New Beer Sunday (week 553)

Good afternoon to all the NBS faithful from sunny central NH. Thanks to Dave for getting us started this morning and glad to see a post from Maria as I was missing her posts this week on WBAYDN. This is the weekend I tend to seek refuge at home as it is the weekend of the Nascar chase here in NH. No I'm not a Nascar fan but I don't mind staying out of the way for this weekend for the huge amount of capital all the fans bring to the state. I did circumnavigate to the coast yesterday to visit a couple of breweries but ended up with only one due to the crowd for the UNH Football game which eliminated a trip to Deciduous Brewing in Newmarket. But did get to Dover and garrison City Beerworks and this is where my new beer for this Sunday comes from. Since I have been lounging at home today I loaded the smoker early with turkey thighs, a small pork butt, and a nice chunk of beef brisket.

Now on to the beer side of things for now.
My new beer this Sunday is Plexus an American IPA from Garrison City Beerworks

This beer pours a rich golden color into my Garrison City tulip glass. Nice and clear, what appears to be some floaties are actually reflections of leaves from behind the glass.
As I stepped away after the pour to take the picture the nose of the wonderful IPA reached me from 4 feet away. Lots of mango and other citrusy aromas an when brought closer you pick up the earthy overtones.
The taste also brings out the flavor of mangos but this is a great hoppy pine resin finish in the beer. Smooth is the word I have to add in the way this beer drinks.
The mouthfeel is smooth with great carbonation.
This is a great American IPA with all the right components I only hope when there canning line is up and running that this is one of the first beers they put in a can, or I should say a 16oz can.
The smoker is doing great in the yard for now. I'll be back later with another beer and some pictures of the trinity I have going in the smoker.

 

Sounds really good @DoctorZombies . Loved reading about the beer and Deep Creek. You Sir, are a solid BA for pointing a spotlight in their direction and putting them "on the map" for the many people who know next to nothing about the burgeoning scene in New Zealand.

 

Hey what's going on?!?

Doing well... no major complaints... I tihnk??? just give me some time rright...???

Pretty good weekend, I was actually up at SweetShine distillery in West Virginia just outside of Charles Town. Some neat stuff there... also managed to stock up a bit on the week with some new beer goodies.. THat's always good... cause every day.. is new beer day... all the time... anytime...

I smoked a really great whole spatchcocked chicken a few days ago... still think about that tasty bird. Then there was the ratatouille I slaved over too... Still got some good leftovers of that also...

But now I am thirsty... so what is new for our hero today??!?

Grunion Pale Ale - Ballast Point Brewing Company


Ballast Point Brewing Company - Grunion Pale Ale by imbibehour, on Flickr

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Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass. Bottle dating, not decipherable, it's a pale ale, don't care… I want it off we go.

A deep light copper and very pale amber color, hints to faint orange peach and almost dark apricot yellow. Quite clear nice rising carbonation. Fluffy to creamy topped head, and a good nearly three fingers tall on the creation and pour. Settles with no lacing and a simple vertical cap and top.

Great tropical and citrus hop aroma comes off. Hints at a little bit of pine and mint herbailty but also a nice juicy orange and citrus quality. Mildly zesty aromas as well. Nicely balanced a bit of mild grain sweetness as well, perhaps a touch of honey like qualities too.

Palate seems to make for a great pale West coast playground with a twist. Big tingles in the front tongue and slightly wet, but flavors of good solid classic hops come bursting out. Lighter tones of orange and peppery mint like spice jump on the palate at first sip. Aftertaste has great aromatics almost like a breath mint. Good bready malt backbone, nearly dense but going for a much lighter easier drinking feel in the palate.

A great tasting pale ale with some classic West coast roots.

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Cheers!

 

I'm sad to hear about another brewery passing. One of my favorites from the early days was Mogollon Brewing, in Flagstaff, AZ. I used to plan trips to northern AZ just to stock up on their hit their pub, and stock up on bottles to bring back to friends and family.

 

My second NB of this Sunday is one I picked up out of curiosity to see if an everyday BA'd stout could match the more coveted oned.

Goodwood Barrel Aged Stout



As you can see, the appearance is pleasant. Big time head, big time color.

Nose has some coffee, faint oak and a little toasty malt.

Taste is immediately bitter with dark chocolate, coffee and a little smoky. Finishes with that oak that was in the nose, plus the very, very faintest of alcohol.

I would be good with "barrel aged" but they actually say aged in bourbon barrels. Not getting any bourbon. It's not a bad stout at all, but the lack poor bourbon is disappointing.

 

Second day of Pope-apolooza here in Pennsylvania, so decided to crack open this Trappist-inspired PA beer.

Presents hazy orange-gold color with thick white head.

Sweet smelling with apricot, a touch of white pepper and powdery yeast. Medium bodied and creamy. Sweet, fruity flavor up front, but quite dry and yeasty on the backend. Very yeast-forward, even for within the style, but pretty well done. I definitely like it.

Would have liked a bit more pepper to balance out the sweetness and yeast. May try blending it with Tripel Karmeleit one day.

