New Beer Sunday (Week 683)

Yellow Bridge Living the Dream NEIPA

Happy Sunday, BAs. Living the Dream here in Pittsburgh, PA after a fun enough trip to the Andy Warhol Museum.

This pours a cloudy, light yellow-orange color with a finger of soupy white head that leaves thick, sloppy lacing.

It has a great aroma of creamy peaches and light citrus. These carry over to the taste where they're coupled with a hint of strawberry, grass and light pine bitterness; there's a juicy burst on the backend, too.

Soft, mildly creamy, medium-bodied feel.

This is really well made and tasty. I'd never heard of Yellow Bridge before, but this is right up there with Trillium and Tired Hands, and a hair better than what I tried yesterday at Brew Gentlemen. Cheers.

 

I do look forward to the seasonal releases, Where Is The Oberon??, but don't like seeing Oktoberfest beers in August however I did pick some up last year that early. This beer I'm enjoying while watching hoops, came from the generous @TongoRad and NBS BIF, Catskill Ball Lightening, a pilsener in crowler format filled March 10, crushed today! Pours a brilliant crystal clear gold with a small head that recedes a bit too quick, aromas of grainy malts, wet grass very true to style, the sharp hops are balancing the malt nicely with a crisp dry finish. Carbonation a bit lacking, but solid beer that I've enjoyed immensely. Thanks Mike

 

This one was really good... I reviewed it for NBS about five weeks back and essentially felt the same as you did. Just really damn good beer. Very excited for future mixed-culture beers from HW. Their oak-aged sour saison, Overly Dedicated was great too. Cheers!

Alright, my next new beer for this NBS is a collaboration between primary brewery Finback and RAR/Civil Society. It is a triple IPA clocking in at 10% by the name of Swank!



Very excited to be able to get this one (and two cans of it, at that!), as it is my first experience with a "TIPA" from Finback. I've missed both local drops of their anniversary TIPA, Caviar, so I hope this is a good enough substitute. This was dry-hopped with Mosaic, Citra, Citra lupulin powder (aka Cryo hops) and Motueka, and was canned on 3/14/18.

Pours a hazy but not opaque/creamy orange color with some lighter goldenrod hues coming out when held up to direct light. Lots of particulate matter in the body here, but it's actually distinguishable and discrete... not a pure haze, in other words. I miss this about unfiltered IPAs, and this got my nostalgia going for the days of the "unfiltered; may contain a harmless sediment" caveat (which was, by my estimation, only a few years ago... damn it, I'm already getting curmudgeonly, aren't I? ) on a bunch of beers. Thin but definitive head with sheets of nice lace coming down as the foam sinks to about a half-finger.

The nose here reminds me a lot of some Relic IPAs and DIPAs from late last year. Relic came out of nowhere and started randomly producing some of the very best, most complex IPAs I've ever had, which is no small feet. Their Midnight Muse, Silent Shroud and Parade of Bones all had intense, complex and surprisingly-unique hop combinations which came across most apparently in the nose, and this one reminds me specifically of PoB. Strong stone fruit, tangerine, blueberry, blackberry and sweet, overripe papaya are the most intense elements I pick up. There's a slight slickness here, aaaalmost bordering on "diacetyl" but I don't think it's quite there. It's most likely just Mosaic being weird, honestly. Slight sniff of the 10% ethanol as well, but it's not obtrusive.

On the tongue, this is rather heavy-bodied, though it portrays a complex dance between hoppy, bright aspects and the sheer amount of malt to get this to be as strong as it is. This is definitely one of the biggest potential rubs with "triple IPAs," of course; aren't they pretty much just American barleywines? I mean, usually, modern IPAs just entirely forgo balance in favor of hops... so, when the malt side of a recipe has to pick up slack to bring a higher ABV to the table, is any balance even tenable? I've had a lot of TIPAs that actually ended up being quite deceptive in terms of ABV, mostly due to their dryness (probably imparted by brewer's crystals or dextrose or something), but this doesn't really hide much. That isn't to say that it's "malty," traditionally anyway... it's just pretty thick and doesn't drink super easily. Really liking the slightly-honeyed malt combined with the berry flavors and intense citrus/tropical stuff going on, though. Reminds me of what would happen if the aforementioned Relic ever went into the double digit ABV realm for their DIPAs.

I really dig this beer, despite this review seeming like I'm not super into it. It's not my favorite TIPA by any means (Knee Deep's Simtra probably takes the cake for that honor, personally), but I do get most of what they were trying to do. I think Motueka gets a little lost in the shuffle here, though... it's a more delicate hop that needs a more subtle recipe to really shine, in my opinion.

Posted something from this album a few weeks ago, but I need to link the full thing now. Truly great new heavy music from the UK. Doesn't sound like much that I've heard before, but it sorta operates in the realm intersecting sludge/atmospheric sludge, hardcore and death metal.

 

Good Afternoon NBS,
I opened my beer fridge unsure of what to drink, however I had some leftover 'craft jerky' so I thought this would pair well.




