New Beer Sunday (week 621)

@TongoRad and I reviewed a different beer from that brewer last week.

 

I just got back from the beer store because I wanted some lighter fare to enjoy. Too many heavy beers are in my cellar.

Badger Club is Wisconsin Brewing Co. flagship beer, well it got a name change and recipe tweak over the summer. I never had the original beer that was named Golden Amber Lager.

The beer pours a clear copper in color with a sandy white 2.5 finger head that leaves behind thick rings of lacing on my glass. It has a bready malt forward aroma and smooth caramel tones. The flavor is also bready with some notes of caramel and honey. The Cascade hops are in the background, without the bitter grapefruit notes. The hops are present enough to lend a balance against the backdrop of the malt. It has a smooth lighter feel with terrific carbonation. A nice amber lager that has plenty of flavor.

 

2 new beers this Sunday. Beer number 1 from the overworked 2 barrel system at Twin Elephant Brewing, Vigilante Tantrum a Pale Ale brewed with oats. This is a pale Ale doing a New England IPA impression. 6.6 ABV double dry hopped with El Dorado and Simcoe hops. It tastes and smells of oranges and other fruits. It has a nice full but soft mouth feel thanks to the oats. Another well done and tasty brew from Twin Elephant .
Beer number 2 could not be more different. Brawler from Yards Brewing Company in Philadelphia Pa. Yards does not get a lot of hype but that brew a line up of rock solid beers, Brawler is one of them. I don't know why i haven't drank this be for but am glad i did now. Yard says this brewed in the style of an English session ale malt forward and low 4.2 ABV . It pours a light ruby color with a white head . Nice aroma of roasted malt, flavor is the same. Mouth feel is light finish is dry. This is a very enjoyable beer and one you can drink a lot of. well done

 

Happy New Belgian-but-not-actually-Belgian Sunday everyone! Crazy week led to an even crazier start to the weekend. The whole Lingenbrau clan got the sick...Frau Brau with an ear infection and bronchitis, Mini Brau with a double ear infection and pre pneumonia, and yours truly with bronchitis as well. Fun times! Work didn't help much as half the staff called in as well , but none of that mattered as of 4:00 yesterday. The Lingenbrau Biergarage opened for business for the celebration of our newest member do next month. The Modern Times was a flowing, the food was rediculously delicious and plentiful, the kids had all kinds of activities to do, the darts were flying, and even the gin made an appearance ...! Here's a glimpse of our typical weekend madness in the Biergarage:



After a morning coffee brew to start the mending process, it's time for a brand new to me beer courtesy of a gracious BA, @FBarber . My first from what I believe to be one of Chicago's finest, I give you:

Off Color Brewing, Growl
Quadrupel Ale. 8.5% abv, 28 IBU



I must admit, I was a bit confused when I saw the weight of 8.5% associated with the title of Quadrupel, as I thought of quads to generally be above 10.0% and usually more up around the 12.0% mark. Gonna have to go back and check my BJCP guide afterwards. But here's the proof:



Alright. Down to business.

A: Pours a clean but not very pretty brownish mohagany with a fairly thin off white head that recedes into just a little ring around the circumference.

A: Smells of fig, dates, sweet malts, Belgian candi, banana, clove, slightly peppery. You know...Belgian!

T: Taste follows, but emphasizes the spices mostly. Clove, white pepper, a bit of alcohol, and banana shows well in the aftertaste.

F: Feels a little thin, good amount of carbonation considering the lack of head, dry finish, favors the sweet side of balanced, and a decent amount of alcohol warmth.

O: This was a pretty good Quadrupel overall. Definitely not a classic Belgian, but a fun and spicy take on one.

Cheers everyone and I'll see you all soon!

 

Hey gang, back for another. I did a quick tick on the next one from Byway Brewing in Hammond Indiana last February when they opened. They recently started canning their flagship beer ChiPa, so I decided to stop in and grab a four pack when I was in the area last week. A pint can with no visible date, abv. on the label is listed at 6.5%. Let's pour this mystery in a Byway tulip glass for the review. Being the glass fiend I am, I couldn't resist!

Pours a nearly transparent and brilliant copper color leaving an inch of thick creamy white foam. It slowly settles revealing very heavy lacing. The smell is very floral along with some grapefruit and pine. Some malt and yeast emerge next. Taste is grapefruit, floral notes, orange zest and a touch of pine. There is a malt/biscuit profile in the finish. The feel is creamy smooth with a crisp dry finish.



With all the newfangled IPA's and the haze craze going on now, it would be easy but unfair to hate on this beer. It's brewed more to style which was the norm not all that long ago. The appearance is striking and while the smell a bit weak, the taste and feel delivers in a very satisfying way. A solid easy drinking 6.5% that will find it's way in my kayak this summer. My score is 3.96 / rDev +2.1%. For what it's worth because I have no idea about the competition? It won a gold medal at the Indiana State Fair Craft Beer Competition.



Got the lasagna ready to pop in the oven later. A little halftime snack for game one and perhaps another entry? Enjoy your new beer and football action! I hope these games are more entertaining than yesterday's.