 

And on to the next!!

OB IPA - Oskar Blues Grill & Brew


Oskar Blues Brewing - Oskar Blues IPA by imbibehour, on Flickr

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Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass, dated August 27th 2015. A NU START!!!

Crystal clear, and beaming body color. Bright but also very fine and pale gold, fourteen carat I call it, with real nice rising carbonation coming up in the middle. Soapy but huge and controlled four finger head. Creates and foams and fine shampoo like cap and pill big bubbled lacing. Really impressed by the lightness and aggressiveness of this beer.

What an interesting nose. Light small like icing sugar, and a floral and big perfume whaffing sense on the aroma. Slightly hinting tangerine a bit creeping out in the back as well with just a bit of juice. Real exciting, subtle tones, I like where this is going.

Palate takes a little simpler and almost back seat approach. Session Ipa like feel with a bit of wetness. Very slow and creeping flavors in the mid palate. The bulk of the great quality is on the finish, matching much of the perceived aromas. Juiced finish of orange, light crisp airy malt sweetness, and this warm light astringent perfume bitterness.

The beer is just missing a little bit of edge, even for the basic American IPA realm, but it's wonderfully made and very memorable. Delicious stuff.

look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25 | BA score: 4.26

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Real nice job on this one, just seemed like I was coming up to something really special before first sip though.

 

Pile-o-Dirt Porter from Crow Peak Brewing Co. in Spearfish So. Dakota. A buddy brought this back from vacation. This beer is just about what I expect from an American Porter, malty, roasty, full mouth feel and a nice dry finish. This brew is not as good as Anchor Porter or Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter but it's very nice beer.

 

Saints look pretty damned good. It's a big rivalry.

 

Hello fellow NBS-ers! It's good to be back after missing last Sundays installment. Today's been a fine day thus far, I woke up early & got in some quiet reading while the GF slept in. Later we ran a few errands & now I'm enjoying my 1st of hopefully a couple new beers that I'll be looking to post here today. It's been great reading everyone's new brew reviews today - & of course I'm happy to make my modest contribution. First up:

Alesmith - Evil Dead Red Ale

I know, this pic does nothing for the color. I'd been waiting for an appropriate brew to use with the Gorey Dracula theater, this just seemed right.

First, some BA stuff:

A: 3.75, S: 3.5, T: 4.25, M: 3.75, O: 3.75, BA says: 3.89

My official review:

22oz bomber into my Duvel tulip.

A: Pours a clear deep amber/mahogany, with more blood red notes revealing themselves when held up to bright artificial light. Foamy 1" just-off-white head recedes at a moderate pace. Lacing & especially retention are above-average. I'd likely have given this a 4 if I found the color to be more appealing.

S: Very malty. Light brown sugar & dense multigrain bread seem to be the main components. There is a noticeable but underwhelming hop note characterized primarily by citrus rind. Whatever bitterness that is present is buried underneath a generally sweetish overall effect.

T: Comes on with impressive lemony hop-bitterness & traces of white pepper. This lasts well into the mid palate, which reveals a much more balanced take on the multigrain bread note from the nose. There's more of a piney counterpoint that begins to show itself leading into the finish - it's an interesting & well-executed evolution. The finish itself is somewhat mild - striking a mellow balance between citrusy hops & off-sweet breadiness. A bit of what I'd call raw honey seems to linger for a moment.

M: Just-above-moderate carb married to a somewhat dense, very soapy body. It's appropriately substantial given the flavors here. Maybe a bit dull.

O: There are probably more aspects here that I dislike rather than like, but the concentrated & clever progression of flavors is enough for me to say that I think I like this brew.

So, I have multiple scruples with this brew starting with the uninviting color & going all the way through the overly-soapy feel. But man, Alesmith really hit the nail on the head in terms of packing flavor into this beer. I don't mean deep, dense layers of flavor as much as a logical, unified vision for the flavors that it does feature. The progression of citrus to pine, punctuated in the middle by mild malt is absolutely brilliant...at least to me. It's like the malt works as a filter of sorts, preparing the palate, maybe whetting it a bit. This, in & of itself, is such an impressive feat that I find myself forgetting about all of the other perceived shortcomings here.

Anywho, thus concludes my first submission for the day :-)

Wishing you all good beer & good cheer!

 

Tasted that at my local bottle shop the other day - I'm in 100% agreement, I mean, where's the Bourbon?

 

Rainy New Beer Sunday #1

Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest:



3.88/5 rDev -1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

This Märzen pours to a briefly-lived, slightly pebbly medium off-white head on a singularly dusky medium-amber body, which is clear and slightly sparkling. The nose is expectedly moderate in intensity: bready malt and apples with a slight noble hops spiciness. On the palate, it presents itself as a well-balanced blend of spicy hops and lightly-toasted bready malt, with hints of apples and green grapes. The finish is sweetish bready malt and hints of alcohol, followed by a mild spicy hop bitterness that lingers until the next sip. Mouthfeel is medium, and the texture is smooth and creamy with a moderate pepperiness from the fizzy carbonation.

