New Beer Sunday (week 572)

Kasteel Barista Chocolate Quad (Belgian Strong Dark Ale), and accidentally matching glass. Most chocolaty beer I've had, 11% ABV, low/no IBU, excellent! The random promotional glass was given to me by the liquor store that sold me the beer, and it turned out to match the beer!

 

Hello my pretties!

In lieu of good local sports to watch on TV, I shall have to satisfy myself with an amazing local beer in my glass. It'll have to suffice. It must!
Too much real shit in the world in the last week or so, but at least somewhat counterbalanced by some good news as well.

Enough of that.

I went to my f̶i̶r̶s̶t --er-- s̶e̶c̶o̶n̶d --well-- I suppose techincally it was really my third beer release yesterday afternoon. I suppose I techincally went to the brewery on the same day that their BA Imperial Stout was released, and I think the anniversary party I went to at Perennial was also a release maybe. Anyway. Point is I went to Reuben's yesterday because my eyes happened to be open at the same time as the brewery ,and it was also the day that they unleashed several of their big multi-imperial IPAs. Realizing this was the case, i was concerned, because it seems like the only time releases are mentioned in these hallowed (digital) halls, stories of lines down the block, nightmare crowds, and just a general air of hyper-commodification that seems to transcend what should bring us all together: a positive gustatory experience. Much to my pleasant surprise I showed up and the line was shorter than Todd Anthony Shaw. In fact it was non existent. There were three different big, celebrated beverages debuting, and aside from the occasional person walking out with a half full box representing a small smattering of each of the three (guilty), it seemed no different than any other day. Also the burger I got from the food truck was really good. And I may have made a new friend. And my pupper had a good time. So win all around!



Anyway, I decided to sustain myself with some good ol' carbs. I even got all fancy and took pictures of the production process, though I got distracted as soon as the cooking aspect was done and just jammed it all in my face hole before remembering I had considered photographing the finished product. The in medias res images make it look way fancier anyway. Afterwards it just looked like pasta with red sauce, some parmesan, sausage and basil.

BUT FOR THE MAIN EVENT!
Hat Trick is one of the three IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPAs (I lost track of how many Is were involved. The above may not be entirely accurate) released yesterday, and is the one that is new this year. Blimey is one they've done a couple of times and is fantastic. Gobsmacked was released for the first time last year in celebration of the 10th anniversary of a local institution and, when I sampled it around this time last year struck me as one of the best IPAs I'd ever tasted. My take on Hat Trick is thus: it doesn't quite live up to that billing. But it is quite enjoyable in its own right if you go in thinking TIPA and the things that typically accompany that.
-Pours ipmeccably crisp and clear. Slightly darker, I'd call it a true amber (like when we grade urine), with a good head.
-Nose brings forth strong and rich notes of dank sap, woody/pulpy fir, some overripe peaches, some mango...
-Taste brings more of the same. And bigly. What I keep describing as a meaty/woody note always reminds me of hauling firewood at my parents place. Big resinous notes with pine and sap, but also a good amount of mushy peaches and some other fruits I can't quite nail down.
-Unobtrusive body and carbonation, less sticky than I was projecting. Ends very bitter, committing fully to its piney finsh. Almost to a detriment, even if you're looking for big hops, the transition just isn't as smooth as it could have been.
Ultimately it's a beer that I find myself enjoying, but I'm not as blown away by it as I have been by its forbears, and as I was anticipating.

I've discussed Reuben's before in this thread, and this is one of theirs that I think teeters on the bring of being something greater than it is, but remains solidly in the realm of quite good.

Anyway, hope everyone is enjoying their day, and enjoying their beers,



Cheers!

 

Damn, @needMIbeerinMD I've been wanting to try some hoppy Trillium, but...your description makes me wanted trade my firstborn for some.

 

Now if Mickey D's would only offer Terrapin WnB on tap..."Merida would be perfect!!!

 

Super Bowl nightcap. So far happy with how this game has gone but nervous that Carolina could easily turn things around and take the lead.

The beer is Bourbon Barrel-Aged Dark Star from Fremont Brewing. It's superb.







4.47/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber into a tulip.

Love the appearance. It tells me I'm going to drink this whole bomber to the face and possibly call into work tomorrow. Pitch black liquid and a frothy, dark khaki head. The head is thick and chewy and persistent. Lovely appearance. 5

Seductive aroma hits with barrel qualities first, oak, spice and whiskey. Chocolatey notes follow and I perceive milk and dark chocolate. Vanilla sweetness is there waiting for me to stumble upon it. 4.25

Damn, that first sip was delicious. Sweeter than the nose let on and the bourbon complements the sweetness with some spice, oak, raisin and vanilla. The underlying sweetness approaches barleywine levels but is more than welcome and just lovely. The finish is kind of fascinatingly surprising in that it has a mesquite BBQ flavor. It works. Damn good. This is devilishly good. 4.5

The mouthfeel on here isn't quite BCBS level, but it's close. For truth. Definitely has a thick, creamy, viscous body that is what you want in a monstrous stout. Whatever heat you'll find here will feel well-incorporated and not some extraneous element. It finishes dry but in a way that allows the flavors to stick to the tongue. 4.5

Damn. Fremont. These guys are masters. Don't know if underrated is the appropriate word, but these guys are definitely masters. Another gem from these guys.