L- dark amber with light tan head, lacing as well
S- creamy, subtle coffee
T- sweet & creamy, toffee & smoke with a yeasty finish
F- light to medium-bodied, average carbonation, has the aforementioned creamy feel as well
Overall this is a nice sessionable Lager, however the smoke is really dialed back, so good beer but not to style

So in the end didn't pair as well as I thought it might but I still enjoyed!

 

In regards to seasonal beers, I like the idea that they are, but I tend to drink what I like, when I like. I do wish more Marzens & Bocks were brewed year round for sure.

First one up Jekyll Brewing's Cooter Brown, an American Brown ale, solid, 3.78 overall


Pours an effervescent & ruddy brown with a thumb of tan head. Good head retention & lacing

S: Toasty, not much else

T: Follows the nose, some dryness and nuttiness up front. Dryness, woody bitterness, & more toastyness as this warms, a touch of vanilla & hazelnut too. Finishes dry, toasty

MF: Light/medium body, firm carbonation

Easy enough drinking brown, would like more body & flavor complexity

I've heard people use the expression " Drunker than Cooter Brown", it is an expression I've only heard Southerners & Texans use. It would take a few of these to get you there for sure...

Edit: Just googled it, apparently it goes back to the Civil, pretty good little story..

 

New Gose Sunday (Week 683)
Greetings fellow NBSers from on the ridge in Mid Hud Val, NY. Beauty day as snow recedes ever so slowly, which is the perfect way for it to do. Not much going on, did a little writing, finished cooking up some sausage, had it with some linguine. Basically enjoying retirement in a way that balances out the stupid amount of work I needed to do for myself and my families for more years than I care to remember. Here's to slowing down and loving it.

Great beer today, one I am happy to say I was involved in the taste testing back when Kent Falls' brewmaster, Derek Dellinger, was one of our gang of home brewers, and he loved getting our opinions on his early efforts at fruited gose. I still think he makes em about best I have tried, even now when there are quite a few out there, and this one is hitting all the right spots. Cranberry Rye Gose, from Kent Falls.

Pours a cloudy dark gold with slight reddish cast. A large topper of snow white foam takes its time relaxing to a thick cap that lasts. Ladder-like lace legs linger from successive sips and create a pretty pattern that persists.

Mmm, nice medium strength aroma that hits with tart cranberry, which is joined by wonderful citrus notes, and as the aroma recedes from nose the spicy rye shows up with a twist. A nice interplay of sour and tart weave through the bouquet.

Taste is a blast of cranberry tart quickly joined by general over ripe fruit funk notes, grapefruit, and bitter orange, The interplay of rye at the end of the sip and pith bitter, and lingering deep tart notes end things dry and delicious

Very soft on palate, med. carb. quite viscous, very refreshing, silky body, and an excellent finish that is clean as clean gets.

A joy of a beer that is the case of a master creating in the style he does best. The fruit doesn't overpower and is strikingly tasty. Very highly recommended.

Hope you also have a Great American Beer in your glass. Cheers!

 

Seasonal drinker here. But, although it is Spring, I am still hanging on to the darker stuff. Today, I started with an Adirondack Iroquois Pale Ale (IPA), followed up with a Spaten Optimator doppelbock and am ending with a Founders Oatmeal Breakfast Stout. Of course, this may be driven by the wind and temps in the 30s here in western PA. I find the doppelbocks and stouts to be very comforting, like a great meatloaf and mash potato dinner. Looking forward though to hot weather and hefes and helles lagers.

Update . . . I am diggin' the Founders while listening to the Pretenders My City Was Gone . . .

 

Happy NBS. I guess I'm a seasonal drinker in that big Stouts and Barleys are always in season. Seriously though, only change for me is maybe adding some lower ABV thirst quenchers when it gets Georgia hot...Rubeaus is a summer go to for instance.
Today, I'm really diggin this weird but fantastic EvilTwin Irish-ish Stout. Review below. Cheers!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24300/323103/?ba=cindyjeffsmith#review

 

Cigar City Bourbon Barrel-Aged Caffe Americano
Imperial Stout - 12.9% ABV




5/5 rDev +13.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

750ml bottle poured into an El Catador club snifter. Bottling date of 01/05/2018 etched on the neck of the bottle. This is a Bourbon Barrel-aged Imperial Stout brewed with vanilla, cacao nibs and bourbon barrel-aged coffee.

Bourbon, coffee, vanilla, chocolate all make up the fantastic aroma. Thick bodied, lightly carbonated, silky smooth on the tongue. The taste is fantastic as well. Sweet and roasty, coffee, and a warming finish with the sweetness lingering in the finish as well. Full of flavor, silky smooth, and the high alcohol content is deceptive. Outstanding offering from Cigar City that I consider absolutely perfect. One of my favorites I've had from CCB. One of the very few beers I've rated on BA with a perfect rating.

