New Beer Sunday (Week 640)

Having my first bottle of a new beer I picked up during my trip to the DC area earlier in the week...



This is one I've always wanted to try but just never see around here -- Guinness Antwerpen Stout. Apparently this is the same recipe as the "Special Export" stout that was originally only sent to Belgium. My camera's battery died so I had to take a picture with the crappy built-in one on my phone... but eh, at least I have a picture.

Pours dark cola-like brown, settling into the expected Guinness-y pitch black once in the glass (my flashlight can't penetrate it at all.) There was a pretty big layer of tan foam on top at first -- I was almost worried that it wouldn't quite fit in the glass! -- but within a minute or two of pouring it has shrank down into a thinner layer, leaving some trails behind on the edges of the glass. Smell is really nice -- reminding me somewhat of the Extra Stout but sweeter and richer, much more chocolatey rather than leaning in the coffee/roasty/charred direction. Taste is also similar to a bigger, sweeter, richer variation on the Extra Stout -- there's dark toasty bread, chocolatey flavors, a hint of a sourish sort of thing at first which fades into the maltier flavors afterward. Dark toasty bread stands out more in the flavor than the smell, while the chocolateyness (while definitely present) isn't quite as strong. Lingering coffee/chocolate/bread and maybe a bit of smokiness. Definitely a much "bigger" seeming beer than either of the standard Guinness varieties. I'm not detecting any alcohol flavors or warmth despite having nearly double the ABV of ordinary Guinness Draught, but the feel of it is definitely much thicker than even the Extra Stout and not quite as dry. Maybe a tiny little bit of a European grassy-hop sort of thing hiding in the background? Seems to occasionally linger in the aftertaste, blending in with the roasted barley mostly, though the other flavors stand out more. Just now got a bit of a fruity sort of flavor, I want to say somewhere in the plum/raisin range. The smell of this beer continues to surprise me with how nice it is, I almost seem to taste it before it even gets to my mouth because of how rich the smell is.

Overall, this is really, really good. Definitely has that "Guinness-y" character to it while at the same time being a very distinctly different beer from the more common varieties. The sweeter, chocolatey-er flavors and smells in particular stand out, but there's a lot going on in this beer -- all the flavors from regular Guinness plus more. Glad I picked up this 4-pack when I had the chance -- hopefully this continues to be exported to the US (and let's hope they expand distribution of it a bit, I'd rather not have to make a 3-hour drive to find some the next time!)

 

New Wee Heavy Sunday

Happy NBS everyone! For my first new brew today, I decided to try a bourbon barrel aged Wee Heavy Ale from a brewery that's new to me, Donum Dei Brewing in New Albany, IN: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47023/283890/?ba=bluejacket74#review





I thought it was an enjoyable enough brew, and it was a good excuse to use my Thistle glass! I'll be back on here in a little bit with another new beer. Cheers!

 

I'm enjoying a smooth (so far) brew day with my son and the dog. Intermittent sun and showers, so we're just inside the garage relaxing, listening to the Allman Brothers. We're brewing up a Pilsner with German malt, French hops, and American water (NATO Pils?).

Huge thanks to the effervescent and generous @TheIPAHunter for bombing my porch with some world-class NE IPAs, including this one! I'm splitting this beauty with my son:

This one was canned 10 days ago. This looks great out here with the sunny background - the pic does not do this justice! Extremely hazy but not turbid with a bright golden color and a medium sized head that slowly settled. Aromas were a bit muted IMO, but it could be my environment - a lot going on. Nice tropical fruit, oranges, and some dank resin. The taste followed the nose with huge fruity notes - mango, tangerine, apricot, orange - mixed with herbal notes. A bubblegum sensation on the finish. Very soft feel and dry, bready finish. Just world class. Cheers and Thanks again Hunter!

 

It always amazes me that if I dig around in the fridge enough, I'll find a few new beers. Today is no different, as fridge spelunking netted me three new beers (not sure if I'll have all three, but glad to know they are there), first up is Creole Cream Ale from Anita.



The appearance is especially inviting. Solid gold body, slightly hazy from a combination of chill, effervescing action and intent I'm sure. As if taking a queue from the name of the style, the head seems creamy itself, as it finally falls back to a little bit more than a cream colored sheet.

