New Beer Sunday (week 545)

Sorry for your loss. My next one is in memory of Uncle Jack.

 

Thanks kindly. I'll join you.
Jack was a special man. Drank long from the cup of life.

 

My first post here on NBS mainly because I lurked a couple of Sundays before finding out what it was meant for. As some of you may, or may not know, I'm a South Louisiana boy up in the New England area for a few months due to work. I must say, I've blasted my pallet with a lot of the fabulous IPAs up here so today I decided to break away from that for my maiden voyage down NBS.

Today I am trying Hazy Day, a Belgian Wit, from Grey Sail Brewing out of Westerly, RI. My review puts it at a 3.62 where the rAVG was 3.58. Not to repeat my review, but some quality notes about this one that I liked was that it didn't try to pull any punches. The style was executed nicely and falls into the category of a definite revisit because of it being a nice, easy summer sipper.

 

Happy New Farmhouse Ale Beer Sunday!

This will be my last NBS post here from Utah (Hell Hole For Beer). Went out for a nice hike, around upper 80s, sunny/slightly cloudy, here in Northern Utah. Was surprised that something new showed up in the SLS near me, but the store still sucks when it comes to getting something new (but personally, I would not drive up to say, ... CO to get some nice brews, long drive) WY another story, closer, but know where near the selection as CO. Nice little brew today, but would not buy it again. Next time, for me NBS will be coming from CO. I have a bunch of new brews, hopefully I can keep them for a few NBS, but probably not, we'll see.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/172124/?ba=Wasatch

Cheers!

 

It's 97 outside here in the Brazos Valley as I join the party, but the heat index is only 96 ... woo-hoo! Ten degrees cooler than normal. Might need to break out the winter clothes.

It's hot. And I'm getting old. Ten years ago I dove headfirst into the furnace every day for golf; now I hide indoors until midnight, when it finally cools off to 85. I hate August.

But on to the good stuff and New Oklahoma Beer Sunday:



Another saison mixed up by Prairie Artisan, this one claiming to have both cascade and citra hops and a little sea salt. And in good Belgain fashion, this one comes out of the bottle almost in foam form. Without giving it my hard pour, here's the bubbles this sucker stacks up:



Brett C. Ale is not overly sour or tart; in fact, that salt and hop mix shows up in the flavor, and while that mix tames the sweetness, it also gives it an earthy salty flavor that's nice. I miss the sweetness, but I'm enjoying the balance. And I love the fact that it has no spice flavor whatsoever. At least half of the American-made saisons I try have some kind of all-spice or clove flavor, some even coriander, and I don't like those notes. For me, they get in the way of the grainy wheat and yeast tartness and trick up any malt sweetness.

I'm not a fan of the cost, about $10 for the 16.9 ounces. I generally don't mind paying whatever for the good beer, but as much as I like Prairie Artisan, their 60-70 cents per ounce asking price for every single thing they make is starting to beat me up. So this will be my last farmhouse ale from the good brewers in Oklahoma ... I'm not a big enough fan of the style to spend my beer money on it. I'll stick to their yummy stouts, which are much more worth it to me.

DEBRIS NOTE -- Chalk me up as a big "NAY!" in the great debate on whether or not to decant the yeast/sediment/debris from the bottom of the bottle into your glass. I gave this one two pours and loved the misty but debris-free look and mouthfeel of the first pour. I screwed up on the second pour and drained everything into my glass, and the massive amount of sediment has ruined the look (obvious) AND the mouthfeel ... it's a soft mushy mess now compared to the fantastic tight, full, crisp mouthfeel off the first pour.

The review:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30356/177384/?ba=Premo88
3.67 (-13.6% rDev)

Cheers!

