New Beer Sunday (week 554)

"And @smakawhat leaps out of his corner, lands blow after blow..." Great start by our hero.

 

Cheers everyone and thanks @smakawhat for getting us going today. Happy new Beer Sunday.

Everyone is familiar with the glamorous national beer competitions like GABF but did you know that the bjcp provides judging for competitions on much smaller levels. My friend Ken Carman asked me to steward for the Old Forge Big Beer and Odd Ales Competition because he was without anyone to do it at the last minute. You need at least two judges and one must be bjcp certified. But you can also serve with some kind of credential or even as a novice like me. Ken had around 40 entries spread out over a wide area so he did lots of driving and decided to stagger the judging. When Ithaca's Bandwagon brewpub offered to help out I was sure in luck! I got out my guidelines and my flashlight and I put on my blue suede shoes.

Our first stop was Marcy New York and the Nail Creek Pub and Brewery where I learned what stewarding was all about and got to team up with Brent Blanchard (bjcp) and Mike McNamara ( representing the Nail). We started by passing out papers. You do need a flashlight, a pencil and a copy of the guidelines you are using. We used 2008 but 2015 was on hand. The first thing that Ken told me was use the guidelines and remark on everything. Don't just focus on defects. Be as thorough as possible. The other big part of the reason for judging is to offer suggestions as to what may improve the beer not just say that this or that is wrong. The scores between the two judges had to be within 5 points and discussion ensues. Our flights were pretty big and and all high gravity beer. The Odd portion of the competition was a great feature. We had beer that used acorn, heather tips, mugwort, bourbon barrel, coffee, strawberry, roasted fig; and some of the more usual suspects like corriander, orange peel and brett. It was raining, and dark but we had a great time and got the chance to meet each other and sample some wonderful beer.



The next day it was in Ithaca and we met up with the head brewer of Bandwagon Mike Kulha who is going to be taking the bjcp exam himself. We did 8 to 10 beers at each sitting. It was my job as the steward to keep the tasting blind. To make sure that the paperwork was complete and accurate, to keep the bottles organized and put caps back on. You would never want to screw up an entry number. I enjoyed both sides of the experience. We had possible Best of Show at both sessions. Those were forwarded and the next stop for Ken was Old Forge.




I want to thank Ken for giving me a ride everywhere and without whom none of this would have been possible.Cheers to Ken! And cheers to all the people I saw and met along the way!

This beer is not from the competition. Here is Three Heads Giant Panda .






Happy New DIPA Sunday

Nose is tropical pineapple, earthy, some sugar, catty dankness and tart citrus. It's hazy orange yellow. Sticky head of foam and I have to admit that when I saw this beer I was actually enticed. Clingy head, rich looking colors, soft golden glow and a pungent nose.

All that nose carried straight onto the palate. Clear definition of a firm hop presence on a very persuasive malt. Dry with lots of citrus flavor. A surprising tartness for how dry it drinks and how firm the malt is. Distinct hop pepper and a lively herbal. Strong bitterness reminds you how tart it is. Moderate carbonation keeps it crisp and lets you taste a sassy bit of sugar in the finish. This beer did not destroy itself with bitterness It had style and flair. It's one of the best DIPA's I have had lately and is extremely drinkable for it's abv.

So lots of people wonder about pouring the sediment in a beer or not. Here is the difference in my photos. In the first photo there was a strong haze that bordered on inappropriate for the style because it was milky cloudy. But it was handsome to the beer overall. The last few ounces looked like thick grapefruit juice. As for the difference in taste, I taste more grapefruit and a very sweet hops herbal as compared to my first drink .



Sweet Jane

 

Woowww great beers being popped, so jealous of you all drinking the wet hop beers from Fremont. In fact, jealous of all of y'all, since I won't be joining in today. A friend had his annual blow out yesterday and leave it to say I did a month's worth of beer enjoyment last night/early this AM, and will be recovering from that and from a hungover workmorning without help of a beer, new or otherwise.

Thanks @smakawhat for getting us going in your inimitable style, well done in all ways.

I will be reading all the posts today, probably with additional jealousy, and back next week. See ya then. Cheers!

 

Great thread everyone. Some heavy lifting from utopiajane and Greywulfken. =]

Is the beer actually tart, as in sour? Or are you referring to the 'hop-fruitiness' citric quality giving the impression of tartness? I'd find sourness in something billed as a double IPA pretty unexpected.

I always swirl and pour the sediment. It just makes for a more interesting flavour profile. I like the hazy appearance, though, even if it's not always proper to style.

 

Like it has so much citrusy flavor that it tastes authentic! It's big juicy tart grapefruit. So "'hop-fruitiness' citric quality giving the impression of tartness"

 

Brought home from Brooklyn to the Boston area this past week, my first time drinking this (having never had any Other Half before Wednesday). Canned Aug. 28. Pours as you see, nice hazy orange with a minimal head.