 

Late start to haven't a new beer and it's a growler no less. Enjoying Tired Hands Troll Fat, a heavily dry hopped saison.
4.25/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

32 oz growler poured into a tulip

A- A hazy bright golden straw color with a two finger white head.

S- Some pineapple and tropical fruits, hay, fresh cut grass, mild funk, some peppercorns, nice malt backbone.

T- Lightly tart citrus, mild pineapple/tropical fruits, hay, some grass, slightly musty funk, nice malt backbone.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- An easy drinking saison. It's hoppy without being over the top, worth trying if you get a chance

★453 characters
First saison in a while I've had from Tired Hands that was not fermented in oak, would love to see this brewed again in oak at Fermentaria.

 

Holy Toledo are there some fine-looking beers (and posts) in here!

In lieu of drinking local, here's one:

Southern Star's Black Crack bourbon barrel-aged Buried Hatchet Stout

I live only an hour away from Conroe and Southern Star Brewing Company, but ironically, I ran into this sucker about three hours north of here at a Spec's in Fort Worth. Wasn't even looking for it. But while I'm not much of a whale hunter, I also don't throw the big ones back.

And frankly, I should've netted a couple more of these. Damn is it good! The base beer has never struck me as being world class, but holy cow does it take on a barrel. This beer tastes like somebody boilermakered my can ... seriously, there's got to be a shot of Jack or Crown or something in there, no?!? Big vanilla, chocolate, hot fudge, molasses and brown sugar flavors barrel into some honest-to-goodness whiskey heat, and the outcome is a perfect sipping beer. This brew has as much whiskey flavor as any I've run into. It is right up there with Karbach's BBH ... and for pure whiskey flavor, it might be better.

OH ... it's also the first barrel-aged beer I've bought in a can. The craft-beer geek in me can't help but do a little dance over that.

The review:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16759/91182/?ba=Premo88
4.86 (+16.3% rDev)

Just for comparison's sake, my review from the base beer almost two years ago:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16759/47026/?ba=Premo88
3.83 (-2.8% rDev)

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick ... anybody else here that? That clock ticking down on another Super Bowl choke job by Peyton? Maybe it's just me.

Cheers!

 

Sure must be more BA folks watching the superbowl than taking pictures of their beers...

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the end of the weekend once again. Thanks to @cavedave for getting us started off today. The last few weeks have been a constant influx of new beers being available to me, so the cellar seems to almost be overflowing now. I will be hitting 4000 written reviews some time next week(Monday or Tuesday depending on how I feel like splitting it up). Here are today's new beers:

Very good pale ale. Aromas and flavors of grapefruit, tangerine, apricot, peach, lemon zest, and light pepper/pine hops; with light-moderate honey/bready malt and herbal/floral/grassy hop earthiness. Light-medium herbal/spicy bitterness; very smooth finish; light bready creaminess and a touch of hop stickiness in the mouthfeel. Light dryness on the finish. Really enjoyed this one. More of an all around balanced and tame pale ale on the bitterness/hops. Nice complex hop bouquet without being too heavy on malt presence. Pleasant and really well done. 3.78


Excellent hoppy pale wheat ale. Aromas and flavors of big grapefruit, tangerine, lemon zest, orange peel, pineapple, peach, pear, apple, peppercorn, clove, and light vanilla; with moderate wheat/cracker/biscuit malts; with herbal/floral/grassy hop and yeast earthiness, Light-medium herbal bitterness and yeast spiciness; with a medium body and balanced wheat creaminess and hop stickiness in the mouthfeel. Moderate dryness and a bit crisp. They advertise this as "Vanilla Waffle Wheat". I got pretty minimal vanilla presence, and maybe a bit of creamy feel from the addition; but regardless as a Wheat ale this was completely delicious. It does have witbier yeast in it too. 4.1


