New Beer Sunday (week 546)

Hands down, one of the top 5 IPAs, probably top 3. Sooooo juicy and hoppy. Its like eating an orange with the rind, with hop cones for seeds.

 

Happy Sunday everyone!

After helping my Dad rip out a very dead hibiscus with very persistent roots in godawful humidity, I made a quick trip to Total Wine to get my fix of 4Beans. Glad I went, as they only received a total of 4 in their shipment. I also snatched up some Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest and Hop Hunter, and all three of those might be fair game for later on today.

However to start with, I'm going with my first beer from that OG out west: Anchor Porter.


My full review can be seen here. I found the flavor to be quite fantastic and it brought the beer from quite good to pretty damn delicious (I have a very technically precise scale...). The carbonation threw me off a bit at first, but as that started to settle, all the different flavor notes came out and I liked the beer more and more. It's a little sweeter than the other porters I've had before, but that sits well with me today.

Cheers everyone!

 

So funny... my first bottle of this beer was pretty damn flat. My second bottle was better, but the carbonation didn't scream for attention (per my thresholds) like it seemed to for you. You may be right on cellaring, but the potential for inconsistency is at least mildly interesting to me.

 

Good NBS afternoon, all!

My new beer for the day is Stone Pale Ale 2.0. Didn't have high expectations since I don't much care for Ruination 2.0. But I do like the new Pale!

This beer pours a clear burnt orange (so you Longhorns fans take note!). The color is darker than I'd expect for a light refreshing pale. Some hop bitterness and a bit of citrus on the nose, but nothing overwhelming.

The bottle says to expect some mandarin in the taste, and I get a bit of it in the first few sips, less so as I make my way through the glass. But what I mainly get is bitter. This is a dry, crisp, and bitter brew, almost like a very good pilsner, but with a slightly heavier mouthfeel. Maybe it's the German hops (and malt?) but this beer tastes more like a very good lager than an ale - none of that tinge of sweetness I expect at the place where the ale yeast meets malt. Bitter and dry, yet still quite refreshing.

I do like this beer and want it in my fridge on a hot afternoon. Cheers!

 

New Beer Experiment Sunday...

So I decided to double-down today... on Smutty nose AND amber beer. This is the first beer I ever "cellared". I was so "beer young" and not really sure what I was doing, really. For instance, the second beer I started aging was Stone RuinTen - b/c it was high ABV and I liked it. I gained new information and yanked that out and drank it with about 6 months on it - it was a learning experience.

As I expect this to be, Smuttnose Scotch Ale (Big Beer Series):


I had little expectations from this. I have been unsure if it was a good beer to age, but I never knew it wasn't. And it is 8.9% supposedly. I also have not seen it in about 2 years, although it's not retired on this site. The most recent reviews are on cellared bottles - so I am feeling better about it.

The pour started with some nice off-white head in the first pour. My second pour was a bit lighter, but with a lot less head. I thought I was noticing some sediment (and close inspection shows some floaties), but I think it was in my mind, there is still some clarity through the deep rusty brown color.



The nose to me is actually a bit Belgian quad like, with dark fruit notes and maybe even some cherry. Quite nice, actually (if curious for the a Scotch Ale). The taste does fall more into the style, however. It actually reminds me ever so briefly of my first NBS post today, an amber ale like start. Then I get a muted version of the fruit notes from the smell, backed by a peat and earthy taste that I think may contain some smokey notes, but so faint that it may only be b/c the label says so. About halfway through, a woody dryness builds up on my tongue, although the body on this is medium at best.

Quite surprised with this one. Very enjoyable beer and the aging didn't ruin the beer (not going to rate it officially). I know I had this before I cellared it, but I don't think I was even on BA at that point (probably about 2-3 months before I pulled the trigger on signing up based on limited facts). I can't wait to try some of the beers in the cellar I am aging with more knowledge and forethought.

Cheers all!

 

New Beer Style #85








3.72/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a very deep, opaque, ruby/mahogany brown. Very thick, light brown head that is surprisingly frothy. A very nice film. Incredible retention, and leaves significant lacing.

Smells sour, but not overly so. Funky Belgian yeast. Fermented apples and cherries. Kind of musty.

Initial tartness/sourness subsides and I taste cherries, or some sort of dark fruit. Maybe red grapes too. The yeast starts to come through, but is not real prominent. A little bit of apple juice and some wood. More sourness in the end along with my least favorite part, a slightly metallic and bitter aftertaste. Almost like an asprin on your tongue. I don't find it to be overly sour, which I like. It doesn't mask all of the flavors.

Nice body. Slightly prickly

I was enjoying this one a lot until the bad aftertaste. Not sure if this is common. This is not my first sour, but I have not had many, and this is my first in the Old Bruin style. I am definitely interested in trying more. Just not at this price though. $4.75 for a single.

