bit lower than they'd been before I opened the bottle -- pretty much completely different, even more so than I expected. And speaking of the smell, that seems to be improving a bit as I get around the halfway point of the glass. First it's fizzy and banana-y, then it's very, very wheaty, and then there's this interesting bit of spiciness that hangs around a bit after swallowing... sometimes joined by a bit of wheatiness and that banana-like flavor. I've seen at least one or two mentions on here of this having more hop presence than a hefeweizen is really supposed to, but I'm not noticing anything that immediately stands out as being hops-related to me... I suppose maybe the spiciness could have something to do with hops, but it doesn't seem like something that clashes with the rest or doesn't belong at least, and I'm not picking up on anything that seems like hop bitterness at all. It's certainly the least-hoppy Sierra Nevada beer I've had so far.

Noticed there was a bit more yeasty stuff in the bottom that I wasn't able to get to pour out the first time around, and poured it in... and now the beer smells a little gross. Whoops. I suppose you're supposed to pour that stuff in early on, or not at all... hard to guess which is "the right way." Well, after a little bit the gross smell has faded away, so I suppose I didn't really sabotage what's left of my beer doing that at least. Still tastes good, too. Maybe a bit more of the banana-like thing now than before? Not a drastic difference, just seems like that part might be just a little more noticeable than before I added more of the yeasty goop.

(EDIT: And I realize, only after finishing the beer, that the back label actually has instructions for how and when you're supposed to pour in the yeasty goop. Pour 2/3, then swirl around what's left to pick up the yeasty goop, and then pour that. The one time I don't read the label, it comes with directions -- whoops! Well, I've got two more bottles left to try that out and compare the results. XD)

Overall, this is pretty good. I think I prefer it over the Yuengling Summer Wheat, actually -- though that one does have some advantages too (like "barely costs over $7 for a six-pack" and "is actually available in six-packs in a store near me.")

 

Haha, thanks Roguer! I've been both an Opeth fan, and a beer drinker for years. Somehow the two happened to meet yesterday, I reckon. Cheers!