New Beer Sunday (week 563)

Part of the joy of Sundays for me, besides New Beer Sunday, is cooking for my 3 year old daughter. Today it was waffles:



With this damn tasty syrup:



Honestly, the flavor is lost on pancakes, waffles or anything else. Best bet is to put a bit on your finger and taste it that way. You really taste something bourbon like and it's pretty heavenly.

But let's talk beer. Today's brew is Tesseract (a DIPA) from Grimm Artisan Ales. I've been following these guys for a while and have really enjoyed a good number of their brews (and yes, I'm still very much a New York City kid despite being nearly four years removed from there {and being a New Mexican by birth}). This was a beer I'd been anxious to taste and it lived up to my much heightened expectations.










And the review:

4.53/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

16 ounce can poured into an oversized tulip.

I'm not always enamored by the appearance of East Coast IPAs, but this one is elegant. Some haze in the orange/copper body but not enough to look like a smoothie. Persistent carbonation shows and feeds a creamy and frothy pale white head. The head and lace form into something scoopable and edible in appearance. 5

Delicious fruit bomb. Pungent, juicy and sticky mango, pineapple and even, dare I say, strawberries or raspberries. Maybe some pear. I suppose some could critique this by saying "Where's the beer? I didn't order juice," but as I'm used to drinking piney, resinous IPAs, I welcome this with open arms. I love the aroma. 4.5

The initial sip delivers all the nose predicted it would: pineapple, mango and berry flavors. What's awesome is the flavor does not stop there. There's much more to the flavor, which is hardly a knock on the nose as I liked it plenty. Beyond the tropical fruit lies a mic of light bready malt, resinous hop and a touch of yeast which then cedes to zesty grapefruit flavor that closes things out. 4.5

I'd say the only aspect of this brew that I'm not completely sold on is the feel... it's a touch thin and has moments where the prickly carbonation can distract from the flavors. However, just as there are many facets to the flavor, the feel has an exceptional depth and variation that makes any flaw (real or perceived) fleeting and instantly forgettable or pardonable. Which is to say there's a delectable juicy feel and drinkability to this eight percenter that are impressive. Plus, it seems the attributes that initially sapped some of the greatness of this beer seem to quietly recede and never return, which in itself is impressive. 4.5

This beer is awesome. There were moments I found slightly disagreeable and had me considering a downgrade (mostly in the mouthfeel), but this is one of those beers that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. It's exceptional. And delicious.

 

It is hard to believe that I have never consumed this beer before.



As usual for Sam Adams no flaws no real excitement. The mouthfeel is a little light but with the color I assume I am expecting more of a stout which in big letters is says it is not. The chocolate and caramel is lighter than I expected. A nice beer that does not excite, but is worth the price the pay.

 

Well it is afternoon here in sunny and mild 52* central NH not exactly your typical early December weekend. I've got my ice climbing gear all ready to go but it looks like it will be many more weeks before there is any ice in the White's to be climbing on.
We took a trip to Vermont yesterday and I managed to find a few new beers and am trying one of them today.
This is a Red Wine Barrel Aged RIS from Rock Art Brewery.

This beer poured a dark black color into my tulip glass with a huge tan foamy head on top.
The nose is of dark fruits and berries with some chocolate overtones. The head disappeared slowly as the beer warmed a little from the 50* temperature it was stored at in my cooler.
The taste is smooth the tannins from the wine barrel giving this beer a dark cherry and chocolate flavor this plus the charred oak gives it a great smoothness. It is perhaps a little strong on carbonation for my taste in this style of beer. I let the glass sit for about 30 minutes to warm a little and the carbonation settled out nicely. At this point this went from a good beer in my book to one that I need to get a lot more bottle of as I feel it will age great.
The mouthfeel is a little high on carbonation in the beginning but perhaps to let this breathe for 30 minutes before pouring would do the trick.
This as it is a very good beer much better IMO than the listed rating on this site so far. Like I said I will return early in the week and get some more bottles to cellar. I think IMO again the Rock Art Brewing sometimes doesn't get the love they should and this beer is one that should be enjoyed by all.