 

Today's choice:


The Alchemist - Focal Banger

We've got a great beer here, plain and simple. Pours slightly hazy and orange, almost glowing. Just barely off white head comes up easy and stays around, sticks to the side as you drink it. Super fruity and hoppy nose, I could smell this beer all day. Flavor is citrusy and a bit piney, malt is there but it props up the hops, doesn't take away or distract at all. Mouthfeel is slightly dry but oily goodness coats the inside of your mouth.

Great beer, I'd seek it out if you have the chance, happy to be able to try this one thanks to @PA-Michigander!

 

My new one this Sunday.




Not a huge fan. A bit too sweet for me. At 10% I need a little more balance. I am sure that is not what they were going for so it is more my problem than the beers.

 

Back for another new beer and the conclusion of my planetary exploration. Traveling to Bell's Neptune today with a laundry list of ingredients, an abv. of 9.0%, and a bottling date of 07/09/15. Lift off.....

Pours a dark reddish brown color with a finger of tan foam that quickly dissipates. The aroma is spice heavy, followed by molasses, anise, and licorice notes. Flavor is molasses forward, followed by a punch of anise and heavy black pepper. The feel is mostly lingering heat from the black pepper.



All said it's been a fun trip. There's been some winners, but this isn't one in my opinion. A little too much anise and black pepper make it too messy for me. I bought a six pack and I'll be passing a couple along to friends while putting a couple away for science.

My drinking buddy Payton joining me on the patio for NBS.



Hope everyone is enjoying their new beer exploits today. Here's the link to my review.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/287/181519/?ba=Prager62

 

Thanks. It's my bomber and 750 glass. I can drink them in 1 pour. And all in all it's not a bad glass.

 

Woo Hoo. Go Vikes. Look forward to the weekly bomber review.

 

It's been a few years (and, I didn't go look at my review) but I remember liking this quite a bit. Kinda always been in the back of my mind to get another.

 

New American Blonde Ale Sunday (week 546)

Howdy to all my fellow NBS'ers from on the ridge in Mid Hud Val NY. Super busy day at work, super amount of crazy running around to keep the flow of customers moving in and out. Thirsty work for sure. Got at least 20 lb.'s of tomatoes as tips, along with homegrown garlic, cabbage, zucchini, yellow squash, and onions. I am a tomato fiend, and already have consumed three of them. My favorite way to eat them is with a fresh basil leaf with each bite. Wish you were here you could be sharing in the bounty. Was happy to leave a bunch of goodness with Dan at my local bev shop.

This is an excellent beer, in a style that doesn't have any real parameters. I mean, think back to all the American Blonde Ales you have had and try to get a common denominator. I can't get one. This is another beer from Ommegang that uses its house yeast to great advantage. Very refreshing, simple, perhaps a bit overcarbed, with bright clean flavors and great appearance.

Hope you also have a Great American Beer in your glass. Cheers!

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/42/121975/?ba=cavedave



Nothing like some inspirational music when you are tired and thirsty.

 

Had to run errands this mourning so decided to hit up my favorite liquor store and ended up with a good haul, 6-pack of Union Craft Old Pro, 4-pack of Evolution Lot #6, Bomb!, and........Double Barrel Jesus!!!!! I was here great thing about it and was pissed I didn't get any last year, so I was excited when I was told they had a bottle in the back for me. It is amazing, highly recommend and goes great with the maple bacon donut I picked up this morning, cheers!

4.77/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

22 oz bottle poured into a teku

A- Pitch black with a two finger dark brown that matches the lettering of the bottle.

S- Bourbon, dark chocolate, fudge, oak, faint roasted coffee and malts, molasses, some smokiness.

T- Nailed it! Dark chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, fudge, roasted coffee, molasses, slightly smokiness, very well balanced.

M- Smooth, full body, no heat from the alcohol.

O- Very well done, taste is exactly what I want out of a bourbon barrel stout, nose reminds me of BCBS. Very easy to drink, worth every cent to the $25 price tag, I need more of this! (575 characters)

 

Greetings, fellow NBSers, and thanks to our hostess with the most'est, @utopiajane, for getting us off the ground,

It's currently 72 degrees and sporadically raining in the only city on I-90 between Seattle and Minneapolis with a Jamaican restaurant (how's that for arcane?). It's supposed to reach the high-80s today, but I'm not sure I believe it.

Here's the rundown of my new beer escapedes during the week:

Visited Bennedito's Brewpub, a recently opened local brewpub, for the first time, and found the quality to be pretty good. It's an offshoot of Bennedito's Pizza, a longtime local pizza place that's made a point of offering a regularly rotating roster of craft beers for as long as I can remember. The new brewpub has pretty much the same great food as it's older sibling, plus well-made beers made on the premises, with a head brewer from the early 90s brewscene in California. The only complaint is that the waitstaff doesn't know a whole lot about the beers. I was in a mood for hops, and had a single hop IPA (the server didn't know what that single hop was) and then their standard IPA, and both were very tasty. That, plus the pale ale they had on tap at the pizza place last week makes me think I'll be a regular imbiber of their beers.

