New Beer Sunday (week 604)

Ok , so Neshaminy Creek Creekfestbeir lager, brewed up for Philly beer week a year or so ago, it did medal. BBA lager, brown sugar, honey brewed with blueberries, and conditioned on blueberries.

Served up in kinda modern Pils glass compliments to Twizzard, it was from his golf tourney.

Pours a think inch of dense foam, settles down to a steady 1/8 after a few minutes, holds till the end. Looks like a brown ale in color, though the base is a lager I was expecting a darker pour.

Nose is tart fruit, I'm not a sour guy, but I'm expecting sour with a bit of funk too, a bit dank. You definately get a hit of fruit upfront, and blueberries are not really sweet fruit.

The first sip is semi sour fruit upfront but nothing over the top, keeping with the blueberries they used. The fruit is a here, but it's not a Sour. Having a Lager base supports the ingredients pretty well, there's nothing suggesting the roasted malt or the bitter hit like a stout. The lighter Pils base lets the fruit do its thing without being overwhelmed by the malt. Definately not sweet given the local sourced honey and brown sugar they mention. No hops at all to mention, not needed at all.

Finish is interisting enough, the fruit really settles in then just when it's about over the subtle hit of Bourbon. Very subtle bourbon, but it's there, too much and you'd have a boil maker. A BBA beer where subtle is needed because of the Lager base, a hammer wasn't needed.

I've had some BBA aged IPAs before where the hops stand up to the bourbon, and I loved them. The lager base here is perfect because of the fruit they highlight, the Bourbon is a great finish.

Overall an enjoyable beer to start a football Sunday, the 9% isn't over the top. I'd buy it again even at the steep price of $25 a 22 oz bottle, but I'm sure this wasn't an inexpensive beer to make.

 

Can I Kick It a hoppy American red ale from Twin Elephant Brewing. Served in a pint glass at the brewery this looks just like most other red ales deep red color and an off white head. After that this beer go's it's own way. The ABV is 7.2 sort of high for a red ale. This brew is dry hopped with both Mosaic and Cirta hops and the aroma says so very clearly. There is a strong slightly sweet malt flavor in the taste and the beer is more balanced than the aroma is. The mouth feel is full and it tastes great. Twin Elephant has only been open since May 6th and this is the 4th beer they brewed that i found to be excellent. They are getting as good at brewing beer as they are at coming up with cute/clever names for beers.

 

So be it.

OK, the kids are gone and my wife has walked up to the school with them so, if I'm quick, I can have the whole bottle to myself...

From a 750ml bottle, corked-and-caged, dated 06 2016. Served in an imperial pint/nonic.

Pours a murky golden-straw-pear color with a vast, billowing cloud of soft, sudsy head. Retention is apparently infinite and, in fact, had I not slurped it all out, would undoubtedly still be sitting in the bottow of the glass. Leaves great wads of long-lasting, sloppy lacing. (4.75)

The nose is clean with sharp belgian yeastiness, dried leaves, lemons and pears. (4.0)

Initially the taste is crusty dinner rolls with a melange of bitter citrus, grapefruit pith, bergamot/seville orange, currants and lemon peel. As it settles on the palate, the citrus character recedes and more woodland flavors emerge, dried leaves, acorns, bitter herbs and pine needles. Finishes with a long, clean, drying, earthiness and a slightly sappy, mildly numbing, tongue-coating hoppy zing. (4.25)

Mouthfeel is medium bodied - probably thick in saison-terms - and brightly carbonated. It starts off almost creamy and ends nearly chalky dry. (4.0)

In conclusion, an exceptionally tasty end-of-summer beverage. What with the dry hopping, bitterness, and thickness, in a blind tasting I would certainly have guessed that I was drinking a Belgian IPA or, at least, some sort of Belgian pale ale but, if the brewer wants to call it a saison, I'll go along. No dings for not being to-style. (4.25)

Thanks for having me. I'll try to drop by more often!

 

@drtth - sad to report that, while I wasn't drinking with tasting notes in mind, I actually did get a little something that I thought people, including myself, might have considered oak in my first sip of the beer last night. I only got it in that first taste, nothing in nose, and it was not a flavor I continued to get. Funny part of it is that I had already read the thread which you reference where people were getting oak. So maybe there really is something to the psychology.

In my revisit today, I did not get that same impression at any point - and I was looking for it. The closest I could come in my searching was that maybe some of the late bitterness had a light woodenness to it, but nothing like I noted in that first sip last night.

Regardless, I stand by my overall impression from last night, in that this beer just doesn't let the malt shine as much as I'd like from an Oktoberfest. Cheers!

 

Turns out that one of our local Saison experts has noted that they seem to use a different dry hop each year so doing your review for that entry is a great idea.

Come back again when you have the chance.

 

Number two Marzen is a Hacker-Pschorr Original Octoberfest



I've seen this look somewhere before. Oh yes, my last post. Clear caramel coloured beer with a quickly dissipating beige foamy head.

Nose a bit more balanced with noble hop nuance instead of domination, which allows a bready sweetness to creep in.

Despite an upfront caramel sweetness, there's still nice immediate crispness. Some corny backbone at work on the finish, which leaves a bit of pop on exit as well.

 

You can believe there is something to that psychology since no oak is used in that beer. ( Plus there's a lot of empirical research showing such things can have an effect on what we think we taste. Sometimes even on how much we think we enjoy it.)

