New Beer Sunday (week 544)

Getting a late start on NBS this week, but better late than never...

I was super excited to have found a couple bottles of this year's Wootstout at the local shop this week, so it makes a natural choice for today. I had the 1.0 version on draft, and have a bottle in the cellar thanks to a friend that I would like to crack soon as a comparison. I never saw the 2.0 version, but did snag a glass that I'm using tonight.

I really am enjoying this one quite a bit. Nice chocolate and pecans on the nose, and a fudge brownie or hot chocolate like feel on the palate. Makes for an excellent after dinner sipper. I only wish there was a little more bitter roasted malts to offset the sweetness somewhat.





http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/179418/?ba=richj1970

 

4 New!
4 Summer beers where a surprising, reasonable priced east coast brewer - Otter Creek - keeps pace with Firestone Walker

Backseat Berner - Otter Creek Brewing
4.12/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Otter Creek may be Vermont's best brewer.
A: Bright peach cloudy body with yeast floating, a large thick white head, and a persistent lacing.
S: Abundant - notes of grapefruit, hop oil, fruit.
T: Follows nose, but w peppery, citrusy sweetness on the back.
M: Medium carbonation, good mouth feel, hoppy bitterness, prickly hops.
O: Best priced IPA ever?
Otter Creek Fresh Slice - Otter Creek
4.05/5 rDev +8.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Lovely style, which I feel as a signature need not match people's expections of a White PA or IPA. It's just good and fresh and clean, fun.
A: Cloudy golden hue with big, bright white head, that lasts and laces.
S: Puts Blue Moon or anything like it to shame, and this is up there with Ithaca and any other orange inspired ale. Aroma of ample citrus fruit, orange/clementine/mandarin oranges with a bit of spice, wheat and sharp, herbal hops. As it warms gets better, feels like cointreau and orange oil.
T: Follows smell. Flavor of citrus peel/pith, with sharp herbal hoppy accents and lean, dry spice. A lot going on, will be great with seafood and better as she warms. Tonight with Tomatoes/sausage/pepper/onions.
F: Light to medium bodied natural carbonation, finishes a bit rough, like real fresh squeezed orange/clementine w oils from the peel.
Brewmaster Mike gives us a real, original treat here. Oily, bitter, authentic... I like this kind of extremism as evidenced by east coast brewers like Carton and Dogfish.
Over Easy - Otter Creek Brewing
3.99/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
The only ding on Otter Creek is for not distributing in cans. great east coast brewers. This is their session apa. I'm fan of the style, with Dales being my #1 go-to beer.
A -On looks it's up there with the best. Pours a crisp, hazy apricot color with a foamy head that leaves lots of lacing.
S - The scent is best part: pungent and crisp, w floral, grassy notes mixed w lemon and citrus marmalade on white cracker bread.
T - Follows the smell with ample hops through the entire arc, but refreshing and not bitter of pine, citrus and flowers. Citra hops on top of malt, crisp and crackery - like a Pils. The finale is peppery and bitter to the right degree.
M - The mouthfeel is crisp and light, prosecco like.
O - Upbeat summer session. Crisp and light. Had to upgrade it the more I enjoyed it
Pivo Pils - Firestone Walker
3.99/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Love this brewer, which has joined with Duvel, and is getting bigger. Difficult for me to give a Pils a 4 but this is close.
A: Behold a pale straw colored draft. White head is long lasting, but only a bit of lace.
S: Happy, bright, bready and biscuity, like salted crackers. Spicey, grassy hops in background.
T: Happy, bright, bready and biscuity like the aroma with hops adding a refreshing tingle. Lemon, slight citrus and modest bitterness. Grassy, lemon citrus and herbal hop. A great pils.
F: Medium bodied, well carbonated brew that is crisp and refreshing. Must try in summer. A great beer.
O: Is this best summer pils?

