New Beer Sunday (Week 633)

NBS #2/4 for me. Reaching for a an iconic brew that is quite new to me.

Duvel from Brouwerji Duvel Moortgat

Best before 04/2018 (~1yr old?)

I poured as unhurried as I could, and surprisingly was able to get all 11.2oz in this 13oz tulip glass in one pour. It was pale golden, with copious amounts of streaming bubbles rushing to the surface. The aroma is not as pungent as I anticipated, with bright yeasty funk leading the charge, followed by a light sweetness that didn't really bring any descriptor to mind. The flavor also leads with that yeasty funk. Admittedly I have not had many in this style, but this has more of a farmhouse funk and spice than the other two, which I quite enjoy. The body is very light and effervescent, as the appearance would suggest. It finishes clean and dry, leaving me wanting another sip. Overall, I think this is an awesome ale. It was not as flavorful as I anticipated. I expected to get deep, pungent punches of Belgo goodness for some reason. But, as with many of the OG beers that no longer get the praise they once did, the subtlety, the balance, and craftmanship is the key to this one. It has been a pleasure to finally put this notch in my belt.

4.02/5

I paired it with this appetizer, and they went surprisingly well together. My theme should be becoming more obvious. But, if it is not, it will.


Time to wait for dinner to come out of the oven!

 

Carton Cosmonaut

You ever crack open a beer expecting one thing, BAs, only to have a hard time accepting that it delivers something completely different?

Cosmonaut is an RIS inspired by Neopolitan astronaut ice cream. They apparently actually used freeze dried ice cream in it.

I was expecting something like Saugatuck's Neopolitan Milk Stout, which, as novelty beers go, was spot on. That frigging tastes as close to strawberry, chocolate and vanilla ice cream as I'd ever expect from a beer. Cosmonaut, not so much.

Cosmonaut pours a gorgeous thick-and-oily, red-tinted black color with a lush, two-fingered mocha head.

It has strong, roasty malts in the nose with a definite hint of strawberry and slight whiff of vanilla behind.

The mouthfeel is fairly full-bodied and lightly creamy with just the right carbonation. So, lots to like, thus far.

The taste is very similar to the nose. Strong, roasted malts up front with some slight strawberry and vanilla sweetness in the background.

What's odd to me is that they get the strawberry and vanilla notes, but miss the chocolate one. Maybe you could call the charred grains here burnt chocolate, but it definitely isn't sweet or creamy tasting at all. If anything, it's got an almost nutty character to it with a hint of coffee. There's also a little formaldehyde lurking in the background that I don't really love.

I'm drinking this at room temperature. Maybe a little chilling would alter the balance a bit. This might be an example of faulty expectations, but the Neapolitan astronaut ice cream concept certainly doesn't come together for me.

If you go in expecting a roasty, RIS with some interesting tastes in the background, you may enjoy it more, comrades.

Thanks again to @cjgiant and @lordofthewiens for hosting. Cheers!

 

Mustache Rallybeard. Delicious.

 

Happy New Odds & Sods Beer Sunday (Week 633), continued!

It has been kind of a lazy Sunday here at Chez Woody. I watched the Buccos beat the Braves in the bottom of the 10th with a walk-off HR; The Pens are playing the Rangers in a meaningless game; and I am reading an old paperback mystery.

My second beer of the day was a Patersbier: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/259/112126/?ba=woodychandler#review


but I felt unfulfilled, so took it up a notch and drank a Wit:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30902/124226/?ba=woodychandler#review


The adage of "Once you go Wheat, nothing else competes" kicked in & I continued with both:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/13884/63180/?ba=woodychandler#review

&

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/223705/?ba=woodychandler#review


My hops jones started to kick in, though, so I reached for:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26753/249703/?ba=woodychandler#review


but I was left unfulfilled, so I decided to go in a wholly different direction with:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27114/274012/?ba=woodychandler#review


but this made me slightly embarrassed & my Man Card was threatened, so I tried to redeem myself with: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/223/699/?ba=woodychandler#review


afterwards, I put my Oud Bruin to bed & reached for a: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27917/264326/?ba=woodychandler#review

but it brought me full circle from one Patersbier/Tafelbier to another to close out the day. Good night & good luck!

