New Beer Sunday (week 600)

Ahoy Cave Dave (& other NBSers),
Happy 600th! I have been here, off & on, since its inception. Man, does time fly.

It is getting to be a shopworn cliché, but The CANQuest (tm) was founded on the very principals that you are espousing! I began the madness as a levelling tool, as a response to whales/walez/wales, which were consuming a LOT of threads at the time. I figured that everybody had almost equal access to beer in CANs, making it a universal possibility. This was when Oskar Blues was the only Craft CANner & I was roundly hooted at. This only strengthened my resolve, and you CAN imagine my shock & surprise when Craft CANs suddenly caught fire! Russ Phillips & I are generally credited as the two industry outsiders that brought CANs to light to an otherwise unsuspecting generation of beer CANsumers. Yeah, I had a twinge of FOMO as the expansion grew, but after a while, I realized that I am NEVER going to be able to drink & review EVERY CANned beer in existence. I had not even thought globally at the outset, but CANs come to me from every corner of the globe now. It pays to advertise. Someone asked me about my disdain for Tired Hands & their limited release CANs & how I CAN reCANcile this with The CANQuest (tm). Simple! If I am going to drink & review every CANned beer in existence, then I will shunt those aside until the last. I refuse to stand in line, trade half of my cellar away or any other means of acquiring a CANned beer other than just grabbing it/them, paying & going home to Chez Woody.

 

Or, perhaps, his new corporate overseers "suggested" he do it?

I don't yet have a new brew in my sights, but I suspect a trip up to the Food Coop will cure that. I haven't been on NBS since the beginning, but I think I've been on board since somewhere around week 250 or so. A big THANK YOU to @malty for creating this thread, and his years of stewardship. When malty felt he could no longer do the thread justice, he passed the reins over to @mattcrill , who carried on, and grew, the thread. NBS continued to grow, and Matt's life got busy, as happens, so he handed off to @utopiajane and @cavedave . Well, y'all know how it's gone since. Thanks to the above mentioned folks, and thanks to all you regulars who have kept NBS fresh, fun, and informative for 600 weeks.

In a development that is amusing me to no end, our local "mainstream" daily newspaper this week put a blurb in their monthly beer column about a new brewery opening in our town. Did they send a reporter? No, they did not. They linked to my story on the local blog I write for. I'm legit yo! http://www.taptrail.com/gruff-brewing-is-open-bellingham-brewed-reviews/


I did also get a beer review posted this week, a beer I've been drinking more than my share of the last couple weeks: http://www.taptrail.com/bellingham-brewed-reviews-wander-kulshan-raspberry-lager/

Be back later with a new brew. Cheers all!

 

So Woody, when will we be seeing Yards beers in cans!?!

Cheers!

 

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. Happy NBS! I'm starting off with a Saison from Like Minds, check out that artwork!

Poured a dark golden color with 1.5 finger white head that leaves behind collar and lacing. Aroma is of wheat crackers with a bit of citrus and banana esters. Flavor is very pleasant and enjoyable with a slight tartness to go along with the wheat and banana. This example stays away from the pepper flavors oft found in Saisons. A medium and creamy feel with a slight dry finish. I thought this was well made and reminded me of Hennepin.



I also cracked a Smoked Porter from New Glarus.

It is dark coffee brown with a 2 finger dark tan head. Good retention with a thin collar and minimal lacing. Aroma is campfire smoke, char, along with the wonderful chocolate cola porter. The smoke is not overpowering as it only adds to this beer. Flavor is classic porter with some chocolate and cola. There is a hint of char and earthiness, but does not detract from the base. Feel is medium with a slight butteryness. This beer is made for late summer and fall camping.

 

New or rather "new" Old Style Oktoberfest Märzen Style Beer



Nevermind the low rating I gave it (I am a tough grader in real life, too!), because there's something going on with this one that make it worth a second go-round.

And seeing as I can't get this one at my local packie, I'll be on the hunt for more!

 

Pours an orange and brown color with a two finger head; some of which remains until the end. Medium to heavy lacing.

The smell is full of grapefruit, lemon peel, orange, bread and caramel, maybe some tangerine. The smell gets better if you let it warm up a little.

The taste follows the nose but the grapefruit dominates a little too much for my liking; this reminds me more of an IPA than a standard pale ale. If you like a Pale Ale that is grapefruit heavy then try this. The grapefruit drowns out most everything else but the orange, lemon and bready malts do come though. The finish is dry with hop oil resin left on the tongue.

