New Beer Sunday (week 625)

Flying Fish Exit 3 Blueberry Braggot


A. Golden, clear, small white head which drops to a slight film in a minute. 4/5
S. Fruity candy Belgian yeast with blueberry right up front. The yeasty aroma is reminiscent of their Exit 4 American Trippel, which I like. Much sweeter though. 3.75/5
T. Belgian yeast effects are prominent in the flavor. Banana, peppery-ness, somewhat lemony, malty sweetness, blueberry and honey, booze toward the end in my whole head. I can feel it coming out of my nose and ears, pleasantly so, not burning. 4/5
F. Big mouthfeel, not too much carbonation, booze is present but not unpleasant, but adds to the spiciness. 4/5
O. I agree with everyone, in that it's hard to believe this is 15%. It is a bit boozy but not what you'd expect. Perhaps stifled by all this sweetness, maybe. Would I recommend this? I'm not sure. I like it a lot, but then I have quite the sweet tooth. Cheers! 4/5

3.94. rDev +4.5%

 

Rebuttal might have been the wrong word. I took no offense. Cheers!

 

Try their Briney Melon Gose. I like Blood Orange but give BMG the nod over that.
......(& I think I've said this to you before, but not sure) Westbrook Gose, Lost Nation Gose,Off Color Fierce, & Ithaca Cayuga Cruiser. The latter 2 being Berliner Weisse. Also Sloop - Confliction, a dry-hopped sour/wild ale, w/ Brett & Lacto.

 

Hey everybody!
I'm glad to see @smakawhat in the captain's chair today and I want to thank him for doing the math to remind us all that this thread is 12 years old. I haven't been on BA very long but this has always been my favorite thread. It's really cool to be able to "get together" and nerd out about the wonderful common interest that connects us all. It is educational, convivial, creative, funny and mouthwatering all at once. Talk about Beer Advocacy!



My new beer today is a new one for me and a new one for Quebec. These guys have only canned a few batches of their beer and I accidentally happened upon their delivery guy. Ordinarily I am super wary of new breweries up here, especially ones that already are canning right out of the gate. I had heard tentatively good things and between that and talking to the guy it convinced me they might be worth a shot. Lagers are rare as unicorns up here due to cost, time and to the general brewing culture being WAY less German-influenced than in the states l. So far their pils has been decent and their IIPL outstanding, we'll see how this Munich Dünkel stacks up.



I'm a little concerned about this leakage around the top, hopefully it's nothing.



The beers pours with way too much carbonation. Filling the glass takes some doing. It is an all right beer but it is missing something (or even a few things...) It is nowhere near great, but it is fairly good tasting and is not infected or anything extreme. The beer is way over carbonated, but otherwise not weird. In general it has lots of toast, hard water and a pinch of herbs. It is way too thin. It could be better in many ways. I do feel like the potential is here to be a fine beer but it will just take a little work on the part of these extremely new brewers who are apparently still brewing on a glorified homebrewer's set-up. Albeit with the ability to can hahahaha

Cheers!

Here's my review.

 

Welcome to NBS! =)

 

Galaxy Brewing - Far Star
A saison with Brett, aged in red wine barrels for 6 months, then re-fermented in the original fermenter (barrel?*) for a bit, & dry-hopped with LemonDrop hops. Though it's ostensibly a saison, it drinks like a sour/wild ale. The flavor is more complex, and the Brett aroma and flavor is less pronounced though. Overall, a very enjoyable brew. I'd recommend it. Given that it is $10/25.4oz (rather than $9-$12/12 oz for similar) , it's a good one if you like sours.

Btw, the glass is clean, but I dried it, & forgot to re-rinse it. Really! , @bowzer4birdie , really!

*Not in the commercial description. That was mentioned in conversation, at Winterfest,two weeks ago. We sampled 20+ beers that day, so my memory is a little fuzzy.

Bear with me on the review. Had to add it to the database, & my partner in Inebria....err.. sampling ......doesn't have any love for sours, so I'm flying solo on this one.
I'd emphasize the 4.25 overall score, rather than the 4.0 calculated score.

4/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours a slightly hazy, see-through, reddish, bright orange, with medium white head. Quickly dissipating, leaving a thin ring of lacing .

Aroma is grape/cherry , with a slight bit of malt and Brett funk (composted manure?). The funk becomes more apparent as it warms. Overall smells like a kriek , with a little funk. The "Smell" rating reflects what is typical for something like this, not that there is anything off about it. Wouldn't expect anything particularly enticing. Actually less-bad than most Brett offerings.