Nose begins with a hint of Noble hop before a more honey forward corn presence rolls in, only to finish off with a crisp club soda-like (void of anything other than carbonation) exit.

Taste is similar to nose, but slightly rearranged. It opens up with a pleasant, almost light berry taste before corn comes across. Finish is like a light Noble hop crossed with the void of character club soda aspect, with the fairly dry exit, lacking pretty much any aftertaste. Overall it's probably best suited as a replacement for an AAL, and if sold in cans, would make a very good beer to take to gatherings where an AAL would typically take center stage. As an intriguing beer, not exactly. But, it's refreshing and takes zero thought to enjoy, so that's pretty cool.

Next we have Exquisitely Evil Ale from Wild Wolf



Dark orange in color, pretty hazy, and a relatively thin beige head. Kinda pretty I guess. Nose is actually a bit more pleasant than I expected, as it's a nice blend of honey, mango and pineapple. Very pleasant indeed.

Taste is a touch sweet straight away with a sweetness that reminds me of those Dum-Dum lollipops. That memory fades to a tartness that brings in tropical fruit, all the while entertaining with a gritty bitterness that seems almost contrived. Finish is wildly dry and leaves an artificial sweetener aftertaste. This beer was actually better than I'd hoped. Not a groundbreaking terrific beer, but still exceeded expectations.

 

Last night I did a blind Guinness tasting with 7 beers. I included: Guinness Draught, Foreign Extra, Antwerpen, Extra, Dublin Porter, West Indies Porter, and I also threw in a Murphy's. In that context, Antwerpen was my favorite beer out of the ones bigger than 5%.

 

This is the Mayflower New World IPA from Plymouth, Massachusetts. It is their newest offering and was released on May 22 2017 so it is a brand new beer. It is 6% ABV. This has a powerful dank and citrus character all around. It is not as juicy as some other New England IPAs that are out there but the pungent and vibrant hop characters are evident. I liked it.

 

Out to lunch at The Good Life in Massapequa, tried a coupla new brews on tap...

Mash & Vanilla English barleywine from The Bruery... Aromas of molasses, vanilla, and light bourbon... Had sweet brown fruit flavors accented with whiskey-wood and vanilla... Thin-bodied for a 13.3% bourbon barrel barleywine, minimal carbonation, but a smooth, relatively clean finish...

And with lunch - a Philly cheesesteak and fries, BTW...

The Crucifix Tripel from Burial Beer, coming in at 8.2%... Aromas of sweet pale fruit, like banana and pear... On the tongue more soft fruitiness; sweet, neither bitter nor tangy... Medium-bodied and smooth... A nice beer but nothing special far as tripels go...

Bound to be more new brews sampled today, so I'll be back later; cheers...

 

On to the BOFT Golden, listed as a Kölsch. A fair number of new breweries seem to have this style as one of their lighter offerings around here these days. I think this fits for this winery/farm brewery, as it can be a palatable alternative for members of your group that may not be into wine.


Is it just me or does my beer look superimposed on the photo?

Anyhow, the beer is a little lighter in color than the photo suggests, but has a slight light-distorting body, fuzzying my finger behind the glass. That head hasn't changed though I'm 1/3 through the glass as I type.

Nose has a mild brew-day grain maltiness combined with the lightest fruit flowers and a very mild grassy bitterness.

Taste removes that "homebrew" note, but isn't quite as light and dry as I'd expect. But it's not far off at all, and though I may not be splitting hairs, I may be dividing a scant few of them. A light fleshy fruit aspect finds my palate before a grassy to even lightly peppery bitterness catches up before mid-taste. Some sips the bitterness gains more traction, others the fruit lingers longer.

I feel this is a solid 3.75, maybe a little higher. It wouldn't surprise me if this becomes their "flagship," gaining a couple of the curious, more of the non-wine visitors, and a few of us geeks. Unless, with regard to the latter, they step up their other offerings a couple notches.

 

I am not sure if It is ok to have 2 new beers on New Beer Sunday, I can remove it if it is not. The new to me brew I am having the pleasure of having this hour is Weihenstaphaner Vitus. This bottle was calling me by name.
"tomame guey" it said, and I took heed of it's advice.

For me,Vitus has Just the right amount of twang.This pours a foggy slightly brown amber. Bready notes of banana on the nose.The soft carbonation hides the alcohol well. Semi dry finish.light mouth feel.