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OldManMetal, A moment ago Edit Delete

 

If you see the Engineer's Reserve around, definitely try it. So damn good!

 

Greetings fellow NBSers! A combination of work, lack of convenient internet connections, hanging out with friends, and a certain level of laziness has kept from posting much over the summer. Now that my busy season is winding down, I hope to be back with you more regularly.

Spent my weekend sitting with my nephew Gunner, and we've taken many walks. He's getting a bit older, and we can't do the 3+ hour walks we used to, but we had a pleasant hour in Cornwall Park this morning. Folks were setting extra poles for a disc golf tourney, and there were a couple other pooches to help team up on the squirrels. It was chilly at 7am, but it's now clear, sunny and warming up here in the Fourth Corner, and we'll take another walk after the NASCAR race.

I've got a couple new brews lined up, and the first is an impulse buy: AC/DC Beer! http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2891/86372/ . Way back in the olden times (Fall 1978) I saw AC/DC with Bon Scott) as the opener in a 3 band show. Thin Lizzy (with Phil Lynott) was up second, and the headliners were Blue Oyster Cult, complete with a full on Laser show. For the outrageous day-of-show ticket price of $7.50. Woulda been a buck less had we bought tickets in advance.

 

Good afternoon my fellow NBSer's. Let me start but saying this is my fave thread on BA by far. Cheers.
Yesterday I decided to take a ride down to Kane Brewing. I'd never been before but I kept hearing good things so I headed south yesterday. Took me about an hour to get there and was well worth it. I tried many brews and was not disappointed in any and was blown away by several. Being in Jersey I've had their Head High and Hop head IPA's and they were great as usual. But then I tried 2 I have not had before that were simply amazing. Deep Rooted was the first. I can't tell you much about this brew as it was recommended by my bro who went up and brought me one back one and just said " try this ". Cheers Mark. It poured a gorgeous deep - deep red color and was SO flavorful with extremely complex taste throughout. Blown away once. Then I tried their Driftline - a dark oatmeal stout. Blown away again. I brought home 3 growlers ( Head High as well as these 2 ) and just popped the Driftline. All I can say is wow. Pours dark but not pitch black, some lightness to it. Great foamy head. Wonderful aroma. But the taste. Smokey, toasty - just so much going on. I could go on but the bottom line is while I still love Carton and some other NJ Breweries Kane is clearly number # 1 for me now. I almost don't want to post this as I'd like to keep it our secret but I know my fellow beer heads are savvy enough to find such amazing brews. I won't even mention Sunday Brunch - which sadly I missed out on - but I've heard enough about it and after my experience this weekend I realized that the craft beer world will know Kane Brewing very well - very soon.

 

Good Afternoon fellow NBS-ers and second week in a row I'm gonna try something new from Alltech's Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co.
Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel

Was really disappointed with last week's offering from Allltech, so let's see how it goes...
Poured from a 12 oz.bottle into a Cuvee tulip glass no bottled on or best by date visible on the label or bottle., thin
Golden orange body with a finger's worth of head; dissipated quickly.
Smells promising! Pumpkin pie spices, bourbon, vanilla, burnt sugar.
First sip...very nice! Vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel, plenty of bourbon and oak, maybe even a little marshmallow.
Feel is nice light; plenty of spice and bourbon to it; just not a heavy beer. No hint of the 10% abv at all, with such a light body feel this drinks really easy.
Overall, this is a tasty beer; the bourbon barrel added a nice extra hit of vanilla and flavor to the pumpkin spices.
3.94 / 5.00 rDev +4.2%

 

NBS Patriots edition! Beautifully blue and clear day here north of Boston, low 70 and crisp. After enjoying a Oktoberfest yesterday with the family, I am now ready to turn the leaf and start enjoying Fall beers (see what I did there..leaf...). Funny story, brought the 4.5 mo old with us yesterday, they had a Oom pah band playing music. She enjoyed it, but got scared when they did the ziggy zaggy toast! Had to laugh that with all the noise, it was that that got her upset!
Anyways, today am watching the NE Patriots play some football and am hoping Brady has another epic day as am starting him on Fantasy football this week. To enjoy the broadcast, am having Boulevard's Funky Pumpkin. Smell is all the normal suspects in a pumpkin beer: cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and pumpkin. However the taste does not follow at all. The sourness, I feel, washes a lot of that spice flavor away and you're left with a candied pumpkin sort of taste with just a hint of spice backbone. Wouldn't have picked this up on my own (it was part of a beer of the month club) so am glad tried it without investing in more then one.
Happy NBS, and enjoy the Red Moon tonight!!!
Cheers

 

Probably the same bottle shop you got your first post from? I stopped in the day before the tasting and grabbed your review beer. Might have to see if the cards play out for me to try it today. I'll be interested in comparing notes, as always. Cheers, my friend!

 

You know me so well :-)
If you do get around to pouring yours today, I'll definitely be excited to compare notes!