This was damn good! Aromas and flavors of big caramel, maple, molasses, brown sugar, toasted bread, and light chocolate/nutty malts; with light-moderate notes of raisin/plum dark fruits; with hop flavors of grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, lemon/orange peel, light pine, and floral/grassy earthiness. Light-medium pine/grassy bitterness; with a nice creamy medium-full bodied finish with some light hop stickiness. Lightly drying, bitterness is very balanced. Minimal warming ABV for 10.5%. This was just all around delicious. For the style, this is ready to go right out of the gate for me(bottled ~1 month ago). It's not off the wall bitter and aggressive like most other American barleywines. It has a nice presence of citrusy hops and dark fruits; but the malt backbone and maple/molasses sugars are the main focus overall. Glad I grabbed the 4 pack, and will probably buy more. Will definitely age really great too, even after the hops fade away. The malt profile is very well rounded in complexity. 4


Completely excellent stuff! Aromas and flavors of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, fudge, toffee, vanilla, cream, nuttiness, and toasted dark bread; touch of spicy oak on the back, but pretty minimal. Bittersweet balanced finish; medium-full bodied creamy/silky mouthfeel; with some very minimal roast stickiness. Light-medium carbonation. Touch of roasted dryness. This was completely delicious stuff. Definitely has a bit of an ice cream vibe going for it; but generally as sweet stout it is really great all around. 4.1


Cheers, have a good night NBS.

New album from Textures sounds really great. A band I kind of forgot about for a while, but been in my library for years. Prog metal/metalcore-ish. Need to get their 2011 album too.

 

Happy Super Bowl/Anniversary(?) version of NBS! I've consumed my fair share of great beer today, only one of which was new, but let's just say I wish tomorrow was the national holiday that it should be.

Started the day off by smoking some chicken wings because... it's the Super Bowl and you have to have wings! Incredibly easy and delicious. Let me know if you want the recipe.



EXTREME WING CLOSEUP!



On to the new beer. Two Roads Worker's Comp Saison.



Straw colored and hazy with a large fluffy white head. Big lemon citrus aroma with peppery spice. The flavor is all about the citrus and spice as well. Dry and bitter finish. Medium-light bodied and a bit on the thin/watery side, which is really unfortunate. It is refreshing, but I would have liked a little more body and complexity.

I really like what I've had from Two Roads so far. Their Ol' Factory Pils is top notch. But this one wasn't on par with some of their better offerings. Still, a very inoffensive beer, just on the light end of how I like my saisons. Cheers!

 

Sure enough, I was Horny, but in my excitement, I snapped off my key in the TARDIS' lock & was stuck in the Fall of 2015 until The Doctor came back to re-admit me. In the interim, I satiated myself with a CAN:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/17856/62501/?ba=woodychandler

but I was still thirsty, so I went down to the dock of the Bay and opened a:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/253/19856/?ba=woodychandler

Once that kicked, I flagged down a buxom blonde in a dirndl to serve me a:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3340/95288/?ba=woodychandler

and once I finished, she directed me to Hofbräuhaus München for a:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/4686/2011/?ba=woodychandler

If you have ever seen pictures of me, you may have noticed that I always hold my drink in my Left Hand, although my strong hand is my right, nor am I ambidextrous. This led me to:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/418/32410/?ba=woodychandler

Since SBL just ended, it is quite possible that we are approaching LNNBS, so I will end my day's adventure here and pick up with that continuation.

 

Well back again. Game didn't go as planned ...I need my reparations!
Was gonna drink this no matter the outcome. Turns out that didn't effect how much I'd enjoy this because it is fantastic!
I did good today none of my beers today struck out
Barrel aged Bomb!
Bearded Break-In sorachi ace dry hopped gose
And now Jester Kings Mad Meg.
All amazing!! Great day in beer drinking history
BTW this may be my new favorite glass love the shape and how thick it is compared to my others.


___________________




A: Dark hazy copper huge 3 finger head that left a nice thick layer. Pretty lacing too.

S: Sweet sugary Carmel malts..bananas. Hay. Light funk. Some peppery spice.

T: Warm alcohol sweetness. some banana. Light peppery hay funk.

F: Thick, dry...crispy.

O: Really nice saison. More on the tripel side with the sweetness. Really well made beer tho. Enjoying it alot!

________________

 

Another NB for NBS. Sweet malt scents. Slightly hoppy, sharp bitterness backs it up on the taste.
Quite tasty beer, good followup to the super strong Speakeasy Syndicate Series 02.

 

Hi NBSers
The Superbowl is over and I am opening my first beer of the day.
This is a bit of a cheat. I have had War Elephant before but this is the first time it has been canned.

It is really nice to drink a beer that is 4 days old. Has @cavedave Said. DRINK LOCAL.

 

Drinking a homebrew from @oach and hoping that's not against the rules on this thread.
His take on a rye. Malty, citrusy, sweet.
Thanks bro.

 

Homemade pasta! I am impressed =) and a little jealous.

 

So what's the beer like?? Good? Bad? What does it smell and taste like?

Sharing that is good and inquiring drinkers like to know....

 

For truth ... my ears clearly were playing tricks on me.