New Beer Sunday (Week 679)

Wow, 5 new brews by 9:15am! I'm not that much of an "up-and-at-'em" type guy myself.

 

I had one last night and think I went into it with the right frame of mind . Yes, I was expecting sage and I got it. But what made it work for me was the dryness, as well as some of the more subtle spicy/floral elements the worked in harmony with the Main Ingredient. I wasn't really doing a proper analysis at the time, but was able to enjoy it for what it was. I think it's also one of those beers that would take me a few times to fully wrap my brain around it.

Thanks for the heads-up on their Pilsner as well! That's the last one of Crooked Stave's three recently released cans that I haven't tried yet. From the looks of things in the stores Hop Savant is well outselling the other two, and there may be good reason for that: it's the showstopper, imo. I hope you dig it as much as I've been.

 

Crooked Stave can #3 - Hop Savant Brett IPA

As soon as I opened this one I thought to myself, "I'm curious how this is classified here." Everybody should know by now that this is my review technique rather than giving a paragraph on aroma ... but in this case, I think I had better reason than usual. The label says that this is a "wild yeast" beer but the drinker should not expect something sour because it's an "IPA-style." In addition, the label that used to be on this beer when it was bottled called it a "pale ale" instead of "IPA." I don't know if the recipe changed. Turns out, there are multiple listings here for the beer (including duplicates and variants), and the classifications here include every possibility. It's listed here as an IPA, an APA, and a wild ale.

Honestly, it pretty much has more in common with NEIPA than anything else, but I know that people are now slapping their faces in disgust with me.

This is definitely my favorite of the three Crooked Stave beers I opened this morning.

It goes down really fast. It's an incredibly hazy dull yellow. Texture is soft. There is very little bitterness. Hop presence is pretty mild for an American IPA. It's tropical and fruity. There's just a little bit of earth in there to keep it interesting. This isn't a brett beer that's challenging to like. I'd love to see people's reactions to this if it was packaged by a different brewery as a NEIPA (not that it's identical to any, but just to see how it would be received).

 

Ha. Cross post. Check above.

 

Good morning all!

To the opening question about music and beer drinking: as the son of a musician, music has been an integral part of my life for literally my whole life. It was always around the house (whether it was my dad playing one of the many instruments he had or he or my mom just listening to tapes), and that has followed me into my own adulthood.
It is rare for there to be even a moment, if I'm not engaged in an activity that precludes me from doing so (at work, out walking the dog, watching TV/movie with its own sound, etc), where I do not have music of some sort playing.
What I am listening to varies significantly, and I tend to go through waves and phases that can last anywhere from an evening to a couple of months to becoming part of the lifetime repertoire.
To another point alluded to in the opening post, I also derive great satisfaction from thematically tying things together (as anyone who has seen my previous posts can probably attest). Sometimes this is tenuous at best, and sometimes I paralyze myself with overanalysis in trying to put together THE PERFECT combination or sequencing or what-have-you. It's a running theme in my life, ha.



Preservation is billed as a sour ale with raspberries and blackberries and is one I picked up with the intention of sharing it last weekend, but times conspired such that I did not end up cracking anything open at all

Immediately upon transferring to its glass the assertion of the label that this is a berried sour is reinforced as the liquid pours the colour of rosewood and blends in with the backdrop of my red tablecloth. A medium thin head of off-white/rose head is composed of discrete bubbles that almost remind me of microfleece for some reason the way they combine and sit in the glass. Impressive retention, and by the time the glass was empty there was more lacing down the sides than I'd expected.

The nose furthers the impression of berries with an undeniable raspberry sweetness that is held in check with a tartness that is also borne of those bucolic brambles.