Earlier in the week I picked up a local IPA brewed in Spokane Valley at the Growler Guys located about a 10 minute drive from my place: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27007/164237/?ba=woemad Pretty good stuff. If Twelve String was closer, or I made it out to the valley when they're open more often, I'd be a regular.

Today's assault on the liver was made possible by @LehighAce06 as part of NBS BIF #2. As a large proportion of what he sent me was fairly robust, plus a lot of hot summer weather in these parts, I've been able to spin things out a bit, but the end is getting fairly near for what's left of what he sent me. I initially planned to pair this up with the KBS he sent me, but I wound up drinking that last week. Consumed after a late breakfast of coffee and a hearty breakfast burrito, I barely got it done in time to still live up to it's name:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/392/89345/?ba=woemad

Great stuff. I was surprised at the flavor that kicked in about midway through the taste (like booze-infused chocolate covered cherries!), but not unhappy. Still, it's boozy brashness makes it slightly more work to drink than the KBS, but otherwise it was just about a dead heat, though this scored a little better in the looks department. Regardless, I'd be thrilled to have access to it on a regular basis.

 

Granted there was a week between them, but what'd you think of SMS vs KBS?

 

Been a while since I've been around these parts, not because I don't love NBS, but I've been traveling. NYC and upstate NY (I looked for @cavedave but didn't spot him), south central New Mexico, Austin, Texas, and then just back from Seattle. It's been a whirlwind.

During that time, I missed a pretty intense discussion about the new review requirements and change-up to the Top 250. I like the change for the most part but I think there is some room to give weight to hads (although I get frustrated with the tickers and the hype). The threads pretty good reading for about 7-8 pages before it devolves into a circle of the same points; for those that haven't read it: http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...-the-latest-updates-top-250-etc.315702/page-9

Anyhow, today I'm drinking De Garde's Citra Hose, which is an excellent gose and one of about 20 different ones I've had the opportunity to drink this summer. De Garde was getting a lot of mention as a brewery that has suffered due to the change away from ticks and it was nice to see my review got Citra Hose to 10 reviews and thus a BA score (it's 91 now).

Here are my thoughts:

4.29/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

750mL bottle poured into a tulip glass.

Golden liquid with a cloudy quality. Foamy head with some fizz to it, it slowly dissipates and leaves streaks of lacing. Trickling carbonation is visible in the body. Seems to have all the bases covered for a gose. 4.5

My, my, my. That dry-hopping really pops here. Grapefruit rind and funk and zest and pungent orange juice burst out of the glass. What I don't get much of, however, are the gose characteristics. Or at least initially. Trying hard, I find some salt and tartness. If I were to smell this blind I'd guess I was smelling a Brett IPA. Style-wise, I love this aroma, but as I expect a gose to smell, this doesn't quite deliver. In this regard I'm torn, but since I like the smell I'm going to give it a thumbs up. 4.25

Plenty of tart, lemony flavor on this. Zesty grapefruit lingers lightly and mingles with faint notes of salt that dry the beer out. The citra hops impart a lot of citrus character and tang throughout the beer for sure. Also, as I get deeper into the 750 (hell yeah, I'm taking this on solo. What? It's only 4 percent), I notice more of a sweet and wheaty characteristic. The finish mouth-puckering and dry. T- 4.25 M- 4.5

It took me a while to get around this beer, I guess mostly because the dry-hopping and hop presence in general was pretty new to me. But it was good. Damn good. Excellent really.

 

Greetings fellow NBSers! A mostly sunny day, with some high, puffy clouds, here in the Fourth Corner. We've had a great stretch of weather this summer, even though we are in a drought situation. Last week I mentioned what an awesome response I got from my fellow Hamsters, in regards to a fund-raiser I was helping with. Well, my NBS friends didn't want to be left out. I got 4 messages asking where to send donations of various types. Thank all of you. Y'all are just as much my friends as the people physically near me.

I received a surprise box from @garymuchow a couple weeks ago, and finally got the chance to dive in today. First up is a Blego-American Pale Ale. In general, I don't think the Belgian yeasts play well with big American hops. This beer didn't change my opinion, but I can see where a lot of folks would love this brew: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35769/176758/

I've got a couple more that I took notes on, and you'll be seeing me again shortly. Cheers!

