New Beer Sunday (Week 640)

utopiajane · May 29, 2017

ichorNet said: ↑

Some solid entries here so far, including one in the original post that influenced which glass I chose to pour my NBS beer into! I only have one beer for today unless I go through my cellar to try to find some stuff I've been holding on to. Not a bad idea cuz I'm running out of allocated room and I also don't have work tomorrow thanks to the holiday. Without further ado, however, I present to you...

Merrimack Ales Saison-esque Warehouse Ale

This brewery is from my hometown and place of residence, good ol' Lowell, Massachusetts! The monument on the label is of a Lowell canal worker. The Merrimack Canal was dug out in the early 1800s and powered the textile manufacturing industry here with hydraulic power. This beer is dedicated to those workers, which I think is cool. It's also deemed a "warehouse ale," which actually isn't an original claim: Rising Tide (Portland, ME) also makes a series of saisons deemed warehouse ales, but ah well. Still kind of a quaint term; kind of a riff on "farmhouse ales" since they are obviously not made on farms but rather in more industrialized facilities. On to the beer!

This was brewed with barley/rye/wheat/oats, so it's a multigrain saison, one of my favorite specific sub-concepts in saison/farmhouse/rustic ale brewing. The ABV clocks in at 5% and the label claims 30 IBUs. The pour is a really hazy, nearly entirely-opaque deep orange color with a fairly retentive yet soapy head of bone-white foam. Lace from my initial pour seems pretty dang solid, too. Specks of black particulate matter line the bottom of my glass, but they're pretty small and innocuous, so not a big deal. Probably just remaining grain/yeast matter.

Nose is sufficiently spicy and clove-y with some phenolic notes and a good helping of rye-like nuance. Feels a little honeyed as well, but with tempering earthiness and a blanket of rustic yeastiness. Slight white grapefruit and orange as well, under the malty temperament that this presents with initially.

Flavor is very, very spice-forward with strong clove, rye and caraway flavors. Lots of yeast elements too, with some breadiness and crackery malt. A bit rounder and smoother toward the middle, but finishes with a surprisingly heavy kick that actually feels hoppy and citrus-y. Less rustic here, but has a dry yet lingering finish that brings some more estery notes along for the ride. Feel is fuller bodied than expected for a <6% saison beer, but it's pretty welcome as the carbonation is fairly detailed as well and the flavor is well-rounded and interesting. I think it gets a little rough and overly-yeasty here and there, actually, especially towards the end of the can, but for $11 a 4 pack of tallboys, this is a good deal and a cool little beer made by some pretty talented up-and-coming brewers... and it's super local! I'm down.

EDIT: Cuz sometimes people talk homebrew here, I figured I'd throw up some pictures from yesterday's brew session my buddy and I had. We made an NE-style double IPA recipe with some unusual hop choices, because being the same as everyone else is boring

We used Irish pale malt (a malt our LHBS owner swears by), a bit of Golden Promise barley, flaked barley and flaked oats. Hops in the boil were Zythos and Mosaic, with Galaxy in the whirlpool. It will be double-dry-hopped with Nelson Sauvin and Summer hops. We're going for tropical fruit, berry and citrus here with the unique Sauvignon Blanc-esque quality from Nelson for added interest.

The yeast we chose is a strain called Juice from Imperial Organic Yeast. It comes in a ready-to-pitch can... we're excited to see what this one does for our beer, as the company claims its "juicy esters can accentuate and complement new fruity and citrusy hops." Hell yeah!

Ewwwww, gross looking

Another post-yeast pitch look before it went under-wraps for fermentation. Soooo much settling within the first 10 minutes. Started outgassing within a half hour from pitch, too. Hoping for a solid fermentation!

I'll try to remember to let you guys know how it comes out! Sorry for the big post!
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The big post is awesome! I hope your beer comes out good =)

lordofthewiens · May 29, 2017

tzieser said: ↑

Glad to be back home (MA) for the weekend. Haven't had a bad beer yet!

All were new beers for me today. Can't really pick my favorite. Have a bunch more to bring back to NJ with beer. Cheers everybody!
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What did you think of the beers?

VABA · May 29, 2017

jkblr said: ↑

Good Morning NBS

Today is my birthday, but I'm in between nightshifts so one and done today. Today's new beer is La Maison from Taxman. It is a self described "farmhouse ale brewed with honey."

12oz canned 4/25/17 poured into an Orval chalice at fridge temp 7% ABV 25 IBU. The beer is an orange golden color with short lived white head. Aroma is Belgian yeast and honey. Taste is more Belgian yeast and honey. The finish is pleasantly dry and the 25 IBU are present at the end. Mouthfeel is soft with good carbonation. Overall, good. Another affordable, fresh Belgian beer from Taxman, but nothing to set the world on fire.

I will say, this improved as it warmed revealing more clove, pepper and softness. Drink well NBS.
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I never post on this thread (I know I know cjgiant has told me to come around, but is not a habit), so I did not see this until now (returning a like to one of your posts).

Happy belated Birthday!

jkblr · May 29, 2017

VABA said: ↑

I never post on this thread (I know I know cjgiant has told me to come around, but is not a habit), so I did not see this until now (returning a like to one of your posts).

Happy belated Birthday!
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Thanks

New Beer Sunday (Week 640)

utopiajane Grand Pooh-Bah (3,982) Jun 11, 2013 New York
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lordofthewiens Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,225) Sep 17, 2005 New Mexico
BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

VABA Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,735) Aug 8, 2015 Virginia
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jkblr Grand Pooh-Bah (5,132) Nov 22, 2014 Indiana
BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

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New Beer Sunday (Week 640)

utopiajane Grand Pooh-Bah (3,982) Jun 11, 2013 New York Pooh-Bah

lordofthewiens Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,225) Sep 17, 2005 New Mexico BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

VABA Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,735) Aug 8, 2015 Virginia Pooh-Bah

jkblr Grand Pooh-Bah (5,132) Nov 22, 2014 Indiana BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

utopiajane Grand Pooh-Bah (3,982) Jun 11, 2013 New York
Pooh-Bah

lordofthewiens Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,225) Sep 17, 2005 New Mexico
BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

VABA Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,735) Aug 8, 2015 Virginia
Pooh-Bah

jkblr Grand Pooh-Bah (5,132) Nov 22, 2014 Indiana
BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader