New Beer Sunday (week 581)

@thebeers @beertunes In all honesty my nurse was cute which made the wait better, gotta find the positive in everything. ok im done hijacking the thread. Enjoy your brews!

 

Yep. I got one from @Ri0.
I may take my time before I get to mine today. I had an epic beer day yesterday, thanks mostly to Iron Goat's new place opening and my spending pretty much all afternoon and part of the evening there (after working all night beforehand) and while I'm actually rather impressed with how little I'm feeling the effects of it, I will be starting off a little light. I'm also in the process of submitting the new place to the db. Once that's done I'll start off with a couple new beers I had yesterday, and unleash the photographic carnage of what @Rio did to my porch.

 

Good day to all. Had another quick trip to Columbus, so today's NB's will feature those items.

First up from Four String, we have White Star IPA, a Belgian IPA.



Looks very average, maybe less head retention than several others, but whatever. Lacing presents a full sliding sheet of fizz bubble, relaxing to what may be the most absolutely dingiest yellow I've ever seen in a beer.

Every time I swirl it, another smell pops up. At first I was getting that Belgian thing, next swirl mealy biscuit, next swirl stinging alcohol, last swirl had a little tropical bitterness.

Taste is immediately tart. Like shockingly so for the style. After that initial shock I am getting a vinous component wrapped around a fairly nondescript bitterness.

Finishes a touch more wet than I thought it would, given the heat on the nose but there is a little lingering sweetness.

Not bad, but probably not a 2nd time buyer.

 

Look like the official NBS BIF #3 is off to a great start, time for my first entry Perrin Hotbox Brown Ale thanks to @strohme2.

4.14/5 rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Thank you strohme2 for this
12 oz can poured into a snifter

A- Dark brown almost black with a two finger light tan head.

S- Dark roasted coffee, some chocolate, roasted malts.

T- Coffee, roasted malts, hints of toffee, some chocolate, slightly nutty, just sweet enough and just bitter enough.

M- Smooth, slightly creamy, heavy for 5.5%

O- A really nice, super easy drink. Not all about the coffee, but the coffee is really good. Worth seeking out.

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This is the first beer I've had from Perrin and really enjoy it, can't wait to try more from them, cheers!

 

Very nice! Glad they got to you in good shape (that's the first growler I ever sent, so I had some concerns), but especially that you enjoyed them. Cheers!

 

I wasn't really thinking about it yesterday, but I don't have a new beer for today. I picked up Tank 7 and reviewed yesterday without thinking. I was hoping I could find Parabola but that shit evaporates in a second here. New brew or not, I can still work on a review today of either Smitten or Prima Pils. Cheers BA's, and enjoy sampling some new brews!

 

Happy NBS BIF Triple Threat! Not much going on; windy, cold and grey outside. I guess I will have to enjoy some beer! #999

@Stillyman11 was my sender that I get to enjoy beer from. Starting out with Refuge Brewing Blood Orange Wit.

Instructions on can stated to swirl last 10% before pouring into glass, so I did. A very hazy dark yellow color with a 2 finger white head. Great retention and spotty lacing. A pleasant aroma of Belgian yeast, orange, light clove, banana bread, and some light citrus on a wheat ale. Flavor is very similar to the nose, but the citrus and orange are not as intense as the aroma. Very smooth with a medium feel. This would sure taste great in the summer!

 

Working on some lunch and back with a second offering from the BIF box courtesy of @TongoRad

This is Culivator from Troegs. Very nice looking beer. Crystal clear golden yellow with one finger white head. Aroma and flavor showcasing toasted grains and baked bread mixed with grassy and floral hops. Finish is crisp and clean. Highly drinkable beer that would be perfect on a warm day.



http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/694/111683/?ba=richj1970#review

 

Umpteen hundred threads along, NBS will still be here when you're ready. Get yourself good, that's the important thing.

 

Good day NBS afficianados! Another cold, cloudy and windy day along the southern shore of the Great Lake Michigan. A perfect setting to pop the crown on this beer from our very own generous BA known as @cavedave sent to me in this latest round of NBS/BIF. It's finally time to reveal this 12oz. bottle of Jack's Abby Framing Hammer Baltic Porter. A batch/date code of #7 1814012116, IBU's 45, abv. 10%. Let's pour this in my trusty 13oz. stout/porter glass for the grand occasion.



Pours a dark oily brown leaving a fat finger of lively mocha colored foam. The aroma is bakers chocolate, dark roast, molasses, tobacco and black licorice. There is a whiff of something floral sneaking out in the back. Flavor is huge chocolate malt with tobacco, molasses, black licorice, and wood. Once again I'm getting some floral hop flavor trying to emerge in the finish. The feel is oily and lively on the tongue with a dry crisp finish.



