New Beer Sunday (week 607)

The HM thread in the NW forum was relit yesterday by another line-up and wait release.

 

Curious when that sort of thing will truly hit Spokane (for beer; it's already happened with Dry Fly and their first bourbon release). My money would be on Iron Goat but Perry Street seems to be surging these days.

 

Landlady a goer?

 

Stunning pic. Oh, to be in a place that has ALL 4 seasons.

 

New Monkeys on the Loose Sunday
Another very entertaining NBS BIF has concluded (kind of, it usually takes a few weeks for the carnage from ninja strikes to subside), and once again, I had a hard time keeping up with a lot of the senders. These guys (and gals now) got game. I genuinely feel sorry for the recepients of @SammyJaxxxx and @smanson56 each time. Anyone looking for some free entertainment when you are half drunk and bored can go here: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/monkeys-with-knives-nbs-bif-4-hintz-and-haulz.447425/
You will have to go back to #3 if lack context and themes bothers you.
Anyway, my generous shopper this round was @ovaltine and it was just like A Christmas Story when I opened his box.




Several have perished already, but I singled one out and sat on it for the "official" share/review date, and it was not easy. See if you can guess which one.




Lager? Yes please. From Schell's? Long time want. Barrel aged? Did we just become best friends?


4.36/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Sam Adams "Perfect Pint" glass.

It is a dark, chestnut to mahogany brown. A lot of amber hues when the light hits it. There was a moderate dark tan frothy head that dissipated into a thin film that works its way to the outside of the glass into a tight bubbled soapy ring.

The aroma is wonderful. Very malty and rich. I would bet money this is a Bock. There is toffee, a bit of chocolate, dark bread, caramel, charred oak, vanilla, and very noticeable whisky. Still, I would say there is more malt than barrel. Probably 60/40.

Everything really translates over into the flavor. A lot of rich sweetness up front. Carmel, toffee, and vanilla, followed by some chocolate that is more sweet than bitter. Think milk chocolate or cocoa. There is a slight bit of heat initially along with some Noble hop like bite/crispness. Toward the back end the whisky notes really come out. A decent amount of charred oak and corn grain alcohol. My 60/40 guess seems pretty close for beer to barrel ratio. A very nice balance.

The body would be my biggest nitpick if we are talking "Dark Lager", which is what they described it as on their website. To me it is too heavy and syrupy in this department. I think it screams Bock/Doppel. I do like the smoothness and the lively feel in the finish though.

This beer is a great example of using another aspect as a compliment. The barrel character never dominates or takes over an already tasty beverage.


All I can say is that with one beer, these guys have jumped into the conversation with Jack's Abby and OMB for lager game with me.

 

not sure, I did have other yeast, but it's already bottled... not sure if it's even worth it at this point.

 

That beer looks absolutely gorgeous. Your description makes me I tiny bit jealous. Enjoy.

 

Loved the very nice story about yours and @SomethingClever 's friendship.
Almost a perfect entry into the upcoming edition of chicken soup for beer lovers..

 

Hello everyone! It's been a long time since I did one of these. Having Mikerphone Brewing's Magical Mystery Kind today. It's a Saison with Cold Brew Cascara and Ethiopian Natural Guji Coffee. I've never had a saison with coffee and Mikerphone is no joke, so I'm excited to try this one.




Appearance: Pours a hazy golden orange color with a finger of off-white head that dissipated quickly.

Aroma: Super unique and interesting. Get the earthy, herbal, and fruity coffee. When I think of coffee, I think dark and roasty, but this coffee is just slightly roasty with tons of berry and earthy notes. Blackberry, strawberry, and cherry come to mind. This coffee presence does not overpower the fruity saison yeast being used. Get banana, clove, juicy pineapple, and slight funk. Just a layer of sugary sweetness coming from the malt to round everything out. Smells slightly funky, fruity, juicy, and slightly earthy and roasty. Crazy, but it works somehow.

Taste: Just like the aroma, it's crazy, but it somehow works. Very complex. Up front you get juicy banana, pineapple, and papaya. A little bit of peppery clove is there too. The earth and berry-forward coffee is slightly coming through. As you transition into the finish, the beer dries out and the coffee notes come through more. Once again, you expect more roast than you actually get. It's slightly roasty, but it is filled with blackberry, strawberry, and raspberry. A slight funky, tart note hits the palate on the finish as well. The coffee and saison qualities somehow coexist without impeding on one another.

