New Beer Sunday (Week 701)

I was determined to try three new beers today...

So, after a quick trip to Total Wine...

Went for two styles I don't frequent often, the hefeweizen and the wee heavy, and actually found a DIPA that @mschrei has recommended to me in the past...

Feeling pretty strong about my prospects...

Starting light with the Braupakt...

Weihenstephaner collab with Sierra Nevada, using Weihenstephaner's yeast, Hallertau Tradition hops, with Sierra Nevada contributing Amarillo and Chinook hops; 6% abv...

Into a weizen glass, a rich hazy golden color with a fat head of off-white foam that left clouds trailing down the glass... Didn't need to agitate any sediment at the bottom for the end of the pour... Basic hefeweizen qualities are all in place from the light banana and clove and lemon impressions on the palate to the smooth feel of soft carbonation... Mild sweetness, very mild bitterness... I found this a little earthier and woodier, and a little less citrusy than, for example, Weihenstephaner's classic hefeweizen - and in fact, while this was quite good, and I wanted to try it (having seen it posted many times in the forums), I nonetheless found myself wishing I had the Weihenstephaner hefe on hand, too, as this definitely stirred my craving for it... In all fairness, I have no idea how fresh this is, and since I'm a little late to the party as such, it's probably lost some zing and zest... I'll assume I would have had an even better experience with it were it fresher... All that aside, really enjoyed it - a great way to start the day...

Here's to new beer in your glass, cheers...

 

New Six Shooter Sunday

Today’s new to me beer is also a new to me brewery. One that has been getting a lot of praise over the last year from northern Ohioans, but mostly for NE IPAs that don’t interest me in the slightest. Their other styles have been a mixed bag from what I have heard, but this one seems to be a favorite and I would concur. I just wonder how long it will be before a name change since it is the EXACT same name as a Terrapin beer also using an Ethiopian coffee.



4.28/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

From a 16oz can fresh from the brewpub

Very nice looking beer. Black with a fairly frothy, creamy, thick peanut butter brown head. Really good retention and some residue.

Smells like cocoa, oats, and a really smooth, quality coffee ground. Almost expresso like.

Tastes like it smells only with a surprising robustness and bitterness in the follow through. Rich and sweet, but still restrained, with caramel, lactose sugar/sweet cream, and semi sweet chocolate all followed by a smooth cold brew like coffee flavor that builds through the end. Really nice lingering roast and cocoa.

The body is fantastic. If it were not for a bit of stickyness (literally, my lips are tacky like I had syrup, honey, caramel on them) I would be even higher here. It is creamy and luscious like an oatmeal stout, yet still thinner and easy to fly through like an American version. I just looked through some of the reviews to see if it was nitro because it seems like it might be and that is the case. And as such, it’s easily a contender for the best nitro stout I have had.

This beer is a little bit of a conundrum style wise. It is listed as an American Stout, and although it is pushing that category, especially ABV wise, I probably would say the same. It definitely has Oatmeal Stout, Milk Stout, and even borderline Imperial Stout qualities. Either way it is a really good beer.

 

No, I have not tried this beer (yet).

I went to the Einstock website to read:

“Icelandic Winter Ale

– Seasonal Winter Brew –

In Iceland, winter is not something we fear, it is something we embrace. We celebrate this with our super limited-edition Winter Ale, brewed with hand-cut and cured spruce tips. It is the perfect ale to inspire you to face the elements.”

https://einstokbeer.com/our-ales/icelandic-winter-ale/

Do you know what they mean by “hand-cut spruce tips”?

While I was researching my article one of the efforts I made was to speak to a brewer at Yards Brewing to find out how they utilize spruce in brewing Yards Poor Richard’s Spruce Ale. He informed me that they used cut tips of Spruce from a local tree orchard. In other words they use more mature parts of the tree vs. the fresh growth tips that ‘pop out’ in the spring. FWIW I am not a big fan of Yards Poor Richard’s Spruce Ale since it has a flavor that is reminiscent of medicinal for my palate. After hearing these details from the Yards brewer it further solidified my thinking to brew with fresh growth tips vs. the ends of a spruce tree.

What flavors did you perceive from Einstock Icelandic Winter Ale?

Cheers!

