New Beer Sunday (week 573)

Tiberius Centurion IPA by Scarlet Lane Brewing Company

Pours a clear dark amber with a two finger head that dissipates and provides little lacing. Aroma of banana, clove and brandy. Flavors of banana bread and unripe banana peel. Well balanced for 100 IBU but a long linger after a modest alcohol burn.

 

My second NBS beer is the appropriately titled



My wife is my beer seeking partner which is amazing. We stopped in at Fiddlehead yesterday to pick up something in a growler. To my surprise they were selling cans of Second Fiddle which had been canned 02/12/2016. Lucky us.

Second Fiddle

Fiddlehead Brewing Company
American Double / Imperial IPA / 8.20% ABV

4.37/5 rDev -1.4% | Avg: 4.43
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

L-Pours more amber than gold with a huge 2 inch plus frothy white head. Lacing is excellent and lasting.
S- Rather than the over the top citrus in alot of DIPA's from Vermont, this one is much more Piny and dank.
T- The taste follows the nose in that it is more pine than citrus. Rather than being a hop bomb, this beer is far more balanced and easy drinking despite the 8.2% abv.
F-The mouthfeel is medium with moderate carb. The pine dankness really lingers on the tongue.
O- This beer is one to seek out if you like more balance in your DIPA than Heady or Sip. The dankness is also something that sets it apart from it's compatriots. It's well worth seeking out if you can get it.

 

G' afternoon NBS-ers!
Today's entry is SweetWater Dank Tank Bacon Smoked Porter


First I saw it said Pulled Porter on one side and then...

BACON!!?? SOLD!!

So let's get to this!
Appearance: Pours a dark brown body with some reddish brown along the edges when held up to the light. Has a dark khaki tan colored head.

Aroma: Definitely picking up on that smoke! Smells exactly like some hickory smoked bacon frying in a pan on an early morning for breakfast.

Taste: Smooth almost sweetness up front and then...POW...smoke! And plenty of it! But it isn't so over-powering that you don't get some bitterness from some of those hops. It really comes through on it's promise of being a Bacon Smoked Porter! Tastes even better as it warms up

Mouthfeel: Nice and full of that smoke, but light enough to drink it quickly. Just enough carbonation to level out that smokiness.

Overall: Put simply: I love it! Split this one with my Pops and we are in agreement; this is a winner! Find this one if you like any kind of smoke in your beers, bacon, or both.

Cheers!

 

Happy New Valentine's Beer Sunday everybody! We just got in from a fun afternoon of bowling- my son was anxious to show off how his skills improved with his new ball to his mom, so she agreed to go as a family (even though she probably hasn't touched a ball in 40 years ). Lotsa laughs and a come from behind victory for my son later, and we're warm and toasty at home again- everybody happy.

I'm starting my day with some Boom Sauce that is just about 2 weeks old, so I couldn't resist picking it up yesterday.

Right off the bat, it's very fragrant, which is a very good sign. I'm getting just about equal parts fruit and sweaty dankness (in a good way, naturally). The fruit is leaning towards stone fruits- apricot, plum, peach- although there is passionfruit and tangerine playing a supporting role. The mouthfeel is dusty/silky, with a nice dry finish and a good snap of bitterness. The lingering finish is all peach and orange peel.

I am reminded of the latest Stone Enjoy By with this one, although it's just a notch below that one (just a bit less vibrant). I will gladly take it going forward if the freshness and availability are there, though. A-(4.25).

Some Valentine's Day music seems in order. This one by Bruce Cockburn is pleasantly devoid of sappiness-


Cheers, all!

 

Ok, the GF couldn't finish her Ginger Big Eye, so I finished it for her. Isn't that what Valentine's Day is all about? Actually my last little bit I started to get a tingle from the ginger which did make it a tad more tolerable for me. Anyhow, decided it was time to break out the chocolate for this holiday:


Lickinghole Creek - Heir Apparent - figured I had to do a Virginia beer today, as "Virginia is for Lovers" (Ha! doing more with this holiday theme than I anticipated. I don't even like the holiday, but a theme day... ).

