New Beer Sunday (week 566)

Hey ya'll! I just realized it's Sunday AND I'm having a new beer. So here's my take on Sit Down Son, a dry-hopped session lager by Carton Brewing

A-very light yellow/straw color with carbonation streaming up to a little more than a finger length of head which dissipated somewhat quickly. Transparent body

S-Smells like a traditional lager with lots of grass, wheat, bread/biscuit, and a touch of creamy hops-pine and a bit of citrus (if that makes any sense)

T- Light body with a taste that follows the nose: grass, wheat, bread/biscuit, a layer of cream that envelopes some pine resin and a hint of grapefruit

O-I quite enjoyed this (thanks @SammyJaxxxx!) and could slam a bunch down with a good meal or just have a session for the fun of it and not get sick of the flavors. Definitely worth a try!

 

New BallastPoint Sunday


With Ballast Point making it Michigan debut within the last month or so, I picked up the two beers I was most excited about seeing in my area. Having tried Sculpin previously, and being a bit underwhelmed, I was aiming for their dark beers.

First up, "The Commodore," an American Stout:


Dry and roasty, as advertised. Drinkable and flavorful, this beer achieves everything it set out to do. I am very thankful it is an option when I am looking for a mid-range ABV stout, but given that I can often find Bell's Kalamazoo Stout for ~$3 cheaper per 6pk, this will not likely be in my regular rotation. 3.95/5

Round two is the highly acclaimed "Victory at Sea," an imperial porter with coffee and vanilla:


Living in Michigan, the comparisons to Founders Breakfast Stout are hard to ignore. While both are very good, I see the imperial stout vs. imperial porter to be what separates the two beers, but I also think for their styles they achieve similar levels of excellence. If I had to change one thing about this beer, I would add just a touch more sweetness; this had more bitterness than I expected, and I think a little more sweetness would accentuate the vanilla a bit more, but overall I enjoyed this one a lot. It was on sale at Meijer for $13/6pk the last time I was there, and after trying this single I plan on picking up some more. At that price, I will definitely see more of this (and subsequently less Breakfast Stout) in my fridge. 4.19/5

 

So I am home in Australia and just did an awesome IP trade with @Gasc0igne (thanks mate!) and starting with this:



Bloody good stuff! If you aren't Australian you probably never had a golden gay time icecream bar, but if you have, well, someone has bottled it as a beer!

L - pours dark, but light still comes through - black coffee, but not opaque. Thick 1 inch mocha head
S - It's a fucking golden gaytime... no discussion, this smells absolutely amazing! Honeycomb and chocolate with caramel / toffee - totally nailed the smell of my childhood.
T - Follows the nose. Chocolate, honeycomb and toffee. A touch of char from the black malt to balance. A little ashy, but very tasty
F - Very light. Wish there was more here. with 1-2 % more ABV and more body this would be stunning, but as it is, a bit watery. Not bad, but could have been so much better.

Overall, as it warms, this gets better and better, but leaves you wanting a bit more on the body / feel. Puts me in mind of a well done funky buddha (rather than the plastic starbucks flavors last snow has). I love this beer, but it could have been absolutely stunning with a bit more heft. Please do an imperial version!

 

Having another new beer!!! Upslope Blood Orange Saison which came to my refrigerator by @Rootscipio

A-Hazy, light orange body with about a finger length of head

S-yeast, esther, hay, citrus fruit between grapefruit and blood orange, and a bit of spice

T-Great balance between the blood orange and yeast with some maybe coriander? Carbonation is light to keep it refreshing and doesn't get in the way at all

O-Great representation of a saison with a fruit I personally love-blood orange. Would absolutely have it again.

 

Good Evening NBS.
Thanks for the great opening Dave.
I got hold of a nice one from @Kevinpitts .
Pours deepest darkest mahogany. Dark cocoa colored head rises 2 fingers high and slowly recedes. Caramel colored lacing leaves anticipation. The smell is warm bourbon, molasses, chocolate, with hints of date. Taste is more of the same with a slightly hot bourbon. Finish is warm, sweet. Mouthfeel is solid and a bit creamy. Pretty good stuff.

 

OK...but what beer is it?