New Beer Sunday (week 575)

Hi everyone. Spring is in air here in New Jersey today! For NBS, I'm enjoying this delightful Scottish Ale. It has a rich, complex taste and is very easy to drink. Here's my review:

4.21/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured into tulip glass. It pours a dark cola with a pretty, ruby hue when held to the light.with a foamy, one-finger ecru-colored head and extensive lacing. It's a very pretty pour. It smells of earthy peat, dark chocolate, tobacco smoke, dark fruit, and spices that I can't quite identify. The taste, as might be expected, is oaky but it is also very dry. I'm not tasting the chocolate that I smelled and the dark fruit is fairly subdued although it becomes more apparent as the ale warms in the glass. It has a very earthy, smoky taste. Although I don't discern any hops, it is dry and has a slightly bitter finish. This ale is medium-bodied and light in carbonation. I didn't notice the alcohol despite the moderate ABV of 7.2% Overall, I enjoyed this ale: it has a complex, but pleasing blend of flavors and it would pare well with a hearty meal before a fire in a Scottish pub.

 

With the pup asleep after some visitors to tire her out, I'm back for another that I'm curious to try. While I don't worship at the Three Floyd's alter, I do occasionally binge on their products when they pique my interest. I'm popping the cap on a bomber of Hopped in Half Pilsner from a recent stop. The bottle is dated 2-9-16 and I'm pouring this no abv. listed brew in my Three Floyd's Teku. Hey, it's Sunday, gonna get fancy!

Pours a sparkling and brilliant transparent deep gold leaving a generous two fingers of soapy white foam. The aroma is cereal grain, bread, floral esters and some mild citrus/melon. Flavor is once again cereal-bread forward with floral and mild citrus qualities in the finish. The feel is very crisp, clean and refreshing like a quality pilsner.





This one is definitely not normal for Three Floyd's as it's probably hopped in 'quarter' rather than half. Joking aside, I find it a refreshing and sessionable change of pace to the high abv. hop monsters. I didn't hold any of that against it in my score which was a 4.06 / r/Dev -0.2%.

Sleep in heavenly peace!



The official scorecard for interested parties. Have a great week gang!

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26/214316/?ba=Prager62

 

Great musical paring! I grew up in the '60's and '70's and the Guess Who were part of my life soundtrack. Now, I hear them a lot on Sirius XM and I'd forgotten just how many great hits they had. I have new appreciation.

 

My first new beer Sunday of 2016

SN Tropical IPA while brewing up a Zombie Dust clone that I've doctored up.
I'm calling it Zombie Dusted as it'll be a DIPA when I'm done

 

my first try of sweetwater in Atlanta, heard about this and so I bought some

pours a nice orange with small white head
real citrus notes of orange from the armarillo hops.
55 on the bitterness which is good and at 4.2%abv, could drink all day (not driving)
crisp pleasing bitterness. claean finish. crushable.imo.cheers!

 

New American Saison Sunday (week 575)

Greetings from on the ridge in Mid Hud Val, NY. Beauty day here, warm and sunny, crazy busy at work this AM, starting to feel my age lately haha. Nothing like a beer to ease the day away from thoughts of work and pains. Had a warm up beer and now on to the main stage steps this delectable goody sent me by a great friend in Texas.

The ingredients list shows four kinds of melon, and the tasty aroma tricks you into thinking that they aren't gonna be a key player. Surprise, that first sip ends that delusion in a rush of multi melon goodness. Plenty of funk, but not over the top, and mostly the easier to enjoy earthy and lemon limey funk notes. Melon is the star here, and I can honestly say I have never had a beer with this much melon flavors. I can almost taste all four different melons in this, or am I imagining it? Anyway, not imagining how good it is, and I highly recommend it. And greatly thank the generous man who sent it.

Hope you also have a Great American Beer in your glass. Cheers!

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24018/145442/?ba=cavedave


Title track from the debut album of the band for whom I write all the lyrics. Enjoy.

 

Moving along and switchin it up...

Samuel Adams Nitro Coffee Stout - Boston Beer Company


Samuel Adams Brewing Co. - Nitro Coffee Stout by imbibehour, on Flickr

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Poured from the can into a nonic pint glass. Best by June 2016 I think.

Always love a fun pour, and out of the can nice and aggressive with cascading upward motions. As she finally settles a real nitrous two finger head is presented, faint tain almost yellow looking and not a budge going anywhere. It completes it's top sitting on a booming deep walnut black red body that looks as opaque as can get. Really does look black with red and very impressive.

Aroma goes for basic milk coffee and cream. Excellent light roast and sensing coffee with a simple bit of malted roast to go with it. Slightly creamy smelling, not too sweet, nothing excessive either, but also inviting and slightly hinting towards cream and rich flavors.

Palate sticks to the basics. Mild creamy coffee flavors with added nitro thickness in the mid palate. Senses turn to drip coffee but with a minor acidic twinge that is small. Slight milky chocolate as well on the finish, with some hinting vanilla but more of a milk flavor mostly.

A decent very good take on a nitro flavored stout. Very drinkable flavorful and easy.

look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4 | BA Score 4.09

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Off to more!

 

That is one cool-looking bottle and one cute puppy!

 

After finishing up some grading, I rewarded myself with my first NBS post of 2016. Between this thread and "Post a picture of your latest haul", this is easily becoming a new favorite hobby. You all make finding and enjoying great beer incredibly fun.

Love the way this stout drinks, especially as a lighter alternative to the heavier, boozier stouts I'm used to drinking.



Happy Sunday!

 

I heard that Chauncey Gardener was in Iowa for the caucus and only got 3%. Damned guy is brilliant! Shameful.