P.S. For further clarification below is a photograph of my next door neighbor’s Blue Spruce tree illustrating the fresh growth tips. You can pick these soft tips and eat them; some folks like to use fresh growth tips in their salads.

 

I grew up with blue spruces in our yard, so am familiar with how the tips grow. This beer had a very delicate spruce quality, so it wouldn't surprise me if they only used the new growth and not the mature parts of the tree.

 

New beer #2. Continuing with the “small” beers, in this case literally.

Small Citra Everything - Other Half
IPA - 6.5% abv
Canned 7/17/18 (12 days ago)
Purchased for $16/4 at Other Half
Score: 4.06 (-2.3% rDev)



L - 1-finger offwhite head atop a translucent yellow body.

S - grapefruit, orange, herb, pineapple. Very similar to regular ACE.

T - orange, dank, pineapple. Much cleaner middle than ACE. Moderate-low bitterness. Low sweetness. No booziness.

F - medium body and carb.

O - a lot like ACE, just cleaner and more crushable.

 

So, here is the 'challenging' aspect. The fresh growth is available in the spring (May for the case of my neighbor's tree). The Einstock beer is a winter seasonal. A little bit of a 'disconnect' here.

I suppose it is possibly they harvest the fresh growth tips and vacuum seal them (and then freeze them until needed)?

There is also the aspect of "and cured". Do you have any idea what that means?

Cheers!

P.S. As I made mention in my post the fresh growth tips provided zero flavors in my beer that I would associate with an evergreen tree - nothing like pine or spruce or resin-like or...

 

One more discussion topic. When I harvested my neighbor's tree I simply picked them off the tree. I would never have used the Einstock terminology of "hand-cut" because there was no "cutting" involved; a simple pick was all that was needed.

Cheers!

 

After nine days straight at the store I get an extremely rare Sunday off and need to catch up on some loose ends cluttering up the fridge. A couple fruited sours to start, first one up: BBCo.'s Black Raspberry & Currants Gose from their rotating fruited gose series "You Can't Get There From Here."
Let's get after it, shall we?



Moderate pour yields a one inch pink head over a reddish purple body with some fleeting lacing. Nice nose of black raspberry and currants, big on the black raspberry until it warms a bit and the currants come forward. Taste mirrors nose with a berry/gose tartness not quite overcoming the sweetness of the fruit, so this is a pleasant experience. Nice feel on this one. This beer likes me. Cheers to BBCo!

4.24/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

"and cured" may well mean that they are dried to preserve them and use them much as one would use a spice. (I don't think infusing water with them and then preserving the infusion would work as well.)

I know this is and has been done elsewhere. So that may well be how they are doing it.

@TongoRad

 

I agree with you that they aren't very pine-like, or even like the mature spruce branches- very sui generis in that respect. The best way I can describe it is that it had a quality very much like the spruce tips I grew up with, sort of soft and herbal, with some evergreen in there too. Maybe like a mild rosemary or thyme quality. Since they do mention 'cured' I have no doubt that these were once fresh tips; as to how the curing happened, I guess we can only speculate there.

As to why they used the term cut instead of picked, maybe that's just poetic license . I wouldn't read too much into that, myself.

 

Two roads ol factory pils
..clear amber orange
..slightly thin body with average carbonation

.aroma yeast,cereal,citrus, and a bread/cracker smell
...taste is similar,flavor is stronger than aroma
...overall it was really enjoyable,goes great with food as it's flavorful but not overpowering

 

Speakers of, say English, as a second language sometimes produce "unusual" translations.

(Ever assembled a piece of equipment or furniture made in China or other country and tried to read the English instructions on the multilingal instructions. )

 

New Beer Sunday: An American Pale Lager

Afternoon NBSers with an alert for folks in Jersey and SE PA about a newly canned local lager worth checking out. (From the name and the picture on the can one might think this beer is intended as a day-on-the-beach beer.)

This afternoon's new beer is a lager called Onshore from Flying Fish over in Jersey. (Flying Fish is the brewery responsible for the “You got a problem with that?” Exit series of beers.), This particular beer is also another example of the problems with the existing beer categorizations. The Brewery describes it as being a Czech Lager. However, that style doesn’t have a slot here at BA so it winds up in the American Pale Lager category.