 

Thirsty Dog Brewing Siberian Night Imperial Stout
Russian Imperial Stout - 9.7% ABV

12oz bottle poured into a snifter. Siberian Night pours a dark black color with a nice creamy tan colored head. The aroma is highlighted by dark roasted malts, bittersweet chocolate, and hints of espresso and a little smoke. The taste like the aroma is dark and roasty up front with some espresso and a moderate amount of sweetness sneaking in. The finish is bitter and features some warmth from the alcohol. The taste is perhaps a little on the boozy side when fresh. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Overall, Siberian Night is a fine imperial stout. I look forward to seeing how this one ages.

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
--- 3.91/5 ---

 

Cheers to your uncle, and best to the family.

 

I'm sorry to hear about your loss, my deepest condolences.

 

Welcome to NBS!

 

Since you enjoyed it, make sure to check out Door County Biere de Seigle Saison.

 

Good afternoon NBS! Decided to open this bottle of Brewers Series No. 1: American Sour Aged In Oak Barrels from Grand Teton Brewing today. Pours a nice hazy straw color, tart woody aroma. Taste is really nice and dry, sour, lactic, super refreshing on this hot summer afternoon as I listen to the Blue Angels flying over Lake Washington for our local summer festival, Seafair. Cheers!

 

I see this beer and it looks amazing. I look at the $10.99 price tag and just walk away...

 

Just had Brett C. Ale this week an enjoyed it. Cost is pretty steep though.

 

Happy New back to work brought home beer from my short vacation Sunday !
Thanks to @cavedave for starting things off beautifully.I live in a rural area now but my short vaca to the White Mountains always reminds me of how much I enjoy nature and the really the art that Mother Nature has provided us with. We saw many a beautiful river, Rock formation and mountain. Reminds me of how we all play a part in how to preserve this. I'm a conservationist, always have been. So please when you see people throw the bottle, the bag, the cigarette butt etc take the time to remind them: we only have one place to live. Let's keep it living. And thanks Dave for being part of what keeps this planet clean. It's hard work. So lets all try to recycle rather than just take the easy way out and toss.......
TO BEER!
WHITE BIRCH BREWING 6 ANNIVERSARY ALE Double Dry Hopped DIPA

Pours a hazy orange hued liquid with a 2 finger large bubble off- white frothy head.

Aroma is of tropical fruits: mango, pineapple, passion fruit. Citrus: Orange, lime. Some dankness and spicyness from the yeast.
Taste follows with tropical fruits, citrus, some yeast. Very little sweetness and some grassiness. Smooth hop bitterness.
Some heat from the alcohol shows. Not much in the way of malt presence.

Feel is dry and Bitter with easy drinking medium carbonation. Hops coat the tongue and linger in the dry finish.

Overall a hop lovers beer for sure. I was a little concerned about the yeast as I found itnnot in harmony on their Hop Session Ale. This was not the case in this beer. This one goes down nicely for a 9.5% DIPA. Along the style of the Big Boys in Maine/Vermont DIPAs. If you like that type grab this if you see it - you won't be let down.
And for NOVS I'm selecting a track from our friends north of the border The Guess Who who seemed to believe in the conservation of the land up north in Canada. Track: Undun. Peace to all and one again Thanks for listening!

P

 

So, took care of Smaug, and had a massive lunch of clams, mussels, and shrimp with pasta; fried flounder on the side.

Followed that up with a nice nap...

Gollum's up next...


Imperial pilsener seems like an oxymoron somehow...

Hazy deep gold under a finger or two of head; lots of lemony sugar right up front - notes of flowers and honeyed pale malts make their way throughout. Body is medium-thick, low carbonation; Imperial pilsener is so odd a category - there is very little about this beer that makes me think of pilsener - very DIPA-like - the maltiness and sugars went bigger than I was expecting, but a reasonable enough drink, perhaps for Hobbit fans to seek out...

Final pour...

Gollum Precious Pils


If yer counting heads...