I've been looking at this beer and salivating since my multiple box haul from Dave arrived. I've seen plenty from this brewery posted over the years and heard all the accolades, so I was quite stoked when he sent me two bottles. I was very pleased with this fine example of the style. The slightly hoppy nature reminded me a bit of some Three Floyd's stouts/porters, namely Topless Wytch. I like the Wytch and think this is a more roasty and complex version. I'll also add that the 10 percent abv. was very well hidden too. I'm stoked to be able to do this again! My score was 4.21 / rDev +1%.

Read the 'official' words and numbers if you so choose while I finish this fine beer. There's at least a couple more I'd love to sample on this celebrated day. Enjoy your NBS journeys today!

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26520/77500/?ba=Prager62#review

 

So tired. Such shit show last night. Ready for a couple of days off.

What better way to reward myself than with a bourbon barrel maple porter??!?!? I am so excited for this one.

@WesMantooth is my new patron saint of generosity and on-the-head-itude. He sent this beauty along as part of his NBS BIF #3 box. I happen to be an enormous fan of maple (and of bourbon barrels, but really the maple is the part here that really got me going...), and he figured that out and sent this along (as well as a bourbon barrel maple syrup that I will admit that I have swigged straight from the bottle once or twice...).

Bourbon Barrel Black Maple from Jackie O's is a really really damn tasty beer.

-Pours a murky brown/black that reminds me of old dirty motor oil. What head there was, is not for long.
-Initial impression is of a booziness (but not harsh... inviting and incredibly pleasant) along with various manifestations of dark sweetness. Maple, a touch of brown sugar, and a solid swallech of molasses meld with dustier notes of wood and tobacco/leather and muffled chocolate. .
-Sweetness on the taste initially gives the impression of dark fruits, but that quickly gives way to the rich ornateness of our great saviour, that tree with the big red leaves (I'm talking about maple). Molasses is still a prominent presence as well and that promised booziness enveloped in oak. Some light chocolate and a mild nuttiness present when you search for them.
-Gave the impression of being more viscous than it really seems and more carbonated than my ideal, but this is still a damn fantastic brew. Thank you Corey for your generosity and near-creepy knowledge level of my tastes and passions!

I am dog-sitting for a friend of mine while she is out of town, so I get to hang out with this furball

Ironically, this occurs while my own pup is up on the island as I have not been able to retrieve her yet from my parents, who were watching her while I was in the other Washington.
I love Emma too, but I miss my dog!

 

Greetings Fellow NBSers! A cloudy morning here in the Fourth Corner, after a clear, sunny, almost summer-like week. I've been house sitting with my nephew Gunner, the Mastiff-Rottweiller mix, and two cats, Fish, who is getting a bit older, but is still a pretty chill dude to hang with, and Asshole George (OK, his name is just George, but I might make the change official if he keeps on keepin on like he's been). One of the regulars in the NW forum is moving to my town for his girlfriends work, and I've been doing a bit of legwork to help them find a spot to domicile, and we hung out a bit at a couple breweries last night. Another BA is coming down from Vancouver Canadia later today to score some American brews, and he's bringing down a couple B.C. beers for me. So, combined with all these BIF beers, it's been pretty beery around here!

I'm starting off a bit on the lighter side, with an exceptionally tasty saison from Georgia: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/34960/122582/ . Were this local to me, it would probably be a summer regular for me, and I'm likely to reach out for a couple sixers once our true summer arrives.

OK, carry on, I'll be back in a while with more BIF beer!

 

Very true, I'll be back next week forsure, gonna need some slow weeks lol and this is the perfect place for that!

 

New Official NBS BIF #3 "Triple Threat" Beer Sunday
It appears that the insanity that is/was our third BIF is coming to a close. There are over 70 pages of documented madness in the Beer It Forward forum for anyone looking to kill time or prepare for participating in the next one. I think Fed Ex and UPS will be posting some higher than expected first and second qtr earnings. @SammyJaxxxx has already mentioned sending a keg next time, which is frightening because I had the same thought. Thanks again to @beertunes and @LehighAce06 for all of the ground work. Here is some shots of my hauls.




I have been making my way through the metric crap ton of NC beers that @lateralusbeer sent me over the past few weeks. I couple of them made an appearance on WBAYDN "Rock Out with Your Bock Out", but I saved the ones that intrigued me the most for today. The first entry is a German Ale. Technically, only my second rated Altbier. This is a style that I feel blurs the lines as much as any. It has most of the qualities of many German lagers, but also shares many charachterstics of an ESB for me. Just lower bitterness and less prominent fruit.

Anyway… relaxing in my new OMB ring spun cotton t shirt with the beer that they claim put them on the map. What better one to try today.




4.43/5 rDev +9.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A clear, brown tinted copper color. A moderate, but thick soapy, almost foamy light tan head.

