New Beer Sunday (week 601)

Why won't you be back with us? I only forgot to shower that one time. Oh wait, that happened a few times. Anyway, I'll do better, don't leave us.

 

Now Arnold didn't quite use this tense but "I'm back"!!
With this blood orange Peak Organic Crush IPA. I got it as an extra in an inperson trade with the awesome @mmorris15
He must've a sense of humor when he added Crush IPA when the trade was for Alchemist Crusher!
Mainers have funny sense of humor. I can assure you. First hand information.
Anywho. 7% organic IPA with blood orange juice and "natural" flavors. (Getting a little skeptical when they have to supplement with flavors ). Now I have never tried any peak organic products despite being a Mainer.
Not that I don't support the organic movement but felt that buying my veggies from local farm co-op was where my
"Organic" dollars were going. And that beer wasn't the place for me to insist on organic ingredients. I was happy with it being a "craft" brew by a smallish brewer (not in physical sense) who pays attention to his beer.
Having said that, man this is delicious. In full disclosure I didn't have any high expectations. Golden orange hue with short lasting head. Nose is fairly toned down but taste didn't disappoint.
Tangerines, grapefruit pith and hops. I get it.
I will probably give peak another chance and end up buying my potatoes from non-organic source to balance out my "organic" dollar spending.
Cheers.

 

That's great you get to see them so much. Btw, my daughter lives in Chapel Hill and my son lives in Durham!

 

Had it last night and was baffled as to why they are not mentioned much. I'll be working some Bangor trips into my beer runs (and stopping at Geaghans for a pour of their DIPA which I wish they would distribute).

 

Enjoy your time in Edinburgh. It's a beautiful, culture-filled city. I hope to visit again some day!

 

Peak Organic's The Juice is great, too.

 

Good evening and happy NBS! I have to admit I'm cheating a bit with my new beer today. It's a beer that I have had many times before, but not for at least 10 years. That's because Harpoon discontinued bottling it sometime around 2005-2006.

Harpoon Ale was the brewery's first beer (in June 1986) and I was thrilled to see they brought it back for a limited time to celebrate their 30th anniversary. I drank the hell out of this beer while I was in college in Boston and remember it being off the charts for "drinkability." Let's see how it still stacks up.

New (Old) Beer Sunday: Harpoon Ale



(Yep, that pic was taken on my car earlier today while tailgating for a soccer game)! Clear amber color with a creamy white head. Mild fruity aroma combined with caramel malt. A little bit of spice and earthiness in the flavor. There is a real nice balance between the malt, yeast, and hops that makes for a clean, smooth mouthfeel. Medium bodied and a little sweet in the finish.

It was refreshing to have this beer again, in the sense that I can't think of many other beers like it on the market anymore. Maybe Brooklyn Pennant Ale or Cisco Whale's Tale Pale Ale? Most modern pale ales and IPAs are bright, bold, and loaded with citrus or tropical flavors. This beer resembles more of an English-style pale ale without using British ingredients. Cheers to Harpoon for resurrecting this! It was fun taking a trip down memory lane.

 

OBC's new Bangor taproom is awesome. Let me know if you're ever up this way and we can meet up for a beer.

 

I've had multiple sixpacks of it this summer. It's just incredibly easy to drink. I'll be sad to see it go.

 

Good evening, all, and Happy New Light Lager Sunday! A very eloquent and serendipitous opening by @utopiajane today. This was a work weekend for me, and I had already decided that I was going to go with this Natty Light for NBS. Why? Because (1) why not? and (2) I promised my good friend, co-worker, and fellow BA @Strike00 that I was going to, just for the hell of it. This type of beer presents a real challenge for me. Something this light and watery doesn't have a ton of the characteristic flavors or aromas that we've come to appreciate, so where do you start? Well, first off, the appearance isn't too bad. It's a crystal-clear pale straw color, with an aggressive pour yielding a two-finger white head that dissipated pretty quickly, leaving no lacing. (It appears hazy in the photo due to condensation. Frankly, I think it's prettier this way.)


Here's where it gets difficult. The aroma is understated, with notes of corn, a little light malt and yeast, and - dare I say - a hint of cat piss. Very light-bodied and watery, with some corn sweetness on the palate and a nice touch of bitterness on the finish. There really isn't much to speak of here, but there's nothing really offensive either. This is not the worst light lager I've had, and certainly not the least satisfying.

