New Beer Sunday (week 544)

I really dig the glass.

 

Glad to hear you liked that one. Beers like this are really hit or miss for most people. I like some coconut stuff, but far from in love with it. While prominent for sure, I found this one to be very balanced and easy drinking. Cheers to your friend and good health.

 

Christian Moerlein Barbarossa, Dark Lager. My wife brought a 6 pack home from Ohio.
This is one nice looking beer, deep reddish brown with a thick tan head. A hint of caramel in the aroma. It tastes good malty and a bit sweet yet it has a slight bitter finish. A very refreshing brew. Wish I had more of it

 

Getting caught up now - had some cleaning to do, had lunch, watched Lost...

Onto new IPA number 3 now...

Moving from local beers to upstate NY - from Cooperstown, Ommegang's Nirvana IPA...

Golden body, just about clear, big off-white head, some lace race down the glass. Fruity and juicy - full of citric and tropical impressions - bitterness is moderate; feel is medium weight, very smooth, just a little tingle... little bit of stick on the finish... Hopped with Bravo, Simcoe, Centennial, Topaz, and Mosaic; dry-hopped with Centennial, Citra, Simcoe and Amarillo...

 

Running errands and luckily got to drive by Brewster NYs DeCicco's so getting to enjoy a new beer: Grimm Gradient on draft as I take a break before walking over to home depot. Its not overly sour, little carbonation, tasty berry flavor

 

Hey NBS'ers! Bright and sunny here in Texas. Perfect pool weather, so that's where I'm headed. Thought I'd offer you guys this beforehand.

Glad I bought two of these, as I was quite pleasantly surprised (rating here, http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/423/45541/):


And once this is polished off (sharing it, of course), taking these out to the pool for some lighter drinking. Not a new beer - so no rating to come

 

This should be mandatory for all cans

 

Here I am with new beer #2 for today (as instructed ), but first just a small observation about gardening. Ever since switching to mostly growing in containers I have learned that the plants will tell you where they are happiest. I can take the seedlings from a 4-pack starter, and place them in the same soil, same pot, same feeding and watering schedule, everything except where they sit; the happiest ones make it very plain. Right now I have some very happy eggplant and banana pepper plants-

And between them is the 14th Star Tribute IPA that I am enjoying at the moment. This must be a happy place indeed, because I am feeling it very deeply myself. Dayum- it's everything you'd want in an IPA- fruity up the wazoo, lots of apricot, mango, tangerine, pineapple, grapefruit, backed with a slight amount of evergreen for balance. The mouthfeel is soft and moderately full, with a solid whack of bitterness and citrus pith that comes on late and sets you up for another sip. I'm loving it- another solid A for me today (4.65).

 

A very warm and humid day in Minneapolis, dew points in the high 60's temps at around 90 call for a brew from Fair State located in North Minneapolis the brew is called Pahlay'Ahlay its an all Citra Pale Ale
A- pours a cloudy straw orange color with a very white head
S-dank aroma's of mango and papaya with citrus and malts
T-follows the nose nice tropical hops
M-medium carbonation with a lingering hop finish that makes you want some more
O-a great single hop PA its <5% quite flavorful and really hits the spot 2day

 

A good Sunday to all of our fearless participants on NBS today, and of course our beloved hostess, @utopiajane. She does more before 8 am than a lot of people do all day, and her presence among our ranks makes us almost seem like we have culture, as a group

I am posting what I drank early this morning but no post in WBAYDN since I'm not drinking it now.

DESCHUTES PINEDROPS IPA
BEND, OR
6.5 abv

APPEARANCE - 4.25
Yellow-gold in color, this looks like a fairly light IPA, and has a lot of head, but not much lacing.
SMELL - 3.75
The aroma is not very overt or noticeable, but what you can detect is a little of the pine flavor with some fruit, and malt.
TASTE - 3.5
The pine is there, and it's tasty, but,this ain't no paint stripping pine bomb. Some faint fruit flavors with the signature Deshutes malt backbone. A little hoppy as well.
MOUTHFEEL - 4.0
Ok for the lightness of this IPA. Lots of carbonation, but not too thin, or watery.

In Summary, I looked for a single since I wanted to buy a sixer of fresh squeezed but could not find one, so I pulled the trigger on this. It's Deshutes, so I know it will be decent, but there are several year round shelf IPAs I prefer over this one, and I wish I had 5 more bottles of Fresh Squeezed instead of this, but I will gulp them down with no problem.

FINAL RATING - 3.875

 

New SARA Sunday here in the cool, damp, North East. Not complaining after spending the last week in hot, humid, stormy Tulsa OK for work.

First time with a belgian blonde quad as well.



Pours a beautiful amber/blood orange with a slight haze. Light white head that dissipates into a nice ring. Initial smell is of cherries, apple, slight funk, and oak. I also get a slight spiciness as it warms. In the taste I get funk and tart green apple up front. Still get some cherry and oak along with a slight hint of belgian yeast. The mouth feel is appropriately dry. You can't taste/feel the 10%. Good tartness/sourness that buildup in the back of your mouth like sour patch kids would.

Overall this is yet another solid offering from SARA and I would not hesitate in recommending this brew to anyone.

 

Totally agree as it lets the aroma out to be enjoyed. Great vessel when getting the best beer experience outdoors minus the glass. As stated, I'm glad I poured some in a glass for the review. This beer was brilliant in color.