The pour is beautiful - even though I had a better first pour (went lighter on the second as the first one threatened to jump - the things that happen on this day ). As I let it warm, the head receded quite slowly, and a curtain of lacing remained.

Well, now... here is a smell of distinct chocolate that I rarely get in a beer. I mean this is more than roasted notes that smell of chocolate or getting the cocoa nibs coming through the rest of the beer. This thing is like an barely sweetened dark chocolate blast to the olfactory senses. Not getting much of the peppers.

The label (that is almost impossible to read, so no idea why I put in a shot of it for you) says it's sweeter that a normal RIS at 60 IBU. I would agree, and that chocolate from the nose is also in the taste, but it isn't an overly sweet beer by any means. Burnt coffee bitterness in the end comes along with a little chalky feel a la powdered cocoa) as main components to dispel the concept of eating a chocolate bar. With warmth a little peppery note comes out; much like the Ginger Big Eye, however, the bite or sting isn't powerful enough to add any excitement to the brew.

This is a nicely full bodied chocolate stout that avoids being too sweet while showcasing a deep dark chocolate taste. If the peppers came from off stage to add to the performance, I would easily go higher with my rating.

 

New American Stout

What a great day in West MI. It's chilly, but there's some sunshine peeking through the clouds.

After a Friday of night whiskey and brews with the neighbors, and a Saturday full of youth soccer and b-ball, I decided to replace an evening of drop-in lacrosse with a morning run to allow for a New Beer Sunday.

Today's entry is a toughie. It really is a solid stout. It just misses the mark on the peanut butter addition.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16503/204103/?ba=GRPunk

Peanut Butter CEO Stout
22oz., waxed bottle with a smudged date (-/23/2015) from Copper Vine, poured into a Duvel tulip.

A- A normal pour creates a foamy, dense, 1-1/2 finger of light brown head. The body is pretty well black. The head settles in to 1/2 finger and sustains at that level throughout while leaving really good lacing on the glass. A couple of wax particles dropped in with both the first and second pours.

S- While billed as a peanut butter version, there's still a lot of coffee up front that I recognize from the base beer. The peanut butter is subtle, yet noticeable. With some warmth, the medium roast coffee aromas grow. There's a little dark chocolate at play here too.

T- It's really hitting the spot on a somewhat lazy, Sunday afternoon. It's like an afternoon cup of coffee. Dark chocolate notes pair nicely, while the peanut butter takes a back seat. To tell the truth, if the label didn't reference a peanut butter addition, I probably wouldn't think it was there. Maybe I can attribute some of the roasted qualities? I dunno.

M- Quite dry in the finish while keeping a creamy feel throughout. Medium body with moderate-light carbonation.

O- I'm a sucker for flavored beers, and I know Right Brain enjoys experimentation. I generally prefer subtle hints of adjunct additions, but I feel this beer would benefit from a doubling of the peanut butter. I just kept closing my eyes and hoping for a breakthrough of flavor. A great beer for sure (I love the regular CEO), just don't expect to get your peanut butter fix with this one (coming from a guy who enjoys all things peanut butter). Versions from The B.O.B. and Mitten come to mind.

A- 4.25 S- 4.25 T- 3.75 M- 4 O-4

 

Greetings from frigid New Jersey. I went outside just long enough to take this photo. I thought the beer would freeze in my hand! It's stout week and my new beer for today is this Belgian RIS. I really enjoy a dark fruit presence in Imperial Stouts and this one tasted like something between a RIS and a Quad. It was really good. I'm admittedly biased toward Russian Imperial Stouts and tend to rate them liberally.

4.21/5 rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a stout glass. It is not nearly as dark in color as most Russian Imperial Stouts I've tried before. It's more of a dark cola. It poured an enormous, frothy, ecru-colored head and extensive lacing that persisted throughout the pour. It features a the usual RIS smells: chocolate, coffee, and roasted grain but it has a lot more smell of dark fruit than I anticipated. It's a very pleasing aroma. It also has a very different flavor - something between a RIS and a Belgian Quad. Its tastes include dark chocolate, burnt coffee, vanilla, tobacco, raisin, and dark cherry. It has both sweet and sour notes at the finish but very little hop presence. It's a medium-bodied stout, not as viscous as some of its popular American cousins, and it is highly carbonated. It really hides its 9% ABV. Overall, it is a very good stout, combining elements of two of my favorite styles. I like a dark fruit presence in an Imperial Stout and Troubadour has lots of it.

 

Back again. I saw this and I thought why not. I didn't really expect much from it and it was about as I expected. Any time I see artificial flavors in a beer I fear the worst. Oh well, I am drinking it but I won't again.



Here is how I see this one.

3.64/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Nice dark brown beer with a light tan head. A thin film of foam remains on the beer and moderate spotty lacing is left on the glass. The aroma is amazingly s'more like. The graham cracker hits big with vanilla from the marshmallow complimenting that scent. There is a nice roasted malt scent as well. The chocolate is harder to find but it is buried in there. The taste is different from the smell. There is a big taste of imitation vanilla extract that is immediately noticeable and kinda pushes the other flavors away. The aftertaste is still dominated by the imitation vanilla extract flavor but the graham and chocolate make a brief appearance. It is medium bodied and has moderate carbonation. I wish it tasted as good as it smelled.

 

Greetings, fellow NBSers, and thanks to @JackHorzempa for being willing to pinch hit today,

As @Homebrew so entertaingly put it, Happy VD to everyone! As a confirmed batchelor who would have to be re-housebroken by the fairer sex at this point, today is just another day for me, but I'll be breaking out something special as a present for self later on.

Right now it's a cloudy 45 degrees in the Republik of Spokanistan. Was supposed to be rainy, but it hasn't happened yet.

No new beers for me this past week. I thought the one I'm finishing off now was new, but it turns out HUB repackaged their "Survival Seven Grain Stout" into Survival Coffee Stout, so I'm drinking a beer I reviewed and wasn't blown away by in 2010, and it hasn't seemed to have changed at all in that sense: a perfectly mediocre coffee stout, without much coffee flavor.

At least the breakfast was epic: Eggs, maple bacon, cheese and potatoes in a waffle cone at Brainfreeze Creamery - the breakfast cone is definitely a thing, and a good one, I can now report.

Onwards and upwards. There's at least one local brewery open today with a beer I've yet to try, plus that something special I'll be finishing up with today.

 

Happy NBS!
Opening one up before we go out later!
Seen this beer a lot just never pulled the trigger decided screw it. I need to try more stouts anyway.
A local brew from Freehouse brewing out of Charleston.
HooDoo Imperial Stout.

"The tradition of conjuring up Lowcountry magic continues in Hoodoo Imperial Stout. Dark and roasty, this Belgian-style Imperial Stout displays the rich flavors of a strong stout with the dry and estery nature of our house ale yeast. Flaked oats add a smooth and silky finish."

Sounds interesting. But Belgian yeast in a stout? Odd to me. Odd combination of flavors.



_____________________

3.84/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

L: Dark murky brown. Finger of head stuck around with nice lacing.

A: Sweet milk. Roasty chocolate. Some dark fruits esters. Maybe some maple syrup?

T: A nice bit of chocolate and dark malts. Some raisins. Also a taste that reminds me of a milk stout with lactose. I assume it's the oats. Nice touch.

F: A bit thin. Tho creamy.

O: Not huge fan of the Belgian yeast character in a stout. But I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. Well done.

______________________

 

Sounds pretty nice. You mention the beer's (and its smokiness, I assume) bacon quality. Does that come with what I will try to describe as an almost salty-like/cured meat flavor; or maybe a higher level of acridity (ha! my browser says that's a word, or it is just tired of correcting me) that can come out of some smokey beers?

 

Thanks for the excellent review. Brooklyn Black is also a favorite of mine. I think it's a lot better than some of Brooklyn's expensive specialty offerings.

 

Happy Valentines Day edition of NBS! Am so happy that my Wife is now more and more into craft beer and the places we go to find it. Today, we went more North of Boston to Ipswich to visit the Ipswich Ales Brewers Table. This is a new restaurant addition that took this brewery about 6 years to complete. Great food, BTW, and want to go back to try other options. But, on to the beer! I was able to try a 'brewery exclusive' beer only on tap there, it was a Belgian ale with nice classic Saison look and finish. They called it Ibelge, apparently they added more hops then is traditional (albeit now very American), hence the I. Poured appropriately from tap, cloudy, slight head, and crisp tight bubbles. Taste was definitely Saison with the right flavor and spice complimenting. Overall, good, not something I would buy a 6 pack of, but good. More importantly, #1 my Wife was into and liked going to a brewery for V Day, and #2 the food looked so good that Id go back more for that yet knowing Id always get a good pour of Oatmeal Stout.
Happy V Day, and happy NBS! Cheers!

 

I'm back NBS! Another Green Flash selection for me.



The nose and flavor on this one is obviously strong tangerine. A nice sweetness to it and not too bitter. I'm liking it but the best part overall is the appearance!



Cheers!

 

Your history is highly suspect. Cheers to filling in!

 

Hello NBS! My new beer for today is a Russian Imperial Stout by Stoup. This beer pours a dark bown from a growler into a shaker pint glass half inch mocha head. Nose is roasted malt and dark chocolate. This beer drinks silky smooth, with the 9.2 ABV almost completely hidden. Bitter finish. Medium mouthfeel

This silky imperial stout is absolutely delicious. Highly recommended. Cheers!

 

Happy St. Valentine’s Day, NBSers. It’s time for a very mushy, gushy, sickly sweet edition of NBS. After my love affair with my wife, still going strong after being married for 3 years, I have another ongoing love-affair: [pregnant pause] STOUTS. Whether session strength, on nitro, barrel-aged, imperialized, made with lactose, or other odd ingredients, I still love them. In homage to one of my very favorite styles, and an awesome Seattle grunge band (though I argue metal!), I give you…


Stoutman

Roasted coffee, black and tan

With a widget in a can, Stoutman

Bourbon barreled luxury

Gotta love the abv, Stoutman

Stoutman, drinkin’ dark beer in your hands

Drink me, I’m at room temp in your hand

Drink me!

All my friends drink IPAs

Lost inside a hoppy daze, Stoutman

Don’t like Heady from a can,

Parabola is where it’s at, Stoutman

Roasted coffee, black and tan

Bottled, canned, or fresh on draft, Stoutman


And if you liked that, you’ll love this, my NBS review of, of course, a stout!

 

Good afternoon NBS, hope everyone is having a nice Valentines Day. Have dinner plans for later tonight, but figured it couldn't hurt to have a nice session ale while the girlfriend is taking a nap. First up Stillwater Give-Way.
4.28/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

16 oz can poured into a pint glass

A- A clear light golden color with a three finger white head.

S- Hoppy with a faint malt backbone, citrus, grapefruit, some tropical fruits, nice earthy spice.

T- Grapefruit, tropical fruits, earth spice in the finish gives it just enough bitterness, hints of mint, really nice Pilsner malts balance everything out.

M- Smooth, crisp, light body.

O- A super easy drinking ale.

★415 characters

 

Thanks for the review. I hope to try this on draught for the first time next weekend at the brewery. I'm a big fan of the "regular' Regular Coffee.

 

"Getting this out of the way before some bigger beers later."

I like your style, LI!