New Beer Sunday (week 564)

Watching the Packer game with a new AWA. Had only a taste at the brewery back in November so I am excited to enjoy a bottle today.

Arbre Qui Donne has a sweet and tart aroma with a good dose of peach and minimal funk. Yeast is wild and earthy with hints of barrel. Super fruity peach is dominating with tartness and some subtle sweetness. Not as much yeast funk as the nose, but definitely tons earthy fruit. Finish has tart bite and slightly mineral quality. Medium body, dry mouthfeel with some tannins and must. A nice drinking AWA from O'so.

 

What's up nbs players? Nice little Sunday here on the island. Spring weather in December and a pretty easy Jets victory. Enjoying the rest of the games so far too.

My new beer today is Higher Math, a golden ale brewed with chocolate and sour cherry juice, from dogfish head. 17% with a bottle date of 10/20/15.

A ruby amber pour with not much of a head. Looks like lightly carbonated cranberry juice. The nose is very mineral like. Sweet with berries but I also get a rather dirty band aid like quality. Rather floral but also rather off putting. The drinking starts off very strong and boozy. Sweet with definite tones of berries or cherry? A very sticky and sweet mouth feel. It really has an almost cognac quality to it. I'm not getting much chocolate but perhaps that's the attributing to the some what off putting flavor on the end?

Overall, just another weird dfh attempt that isn't nearly worth the price tag. It amazes me how much garbage you an sell with hype and how much of a sucker I am to have purchased it. I'm at a 3 at best.

 

Good afternoon NBSers. I'm back after a couple of weeks off and just over my first time being sick in over two and a half years. I'm good with that. Hey thanks @smakawhat for smacking me upside my head this am. Ha!
Well well. Where to start. Everything looks so good this week. And the abundance of readily available beers these days is ridiculous. I'm not complaining - I like it. But as someone who has a very hard time deciding what to order on the smallest of menus......it can be challenging, but fun.
We are all enjoying this complete reversal of weather conditions from last year this time I'm sure. Including all those mold spores, mosquitoes and microorganisms that thrive when given another 2 months of their "summer".
And speaking of microorganisms a segue into today's lovely brew fermented with our little wild friend Brett:
STRAFFE HENDRIK BRUGES TRIPLE ALE 2014 VERSION

Beer pours - after slightly gushing- a burnished copper/gold with a quickly overflowing spongey off white head that settles after minutes to a ring with no lacing.
The aroma immediately hits you with the funk of Brett. The alcohol is slightly present. There is a apple- winey like smell and lots of earthy peaty tones. Yeast character abounds.
Taste follows with Mr Brett. Cider like tones, Bitter orange, white pepper spice and Belgian yeast and clover honey.
The beer finishes dry slightly Bitter with an enduring finish and a small prickly medium carbonation.
A very nice Sunday sipper that is making me feel mighty good right now. I'd be very interested to see how this stacks up to 2015 version. And also how a few years of age will change this beer. If you're info Tripels you'll dig this.

And since its been awhile for NOVS ( new old Vinyl Sunday) I'm dusting off this rarity....most likely for self entertainment but what the hell.
XTC Go 2 album on Virgin. Always with their tongue in cheek style- see the label and cover.
A little reggae style from the boys circa 1978: Super Tuff
That's my old lady Lucy in the pic. Gotta be in the mix at all times!
Hey all enjoy the rest of your NBS and have a great week ......as always thanks for taking the time to listen!

 

My first experience with a Braggot. While it's not my favorite style, it's a nice change of pace. Pretty potent, as well.

3.85/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured into tulip glass. The color is an attractive reddish-purple with a thin, milk-white head and minimal lacing. I'm not familiar with marionberries is but I suppose that is what I'm smelling, along with some vanilla and honey. The taste is very fruity - it starts out quite sweet and turns fairly tart in mid-taste and finishes with some citrus. There is also a distinct taste of honey along with the booze; it's a little like drinking a fruity Drambuie. I'm surprised at how well this ale hides its 11.42% ABV; it seems very drinkable but really sneaks up on you. Overall, while I generally don't favor fruity beers, this one was quite good. It's a nice change of pace but I wouldn't make a steady diet of it.

I'm not familiar with marionberries but I couldn't resist (I know it's Barry):

 

A gift from my sister in law. I actually saw it in the store, but passed because of the price so when she gave me one I was very excited. Two good breweries and barley wine with a twist i thought would be very good.