 

Many thanks @jzeilinger for this tropical fruit bomb of an IPA canned on 8/2/16. Pours as murky as any beer I have ever had, with a two finger fluffy white head that leaves behind spotty lace. 3.75

Smell is mango, papaya, passion fruit, guava, and grapefruit rind, really excellent nose! 4.5 Taste is tropical fruit from start to finish, with some pine and grapefruit in slightly bitter finish. 4.25

Mouthfeel is a little bigger than medium, moderate carbonation, not dry at all, and the drinkability is truly insane. 4.25

Overall I went in expecting a lot and it didn't dissapoint in the least. What was even better is JZ took a chapter out of my book and sent it with out any heads up. Friday afternoon turned into Christmas morning. Thanks again for sharing one of the hottest breweries on BA. 4.25

 

Nice, I am going to do this now! Thanks for the suggestion...

 

Good afternoon NBS and thank you @cavedave for the great intro to this thread, I try my best to embrace the spirit of NBS and that spirit is why I look forward to this thread every week!

First up today for me is Night Shift One Hop This Time: Simcoe thanks to @Doug537 for this.

4.1/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Thank you Doug537
16 oz can, dated 7/19/16, poured into a tulip

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

S- Citrus and hints of tropical fruits, some oranges, piney, hints of pale malts.

T- Piney, hints of resin, citrus, touch of tropical fruits, hints of pale malts and sweet fruits.

M- Smooth, medium body, high carbonation.

O- A tasty Simcoe IPA, easy to drink.

★ 396 characters

This is the first Night Shift beer I've tried and I can't wait to try the other 3 can I got, cheers!

 

I'm working on it! The upcoming expansion may provide the opportunity.

 

Congrats on 600! Thanks for keeping it rolling in my absence. Great stuff.

Peace, love, and malty-ness,

Matt

 

A bit of advance notice here: NBS BIF #4, Monkeys With Knives, will be getting underway in a couple weeks. I'll post an interest thread in the BIF forum in a week or so, anyone who wants in can reply there. We had over 30 participants last time, and had ensuing LIFs, ninja boxes, and other mayhem that continues to this very moment. I'm hoping to grow the thing again, and get over 40 BAs this time. I'd especially like to see some folks from the Rocky Mountain region get in, and some Oregon folks too.

The rules are simple, send beers that are NBS eligible for your target (that means your locals are ideal for someone far away) and be willing to post on NBS about the beers you receive. I'm going to raise the minimum this time to 132 (6x22oz) to 144 (12x12oz), since everyone ships more anyway. Walez are welcome, but not expected. At least 1 piece of swag (T-Shirt or Glassware), and honestly, throw some coasters and/or stickers in too.

Please ask any of your BA friends that you think might be interested to join. Recruit away!

 

Thanks for the shout out and trip down memory lane.

Cheers,

Matt

 

Good to see you Matt, hope all is well with you and yours!

 

Hop Knife a Harvest Ale from Troegs in Hershey PA. Usually the term harvest ale is a red flag for me, a added flavor from the fall harvest. This brew celebrates the hop harvest and the knife used to hand harvest them. Hop Knife is one of 2 or 3 best new beers I've enjoyed this year.At 6.2 ABV with 87 IBUs could have call the an IPA but choose not to. In any case this beer is about the hops. Cascade, Chinook, El Dorado, Centennial, Citra and Columbus are used. It pours Amber with a nice white head. I pick up citrus, pepper and other spices in the aroma. There is a nice malt presence but the hops take over explode with flavors as it passes over your tongue. Not one of the 6 hops used stands out but hints of various flavors keep coming at you as you drink. an outstanding brew.

 

Hello everyone! Missed a few Sundays. Sometimes life interferes with beer, damnit.

Today's new beer is Bells Poolside Ale. This is a Belgian witbier brewed with Michigan cherries. 5.0 ABV.

Pours from can a hazy amber with a bit of off-white head. Nose is a bit fruity. Taste is fruity too, with some Belgian yeast and the cherry coming in a bit sweet, a bit tart. Mouthfeel is wheaty and moderate.

Overall, there's a heaviness about this beer that you wouldn't expect for something billed as light and refreshing. It's a good beer, but not the hot weather thirst quencher I was expecting. Cheers!

 

Cheers Matt!

 

Step one complete, peppers in the oven roasting.

 

Greetings fellow NBSers,
I'm not going to be having any new beers today because I'm at my folks' place in Kennewick, Washington, where it is hot and windy. Later on I'll be drinking some Vanderghinste Oud Bruin with my Dad (if I can talk him into it), and we'll be having lunch at my cousin's food truck (I'm planning on ordering the pork Souvlaki on Naan), that is currently moored in the parking lot at D's Wicked Cider. I suspect I'll be trying a couple samples of craft cider, something I rarely do.

Next week I'll be back with a big bottle of a big barrel aged stout courtesy of @beertunes, and possibly a monster of a beer from Fremont that I stumbled across by accident on Friday.