Akin to the nose, the palate is defined by the juice of raspberry sweetness and a balancing tartness that, rather than running contrary to the berried heart serves to reinforce the impression.
NOSTALGIA BREAK
I feel like I've shared a fair number of brews recently with nostalgic ties to my childhood in one way or another. This is another of those, though less intentionally so than the previous. Growing up I have a lot of memories of working in my mom's garden, and of eating the fruits thereof. Raspberries are a persistent component of that, and this beer evokes strong images (and flavours/aromas/etc) of picking those berries off the cane, ostensibly with the intention of canning them... or something, but with the realistic end of most of them making their way into my grubby little maw.
As I drink, I am having strong flashbacks to late summer sunshine glinting across the tops of the cedar grove that surrounded our house and of navigating the thorns and dried canes adjacent to collect (and eat) the sweet rubial treasures there offered.

Preservation does not shy away from the secondary characteristics of raspberries like so many representations of berry flavouring available and that's something that I appreciate and enjoy. It's not just the sweet core (though that's there!). It carries the tart notes I remember as a kid (as well as the Pavlovian associated swell of saliva on the back of the tongue that accompanies all soured beers).
And while there is no graininess or anything akin to it, the association is strong enough that I have the sensation of seeds and the graininess of a little bit of dirt/dust from living in the country (even though obviously there is none of these things present in the beer itself).

Shit I'm rambling again.

The bottom line is that this is an immensely enjoyable fruited sour/berry beer, and one that I would gladly reach for again if I find myself in the mood for something of that ilk.

Now if you'll excuse me, after a long night of fruitless auditing in the ICU (no pun intended), I have to go to bed. Be well, and cheers!!

 

Always good to see a review that you wouldn't immediately expect. I agree that it probably suffers a bit from over-hype, but I have always felt it was pretty piney and bitter compared to the newer wave of NEIPAs (like the others are now discussing. Seeing as you are listed as being in Germany and they don't date their cans or distribute outside Vermont, how certain are you of its freshness and how it has been treated since leaving the brewery?

 

Well allright, Maria! I'm really glad to see you're enjoying that one; and just how do they make something that's simultaneously so full flavored yet clean and delicate? The wonders of the beer world . And I know those crowlers can seem big, but I'm betting that by the end of that one you'll be wondering where it all went. Plus, they only just started packaging in them so it's the only way people will be able to try their stuff at the moment.


Looks like you did a fine job on those bagels, too. Great way to start the day! Cheers!

 

Just a reminder to any fence-sitters, the next NBS BIF sign-ups close when this edition of NBS gets locked. Go here to get in! https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/nbs-bif-7-sign-up-thread.558892/page-14#post-5894621

 

The fact that you read my review and said that the beer sounds wonderful to you gives me hope for humanity.

You can be cutthroat at times , but in this case my mindset was far less receptive than yours. I still drank the can without much trouble though.

 

Weyerbacher Sunday morning stout.
Color..is solid black
Feel..fairly thick heavy body. Light carbonation which usually isnt pleasant but it seems to work here
Aroma.. dark roasted coffee, definitely strong smell of bourbon, then some chocolate ,malt and a little vanilla.
Taste.. dark bitter roasted black coffee, the bourbon is lighter in taste than aroma but it is really nice in this beer. As it warms the bourbon boozy taste mellows and some chocolate and vanilla show up.
Overall... I've had this on tap at the brewery and thought the bottle was a little softer on the coffee but it was an excellent beer. I was actually surprised by how fast I drank it despite the strong flavors and high abv,which was fairly well hidden

 

Happy New Beer Sunday everyone! Like many people, I think music is a wonderful thing. I usually tend to listen to indie rock, jazz, a bit of hip hop and lately I have been starting to enjoy classical music in the evenings or at work. YouTube is one of my favorite websites for finding music and the internet provides a nearly unlimited amount of new / old music. Anyways, on to the beer! Today I am drinking an unfiltered Helles beer from Frau Gruber called "24/7":



The apperance is a slightly hazy, golden/straw yellow color with a frothy, white head.

The aroma is quite strong and was apparent as soon as I opened the can. Tons of herbal / citrus hops and some sweetness from the malts. There is also a slight funkyness to the smell which I guess comes from the yeast.