Well here is the review:

Look: Reddish brown and murky quick fading head 4.25
Smell: Apple/cider, Roasty,toasty,alcohol 3.5
Taste: Apple/cider, finishes slightly bitter, starts a little sweet, a little toasty, a little vanilla not much complexity 3.75
Feel: Low carbonation and moderate mouthfeel for style 4.25
Overall: Not impressed 3.75

It might also hurt this beer because I had a 2 year old bigfoot this week that tasted splendid. I have not had a chance to read any posts in this thread yet, but I am excited to read what all of you have been drinking today. I hope it is better then the beer I am drinking.

 

How disappointing...I almost chose this one for today...maybe aging will help?

 

Wow its been an incredibley long time since I had that beer. Its a good price and gives you a nice little coffee flavor if thats what you are after. I cannot even remember the last time I tried it...

 

I think high alcohol content makes the head fade faster.

 

I have yet to see this in my local stores, but I am excited to try it when I do. Glad you liked it sounds delicous. What was the price?

 

That's an excellent tulip glass. And a very fine stout, as well!

 

I really liked this beer. I do not think the oats add more then mouthfeel to a beer. Unless the oats are toasted first. Someone else might know better then I though.

 

Thanks for the review. I have a bottle in the fridge and think I'll try it tonight based on your description. I was hoping the Fade to Black this year would be the Smoked Baltic Porter. Maybe next year. Glad you enjoyed it!

 

Spot on review, if I am in the mood for coffee, then this is the beer to drink, but it is a coffee bomb for sure. If you have more then one, let it age, it becomes more and more chocolately.

 

Thanks for posting this review. I agree. Rosetta is exceptional. When I was a kid, I loved black cherry soda. This has taken its place but sooo much better!. I'm glad you enjoy it as much as I do!

 

I have not had this one, because of the price, but Rodenbah makes a fantastic beer. I am sure this is no different. Their regular flanders and grand cru are great deals too.

 

Thanks for an excellent review. I'm a big fan of Clown Shoes and have enjoyed the previous Angry Beast offerings, particularly Extremely Angry Beast. I think they tried to do a little too much with this one and the various flavors don't blend as well as I'd like. I've put some away to age. Hopefully a year will sort things out.

 

New Stone Collab IPA Sunday

Hello NBSer's! For my first new beer of the day, I had a bomber of Stone/Sierra Nevada's NxS IPA: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/197777/?ba=bluejacket74




I liked it, certainly worth a try if you like IPA's. I thought the gin was stronger than the rye/bourbon was, but the barrel character wasn't overpowering at all. Guess that's what happens when you blend a barrel aged IPA with a dry hopped IPA. A good experiment that I thought worked out well. I'll be back on here in a little while with another new beer review!

 

Or maybe a Festivus miracle?

 

Congratulations! Depending on where your store is, maybe I can stop in. I'm sure it will have good beer!

 

For some reason, I'm not surprised this isn't up your alley. Maybe I've been on NBS (/WBAYDN) too long, but I say that without even having had the beer yet. Which reminds me... this could be a good closing NBS beer for me. But I just had a new beer myself, from 3 Stars from DC.

I had a few 3 Stars earlier this week and this brewery is now on my radar. Nothing amazing from them, but a lot of solid, very good stuff. Sometimes in the search for blow your socks off you can ignore the really good stuff. Today's offering is teetering: 3 Stars Starsky and Dutch.

The brewery lists this as a Double Dutch Chocolate Stout; BA doesn't have that style, it says, "Milk/Sweet Stout." This is likely appropriate. I get some tang but not sure if lactose is actually used.

Pour is nice, and while cold, there's a lot of lacing. Warmth and time kill the head. But that time also opens the nose, so give and take. That nose is chocolate forward - a fresh, moist chocolate cake. I didn't get much early, but now I see why the taste is what it is.

And it is... chocolate brownie!! Chocolate malt notes big, light bitterness in the end. The tang I got fades with warmth, but hit midway towards the end of the taste. I'd expect a heavier beer if someone told me "brownie beer" - but this beer is medium body, leaning towards more full. I am actually glad it doesn't go real thick, as it lets the flavors that are produced shine. Color me happy with this one!

Edit: photo finally uploaded...