Mouthfeel: Medium body. Smooth, crisp carbonation. Creamy middle. Slightly sticky finish.

Overall: This is one of the most odd and unique beers I've had. I didn't think it would work, but leave it up to Mikerphone to prove me wrong. The fruity and earthy coffee that was chosen was perfect to complement the already fruity yeast esters the saison farmhouse yeast provides. A complex and well-made beer.

4.16/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

Aaand for a second round: The Buddelship + Lervig collab: Duftisoppe. A farmhouse ale brewed with lime, elderflower and duftisoppe (whatever that is). This will certainly be interesting.

Here goes:

Pours a surprisingly dark (almost copper-like) color with a formidable white head that again, dissipates, quite quickly (this seems to be something that happens to me all the time, no idea why). On the nose, the hops come through - I'd say American aroma hops. This is definitely not a Saison in the vein of Saison Dupont. The mouthfeel is a solid medium. It's equally dry but the hops are much stronger. The lime comes through a little bit in the middle as it rounds out the hop flavor. The bitterness lingers a bit on the back end but not a lot. I'm not sure on this "Duftisoppe" which is supposedly some herb or something - since I don't know what it's supposed to taste or smell like I can't really tell whether you can taste in this beer. As expected, this is better than the first beer of today. I will admit that I don't like it entirely as much as the BBNO Saison I had recently with Sauvin hops - that was an outstanding Saison. It's still a solid 3.75/5.

Pictures may follow later as my camera is powered again.

 

This beer is so new I had to add it to the BA database. It is Mooselick Brewing Long Sleeve Oatmeal Stout from Troy, New Hampshire. This beer is only available in New Hampshire and the brewery is nano-brewery, which as you can see in the photo below, has a standard label with hand written names. It was released about a week ago so it is fresh. Almost jet black with a dark roasted and burnt malt quality to it. Also cooked oatmeal. Medium to full body. Sweet and burnt flavor with a mild bitterness.

 

Excellent review. Your description of the style is spot-on - that beer is more bock/doppel than dark lager, and that characteristic would only be enhanced as the beer ages. Sadly, I've never sat on any I've had long enough to test that theory.

Schell's does lagers REALLY well - so well, you won't find an APA/IPA in their lineup.

 

Well, it is a dark lager literally and technically speaking. I think that the dark German beers start to stray back and forth and blur that style line like we do with APAs and IPAs. I try not to get too hung up on it and go with the tastes really f'n good approach. That's usually where I bump the overall score if I think something is way out of whack. As far as their beers, With a name like August Schell I always assumed that making good lagers was a safe bet.

 

Get it, I'd probably go the same route.

But a homebrewing friend of mine once said when I questioned him on all the things that could go wrong with "fixing": throwing it out is 100% chance of failure, trying to fix it still has a chance. Of course, your time and effort must be considered, too - and I'm sure you've done the math, so to say.

 

Since there is nothing else going on might as well have another great beer i recieved complments of @jhavs part of MWK BIF. My next beer is Focal Banger from the alchemist. I have to say i had Heady Topper for tue first time friday (also from @jhavs ) i thought it could kot get better unti i tasted this and i think this may he better.

Appearance 4.5
Cloudy but slightly transparent orange, thick dense white head excellent lacing

Smell 4.75
Very juicy citrus, mango, orange, papaya and fresh hops. This thing smells like it came right off the tree it is so fresh.

Taste 4.75
Very balanced mild hoppy flavor, juicy pineapple and mango it really tastes like fresh hop juice.

Feel 4.75
Very smooth meduim body well carbonated. Just a hint of bitterness

Overall 4.75
Again an amazing beer perfect balance of juicy citrus and hops. I loved the mango/pineapple flavors amazing aroma and smooth finish

 

Greetings from the gentle rolling hills of the southern shore! I'm slowly getting back in the groove of reality after two spectacular weeks in Colorado. The best part of returning from the mountains were the two boxes of awesomeness from @Dragginballs76 that I received in the latest Monkeys With Knives NBS/BIF. Thanks Michael, I was floored by your generosity! There's some new to me IPA's, so I'm naturally going to start there.