And finally this.......

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/44306/214881/?ba=Prager62#review

 

A "bright and early" start my friend.

 

Umm, I think we have the best first NBS post ever!!! Definitely "Best First Day on BA post."
Dude, as a former anthropology student, you brought me back to one of my professor's reminiscences. I sat riveted in his description of the brewing process, graciously shared to him by 2 local women, and the whole social aspect, and of course his description of the Tchouk as well. Thanks, and pic too!!!

 

This is a new beer I added to the database. It's Aurora by Good Measure Brewing in downtown Northfield VT. Geographically it's the nearest brewery to my residence. They opened their taproom in early December of 2016. They appear to be specializing in more sessionable offerings which fills a nice niche in DIPA crazy VT. Aurora is an English Ordinary Bitter.



Aurora

Good Measure Brewing Co.
English Bitter / 3.60% ABV

3.97/5 rDev 0% | Avg: 3.97
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Growler poured into a pint glass

L-The beer pours dark amber with a quarter inch of frothy short lived head. This quickly recedes to a thin ring. This is pretty typical of the Ordinary Bitter style and well within guidelines. The only knock is its a bit hazier than guidelines call for.
S- The nose features a base of bready malts overlayed with a earthy hops. There is a touch of caramel sweetness which comes and goes as it is overridden by the hops.
T- The beer opens with bunches of dry biscuity malt flavor. Any sweetness is quickly balanced out with the earthy hop bitterness which becomes stronger as it lingers. Overall bitterness is moderate. I detected no fruity esters or caramel.
F- As the lack of head indicates the beer is very light on carbonation. Mouthfeel is light and combined with the low carbonation makes the beer easy to session.
O- This is a beer that isn't going to set peoples hearts and tastebuds ablaze. What it is, is an excellent american made example of a hard to find style on this side of the pond. I can vouch for the beers sessionability as I'm already on my second pour as I began this review.

 

Nice! I missed out on last week's NBS and didn't see that. Thanks for letting me know, I'm going to get caught up right now.

 

Hello New Beer Sunday.

Wow, what a day so far. Now that we're out of the deep freeze, and apporching freezing, I decided to go out and grill. It turned out amazing. The ribs, brats, burgers and bacon were amazing, and I have enough food cooked up for the next week, or more. My feet were frozen coming in, but it was so worth it.

Now, to the main event - the new beer.

Granite City Batch 1000. To be honest, it isn't the best, but it was $5 growler fills, so it was worth it.

3.58/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours an amberish color. The head is white and 1 finger when poured from the growler. The nose is mildly pine smelling. The taste is very mild, almost bland. There's a slight hop bitterness, but it's so slight. Somewhat wattery feeling. For the price - $5 for a growler fill, I'd say it was worth it, otherwise, not so much.

334 characters

I'll do another beer later on.

 

There was a bit of conversation around it too.

 

Good Afternoon NBS. Hope all's going well and thanks once again Maria for the wonderful intro and review this morning. Looks like most of us are all going through these strange weather patterns- light snow and cold after last weeks warm up. Took an interesting pic this morning ill include at the end of my review. Some may have noticed already had this brew a couple of times. In fact this will be my third. I thought I would sit down and properly review it and share with all of you.
NIGHT SHIFT KEHL Zwickelbier-Style Lager
L- Pours a burnished rusty-gold with a tannish head that contains large bubbles that settles rather quickly leaving some short lived "world map" lacing.
A- Nice toasted caramel bready malt aroma with a tinge of peppery and citrus hoppiness and some doughy yeast.
T- Taste follows suit with the malts and citrus hops with a lingering tea-like bitterness. The more I drink of this the more I want.
M- lower carbonation with a medium thin body. Very quenching brew indeed that yes "is less filling"
O- Another good one from NS. I like the style and the beauty of its simplicity is what really takes this to the top. Its a good looking brew too- rustic in appearance. This is one I could drink a few of and never get bored. In fact it seems to build in every aspect the more you drink it. Hopefully they keep brewing because ill keep buying. Next step is I'm going to seek out real German Zwickelbiers to explore the style. Truth is I like lagers.
Everyone have a good Sunday PM and great week and as always thanks for taking the time.

 

Unseasonably warm winter weekend in the deep south, so I've been busy with some chores outside.

Today's new beer is Stone's Give Me Stout of Give Me Death. I had high hopes for this since I'm normally a big fan of Stone's stouts.

Since we didn't see any bottles around here, draft is the only way for me to try it out.

Nice looking beer. Pitch black with smallish tan head settling to a ring around the edge with some moderate lacing. Certainly looks the part.

Aroma is a little off for me. The roasted malts and coffee notes seem to compete with the berries.

Flavors showcase a battle between burnt toast and coffee with ripe berries.

The body is thin for the style, and the finish is very dry.

Overall, this just didn't work for me. Guess it was a good thing I didn't get any bottles. On a brighter note, I picked up a howler of something new while I was at the shop, so I might be back later.