 

Happy Sunday, New Beer Samplers and commentators. And thank you, @cjgiant for hosting today. The calendar may say it's spring but it still hasn't warmed up here in North Jersey. Nonetheless, I'm following your advice and drinking IPAs today. I'm digging into @swenny916's BIF box and my first review today is Fallen Flag, a 7% American IPA brewed by Narrow Gauge Brewing of Florissant, MO. It's dry hopped with Mosaic and Citra, two of my favorite hops. It's attractive and really delicious! Apparently, Narrow Gauge doesn't distribute and cans are only available at the brewery so I'm privileged to try it. Here's my review:

4.43/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I received this in @swenny916's NBS BIF box. Reviewed three weeks after canning. Poured into Spiegelau IPA glass. It pours a murky, dirty brown-gold color with more than a finger of fluffy, milk-white head and lots of soapy lacing that lasted through the pour. It's an unusual color. The nose features freshly-squeezed orange, lemon peel, pineapple, pine needles, floral hops, and a whiff of cracker and vanilla. It's highly aromatic. The taste is simply fabulous! It opens with sweet tropical fruit and slightly tart lemon and grapefruit. There's also vanilla and cracker notes. The Citra and Mosaic hops are highly flavorful and not overly bitter. They don't detract from the other flavors. This ale has a creamy, silky mouth feel with pleasant carbonation, and with an ABV of 7% it's very easy to drink. Overall, this is a superb American IPA; it's well-balanced, highly flavorful, and fun to drink. Who could ask for more?

Jay, thank you for giving me the chance to drink this excellent brew!

 

You're quite welcome! Condition can always be a wildcard with crowlers, but it looks like it made it there in fine enough shape, and I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

 

I'm still a little intrigued, maybe baffled at how well put together that one was. Probably the creamiest coffee beer I've had and it looked nothing like what I expect a coffee beer to look like.

 

Busy weekend around the house but squeezing in a new beer and packing the first BIF box.

Seasonal beer wise, I like to drink whatever I’m in the mood for without regard to the season. That being said, there are some seasonal releases that I look forward to.

Today’s new beer is Bearded Iris’s Pixelated DIPA with Kohatu, Nelson, and Citra.

Classic BI appearance and mouthfeel with some nice tropical citrus flavor and aroma. Recommended for sure.



Poured from 16 oz can dated 3/21/2018

A: Pours hazy sunshine yellow with fluffy 2 finger white head. Lasting retention and chunky lacing.

S: Bright tropical citrus that hit me as soon as I opened the can. Pineapple, mango, and passion fruit. Fresh pine needles.

T: Juicy citrus with pineapple and mango front and center. Bits of passion fruit and apricot with a piney note. Noticeable hops and dank all day but only lightly bitter.

M: Medium body with average carbonation and a soft creamy mouthfeel.

O: I’m a big fan of the BI DIPAs and this one is no exception.

 

Finally trying this Missouri distribution classic. After this, it's just onto variants of the notorious Missouri beers (mind helping?).





4 Hand's Madagascar.

Pours black with an eggshell thin layer of khaki fizz. Aroma is strong vanilla, with bourbon, char, and roasted and toasted malts. It smells like a vanilla Coca-Cola. Flavor profile is vanilla bean, milk chocolate, bourbon, char, and roasted and toasted malts. Bourbon is certainly present, but is balanced well enough to keep from being boozy. Really, the bourbon just adds a little extra character and depth in an otherwise thin flavor profile. All total, it tastes like Vanilla Coca-Cola, with emphasis on the vanilla. Mouth feel is thin, fizzy and harsh - it drinks like a soda pop, albeit a little smoother. Overall, it's thin and harsh, which isn't good for any beer especially a stout. Fortunate note here is that it thickens up just a bit as the beer warms, but it is still barely scraping "medium-thin". Vanilla notes are strong and refrain from coming across as artificial, which is a plus, but beyond that isn't much.

Score: 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | BA Score: 4.0 | rDev: -10.1%

Personal reflection: Hype ruined this one for me. It's thin, and feels harsh too, especially for a beer getting close to double digit ABV. Vanilla note is nice and doesn't come off as artificial which is a plus, but that's about it. Glad I could try it, but I won't be seeking it anymore. Maybe Coca-Cola's secret ingredient is char from bourbon barrels...?

 

As I made mention in my prior post: Sly Fox Charles Bridge Bohemian Pilsner.

A pretty burnished golden color. This beer has a tasty combination of soft yet notable Pilsner malt flavor accompanied nicely by a pleasant herbal/spicy hop flavor from the Czech Saaz hops.

A reminder:

“Charles Bridge Pilsner

Bohemian Pilsner

12.6 OG 40 IBUs 5.2% ABV

Brewed with special malt acquired from the Czech Republic and hopped exclusively with Czech grown Saaz hops. It is named for the Charles Bridge in Prague, "the most beautiful place to drink a pilsner in the world," says brewer Brian O'Reilly.

DRAFT AVAILABILITY:

Occasional”

Cheers to Sly Fox for crafting a high quality Bohemian Pilsner!

@Crusader @Seacoastbrewer @Sixpoint @cjgiant @premierpro

I am sharing this growler with my wife.



GO ‘NOVA!!