 

Yes indeed. It was floral and mildly acidic (not tart by any means) without any bitterness. It would be a nice session beer on a warm day or with some spicy food. Too bad that both of these are absent from its native land, Scotland (I've lived there for 4 years so I should know).

Very well said sir!

 

We just got distro - actually mass on that. Great brew I agree. And Lizard King the mosaic hopped APA is tasty as well.

 

I too am enjoying this very beer from the very same @SammyJaxxx right now!!!
I am picking up the grapefruit pith and pine on the nose too.
For me the taste starts with grapefruit, floral orange blossom (I know that sounds like nose, but it's coming through as a taste), and eventually a smooth hint of piney resin, followed by a general tropical note. As you mentioned, it comes back to a pithy finish. Quite nice.
The carbonation is active, and I love the creamy mouthfeel.
I really like this one. Thanks again, Greg.

 

New Ultrafresh Sunday

Well, the beer isn't exactly "ultra"-fresh, but that's actually it's name...

#ultrafresh DIPA, from Three Stars Brewing in DC, canned 3/16/17...

Featuring Eureka, Denali, and Topaz hops, and Citra lupulin powder...

Really dug this... A very similar beer to those being produced by Other Half in Brooklyn, NY... Aromas mainly citric and floral with some suggestions of fresh-cut pale grains... The taste is bright and light, full of pith with pricks of peel; some dank undertones as well as a pixie dust-like lemon citrus sweetness. Big bitterness crashes in over the sugars, gripping the tongue with just a bit of tartness on the edges. Medium-light body, amply carbonated, crisp and clean... A solid brew on par with much of the New England-style D/IPAs around.

Alright, new beer lovers, that about does it for me. Gonna finish this off over in WBAYDN.

See ya around - cheers... \m/

 

Regarding your last thought of it not being a good example of the style (mentioning Ambre vs farmhouse) - do you think that Duyck has the right to define the Biere de Mars style more than a style guide does? (Not a rhetorical question.) Their Biere de Garde created the template for the modern Biere de Garde... and they call that beer an "Ambree."

 

Dude, as you know, I just had a couple of Other Half brews, and if you like that stuff, this will be right up your alley. I'm also a big fan of the lupulin powder, and again, if that's up your alley...

This beer is my third from 3SB lol and easily my favorite...

Cheers...

 

Not very often do I submit three NBS's in one day, bit somehow I've managed time quite well today. Hey, I think I'm starting to get the hang of this two kid parent thing!

Brouwerij West-
Picnic Lightening IPA



This renowned, yet small brewery resides out of San Pedro, CA. About a 30 minute drive from my house when the traffic is clear, otherwise 7 hours from home .

(*Full disclosure, I poured this a while back but due to to some frisbee time with the kiddos, I am only just now getting to this beer and it's review.)

A: As if the label and format on the can wasn't hint enough, this beer pours a cloudy (hazy) yellow orange with a frothy white head that sticks and laces well.

A: Smells as expected. Big tropical notes of papaya, mango, melon, and citrus. A touch of earthy dirtiness and some pine finish it off.

T: Unexpectedly less intense than the aroma. Quite harnessed back actually. Mostly some citrus and that noted earthiness. Some crushed or powdered sugar candy sweetness that lingers on the end.

F: Fluffy. Soft and pillowy. Not a notion of alcohol due to the "juiciness" masking it.

O: This is a pretty good NE style IPA from the west, but not one I'll be too quick to revisit. Only a few breweries out here are masters of the style so far, and though I don't think they're quite there yet, Brouwerij West may be on its way. Cheers!

 

Here's my new beer (and style!) for today's NBS:

Flying Fish Exit 3 Blueberry Braggot



Appearance- 1/2 finger white head, leaves nice thin lacing. Beer is golden, crystal clear, and lively with carbonation

Aroma- soft blueberries, honey and sweet bread, with none taking a backseat or dominating

Taste- follows the nose with the blueberry being a little more prevalent. Finishes with honey sweetness and a boozy burn (the beer is 15% ABV)

Mouthfeel- medium body, finishes fairly dry at first but as the beer warms the beer really coats the mouth and a boozy slight aftertaste lingers

Overall- this was good and I'm glad I finally tried my first braggot. The flavors are put together very nicely, and it was overall an enjoyable beer.