The smell is phenomenal, which is something I've come to expect from OH over a very short amount of time. I've had this and All Green Everything, and both just knock you over with the aroma - Green Diamonds is kind of piney on cracking the can, but the nose from the glass is more citrusy. Smells a bit of orange. Reminds me of Tree House stuff.

Taste is great. Much better than All Green Everything, which seemed to have a good amount of alcohol present (in a super-fresh growler). It's really clean, hides its alcohol content very nicely. Bitter but complex.

I give it a 4.25 out of 5 on a simple Dewey Decimal System. Very lucky to have the chance to drink this, and will definitely be heading back to Brooklyn for more OH beers whenever I get the chance.

Also to get Hill Farmstead, which is on tap in NY but not MA (aside from Armsby Abbey).

 

I would say this is pretty much true about most of their offerings - well made but not going to knock your socks off. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what they were shooting for. Especially with their first offerings in cans, I think they were shooting more for the "masses" - as their Oxplorer IPAs are decidedly better than the Alpha Ox. I am never in a rush to head to the brewery, but do enjoy stopping by once in a while for some enjoyable, drinkable brews.

 

O Holy New Beer Sunday!!!



Wife: "O for heaven's sake, now what are you doing?"

Me: "Honey, you don't HAVE to come in here! Anyway, I've taken a picture of my beer every day for the last 3 1/2 years, which is as long as you've known me, so...

(God knows how long I've done this before that.)

Wife: "...no, don't be silly, not the beer, I mean all those CDs."

Me excitedly: "I'm gathering some of my Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Greek, and American dark, extreme, pagan and yes, sometimes evil, music together for the coming...
[ dramatic pause ]
...Dark Days."


[ crickets ]


...I know, you hate my music."

Wife: "I really don't get it...and you tell me you used to be a choir boy?"

Me: "Alter boy too.......I've seen things. After 12 years of catholic education in the 60s and 70s,
I'm what you end up with sometimes."

Wife, pointing at my CD towers: "How on earth did it ever lead you...to this?"

Me: "...Nuns."




My NBS beer offering: Clown Shoes Blaecorn Unidragon Russian Imperial Stout, not available here in Ohio
due to its 12.5% ABV.

Provided by: The generous BeerAdvocate @Roguer ~ Thank you for making this holy NBS event for me possible!

Commentary: Blaecorn is almost as impossible to describe as it is to spell without spellcheck typing "Black"... It's disturbingly dark. As impenetrable to light as a Nun's layered tunic and beyond... Complex? Are you kidding?
Damn!!! First I'm smacked in the mouth (like Sister St. Augustine's wooden ruler) with something hoppy, sharp and biting, like a little explosion of bloody nails that opened a dark tomb of complex notes of coffee, Yeti-like chocolate, creamy vanilla, I'm picking up a little Schwartzwald Kirsch Kuchen which I love, and further rich iconic traditional RIS notes. Delicious.

Let us pray. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners and pray that Blaecorn Unidragon will someday appear in Ohio again. Amen.

Me: "Honey, have you seen my Blackened Viking Metal, Axioma Ethica Odini by Enslaved CD?



....Honey?"

 

Tahoe Mountain, Dark Ages barrel series aged in Kentucky bourbon and cognac barrels.

A - A deep dark viscous black with light dark brown head.

S - Tons of dark dried fruit, hints of chocolate and coffee.

T - Chocolaty, dark dried fruits, slight hint of vanilla.

M - Kind of thin, but the various notes makes up for it.

O - An interesting blend of barrels, def worth a try, not something to stock up on though (just another enjoyable tick).

 

First day where it really feels like Fall here in Colorado. Enjoying some relaxing couch time with some good brews and the NFL. Luckily I was able to get outside and maximize the sunny, gorgeous weather yesterday at the Casey release. Amazing beers, great people, a perfectly executed beer release. But this isn't about yesterday's brews. It's NEW BEER SUNDAY!

Today I am trying Sur Citra by Denmark's To Øl ApS. Purchased last night from Hazel's in Boulder, a fine establishment. This was among some of the "featured" sours on the rack just inside the cooler and of course like every good beer lover, I was immediately attracted by the use of Citra in the title



A- Pours a hazy orange with high carb but quickly dissipating head.

S- Immediately greeted by a strong aroma of citrus fruit and tropical goodness. Papaya, lemon and melon are the dominant ones that come to mind. My mouth is watering already.

T- Tart on the front end. Getting a lot more orange through the palate. Not overly sour but slightly lacto with some dry brettiness on the back end. Well balanced by the lingering citrus throughout.

M- Crisp with nice carb. Maybe a little watery if I had to knock any aspect of this beer.

O- A very tasty, unique beer from Denmark. I've only tried a few from these guys but this has be wanting more.

A-

Happy Sunday friends!

 

Well South Carolina in general is not having the best day insane unheard of flooding everywhere I've been fairly lucky at this point compared to some....tho hightide has brought the marsh in my yard and front door slightly plus rendering my toilet useless..lol
bottom line im not going anywhere today holding out in the house watching football and eating like any sunday off.
so decided to crack my growler of Westbrooks citrus ninja dipa, not a huge ipa fan in general but love Westbrooks stuff and saw it on tap so thought what the hell...at 9.5% should keep me busy for the day!
got it filled a week ago so hope its not changed to much? probably not tho.

Poured a nice hazy dark orange with a small head that didn't stick around.
Smell is a think pine resin with a citrus background ...great smelling beer!
Taste has a beautiful grapefruit juiciness with a piney dank slightly alcohol taste finish even for me not being a hop head its fantastic!
Really heavy thick mouth feel thick in the same way orange juice is thick but not sticky like some dipa's ive had...

overall I am enjoying it a lot not my go to style but neither is torrential rain! so matchs today well haha.

happy nbs everyone!

anyone in or with family in the area stay safe and off the road! watch out for sharks and alligators in the flood waters!

 

Avery's new Double IPA (8% abv), Raja...

Leaner, crisper and tighter than my previous beer. More citrus and bright character. Dangerously sessionable-feeling...

Picked up a 4-pack on Friday...

Had a couple last night...

Bitterness seems mellow enough at first, but seals the deal with a few sips. Fruits are bright and pale and orchard-like, perhaps tropical. Hops are citric and floral, with a thin undercurrent of a more pine resin-like character - just enough to offer balance. Malts are understandably understated. Medium feel, crisp and brisk on the front of the tongue; slides away cleanly. Little bit of tingle, amply carbonated. Definitely worth checking out.

Cheers, NBS...

 

For my second NBS today, I decided to grace you with a two-for-one special. I happened to find these (and one other) in the singles section of my local grocery store, and there were a few other offerings so that I could fill out a six pack. These offerings are from Devil's Backbone, Virginia's largest brewery (I am fairly certain), and are a part of their "rare series" - a series so rare they don't even list it on their website (although Google knows how to find them on there ). Here they are:


Stringduster is in BA twice, so I put in a request to get the records combined. I'll await the outcome before reviewing either record. However, for here, I will rate this beer with: "barley & wheat malt combined with flaked corn and toasted wheat" as a celebration of the "bounty of the mountain".

From a July bottling, this beer has a distinctively grainy note to it - I almost think the corn flake come out to me - meaning the cereal. Any bitterness seems grassy. The taste also seems to lean on the malt side. I am not sure it's classification as an APA is fitting, although I am not sure I have a better suggestion. Honey and lighter multi-grain bread, medium and sorta chewy feel, and a struggling-to-balance grassy bitterness.

Even though it is kinda malty sweet, my palate found it enjoyable enough - its makeup reminded as a parallel to the malty/balanced nature of some of the Oktoberfests I've been drinking recently.


Spider Bite is a Session Black Wheat IPA (wha... ?!??) with "Columbus, Bravo, Cascade and Simcoe hops plus a touch of black pepper".

It pours quite black, with a nice whits head that sticks around at the edges. The nose is very woody/piney/green in general - perhaps the black malt notes are accenting these, because otherwise I have trouble making it out. For a 4.5% beer, this one actually has a decent feel to it - and I think the wheat might add a bit to the beer to prevent it from the horrible wateriness of other sessions. This is actually quite a bitter bomb, when all is said and done, but it is also perhaps little else.

DB says this is light bodied, but I would offer it might not be as easy drinking as they say. I think it's actually right in between a sipper and drinkable, mainly due to the hop and/or roasted malt bitterness.


So two beers that are pretty well made (I usually expect this from DB), and have their good aspects and some flaws, but both of which I would get again - although I'd need to be in the right frame-of-mind as they hit pretty much opposite sides of the malt/bitter spectrum.

 

Glad to join everyone on this wet, soggy, blustery and otherwise dismal NBS (full disclosure, i actually thoroughly love this weather!).

Thank you @ smakawhat for pinch hitting in this particular fall classic which speaking of fall classics, looks like you are actually enjoying a fall classic style!

I on the other hand am enjoying a variation of a classic, not a fall classic per se, but either way. ..

Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin



Looks like a Sculpin, sure enough. Maybe the lacing is a touch more slick than our more customary version, or perhaps I'm just being nitpicky?

