New Beer Sunday (week 559)

I was at Tully's on Friday too. Too many big beers for me to choose from. Regrettably, I had to leave that one on the shelf.

 

Just got back from a quick Colorado trip so I'm hoping you'll humor me by checking out some of the fun. The plan was to head to Glenwood Springs 2.5 hours west of Denver for the monthly opening of Casey Brewing and Blending. I managed to convince my friends to head to Denver first for some shenanigans. Indeed, shenanigans ensued. We made the rounds in Denver (and Boulder), visiting Hops and Pie, Call to Arms Brewing (ex-Avery brewers), Avery Brewing in Boulder, Crooked Stave, Great Divide Barrel Room, Our Mutual Friend, Freshcraft and Falling Rock (and countless liquor stores). Saturday we visited the beautiful Glenwood Springs.

Here's Hops & Pie's draft list:



Some Crooked Stave brews:



The awesome Barrel Aged Yeti that was on draft at the Great Divide Barrel Room (and for sale in bottles to go):



This was what was dubbed the Sleeper Series The Cut Balaton at Casey Brewing:



The Case Family Preserves Peach:



A shot of the Casey Brewing and Blending exterior:



Casey Family Preserves Plum:



Casey Brewing and Blending head brewer/blender Troy Casey talking about a beer to be released next month (the brewery only opens once a month), a fresh hopped version of their Oak Theory using Cascade hops from Paonia, Colorado:



It was an incredible 36 hours of debauchery and fine drinking and eating in Colorado and Casey Brewing and Blending is truly a destination (as is Glenwood Springs, the town where Casey is found) and I recommend it all NBSers.

As for what I'm drinking today for NBS, I present Odd13's Codename: Superfan, an IPA from another brewery we visited in CO (which I failed to mention above):





4.06/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce can poured into a nonic ten ounce glass.

Golden color, bright and clear, with light carbonation. Head is a pale, frothy white and shows some staying power. Leaves a cauldron of lace in its wake. 5

Fruity aroma with some sticky, pungent fruit like pineapple and passionfruit, but it's not a popping, punch of fruit, more something sedate. 4

Taste follows the aroma with a sticky over-ripened pineapple flavor. Resinous undertones even out the flavor and malt lends some light vanilla and sweetness. The finish is earthy and green. Very nice. 4

This drinks refreshingly with plenty of sensation on the tongue from the carbonation and bitterness, which leaves a satisfying feel in the mouth. Sweetness is noticeable but provides some balance. 4

This beer has a pungent quality to it that feels more like overripened fruit than fresh fruit, which isn't quite as nice to my palate as it takes on a sweeter element, but still there's much to like here.


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Thank you to all you NBSers for (I hope!) indulging me in sharing a bit. I wish you all a happy Sunday and I plan to be back later with one more new beer.

 

Glad to hear you had a nice trip.

Cheers!

 

Trying this Bruery Mash and recovering from my second marathon. Damn Ga weather. It was 80 degrees and nearly 100% humidity at the Soldier Marathon yesterday. Pretty shitty for a 26.2. Oh well, this Mash is relish. Cheers all.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/96340/?ba=cindyjeffsmith

 

Love The Bruery offerings!

Cheers!

 

Sophie can join us every Sunday as far as I'm concerned ... look at that sweetie! Happy birthday, puppy dog!

It was a bit of a New Beer Sunday Dilemma over here, the good kind with too many choices, but finally we settled on a two-part New German Beer Sunday, starting with this:


The review:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/76/31425/?ba=Premo88
4.46 (+19.9% rDev)

You can tell by the numbers I love it. In fact, it's so good it's made me think, "So *this* is why some of my favorite BAs get so excited over a good Munich helles lager."

Hacker-Pschorr's Munchen Gold is super sweet and fruity, almost like an English pale as the bread malt dominates on a massive level. But there's a tiny pinch of black-pepper hop flavor just hanging out in the background, and the way the two flavors are playing off each other is super tasty. I bought just two singles because of an already over-loaded cart at Total Wine in Austin (oh joy, oh joy is that place awesome!) last weekend, but next trip I'll grab a six-pack ... or 12-pack, if they have it. What a great beer, and I love the slight difference from the good pilsener -- the bitterness is minimal by comparison with no green or grassy flavors, just that little black-pepper bite.

My busy travels across Texas continued last weekend and early yesterday (Saturday).

Texans-Titans game last Sunday ... J.J. Watt had so many sacks the P.A. guy got tired of announcing them.

Walked around NRG Stadium after a restroom break, looked out the window and went, "Oh, hello there, old friend." I must've watched 60+ Astros games in that building, a handful of Oilers games, the rodeo a few times, monster truck pulls (of all things ) ... even saw my first Dallas Cowboys game there.

That was Sunday ... this was Monday:


Lake Travis, Austin

a lake rat

a favorite coffee house


one big tree on the banks of Town Lake (Colorado River)


Austin

me and Father Clem in El Campo this Saturday

Hope your Sundays are going well!