 

Giving nbs a second try here after seeing the inspiring posts of others. Today I have scarlet night from a new local: demented brewing. Visited yesterday, felt the line up was pretty solid. I would recommend anyone in the area stop by. Scarlet night is a red ale appropriately titled given the local college team...I'm getting some nice biscuity sweet notes and roastyness with a hint of caramel. This one has the potential to be a fall mainstay next to my imaginary outdoor fireplace and potentially the imaginary indoor fireplace my townhouse lacks.
Should be just enough of this left to pair with our first ever smoked pork shoulder. My husband passed part 2 of an epic 3 part exam. The appropriate way to celebrate seemed to be relaxing, smoking meat and drinking some locals.

 

Good afternoon, my fellow NBS-ers! It is 6:00 local time here in sunny NOVA & I'm home from a pretty nice day out with the GF. We braved Tyson's Corner Mall & had some food/beer at TGI Friday's (now apparently just called Friday's) followed by going to see Trainwreck which was sort of funny - I think perhaps it's a bit over-hyped. I've taken a little time to get caught up here on NBS & WBAYDN, excellent brews & posts all-around (as always) & now I'm ready to share my new brew of the day with you all. On the docket today: SN Barrel-Aged Bigfoot Barleywine

This is the 2015 'expedition'

First, some BA stuff:

A: 4, S: 4.25, T: 4, M: 3.5, O: 4 - BA says: 4.01

My official review:

This is a review of the 2015 edition.

750ml corked & caged bottle into my Duvel tulip.

A: Pours a hazy deep-amber/brown that shows more interesting reddish characteristics when held up to direct light. A fairly vigorous pour yields 1" of just off-white head that definitely lingers. Retention & lacing are both above-average.

S: Deep pitted fruit characters immediately grabbed my attention. Fig & date are both present along with hints of brighter berry characteristics. The Bourbon aspect is very subtle here on the nose, but quite pleasant. Brown sugar & what I'd characterize as roasted toffee help to round things out. The overall tone of the nose is somewhat sweet but deeply layered & mesmerizing.

T: Very similar to the nose with the addition of a much stronger Bourbon note. It leads with semi-sweet chocolate, vanilla & a healthy dose of pitted fruits that were present on the nose. The mid palate is unmistakeably boozy & Bourbony without much additional development of flavor. The finish is rather bitter & a pleasant change of pace from anything else that this brew has shown up to this point. Additional new flavors present themselves in the finish, most notably walnut, almond & cinnamon. It's really quite good save for the slightly one-note doldrums of the mid palate.

M: Arguably overcarbed yet delicate. The body presents only a portion of large maltiness that I feel would really benefit this brew. It is quite rich yet in my opinion not dense enough. It finishes slick & actually a bit crisp.

O: This is a subtle & logical improvement on the standard SN Bigfoot. This brew produces a deeper nose & a larger swath of flavor characteristics. I'm really rather impressed.

So - I'd definitely say this brew was a winner for me. Despite a few issues that I can easily chalk up to personal preference, I can safely say that this is a stellar Barleywine that has genuinely been improved by it's Bourbon barrel aging.

It is, as always, a pleasure to read all of your new beer reviews & it's been my pleasure to share my thoughts on this new-to-me brew with all of you today

Wishing you all good beer & good cheer on this new beer Sunday!

 

What do you do when the temp hits 90 for only the third time this year? For starters we went to the water center, for 3 hours... Now I am relaxing in front of a fan with a great warm weather beer and watching the radar for severe t-storms.

I found this lonely bottle all forgotten in the store cooler. I did the store and myself a favor and bought it back in June. Rueuze starts off with a tart and sour aroma. Fresh lemon juice, green plum, and sour grapes. Funk is light and there is a slight woody character.

I take a sip and am greeted with a huge bright tartness that is bordering on sour. Lemons. green plum, and sour grapes. I detect faint funk and some wood, even a bit of vanilla. Light crisp finish with mouth puckering sourness. Carbonation is perfect and the finish is slightly dry.

An enjoyable Gueuze style that is readily available from The Bruery. Cheers!

 

This is epic. Good luck slaying Mr. Bolg!!