 

I know, it's amazing what we take for granted.

 

right on, thanks man!

 

Happy Sunday BAs! I haven't had the time for even reading, let alone posting, on a weekend in quite some time it seems. New job, car accident (not my fault), insurance delays, newer car finally, re-adjusting to new job the whole time -- I think I haven't truly relaxed on a weekend since Christmas-ish. Today, I find myself home after a half-busy morning of typical weekend chores, and FINALLY enjoying a Sunday afternoon with no complications as well as recently purchased NEW BEER!!
New-to-me Pennsylvania lagers are flowing freely along with many recent-ish releases which have showed up locally like Azacca, FW Luponic 001, Alpine Duet, this years' Durty, ST Helles, etc. Last 2 trips to beer stores were really fun.
I post today, however, to note the arrival in my fridge of Stone's Pataskala RedXIPA:

Bottled 1/21, i found it to be somewhat muted on the nose for hops. despite the claim of massive hopping on the bottle. I got a balanced red ale with some interesting nuttiness and/or molasses accents, and the hopping was basically clean, understated and dank-y, believe it or not. I wouldn't expect a 5-week old beer to have lost anything, so I have to say my expectation for a "mosaic/cascade/amarillo" hop bill would have been "sharp/floral/spicy" or something similar, and it wasn't that at all for me. I enjoyed the beer, but I hold my hopes up for anyone to make a red IPA which stands out for its red malt content while truly hitting a high mark for hops that blend well with the "red" moniker. The closest or best I can recall were RedsRye or other rye/amber malt-bombs that allowed their hops to complement, rather than overwhelm, their base beers. Or whatever I'm blathering about and making no sense with. Good beer, not what I expected. Best wishes to all for an early Spring (wait, we didn't even actually have a winter here, so......) and good times to come.

 

Happy Chicago(land) New Beer Sunday!

I took Rosa by the fist (we are Revolutionaries, after all) and we headed off to Fist City:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22072/123355/?ba=woodychandler

but she wasn't really into it. I knew where we could score an IPA on the Homefront, plus get some Hops for Heroes at the same time:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22072/173895/?ba=woodychandler

I dig having a fellow hophead for a girlfriend since she understands my jones, plus she also wants to score. Once we got right, we headed for the Ogilvie Transportation Center and jammed econo to the Barrington METRA station, where AutumnalDave picked us up. He's a great guy and he has wheels, so we went to the Onion in Lake Barrington where I immediately made a Faux-Pas:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/598/96527/?ba=woodychandler

Y'see, this AmeriCAN Blonde in a Stars & Stripes bikini came wandering by & I asked her if she'd like to get involved in a three-way, ménage a trois-style blend with Rosa & me and she spat in my face and said, "Phat Chance":

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/598/67235/?ba=woodychandler

This seemed to alert the waitstaff to the idea that Rosa & I are a couple of Misfits:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/598/154668/?ba=woodychandler

and so we were told to leave or the local CANstabulary would be called. AutumnalDave quickly bundled us back into his car and we sped off, back to METRA & the big city.

And what would CNBS be without some poetry? I give you my favorite AmeriCAN poem:

CHICAGO by Carl Sandburg

HOG Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders: 5

They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I
have seen your painted women under the gas lamps
luring the farm boys.
And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it
is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to 10
kill again.
And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the
faces of women and children I have seen the marks
of wanton hunger.
And having answered so I turn once more to those who 15
sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer
and say to them:
Come and show me another city with lifted head singing
so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.
Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on 20
job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the
little soft cities;

Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning
as a savage pitted against the wilderness,
Bareheaded, 25
Shoveling,
Wrecking,
Planning,
Building, breaking, rebuilding,
Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with 30
white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young
man laughs,
Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has
never lost a battle, 35
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse.
and under his ribs the heart of the people,
Laughing!
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of
Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog 40
Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with
Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.

Remember to vote for my next misadventure as outlined in a previous post! In the interim, if time remains in NBS (Week 575), I may visit somewhere else today.

 

Oh my! I picked this up on sale for $5. Wish I had bought even more!

Hop notes of citrus, musty grapefruit, tropical fruit and some earthy hints mixed in the scent. I pick up some dry funk from the Brett. The citrus and tropical hops hit right away, grapefruit and some mango along with earthy notes. The Brett fills in to give it just a bit of a musty funky flavor. Lighter body with ample carbonation; the finish is tart and dry. Much better than I expected and one of the better Brett IPAs.

 

doncha love a good beer deal?

 

Wow Maria!!! One of the most eloquent, vivid, and engaging descriptions of a beer I have ever read. I was glued to your post!!!

 

What is it about it you like better? How does it taste, what are the flavors, the aroma, best features, worst features, overall impression? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Greetings fellow NBSers! A cloudy, windy late February day here in the Fourth Corner, where a mild winter has trees blossoming, and early flowers poking through the top soil. I've got a couple new brews to clock in to today, but before I do, please allow me to mention that NBS BIF #3 entries close with NBS today. We're nearing 30 NBSers, so feel free to climb aboard the beer train! I've posted the to the reply thread back upthread a couple times, go check in on that thread, and I'll happily add you to group!

First beer is a "Pre-Prohibition Lager" brewed by a local brewery (where I am typing this entry from, as it happens) in support of the Lumber and Lace Ball next weekend, to raise money for injured loggers: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28281/217362/ . I had a couple other new brews earlier, and I'll get those posted after I get the reviews written. Cheers all!

 

5$! Hell yeah! Femme fatale stuff goes for like 15$ at my local place haven't seen that one tho.