As usual my review, subject to revision until the beer is finished, can be found here.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/339/347520/?ba=drtth#review


The aromas/favors are light and well balanced, clean and crisp. The light crackery, bready malt also has some honey-like sweetness that goes well with the lightly bitter, spicy and herbal hops. An enjoyable beer to consider for a day at the beach or a summer’s afternoon by the pool.

Cheers, all!

 

Icelandic people speak excellent English.

In today’s ‘digital age’ the actual Icelandic language is presently under threat of extinction:

“But as old, pure and inventive as it may be, as much as it is key to Icelanders’ sense of national and cultural identity, Icelandic is spoken today by barely 340,000 people - and Siri and Alexa are not among them.

In an age of Facebook, YouTube and Netflix, smartphones, voice recognition and digital personal assistants, the language of the Icelandic sagas – written on calfskin between AD1200 and 1300 – is sinking in an ocean of English.

Secondary school teachers already report 15-year-olds holding whole playground conversations in English, and much younger children tell language specialists they “know what the word is” for something they are being shown on the flashcard, but not in Icelandic.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...language-battles-threat-of-digital-extinction

Cheers!

 

Happy NBS.So far I'm taking it easy as I did quite a bit of house/yard work yesterday. I picked up a 12 pack of Capital Lake House for $7.99 while at the store this morning. I'm surprised the score is below a 3.5 as I found it to be good.

Poured 12oz can into Pils glass. The color is light gold and clear with a bright white pillowy 2 finger head that doesn't last long. Some lacing on my tall glass. Hints of sweet malt, some grain and a touch floral, spicy hops. Taste is similar to the nose. Light and bready with faint grain and straw. A touch of floral and spicy hops add a bit of balance to the sweetness. So light and crisp with good carbonation. Leaves a nice tang on the finish. All around great refreshing lager that is nice on a warmer day in WI.

 

Look forward to hearing more from you.

 

Cloud of Unknowing: 5 beers rated 4.2 in last 5 weeks
Jet Black Heart | BrewDog
4.21/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Anything that can be done well in Colorado can be done better in Scotland.
Best Milk Stout ever.
a) Pours a dark black-brown body, with one dense finger of puffy, fine, eternal foam that lasts and laces amply.
s) Plenty of hop hovers above the bready malt, chocolate, charcoal, peat fire.
t) Follows all these flavors that blossom larger, with more cocoa and hops, leafy, herbal and berry to add complexity.
f) Creamy, cocoa, and dreamy.
o) In cans at Wegman's attractively priced - now my go-to milk stout.

Half Hitch | Crux Fermentation
4.21/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Nothing run of mill with this IPA. First time from brewer, it's odd, but powerful and a knock out.
a) Pours a golden amber color with big white foam that lasts and laces.
s) Fruity, floral blossom, on the tropical, overripe and wild side, with mango, guava, papaya, passion fruit.
t) Follows the floral character, with some special extra flavor that's hard to pin down. It's hop delirium.
f) Mid and mid.
o) If novelity and originality is your goal with flavor knots to unravel, drink Half Hitch.

Duvel Single | Brouwerij Duvel
4.21/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Everyday Duvel, That's heaven. in a 16.9oz can, at Wegmans, in a mix-a-pack, $1.80.
a) Less head but clear body and lots of lace in the snifter.
s) Pilsner and cracker biscuit support lemongrass, honey, spice, and wine like acidity.
t) Follows aroma, but bigger, expands on the palate, with the sweetness shifting into yeasty, peppery, astringent wine like tones. Fresh baked bread crust and flower shop.
f) Shape shifts from sweet yeast into bone dry finish. Refreshing.
o) The baby and affordable brother to the devil. Must try. Want more. Sessionable.
Leaves leffe and most mass belgians in the dust.

Duvel Tripel Hop 2018 (Citra) | Brouwerij Duvel
4.2/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured into oversized snifter (all my beers go this way)
a) Pours a clear straw gold color with a 1 inch stalwart head that fades slowly. Tiny bubbles, and rich lacing.
s) The citra dominates but all the other elements of a duvel belgian single are present: Lemon, champagne, with spices, pepper, fruit, apple, and sweet malt.
t) The yeast more prominent that in US IPAs, lemony, grassy, champagne like.
f) Rises on the tongue, with sweet malts, a little bitterness, spices. Pepper & champagne.
o) must try 24.