The initial taste is an undefined sour fruit (cherry + current +? ) This is followed by a (dry) red wine flavor> oak tannin > Brett funk > sour lemon > (tiny) sweet/candied lemon. I first had this 2 weeks ago, on draft at Homer Winterfest. The lemon from the LemonDrop hops was more distinct , and apparent, then, especially the last, sweet bit. Now out of a bottle at home, the lemon has mellowed and blended a bit. No preference either way, both manifestations are good.

Feel is moderately thin, slightly oily, with fine, non-prickly carbonation.

Overall I'd call this "quite good" but not quite "great". This is described as a saison by the brewer, but the impression is that of a sour/wild ale, albeit with a lighter touch of Brett, and more complex flavor, than that usually entails. Given that it was $10/25.4 oz, considerably less than most sour/wild ales,this is very worthwhile if you like sours. The first brewing of this(that I know of?) . Hope they give this one a permanent slot in the rotation.

 

Good Evening NBSers,
I drank a beer earlier, but didn't get a chance to post review till now so here it is.
Firestone Walker Parabola
2016 Vintage

4.61/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

2016 Vintage sitting in cellar since May
22oz "bomber" into libbey tulip
L- dark black in glass with tints of brown, small brown head, fizzling out quickly
S- rich chocolaty fudge, vanilla, black cherry,of course the bourbon as well
T- roasted chocolate malt, laced with bourbon, vanilla, cherry, with velvety finish with notes of cocoa and a revisit from the bourbon
F- rich velvety feel, smooth, slight alcoholic bite, but at 14% can't expect otherwise, light carbonation as well
Overall this is one heck of a beer, reminiscent of Barrel-Aged Cherry Vanilla Cola, and sweet Bourbon infused Brownie.
I am really glad I got to try this one.

Cheers to the new week!

 

Possibly riposte is the right word?

 

Pours bright golden color with a small head that dissipated quickly.
The aroma is very citrusy, primarily orange with grassy and piney notes being a bit overpowered.
The flavor is citrusy, grassy with a nice dry finish. It is a bit watery, but what else would you expect out of a session IPA.
Overall, I'm glad I tried this. It is sort of a classic, and a great deal at $2 s stovepipe. it's not my favorite, but it's very good for what it is.
4.1/5

 

Ok BA's. I've had a few beers already today over in WBAYDN, but it is finally time to relax and enjoy* one of the most famous beers around. Let me start by saying today is a beautiful, breezy, clear skied 70 degree day out here on Southern California. I've been wrestling my clementine tree since I've gotten home from a half day substitution at work. And now it's time for a beer to contemplate.

The Alchemist, Heady Topper





Remember that asterisk above? Well, 5 seconds after I took this picture, my 3 year old ran outside to inform me that she pee'd her pants! I set this on our outside couch, assisted with the predicament, only to come outside to find the wind had blown over my first and probably only Heady. Luckily, I was half way trying to follow the cans directions and saved the other half for the can. Phew! It's only beer after all, right!? So here we go.

A: From the can, it looks like a can . In the glass, it pours a beautiful, semi-opaque, sunshiney gold with a fluffy white, rocky head that laces well.

A: Smells like clementines. Haha, just kidding... Just the tree. It smells like honey, citrus, and some other fruit I just can't quite put my finger on.

T: Wonderful. Mango. That's what the smell was, just very subtle. It ties it all together. Honestly, again, I am having a hard time dissecting all the flavors, I can only say it blends exceptionally well together.

F: A perfect feel for an IPA. Crisp, good amount of bitterness, decent carbonation, and wonderfully smooth and easy to drink. A slightly velvety feel to it as well.

O: This, being my first time with it, was not what I was expecting. Almost like a stepping stone from the best of what the west coast style had to offer, and into the best of what the NE style offers now. A truly great IPA, and deserves the respect it gets.
Cheers NBSers, and I will see you all soon!

 

Check the bottle, or the brewer's site. Probably room temp or close . (60F +/- )

 

http://imgur.com/
The resolution isn't as good as Tinypic or Flickr, but it works, and is simple.
1) Set up account
2) Click the green Add Images button & select photo (from your computer or phone files)
3) Click the photo, once uploaded.
4) Copy BB Code (not "Linked BB Code")
5) Paste BB Code directly into comment. (Don't use the Image thing.)

Whole process should take about 30 sec.

 

It's a seasonal thing. I've also had a starkbier and maibock over the last year with the same format and pricing. Our local store doesn't get a lot so you have to grab it when it's in. I've never been blown away by a beer purchased there, but I've never regretted a purchase.

 

Clever .