Cheers!

 

Good afternoon BAs! It's been an eventful weekend here ending with a beautiful crisp sunny Sunday. I had a nice hike in the woods and was able to enjoy the sights of late fall.


Things seem to be looking up for the Titans, so Celebration is definitely an appropriate new beer today:


Hard for me to believe that I have never picked this up before, but thanks to BA, I'm locked in on so many great seasonal offerings. Another superb offering from SN:

look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A striking copper-amber color, moderately hazy, with a thick dense soapy light tan head that lingered for a long time. The aroma was surprisingly muted to me, with some pine straw, orange, and bread. The taste was huge as expected, with pine up front, followed by orange, grapefruit, bread and biscuit. On the bitter side even for an IPA but beautifully balanced by the malt. Clean bitter orange finish. Medium bodied with a really great feel, anticipated with the foamy head on the pour. Overall I thought it was outstanding, except for the relatively muted nose, but I'm used to the uber-dry hopped beers these days. Cheers!

 

New Semi-Local Imperial Coffee Stout Sunday!

Today was fun...got Injured on the Job, not too bad that I needed a Hospital Visit. Yet enough to Slow me down a bit. Nice gash in my leg (sorry no photos). This is going to hurt tomorrow, I know! Enough of the Boring Cliche of Selfishness, onward with the New Brew!



...and my thoughts.

4.42/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

First off, I've been waiting to try this brew for some time now... Today is my lucky Day! Let's get talking about this brew....tus. Off the Jump this thing Pours Massive Black Body! You know what they say, Blacker the Berry, Sweeter da Juice! This brew was crowned with a Deep Mocha Head, quasi Ten FIDY-ish in appearance. This is a Perfect looking Imperial Stout!

I'm all over this aroma like flies on a Turd. This thing is an IMPERIAL COFFEE STOUT! Huge Coffee roast on top of a Sweet Cocoa Body. Mild nutty Notes with a dap of Molasses. This Aroma is banging in its Richness!

Tasting this Should be a Chore.. First picks up a Balance of Roasted Malt sweetness and Coffee. Second wave of Chocolate and Molasses that are Shaking the Tastebuds with excitement! This thing is like drinking a Candied Coffee Bean! This finishes dry with subtle bitterness balancing the sweetness. Aftertaste is still being dominated by Chocolate, Molasses and a touch of Fruity esters (Pear flavor again). The feel on this is Medium-light body with fizzy Carbonation.

Overall: This brew plays the role in astonishing fashion! No obvious flaws on this brew, except the Feel could be Smashingly Heavy with a Smooth Texture. It lacks in that department, but that's personal preferences talking. The appearance on this brew is something to experience. It has the look of Marshal Zhukov and Ten FIDY that had a Coffee Forward Baby. I don't give out fives but this appearance is exquisite. The aroma and flavor has no Flaws in them, IMO. This brew is definitely belonging of the upper tier Coffee Stouts. This is Less bitter than Peche Mortel but has a weaker feel/finish. This brew is Recommended!

Grade: A

Cheers my fellow New Beer Sunday Crew!

 

This is my Juice!

 

I Love Cinci-style Chili. I'm originally from Northern KY (I can literally spit on Paul Brown Stadium when I go back home...well not literally I have the Ohio River blocking me from doing that).

 

Thanks. Every year about this time- especially with inclement weather- I make a short trek up to New Garden Friends Meeting, where the graveyard is. My Mom is now buried beside him and I wander around out in this very old place and never fail to be inspired by something. People born in the 1600s are buried there. Lots of British and Americans are buried in various places, following The Battle of Guilford Courhouse in 1781. The Quakers took care of everyone. The last battle of the American Revolution before the French intervened and the British surrendered. It is a hallowed and special place. An important piece of the of The Underground Railroad, sending slaves to Indiana, was in a huge piece of woods just across the street. It is still intact and a great place to visit and muse.

 

New Stout Sunday

Hello all! Chilly (low 50's) but sunny here in Milwaukee. Can't believe how time flies - As of a few days ago, I've been living in Wisconsin. Today's brew is from a brewery that doesn't distribute out of Wisconsin. From New Glarus - Thumprint Milk Stout - from there "Thumbprint" series - comes in four 12 oz bottles. A very nice brew. Rich, sweet and dark, it's a well-made brew. I scored it 4.14. Here's the review:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/590/198059/

Cheers!

 

I drank some too on Friday. I felt it lacked that Bourbon Punch like last Year's Vintage.

 

So I decided to bust this one open tonight. It is starting to get cold (or rather, the wind is starting to) and so by the time I got back from giving class this was sounding pretty tasty. It is one of Dunham's one-offs from a while back. A Quad with figs.


It is pretty damn good. I am not the biggest fan of fruit in beers, but the combination is definitely a logical one and it seems to compliment (and not take away from) the taste of the base beer. Dunham makes some quality stuff, but I have found that sometimes their special release stuff is so needlessly creative that it doesn't result in a great beer. Their staple beers, on the other hand are fabulous.