Aroma is excellent. Toasted bready grains, sweet caramel, some spunky Noble like floral hops, and a touch of nuttiness.

This thing tastes sooooo good initially and it only gets better. Rich, but not overly sweet, caramel/toffee up front with some yeast and barley followed by a kiss of spicey hops. A lot of floral flavor, but very low bitterness. A little bit of fruit. White grapes and/or apple. Then it comes back around to that toasted biscuit malt base that has a fresh lip smacking grainy flavor that lingers for minutes. Just imagine grabbing a handful of malted barley and chewing on it.

The body is almost unreal for the ABV. Prickly carbonation. Fluffy texture. Crisp finish.

They say it is "an amazingly fresh, easy-drinking beer that tastes like beer". I could not agree more. This is one of the most enjoyable beers overall I have had in awhile

As much as I love a hoppy American beer and all of the crazy variations/ingredients that brewers are playing with right now, there is always something to be said for a kick-ass, straight forward beer.

Be back later. Have to tend to my ribs. Using cherry and apple wood today.

 

Sunday Funday BA's!

BEER INFO

Brewed by:
Anderson Valley Brewing Company
California, United States | website

Style:Gose

Alcohol by volume (ABV): 4.20%

Availability: Rotating




Appearance: A fairly restrained pour shows a burnished gold body with a stark, rocky white cap of foam comprised of tightly knit bubbles. Shocking clarity for a Gose / Berliner Weisse. Nucleation points etched into the glass bottom provide a persistent stream of tiny-bubbled carbonation.

Aroma: Nose is of sweet melon with a perceived dryness from sea salt.

Taste: Entry is sharp with CO² bubbles lighting up the tongue while jolly rancher sweetness dominates the initial flavor.

As the beer passes over the palate, the inherent sweetness gives way to a lightly sour watermelon bath for the tongue, all the while, zippy carbonation spritzes the inner cheek walls.

Finish features a cotton-ball dryness and the perfect sea salt finish to perfectly compliment the sour notes displayed in the midtaste.

Mouthfeel: True to style while perfectly exhibiting the Jekyll / Hyde nature of this style

Overall: A very well done rendition. I'll readily admit that I've not been a huge fan of Anderson Valley over the years and of watermelon beers in general (I'm staring at you, 21st Amendment). That said, this beer far exceeded expectations and the brewers have a lot to be proud of with the finished product. Not only would I give this a hearty recommendation to anyone who appreciates the style, I will happily revisit this beer without trepidation.

Let's go take on the day!

 

Doggone it, guys! My beers will have to wait until tonight. I just this second found out that I will have to play the role of Dad's Taxi Service for the afternoon. See y'all later!

 

I too had a big beer day yesterday. Attended a blind IPA challenge. Had a great time. Drank lots of good beers. Love the blind aspect. It probably won't surprise you PNW folks that one of my top 3 was from your neck of the woods. I'm going to see if I can post the participants and results here shortly. Gotta dig through some photos.

 

Good afternoon NBS'ers. I figured i would just squeeze in an easy drinking beer before the Masters starts so im going with Avery Tweak...17.5% coffee imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels...meh....no problem.

Even though i cant post a picture i surprisingly have proper glassware today. The oversized Avery snifter / chalice. This was an expensive glass, but to me its worth it because it really pulls out aromas like no other glass i currently have.

Anyway...here we go....

Into the glass it pours lighter than i expected...its black obviously, but there is a good amount of brownish hue on the pour as well as when you swirl in glass. Nice medium tan colored head, and of course tons of alcohol legs being at 17.5%.

The smell is more coffee than i expected, to be honest. Its a unique, sweet coffee smell, that i cant really compare to any other coffee beer. Nice bourbon notes, rich dark fudge and chocolates, vanilla, oaky spice.

Taste follows the nose with the coffee right up front, sweet roast and a little bit of espresso bean. Fudgy chocolates, almost like a brownie dessert with bourbon cream sauce. Vanilla, caramel, almond and coconut. Really, really sweet but in a great way. Have i mentioned yet that i have not picked up any alcohol notes? Crazy.....Definetly feel the warmth in the chest going down....but there is no offputting fusel alcohol notes.

Mouthfeel is medium, and thinner than expected. Nice amount of sticky creaminess, but its a thinner beer. Carbonation is lower which is my preference in barrel aged beers.

Overall, this is crazy good. Worth the price tag of 12.99 per bottle? I dont know if id say anything is, but it was great to try and i really enjoyed it. I'll be finishing out the day with some more "sessionable" beers.

Enjoy your day everyone.

 

Will have to seek this out. Sounds pretty damn delicious.

 

Sorry to rub it in but it's going to be 72 for a high today in Albuquerque. This is after a day or so of much-needed raininess that cooled things down a bit. We are pushing towards drought-like conditions again and really need more rain.