2.72/5 rDev +48.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

 

Couldn't agree more. There's a real focus on the balance of flavors that makes it so easy to drink. I've heard Harpoon still keeps it on-tap at their taproom. I hope they decide to bring bottles of it back for good someday.

 

Will do, I'll be keeping my eye out for their releases and try to make it up for the ones I want to try.

 

I'd say you did real gooooooood! As a teacher (11 years of that time in 1st grade) I can testify that bigotry is NOT innate, but learned. I do agree that an awareness or possibly even "wariness" of what is different is probably hardwired in us, BUT...we must strive to be self aware of biases, questions, prejudices, etc.. and turn them into reflective opportunities, thoughtful inquiries, sensitive conversations, and ultimately empathetic embraces given unto the world. Sorry, I'm getting all Star Child... Time to mention another great beer.

 

Well, I'm back (happily) for another Jersey offering. Can't give enough thanks to Mr. G aka @SammyJaxxxx

This time it's Carton's 077-10014 East Coast DIPA (dry hopped with Motueka)

3.85/5 rDev -8.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a golden orange to west coast low horizon sunset (cuz that's what I saw). Fluffy white foam with some solid lacing.
Smells of gentle tropical fruit melange including pineapple, mango, and maybe durian fruit, some citrus notes followed by a bit of earthy dank. The flavor is a very balanced dance of the tropical notes mentioned with a bit of orange zest that then moves in a piney, resiny, smooth finish. This one really cruises around the hop profile. Mouthfeel is full enough for style. Overall, I think this one has soon much for so many. For the tropical profiles, for the citrusy profiles, for the resiny profiles. This one has it all. And it moves so smoothly between them. Every hophead could find what they prefer, yet be gently nudged into a different realm.

 

It was refrigerated as soon as I received it and 6 weeks isn't that old for a DIPA. With that said, I don't think age was a big factor in my review. Not a bad beer by any means, it just lacked that juicy tropical flavor that I crave. They can't all be perfect 5's.

 

haha, for sure. I blame Grimm, that was their freshest DIPA at the time.

 

Happy late night edition New (old) Crux BANISHED Sunday!

First things first...what a weekend! Played a show last night, and (in usual fashion) was unable to control myself. Got home around 2:00 am, and was hurting at 8 when we had to pick up The Little One from Mema and Pop-Pop's. Good day of gardening, cleaning, and kickin it to some Tinkerbell movies with my best little bud, and almost couldn't stomach the thought of a beer until about 2 hours ago. But I wanted to have a goodie tonight...so I am! Right Now! And you know what? Since I am doing this so late, I'm gonna entertain myself with a bunch of pictures for you all:

Crux Fermentation Project Doublecross [BANISHED] Series 2015
Barrel-aged Dark Belgian-Style Ale
12%, 20 IBU

I am for some reason in love with Crux, but not necessarily their beer itself . It all sounds amazing and I am always drawn to them. Same goes for most Bend breweries. So let's check this one out.



A total pain in the ass to open. Wax top, then a standard cap, then a cork!



I have never seen a beer pour like this! Looked like cooking oil going into a pot as it seemed to fold into itself. Tiniest of head, even with a vigorous hand, and here comes the best part. The bottom was syrup. Straight, sticky, gooey, only what I presume to be Belgian dark candi syrup (as indicated on the bottle), that separated and settled to the bottom.



At first glance it looked obviously a dark brown, but when held to light, it showed a much more flirty garnet hue, but overall, I would just call it a muddled amber. And check out those sticky nodules lingering in there!



Alright, from here on out, standard format.

Aroma: Dark and sweet fruits, wine, a bit acidic, and traces of oak.

Flavor: Follows the nose, Much more wine like as it was cold, but became more caramel forward as it warmed. A little tannin, and some alcohol in the end.

Feel: Very rich and oily, yet good carbonation despite it's lacking signs in appearance. Stickier as it warmed. A good amount of alcohol warmth.

Overall: This beer is good, but not great. Maybe I should have aged it a little more, maybe not. I enjoyed drinking it, and will still probably buy a later version if I see it, but there are plenty of other world class dark Belgian beers that are easier to get and better

Cheers (LN)NBS'ers, and I will see you all next week!

 

I appreciate the wiggle factor, but I'll stick with my sideline reporting for now. Looks like I'll be sending Fantasy Baseball penance beer out right near that same time, so don't want to get all over committed and such.