New Beer Sunday (week 621)

Gotta go back and check out these posts... I'm getting a slightly late start to this week's NBS and need to get my act together accordingly! Did some grocery shopping and beer talk (mostly about a new homebrew a buddy and I cooked up; a "Mocktoberfest" with a grain-to-glass timeframe of about four weeks total!) with my roommate, had an NBS pre-game/refresher beer (Stoneface's Hopulization for those interested in my thoughts) but now am ready to go forward with several new beers for 2017's third NBS! Let's see what's in the fridge...

Ah, here's a nice one to start with!



A new "tart IPA" from Two Roads, Zero 2 Sixty (kind of a reference, I bet, to their double IPA, "Road 2 Ruin") features Comet and Chinook hops and is a kettle-soured 6% ABV pale ale.

Pours a decent-looking orange/light amber color with a hazy surface and a body riddled with suspended micro-particles, likely from the hops I'd assume. The head is thin but pretty retentive, and the lace show is surprisingly solid to me. This isn't a mindblowingly nice looking beer, but it's definitely very adequate.

The nose is interesting with some notes of graham cracker, subtle unidentifiable floral notes, lemon peel, earthy hops and some light grapefruit rind as well. There's even a slight quality almost reminding me of oaky tannins here, though it comes across as leafy and tea-like at times as well. Kind of unique.

Flavor is mostly black tea-forward, weirdly enough, with some stiff tannic flavors combined with leafy and grassy hops, citrusy tangy flavors and a very light tartness that in no way comes across as overbearing. Some lemon zest notes and a solid malt backing lend this a pretty cool balance of flavors. I'm not sure it's a six-pack purchase, but it's not bad at all. In general, I enjoy Two Roads because they seem willing to screw around with styles (and in multiple formats to boot!) enough that their lineup doesn't get boring or redundant to me.

This is certainly an IPA first and a kettle-soured ale second. Compare and contrast, for example, with Epic Brewing's Tart 'n Juicy, probably the first beer to spring to mind when thinking of others in this sub-sub-style, which is far more sour and loses some of its IPA qualities to the tart backbone it presents. This is sort of the other side of that coin, in a way, and represents an interesting deviation. I probably don't want more of this, but I can see this having a solid following. If it sounds interesting to you, give it a shot!

 

"Badger Club is Wisconsin Brewing Co. flagship beer."

I eventually want to join the Badger Club!

I have both a B.A. in English Lit & an MAT in Teaching of English from Pitt, but I want to follow in the footsteps of Dan "Hoos" Warner & Carrie Conners & get a Ph.D. from UW (Madison).

Actually, mine will be a Po.D. (Doctor of Pornography) with my thesis as "A Disciplined Inquiry Into the Depth & Prevalence of Written, Printed Pornography During England's Victorian Era".

Queen Victoria, upon ascending to the throne as a young woman, declared that there would be NO pornography written, printed or distributed during her reign, under penalty of death. In a great example of "Social Hydraulics", MORE written pornography was written, printed & distributed than at any other time in recorded history with precisely ZERO executions for the offense.

I would like to work with the Linguistics Department as it is all attributed to Anonymous authors (or one A. Nony Mous) & I would like to determine just how many authors there actually were, based on syntax, verbiage, et al.

We might also be able to work jointly (as members of the Big 10) with IU's Kinsey Institute.

Is this beer related? You bet! I will be drinking copious amounts in conjunction with my studies. See yinz then!

 

I'm excited to use new 40 year old glassware for a new beer! I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend. I smoked some burgers today and just plan on relaxing tomorrow.

This beer was given to me by a friend after his Christmas trip to Dallas. I like the style and I think I like this better than Otra Vez and Jammer, although I've never done them side-by-side.



Poured from a can dated 8/6/16. It pours a hazy, yellowish, cloudy color with some small floaties. Even a careful pour produced two inches of thin, bright white head. The head dissipated slowly with some minor lacing. The smell is sour, bright lime and citrus. I can just pick up the sea salt if I search for it. The taste is sour and almost margarita like. The lime is very strong, but the sea salt is more subtle. There is also done orange and lemon flavors. The mouthfeel is highly carbonated and thin. Overall a nice, highly drinkable gose.