The taste is sweet, malty and a bit citrusy upfront. Following that comes a rush of herbal, slightly bitter hops and the beer ends with a nice dry bitterness.

The mouthfeel is slightly creamier than most Helles beers and the carbonation level is spot on and makes the beer easy to drink.

Overall it's a tasty Helles beer. The aroma of the beer impressed me the most and I think the flavor is on the same level of other well known and loved Helles beers. I'm glad that I was able to try this beer and hope everyone else is able to enjoy a tasty, new beer on this fine Sunday!

 

First of the "I was told there would be no math" edition of NBS. First up is a Gose that traveled a LONG ways to get to me.

Tropical Gose by Way Beer of Pinhais Brazil.



Tropical Gose

Cervejaria Way
American Wild Ale / 3.90% ABV

3.93/5 rDev -1.8% | Score: 4
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

L-The beer pours a slightly hazy yellow with a one finger white head. The head recedes typically quickly for this style leaving no lacing behind.
S-The nose is lightly fruity with some sourness reminiscent of lemon.
T- On the palate the beer is classic Gose. Lemony and moderately tart up front with the back end being dryed out with a clearly perceptible brine finish. Level of brine is a big stickler for me with Gose, but this one is perfect in that aspect.
F- Feel is light as it should be. Carbonation level is prickly and appropriate. The combination of acidity and salt make the beer drink fairly lightly.
O- I'm not really sure what makes this a Tropical Gose other than where it was brewed. That said it's a very good example of the style that I would drink again. Recommended.

 

New beer #3. I like this a good bit but Pixel Dust is the tits.

Anti-Resin - Sixpoint
NE DIPA - 9.1% abv
Canned 2/22/18 (3 days ago)
Score: 4.13 (rDev 0% - first review)



L - Tiny coating of a head is gone in a flash. OJ body.

S - Oranges, grapefruit, some sweetness.

T - tons of citrus up front. A little bit of a medicinal taste but it fades. Somewhat abrasive/boozy but that’s to be expected given the abv. No detectable bitterness and not at all sweet.

F - Medium body with minimal carb. On par for the style.

O - I like this a lot, but the abv makes it tough to down more than one. Somewhat harsh, but the nice citrus taste makes it a contender.

 

At:


Having a Pliny the Younger


A-Pours anice clear golden color with a nice head and lacing
A-Aroma has fruity and pine hints
T-The taste follows the nose with fruity and pine flavors
M-A medium well carbonated beer
O-Avgreat beer!

 

Good for you! And in my city! I’ve still never had it.

 

At one point, I was a music nerd the same way I'm now a beer nerd. I consumed music voraciously then. Things have changed for me in that regard, but I still need music for my sanity. I look forward to the time when I'm no longer consuming beer voraciously either... but I always need something to obsess over.

 

No New Beer for me today (no beer at all, for that matter). See you tomorrow on WBAYDN.

To answer @cjgiant, beer and music go well together for me. What better way to unwind and relax after a day of work, than to open a beer, put on some music, and prepare dinner?

 

Since there is a side topic about 'distributed' NEIPAs, I think you'll find that Foreign Objects shows that you can get a top quality example at the store. No, it's not national, but they do have a larger footprint than any other shelf-NEIPA I've seen, from Philadelphia on up through the NYC metro area. Here's hoping you enjoy them!

 

Avec les Bons Voeux from la Brassiere DuPont is a winter offering that approaches the realm of a triple saison.
-first bottle pour is golden with a light haze; further pours trend toward a deeper haze. There is a 1/2 cm fine foam cap and lacy rings are left upon draughts. The aroma is bready and sweet with floral notes. Flavors include some biscuit-like malt with delicate "piney" hop and a bit of bubblegum from the saison yeast. The flavor has depth and the richness increases as the beer warms. There is a bit of alcohol heat. The finish is sweet and slightly dry. This is a winter pleasure.