 

Greetings All from the great Northwest where we have the lawnmower out for the first time this season. Better to be mowing grass than shoveling snow.

Asgard IPA out of Odin Brewing. Tukwila, Washington.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/21567/166733/

A nice IPA.

Until next time,

Happy Trails!

 

For today's NBS I had the pleasure of enjoying my first Cantillon thanks to @LehighAce06. I admit part of me wanted to hoard this, but in the spirit of NBS and BIF, today seemed as good a day as any. Gueuze is not a style I'm real familiar with, but I was impressed off the bat by the fluffy lingering head as I'm used to sours disappearing immediately. Tartness was spot on very prominent without being over whelming, with a crisp dry finish. A very enjoyable experience, cheers NBSers!

 

NBS #3/4 and my theme continues.

Dinner was Seitan (Satan?) Diavolo. It is seitan, artichoke hearts, presh parsley, lemon juice, diavolo sauce, croutons, and mozzarella cheese, all baked until hot and crusty.


Followed that up with Lucifer's Cuvee from Latitude 42 Brewing Co.

Canned 11/14/2016

This is a double chocolate rye stout coming in at 8.4%abv. Despite a fairly aggressive pour, the head was rather minimal. But the appearance is dark and inviting. The aroma has a prominent vanilla note with a just touch of cold-brewed coffee. The flavor follows, with that vanilla note dominating and just a touch of some roast that helps give it a milk chocolate vibe. The finish has a slight spicy note that I can only assume comes from the rye and maybe a touch of hops. The texture is rather flat, but smooth. Not much carbonation, but it has a slight slick and creamy feel. It kind of reminds me of a BA stout with it's relatively thin body and vanilla flavors, but lacks any oak or spirit notes. Overall, I ended up enjoying this more than I thought I would initially. It reminds me of Dragon's Milk in some ways. At $2.50 for a single can, not a bad value. I love the aroma, and like the flavors, but the carbonation leaves something to be desired as it never quite brings it to that dessert/sipper level. I might grab a fresher can if I find one, and see if that has any bearing on the carbonation and texture.

3.93/5

One more and I'm out.

 

Thanks a ton for the offer! But no need ... there's some in my town (I think). In fact, I know exactly the store where it *and* the porter are stacked up side-by-side (I think; I could be confusing it with memories of my last trip to Houston, but if that's the case, also no worries — I'll be in Houston for four days in a week).

I passed on them last week because my fridge was already full. There's room now, though, and I'm off Monday and will head over to the getting place. It seems only right now for me to find the RIS in particular and save it for NBS next week ... yes?

Yes ... I think so.

 

Well it is still New Beer Sunday somewhere.

We are now in the ninja box section of the NBS BIF. This beer came ninja style. Thank you to @WesMantooth for sending me this long time want.

I was torn when this beer arrived. I am 10 days into my beer sabatical. However, I am justifying this break because I tore a hamstring this morning and I want to avoid the Percocet but I need to take the edge off.

So my NBS entry is Columbus Brewing Bodhi

This isn't hazy and doesn't come in a 16 oz can so it can't be good can it?

This beer is tremendous. If you respect just how glorious a Pliny is, you will love this beer. It is similar but not a knock off.

Here is my review:
4.77/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Poured from a bottle dated March 20, 2017

A: Golden yellow with a thick finger of foam. The head remained throughout. Great lacing
S: Piney with grapefruit tangerine and candied fruit aromas
T: a fine base of resiney pine with grapefruit rind, peach and green apple
MF: Crisp and dry. Just resiney enough to coat ones mouth. Would never now it was 8.3%
O: About as good as it gets. If you are looking for a hazy glass of o.j. look elsewhere. If you want an incredibly well made DIPA in the classic Pliny style this is about as good as it gets.

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Enjoying that lil ol band from Texas