 

New German Pilsener Sunday (week 544)

Greetings fellow NBSers from on the ridge in Mid Hud Val NY. Crazy day at work as folks rushed to make it under the gun to take advantage of our town's cleanup month. I busted ass in the rain at first, sweating in my poncho, and finally in shorts and white tee, trying to cover all the bases between paper and cardboard, one end of the facility, and e-waste, the other end. We filled 40 yarders today with amazing quickness. I watched a stand of trees added to the manufacturing stream without need to cut any of them down. To all those who take moments to care for our Mother, thanks.

Haven't showered yet, more pressing need is liquid refreshment, and this baby is hitting the spot. A friend saw me at my local and asked what happened, as I was (am) covered in sweat and grime looking a bit hangdog. I told him, and he grabbed me this, which I have never tried before. Isn't it something to walk by beers for years and then try them and kick yourself for not buying it sooner? Hope you have a Great American Beer in your glass. Cheers!

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1315/8555/?ba=cavedave



Nostalgic for Mr. Kupferberg, a bigger influence in my lyrics writing than I ought to admit. Enjoy.

 

just wanted to tell you about my little friend here from three floyds, it is a double IPA, wow, pours dense orange with a BIG mouthfeel,you can smell the yeast, and the hops, so good, I recommend it to you BA's out there, happy beer sunday, thanks utopia jane and cheers!

 

Nice. I love that music. Procol Harum was a big piece of my musical snobbery back in the day. The music persists. I love that cadence that Trower evokes like breathing itself. Whiter Shade of Pale still gives me chills, and I have no idea what the song was about. (well, maybe a few)

 

I'm back for one more review before I settle into battle mode for the day. A friend brought me back a bottle of Saugatuck Brewing Serrano pepper ale from a recent beercation to Michigan. It has a bottle date of 03/11/15 with an abv. of 6.8%.

A brilliant looking beer that smells like Serrano peppers. It tastes pretty much the same with a hint of earthiness and a mint like finish. The bottom line for me is it's too damn spicy. The best beers I've had with peppers thus far have been stouts that use the flavor as an accompaniment to the base beer rather than being the center stage ingredient. It is as advertised I guess, but I'm off to my next beer or perhaps some antacid.



Enjoy the rest of your NBS, I'm off to WBAYD in a bit to empty some familiar bottles. Have a great week!

Edit: I would love to try using this beer in some chili or marinades in the future.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/11814/84532/?ba=Prager62

 

Afternoon everyone! I cracked open Terrapin French Toasted Coffee Stout. Started out rough when my wife and I had to tag team this annoying double wax job, thanks Terrapin!

Smell Maple syrup, coffee, little bit of booze

Taste Coffee, dark chocolate, hint of cinnamon.

This is a pretty drinkable beer at 10% and a solid beer, however I am kinda disapointed in it. Maybe it's the natural flavor added

 

Well hey there, NBS-ers! Truly a fine thread so far today & a fine Sunday overall to boot! I am (as always) delighted to be here sharing my thoughts on a new brew, reading intently about your thoughts on respective new brews & generally enjoying the company of our little tribe! :-)

My new beer this Sunday is Sweetwater Happy Ending Imperial Stout:

A bit of an aggressive pour yielded that mondo head & man did it stick around!

First, some BA stuff:

A: 4, S: 4.25, T: 4, M: 3.75, O: 4, BA says: 4.04

My official review:

12oz bottle into a tulip.

A: Pours a truly opaque, dense-looking black with 1 1/2" khaki head that recedes at a laid-back pace. Retention is good, lacing is stellar.

S: Incredible! Semi-sweet chocolate comes up to engulf the olfactory senses, followed by toasty almond & hazelnut notes. Little hints of candied fruit (cherry, raspberry) are swimming underneath, with just a subtle warm booze note to cap things off. The fruit & booze come more into play as it warms. I could smell this all day!

T: Leads in with chocolate covered cherry suggestive of an underripe sweetness. Mid palate comes into focus with roasty black coffee notes & just a touch of the hazelnut from the nose. It finishes with a brilliant bitter counterpoint, chocolate & more significant booziness. It's deep & beguiling, yet thoroughly drinkable.

M: Low-to-moderate carb married to a rich, creamy, yet somewhat light malt body. There's a slightly unpleasant chalkiness that lingers.

O: My first dark beer from Sweetwater & truly a pleasant surprise. I'd long thought of them as mostly Lager & APA/IPA specialists, but this stellar brew has completely changed my tune.

I feel in my heart of hearts that it's rare for me to come across an Imperial Stout that rates so highly across-the-board for me. I also went into this brew with some preconceived notions about what Sweetwater was capable of doing well. So, for this to be as enjoyable as it is has proven to be a thorough delight.

Wishing each & every one of you good beer & good cheer!

 

I'm not sure what it is, but I want pancakes.

 

Poured on draft at the Oregon Brewer's Festival - this wonderful brew from the Netherlands is made with organic honey and pilsner malt grist. It pours a golden hue with a thin white head and some lazy lacing. The nose is eatery and the taste follows suit. Quite hoppy, but you can definitely taste the sweetness of the honey, bruised fruits abound. Wonderful beer enjoyed at a fantastic event.

Happy Sunday, fellow geeks!