She's a beauty in the glass. I am a sucker for good head, but this is ridiculous.


It smells very 'Belgian' with bright red fruits, a slight tartness and a rich molasses sweetness. Overall it is pretty vinous and has a good woody presence throughout. The flavor follows the aroma pretty well, but the barrel and the sticky fig sweetness comes through a lot more. It is a tasty, warming sipper and I would gladly have it again. The alcohol becomes a little too present for my tastes as it warms, but it doesn't overpower the rest.

These guys do good work and if anybody sees them in the states I highly recommend them. I know they distribute a little, but am not sure where to--although I imagine in the NE.

*- I apologize for the double pun in this text. It was truly intentional and thus it stays.

Cheers, all!

 

Good Evening NBS-ers and thanks Maria for getting it started again with another eloquent opening.

Spent the day at Typhoon Lagoon with my youngest son, my wife had to work and the older two? Well, they're teenagers so they just wanted to stay home and talk with their friends and play video games.

So today's offering is Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout. Now I have already had the Espresso Oak Aged Yeti thanks to @jzeilinger , but never got around to the base beer, until now!

Bottled on June 17, 2015. 12 oz. bottle
A: Poured a dark black thick used motor oil consistency (I know that's a old tired description, but it works). A thin dark khaki latte type head that coats the inside of the glass. Beautiful!

S: Espresso, chocolate, slight amount of hop pine, roasty goodness.

T: Strong espresso, bakers chocolate, burnt caramel, brown sugar, bitter hops. Like chewing on a dark chocolate dipped espresso bean and a fresh hop at the same time.

M: Tongue coating goodness! Just a full mouth feel on this one, no surprise there. Not a hint of the 9.5% abv.

O: A great beer! Everything you would want from a non-BA Imperial Stout; roasty, chocolaty, hoppy! Just all around delicious. A sipper that is hard to just sip.

Cheers!

 

Now up a new local IPA, RAR Nanticoke Nectar. One of the beer guys at State Line has been hyping them, this is solid, excited to try more from them, cheers!
4.07/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12 oz can, dated 9/18/15, poured into a snifter

A- A slightly hazy golden copper with a two finger white head.

S- Grapefruit, line, some caramel malts, faint wet grass.

T- Grapefruit/citrus, hints of wet grass, piney finish, and a nice malt backbone.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A solid IPA, not my favorite IPA in the area but a solid beer. Excited to try more from RAR, grapefruit and habanero versions of this sound good. I see myself picking up cans when I can't find fresh Lot #3.

★491 characters

 

A Shiner pint glass in in a Connecticut Yankee's court? Anybody?

New German Beer Sunday Part II:



I say it every time now ... these dark wheat beers are freaking awesome! Weizenbock, dunkelweizen, eisbock ... whatever ... just gimmee!!!

In the case of this Erdinger Pikantus, it's very dark fruity ... "dark" as in darker than light but not super dark. There's only a hint of licorice, and everything else tastes like dates, prunes ... I keep thinking of toasted apricot. Very sweet. Almost quad levels of sweetness, like candi sugar was tossed in this sucker. But it's not like it crosses into the coffee/espresso/chocolate dark-malt realm.

The review:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/703/2646/?ba=Premo88
4.46 (+15.8% rDev)

BA.com and its smart-phone app are becoming more and more important for me at the bottle shop. I saw this beer at Total Wine in Austin and honestly couldn't tell by looking at the label if I've had it (or any other beers from its brewery) or not. Of course, at a place like Total Wine where I'm drooling and googly-eyed over sensory overload, any kind of help would be welcome.

Anyways, thanks to BA and the brothers ... sure, I'm a kiss-ass, but on a never-ending quest to seek out new beers, the good ol' BA app helps. (P.S. I did *NOT* use ratings to help with my purchases ... at least not this time)

Cheers!

 

Terrapin/Cigar City Vapricot
American Double IPA - 9% ABV



4.32/5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

12oz bottle poured into a Cigar City snifter. Terrapin and Cigar City are ranked extremely high among my favorite breweries, so I am excited to try this collaboration. The beer pours a golden yellow/orangish color with a nice off-white head that leaves a lot of lacing around the glass. The aroma features a good dose of fresh ginger with the apricot and other citrusy notes coming in as well. The taste like the aroma features a perfect amount of ginger to go along with the solid IPA base. What stands out to me with Vapricot is that the ginger is placed perfectly and does not overpower the other flavors. Overall, this is a great collaboration between two of the south's better breweries.

 

Getting a late start today, but today's new beer selection is Lagunitas's Born Yesterday.

Initially my local shop got only one case, and I missed out, but they got a second shipment yesterday and was able to snag a sixer.

Lots of folks have been commenting on this one lately, so I will just add that this is definetely one of my favorite fresh hop beers. Lots of citrus aroma and flavor. Hops for days. Highly recommended.



http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/220/133621/?ba=richj1970