As for the malt, part of what I liked about it was that both the malt and spicyness of the hops for me were noticeably there and playing together nicely so neither seemed over done. I pretty much enjoyed that interplay.

 

Yeah, I've had some really good domestic Helles lagers (Sly Fox, Victory, Southern Tier) so I was hoping for better from Blue Point but was disappointed. Like I mentioned, the beer didn't taste bad, but I really love when you get that fresh grainy/sweet malt that just sings in the flavor of a Helles and it was missing. The last few ounces from my bomber went into a pot of chili I was making

 

Fantome Dark White

A lovely beer. This is probably the last saison that I will cross post with NBS and my saison thread. You can read my reactions to the beer here.

 

It's actually perfectly within the style to be hoppy and/or dry hopped. The modern "normal" Saison Dupont is hoppy and in the past it was dry hopped. The modern dry hopped versions are a throwback to their roots.

You better drop by again, it was certainly great to have your posts. I'm in the same boat - with the family, Sundays are tough.

 

Really hoping someone reviews deshutes sagefight today...

 

Fruity Chili. Woo-Hoo!!

Cheers!

 

Many of the reviews of this one do note the vintage (many, but not most). I'd imagine that separating the ones that do is more trouble than its worth.

 

Howdy, NBS folk!

It is a fall-like but surprisingly hot day here in Eastern Canuckistan and I have really been enjoying the great reviews posted to far. I agree with the multiple people who have spoken up in favor of fall as a favorite beer season, but I have a hard time choosing any one season. I am lucky in that I like just about everything and so I am rarely disappointed. That said, I am going to start today with a little more summery beer and then we'll see where that takes me.

Dunham is a really nice little brewery located between Montreal and Vermont. It is well worth the 30-minute detour for anyone coming up from New England. They brew quite a variety of beers and are very experimental (especially for these parts). Most all of the beers that I have had from them range from solid to great in my opinion. I don't think that they are the end-all-be-all that they appeared to be at a certain point a couple years ago, perhaps, but they make damn fine beer. No doubt about it. One of their strong points to date has been hoppy beers. They aren't the best, but they are consistently decent. “In the land of the meh IPA, the one-eyed beer is king”. So take this ring.



They have a series (Cyclope) that is an ever-changing string of IPAs (same base beer AFAIK) with different two-hop combinations. What's especially interesting to me is that they use a lot of hybrid/new hops. They have done quite a few so far as they work their way through the Greek alphabet. In general, these beers get too much love. The reviews aren't great and I've talked to a few people who flat-out don't like them. I understand why, they are definitely experimental. But I really enjoy the opportunity to try “odd” hops in new combinations to get an idea for how good or bad they are and how they complement one another and the beer as a whole. That said, I usually just buy a single. Nonetheless, I am always happy to try the new versions as they come out.

This one is an Australian IPA (Galaxy and Ella). I have had a single hop IPA with Ella once and it was pretty good. Galaxy's great. So, all told, I am curious to see how this combination is. Luckily, in my opinion, even if it sucks, I'll take something away from it.



It pours pretty nice with a bountiful whipped-cream head. This is a beer that I could definitely say is not my idea of 'pretty' color-wise. Otherwise it is nice. I love a beer where you can eat the head like an apple.



Both the flavor and smell are a balance between fruity and earthy. Each has a strong side. It smells really fruity, the flavor is a mineral snap (I'm convinced it's their water) with some forest floor flavor coming up and dragging some peaches and orange behind it. It is fairly drinkable. A little too astringent on the finish I think, but still pretty enjoyable. I would definitely have this one again and it is probably my favorite of this series from them.

Cheers, all I hope there is delicious beer in your glasses!



Here is my actual review.

 

I've gone domestic for my last posted Marzen today with the Firestone Walker OAKtoberfest Paso Marzen Bier



Right away we have a big difference between this and my import selections as this one is a little lighter and has a more durable head that does leave behind more lacing than the last two combined.

Nose offers little variety as if anything, this one leans heavily towards what you'd expect from a German Pilseneras the, what I'm guessing I'd Hallertau (sp?) and Saaz comes out ahead of a crackery maltiness.

Taste follows the nose so identically that to prattle on further would waste everyone's time. Right down to cracker finish.

Blind taste test, I would have thought this was a German Pilsener.

 

What time do we eat?

 

Jalipinios stuffed with pimento and bacon just went into the oven, if your here in 10 minutes your good, cold Scythe icing.

 

New Gose Sunday



Pizza Boy Haters' Tears

Happy Sunday, BAs. I was gonna drink an Oktoberfest or Saison today, and may be back with one later, nut it's actually pretty hot in my house right now, and being the last Sunday of summer, thought I should start with this one.

Haters' Tears pours a clear golden color, highly effervescent, with a huge yellow-tinted white head.

There's a strong aroma with barnyard funk and lemony sourness most prevalent. The lemon sourness and saltiness come on strong in the taste, with a touch of bready malt sweetness and hint of apple behind. It's light bodied with a very slightly sticky mouthfeel.

I'm a big fan of this brewery, and this brew's another solid one. Cheers!

 

I really have to have this beer! Coffee stouts are amazing, to begin with but age them in a bourbon barrel??? Wow!