I haven't had much from Westbrook of Mt. Pleasant SC, so let's crack this 12oz. can dated 09/06/16 with 60 IBU's and an abv. of 6.8%. I'm pouring it the sweet looking Olde Mecklenburg glass that was included in box #1. Let's have a taste!

Pours a cloudy but brilliant and lively pale yellow leaving two fingers of creamy white lingering foam. A little lacing is left behind. The smell is grapefruit, orange zest, a hint of pine and malt. Taste is grapefruit, floral, lemongrass, a bit of pine and a balanced dose of sweet malt to round it out. The feel is slick and creamy with a pleasant hop bite.



This is one flavorful and smooth drinking IPA. A bit more old school by today's juice bomb standards, but these never go out of style. This could easily fit into my IPA rotation. My score is 4.04 / rDev -0.2%.

I'm going to post a photo of the battleship row of goodness I received since I've been a deadbeat in the BIF thread because of travel. A generous BA deserves his due! I'll post something more appropriate there a little later.



Going to watch the rest of my sorry ass Bears and contemplate my next beer. Hey, at least my sorry ass Cubs don't look so sorry anymore! Have a great day, time to catch up on posts. Here's the official scorecard.....

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24134/65038/?ba=Prager62#review

 

I agree with you regarding Westbrook IPA. So much right about that beer. It's one of my favorites.

 

Hello NBS! It is a spectacular fall day here in the Chicago area. Blue skies, sunny and mid-60s. Had a nice long walk with Max and lots of rolling in the grass in the park (him, not me, I try not to roll in public). I was the lucky recipient of a tremendous box(es) from @Ozzylizard as part of the NBS/Monekys with Knives BIF. The combo of Texas and PA beers he included have guaranteed me many weeks of NBS fodder!

My first selection was this rather enigmatic can of Lake Monster from Oasis Texas Brewing poured into what is now my absolutely favorite beer glass (thanks Rob!!)

Great can art, but no indication anywhere of what style beer it is or even a batch number. For some reason, I expected it to be an IPA, but what came out was inky black and opaque . My typical aggresive pour resulted in a lovely finger width, persistent tan head, nice lacings too! The aroma was a wonderfully rich and roasty combination of chocolate and coffee notes No hop aroma or alcohol. The mouthfeel is smooth, the cabonation giving it a medium body. The taste follows the aroma, it's rich with roasty malt flavors, chocolate, dried fruits, dry on the finish. No booziness, no real hop flavor. From what Rob and the google box tell me, it's a Baltic Porter. It seems to stradle that line between porter and stout--the roastiness and appearance being more stout-like. Whatever style it is supposed to be, it is very tasty, thanks Rob! I actually opened this on Friday night, had my usual half a pour, "recapped" it and am finishing it now, still tastes great! I wish I could open more today, but unfortunately, I have a conference to go to this evening (who but lawyers would have a conference that starts on Sunday evening?

 

I like that attitude... Hey it can't get any worse right?

I got an idea... let's see how this goes.

 

Happy New Farmhouse Ale w/ Rwandan Coffee Sunday!


Coffee farmhouse/saison from local Mystic Brewery in Chelsea, MA

375ml bottle (12.68oz.)

This beer pours hazy turbid dark amber orange-rusty brown looking with a fairly dense creamy off-white foam head. Underneath the light at the bottom of the glass I see some dark brown sediment which I can only guess is ground coffee.

The beer gives off a quite pleasant caramel aroma alongside banana and clove from the saison yeast, some bready malt, with some big fresh dark coffee notes that remind me of something like nutty stone ground cacao with blackberries and ripe plum. There is also a mild hoppiness to it which I would describe as a bit woody, earthy and herbal.

My first thoughts on the taste were a bit metallic, but after it settled and I got more into the glass the true flavors were brought to the forefront. Some banana, clove spice, slight vanilla, pale bready malts, with slightly nutty fresh dark roast coffee grounds, berry, plum, and mild woody earthy herbal grass.

It goes down pretty slick and smooth with mild creaminess and a moderate low tingly carbonation.

Overall, I like this beer. It is the only farmhouse ale with coffee that I have seen so automatically I was intrigued by it, and Mystic is known for making great saison/farmhouse ales so I figured I would give this a try. It's a nice saison with fresh tasting Rwandan coffee. I might grab another bottle before this is gone.

Cheers everybody, and Happy New Beer Sunday!