 

Okay, slow start all around today (although I "started" it yesterday before taking a break, actually). That triple-comparison of BBA scotch ale/wee heavy beers caught me. I came up with a different ranking than my accidental "partner in crime" @TongoRad - I felt all were worthy. Backwoods had a little more bite to me (alcohol and hops) and I was looking for the smoother, more malty taste of the Wulver. Central Waters stood up ok against the others, tending towards the more mellow Wulver to me.

But that was last night. Today, going low and slow, opening with a new Gose from Evil Twin and Two Roads. I have had many ET beers, but officially none from Two Roads. I am a fan of Gose, especially in the summer, of course, but even as a sessionable offering on days like today.


I did get a little sea breeze impression quickly after the crack and rip of the aluminum top. Closer inspection of smell reveals a familiar Gose nose - light lime citrus, definite salt, and a waft of earthiness. There's a light haze in this beer, as if I just added the salt myself. This would also explain the sea foam head than sticks around for a little, but does not see fit to join you for a whole beer.

Taste starts almost puckeringly tart and definitely salty. Tart isn't pure citric acid sour - more like adding lemon/lime juice to less tart to even bitter, fleshy fruit - like near the white of a watermelon. Hard to tell if it's the sour bite or carbonation lightly pricking the tongue as the beer crosses it. In the back of the throat, I do get some lightly grassy herbal notes - not sure if it's the additional greens in the beer (moss and kelp) or not, as it's not a strong enough flavor (plus haven't had too much of either in my diet). In the end the beer seems to evaporate from the tongue, leaving me wanting another sip.

A well done beer, enough tart and salt and terra notes to have a little complexity while seeming fairly simple.

 

I was only planning on this new beer today, but I may have another because it was kind of a let down.

Jackie O's Rum Barrel Oil of Aphrodite. Aroma is pleasant with a big roasted and sweet malt characteristic in an imp stout. Dark chocolate, coconut, and walnut all are present. The flavor...what happened here? There is a bit of tartness, presumably from the rum barrels. It's not bad, but it does seem off. I want more of the roasted malts and dark chocolate, but I am picking up some tangy coffee and almost an olive flavor. The feel is good with a smooth rich liquid and soft carbonation. If only the taste was like the aroma, this would have been outstanding.



Some of the other new beer I enjoyed this week. I wrote reviews for each. Cheers!

 

next up is a triple from Belgium


i'll need a nap after this one! look at the head on that sucka!
poured cloudy orange with floaters and humungus head 4/5

I smell bread yeast and tropical fruit notes. 4/5

alcohol is duly noted, prominent. hints of pineapple and malty sweetness. 4/5

medium mouthfeel, tangy finish. 4/5

good beer for evening book reading, like the building of the east west railroad, "nothing like it in the world" I read it, great history buff book from Steven Ambrose (rip)

 

Old Blaggard was an odd beer to me. Seemed like a cross of BW and Marzen. Not bad, just not what I expected of an English BW.

 

Three new beers today? I'll stick with one next Sunday (right).

My liver is dying. I have changed my drinking habits a lot. I now abstain from alcohol Monday through Saturday evening if possible. It's just a personal choice that helps me and my family, but the problem is from Saturday evening until noon Sunday. This weekend was high octane. I think the lightest beer I drank was 7.6%.

Well, I'm sorry. I have this bomber from Stone sitting in my fridge, so let's finish the rate Three New Beer Sunday.

Look-- Semi-clear copper body under a beige head that recedes to a wisp with a patch of bubbles. Very light lacing.

Aroma-- Dank, humid hops. Very bitter grapefruit rind.

Taste-- Less harsh than the aroma, cedar wood and subtle malts under a blanket of bitter hops and grapefruit and lemon citrus, with some spiciness as well.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, dry.