 

First NBS post after months of simply observing! Pulled this one from the cellar this evening to pair with the heat of the mid-summer!



Overall a great look and mouthfeel on this one, scent and flavor not quite as high. A little soy sauce and lower than expected barrel presence. This is my second BBA milk stout and am starting to believe the lactose is not the best for barrels. Anyone have these experiences?

P.S. Big respect to @WesMantooth for the great VT brew post, along with the Benito's chipotle syrup! Those guys make some amazing stuff and glad you're giving it a shot!

 

Greetings All! Checking in from the Great Northwest and winding down a week of vacation. A little trailer trip to the Cascades, some golf, grilling and some beer geekery. A good week indeed!

Yesterday I got a growler fill (a Tap-A-Draft actually) of Lasso IPA.
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/158/106007/

It's a decent well balance IPA, not over the top on bitter and citrus. I'll enjoy this for a couple of weeks.

So back to the salt mines tomorrow. First day back from vacation is usually wading through arm pit deep email. Oh joy!

Until next time

Happy Trails!

 

Welcome to NBS!

 

Good evening NBSers! After arriving back in Mankato at the completion of BeerTrek 2015 (a 3-day, 942-mile journey to Lagunitas in Chicago, Toppling Goliath, and Surly), I submit this for your review .....





4.42/5 rDev +27.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 7/22/15, this is uber fresh.

Look: amber, cloudy yumminess, with 2+ fingers of off-white head.

Smell: WE WANT DA FUNK - GOTTA HAVE DAT FUNK!!! Brett all over the nose, with hoppy goodness behind it,

Taste: the Brett hits immediately. Some clove and banana, and then the hops join the party - and take it to the end.

Feel: not overly carbed, as some Brett beverages tend to be. Effervescent without making your nose wanna jump off your face.

Overall: the reviews for this are all over the board, but I absolutely LOVED it. Lotsa Brett, lotsa hops. Very well executed by Three Floyd's.

 

Haymaker IPA from Mankato Brewery. High bitterness with this one. I taste more malt than hops. I have a feeling this one will grow on me more as I get through the six pack.

 

I drank some tonight and picked up more Pecan on the aroma versus the flavor...still killed my share. I couldn't tell you it was 13% ABV though.

 

Got a couple coming and by your review I'm guessing I'll be a big fan!

 

What's up nbs players. Another beauty of a day here on the island. Humid and hazy but a bit to breezy for the beach. Hoping for some much needed rain before another heat wave takes hold later this week. Lazy Sundays are always a welcome.

My new beer is another offering from Olde Hickory Brewing, thanks to @rgordon. It's their imperial stout.

The pour is slick black with a mocha head. Smell is average with tones of malt and chocolate. The initial sip yields a rich, smooth, and robust ale. The malt and chocolates notes carry over from the nose with a touch of smoke. The smoothness is really impressive and the honey, although subtle, really adds a nice sweetness to it. I barely notice the 10%.

Overall, a very solid stout worthy of its ba score. I'm in the mid/low 4's.

Took the second pour outside,

 

Now I can add a legit new beer...

Kind of a crappy weather day here in paradise. Semi-humid, partly cloudy, a sprinkle or two. Just blah...

Spent the afternoon making smoked chicken legs and found the broken part on the hot tub. Took friends of ours to the LHBS yesterday to get started on the path to damnation. They are committed, setting up in the basement.to our surprise, they stop by tonight just before dinner with lobsters and quahogs. Sounds like a pah-tay, but they couldn't stay. So the metric ton of smoked chicken legs get the cold shoulder...can you say upgrade?

From the basil jungle:



This is Harpoon' collaboration Nordic Saison. It is 6.5%, brewed with heather, yarrow, honey, rose hips, cranberry. The conspirators were Anders Kissemeyer and Will Meyers (CBC) along with Jaime Schier of Harpoon. Played a small part in this beer...hooked Harpoon up with our ingredients group to get some cranberries...lets just say it was VERY short notice! I had previously helped Mr. Schier with a technical problem with Big Squeeze, so we fortunately knew each other, making it easy to help and put the right folks in touch. Short notice? Like OMG Anders is showing up tomorrow and he wants cranberries short...