Nothing overwhelming in the nose, yet it makes me feel like sneezing? I still get the same fairly tropical hop presence along with a malt presence but it leads away with that sneeze inducing peppery finish.

There's the hop, but wait - it faded to crackery something an instant before the tongue is thoroughly awash in hotness. Yep, it's spicy. Another swig clarifies the cracker thing a bit more as it actually is more like stale bread laced within a barely noticeable hop thing, but the pepper simply overwhelms. No doubt.

Conclusion? This is every bit as novelty as Ghost Face Killah. Just really not what I would ever consider a drinkable, enjoyable beer. Typically I am a BP fan but this is not a fun drinking experience.

 

What up NBS#554?! Thanks for filling in today @smakawhat !
Today's new to me beer is that "cult classic" from Sierra Nevada: BIGFOOT

Let me start this by stating that barleywine's are not my style at all. However I am giving this one a try on the advice of @jzeilinger . So here we go...

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle packaged on 12/18/14, into a Cuvee tulip
Deep orange rust colored body, thick frothy sea foam head; tons of lacing!
Aromas of caramel, brown sugar, piney hops.
Tastes pretty good. Bitter pine up front with a strong caramel sweetness on the end; burnt sugar.
Full mouth feel, long lingering bitterness overlaps the caramel toffee sweetness.
Overall, this is a great beer, now that's not to say I will be searching it out again; it's that caramel sweetness and that over-steeped tea bag flavor that old D/IPA's get. Just not a fan of that flavor profile. Not a drain pour, just not my cup of tea, no pun intended.

Cheers!

 

Good day, NBSers, and thank god there is an N in front of BSers, j/k, j/k! Not all of you are fisherman, I know, and not impugning them either as that's merely a common euphemism for those who stretch the truth a little. Waiting until Sunday to drink new beer is challenging sometimes, but this little jewel has been in my beer fridge for a while, the son is in town and I like splitting bombers whenever possible so the time is right.

UP ALL NIGHT BREAKFAST PORTER
TRIPLE C BREWING
CHARLOTTE, NC
10% ABV

JAppearance - 4.5
Dark brown, small tan head that disappears quickly with some lacing

Smell - 4.5

A treat for the olfactories, a distinct coffee aroma, vanilla, and honey preview the treat that awaits.

Taste - 4.5

Coffe, chocolate, vanilla and honey. The coffee is very prominent, very tasty and perhaps it's
cold brewed? The honey makes it a little sweet and counter balances the roastiness beautifully with chocolate and vanilla to a lesser extent. Very smooth and hides the alcohol very well
Some dark fruits hiding in there as well. Bitterness is almost non existent.
Mouthfeel - 4.25

Medium, a little creamy, this is where it seems more stout than porter, but whatever.

In closing, this is a very nice, smooth, coffee porter that has unique flavor profile with the honey and I would drink this again, and again!

Final score - 4.4

 

Celebrating the last day of Oktoberfest with a paulaner Oktoberfest weizn

 

What's up NBS players? Just kicking back and watching football pretty much all day. Started at god damn 9:30 with the Jets killing some fish. Windy as hell here on the island but at least the sun has come out to make a pretty nice fall day. In between I managed to mow the lawn and pick up the first few pumpkins of the season.

My new beer today is Fisherman's Pumpkin Stout, from Cape Ann Brewing co. No date on the can but given the season, and its recent availability, I'm assuming its pretty fresh.

A black pour with a frothy tan head. The nose speaks of malt, chocolate, and very light pumpkin spice at best.
The drinking starts out clean with a hardy amount of malt. Pumpkin flavors are very, very subtle and I'm a bit taken back by it. Additional flavors come on but they lend much more to a classic stout. Nice chocolate, and malt tones continue over from the nose. At 7% it's a tad light but the mouth feel still seems pretty solid to me. In terms of pumpkin tones I feel that they hit on the finish with pumpkin, and nutmeg, but I mostly get a sort of cinnamon burn.

Overall, a pretty good stout that really hides the pumpkin flavors. The 84 ba score seems to reflect just that. I'm in the 3.5 range at best.

Cool can art. Although I'm not sure how many fishermen reach for a pumpkin stout,

 

my next is from Denmark and is out of date i'm sure because it is off but here we go

this is not a rye to me, just a bad pale ale
pours out almost straw with a magically disappearing head, not a good colour for rye ipa2.75/5
smells of grapefruit, but then like dank clove, weird as that sounds.2.75/5
tastes flat(old beer, my fault) and I don't think freshness would make this a great beer tho 2.5/5
tingly mouthfeel(probably the potion) on tongue with tartness2.5/5
check out the creepy label, they need to call the label artists from pipeworks for some schooling man! anyways, next week I promise some better beers, so here is some pics of food form paris streets to drool over have a great sunday. cheers!