Vitus tastes just as heavenly as the saint it is named after.


Cheers everyone!

 

Enjoyed the way you described your thoughts on this beer. Cheers!!

 

You can have as many as you want.

Cheers!

 

I agree with @Wasatch you can have as many new brews on NBS as you want! As long as it's new to you, then go ahead and post away! I'll be posting my 2nd new brew today on here in a few minutes!

 

Sounds great, the only other Islsy barrel I've had was JW Lees and that sucked. I love Laphroaig and Lagavulin.

 

Happy NBS, gang. And thank you to @lordofthewiens for another thoughtful introduction. I'm taking a break from IPA's and Pale Ales to finally review Weyerbacher's Cinnsanity. It has big shoes to fill as the base Insanity is my favorite English Barleywine and a constant presence in my beer fridge. Cinnsanity has strong cinnamon notes and an almost cocoa-like taste. Overall, I prefer regular Insanity but this one is nonetheless fun to drink. Here's my review:

4.09/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle dated 3/9/2017. Poured into tulip glass. It pours a hazy cola color with orange hues and a very small, ecru-colored head without much lacing. The nose is highly aromatic with pronounced cinnamon notes along with caramel, raisin, and apple. The cinnamon is also prevalent in the taste along with a hint of cocoa that I've never noticed in the base Insanity. Perhaps I'm mistaking ground cinnamon at the finish. Either way, it's really tasty. It has a creamy mouth feel with very light carbonation, and the 13.3% ABV packs a wallop. This is most definitely a sipper. Overall, it's a very interesting, and tasty variation on my favorite American-brewed English Barleywine. While on the whole I prefer the original Insanity, Cinnsanity makes a nice change of pace.

I hope everyone's enjoying their new beer today.

 

This is actually my first time purchasing a bottled sour beer. Usually isn't my favorite style. But I will try anything from Short's. And this one is damn good.

 

I'll squeeze a new beer in on my favorite day of the week. I brought home some of the vanilla variant of this imperial milk stout on my visit to Chicago, but alas, had I seen "coffee", it would have jumped straight to the top of my list. Fortunately, @FBarber was kind enough to accept a tasty local-for-local trade so I could sample this brew.



18th Street Brewing's Coffee Hunter.

Pours black with a finger and a half of creme-colored head. Nice foamy formation, with a little foam ring left behind. No lacing left behind. Coffee, robust, and smooth roasted and toasted malts, with a hint of lactose form a firm, dark aroma. Flavor profile roasted and toasted malts throughout. Light coffee, and lactose notes flutter throughout. Mouth feel texture is every bit of smooth, creamy, and velvety. It has a medium-thick feel. Overall, a milk stout with presence. The coffee is light, but still present.

Score: 4.25 | 4 | 4 | 4.25 | 4.25 | BA Score: 4.09 | rDev: +13.6%

Personal notes: If I'm seeking an imperial milk stout with coffee, I'd pick Rock Bridge's Option 2. Still one of my favorite Missouri brews. Coffee Hunter is a tasty alternative, but I'll stick with my Missouri brew. Still incredibly glad I got to try this beer. Cheers!

 

I'm sure I speak for others as well as myself in asking, what particularly about the beer had you enjoying it more than you thought? What characteristics can the rest of us expect, in case we're considering it, as well?

 

Happy NBS! I almost forgot what day it was and realized that I need to grab a new beer!

I've been enjoying the sensational weekend around my yard. The garden looks amazing with all the rain we have had in May. It's finally warming up a bit into the 70s so I can open the windows and let in a breeze.

I see that @utopiajane had teh same idea that I did today. Looks like I scored it almost the same as she did.

Ayinger Bavarian Pils pours a clear very pale yellow with a frothy 2.5 finger white head that persists and laces well. Smells gloriously of the noble hops: spicy, earthy, grassy. Then the sweet floor malted barley comes through. Fresh baked bread with some grain. The flavor is sweet at first, showcasing the bready goodness with a touch of caramel. The spice of the hops finishes is out with a nice peppery flavor. Smooth and so easy to drink. Good carbonation, with a slightly dry finish. A delightful Pils to enjoy on any occasion.

 

To be fair to the beer, I disliked it because I hate coconut. The version with bacon is intriguing though.