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/259188/?ba=richj1970#review

 

After seeing so many folks drinking this the past couple of weeks, and having passed on it the past few trips to the bottle shop, I figured it was time.



Evil Twin's Christmas Eve at a New York City Hotel Room.

Pours black with a finger of caramel colored, fizzy head. Head retention is so-so, with no lacing. Roasted malts, caramel, and holiday spices peep through in the aroma. Flavor profile is roasted malts, caramel, with a holiday spicy finish. A bit of an alcohol, boozy finish lingers after the beer warms up a bit. Mouth feel is medium-thin and smooth. Overall, a so-so imperial stout. Some pleasant holiday notes, but otherwise a solid imperial stout.

Score: 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3.75 | BA Score: 3.95 | rDev: 0%

 

Keep in mind that we very likely got old bottles, so the beer wasn't at its best. I did mention to @zid a few days later that the off flavor I was getting was most likely the start of autolysis, after a bit of pondering.

 

I love a great pork loin it's a Xmas Eve must for my house. I lean towards hand rubbed olive oil infused with Rosemary and fresh thyme, being Italian and all its easy as hell to do, absolutely foolproof.

 

Hey folks! Here's my review for Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA, which I am still currently enjoying.



Bottled 4/12/16, I think. It's a little hard to read, maybe 6/12/16.
Either 9 or 7 months in the bottle.
L. Murky orange to light brown with a short 1/2 cm head which recedes very slowly. 4.5/5
S. Big toffee and booze, more booze, then bitter citrus if get your nose in there, orange, lemon, grapefruit. 3.5/5
T. Oh yeah. Big sweetness, big bitterness, nice balance on the first sip. Second sip has me thinking of cough medicine. Third sip is bitter orange marmalade. My taste buds need to get dialed in to these big flavors and abv. Toffee and citrus seem most prevalent. As it warms there's caramel, spicy and sweet lemon, orange, brandy-soaked caramel apple. Aftertaste is the same with a little mouthwash in there. 4.25/5
F. Full mouthfeel, smooth, sticky. Warming but not really drying in the aftertaste. 4.5/5
O. The high abv didn't "burn," but had a flavor that was slightly off-putting, but a little age may change that. Would I buy a bottle again? Absolutely. Cheers! 4.06/5 (rDev. = +2.3%)

 

Good for you! It *is* good to know we can scale back without needing electro-shock therapy (or worse). Your story fits in step with my own dietary changes, ones I'd have never thought possible, and long story short: The mind and our capacity to use it for good can be an amazing thing.

@Lingenbrau : Dude, that is my kind of scene. Looks like fun was indeed had by all.

20 minutes to a kickoff I *NEVER* saw coming back in August, and I got a new beer to help lubricate this process:




(512) Brewing's Wild Bear, an "American wild ale" on BA.com, a big brown ale refermented with brett and pediococus bacteria

Or, as we like to reduce it to, a "sour".

And it is. It's like a yummy Flanders red or oud bruin with toasted tart cranberries being the major note, some light fingernail polish remover (lemon-raspberry) being a minor note, and the overall mouthfeel being very light but filled out with carbonation and really making this beer work for me.

The review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/17863/75401/?ba=Premo88#review
4.27 (+11.8% rDev)

I've got that funny feeling I'm the jerk in the room on this beer. I've heard BAs and friends who know a lot about beer say they hate American wild ales in general. Their argument is that any moron with some brett and an oak barrel can cook up a substandard beer and generate a so-called good-to-great "sour", a beer the untutored beer-drinking will love and say is well made.

OK, sure. That makes sense, right?

But I don't care. Wild Bear has that combination of tart-sweet flavors I love, so I'm going to love it. In fact, that cranberry flavor every so often slides into a bit of sweeter, fruiter raspberry, and for just a second I can see myself at Jester King in the July heat sipping on some Atrial Rubicite. How could that be wrong?

Plus, (512) generally has a great reputation. So maybe I'm arguing to nobody. Maybe I should stop.

Lots of good-looking stuff in here today ... you girls' and boys' photos, descriptions and observations never disappoint.

Cheers, NBSers!

 

Against the Grain w/ Hoof Hearted - Clearly Everbody Wants Some

Yet another Against The Grain collaboration. This one is a play on Hoof Hearted's Everybody Wants Some, an unsurprisingly hazy IPA.

This beer is "Clearly" Everybody Wants Some, so unless you pick up on the joke, you might be disappointed in the appearance. To their credit, Against The Grain wasn't taking any chances and claims that this beer is "crystal clear" on the can... and the beer certainly is that.

Unlike the Hoof Hearted beers, this one is a lager or an IPL. The funny thing is, this isn't a hazy beer, but it's incredibly fruity, the bitterness is very low, and the feel is soft. Sound familiar? Is this a test?

The fruity qualities are terrific. I'm getting peach and tropical fruit. The lager qualities actually shine here too. It's incredibly drinkable and I think the lager characteristics are a big part of this. This beer might be the best excuse for an IPL that I've had yet.

Cheers.