Overall: Musty and dank, very citrusy without killing the palate. I like it. I rated it 4 across the board. I'd say it's aggressive but more friendly than a teeth-kicker because of citrus -- leans toward lemon more than grapefruit at times.

I'm done until next Saturday night. The problem with drinking less is that you pour more of it into a shorter time frame. I'm not responsible enough to find a good balance -- yet. See you next weekend!

 

I need that syrup! I'll have to check out our one and only Trader Joes in the area.

 

Probably doesn't count as a new but an aged 2013 Bourbon County.

 

Charred cookies: The unwelcome holiday smell. This is what my house has become...

Gotta regroup. Bundling up and sucking in some fresh, cool air while I enjoy this new brew.

Tiny amount of cola fizz here and no head or lacing. Thin and Rootbeer brown.
The nose is, in contrast to my home, a welcoming holiday smell. Tons of nutmeg!
The taste couples with the nose, without a lot of sweetness.
I'm not sure if I'm enjoying this so much because it's great, or I just needed a brew to relax.
The holidays are upon us.

Cheers!

 

We just finished with part 2 of leaf cleanup, second really nice day in a row as well. #2 son was helping, and since he was doing such a fine job as cord monkey I let him use the leaf blower for the last 25% of the yard. He did pretty well and amassed a nice pile except for a few strays here and there; the nice part, though, is that he looks forward to these things when he's having more fun (don't we all?), so I'm going to need that attitude from him now that #1 son is gone.

Now I'm off to watch the Giants-Jets game, but I do believe I have time for a quick review-


Ballantine Burton- a barrel aged strong ale.

Wonderfully rich nose of an apple-caramel dessert, very creamy malt, surprisingly bright for such a big beer. Palate follows through, mostly caramel with fruit and nuts playing a supporting role. So decadent. There is a really big snap of bitterness on the finish, and I'm left with a sweetish lingering woody quality. After a few sips I'm also starting to get an interesting spicy herbal hop character, too. Very well made, and I will be really digging the rest throughout the game. Initial impression is a solid A (4.5).

 

Your picture does not look like December, but more like a fall day.

 

I think that's what I was picking up on with the reference to the yeast. The reviews seem to reflect the uniqueness of the recipe.

 

First up today I have a Westbrook IPA



This mega frothy head beer is a nice turbid murky orange that would make any Vermonters either proud or jealous. Lacing is generous and sticky as well.

Very vibrant tropical and earthy nose that rounds out with a little caramel sweetness.

Taste is immediately bitter with some mango, hints of grapefruit, a smattering of something floral and an earthy finish. The sweetness in the nose only plays in long enough to offer balance but leaves behind only a ghost of honey but nothing cloying in an otherwise bitter aftertaste. Overall body is just think enough to be refreshing but still pretty solid. Very nice beer indeed.

 

Good afternoon BAs! Easing into the day with this peach Lambic from Lindemans:


look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bright hazy orange-amber color with a fluffy bright white foamy head. The foam stayed for a bit and then settled into a thin wispy cap. First aromas were funky: horse blanket and yeasty followed quickly by a nice peach presence. The taste was not what I expected - not mouth-puckering. It's only slightly tart. Heavy, rich sweet peach flavor, a small amount of funk, and a sweet tart finish. Really a peach bomb. A heavy mouthfeel from the sweetness and medium-to-low carbonation. More one-dimensional than I expected. A nice pleasant peachy drink but I'd like to have something more complex.

Hope to be back with something completely different. Cheers.

 

Yeah, that was a really cool coincidence. They are definitely all worthy beers, and it seems we both picked up on similar qualities, but in the end it comes down to personal preference.

I got started earlier, so I guess I'm doing a little better today.

 

That's why I told my son he should be happy; there will be some years when we're not so fortunate. The weather really has been amazing this weekend.