Dunning-Kruger | Carton Brewing
4.2/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
At the brewer, this pale ale was a head-spinner so I had to buy a 4 pack to study and write its 1st review.
A) While it's got a clear body, it could be called the "Cloud of Unknowing", and it gets a 4 for looks. Clear golden body, lacing and lasting head.
s) An odd, flower-shop aroma hovers over the lemony - oaty beer. Pleasing and mystical.
t) More flower shop, fresh dough, lemon rind, bakers table, and minerals. Odd, deep, yet not overt. Hidden, ocult ... the cloud of unknowing.
f) Smooth, clean finish, great pale ale, up there with Dales, but totally different.
o) Must try.

In the field of psychology, the Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people of low ability have illusory superiority and mistakenly assess their cognitive ability as greater than it is.

The "Cloud of Unknowing" is a middle English work that suggests that the way to know God is to abandon consideration of God's particular activities and attributes, and be courageous enough to surrender one's mind and ego to the realm of "unknowing", at which point one may begin to glimpse the nature of God.

 

Followed my Braupakt with some bagel bites stuffed with vegetable cream cheese...


And now I'm moving onto the Icelandic Wee Heavy from Einstök...

Dark ruby brown and clear with a finger or two of tan foam... Produces impressions of shellac, peat smoke, and gin... Faint caramelized wood and vegetal notes, too... Moderately bitter in a resinous way - but without any chewiness, as the body is relatively medium-light weight - though there is a bit of stickiness up front, it dries out quickly as something akin to juniper and oak come come through... The sweetness is also very mild - suggestive of watered down molasses or brown sugar, it, too, flashes and then fades... I could see this beer not hitting all all the marks for some people, but it is very compelling to me; featuring angelica root, it has a taste and "historical" vibe to it like a sahti, gruit, or Gotlandsdricka... Really cool...

I'll be back later, NBS - that's a *sure bet* lol - cheers...

 

NBS beer #1 for the day



Forbidden Fruit

Highland Brewing
Berliner Weissbier / 4.90% ABV

3.81/5 rDev 0% | Score: 3.81
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

canned 04-13-18

L-The beer pours a slightly cloudy purple color with a minimal half centimeter white head. The head recedes to a thin ring with medium central island. No lacing is present.
S- There is an aroma of mild, natural blueberry. Behind that is a mild mustiness I associate with wheat beers.
T- Like the nose the first thing to hit your palate is the blueberry. There is that just shy of ripe tartness you get from fresh blueberries. That really is the limit of the tartness you experience however. The wheat is present stronger here than in the nose and finishes out the sip.
F- Mouthfeel overall is light. Carbonation is light but prickly.
O- This is an okay Berliner, but really lacks a certain amount of tartness I'm looking for in the style. This could be served to a non craft drinker without worry. It seems more fruit beer than Berliner.

 

Good Afternoon BAs thanks to @cjgiant for getting us started, unfortunately I have backed down on my weekly drinking and my cellar is getting all my wife's attention!!! I got all my chores done for the day so time to sit down with a few beers. First up is Pulpy Love a Berliner brewed with raspberry/strawberry from Seminar Brewing right up the road in Florence, SC. If you are ever headed down I95 they are right off the interstate stop by for a beer and some food, their beers are wonderful and the food is very good. I will say I am really pleased with this one, you can see below their comments on it and I will say the only thing I do not agree with is the thick pulpy part. The tart puree does give it a slightly juicy thicker feel but it s still a light Berliner and is a great easy drinking beer on a hot day like today.

"This Berliner Wiesse is tart and refreshing. It is loaded with fresh raspberry and strawberry puree which gives it a thick, pulpy goodness."


Appearance 4.25 - Pours light cloudy pink color with nice white head stringy white lacing around the glass.

Aroma 4.5 - Lots of raspberry and strawberry, lemon, nice tart aroma with a good bit of salt coming through.

Taste 4.75 - Tart lemon, raspberry, strawberry. really nice tart bite the fruit hits right off the bat and really lasts. The great salty briny flavor comes in on the finish and give it a nice dryness.

Feel 4.75 - Really light and crisp up front and a nice salty dry finish. Very easy drinking.

Overall 4.61 - Pretty happy with how this one turned out, the raspberry and strawberry come out much better than I expected.