 

If and when a throwback day comes around again, I'll keep the rauchbier in mind. I still owe the WBAYDN Throwback gods a Paulaner Salvator after missing the last one.

Worked up a thirst at golf practice, and I had just the thing in my fridge (laying on its side at the bottom of the fridge, because it was the only way it'd fit ):




Jester King Super Ultramega Hyperforce

Big crazy name but pretty meat-and-potatoes brew, this one is full of Jester King's musty barn aroma and a lot of earthy yeast flavor. There's plenty of shiny toys to play with along the way, including some nice white wine/tart apricot flavors and a much sweeter nose that becomes apricots halfway into the glass. There's also some spice in it ... hard to say if it's the ginger salt, the tarragon or something else, but it's a little kick of something different.

The mouthfeel may be Jester King's specialty. Every one of their brews has a perfect combination of light weight with good carbonation — even this one that poured pretty flat has all the carbonation you could want.

The review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24018/260863/?ba=Premo88#review
4.04 (-3.8% rDev)

I bought the magnum because it was the only size bottle they had. Now I have to drink it. Should be fun ... I'll be moving over to WBAYDN whilst I peruse you boys' and girls' good work in here.

Cheers, NBSers!

 

Welcome!! I enjoyed that beer as well, as the ol' BA database indicates. I do recall enjoying it more my first attempt than second, but in a very nuanced fashion.

Okay, back home now, and onto a revisit from (checks wrist that has no watch) about 4 hours ago...

It's not often I rate a beer 4.4+ and have a noticeable negative rating. It's less often that said beer has > 10 reviews and therefore gotten past one of the hurdles of simply being local hype. Granted, this beer (mentioned earlier) has a somewhat anomalistic (word of the year, 2017, I hope) 42% reviews to total ratings (I'm used to about 15% being decent). But here one is...


Talking Backwards is a "triple" IPA, clocking in at 10.8%. The taster notes from here indicate:

Not sure this is a collaboration any more but this beer pours quite clear with perhaps a little haze, nice foamy head that is inconsistent but yields some lacing - admirable for a 10+% beer.

Nose and taste yield a tropical yet bitter double IPA. The onion I get in many big DIPA to TIPA beers is there, but is not as off-putting as it usually seems. The feel has just a little bite, but otherwise is nice and entices me to grab another sip (dangerous this siren of feel). Okay - overall a little to the sweeter side, but that bitterness does catch up in the end and I'll offer a weird thought: this tropical sweetness when blended with the bitterness gives me a brief feel of some of the NE IPAs I have had. I will re-couch my statement to say this is not a NE IPA. However, for a powerful IPA, the fact that I rated it so high with the fact that a decently large number of others also rated it high, I'd say you have to at least grab a small pour of one of these if you visit the brewery and it's on tap.

Cheers and go UVa!!!

 

Odell 90 Shilling, 5.3% ABV, 27 IBU. Pours medium viscosity, copper color, with one finger of foamy white head on an aggressive pour, left slight foamy lacing. Note is malty and bready. Taste is real smooth, bread, with a slight bitter close. Like drinking toast! Excellent mouthfeel, and overall excellent. New style for me, Scottish Ale - and a new favorite.

 

Well I'll try as always, but 30 seconds I highly doubt that. 30 minutes would be a win.

 

Greetings, fellow NBSers, and thanks to @smakawhat for answering the call today,

After last weekend, when we received nearly a foot of new snow, the greater Spokane region is now warming up to high 30s or even low 40s during the day, then dropping back to the low 20s at night (plus Wednesday night/ Thursday morning, there was the nastiest freezing rain I've ever seen). This means during the day there's a little melting, then it all freezes up again. Between the thousands of potholes, the ever-present ice, and the local bug I've been fighting off for over two weeks now, I'm really damn sick of winter, and need a beer (or 29). Fortunately, I've built up a reserve of them lately, so it's time to sacrifice a couple of them.

First up today is a "Classic Lager " brewed in Bremerton, WA, a city that has been the scourge of USN sailors assigned to units of the Pacific Fleet for over a century.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/959/245575/?ba=woemad#review
Meh. Maybe a little lower than meh.

First Founders beer I've been able to buy in Washington. It did not disappoint.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1199/7463/?ba=woemad#review

That's the extent of the reviewing I'm willing to do today. Have a great Sunday, everyone!

 

That's a nice spiffy new label, I haven't even seen that one yet. Lucky you! As to the flavor, I rather enjoy that beer and it always comes across pretty harmoniously to me. Could temperature be a factor? I generally don't keep my beers at fridge temp.