Pours as you see it. A bit cloudy, golden. Head was about a finger, did not linger. The aroma...hmmm...sweet malt and honey, fruity, phenolic. I have no idea what yarrow smells or tastes like. A bit of floral presence presumably from the heather. The taste for me lead with the honey, followed by a phenolic bite and a bit of acidity that identifies the cranberry for me. If I didn't know it was in there, might not puck it out until the aftertaste where the taste dries and the cranberry phenolic a and acid linger. The beer seems a tad bit creamy for a saison. I don't get the typical spice notes and no banana, which I don't mind. I find the overall taste agreeable and the beer is a good, smooth drinker. There's a lot in there, but it doesn't seem muddled and no one component dominates.

Overall I am digging this brew and am glad I picked up more than one. I believe we paid $6.99, definitely less than ten bucks. I've spent more and enjoyed less.

Keep up the stellar work. Peach and raspberry pie was just handed to me...hoo-rah!

 

That beer certainly looks good. Care to tell us more about it? The name, aromas and flavors. Can't wait to hear what you have to say!

 

Three beers for NBS may be a record for me, but I've been back logged with a number of new beers that have been begging to be reviewed. Finishing my day with Wheatermelon from Oddside Ales that I picked up in a Michigan mix six a while back.



Pours a very clear straw color with no foam. Aroma of watermelon rind. Flavor is very much like a watermelon candy with a hint of sourness in the finish. It has a kolsch like quality to it and is a very refreshing beer on a rather humid day. I would definitely add this to my summer rotation.

Have a great week gang, I'm finished!

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22564/97913/?ba=Prager62

 

New Beer and New Style Sunday: Leinenkugels Big Eddy Nektar (a Braggott)

Evenin NBSers with special greetings to those explorers of esoteric styles.

Well the weather here today was on a slight upward ramp towards an upcoming heat wave for this area. Clear and sunny but with gradually increasing humidity and warmer temperatures. We got back home from the family birthday party about 5:30 and in time for a reasonable dinner. The boy being celebrated was suitably impressed with both all the Legos and all the books he got, plus his older brother had a new Scout Camp purchased pocket knife to show off and had made a leather carry pouch to keep it in when he goes on his next camping trip.

This evening's new beer is my first try at a Braggott and given how sweet this thing is I'll probably not be buying many more or many different ones. If I want a sweet after dinner sipping drink I'll go for a sweet sherry or some Drambuie.

As usual my review appears here (and is subject to change until I've finished the beer):

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/710/155757/?ba=drtth

Originally I was debating whether this beer would be my new beer for today or whether I'd have the Weyerbacher Tarte Nouveau. At the end of the day the choice was determined by the fact that the heat wave has not yet begun so I'm more willing and able to deal with the warming effects of a high ABV Braggott this evening than during the anticipated heat wave since this one defintely has a warming effect . Plus the Tarte sounds ideal for a heat wave evening.

As for music, once again I've been exploring some borrowed vinyl and CDs and listening to some nice stuff by Ella Fitzgerald. In that collection appears the perfect song for what will be coming up. (Well sort of perfect, at least its about a heat wave ).




Cheers, all!

 

We thought it was pretty delicious. The lulo is a milder citrus fruit so it was more of a background note. Poured a cloudy golden color. Had a nice citrus aroma. Was very smooth to drink and had a hoppy, citrusy taste with a mild background flavor we associated with the lulo. Overall pretty good, not amazing but still very enjoyable

 

Ahh my bad,
Lulo Galactico Fantistico
By: 5 Rabbit

 

nirvado looks good

 

Hard to imagine but might be worth trying

 

Cool can!