 

Happy NBS everyone. I drove up from the South Jersey shore today. When I left the temp was in the mid-40's with bright sunshine and it was really nice. By the time I arrived home the temp was in the low '30's with some snow on the ground. Perfect time to sip on an American Strong Ale. This is Rushing Duck's Barrel-Aged Blend Part V: it's a blend of RD's 2015 BA Stout, 2015 BA Quad, and 2014 BA Barleywine. I bought a couple of bottles on release night this past Thursday but I waited till today to give it a thoughtful review. In a word, it's magnificent! Rushing Duck is one of my favorite brewers and they've proven to be extremely versatile and uniformly excellent. Here's my review:

4.59/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I bought this on release date. Poured from 22 oz. bottle into Rushing Duck Belgian glass. It pours cola brown with reddish hues and one finger of foamy beige head and lacing. It smells of plum, raisin, caramel, molasses, and bourbon. It's very fragrant. The taste is big caramel, molasses, and brown sugar up front followed by a wave of dark fruit, including lots of raisin. The alcohol is warming but its relatively subdued which is really nice. I like it when you can taste the barrel-aging but it doesn't overwhelm the more delicate flavors. The flavors blend beautifully and the overall taste is just great. This ale is medium-bodied and very creamy. It's pleasantly carbonated and while the alcohol burn isn't terribly strong the 11.6% ABV is readily apparent. This ale is a true winter sipper. Rushing Duck has brewed a very fine American Strong Ale. I can't wait for Part VI!

I hope you're all enjoying your new beers today and, as always, I'm enjoying your reviews. Cheers!

 

Next up. Damn, overcarbonated! Cheers!

 

Happy New Quadrupel Sunday!

Not a new brew, but been 10 years since the last time I had it.

Pretty nice day here in GJ, did a little hike, some sun, around 40, snow is melting pretty quick at this elevation as well, in the valley, the snow is all gone. Victory makes some pretty tasty brews, this is one of them. Watched the last few minutes of the URI/Umass game, URI was pretty lucky. Go Green Bay!

V-Twelve | Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown

Look 4.25 Smell 4.25 Taste 4.25 Feel 4.25 Overall 4.25

Revisit: 15 Jan 17
750ml
Caged/Corked
Bottled On: 28 Aug 2015

Been Over 10 years since last time I've had this brew!

This bottle has 1.5 years on it.

Poured into a Westy chalice a very nice clean/clear golden reddish/amber color, very nice carbonation, with a very nice one-finger creamy off-white head, which leaves some oil slicks, and some minimal sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, yeasty, with some very nice figs, raisins, plums, grapes, cherries, apples. The taste is very nice, malty, yeasty, with some very nice dark fruits, apples, very nice sweetness on the lips. Full body, ABV hidden very well. Overall, a very nice brew. Worth checking out.

Bottled 29 Mar 05

Pours a golden copper color, some carbonation, huge head, nice sticky lacing throughout the drink. Scents of hops, citrus, and malts. A very nice taste of grapes, apples, and spices, but sweet with a nice tangy finish. Alcohol content is hiddern very well. Medium body. At 12% ABV very drinkable. Retired? Did I get some of the last batch? If so, not sure If I can get anymore, but it was very enjoyable while it lasted.

Cheers!

 

Really cool first review. Thank you!

 

I did enjoy Epics version so I'll probably give this one a go. My favorite beer from TR will probably always be their dry hopped pilsner OL' Factory.

 

Nervously watching the Packer game, even though Rodgers is on fire and they have a 14-3 lead.

Kona Pipeline Porter pours a very dark mahogany brown with a 1.5 finger creamy tan head that slowly fades into a ring and leaves webbed lacing around the glass. Aroma is big with coffee right away, then some roast malt and chocolates are present, but take a back seat to the coffee. The flavor is strong with bitter coffee, hints of bakers chocolate, roasted malts and faint sweetness round out this delicious beer. A medium creamy feel that is smooth with some carbonation. A very nice coffee porter. I would suspect that it is more impressive on tap.

 

Like you I had high hopes for that beer and planned on buying a six pack. If I see it here I'll stick to a single. Thanks for the review.

 

Thanks for your review. You're never too late to review on NBS. There are lots of well-known beers that I haven't sampled yet. I really enjoy everyone's reviews, including beers that I've had. It's fun to compare others' perspectives.

 

Congratulations! I'm looking forward to meeting you at Rushing Duck sometime!

 

Happy NBS all. My new beer is a Terrapin Rise-n-Shine, and a fine beer it is imo. My reviewing is abysmal and none should ever read them, but as it's a mandatory entry fee to hang wit you fine folk, link attached. Cheers all!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2372/227802/?ba=cindyjeffsmith#review

 

A lot of cooking went down today coupled with a visit from the bro and football. Reviewing takes some time and 'thought' for this feeble mind, so I took advantage of the early start. I didn't want to be a bad host either by fiddling with my phone!