 

4 Beans (4.4) is my new beer from 6 Points - it tops the list among these 5 other coffee stars (+1 bonus barley&milk red cream ale)

4Beans - Sixpoint Brewery
4.4/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I'll always get excited by a great coffee porter or stout. This one does not disappoint. Up there with the best including the odd ball Carton Regular Coffee.
A: Darkest brown/black; big mocha head with aggressive pour; abundant lacing. As it should be.
S: Acrid and smokey first, sweeted by vanilla backed by bittersweet chocolate and an ocean of coffee. Fairly deep roast coffee, with the right amount of bite and smoke.
T: Follows the nose, easy to tease out all the flavors;complex vanilla, semi-sweet chocolate and cold brew coffee in the finish. Backdrop of roasted malts with sugar. You get a balancc level of sweet, roast, smoke, and hop. Rich, complex, savory, charred. (but I like that).
F: Carbonation feels right, long finish, good last beer of the night. Chalky, mid-weight. Alcohol is well hidden.
O: Sixpoint nailed this beer and it might be the best coffee beer around.
Regular Coffee - Carton
4.33/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
Place: Carton Brewing, a great, busy hang in Jan, best beer pub atmosphere and crowd in Monmouth County.
A: Hazy pale amber, mostly clear, with cream ale look. Surprisingly light. Faint head but leaves sticky lacing.
S: Regular coffee nose (lotsa milk and 2 sugars). As reliable a nose as regular gasoline.
Liquor-ish. But with a sting, like a B&B.
T: I love beer in coffee and coffee with beer. The yin-yang. While it's like a regular coffee with cream and sugar, it's also beer with hops, malt, grass. Alcohol well hidden.
M: Great body. Smooth, creamy, felt like coffee, minimal carbonation.
O: Another great, original beer experience. A must try. Can become a classic.

Coffee & Cream Stout - Triumph
4.25

Kujo Imperial Coffee Stout - Flying Dog
4.16/5 rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Part of WFM craft pack, this is outstanding.
Suggest a big glass, let it warm, sip slowly. last of the night.
A: Pours black, with a thick finger of milk mocha head, fore bearer of the mocha flavor to come. Good amount of creamy bunching, lacing, and stickiness.
S: Aroma offers a latte coffee or mocha bouquet with a mix of chocolate, caramel, and green citrus.
T: Follows smell, with a more chocolatey, caramel front than most, almost too sweet, but really nothing to argue with. Assertive milky coffee is the finish. Beer finishes dry and burnt roasty, good feeling.
F: The mouthfeel is full bodied, creamy with full alcohol liquorish body and warmth.
Excellent bigger Coffee Stout, with a lot of mocha coffee, emphasis on chocolate. If that's your style, this is your stout.

Stone Coffee Milk Stout
3.77/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Nearly in league with Left Hand, stone nails this.
A -Thick, dense coffee head, that lasts and laces, over coffee body.
S - malt, roast, lactose.
T - Follows smell with more going on. Not too sweet, enjoyable, what more can you ask for in a commuter beer?
F - best part? Creamy enough, good long finish, a bitter chocolate landing, almost powdery. Almost a dry stout.
O - great available session stout "for the ride home".

And if not coffee, then barley & milk-inspired…
Wiscovation - Carton Brewing - 4.05
Red Ale - a favorite of mine, got me started with Red Tail Ale. Carton seems to have improved the formulation here as it pours at the brewer.... Going back for another. Definitely a food beer.
a - Pours a deep amber with an inch of creamy off white head, low carbonation, and ample lace.
s - Aromas of caramel malts, bready malts, toasted malts, toffee, stone fruits, and vanilla. Nice wine-like nose, the malt going to complement solid, original food.
t - Follows the smell with roasty, bready malts, more fruit, and light hops. Great original blend.
m - Medium to creamy body, low carbonation, smooth and top of the line mouth feel.
o - Red ale made for cuisine. Dreamy and creamy, going back for another.

 

Greetings from a beautiful sunny weekend here in northern NJ! I really needed to catch my breath this weekend, too, and thankfully the weather cooperated. Between extra work and family obligations, a lot of stuff around the house was getting pushed to the back burner lately. It's been a pleasure getting all of it done with the recent drop in temperatures.

Here's what I grabbed this week-


Epic Sour Apple Saison

Here's what I'm expecting: a beer that's more saison than cider, tart and refreshing.

Does it deliver? In short, hell yeah!. The apple is a nice complement to the spiciness and breadiness of the saison. It's quenchingly dry, easy to drink yet multi-faceted. If I concentrate on the apple then the fruitiness takes center stage; when I concentrate on the beer, it's all coriander, cloves, dried flowers and sourdough. Any fears that a cloying sweet apple/cider character would dominate have been easily put to rest.

I knew nothing of this beer when I saw it, but the concept in conjunction with an affordable price ($7.99, I think) convinced me to give it a try. I'm damn glad I did. I will be getting more of these before the summer is through; I just wish I had more for today. A- (4.25)

Enjoy your Sundays, everybody!