 

Highland founder Oscar Wong and his daughter Leah were featured on the cover of the Sept 2015 edition of the BA magazine (at least the version distributed in NC). He was really a pioneer for craft beer in NC in the 1990s and they have launched a lot of new things in the last year. Gaelic Ale was responsible for a lot of NC folks turning to "craft" over the last 20 years and remains their biggest seller. They make a great Oktoberfest and one of their annual beers that generates lines is Cold Mountain--a winter warmer that although not my favorite, certainly is anticipated year after year. They have been ambassadors for brewing.

My favorite from them was their Kashmir IPA which was a great English IPA but has fallen off their rotation. Not one of the "edgy" brewers--always consistent and solid. Their newest things have been a bit more in line with current trends but true to their history quality and consistency.

Glad you enjoyed it.

 

Liking that glass, my friend. Simple yet retro.

 

Great review, great lasagna, and really sharp looking glass! Love these local breweries!

 

Alright, on to number 2 for tonight! Number 3 is going to be in a veeeeery, very different realm, FYI...

Brooklyn Brewery's Bel Air Sour



I guess it must be fate, as this dry-hopped sour ale came into being at pretty much the same time as my previous entry to this NBS, Two Roads' Zero 2 Sixty "tart IPA." This bills itself as a dry-hopped sour, which means it could potentially be kinda different. Or not? We'll find out...

Pours a light yellow color with a slightly-clearer body than Z2S. Head is a tiny bit thinner as well, but the lace looks to be a little more consistent, as the legs it's already developing before I even take my first sip are decent enough. Interestingly enough, no particles present in the body of this one.

Nose is a bit more on the funky-tart side as well, with a slightly more lemony twang than the floral and grassy notes that Z2S delivered. Seems a little closer to Epic's Tart 'n Juicy, for sure, right off the bat. I get a little bit of subtle spice, some citrus and even tropical fruit here. Papaya and guava for sure, with some kiwi or maybe even passion fruit. This feels more vibrant by far, to be honest.

On the tongue, it's pretty pucker-worthy with a very nice tart base topped off with some refreshing fruity notes of kiwi, guava and mango. Light honeydew melon, lemon peel and grapefruit rind here as well. Very "fruit salad"-like... bright, punchy and well-rounded. Definitely not very bitter, however, so this isn't in the "IPA" or even "APA" realm, unlike Z2S. So, even though they both seemed like similar ideas on the outset, they're really very different when it comes down to their respective audiences. I see Two Roads' brew as being more of a beer for hop lovers looking to get some more complex qualities (via kettle-souring) that work with and for a hoppier base beer, but this feels more like a nice beginner sour for those not initiated into the style in general. Kettle-sours are reaching pretty hefty popularity recently (past few years, I suppose), and I'm glad to see Brooklyn (a notoriously conservative brewery outside of their heavily-overpriced yet high-quality 750 mL C&C offerings) jumping on the bandwagon. Seems like it's a trend that may be here to stay.

As I stated previously... I'll be back soon with a veeeeery different offering. Looking forward to it. CHEERS! (now to make my way through all these old posts...!)

 

Yeah, not the most glowing reviews of that beer but I enjoyed both of your write-ups. I enjoyed the Zoigl discussion too. I've had a few kellerbiers and zwickelbiers, which sound similar, but no experience with zoiglbier. I liked the hefeweizen I had today, even though it was likely at least a few months old. Any idea how far out the best by date on the bottle is? I always assume 1 year with German imports.

 

"Badger Club is Wisconsin Brewing Co. flagship beer."

I eventually want to join the Badger Club!

I have both a B.A. in English Lit & an MAT in Teaching of English from Pitt, but I want to follow in the footsteps of Dan "Hoos" Warner & Carrie Conners & get a Ph.D. from UW (Madison).

Actually, mine will be a Po.D. (Doctor of Pornography) with my thesis as "A Disciplined Inquiry Into the Depth & Prevalence of Written, Printed Pornography During England's Victorian Era".

Queen Victoria, upon ascending to the throne as a young woman, declared that there would be NO pornography written, printed or distributed during her reign, under penalty of death. In a great example of "Social Hydraulics", MORE written pornography was written, printed & distributed than at any other time in recorded history with precisely ZERO executions for the offense.

I would like to work with the Linguistics Department as it is all attributed to Anonymous authors (or one A. Nony Mous) & I would like to determine just how many authors there actually were, based on syntax, verbiage, et al.

We might also be able to work jointly (as members of the Big 10) with IU's Kinsey Institute.

Is this beer related? You bet! I will be drinking copious amounts in conjunction with my studies. See yinz then!